Jun 1, 2025
Chris from Phoenix is worried about “huge civil unrest” resulting from a collapsed dollar — and he doesn’t think President Donald Trump or billionaire Elon Musk can fix the situation.
The dad of two young daughters called into The Ramsey Show and asked co-hosts George Kamel and Dr. John Delony for their thoughts on how to prepare for a “societal collapse.”
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Chris says he’s worried about the growing national debt and that he imagines “in several decades it being unmanageable and perhaps collapsing the dollar.”
Even if Trump and Musk could fix the situation, he doesn’t think it could be “sustained long enough to where you wouldn’t cause huge civil unrest.”
“Do you all personally own any physical precious metals, gems, have visas or even ammunition for the purpose of protecting against societal collapse?” Chris asked during a recent episode of The Ramsey Show.
Worried about a societal collapse?
Dr. John Delony describes himself as a fellow worrier who’s also concerned about the ballooning national debt, but he doesn’t have any jewels hidden in his backyard (though he does have a deep freezer with about a year’s-worth of meat in it).
Delony also urged Chris to ground himself in the present, because “if you’ve confirmed in your mind” that a tragedy is coming your way in the future, “your body responds as though it’s happening right now,” said Delony. And that takes you away from being in the moment. And this isn’t necessarily helpful.
So what can worriers like Chris do to prepare for the unknowable — and live more in the moment?
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Going back to basics
Before getting into precious metals (or bullets), Delony suggests going back to basics. For example, before getting into bio-hacks to improve your longevity, you’ll want to master the basics first — like exercising and eating right.
The same goes for finances. “Do I owe anybody any money?” Delony said. Is his family “actually free?”
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Going back to basics means being financially “free.” That’s where good financial habits can help: building up an emergency fund, paying off debts (starting with high-interest debts, like credit card debt and loans) and investing in a diversified portfolio.
Take a news fast
Trying to think through how you’d handle an “epic wild west scenario is a waste of time and energy,” said Delony. “It’s just a distraction from being present with your daughters.”
He suggests taking a “news fast” for the next 60 days — not looking at news or social media — and doing something else instead, like playing with your kids or going out for a hike.
“That’s not me putting my head in the sand,” he said. Rather, it’s about getting out of that “anxious state into a world that I can actually impact, which is my family, my home.”
Read More: Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
Gold isn’t always golden
If there was an economic and societal collapse, “gold’s not going to solve it,” said Kamel. “We’d go back to the bartering system, trading for food, water, fuel.”
As Dave Ramsey said, “At no time has gold been used as a medium of exchange in a crashed economy since the Roman Empire.”
Kamel says he doesn’t own any gold and “if we make decisions based on fear, we end up poorer — not richer,” he said, adding that he avoids precious metals and “wouldn’t use it as a hedge against anything.”
The best hedge
One of the greatest hedges — if not the greatest hedge — is “robust, connected relationships with your neighbors,” said Delony. And you “can’t buy that off of Amazon.”
If Chris is truly concerned about the world imploding, “get to know the people around you, have them over for dinner, become friends with them, talk about values.”
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Vawn Himmelsbach is a veteran journalist who has been covering tech, business, finance and travel for the past three decades. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, Metro News, Canadian Geographic, Zoomer, CAA Magazine, Travelweek, Explore Magazine, Flare and Consumer Reports, to name a few.
