Your Survival Guy

Preparing your investments and family for when disaster strikes.

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Your Survival Guy’s Disney Trip Part II/Heart Strings/College…YOU

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OK, here’s what’s on Your Survival Guy’s mind this morning, one week after returning from the happiest place on earth (You can read about our Disney trip here). The last time we were at Disney was ten years ago. There’s a picture in our house of Izzy and Owen standing in front of the entrance of the Magic Kingdom with all the flowers and the train station in the background. Every time I walk by that picture, I remember that day like it was yesterday. While we were getting ready for this trip, Izzy, soon to be twenty, said to Becky and me, “I don’t need you two falling apart crying … [Read more...]

Your Survival Guy’s DISNEY: Rise of the Resistance: Part I

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Your Survival Guy is here to report that Walt Disney World is open for business. And if you’re in love with Star Wars, like my family is, then you need to check out Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where you feel like you’re in a galaxy far, far away… But, before you go, there’s some groundwork that needs to be covered. First, you need a reservation for the days you wish to visit a Walt Disney World (WDW) park. As we started our planning, we looked at the WDW calendar and found reservations for Disney Hollywood Studios to be … [Read more...]

Texas Fights Federal Gun Control and Commerce Clause Abuse

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You know that Texas has become the 21st state to allow permitless carry (starting in September), but you may not know that Gov. Greg Abbott signed another bill at the same time that would allow for Texans to buy silencers without a license, as long as they were built in Texas. The bill not only tests the federal government's control over the 2nd Amendment but also the extent to which the Constitution's Commerce Clause protects commerce within the boundaries of a state.  The Commerce Clause gives Congress the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and … [Read more...]

Portland Police Take a Stand Against Politicized Prosecution

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The entire Portland Police Bureau Rapid Response Team has resigned from the voluntary detail in response to one of their members being criminally charged over his actions during a riot last August. FM101 KXL in Portland reports: FM News 101 learned late Wednesday night that in response to the criminal indictment of Officer Corey Budworth, the bureau's entire Rapid Response Team resigned.  Sources with the Police Bureau say the team voted unanimously to disband. The Rapid Response Team is a group of volunteer officers who respond to civil disobedience, demonstrations, and riots. Tuesday, … [Read more...]

Texas Finally Set to Become Permitless Carry State

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You have been reading about Texas gun owners' push to codify permitless carry in their state all year long. Now, Governor Greg Abbott has signed a bill sent to him by Texas's legislature to make the Lone Star State a permitless carry state by September 1. The Texas Tribune reports: Texans can carry handguns without a license or training starting Sept. 1, after Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday signed the permitless carry bill into law. House Bill 1927 eliminates the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns if they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from … [Read more...]

Biden Said He’d Only Tax the Rich, but This Will Hurt Everyone

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You can read here about the negative impacts of a Biden administration tax increase on dividends. In summary, a higher tax on dividends motivates companies not to pay them. My take? Stock-rich executives and the largest shareholders don’t want to fork over half the payout in taxes. Pinar Cebi Wilber writes in The Wall Street Journal: The Biden administration has released a flurry of tax proposals, including a headline-grabbing tax hike on capital gains that would apply retroactively from April. Dividends would be subject to the same treatment, according to a recently released Treasury … [Read more...]

Fact or Fiction? Lobsterman Swallowed by a Whale

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This fish story isn’t hard to swallow. David Abel reports in the Boston Globe: Fishing is a dangerous business, notorious for its tall tales, and few have endured the trials — and amassed the survival stories — that Michael Packard has. As a boy, soon after getting his first fishing boat, he was swept out to sea and nearly drowned. He’s had close encounters with great white sharks while diving for lobster off Cape Cod, where he once found the body of a fellow diver. He even survived a plane crash in the jungles of Costa Rica, where he had a fishing business. But his latest near-death … [Read more...]

Oil Shock: Countries with the Largest Oil Reserves

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I found this eye-opening. From Zerohedge.com: Oil is a natural resource formed by the decay of organic matter over millions of years, and like many other natural resources, it can only be extracted from reserves where it already exists. The only difference between oil and every other natural resource is that oil is well and truly the lifeblood of the global economy. The world derives over a third of its total energy production from oil, more than any other source by far; and, as Visual Capitalist's Anshool Deshmukh details below, as a result, the countries that control the world’s … [Read more...]

Inside Real Estate Market: This Bubble’s Popped Baby

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Your Survival Guy’s been watching lumber prices. I reported here and here that much of the increase was due to a bottleneck at sawmills. (There’s plenty of trees, just no excess capacity at the mills creating finished lumber.) Lumber futures reached a high of $1,711.20 per thousand board feet in May. On Tuesday, July futures were down to $1,009.90, off 41% from the record high. Ryan Dezember reports in the WSJ: The rapid decline suggests a bubble that has burst and the question is how low lumber prices will fall. Even after tumbling, lumber futures remain nearly three times what is typical … [Read more...]