Only you know how much gold you should own. The reason why is because it doesn’t pay a dividend and it can be expensive to hold. One way to back into the right amount for you is to determine how much you can “afford” to hold in gold if it does nothing. In other words, understand that above a certin amount your plan is to give it to the next generation. When you think about it like this you immediately remove the “pressure” of “needing” it to do something for you in your lifetime. The simple approach is figuring out your other investment needs and then go after your gold component as if you … [Read more...]
Unmasking Heath and Human Services Secretary Nominee Xavier Becerra
Let’s unmask Health and Human Services secretary nominee Xavier Becerra shall we? According to the WSJ’s Review and Outlook written back in December: Joe Biden checked two Democratic boxes—Hispanic and lefty—on Monday by tapping California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to run Health and Human Services. Progressives are ecstatic, but Mr. Becerra’s views and lack of health-care experience are cause for close Senate confirmation scrutiny. The Democratic identity politics crowd has been clamoring for Mr. Biden to appoint another Hispanic to his cabinet in addition to Alejandro Mayorkas at … [Read more...]
Your Personal Safety: Concealed-Carry How to Carry Your Freedom
A number of years ago now, when I took an all-day concealed-carry course at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH, our instructor began the class by asking, “Should you conceal carry?” We were quiet as he scanned the class. Then, a few hands went up. “Yes, especially with how crazy things are where I live,” began one older gentleman. "My dog was shot last month by some kid. That’s why I’m here.” “Yes," responded another woman there by herself. "I’ve been around law enforcement administratively long enough now where too many bad guys know my face,” she said. “All good reasons,” said the … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Meet Your BMW Club Racing Program Director
I had a great conversation with my friend and client Wayne Dobson this week. We were talking about his decision to retire and how he’s currently set-up. Not one to drive quietly off into the sunset, Wayne told me about his next endeavor with BimmerWorld BMW CCA Club Racing Schools. Enjoy! BimmerWorld BMW CCA Club Racing Schools announced on January 10: In our continuing effort to bring the sprint racing community nothing but the best in on-track experience, I am extremely pleased to announce that Wayne Dobson has been appointed to lead our much-admired BimmerWorld BMW CCA Club Racing … [Read more...]
PANDEMIC Pushes Military-Grade Surveillance on Americans Like YOU
Are you familiar with aerostats? They’re blimp-shaped balloons loaded with cameras and sensors. They float above any given “theater of war,” delivering surveillance data. The data is used by analysts to find insurgents and to kill them. In areas of war, they kill terrorists. What if this God-in-the-sky surveillance is brought home to America and can recognize the color of your hat? In 2012 an aerostat used in southern Afghanistan called a 22M “could make out an unusual modification on the buttstock of an AK-47 from 2 miles away,” recalls an analyst in WIRED’s “Palantir’s God’s-Eye View of … [Read more...]
Do You Know Who’s the Largest Owner of Farmland in America?
Are you down with OSB? It stands for oriented strand board. It’s used in construction similar to the way plywood is used—for roofs, subfloors, etc. A client of mine used to be an OSB trader. He’s stepped away from that a bit lately, but like any former pro, he still follows his team, so to speak. He tells me prices for OSB are at or near 2008-pre-real estate crash levels. That doesn’t mean he’s predicting a crash. He’s just telling me the lay of the land. Great conversation. He also tells me that as commodity prices rise, farmland ownership is getting more attractive. But, if you’re not … [Read more...]
A President Speaks: “Hard Work Never Killed Anybody”
“It’s true hard work never killed anybody,” said President Ronald Reagan in an interview in 1987, “but I figured why take the chance?” In the same year, he also said, “Tear down this Wall.” “When Soviet Leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev came to power in 1985,” writes Thomas H. Naylor in Secession, “who could have imagined that the Soviet Union would soon implode and cease to exist?” Who would have imagined America’s major cities would be on the verge of collapse in 2020? Running out of money, losing residents to the burbs, or other safer places in America? In speaking with a client yesterday, … [Read more...]
I’ve Been in Richard Young’s Maximizers for Years
In speaking with a prospective client yesterday, he told me he’s been in Richard C. Young’s Maximizers portfolio for years. He said he uses an advisor but told him, “Here’s what I want to own, can you do it for me?” And he did. Fast forward—after making a big contribution to the account this year, his “guy” wants to put the money in some hedge fund deal. My new client said, “Don’t do a thing.” The “guy” was chasing money–chasing money with other people’s money. What’s there to lose, right? In times like these, you need to protect your assets like they’re the last ones you’ll ever … [Read more...]
Smith Family Robinson in Live Free or Die, NH
Where should you live today? If you’ve taken an online survey, you might find yourself a perfect fit in any small town, USA. Combine this with your politics and you might find yourself living in 1776 or not far from Plymouth Rock with the pilgrims. Well that’s not gonna happen. So now what? Are you familiar with the Swiss Way? Or the Swiss Family Robinson? It’s a lifestyle. For me? I spend time at my log cabin in Live Free or Die, NH and coastal Newport, RI. We broke ground in NH for the winter skiing, but as the saying goes out west: “Visit for the winters, stay for the summers.” There’s … [Read more...]
Are $2,000 Checks Going to Rebuild NYC?
You can't rebuild the world's biggest economy with printed money. Production and business are what really make an economy strong, not the number of dollars in circulation. John Cogan and John Taylor explain in the Wall Street Journal that these sorts of payments don't do anything. They write: President-elect Biden is promising another round of federal spending to “stimulate” the economy. Jumping on the bandwagon for $2,000 checks may be only the beginning. But history shows such spending does nothing to stimulate the economy. In the end, it only adds to the federal debt. Since the … [Read more...]