Imagine having a time machine and traveling back to 1983 with just one dollar in your pocket. What could you buy with that dollar? According to the Consumer Price Index, in 1983, you could purchase $2.70 worth of goods and services compared to 2021. This means that, back then, your dollar had over twice the purchasing power it has today.

Now, let’s say you time-traveled to 2021 instead. How much could that same dollar buy? Surprisingly, you could only purchase $0.37 worth of goods and services. This indicates that your dollar has lost 63% of its value since 1983.

These differences in purchasing power are due to inflation, a general and sustained increase in prices that erodes the value of money over time. Understanding the impact of inflation on our currency is crucial for making informed financial decisions and planning for the future.

As we navigate this increasingly complex financial landscape, it’s essential to consider alternative solutions to protect and grow our wealth.

Welcome to the first installment of our comprehensive 52-part blog series, “Post-dollar Reality: Embracing Portfolio Alternatives & Reallocating Effectively (PREPARE).” This enlightening journey will explore the complex landscape of the current global financial system, delve into the challenges it faces, and propose a Commodities-Backed Unit (CBU) as a viable alternative to the US dollar as the global reserve currency. Our goal is to transform this series into a published book upon its completion, providing valuable resources for policymakers, investors, and individuals alike. Each installment will be published every Monday.

In recent years, the US dollar has faced unprecedented challenges as the world’s dominant reserve currency. The dollar’s self-regulating mechanism has been compromised as the US is no longer able to raise interest rates to contain inflation without causing collateral damage to smaller banks or its fiscal position. Triffin’s Dilemma further complicates the situation, as the dollar must continue to run a current account deficit to supply foreign nations without sufficient dollars, creating a Balance of Payments crisis. These mounting issues, including the 2023 Banking Crisis, call for a serious reconsideration of the US dollar’s role in the global financial system.

As the age of artificial intelligence (AI) advances, the specter of mass unemployment looms, potentially leading to a stagflation scenario where high inflation coexists with high unemployment. These issues are exacerbated by monetary policy tools, such as quantitative easing, and fiscal policy choices, like helicopter money, which continue to aggravate the debt-inflation spiral. The ensuing public unrest and growing number of people seeking an alternative to the US dollar necessitate a more stable solution for the global financial system.

Throughout this extensive blog series, we will examine various alternatives to the US dollar as the global reserve currency, including Bancor, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), Bitcoin, BRICS currency, and commodity-backed currencies. Our focus will be on the potential benefits of a Commodity-Backed Unit (CBU) backed by a basket of commodities, inherently possessing a self-regulating mechanism of inflation based on aggregate supply and demand.

We will also discuss the transition process to a CBU-centric world, addressing challenges such as setting exchange rates, managing geopolitical ramifications, and the need for global coordination through multilateral agreements. Finally, we will provide recommendations for investors and individuals to prepare for this post-dollar world by gradually increasing the weight of their wealth allocation to alternative investments, including cryptocurrencies, private equity, and art, which offer higher returns, risk hedging, and protection from potential government interference or manipulation.

In this introductory installment, we set the stage for an in-depth exploration of the US dollar’s greatest challenge to date. By examining the current global financial landscape and entertaining the prospect of a Commodities-Backed Unit (CBU) as an alternative, we aim to equip our readers with the knowledge and foresight necessary to navigate the uncertain future that lies ahead. Our hope is that this series will spark thoughtful discussion and collective action towards a more resilient and sustainable global financial system.