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Millions of Americans think it’s not enough to prepare for emergencies like storms, fires, quakes, and power outages that have become all too normal in an era of climate change. Doomsday prepping has become a bona fide area of investing, with experts putting the average annual growth of the survivalist sector at over 7% until 2030 and some 20 million Americans now identifying as “preppers”—about the size of entire states like New York.
As gold and bitcoin climb to records, gone are the days when doomsday preppers were just fringe survivalists hoarding gold bars and guns in underground bunkers. Today’s preppers are diversifying their portfolios with everything from farmland to specialized exchange-traded funds (ETFs), while major retailers like Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) are selling out of precious metals within hours.
Key Takeaways
- Doomsday preppers tend to invest in commodities, precious metals, and cryptocurrencies.
- While doomsday prepping has grown more mainstream, in true catastrophic scenarios, traditional stores of value like gold or crypto will be far less useful than basic necessities.
- History shows community resilience and practical preparations matter more than financial assets in crises.
Understanding Doomsday Prepping and Investments
Doomsday prepping involves more than just preparing yourself and your family for catastrophic events, such as the typical emergency preparedness that government entities like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (better known as FEMA) suggest.
Often driven by conspiracy theories and voluminous advertising across the radio dial and online, true “preppers” are preparing not just for days or weeks of disruption—but years. Recent FEMA data shows this mindset isn’t fringe—nearly 20 million Americans now identify as preppers, with 57% of Americans having taken three or more steps to prepare for potential disasters.
Beyond stockpiling supplies, many preppers are taking steps to preserve their financial wealth through the apocalypse, choosing those they believe will maintain or increase in value during calamitous disruptions to the world order. Major retailers are noticing this trend—Costco recently sold over $100 million in gold bars in a single quarter and then expanded into silver coins because of customer demand.
Unless you’re confident you’ll find someone willing to trade bullion or bitcoin for bread in a crisis—and why would they?—it’s good to keep in mind that mediums of exchange are social constructs, not natural kinds, and recent disasters have shown that community resilience and mutual aid are far more valuable for survival in the moment than any investment portfolio.
Popular Investment Choices Among Doomsday Preppers
Every prepper’s view of potential catastrophes differs, which leads them to focus on different types of investments:
- Precious metals: Gold and silver remain popular, having historically held value through significant upheavals.
- Commodities: Physical commodities, especially those valuable in survival situations like aluminum or oil, attract significant prepper investment.
- Land: Rural property that can be used for farming or raising animals is increasingly popular. Some preppers are even joining survival communities—companies like Fortitude Ranch offer members access to equipped survival properties for $2,000-$20,000 plus annual dues.
- Crypto: A newer addition to prepper portfolios, some believe its limited quantity and decentralized nature could make it more valuable than government-backed currencies during crises.
- Essential goods: FEMA reports a 15% year-over-year increase in Americans assembling or updating emergency kits with food, water, and medical supplies.
Doomsday ETFs
The rise in prepper investing has led some financial firms to create specialized ETFs targeting catastrophic scenarios, sometimes called “black swan” funds. For instance, the Atlas America Fund focuses on assets like gold, inflation-protected securities, food commodities, and real estate investment trusts. Its founder, Nouriel Roubini—renowned for forecasting the 2008 financial crisis and an advocate of preparing for a “polycrisis” (a convergence of economic, geopolitical, and environmental risks)—argues these will perform well during periods of high inflation and market volatility.
While these funds offer a more mainstream way to adopt “prepper” investment strategies, they still face the same fundamental challenge: predicting exactly which assets will matter in a true crisis.
Risks of Doomsday Investing
The risk of doomsday investing is that it’s impossible to truly prepare for worst-case scenarios, and some of those scenarios could definitely make many investments worthless. Imagine that a global nuclear war wipes out most major governments. Will an investment in any stock or ETF have actual value at that point? In that case, even the best preparations probably won’t do much to protect you.
The Bottom Line
Doomsday prepping is a growing industry, which shows that more people are fearing what the future could bring. Instead of trying to perfectly position your portfolio for the apocalypse, consider focusing on practical preparedness: maintaining an emergency fund, developing useful skills, and building strong community connections. After all, history shows that human resilience and cooperation, not financial assets, are often what matters most when the worst comes.
