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How to Prosper during the Coming Bad Years: A Crash Course in Personal and Financial Survival
The author claimed (in 1979) that "conventional thinking about savings plans, insurance policies, and other "safe" investment plans, and even the future value of pensions and social security are obsolete as the buying power of the dollar continues to drop at a rate unprecedented in recent history."
248 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 27, 2011
This book was on my father's bookshelf when I was a child. It fascinated me. That was in the era of self-sufficiency, grow your own, survive independently, the American dream of a Thoreau-style existence disconnected from the mainstream, relying on nobody but oneself.. The author had absolutely no faith in contemporary American culture to sustain itself back then and still doesn't: there is a later edition of this book for the 21st Century. Its interesting to read but really only to get a an overview of how some people think!! It's promotion of various forms of hoarding would not be advantageous for all mind sets I imagine.
March 17, 2020
The recent crisis made me think of this book that I read forty years ago. He got a lot wrong (completely missing the biggest bull market in history) but maybe he was thinking 40 years ahead the whole time? I somehow doubt it.
July 5, 2010
I have very complicated feelings about this book.
"I've never met a book I didn't like," is something of a personal credo of mine. After reading the first six chapters of this book, however, it occurred to me that I may have to choose something else for my personal brand message. The first six chapters of this book, How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years In the 21st Century (the new, updated version of this seminal "gold bug" text), are full of the worst kind of sophistic reasoning and argument. I would literally become outraged after reading some of the things Ruff has written in this book. However, as I found was true throughout the rest of the book, in between every specious remark, there was a little gold nugget of truth that would help me press on and silence my own cognitive dissonance. In fact, that's the primary thing I got from this book: I should be more willing to open my mind to different ideas, because nothing should shock or outrage.
That said, he does have fairly accurate analysis of the coming social security crisis and the ways the government will probably tackle it. He also does a good job in the third section of the book in arguing for the need of investors to broaden their outlook on investment vehicles. I don't know that I, personally, will be heading out to stockpile food, guns, and supplies or big sacks of old dimes, but I do feel a small sense of gratitude toward Mr. Ruff for helping me see the bigger investment picture.
So, it is with the caveat that the reader should approach this book with an open mind and an agreement never to be offended by anything Mr. Ruff says, that I can recommend this book to others. You will be challenged, I guarantee.
"I've never met a book I didn't like," is something of a personal credo of mine. After reading the first six chapters of this book, however, it occurred to me that I may have to choose something else for my personal brand message. The first six chapters of this book, How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years In the 21st Century (the new, updated version of this seminal "gold bug" text), are full of the worst kind of sophistic reasoning and argument. I would literally become outraged after reading some of the things Ruff has written in this book. However, as I found was true throughout the rest of the book, in between every specious remark, there was a little gold nugget of truth that would help me press on and silence my own cognitive dissonance. In fact, that's the primary thing I got from this book: I should be more willing to open my mind to different ideas, because nothing should shock or outrage.
That said, he does have fairly accurate analysis of the coming social security crisis and the ways the government will probably tackle it. He also does a good job in the third section of the book in arguing for the need of investors to broaden their outlook on investment vehicles. I don't know that I, personally, will be heading out to stockpile food, guns, and supplies or big sacks of old dimes, but I do feel a small sense of gratitude toward Mr. Ruff for helping me see the bigger investment picture.
So, it is with the caveat that the reader should approach this book with an open mind and an agreement never to be offended by anything Mr. Ruff says, that I can recommend this book to others. You will be challenged, I guarantee.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2011
When I read this I found it to be a astute and pointed critical examination of poor financial practices on the part of government, in particular the American government. The collapse Ruff predicted has in some ways occurred and not in others.
It is more than 20 years since I read this book, so much of the fine details are fuzzy. I am not sure how pertinent it would be, in its specifics to the financial events occurring today. However, now that I am reflecting on my reaction to it, this book was an early critique of the 'truth's the media was spewing in the day. Prosper was a preliminary book initiating me the now life-long process of being skeptical about what 'official' news is telling me is true about the world. The financial pages of our papers are largely written by people invested to write about truth within certain bounds.
What brought this book to mind is my being sent a link to a financial analyst describing in Ruff-like end of the world language how false media truths are deluding the world's population and hiding fundamental economic and financial flaws behind market encomiums disconnected from their reality.
It is more than 20 years since I read this book, so much of the fine details are fuzzy. I am not sure how pertinent it would be, in its specifics to the financial events occurring today. However, now that I am reflecting on my reaction to it, this book was an early critique of the 'truth's the media was spewing in the day. Prosper was a preliminary book initiating me the now life-long process of being skeptical about what 'official' news is telling me is true about the world. The financial pages of our papers are largely written by people invested to write about truth within certain bounds.
What brought this book to mind is my being sent a link to a financial analyst describing in Ruff-like end of the world language how false media truths are deluding the world's population and hiding fundamental economic and financial flaws behind market encomiums disconnected from their reality.
June 2, 2009
Excellent book in detailing today's economy and how to care for yourself and family. No radical views, just good analysis and common sense wisdom from someone who has been around a long time and seen good and bad times.
Want to read
March 11, 2011I read this book in 1979.
Found an old copy in my parent's home recently and thought it would be a good idea to read it again and see if the recommendations have withstood the test of time.
Watch for my review on Technorati.com.
Found an old copy in my parent's home recently and thought it would be a good idea to read it again and see if the recommendations have withstood the test of time.
Watch for my review on Technorati.com.
Currently reading
April 24, 2008I started reading in 2001...guess its time to start reading again, eh?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews