James Turk has posted a new update over at GoldMoney. If you don’t keep up with his updates regularly, you should. You can sign up by email to be notified of new alerts. He usually releases one every two weeks, unless something major happens in the meantime.

This time, he’s posted a shocking chart that reveals the extent of the radically new terrain in which the US banking system is currently treading. Not trying to be dramatic here, but the graph speaks for itself.

I read alot about how to stay protected in many economic environments - inflationary, deflationary, stagflationary, recession, currency collapse, etc. I often think I’ll be okay because of how diversified I am. We can’t always predict what type of market we’re really headed into. Experts and analysts don’t agree. So I take their arguments, blend them together, and wonder, if these were ALL true, what do I need to do to protect and grow my wealth? That’s the kind of solution I’m aiming for.

But once in a while, I read or hear or realize some new aspect of the picture that might yet topple all my expectations and predictions. Maybe I won’t be protected from a 1930’s-style Depression after all. In the electronic age, wealth can disappear that much more quickly.

This chart is one of those things that makes me think the situation might be something altogether more unexpected and unpredictable than forecasted. What can we do? Pay attention. Stay informed. Stay diversified. Keep an eye out on all of these updates as much as possible. Make back-up plans. Have different kinds of savings - some on paper, some in other forms.

What about you? What’s your solution to protecting your wealth? Who knows what’s really coming. Garth Turner, a Canadian MP and financial reporter, noted recently that now they’re expecting another 90 banks in the U.S. to collapse. Most of these might not ever be reported.