Signs for Survival
Out of curiosity for learning survival techniques, I read a book about well-known fur trappers, also known as Mountain Men, from the early 1800’s. They were a rugged lot with a dream to explore the frontier and fund their travels by trapping beaver and other animals for their pelts to sell to supply the fashion demands in Europe and the early settlers in the Colonies.
Many of those same trappers became scouts for both the military and wagon trains because of their experience with landmarks, trails, and relations with Native Americans. They learned to read signs along the trail to survive.
And, since this blog is meant to help you build a better mindset for money, I will try to use my experience and share what I have learned from others to help you read the signs along your own financial trail, to help you survive and do well.
Watch for Predators
There are many stories of Mountain Men having encounters with bears, wolves, and mountain lions. What would you do to survive such an encounter?
If you are like me, you have learned to avoid such situations where an encounter with a predator might happen. However, we still have predators, financial predators. There are predatory loan practices, where they prey on the financially handicapped. Such practices charge higher than bank loan interest rates. Examples to watch for are payday loans, credit cards, and any other form of “loan shark”.
The Mountain Men used to smoke meat to make jerky to eat over an extended period. Remember those predators? They had to find ways to hide or make their meat inaccessible.
They learned to secure their food for survival.
Hide the Hides!
The wealth of game for the Mountain Men was an opportunity. There was a lot of work and risk to get the pelts ready for market. They learned to skin the game and preserve the hides to survive the trip to market, which often meant a long journey from the Rocky Mountains to St. Louis, MO.
The risks included predators, Native Americans, and other trappers of less than honorable character. And, since many trappers were French Canadians, the term “cache” entered their vocabulary. Cache means to store valuables in a secure place. We still use the term when we talk about temporary computer memory storage.
Like the Mountain Men, learn to find a way to secure your assets, the fruits of your labor. Unlike back then, you have a job to provide income. But you need to save part of that income for future needs and for investing to build a more secure financial future in your later years.
Find a way to cache your cash!
The Journey to the Market
The Mountain Men accumulated hides in the winter and prepared them to take to market in the spring. That journey often proved difficult with travel through tribal lands and the spring weather making rivers treacherous to use or cross.
And such is your financial trail. Even well-paved roads can develop potholes over the winter. Watch out for the potholes that can trip you, like major auto repairs, a job loss, etc. Be prepared and secure your valuables.
Celebrate But Watch Your Possibles Bag
Mountain Men did not have banks to deposit the coins from the sale of their hides. They kept their coins and other valuables in a rawhide “possibles bag”, which they kept close for protection.
Today, you deposit a paycheck or have a direct deposit into your bank account. That becomes your “possibles bag”. Like the trappers, that bag holds many possibilities! But it is easy to let temptation drain your coins. Such was the stories of Mountain Men gambling and drinking their earnings at the Rendezvous.
The choice is yours. However, you must guard it well or lose what the “possibles” may be.
You should celebrate your paychecks! In retirement, you will be happy with those monthly Social Security deposits but even happier if you built a good retirement account as well!
Be Brave and Retire with Your Scalp
Many of the Mountain Men who survived chose to retire to a mountain village in what became northern New Mexico, called Taos. They had managed to retire with their scalp after many encounters with Native Americans, no disrespect intended. Few traded with and experienced Native Americans as much as the Mountain Men. They identified with their way of life.
How will you retire? Are you accumulating coins in your “possibles bag”?
Your financial trail can be difficult and filled with hard work to get gain in the market. So be brave and work to keep your gain.
Cashe your cash. Guard against predators.
Your working career is like the trapper’s trip to market their hides. Use your talents to survive the trip. Watch for the hazards and keep your reserves secured. When you let distractions take you off course, you will have less to trade, to have enough in your “possibles bag” to make retirement enjoyable.
Be brave and work hard to retire with your scalp and a loaded “possibles bag”!