The allure of an each way bet

Talk to any financial advisor in the current climate and they will tell you the same thing. The public is looking to hedge their bets and they are quite realistic about the modest profits that result. There are broadly three ways UK investors can do this- active funds that use futures and options as well as direct ownership, structured products and hedge funds. Each of these have drawbacks and yet the public would rather take their chances with the offshore gnomes of the hedge fund industry than face the pendulum of the stock market.
This helps to explain the growing popularity of middle class survivalism. These guys are smart and see themselves as masters of their own destiny. They would rather stake their fortunes on a bet chosen by themselves than leave themselves open to chance.
The New Survivalsit simply approaches every aspect of his life in the same was as an educated investor. They wish to be rewarded both on the upside and the downside. I will give you an example. A New Survivalist may find themselves with a sum of money and decide they would like a wine cellar. Wine is an excellent hedge against inflation and it generally improves with age. The New Survivalist builds his cellar underground. This is ideal for wine because the temperature is fairly stable down there and because underground buildings are naturally secure. An added bonus is that the survivalist may also move his family down there in any real emergency.
Underground building is energy efficient and retains land for agricultural use which makes one something of an environmental hero as well as a wine buff. If all goes well the wider public will be unaware of the cellars true purpose.