Young men today do not need more delay, more drift, or more empty credentialism. They need formation.

The Preparation: How to Become Competent, Confident, and Dangerous offers a serious alternative to the conventional path. Co-authored by Doug Casey, Matt Smith, and Maxim Smith, the book lays out a model for building capable young men through practical skills, physical competence, economic understanding, character, responsibility, and real-world experience.

In this presentation, Matt Smith will discuss the book’s core ideas and the kind of training, structure, and challenge young men need to become strong, useful, independent adults.

Hat tip:  Matt

Looking to redeem myself from yesterday! Matt Smith (author of The Preparation)  is getting rescheduled for Tuesday, April 21st. The issue was related to time zones. Matt Smith lives on a ranch near Punta del Este in Uruguay. They don’t have time zones there. 

Below is an AI summary of the book co-authored by Matt. Additionally, you may have heard of the book’s other co-author. Doug Casey. Doug is an investor, author, and libertarian thinker best known for his work in speculative investing, particularly in natural resources like gold, silver, and mining stocks. Doug is also an American expat living on a ranch in Uruguay. Interesting guy. 

The Preparation argues that young men don’t need more delay, passive schooling, or empty credentials—they need deliberate formation into capable, self-reliant adults. The book lays out a practical blueprint focused on building real-world competence (physical fitness, basic trades, financial literacy, communication, and decision-making), cultivating strong character and personal responsibility, and learning through mentorship and direct experience rather than theory alone. It emphasizes embracing challenge, discomfort, and risk as necessary for growth, while encouraging independence, entrepreneurship, and clear thinking about economics and society. Ultimately, it presents a structured alternative to the conventional path—one designed to produce confident, useful, and resilient individuals who can navigate an uncertain world on their own terms.

MATT