Plan B Options for folks on Social Security
Plan B Options for folks on Social Security
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) October 27, 2026
In the early morning hours of February 7, 1937, a young American named Stirling Dickinson got off a train in central Mexico and rode into San Miguel de Allende on a mule-drawn cart.
He and a Princeton classmate were months into a trip around Mexico looking for a quiet place to write, and a Mexican opera singer had told them to try San Miguel.
America to its Lenders: We Can’t Protect You. Also, Keep Buying Our Bonds.
America to its Lenders: We Can’t Protect You. Also, Keep Buying Our Bonds.
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) October 23, 2026
In July 1974, a former bond trader turned politician named William Simon boarded a private plane out of Andrews Air Force Base for a two-week tour of Europe and the Middle East. Simon had been Treasury Secretary for all of two months, and the government had a problem.
Three years earlier Nixon had cut the dollar loose from gold. Then came the Arab oil embargo, led by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia after the 1973 war, and the price of oil roughly quadrupled.
A Condo in this Ghost City Gets You Ten Years Residency
A Condo in this Ghost City Gets You Ten Years Residency
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) October 22, 2026
On March 6, 2016, Malaysia’s prime minister, Najib Razak, turned up for the grand opening of a city that did not exist yet, two kilometers off the coast from Singapore.
It was called Forest City, and the plan was enormous. One of the largest property developers in the world came in to build four artificial islands in the strait and put a “smart, green” city of 700,000 people on them, at a cost of roughly $100 billion.
The Iran War Will End. Expensive Diesel Won’t
The Iran War Will End. Expensive Diesel Won’t
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / sovereign Man) October 20, 2026
There’s a college degree that pays about $100,000 right out of school, which is pretty good money for a 22-year old. Within a few years, that pay could easily double.
Yet hardly any young person wants the job.
It’s not dangerous, it’s not dirty, and it doesn’t require superhuman work hours. The only reason young people aren’t interested is because Greta Thunberg told them it wasn’t cool.
The FY 2026 Deficit Was $2 Trillion... And No One Cares
The FY 2026 Deficit Was $2 Trillion... And No One Cares
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) October 19, 2026
On Friday afternoon the Treasury Department released its final numbers for fiscal year 2026, which just ended on September 30, and the results are pretty much what you’d expect: horrible, appalling, inexcusable.
Treasury reported a total budget deficit of $2 trillion, $220 billion worse than the year before.
A Good Week To Be On A Government Payroll
A Good Week To Be On A Government Payroll
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) October 16, 2026
It was a good week to be on a government payroll and a bad one to be paying for it. Here are a few of the most absurd stories from the last several days in case you missed them.
Too tired to go to work? The Australian government has your back!
Rising Bond Yields Are Creating A Problem For The US Banking System
Rising Bond Yields Are Creating A Problem For The US Banking System
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) October 13, 2026
In January 2021, two months before US inflation took off, a reporter asked Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell how much inflation the Fed was willing to tolerate.
Powell acted like he'd never heard of inflation— like it was crazy to even ask. He dismissed the notion of inflation entirely and said it was "far away and unlikely."
America Got Rich on Competition, Then Legislated It Away
America Got Rich on Competition, Then Legislated It Away
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) October 12, 2026
In 1938 the airline business was brand new— only 35 years had passed since the Wright brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk. Hardly anyone had even seen an airplane. A coast-to-coast round trip cost about $260, half the price of a new car, so passengers were mostly very wealthy.
America's Debt Is Worse Than France's. Have You Seen France Lately?
America's Debt Is Worse Than France's. Have You Seen France Lately?
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) October 8, 2026
It all started because the students wanted better quality education... and more teachers. Many schools in France are overcrowded. Some lack teachers. Buildings are crumbing.
So, two weeks ago, students at a high school outside Paris blocked the entrance to their own school to protest these conditions. And the movement caught on; students at hundreds of other schools did the same.
What A High-Trust Society Looks Like Up Close
What A High-Trust Society Looks Like Up Close
Notes From the Field (Schiff/Sovereign Man) October 6, 2026
[Editor’s note: This letter was written by Schiff Sovereign’s CEO, Viktorija, who is originally from Lithuania but splits her time between Mexico and Panama.]
The first thing I noticed at Seoul’s Iuncheon airport was the luggage. People had just left their suitcases sitting there— against pillars, next to benches, by the exits— and wandered off to the bathroom or to grab a coffee. Nobody looked back.
It Took 211 Years to Borrow $2.3 Trillion. Congress Just Did It in Twelve Months
It Took 211 Years to Borrow $2.3 Trillion. Congress Just Did It in Twelve Months.
Notes From The Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) October 5, 2026
$2,307,765,598,614.61. That’s how much the national debt grew by in fiscal year 2026, which just ended last week on September 30.
$2.3 trillion in a single year is clearly and obviously runaway debt growth; think about it— the entire national debt didn't reach $2.3 trillion until 1987.