Society's values change. Religious and racial tolerance, a hallmark of last half of 20th Century, are exception, not rule in history. Too many people see Islam as religion of terror in West and Christianity as religion of subjugation in Middle East. Entrepreneurs are seen as a force for good now, but are likely scapegoats for coming environmental meltdown. Science and technology, gods of 20th century are likely devils of 21st century. As individuals are associated with these groups they will find themselves in need of relocation beyond their national borders. There is no group in any country that can be certain they are safe from changes in national value system. There is no individual anywhere who can't be seen as an Enemy of State, at some point in future.

Even in most repressive of societies, capital and personal flight are possible. During Chinese Cultural Revolution, hundreds of millions of dollars fled China. Hundreds of people flee North Korea every year. Globalize your assets before your government finds extremes of oppressive economic and social policy. In most countries, individuals can find legal methods for moving some of their liquid assets offshore. There are even creative ways of moving your fixed assets, beyond control of your government.

Plan for future. Otherwise, you and your family may not have one. An ounce of planning offsets a ton of future regret. Your goal should be to put your assets beyond control of any single government and to have more than one passport. Doing so is your best insurance against an uncertain future. There are groups that are willing to help you, no matter whether you live in Mongolia or France. Find one and let them help you Globalize to Survive.

To contact author: Visit Beowulf Investments website: [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/] Or, visit Global Village Investment Club Website: [http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/globalvillageinvestmentclubwelcome/]

Here are some findings from nonprofit Consumer Action's annual survey of credit cards (www.consumer-action.org):

-- The vast majority of surveyed cards have significantly higher penalty rates that are triggered by one or two late payments in a period of six months to a year.

-- One-fifth of surveyed issuers have shifted to tiered late payments, which Consumer Action interprets as a deceptive way of charging higher-than-average late fees.

-- The number of cards with $35 late fees has more than doubled from last year.

-- More than half cards surveyed require cardholders to pay only 2 percent of monthly balance each month - a disturbing trend that dramatically increases overall interest paid by cardholders.

-- More than one-third of surveyed institutions will not provide a firm annual percentage rate (APR) until they have screened applicant's credit history. Instead, they give only a meaningless range of rates before screening, which makes comparison shopping difficult if not impossible.

Don't get me wrong - I am not saying that credit card companies should not make money. In fact, easy access to credit has helped fuel our economy, especially when going gets rough.

But many consumers now are literally trapped by high-cost debt with few options. I've spoken to consumers who feel they have no choice but to file for bankruptcy because their credit card companies all raised their interest rates to between twenty and thirty percent, and they simply cannot manage to pay balances down.

With all landmines out there for credit card users today, best strategy is still to pay down debt as quickly as possible and limit yourself to a couple of cards to avoid problems.

Sometimes, of course, that's easier said than done!

For more information on ways to build great personal and business credit, visit www.BusinessCreditSuccess.com.