Some people believe our world was a better, safer, more stable place in 2024. In one sense, that is true. We may have come close to a major war several times, but more reasonable minds prevailed.
That all being said, there were, and are, things going on under the surface that threaten us at the most basic levels of shelter, food, and well-being. Individuals who are retired, elderly, or disabled need to be more vigilant than ever and not rely on the current situation as a predictor of the future.
If you are younger, or haven’t retired yet, you must be aware of how regulations and other control mechanisms may lead to financial disaster before you even figure out what is happening. Unfortunately, that groundwork has been carefully laid out over decades. Efforts to uproot all of it will take time. Until those factors are dealt with, you will have to figure out how to navigate through the crisis.
Don’t Take Economic Security for Granted
After working hard all your life and contributing towards various retirement plans, you would think the money would be enough to meet your needs. Unfortunately, many retired people are finding out this is not the case.
It isn’t just rising food, fuel, car, and medical care costs. Far too many people are finding that their insurance rates are rising beyond affordability because of “climate change risks “. No matter how much you believe climate change is a hoax, insurance carriers regulated by the government, impose higher rates with impunity based on their beliefs about the cost associated with “climate change”.
At this time, it is impossible to say whether or not President Trump will use regulations to stop these hikes, or do something else to prevent people from losing their homes as a side effect of the climate change hoax.
Regardless of how that turns out, it is very important in 2025 to be aware of how regulations affect your finances and long-term security. If you have a retirement portfolio, now is the time to ask what would happen if you suddenly needed twice the amount of money you currently live on.
Depending on your health and condition, this may also be the time to think about where you will move and how you will remain independent.
Don’t Take Stable Living Conditions for Granted
Financial concerns aside, there are other problems going on with housing. It is to your advantage to always attend city or town hall meetings, especially those related to development and community planning. You never know when a project will come along that might affect where you own property or rent.
In either situation, you may find that you suddenly have all kinds of undue attention placed on your property. No matter whether it is tax hikes, code compliance, vandalism, or other pressures, chances are you won’t be able to prove the situation is coming up because of various plans for the area.
Here again, the best thing you can do is be ready to move. If you suspect you will be in a situation where you can’t live in peace, this is the time to liquidate valuables and see where you want to move next.
Stay Fit and Healthy in Old Age
You might think that a sprained shoulder, wrist, or knee is no big deal. Likewise, if you’ve been living with arthritis or some chronic medical condition for years, you may not consider it a serious challenge to survival needs.
Within just a few minutes to hours of loss of use of a limb, or some other illness, you are likely to find that a lot of your supplies and plans are virtually useless.
Now that we are at the beginning of a new year, it is the perfect time to either go to the gym or buy home exercise equipment that you can use to improve your fitness.
The most important thing is that you choose items you will use and that are within your current fitness range. For example, if you haven’t lifted weights in decades, it doesn’t make sense to buy a weight-lifting set. It would be cheaper and easier to buy resistance bands.
Even if you start out at the lowest band resistance level, the important thing is to keep at it and work your way up. In a similar fashion, it makes no sense to buy an expensive treadmill or cross trainer when you can use a mini pedal bike or some other small device until you build up muscle and cardiopulmonary capacity.
Without a question, if you are overweight or eat junk food or other highly processed foods, this is the best time of year to find ways to lose weight and choose better foods. If you find that buying junk food is too much temptation when you go shopping, use online services instead and don’t order these foods.
There is another very important part of managing health in old age. This involves knowing exactly what is going on with your health insurance coverage and how it impacts medication and treatment options. You may be very surprised to find that cost is placed well above what would be best for your health.
Do your own research, and if you don’t think something is right, don’t hesitate to see another doctor. These days, it is also much easier to order your own blood tests. Even if a doctor refuses to run things like allergy tests or something else you feel is important, you can order them for yourself and receive the results. Paying this money out of pocket is well worth it, especially when you learn something that will shift what treatments will actually meet your needs and help you get better instead of being trapped in endless pills and illness.
Develop Tangible Skills to a Job-Attaining Level
As a prepper, you might have many skills you learned from reading books, watching videos, or even practicing in various locations. This skill level may be sufficient for managing an emergency, but it might not do much in times when you suddenly find yourself without a job or a home.
In these cases, being able to shift to a new occupation or living area may make the difference in how you will spend the rest of your life.
Let’s say you took some courses in first aid and have a good way with people. It doesn’t matter if you are in an occupation that isn’t likely to be winnowed out by AI and robotics or if you are already retired. This is the time to develop as many skills as possible to a level where you can get a job if needed.
There are many online colleges and programs available that can help you get the education, training, and certification that you need. Even if you never need to get a job in this field, you will have a better skill set for emergency situations than you have right now.
If you have medical issues that prevent you from carrying out labor-intensive occupations, look into computer IT, management, financial services, and business analysis.
Always look for programs that lead to a specific certification you can use as part of your resume. Passing exams related to a certification program is well worth it when you have nothing else to fall back on.
You will also find that programs including an internship are very valuable. These give you an edge insofar as work experience in the field, and can work to your advantage during an interview.
Seek to Develop a Community
Many preppers think that they either have to work only with a limited number of friends and family members. If you are looking at rising insurance prices and food costs going out of control, then others around you are as well.
This is not the time to avoid talking to neighbors and friends about what’s going on in your local area. When you attend town or city meetings, make it your business to get to know other people.
Building a community capable of preventing catastrophic price hikes starts when you network and make people aware of what is going on. This makes it much easier to do research and figure out how to approach leaders to obtain relief from the situation.
In 2024, we saw firsthand how fires and floods wreaked havoc on certain areas. During this process, we also began to learn about how insurance carriers moved out of these areas, or used various regulations to hike premiums beyond the affordability of most people.
Just because your insurance rates, mortgage, or rent haven’t suddenly risen because of “climate change”, that doesn’t mean plans aren’t in the works. Even if you don’t believe in the “climate hoax”, 2025 is a crucial year for finding out, in this, and other areas about things that might disrupt your current lifestyle and living conditions.
As you look at methods to mitigate your financial risk, it is essential to find ways to improve your health and fitness. This is also the time to expand into new skillsets or improve existing ones to a level where you can get a job or start a business in that field.
