I mean, you chose a 10% figure. Why 10%? Why not 20% or 5%? I think it's helpful to really think through the math sometimes.
For me the past year shows that the economy has been more resilient than most people expected, that the Fed is willing to drop rates to zero in order to keep it that way, and that the stock market actually goes up when that happens because it is the only investment that might return more than a fraction of a percent.
If you are going to keep that much in cash, I might suggest putting some of it in inflation-protected securities like I-bonds. They are backed by the US government, and I can't forsee a situation where the government could default on them without the value of the dollar also tanking. They are better protected from inflation than money in a savings account.
I will look into something like the I-bonds more seriously.
The dollar is only useful as long as the US government continues to perform as an organization. However, as the US approaches dissolution, I would expect the value of USD to approach zero as the government increases the supply of money and prospective owners of the currency lose trust in its ability to retain value in the future.
Are you seriously suggesting, on a hacker forum, to be prepared to use the proceeds of your emergency fund to violently steal life-critical resources from other people in a crisis?
I really hope I've misunderstood, and you're using the phrase "go on offense" as a euphemism for deer hunting.
It’s conceivable to imagine a scenario where resources are so limited that acquiring them becomes a do or die situation, which is what I imagine the previous poster meant by “zombie apocalypse” scenario (or more realistically, war). Or I erroneously assumed “zombie apocalypse” to mean worst case scenario.
I also forgot to include a less drastic measures of also owning assets in a different country and the rights to live there in case you need to immigrate.
