The Mayan calendar is supposed to end next week, and some believe we’re on a countdown to the end of the world. The gambling website MyTopSportsbooks.com puts the odds of the world’s ending on Dec. 21 at 300 million to 1. But that’s not keeping some believers from stockpiling food and preparing to flee urban areas.

Whether you fall into that camp or are decidedly more skeptical, being prepared, for a worldwide cataclysm or a hurricane, begins with getting finances in order.