It’s not a trivial question, not by any stretch. In an age of “instant anything” where we can buy anything our heart desires (and get free shipping with Prime) the question is intense.
The real answers, however, are quite elusive and, to a large extent, age-dependent and situational.
So this morning some “hybrid-thinking” where we look at a range of futures and begin on a path of “goods acquisitions” to best use our meager funds for a semi-chaotic future.
After a few headlines, our Aggregate view of markets and assorted snide remarks about that which passes as “news” these days, we’ll jump in.
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Trump flip flops on tariffs again….is this market manipulation? Even with all this up & down chaos, none of my indicators went positive, preventing any whiplash. Correction is still in place to ride the lower Bollinger down.
@ ecs
Trump is surrounded by BAD advisers…who want this country and him to parish…while they make $$$$ and wrest power ‘unto themselves and their masters’….CONgress is yet another…group ‘unto themselves’….and Military -Industrial complex…’unto themselves’…don’t leave much for ‘we the people’….except those that prosper from welfare and open borders…the rest of us’en ‘pays the freight’….and still gets ‘stiffed’ by the out of sight …SPENDING of Borrowed $$$$…given to those that ‘spend it ‘ by the FED….and the Fed still gets its ‘vig’……might be time to invert this paradigm…..and bring in the ‘socialist’ so that ALL can suffer the same’ fate’ since rebellion would be in the mix…and then maybe ‘out of the ashes’…a new Republic can be formed with out ‘Career politicians’….just local folk setting the ‘rules’…and no Home owners associations allowed….
d: The problem I see, based on history, the world is a group of war like people. Without the US Military hammer, the world would be at war stealing each others lands & people. We are in the business of selling protection, so they better buy some Treasury Bonds or we will run out of bullets & they will have the Russians or Chinese knocking on their doors.
ECS: The problem I see in the last 50 or 60 years of history is that the people of the world would like to live in peace but the US military has gone around starting wars and stealing other people’s land and resources. The only protection we have been selling is “do what we say or we will blow you to pieces!’.
@ECS
What we have learned since Nam…is the US Military WORKS for the benefit of TPTB…and NOT the United States of America…It has been a very hard lesson to see and understand…but since the late 60’s those of us that were there have the ‘acquired knowledge’ to realize that KISSINGER and the Boys run this world….and here in the USA the CFR….are the ‘rulers’…spread through out our vast bureaucracy …and that ‘swamp’ will never be drained……..they are the POWER who control this country…and the State Dept. is the main driver of our problems and the worlds troubles….with the CIA leading the carnage……I will never ‘bend a knee’ to these vicious MF’s…but I will go down with a fight, when the SHTF…… Semper Fi
Mr Wacky: I agree most people would like to live in peace. But world leader’s greed, pride, & ruthlessness will never allow that to happen. And he that controls the military, controls the people. Maybe the UN should ban armies. That would send us into a depression, but once the benefits sunk in, & the economies recovered, it would be a better world until it started all over again. It is too complicated. We need the Second Coming.
d; you got it. Here is some background of how the USA was taken over, and why Epstein is so central since the late 70’s, to helping SWEETEN the honey pot, to get the means to blackmail our leaders. TMr. Neff can report it, and tell facts that most Americans are not aware of. I wonder what the USA would be like and look like if these hundreds of billions of dollars had stayed here to fix our roads, our airports, our schools, our medical system, our higher-education system, our farms, our technology and innovation, and factories that are now gone, etc. WHAT could we be if all those billions upon billions hadn’t been given away on the back of the American taxpayers. Where would we be if we hadn’t of been involved and paying for these non-stop wars?
https://ifamericansknew.org/media/epiphany.html
George – did U wake&bake again this AM, or residual pain meds effects?
“dandy to halt this decline before it takes out the level of “2” on the right..toast”
U make money in the market going DOWN easier and faster, than when going UP! imho
Ure market perspective is skewed to the upside ..would be interesting to reverse your perspective to the Downside..for once – Boomers always expecting another “bailout” from their PERENNIAL screw ups, always.
4th Turning is aiming squarely at U Boomers, gee think another “magic, single bullet” will save the day..again?
Energy = Oil ?? another HUGE mistake..burning Oil – stupid humans..
“according Maxwell..static electron – no magnetic field of its own – rotated about its axis will not produce one. When electron is ACCELERATED in given direction it creates line of force..this line of force is magnetic in nature and can then be deflected by external fields..like in a cathode ray tube..now when electron spun into a Closed Circular Path it becomes dipole bar magnet w/both N and S pole..this is what is called Electromagnetic radiation or what Einstien calls a Photon..longer wavelengths called radio waves, microwaves or simply tranverse electromagnetic wave” -VT
Wonder why PTB have suppressed ALL this – Oil – Petro Dollar ??
They may have suppressed it, but IMHO I think they have it and they use it.
Long term satisfaction verses instant gratification.
Ya know, no matter where i go there is always someone to talk sh!t to me. I will be 49 soon. I got up at 445am this morning and made coffee and meditate. As i was getting my second cup of coffee, a cat girl comes in the kitchen pokes me in the side and says, “mmmmmm muffin top! Its the best part of the muffin!” I just busted out laughing and said “b!tch i hate you!” She is laughing so hard she says, “haters gonna hate. Whatcha doing, yo?” I said “well, Now! im off to sacrifice my muffin top to the treadmill God!”
Ahhhhh sweet humility. i talk a bunch of smack, so its good when i get something clever in the morning.
Needless to say,
I ran 3 miles, in 24 min this morning. hahahahahah
Got my hot date with the Flower woman tonight. maybe i should invest in some spanks. Hahahahah
Catch ya on the flip side!
Join us tomorrow for another episode of “As the Andes Turn…”
Andy: I was listening to music on my Dot while working, & a song came on that reminded me of you. “People Who Need People are the Luckiest People in the World by Barbara Streisand”. Keep up the good work.
Andy: There are promoters supposedly teaching what you do naturally and pulling in mass quantities of money for very little work. I don’t trust their ability at all, but it might be something you can do both ethically and successfully.
How about spandex lol lol..
Andy I thought about you today.. I wished I had known you a few years ago.you at least have the contacts that could have saved her…anyway I got a letter today .. from a young lady incarcerated.she had me as her emergency contact years ago and a hospital called to get approval to treat her she was beaten and left… a few years ago I tried to save her from the pigs that had her enslaved to do their bidding.
She had been forced into servicing men at a very very young age. A true sweetheart to. Unfortunately I didnt have the connections you have to save her and she had been forced so long that she didnt know any other way of life and eventually just went with it..
Where they should have given her the pass instead they tossed her away. I did tell her if I was still alive when she gets out and able to I would make sure she gets the start she so richly deserves if she wants, for a normal life, fortunately she will still be a young woman.
Of course all of that crap is fake news..
George – where did you purchase your giant bamboo seeds from?
amzn
Bond market signals a recession. A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose your job. When I was in business, I always knew when a depression hit. My earnings took a nose dive.
Things still look good to me after all this chaos is over, then I would look for a huge stock market rally. Be vigilant. When stock prices look to good to be true, it is probably time to buy. Semiconductors stocks are my #1 preference.
Bye the bye, you have to follow them to know when the price is attractive. Get to work.
ECS,
I think you are right. We’re in a “c” down (degree not properly notated). Maybe another 1,000 points then prepare for the bounce.
Prechter is calling for a nosedive to 21,000 or so on the Dow, followed by a blow-off top, then chaos. He is also calling a top in bonds and gold. The real wildcard for the end of this business cycle will be in the liquidation of unconventional leverage. Liquidation of leveraged securities and commodities goes on the credit deflation ledger. In the 1920’s, buying on the margin by individuals was only loosely regulated. With the introduction of tight regulation of margin buying by average Joes, the leverage now come from unconventional sources such as credit cards, loans against personal property, etc. Once the credit deflation death spiral begins, the liquidation of all this hidden margin buying will exert a continuous downdraft in prices far removed from Wallstreet. The inflation phase comes later.
Regarding the best place to live: If you can own something small and paid in full, you’ve got a bolthole. If it’s near where you can produce value or income, you are halfway to sustainability. If you can add to that property by buying adjacent land(without an intervening road), you’re golden. IMHO, climate is massively important – even more so than neighbors. Not all of us can deal with east Texas humidity and heat.
I think we generally eat far too much food. I’m finding just how little is really required, though it’s damn near impossible to socialize without consuming something. I still want to lose a few more pounds this week. Canned foods are probably the only ones viable for long term storage unless you buy others and can them yourself. Seeds are good only if you are or know someone with a green thumb. Of course, you can sprout them, trade them, share them or give them away too.
Owning your own means of production(tools, machine tools, information, computers, etc.) is essential. The less you have to trade with the inherent taxable overhead, the better off you are. Knowing people to trade with helps. Doing favors for others will give invaluable goodwill(most of the time). Spare solar panels, charge controllers and inverters may have value both for use and for trade. Batteries are essential yet a bit of a crapshoot, since few are eternal and those are hardly portable. I’m still using diesel from 2001 with a bit of Pri-D mixed in. I should probably get some AvGas – it can be arranged. It may be the best option for long term storage of cars. Car gas gums up injectors and fuel pumps after a few years.
PMs are interesting for the very long term. Base metals and wood are inputs to your shops. Auctions have good deals, but it’s easy to buy what you don’t need. At retirement age and beyond, all work should have an element of fun/education or it’s hardly worth doing on a regular basis.
Personally I think being prepared for deflation before inflation is necessary, though there is a distinct possibility that sequence could be backwards.
The real gotcha is that when you’re fully prepared, you’re planted and it’s really difficult to move intact.
The best investment for the foreseeable future is a job with a good rate and medical benefits, close to the cash homestead, and commuting in the cash vehicle. The next best investment is a part time job with a good rate and no benefits. Screw minimum wage jobs with no benefits, at least for the mature investors. If you are starving with kids, you do what you gotta do. There is something to be said for home or double-wide based businesses with low overhead and flex hours, so long as the proprietorship has real cash flow and no debt obligations. But you argue, the investment is supposed to free me from the burden of a full-time job. My counter to that is, no, the investment is supposed to pay your bills. Not very many people live a retirement life of leisure, and the number who do is decreasing rapidly in this country. Take advantage of your real opportunities, and be willing to look for something for 3/4 of what you could command in your prime. Typically the operating expenses and potential medical bills from a minimum wage job outweigh the potential for mature investors.
Samaritan Ministries; no need for health insurance, I repeat, NO NEED FOR HEALTH INSURANCE. Samaritan Ministries, Liberty Health Share, and Medishare; these are phenomenal programs. LOOK into it!!! Quit the Non-Health Coverage Insurance Scam!!! You can get a annual physical for less than $400.00. Why spend $1k a month on a plan that has a $5,500, $7K, 10K, deductible? Prescriptions are competitive.
Employer’s group insurance through a traditional insurer is still the best deal. For those who go the Obamacare route, have a tax professional tutor you on the tax credit. Apparently, a lot of people are not taking advantage of the tax credit available to Obamacare victims whose adjusted income is less than $50K. I had an alternative plan with a former employer. The main problem I have found with alternative medical programs is that the healthcare admin people can’t be held to their contract price, and keep coming back wanting more and more after the alternative program has paid them. That doesn’t happen with major medical so much.
One Example that I know of personally:
Person A admitted to hospital Dec, 2017, ended up staying in hospital through mid January, 2018. Thousands of dollars in hospital, doctor, lab, and diagnostic tests later: Samaritan paid 100%.
Person B. Admitted to hospital in Dec, 2017. Major surgery. Thousands of dollars in hospital, doctor, lab, and diagnostic tests later: Person B paid $7,500 deductible PLUS coinsurance up to a certain rate.
Person B: Admitted back to hospital in January, 2018. Illness caught in hospital from the first hospitalization. Thousands of dollars in hospital, doctor, lab, and diagnostic tests later: Person B paid $7,500 deductible PLUS coinsurance up to a certain rate.
Person A: ZERO payments. Zero out of pocket. Zero deductibles.
Person B: $16,000 in deductibles within ONE month PLUS other expenses and copays as Person B needed therapy with copays.
I don’t think I can show a bettter example of why I do no’t think that nor agree with what you wrote: “Employer’s group insurance through a traditional insurer is still the best deal.”
Thanks for taking a stab at the tax question in a crashed economic situation. That’s really the only question that’s kept me awake at night in such a scenario in which we seem to be headed in quick fashion (besides an armed invasion on our Southern border). The real answer to taxing authorities’ reaction to a pool of revenue that’s drying up before their eyes is – nobody knows and it’ll be different from one location to another as well as the reaction of those who are taxed. How far can/will the authorities push the idea of “you really just RENT your land from us”? After witnessing the collusion the assessment office in our area has with the tax recipients last year it becomes a very real and serious question, indeed.
I read one account, perhaps here, some time ago where tax payers surrounded the tax office back during the Depression and forced the assessors (or would it be city and county counsel members) to come to some kind of agreement on lower taxes and immediately recognizing lower land valuations rather than the much slower process of watching the movement of land sale prices. I think the tax payers also pulled their titles from their files to make sure they retained ownership of their property. That’s the peaceful option. As long as we can answer that question in a civilized manner the rest is pretty much a matter of seeing which of the snowflake city folk that have moved out here are going to adhere to the new reality of a much lower lifestyle which means getting their hands dirty.