Recent Posts from YourSurvivalGuy.com

Know Thyself: “Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There”

“Don’t just do something, stand there,” is one of my favorite quotes by the late, great Jack Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group. In one sentence, you understand the emotional challenge of being a successful long-term investor. Easier said than done. “I don’t want a repeat of 2008,” a client said to me yesterday. “I […]

Could Germany Forget How to Build Cars?

When the government sticks its nose into entire industries, like Germany has done with electric cars, you end up with a gutting of jobs. When, instead, companies are allowed to cater to their customers, they have the benefit of time and experimentation to see what is economically viable. Instead, what’s happening in Germany is the […]

J.D. Vance Is Ready for the White House

GOP vice presidential nominee, Sen. J.D. Vance, was interviewed by Joe Rogan yesterday, and even after a short while watching, you can tell that he’s the most intelligent person running for President or Vice President this year. Your Survival Guy has been a fan of Vance for a long time, and it’s great to see […]

Survive and Thrive October 2024: How You Know If You’re Spending Too Much

Dear Survivor, When my mom and dad come over for dinner, they will always bring something. Recently, it was tomatoes they grew in their garden, a delicious cheese, and cookies. What makes the gifts even better is my mom’s excitement about each one. “You won’t believe how good the tomatoes are this year,” she said. […]

Dreaming of Queen Mary 2, MJ, and YOU

Earlier this month, the ocean liner Queen Mary 2 was anchored in Newport. “I know you,” I thought to myself, remembering the Atlantic crossing we made on her in May of this year. It was a seven-day crossing. Returning from France by air last weekend in a matter of hours felt like a time warp. […]

Should You Own Your Home? Yes

Too often, investors confuse the term buying a home with owning it. When buyers take out a mortgage, the bank owns the home. When Your Survival Guy was in his early 20s, I remember the mortgage broker telling me, “My bank wouldn’t mind owning this property.” That began my lifelong pursuit of owning my home. […]

Trump Wants to Take Out the Trash

After Joe Biden called Trump supporters “garbage,” President Trump responded as only he can. Trump rode around in a garbage truck with an orange safety vest on in place of his usual suit jacket. Then he gave a speech dressed the same way. At Real Clear Politics, Philip Wegmann explains that Trump didn’t allow Biden […]

With Stocks Up, How’s Your Portfolio Risk?

With stocks having a banner year, today may be a good time to look at your overall asset allocation. Do you have enough bond exposure? Are you generating income to help guide your retirement life? What if the market declines by a third? Will you be able to ride it out? Remember, stocks can stay […]

Paulson and Musk Plan to Trim the Fat

You know the American federal budget has become a larded-over whale and needs a good trimming. John Paulson, an investor and friend of Donald Trump who could be the next Treasury Secretary (not to be confused with former Bush Admin Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson), and Elon Musk, who Trump plans to put in charge of […]

The Push for Small Nuclear Reactors

You know that electricity demand from artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency is soaring. Big tech companies looking to integrate AI into their systems need to build massive data centers to train and operate the AI. The surge in new demand for electricity has created problems for America’s aging grid, depleted by reductions in coal-fired generation. The […]

Retirement Investing: Don’t Let Inertia Keep You Down

Cash may not be king, but it’s still royal, yielding close to five percent in money markets. When your lazy cash is treated like a peasant by banks, it can be frustrating. How about your stocks? It’s hard to see the big picture. It’s hard to act and put money in the stock market even […]

How Much Have Biden and Harris Hurt Americans?

The cost of living has soared for Americans under the Biden/Harris administration. In The Wall Street Journal, Sen. Ted Cruz and Rick Scott explain what they cost Americans, writing: The kitchen table is where the American dream is built. Every month, families gather there to pay their bills and plan for the future. In a […]

Trump’s “No Brainer” Energy Policy

The New York Post calls Donald Trump’s energy policy a “no brainer,” writing: For Americans who want their lights, heat and A/C to keep working and to keep driving normal cars with gasoline available and affordable, the choice for president is a no-brainer. Donald Trump is pushing a “drill, baby, drill” approach that will surge […]

Your Survival Guy in Paris: He Went to Paris

Leaving Paris is never a good idea. But that’s life. As one of our friends told us as he was saying goodbye, “The day you leave Paris, you’re one day closer to the day you’ll return.” Which means this morning we’re a couple of days closer and not quite over the jet lag, but that’s […]

Harris: Higher Taxes, Heavier Regulation

As a long-time follower of Andy Kessler, he deftly makes the case that America cannot afford four more years of Harris. He writes in The Wall Street Journal: Actions speak loudly. Ms. Harris co-sponsored Bernie Sanders’s 2017 Medicare for All Act, co-sponsored the Green New Deal and was the tie-breaking vote for the Inflation Reduction […]