How I Manage My Money as Someone Who Doesn’t Trust the Government or Big Banks (2024)

I don’t care who thinks I’m ‘hysterical’ for not trusting the government or big banks. I am unfortunately a student of economics, government, and history (Political Science major and avid political philosophy reader), which means I know how centralized power always plays out. There’s no blueprint for the future, but there sure are a lot of patterns that we’ve seen repeatedly in history.

I haven’t trusted the U.S. government since I read my first history textbook. I would say that distrust has been justified if you do any sort of news-related research today (the chemical spills alone in 2023 should have everyone alarmed).

All of this brings me to the kind of investor I am in the present moment. When I first started making a lot of money at age 25, I didn’t know how to invest it. So, I sat on it. I can’t tell you how many ‘financial advisors’ judged me for that (thank goodness I followed my own intuition and waited until I felt ready to invest myself). The last 5-years of managing my money has taught me a lot, and I am so grateful it has, for I feel confident managing my own money now as a 30-year-old. I knew to keep it in my bank accounts until I felt prepared to do something with it (I explain this more in-depth in my book).

Have I made mistakes investing my money? Of course, I have. But I’ve learned how to responsibly invest it so that it’s not only safe from big banks and Big Brother, but that it also grows for me year-over-year like a good investment should.

Here’s what I am doing with my money in 2023.

Ditch the National Bank, Opt for a Local Credit Union

With the SVB news dominating headlines this week, I won’t go into further detail on what’s possible when massive, conglomerate banks are investing your money elsewhere without briefing you on their daily ongoings. Not to mention, when I had my money at Bank of America (BoA), I looked up what they were doing with it in the name of philanthropy, and found they were donating money to political organizations in this country intent on getting one party into power. Regardless of the party, when I learned my money was being used in politics by keeping it at BoA, I pulled it out immediately.

I now keep 90% of my money in the form of checking and savings accounts at a local credit union in Southwest Florida. I like that they are a boutique, local bank chain, as well as the fact that they are a credit union. This means they are a not-for-profit financial institution, with profits distributed among members, as opposed to national banks that are for-profit. I won’t bore you with additional details.

Grab Any Land You Can

Our friend Bill Gates is one of the largest land owners in the United States. I can promise you he did not buy that land for conservation – but that’s a tale for another time. As the futuristic dystopian advertisem*nts out of the World Economic Forum state: come 2030, ‘you will own nothing, and you will be happy.’

The greatest form of protest against these people is to own land. Not only is it going to benefit you in the future, but it’s also a great investment. Here in Cape Coral, plots are doubling in value every 5-years right now. The only incurred cost is the property taxes. With no structure on the land, I’m not paying for insurance, or to have the roof redone, etc.

Real Estate is Infallible

Let me tell you… I have had everything possible go wrong with real estate. I’ve had a house destroyed in a natural disaster, a 100-year-old Miami apartment with a termite infestation, and irrational tenants that have broken leases and threatened to sue me. Despite all of that, all three of my properties have ended in cash surplus for me. That should tell you how fail-proof it is.

If you can’t afford the 10 or 20% down on a property, there are loopholes if you live in the property itself (townhouse method) for a few years. In this instance, you can apply for loans with just 3-5% down (please look up the details to this and don’t just quote me on it).

Plus, owning apartments, condos, townhouses, and single-family homes disrupts the global elites from owning everything around us.

Where Won’t I Invest?

You won’t catch me in the stock market, trading crypto, gambling, or buying any other product offered to me by corporations or the government. That’s my personal preference and it’s working out well for me.

If you don’t trust the government and these bloated banks either, consider investing in real estate, renting, buying land, and putting your money in a local credit union.

Do you trust the government? If not, what are you doing with your money? Let me know below!