The rules of life have changed. We used to tell young people to get a job, pay the bills, save for retirement, and trust the system to provide for them later in life. But those promises of a bygone are now long gone.
In this conversation, Matt Smith and his son Maxim Smith join Collapse Life to talk about their book The Preparation, co-authored with Doug Casey. What began as a father’s effort to guide his son away from the trap of college debt became a structured, four-year program of cycles designed to build competence, courage, and character.
Maxim shares his journey as the program’s beta tester — noting some of his accomplishments so far, from EMT training to wildfire fighting to sailing the Strait of Magellan. Matt explains how the book has resonated not just with parents of teenagers, but with readers in their 50s, 60s, and even 70s who are rethinking their own lives and the path they took.
This isn’t about rejecting the idea of education — instead, it’s about rejecting a system that is ideologically and philosophically broken, and instead building a parallel and resilient alternative. One rooted in virtue, accountability, and the practical skills needed to not just survive, but thrive in uncertain times.
Get the book: https://amzn.to/4m6JpYg
Follow Maxim: maximsmith.com
Follow Matt: https://substack.com/@crisisinvesting
Doug Casey’s Take Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEJR3OAeHBNz7aGtFRZXArQ
