I have been considering the same question since covid and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I was shocked to see how quickly you can end up trapped in your own country.
I have made a few preparations since then.
I always keep a few thousand euros in cash at home, enough to keep me going with a frozen bank account. Even when all goes well, ATM limits can be restrictive. In a worse situation, money can be hard to access.
I keep a bit of money with my family abroad. Enough to soften the landing even if I arrive with just the clothes on my back.
I have citizenship on another continent. I refused to become a EU citizen until I was guaranteed dual citizenship.
I keep a lot more liquid assets than most. I would prefer to keep more of it out of Europe but that is not so easy.
My pension is not tied to any country. This was an important feature for me.
I can work from anywhere. I can leave early while most people would wait until things get really bad.
That being said, I try not to worry too much. These things are set up precisely so I don't have to. They're a sort of insurance policy.
It's one of the features of the specific German private pension I pay into. It allows me to keep contributing if I leave Germany, and to withdraw it under more flexible terms as needed.
Comments
I have been considering the same question since covid and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I was shocked to see how quickly you can end up trapped in your own country.
I have made a few preparations since then.
I always keep a few thousand euros in cash at home, enough to keep me going with a frozen bank account. Even when all goes well, ATM limits can be restrictive. In a worse situation, money can be hard to access.
I keep a bit of money with my family abroad. Enough to soften the landing even if I arrive with just the clothes on my back.
I have citizenship on another continent. I refused to become a EU citizen until I was guaranteed dual citizenship.
I keep a lot more liquid assets than most. I would prefer to keep more of it out of Europe but that is not so easy.
My pension is not tied to any country. This was an important feature for me.
I can work from anywhere. I can leave early while most people would wait until things get really bad.
That being said, I try not to worry too much. These things are set up precisely so I don't have to. They're a sort of insurance policy.
Can you elaborate on your pension? How do you achieve that?
It's one of the features of the specific German private pension I pay into. It allows me to keep contributing if I leave Germany, and to withdraw it under more flexible terms as needed.