How to Prepare for an Economic Slowdown
How to Prepare for an Economic Slowdown
By Denise Hill
Predicting an economic downturn can seem as mystical and convoluted as reading tea leaves. However, the economic tea-leaf readers — financial experts — are warning that the economic winds are changing.
Even though unemployment is still low, there are other economic indicators causing financial analysts to predict lean financial seasons. First, economic growth has all but stalled.
The rate of wage increase has stagnated. The Constant Maturity Treasury (CMT) rates, which are used to measure and predict future interest rates, economic growth, and output, are near flatlining — and threatening inversion. This means that as the economy continues to slow down, consumer interest rates will rise and investment earnings will lose momentum, possibly even losing money.
Preparing for a recession is similar to preparing for a tropical storm: There's no way to predict just how bad things will get, but burying your head in the sand and hoping for the best is a horrible idea. Here are a few things you can do to stormproof your finances against the coming economic slow down.
Beef Up Your Emergency Fund
The first thing you do when prepping for a storm is prepare your home for the onslaught. People in coastal areas board up windows and surround their homes with sandbags. An emergency fund does the same thing financially. It's the added installation and protection that can assist you when the economy dips.
It can't stop the winds, or prevent the rain, and it may not stave off all damage, but it does provide an added layer of protection. And it provides you a fighting chance to preserve what you've worked so hard to build.
The traditional emergency fund is anywhere from three to six months' worth of daily living expenses — and even larger for people with high expenses, large salaries, or a job that would be difficult to replace. During lean economic times, you want to save more than the standard recommended amount.
Under normal circumstances, the average bout of unemployment lasts roughly three to six months. However, experts believe that number is slowly creeping up and could double in a sluggish economy.
It has been suggested that you plan to be unemployed at least one month per every $10,000 you earn. So if you earn $70,000 a year, you should plan for an unemployment that lasts at least seven months.
This formula is a great gauge in helping you determine how much you need in your emergency fund. (See also: 7 Easy Ways to Build an Emergency Fund From $0)
Adjust Your Budget And Pay Down Debt
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THE MEASURE : Rob Cunningham
8-18-2026
What if the biggest breakthrough of 2026 isn’t AI, quantum computing, blockchain or digital currency? What if those are just tools?
What if the breakthrough is an idea humanity understood thousands of years ago:
HONEST MEASURES.
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Brent crude has moved above $90 a barrel, while the U.S. 30-year Treasury yield has climbed above 5.3%, its highest level since 2007. At the same time, investors have reduced expectations for additional Federal Reserve rate increases. The unusual combination is forcing markets to reconsider how inflation, debt and geopolitical risk interact.
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TNT:
Tishwash: Prime Minister's Advisor: Digital Dinar a promising project to enhance the efficiency of monetary policy
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Saleh told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “The proposal to launch the digital Iraqi dinar is one of the ideas that deserves to be studied within the framework of Iraq’s move towards digital transformation and the development of the financial system.
KTFA
Monday Night Video
FRANK26….8-17-26….CODE BOOK/WRONG COLORS !!!
This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only
Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie and Omar in Iraq and guests
Playback Number: 605-313-5163 PIN: 156996#
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Daban Mohammed At a Glance
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The advisor clarified the digital currency is a legal tender extension of the paper dinar.
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Lawmakers proposed distributing state salaries directly into citizen digital wallets.
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Michelle Makori, President & Editor-in-Chief of Miles Franklin Media, interviews Frank Giustra, CEO of the Fiore Group, mining financier and founder of Lionsgate Entertainment.
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Ariel: You all are in for Some Historical Times
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From The Back Channels
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We Left Gold in 1971... Now the World Is Leaving the Dollar
Peter Schiff: 8-17-2026
Peter Schiff on plunging retail sales, sticky inflation, the Fed's stealth QE, and why the world is now leaving the dollar standard.
Retail sales just plunged, producer prices are still rising, and the Fed is quietly expanding its balance sheet again.
The July data tells the story the markets keep ignoring. Retail sales fell 0.6 percent, the biggest drop in over a year, and since those numbers are not adjusted for inflation, real spending fell even further.
Coffee with MarkZ, joined by Bob Lock. 08/17/2026
Some highlights by PDK-Not verbatim
MarkZ Disclaimer: Please consider everything on this call as my opinion. People who take notes do not catch everything and its best to watch the video so that you get everything in context. Be sure to consult a professional for any financial decisions
MZ: Three Zeroes......3 0's, deleting zeroes, whatever you want to call it dominates today's news. We will also cover the invasion of Spain and Bob Lock joins us for trust questions.
TNT:
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Ariel: PM Al-Zaidi is Not Planning to Go Through Parliament
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PM Ali al-Zaidi Is Not Planning To Go Through Parliament:
He Doesn’t Have To And Here Is Why
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Good Morning Dinar Recaps,
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KTFA
Sunday Night Video
FRANK26….8-16-26….THEY ARRIVED
This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only
Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie and Omar in Iraq and guests
Playback Number: 605-313-5163 PIN: 156996#
“An Earthquake Is Coming”: The Debt Warning Investors Cannot Ignore | Francis Hunt
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Andy Schectman, Founder & CEO of Miles Franklin Precious Metals, interviews Francis Hunt, market analyst and Founder of The Market Sniper, to examine growing stress in the U.S. Treasury market and the implications for gold, silver and global wealth preservation.
Hunt argues that the simultaneous decline in Treasury prices and the U.S. dollar represents a significant warning about confidence in the Western debt-based financial system.
Fifty-Five Years of Fiat Failure
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Peter Schiff marks 55 years since Nixon closed the gold window and warns the coming inflation will dwarf the stagflation of the 1970s.
Peter Schiff marks the 55th anniversary of August 15, 1971, the day Nixon closed the gold window and defaulted on the Federal Reserve's promise to redeem dollars in gold.
He explains how deficit spending in the 1960s on the Great Society, Vietnam, and Apollo forced the choice between painful fiscal discipline and default, and how Nixon chose default disguised as reform.
Anti-Graft Raid Nets $6.7M, Gold From Iraqi Electricity Official
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Rob Cunningham: All in or No Level Playing Field
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ALL IN or NO Level Playing Field
Q: Could a globally interoperable DLT (distributed ledger technology) monetary system meeting ISO20022 and GENUIS ACT standards function as designed with fiat issued currencies lacking verifiable, sound, 1:1 collateral and be fair to all parties involved?
A: No.