one of the first things ,they did in 1933 was the confiscation of gold. it became a felony to own it or have it. that would be a quick and easy way to raise money. the gold horde the govt has at current prices is 250 billion but they carry it on the books at 55 oz. if it gets to the chaos point gold is unimportant , so are any other investments get a gun that is all you need.
A survival list is a waste of time. Your ass will be grass and the mobs will mow it. Seeds? Ammo? Water tabs, etc? All will run out. Well, the seeds won't but good luck defending your crops 24/7. All the ammo in the world won't save you from the mob with rocket launchers or worse. Land near fishing water? You''ll purrify the water to drink yet eat the 1/2 poisoned fish ? You'd be better off playing this game at a sci-fi web site.
If you are trying to hedge against the end of the world, then forget your portfolio. It will be every man for himself, and stocks will no longer matter. Might I also say that people have been foolishly preparing for an armagedon since the beginning of man, and they will continue long into the future. However... If you are just trying to hedge against another run of the mill recession and deflationary period that we will eventually come out of, then there are many alternatives. 1. Many consumer staple stocks actually go up during a recession. Companies like Dollar General or Dollar tree are able to increase earnings because people trade down, buying cheaper goods. Companies like Wal mart or Proctor and Gamble see their stock increase not necessarily because of better earnings, but p/e expansion. Investors feel safer putting their money in these stable companies. 2. Different kinds of bonds. You won't get any capital appreciation but you won't get any capital depreciation either if you hold to maturity. And, you get paid interest on your principal while you wait that recession/depression. 3. Out of the money Put LEAPS. Buy 3 years out and roll after each year passes. Between 2-3 years on leaps there isn't a ton of time decay. 3. Inverse etfs. Tracks the opposite of an index such as S&P or The DOW. Don't buy leveraged inverse etfs though. 4. Gold. Gold almost always goes up for the same reason as Wal-mart and P&G do. Safety. Although right now gold is not cheap, and some are even calling it a bubble. So I'd be careful with that. 5. The dollar. Again, same reason as Wal mart or Gold. Safety. 6. Shorts. Just have a few more short positions to go with your longs. Good hedges would be to short companies that would get hurt badly by another recession. Example: Expensive stores that cash strapped consumers will avoid, like Saks or Nordstrom. Cycle industries that get hammered in a recession, like the auto industry. 7. Cash. Not very exciting, but is a pretty great investment during times of panic and deflation. I'm sure there are plenty more, but these are the most common and easiest to put on. You have seven choices there. I'm sure one or two of those could fit into your portfolio. Hope that helps.
Some good suggestions in your list. I'd expand on #6 and say that one should always have a blend of long and short positions. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if one side is increasingly doing better then one should shift their bias more in that direction. Before you know it, you far more short than long in a declining market (and vice versa).
Post WW III how do you exercise options? It would be back to a curb market after the nuclear holocaust.