What to Do If You're Worried About North Korea

Keith Fitz-Gerald

One of the world's most problematic nations is on its deathbed.

Just don't tell Kim Jong Un that. The brash young North Korean leader apparently thinks things are great and has no problem rattling sabers around the world to prove his point.

Complicating matters, there seems to be an ongoing narrative in the mainstream financial media that "nobody'd better talk about the possibility of thermonuclear war" lest it become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I'm hard-pressed to think of anything more dangerous for your money, which is why I want to talk about what you need to do right now... before the shooting starts.

Here's what to do if you're worried about North Korea...

The ongoing political narrative is dire and the headlines surrounding North Korea are downright scary, and it's absolutely fair to be worried about your portfolio.

• "Mike Pence's Warning to North Korea: 'The sword stands ready.'" - LA Times
• "North Korea nuclear weapons increasing" - Washington Times
• "Pentagon to test ability to shoot down North Korean missiles" - CNN International

Anybody looking at North Korea from the outside can tell you that the regime is living on borrowed time.

Only problem is North Korea doesn't see things that way.

The hermit nation has held a massive military parade, tested a few new missiles, and threatened the United States with thermonuclear war - all within the past week.

At the same time, the United States has tasked three aircraft carriers to the area, sent Vice President Mike Pence to the border, and warned that the era of "strategic patience" is over.

China is reportedly working frantically behind the scenes to keep the peace ostensibly because they don't want war on the peninsula, but more probably because they don't want a horde of hungry North Koreans streaming over their borders.

Never one to waste a crisis, Russia isn't standing by idly. That country has apparently moved missiles to Vladivostok and sent ships to shadow the U.S. fleet.

Regular news programs are dedicating lots of time to the crisis but unbelievably, the financial press seems reluctant to talk about what's happening.

I don't know whether they're trying to avoid the obvious because it's so scary or simply trying to wish it away like a five-year-old child wishes away a bad dream by pretending it isn't happening. Either way, the point is moot.

The possibility of a "hot war" is very real and very dangerous for your money.

Forget the notion of a preemptive strike or a limited engagement that's being bandied about. That's wishful thinking at best and incredibly naïve at worst. Even a single missile fired preemptively in anger is going to have devastating consequences.

More than 20 million South Koreans live within artillery range of North Korea, and that means nuke weapons are the least of the worries here. Chemical and biological weapons are.

Not only could Kim order a strike that takes out key South Korean infrastructure, includi…

Keith Fitz-Gerald

About the Author

Browse Keith's articles | View Keith's research services

Keith is a seasoned market analyst and professional trader with more than 37 years of global experience. He is one of very few experts to correctly see both the dot.bomb crisis and the ongoing financial crisis coming ahead of time - and one of even fewer to help millions of investors around the world successfully navigate them both. Forbes hailed him as a "Market Visionary." He is a regular on FOX Business News and Yahoo! Finance, and his observations have been featured in Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, WIRED, and MarketWatch. Keith previously led The Money Map Report, Money Map's flagship newsletter, as Chief Investment Strategist, from 20007 to 2020. Keith holds a BS in management and finance from Skidmore College and an MS in international finance (with a focus on Japanese business science) from Chaminade University. He regularly travels the world in search of investment opportunities others don't yet see or understand.

… Read full bio