Get Ready For A Bear Market

My Comments: This person may be right, or not. Yesterdays sell-off sure was ominous but you never “know” until it’s too late. One way to profit from the downturn is with alternative investments. Only very few investment managers use them as a matter of course when promoting their skill set to the public. Those of …

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Fundamental Truths

My Comments: If you have money invested somewhere you may be  wondering how the next several months are going to unfold. We’re in the sixth year of a bull market and that’s a historically long time without a serious correction. This commentary by a very knowledgeable person may give you some insights worth having. Commentary …

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Does the Government Steal Your House When You Get a Reverse Mortgage?

My Comments: People of my age are living a lot longer than before, and many of us are still distressed by what we now call the Great Recession. Whatever your financial circumstances, it’s proven once again that in our society, having more money is better than having less money. Many of us are increasingly frustrated …

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Stopping the Iran Nuclear Deal

My Comments: Readers of my daily posts know I agree with the proposed agreement. I disagree with the notion that the inevitable outcome of failing to approve the deal is war with Iran. But that’s not to say there won’t be some serious negative consequences. Switzerland, for example, has already lifted most of it's sanctions …

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The Next Hiroshima?

My Comments: As a financial planner, my job is to identify existential financial threats faced by a client and attempt to remedy the potential problem before it becomes a real problem. For the record, an existential threat is something bad that might happen. The idea is to take steps to keep them far in the …

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Saudi Arabia May Go Broke Soon

My Comments:  If Saudi Arabia ceases to function and Iran has a nuclear weapon, what are the implications for the rest of the world? I accept that I’ll be just a memory by 2045. However, the United States may then be the only country on the planet with the ability to both unilaterally feed itself …

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Obama’s Long, Hot Iranian Summer

My Comments: To deal or not to deal, that is the question. Most people are focused on the political implications of the agreement, and whether it's a good deal for us or not. I'm very concerned about the economic implications as well. My blog post tomorrow talks about the high probability that Saudi Arabia will …

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Obama’s Climate Plan Makes for Canny Politics

My Comments: In keeping with tradition, the President’s critics are having the usual hysterics about his recent announcement designed to reduce carbon emissions. If I were the owner of a bunch of coal mines, I’d probably be unhappy too. But for the rest of us who don’t own coal mines, which is virtually all of …

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More Social Security Mistakes

My Comments: Did you know you can choose from any one of 96 months to start your Social Security benefits? If you live to normal life expectancy, your choice of month can mean as much as several extra $100k for you and your family. The message: don’t sign up without first exploring what is in …

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A Death Blow To An American Industry

My Comments: I rarely post on the weekend, but since it’s August and many of us are driving somewhere for a few days, this seems relevant. It's mostly about the money we pay for gas these days at the pump. But there will be significant ripples across the planet as this plays out. While a …

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