One of the most profound moments of my entire adult life came to me when I was learning about my family history, which I’ve managed to trace back over eight centuries.

I discovered so many incredible stories from the past, and the indelible conclusion that I’ve reached is that it’s an absolute miracle that any one of us exists.

The last few millennia have seen war, plague, and some of the worst conditions this species have ever experienced.

Looking back at my own ancestors’ lives I’m astonished at how many close calls I’ve had to never being born. I’ve calculated the odds, I had a 99.99999% chance of never existing.

But despite the odds, my ancestors survived. All of our ancestors survived.

And because of that string of luck, I’m here today. And so are you.

These days, we have it easy by comparison.

Most of us don’t have to deal with genocide, pandemic killer diseases, and civil war… yet we still have our own threats to face.

Governments across the West have amassed unprecedented amounts of debt, and are adding even more with each passing day.

Banks and whole financial systems are highly illiquid and in many cases even insolvent.

Our threats are financial. They are political. They are existential. And they are just as dangerous.

History is generous with examples of how governments, pressed by bankruptcy, have almost invariably turned to plunder the wealth of their citizens.

As well as how insolvent financial systems have culminated in extraordinary crises that have fundamentally changed the face of society.

It’s difficult to ignore these lessons today, especially when we can see things moving in the same direction.

It’s no secret that the US government is bankrupt. They tell you themselves each day as they publish how much debt they owe, to the penny, for the world to see.

It’s no secret either that the Federal Reserve is out of capital on a mark-to-market basis, which you can find stated very clearly in the reports they publish every Thursday.

The information is all right there for anyone who cares to look.

People who ignore these obvious realities do so at their own peril.

In many respects the purpose of our lives is to survive and pass wealth on to the next generation.

And that’s only possible if we can recognize the obvious trends and take action to prepare ourselves for what’s to come.

Luckily, given the modern technology available now in 2016, mitigating these risks is something that anyone can do.

And by taking the right steps it is more than possible to turn this period of chaos into one of opportunity.

Listen in to today’s podcast as I share some deep family history and the steps you can take to ensure that no matter what happens next you are in a position to not only survive, but thrive.