Economics and Investing:

For nearly a decade, I’ve advised buying silver rather than gold. This is because 1.) Silver is more useful than gold in post-disaster bartering, 2.) I expect the silver to gold ratio to continue to fall, perhaps to as low as 16:1. And, 3.) The chance of silver ever being confiscated by bureaucrats is much lower than for gold. If you are planning to ratio trade out of gold into silver then try to sell your gold coins on a up-spike day, and then wait briefly and buy silver on the next dip day.  That might make the dealer’s commissions less painful. In a couple of years you will probably be very glad that you ratio traded.

Nine Ways That Being Frugal Can Cost You More

John R. flagged this over at the Ludwig Von Mises Institute web site: What’s Wrong with Government Debt

John also like this one: Quantitative Easing Is The End Of America As We Know It

Items from The Economatrix:

Japan Disaster Hurt World Economy?  

World Energy Crunch As Nuclear And Oil Both Go Wrong

Japan Crisis Takes Toll On U.S. Economic Recovery  

Gallup:  1 in 5 American Workers Can’t Find Full Time Job  

Japan Quake Shakes U.S. Treasury Bond Market…Get Ready For Financial Meltdown  

What The Jump In Global Markets Volatility Mean  

We Love Silver But Respect The Trends–Be Careful