Baltimore (TFN): Believe it or not, I used to be a fishing guide. And a darn good one, too. It feels like a past life these days, but some of the memories of my summers spent in Alaska’s pristine wilderness come streaking back to me at the oddest of times.

Like today, for instance.

Everywhere I look, there is evidence that the American economy is in shambles. As investors, the cards are certainly stacked against us. At this point it even looks like the system may be rigged.

But we all know there is always a way out.

As a guide, there was a handful of times when I was positive the outcome would be grossly negative. Like the time a freak storm and its 70-mph winds decided to turn my boat into a submarine.

Or the time I sat in the back of 1958 deHavilland Beaver clinging to an outboard motor as the pilot dealt with the adverse gravitational effects of an overloaded plane caught in a mountainous downdraft?

Who knew an old floatplane could not climb and turn at the same time? We scared the hell out of the squirrels in our flight path.

Or how about the time an angry black bear nearly itched a scratch on my back? My colleagues have heard that story more than a few times.

And then there’s the trip that involved a naked Irishman, a bottle of expensive scotch, a broken canoe and a set of waterfalls called the “Devil’s Washboard.”

It’s no wonder my wife has a casket salesman on speed dial.

Beside the fact the naked Irishmen was a trader for a major hedge fund, these little “learning experiences” have little to do with investing.

Unless, that is, you believe the current market environment is the equivalent of being on the brink of death.

I happen to believe exactly that.

Look at the news today. I’d take my chances with a hungry bear than re-read today’s layoff headlines.

Thanks to its merger, Black & Decker is “trying” to keep its job cuts below 4,000. Nokia Siemens is axing 5,700 workers. Johnson & Johnson is cutting 7% of its workforce. Royal Bank of Scotland is cleansing its headcount by 3,700 workers.

While the markets bank on recovery, the facts are screaming something totally different.

The gold markets offer similar evidence of an impending fight for survival.

Thanks to word that India is the IMF’s mystery gold buyer (to the tune of $6.7 billion), gold prices made a massive stretch into record territory today.

India making a 200 metric ton purchase, there’s just over 200 tons left before countries looking to hedge their stack of greenbacks have to hit the volatile spot market.

You can bet Beijing is paying attention to the news. Gold prices will not stop climbing at $1,100 per ounce and it has some buying to do.

Finally, as if to kick us while we are down, Australia went ahead and raised its key lending rate by another 25 basis points.

Pretty soon, investors won’t have any choice but invest outside the States.

Fortunately, my time on the water and in the air helps proves, pardon the cliché, where there’s a will there’s a way.

The mere fact I have all my limbs and enough blood to keep my heart primed is testament to man’s ability to find a solution.

If you are reading this newsletter, you are already wise to many of the solutions necessary to overcome a ferocious bear like no other.

Do not hesitate to enact those measures.

Believe me, when the pilot yells, “brace, brace, brace,” it’s too late to find cover. You need to strap on the parachute before the squirrels are screaming.

*** Speaking of finding protection. How about a set of triple-digit gainers during a week when most investors were looking for a pillow to cry into?

That’s just what TFN Strategic Trader members were handed this week as the three plays I recommended to take advantage of the natural gas industry’s impending downfall soared in value.

Last I looked, the trades were good for gains of 228%, 177% and 33%.

It is not to late to get in on the action.

Get this little factoid: Year-over-year gas rig counts have been down by over 50% for six months, yet onshore production is down by just 0.5%. It proves we are getting too good at pumping natural gas from the ground. Now the industry is paying dearly.

As I write, natural gas is trading for $4.87 per MMBtu. It’s headed back to $2.50 real quick, real soon.

Read my full report and get in on the trades here.

*** Finally, keep an eye on that news from Warren Buffett today. He’s giving Burlington Northern investors a choice: take $100 cash for each share or trade them for shares of Berkshire Hathaway.

I’d take the cash and run.

If enough investors make the same move, it is a surefire sign of growing fears of a downturn. When Buffet gives the nod on a 50:1 split, you know a storm is brewing.

For me, it’s any port in a storm.