While it's easy to say, "Invest in precious metals," it's also important to know that PMs, while important, aren't your first layer of financial preparedness.

In this article, I want to talk about how to layer your financial preparedness to help yourself through the tough days ahead. Keep in mind that you may not be able to delve into every single layer, and that's absolutely fine – you have to prep for your unique financial situation just the same way you prep for your unique living situation. Being realistic is the key.

Layer 1: Your financial foundation

The first layer is the foundation for the other layers. If you don't have this in place, then the others aren't really extremely worthwhile.

To establish a basis of financial preparedness, you need to get your personal finances in order.