Why Currencies Fail—And What Your Family Can Do About It
Historical patterns from 2,000+ years of monetary collapse. Education for families wanting to protect purchasing power across generations.
Governments have always managed money. And governments have always debased it.
This isn’t conspiracy theory – it’s a historical pattern. From Rome to Weimar to Zimbabwe, the cycle repeats.
You can’t change policy. But you can understand what happened before, and protect yourself in the present.
The Middle Class Is Being Quietly Destroyed—And Most People Don't Know Why
In the 1970s, a single middle-class income could buy a home, raise kids, and save for retirement. Today, two incomes barely cover rent in many cities—and it’s not because people work less hard.
The difference isn’t laziness, automation, or globalization alone. It’s currency debasement.
Every year, the purchasing power of your savings erodes 8-10% in real terms (not the official CPI). This is a policy failure with historical precedent, not an accident.
A home that took 3 years of median salary to buy in 1970 now takes 8-10 years. College education that cost one semester of work now requires years of debt. Retirement that seemed secure now feels perpetually out of reach.
Key insight:Â You’re not struggling because you’re doing something wrong. You’re swimming against a monetary current that’s been breaking families for millennia.
If You've Built Something and Need to Defend It, This Is For You
The Responsible Family Steward
- You've worked for decades building wealth and want to preserve it across generations
- You sense something's fundamentally wrong with the monetary system but want evidence, not conspiracy theories
- You're open to Bitcoin and gold but skeptical of maximalism on either side—you want frameworks for thinking, not guru worship
- You don't trust traditional financial advice when the currency itself is failing
- You're not trying to get rich quick—you're trying to defend what took years to build and pass on something real to your kids
- You want to understand historical patterns so you can make informed decisions for your family's unique situation
This site isn’t for speculators, day traders, or ideologues. It’s for responsible families who put in the work and deserve honest, historically-grounded education.
What You Won't Find Here (And Why That Matters)
What This Site Is NOT:
- Bitcoin maximalist site (I respect gold's 5,000-year track record)
- Gold bug site (I acknowledge Bitcoin's structural advantages)
- Libertarian ideology (this is non-partisan policy critique)
- Prepper/survivalist doom content (this is measured, not apocalyptic)
- Conspiracy theories (this is systemic policy failures, not shadowy cabals)
- Financial advisory (this is education, not personalized recommendations)
- Get-rich-quick schemes (this is preservation over speculation)
What This Site IS:
- Historical evidence spanning 2,000+ years of monetary history
- Bitcoin AND gold without tribalism
- A family stewardship perspective
- Frameworks that teach HOW to think, not WHAT to do
- Policy critique without partisan blame
- Intellectual honesty: "I don't know the future, but I know the patterns"
“This site uses 2,000+ years of currency collapse patterns to help middle-class families think through Bitcoin and gold allocation—without ideology, maximalism, or financial advisor jargon.”
Start Where It Matters Most To You
Why Money Fails
“Has This Happened Before?”
Every currency collapse follows a pattern: deficit spending, monetary expansion, loss of trust, flight to hard assets. It happened in Rome. It happened in Weimar Germany. It happened in Zimbabwe. Understanding the pattern doesn’t predict the future—but it reveals probabilities.
Explore:
- Ancient Currency Collapses
- Medieval Debasement
- Early Modern Inflation Crises
- Gold Standard Era Breakdowns
- 20th Century Hyperinflations
- Modern Fiat Currency Vulnerabilities
Sound Money Throughout History
“What Actually Worked?”
For 5,000 years, sound money meant something you couldn’t print. Gold, silver, commodity-backed systems—each had trade-offs, but they shared one feature: supply couldn’t be manipulated by governments. Bitcoin is the first digital attempt at recreating this constraint. Whether it succeeds is unknowable. But the historical precedent for why it matters is clear.
Explore:
- Sound Money Principles
- The Roman Monetary System
- Medieval Coinage
- The Classical Gold Standard
- The Search For New Sound Money
- Famous Historical Coinage
Family Wealth Protection
“What Can You Actually Do?”
You can’t change government policy. But you can protect your family. Families who held gold during Weimar survived. Families who held only cash lost everything. This section offers frameworks—not financial advice—for thinking through allocation, trade-offs, and generational stewardship in an era of monetary uncertainty.
Explore:
- Gold
- Silver
- Bitcoin
- Cryptocurrency
- Value Investing
- Asset Allocation
How I Think About This (And Why It Matters)
Core Beliefs
- Governments have the right to manage money - they're just not very good at it
- Fiat currency has been a 50-year policy experiment consistent with historical patterns
- Bitcoin has structural advantages over gold, but gold's track record matters
- The individual can't fix the system - only protect their family within it
- I can't predict the future. But I study what happened every other time.
Wealth preservation isn’t just financial – it’s a generational responsibility. You’re a steward, not a short term speculator. The goal isn’t lambos – it’s ensuring your kids can afford what you could.
Why I do this work: I have empathy for ordinary families being crushed by forces they don’t control, because I’m one of them.
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Who Writes This?
Hi, I’m Thomas.
I’m not a financial advisor, economist, or certified expert. I’m a father and history teacher with a lifelong interest in monetary history.
Here I get to teach lessons that aren’t taught in school.
Things you should know about me:
- I hold both Bitcoin and gold
- I write from a non-partisan perspective
- I'm informed by Austrian Economics but I'm not a libertarian
- I'm motivated by helping families maintain middle-class stability in an era of currency debasement
- I've studied monetary history for years because I'm interested and because it matters for my own family
- I don't have any financial certifications - I just offer deep research and intellectual honesty
Transparency
- Affiliate Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links. I only recommend products I use or would use.
- No get rich quick promises: This site is about stewardship and preservation.
- No timeline certainty: Currency collapse could happen in 5 years or 50. History shows the pattern, not the schedule.
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Disclaimer: This website is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The author may hold positions in the assets discussed. Any discussion on jurisdiction, exchanges or custody providers reflect the author’s personal views and experiences and is not a personal recommendation. Always do your own research and seek professional guidance before making investment or custody decisions.