How to Plan for Your Family Continuity Under a Biden Administration

How to Plan for Your Family Continuity Under a Biden Administration

By John Loudon

“America may be more divided now than any time since the Civil War,” read the October 2017 headline on Salon.com. Today, more than three years later, things are much worse. Civil unrest, independent autonomous zones in major cities where police fear to tread, violent attacks in DC on families leaving peaceful protests, rolling lockdowns based on local politicians’ latest whims, supply chain disruptions, restrictions on free enterprise, and a global move against successful individuals in the name of economic justice. These are the daily realities 2021 brings us.

Previously, FON has discussed pandemic and disaster preparedness, how to plan for societal violence in your region, and how to prepare for long-term survival in a world where supply chains and basic freedoms are restricted for a time. This is the resilient lifestyle “Plan, Prepare, Protect” model. What to do in your current location, how to prepare yourself and your family to deal with any external threats or survival issues you may face, and then how to ensure you have a place of protection, a place where you can retreat and survive in comfort and normalcy until you can return home. These are top of mind for many high-net-worth individuals and families. I even hosted an expert panel in West Palm Beach in November 2020 on that same topic, featuring the insights and practical suggestions of security and disaster planning experts who work with high-net worth individuals on these important issues.

But the question in front of us today, is what does a Biden presidency mean for these issues? And what does 2024 bring us?

“A key part of being ready to take care of yourself and your family within the Plan, Prepare and Protect model is the ability to defend yourself and to escape real-time situations,” says John Henderson, Principal in Paratus USA, a top training and security company, and one of the November panel members. “This doesn’t change, regardless of who is President. Yes, we fully expect that it will be much harder to secure firearms and ammunition over the next four years with a Biden administration, but having the tools to defend yourself is just part of the solution. More importantly, now is the time to get the supplies, training and skills you and your family need to survive if things fall apart around you. We are likely to see more instability, not less, as we move forward. Portland and Seattle are just the opening acts.”

When it comes to those tools aka guns, a Biden presidency is expected to apply limits to how many firearms a person can purchase, ban certain firearms based on their appearance, and possibly enact policies that could force gunmakers out of business through the use of lawsuits against manufacturers of guns used in criminal acts.

Another expected impact is for there to be no real solutions to the violence being enacted by radical organizations in American cities, nor any real support for law enforcement. This will negatively impact societal stability in major urban centers, and raises the value of having a residence in a non-dense section of the U.S. to retreat to for a time if needed. Additionally, we would expect violence to escalate exponentially as we approach a 2024 election. This would be especially acute if Trump is running again, as we have seen demonstrated in the violent protests against Trump during the most recent election cycle. Be prepared locally to shelter in place. Be prepared to temporarily evacuate to a “safer’ location and be prepared to relocate to a secure, safe and sustainable community or location if society starts to faulter. If you are in the middle of events and trying to come up with a plan, you have already lost.

On a global scale, the World Economic Forum “Great Reset” is an additional concern that requires planning against. According to the WEF, “the world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions.” It goes on to also include a reset on industry, and all of capitalism. Global coordination on tax, regulatory and fiscal policy. And a global focus on social equity and health policy. This push for globalization at all levels is nothing new. However, we have seen in 2020 just how quickly a global consensus can impact the very essence of our daily lives in ways we probably never imagined. If, as expected, the Biden administration promotes and supports this project, the expectation is internationalism, globalism and a departure from America First in ways that will continue to negatively impact our economy such as the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline or the push for a $15 an hour minimum wage. Both moves are expected to increase costs of goods and increase unemployment. Add to this less secure borders, the lifting of travel bans from terrorism supporting nations, and the rejoining of the Paris climate accord and changes will be fast and impacting. We also expect a move away from individual rights and towards society-first standards, making it even more essential that our long-term family plans include the ability to disappear for a period of time to a place where security and sustainability are paramount, and a sense of normalcy can be maintained.

Some of those who already have escape plans are the likes of David Geffen who has spent a significant amount of time in recent months on his 454-foot yacht in the Caribbean. Others, keeping their identity secret, are in underground bunkers in New Zealand, in missile silos, or are building their “near-absolute protection” homes as part of an exclusive resistant community in the center of the U.S. And it’s not just due to the pandemic, or violence in major cities. These Protect elements are there in case of catastrophic, long-term incidents such as terrorist attacks on our power grid, solar flares, or military conflict.

“It’s essential you have a place to retreat to for a period of time, knowing that everything you need to survive and thrive in comfort and normalcy is ready to go at a moment’s notice,” says Mark Sutherland, one of the developers of The Retreat, the world’s most luxurious survival community. “But it’s also essential you start now with planning and preparing where you are today, even while your long-term plan is being built. That’s where organizations like Paratus USA can assist, and where our residents get immediate support even while their residence is under construction.”

The Retreat is also attracting resident investors, those that are looking to secure their long-term family protection plans, while also ensuring their money continues to work for them as part of the project.

Bottom line, getting additional personal security training while ensuring the Protect part of your long-term planning is in place as soon as possible is the most likely next step for high net-worth individuals who already have a plan in place for their existing residences. And with a Biden presidency, the WEF’s Great Reset, and the strong likelihood of a Trump v. Biden rematch in 2024, we have about 3 years to get our long-term solutions built and ready to go.

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