I’ve always been pretty bad with birthday and anniversaries. Even my own.
So I didn’t even realize until this morning that Sovereign Man actually turned seven years old over the weekend.
Seven years. I can hardly believe it. But it seems even more incredulous to think about how much has happened over the last seven years.
When I sent out the very first Notes from the Field email in June 2009, the world was at the height of the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression.
Since then, we’ve seen the US government’s debt soar by 70%, and the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet more than double.
We’ve seen the US government caught red-handed spying on EVERYONE, from citizens inside the United States to even their own allies.
We’ve seen an appalling rise in police violence and Civil Asset Forfeiture to the point that the US government now steals more than every thief in America combined.
We’ve seen over half a million pages of new bills, rules, and regulations introduced in the Land of the Free, including some of the dumbest laws of all time like FATCA.
We’ve seen interest rates held down to near-zero in the US, and even slashed to negative territory in Europe, Japan, and many other countries around the world.
We’ve seen entire banking systems go bust, like in Cyprus back in 2013, when the national government FROZE everyone’s savings and implemented severe capital controls to “bail in” the system.
We’ve seen a meteoric rise in the worldwide use of the Chinese renminbi, as well as major, direct assaults against the US dollar’s global dominance.
We’ve even seen America’s own allies openly question why the dollar is still the primary reserve currency in the world.
History tells us that wealth and power routinely shift. That major superpowers can and do go bankrupt. That dominant financial systems and reserve currencies can be displaced.
And that whenever any of this happens, there are consequences.
Our species has been dealing with these same trends for thousands of years. This time is not different.
History also teaches that for people who ignore reality and pretend that nothing is happening, the impact can be severe.
But for those who recognize obvious trends and take simple, rational steps to reduce the consequences, the opportunities are enormous.
If your country is broke, don’t hold everything that you’ve ever worked for or hope to achieve within easy reach of your bankrupt government.
If your financial system is underpinned by highly illiquid banks and an insolvent central bank, don’t keep all of your savings there.
If you are living in the most frivolously litigious society to ever exist in human history, don’t keep 100% of your assets there.
Simple.
That’s fundamentally why we started this site seven years ago.
No one can claim to predict the future with any certainty, but it’s easy to see the direction that these big picture trends are unfolding.
My objective was to present publicly available data to show that, yes, your country and financial system are bankrupt… plus simple, rational solutions to distance yourself from the consequences.
So much has happened since 2009 to validate that premise, and these trends are only picking up steam.
Back when we started, it was just me and my partner Matt. We were two guys trying to make an impact for an audience of practically zero.
After seven years, hundreds of thousands of people have signed up for this letter.
And today Sovereign Man has more than two dozen employees (mostly out of our offices in Chile) dedicated to helping people become more prosperous and more free.
I’ve had the extreme privilege of building wonderful relationships with giants I’ve greatly admired, like Ron Paul, Robert Kiyosaki, Jim Rogers, Marc Faber, and others.
But more than that, it’s been amazing to have spent time with so many of our readers.
I’ve met thousands of Sovereign Man subscribers over the years at our conferences and events, and I’ve have routinely come away inspired at how many incredible, switched-on people read this letter.
So most of all I just want to say thank you for allowing me to be part of your life.
We certainly live in interesting times. And I look forward to being with you in the coming years as these historic trends continue to unfold.
