Your Survival Guy

Preparing your investments and family for when disaster strikes.

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Bomb Cyclone to Hit New England and Other Observations

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Happy Thursday. Your Survival Guy and coastal New England are prepping for a “bomb cyclone” that could dump over a foot of snow on Saturday. Bring it on. I don’t mean to sound like a parent, but, when I was a kid, we didn’t plan four days ahead for a snowstorm. It would snow. We’d help clear the driveway, and then we’d play outside to the point of exhaustion. If we went inside for hot chocolate, and wanted to go back outside, we’d put our feet in sandwich bags and stuff them into our boots and go back outside. Not a big deal.

Your Survival Guy’s boots on the ground experience on Monday: Nasdaq dropped by about 5% and then shot up toward the end of the day. In my conversation with you, around three O’clock eastern, I was asked “How’s the market today?” “Well, it’s up for the day,” I said. “But it’s been a wild ride.” Sometimes it’s better to miss the craziness. Unless it’s the last 13 seconds of the Bills/Chiefs game. I feel for my friends at the University of Wyoming and their former star, and current Bill’s QB Josh Allen.

Is this the end of the road for Tom Brady? Former Montreal Canadian goalie Ken Dryden writes in his classic, The Game, “In an athlete, it is not the legs that go first, it is the enthusiasm that drives the legs. I go to optional practices, I work as hard as I ever did, but my motivation is different: where once I felt joy, now I feel joy mixed with grim desperation. I will not get any better. I must fight to keep what I have.”

I can see why the Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask resigned with Boston for a fraction of his previous contract. There’s nothing like the pressure of playing with a big contract hanging around your neck. That’s not what Rask needs right now. If he can shake off the rust, the Bs could make a run here with him healthy. Stay tuned.

OK, Florida’s going to be chilly this weekend, dipping into the low 50s. It feels like 3 degrees here in Newport this morning. But when you’re accustomed to sunny days in the mid-70s, like in Key West, the low 50s can feel like 3 degrees. Layer up.

Aside from the disastrous big blue cities and big government, is there a better year-round climate than California? Here’s a picture from a client in Marin County.

This from clients wintering on their sailboat who just picked up a mooring in the Bahamas.

And another client couple beat the summer crowd at Yellowstone National Park, spending three days on a cross country ski tour to take a break from downhill skiing at Jackson Hole.

Action Line: Legendary investor Ben Graham recommends a portfolio balance between 70-30 or 30-70. When you realize the wisdom in this mix, you understand why the Rich Man doesn’t need the markets to “do” anything for him. Let’s talk.

P.S. Remember, 9 out of 10 investing ideas are rotten to the core, and investing is more art than science. I want you to be relaxed like an artist. I want you to be loose. That’s where the art happens, not when you’re wound tighter than a drum and holding on for dear life.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zilldjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com