This episode of Money and Change addresses critical financial, market, and preparedness topics. We break down the soaring U.S. National Debt and offer practical steps to pay off personal debt and build an emergency fund ahead of a potential recession. We also discuss the precious metals market, including the rising prices of gold and silver, and the warning to buy physical assets over paper certificates. In the news, we cover Jim Beam's distillery pause, Macy's Santa tradition change, and a San Francisco power outage to underscore the need for critical winter power outage preparations and the value of GMRS radios for emergency communication.