Dear Survivor, “Watch this boat off our stern,” my dad said. “He’s coming in hot.” “He’s throwing off a huge wake. You’ve got another one coming at us up ahead off port bow. Watch your channel markers. Keep this red to your left. Remember, we’re leaving, it’s not ‘Red Right Return.’ Pick a side up ahead. Looks like starboard passage is clear.” How to Buy a Boat: Part I Such was the reality check for our sailing trips, clearing any cobwebs from our eyes while navigating Woods Hole, a narrow channel where water funnels into Vineyard Sound from Buzzards Bay or, depending on the … [Read more...]

Dear Survivor, OK, Your Survival Guy just got back from a two- and half-week research trip in Paris. The six-hour head start in Paris-time compared to the east coast gave me plenty of time to gather my thoughts over a café crème and croissant. In a word, Paris is busy. But it’s not too crazy yet with the demanding Chinese customer still in lockdown. It feels like a soft open. Staffing shortages are rampant while customer demands are as high as ever, understandably acting like they’ve been locked up for a couple of years. But it’s all relative. Because when you spend nine of your nights … [Read more...]

Dear Survivor, You read in last month's Survive & Thrive about my recent trip to Key West. One night, after dinner with friends, sitting around the outdoor dining room table, they shared stories about their COVID trip pulling an RV trailer from Key West to Colorado to Disney—specifically Fort Wilderness—and back. They made incredible memories, despite some scary hairpin turns driving up and around the Rockies. Afterward, I told them about our trip to Fort Wilderness as a kid. “I remember one time we pulled in around midnight in our Winnebago,” I told them. “Parked at the … [Read more...]

Dear Survivor, “Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after,” wrote Henry David Thoreau. But if it’s fish you’re after, then get yourself aboard the Double Down out of charter boat row in Key West and go fishing with captain Brice Barr and first mate Shawn. You can tell them Your Survival Guy sent you, and you can thank me later. I promise. Aboard the Double Down is exactly where you could find us in mid-March at what I refer to as Summer Camp in Key West for our second trip in two years. We caught sailfish and an assortment of pelagic on both … [Read more...]

Dear Survivor, Last year I brought you the first installment of my Super States. The fundamental characteristic of a Super State is one that treats its citizens with respect, as though they were the state's best customers. Businesses and citizens in Super States are encouraged and aided by state policies, not encumbered and held back by restrictions and regulations. Now, Your Survival Guy is pleased to present the Super States of 2022. This year my focus is on promoting the states where your freedom is a top priority. Here on the map, you see my Super States in green. States showing … [Read more...]

Dear Survivor, When Boise, Idaho leads the list as “The Least Affordable Housing Market in the U.S.,” something’s not quite right. Don’t get me wrong—Boise has access to it all. But least affordable in the U.S.? Hear that sucking sound? It’s Boise, and places like it, pulling all the monied “residents” from San Fran, Portland, Seattle, and Rte. 128 (outside of Boston) into the community. They’re looking to places of freedom like New Hampshire, Texas, and Florida, to name a few. They’re looking for a big backyard and a playground for the weekend or for six months and a day. But what is … [Read more...]

Dear Survivor, Your Survival Guy loves the holidays. But let’s get something out of the way. Your survival food prep should not be considered “free game” for one and all. You’re not running a convenience store; you’re trying to plan for the unexpected. But that’s what it feels like sometimes, like I’m a stock boy. Case in point. Before heading out for a small family celebration on Saturday night, someone asked if “we” have any peanuts, knowing I have a stack of ‘em in the basement. “Do I look like Mr. Peanut?” I thought to myself. “I don’t have any that are easy to get to,” I said, … [Read more...]

Dear Survivor, Tired of mandates and government overreach? Want to get away? Well, here’s some news to ruin your 401(k). The Biden administration is pushing its radical agenda through retirement account regulation. In this case, it’s a proposed Labor Department rule that was not heavily reported—shocker. The change is to the Erisa Act, which governs your 401(k), and forces plan sponsors (your company or retirement plan provider) to offer funds focused on ESG—environmental, social, and governance. The Wall Street Journal editors explain the rule here: Asset managers like BlackRock are … [Read more...]