In the Washington Examiner, Anna Giaritelli reports the horror that Salvadoran refugees face, leaving their home country to escape the terrors of MS-13, only to find the gang active right here in the United States. Giaritelli details the gang's activities in Northern Virginia, but MS-13 has rooted itself in communities all across America. She writes: As of late 2019, MS-13 has approximately 3,000 members, on par with recent years' figures, according to two officials. Jay Lanham, executive director of the task force, named MS-13 “by far the largest gang in Northern Virginia,” adding, “Due to … [Read more...]
A Tax-Free Savings Plan for Your Grandchild
Pay attention here. When you beat inertia and get on the track to retirement savings, a lot of opportunities tend to come your way. One of those opportunities is having time to focus on other members of your family. When it comes to investing, you and I know the most powerful tool to wealth is compound interest. But it requires time—a commodity in abundance when you're young—and money. That’s where you come in (sorry). You know the path to my rich grandchild, poor grandchild. You have the knowledge and the money (you don’t need a truck load) to teach them in real dollars about compound … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: “My life Has Always Been One of Very Good Fortune”
When Fred Cox retired from the NFL in 1977, the placekicker had scored 1,365 points. But his most famous score happened when he was approached by an entrepreneur named John Mattox in 1971, explains The Week. Entrepreneur Mattox wanted Cox to help create a backyard field goal kicking game. In response to Mattox’s prototype (a heavy football), Cox responded, “You’re gonna have a bunch of sore-legged kids.” “Cox asked a friend in the injection molding business to create a prototype,” explains The Week, “the resulting foam pigskin was light, aerodynamic, and a hit with neighborhood … [Read more...]
America’s Silent Army with 423M Guns
Well, maybe not silent as more and more Americans are speaking out to defend their Second Amendment rights. As the recent ATF report reveals, this group is locked and loaded. Paul Bedard details the report at The Washington Examiner, writing: New federal data shows that there are 422.9 million firearms in circulation, or about 1.2 guns for every person in the country. What’s more, despite years of criticism of modern “assault-style” rifles such as the AR-15 and AK-47, there are a record 17.7 million in private hands, proving that it is the most popular gun around. And last year … [Read more...]
Banks Are Selling Your Private Info to Strangers
Most Americans have become accustomed to the idea that when they use Google or Facebook, information on their Internet habits is being sold to advertisers who want to target them with ads. But until now that phenomenon has been mostly confined to cyberspace, and there are ways to avoid them. That's all beginning to change though. Now industries that were around even before the Internet are attempting to make profits from your private information. The most dangerous of these is your bank. The Associated Press has reported that banks are selling information on customers' spending habits to … [Read more...]
Survive and Thrive December: Rich Grandchild, Poor Grandchild
Dear Survivor, This is one of my favorite investment pieces by the late Richard Russell: Rich Man, Poor Man By Richard Russell The most popular piece I’ve published in 40 years of writing these Letters was entitled, “Rich Man, Poor Man.” I have had dozens of requests to run this piece again or for permission to reprint it for various business organizations. Making money entails a lot more than predicting which way the stock or bond markets are heading or trying to figure which stock or fund will double over the next few years. For the great majority of investors, making money … [Read more...]
Here’s Why You Should Treat Your Disaster Cash like Gold
In a true catastrophe, the value of your dollars may plummet to zero, and all you'll be left with is your gold, canned goods, and ammo for bartering. That would be a terrifying scenario for sure. That said, most disasters you'll face in life won't impact the value of your cash, but they could very well impact your access to your bank account. I've been writing to you recently about how the wealthy are moving their money out of bank accounts and into more traditional safety deposit boxes. For large amounts of cash you wouldn't want unattended at home, safety deposit boxes are a great idea. … [Read more...]
Save Yourself! 92% of Wealthy Danes Want to Pull Their Money from Banks
In Denmark, the central bank began setting negative rates in 2012, and for wealthy Danes, it's been a chore to avoid giving money to the banks ever since. There are 178,000 Danes with more than 750,000 crowns in the bank, and they have been moving money to separate accounts, or simply taking it out of the bank altogether ever since negative rates were instituted. Who wants to pay the bank to hold their money? No one, of course. Last week I detailed for you the growing trend of wealthy individuals using safety deposit boxes. A safety deposit box has many benefits besides moving your money … [Read more...]
Season’s Greetings from Bartlett, NH
Season’s greetings from our cabin in Bartlett, NH. … [Read more...]
First Responders Say in a Big Disaster: “We’re Not Coming”
You're on your own in a big disaster, according to Cristina Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Emergency Management Department. Angelenos, and everyone else should take those words to heart. In the event of a really epic disaster like the potential "Big One" earthquake, or Hurricane Irma which hit Puerto Rico, if emergency response personnel even make it to you, it's likely going to take a while. Gabriel Cortez reports on Gonzelez's statement in LAist: The two huge Ridgecrest earthquakes that rocked Southern California earlier this month shook a lot of people out of their earthquake … [Read more...]