Category: Economics & Investing

Making a Living in the Hinterboonies

One of the great quandaries faced by many American preppers is that their desire to move to a lightly-populated rural region is usually not consistent with the ability to earn a good living. Let’s face it: The job opportunities in the Hinterboonies are scarce. Unless you are retired, self-employed, or you are in a high-demand profession (such as medicine or dentistry), then it might be difficult to have the same standard of living that you’ve enjoyed in an urban or suburban community. Part of the following repeats what I wrote in SurvivalBlog back in 2009 about the sorts of jobs …


Economics & Investing:

The Trajectory of Venezuelan Hyperinflation Looks Familiar… o o o Puerto Rico Faces Record Default: A Look at the Bonds Due ($2 billion is coming due!) o o o At The Sovereign Investor:  Another Market Meltdown? o o o ‘The end is coming,’ says Ron Paul o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Letter Re: Pre-1965 90% Silver Coins are the Best Defense Against Counterfeits

James, That was an excellent letter sent recently by “The Silver Bull” (Pre-1965 90% Silver Coins are the Best Defense Against Counterfeits).  Regarding his suggestion of  pre-1965 “junk” 90% silver coins,  I’d like to ask  a question: Are the 1 Troy ounce U.S. Mint American Eagles purchased from dealers considered suspect for counterfeiting? I know that are when purchased through eBay. There is some good counterfeit-spotting tutorials available on YouTube. I appreciate what he is saying. By the way,, my favorite precious metals remain quality brass, lead, and copper in 5.56 and 7.62. Thanks for all you do. – RetiredPara …


Economics and Investing:

Will Gold Crash With The Dow…Or Soar? o o o Faber Says Own Gold, Prepare for QE4 as Easing Follows Brexit o o o BBC: Pound falls as Bank of England hints at fresh stimulus measures o o o Gary Tanashian: A Path Toward Inflation o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.



Economics and Investing:

Both Mr. Econocobas and blog reader D.S. pointed me to this revelatory piece over at Zero Hedge: Greenspan Warns A Crisis Is Imminent, Urges A Return To The Gold Standard o o o Some market analysis from Hubert Moolman in South Africa: Major Debt and Dow Collapse Will Set Ideal Conditions For Silver o o o British pound could hit history-making dollar parity by end of 2016 o o o Jim Rogers on Brexit: ‘Worse than any bear market you’ve seen in your lifetime’ o o o Gold is sending a dark sign that ‘almost everything has changed’ in the …


Economics and Investing:

Deb B. wrote to mention this useful data from Kiplinger’s for anyone considering relocating: State-by-State Guide to Taxes on Retirees o o o G.G. flagged this piece by Michael Pento:  The next recession is already here—and there isn’t much the Fed can do o o o From The Drudge Report: Shares in Barclays, RBS and building firms suspended as Brexit sends prices plunging o o o Hoarding Cash in Vaults Seen More Attractive After Brexit Vote o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Letter: Pre-1965 90% Silver Coins are the Best Defense Against Counterfeits

Dear Editor: Those buying  silver and gold coins and bars need to be aware. I work in the industry at a well known coin shop in the mid-west. Time after time…week after week customers try to sell us fake items that they purchased from eBay, pawn shops, Craigslist, and elsewhere. It has become a bigger issue over the the last year and especially so in the last few months. When purchasing coins and bullion from customers we use our scales to make sure items are of proper weight, we use our calipers to check diameters, and we have the benefit of …


Economics and Investing:

Over at Zero Hedge: Will Brexit Give the U.S. Negative Interest Rates? o o o Over at The Daily Bell:  Brexit Vote Is Great News for Britain, but Difficult Times Ahead o o o Gold Summer Doldrums Risk o o o UK’s departure makes EU disintegration ‘irreversible’: Soros o o o 15 Euro Stocks That Lost Over 10% to 25% After Brexit Shock o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Letter: My Take on the U.S. Economy and Politics, and Their Implications for Prepping

HJL: I’m a both CPCU and CIC chartered senior insurance agent. I have observed that in a normal [business] year there is all sorts of business formation in the first three months.  I know because they ask for insurance quotes for the pro-forma or just come in and buy insurance, to to kick off operations. That activity has declined over the last three years to the point where it just did not happen this year. In the lead up to Mr. Obama’s election, business activity oriented to expansion practically stopped.  No one wanted to rent a building.  Very few bought …


Economics and Investing:

“Sound as a Pound?” There is now plenty of conjecture about the prospects for UK’s Pound Sterling.  Will the Pound’s post-Brexit plunge in the exchange markets continue?  (As of Friday evening, it had crashed to 1985 levels.) Or will there be a Pound Rebound–making the Pound a “Buy”?  (Some say that the divorce from the EU might eventually put the Pound in the same category as the Swiss Franc.)  In the short term the weak Pound will mean strong exports from the UK. The shares prices of England’s car makers and woolens makers are likely to gallop.  Tourism in the …


Economics and Investing:

Brexit triggers huge swings in exchange rates of the GB Pound.  (We witnessed a nearly 9% move in one day!) o o o Brexit causes decline in global stock markets o o o Gold Bullion Surges 6% In USD As Brexit Creates Global Contagion Risk o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Fed Rate Hike Off the Table for Rest of 2016; 12% Chance of a CUT. – What’s amazing is that folks are surprised… Dow closes down 600 after Brexit surprise; financials post worst day since 2011 – I can’t help but think this is going to resume on …


Economics and Investing:

Spending it all on rent: 11 million Americans spend half their income on rent. Another 21 million spend over 30 percent of their income on rent, a record high. o o o COMEX Registered Silver Now More Leveraged Than Gold o o o Potash Price Surge Could Lead To Higher Food Costs For Billions – “As global population surges and arable land decreases, efficiency is the name of the game. And in this environment, the little known commodity potash comes into its own” o o o The Stock Crash Of 2016: Stocks Have Already Crashed In 6 Of The World’s …


Economics and Investing:

These Conditions Ensure That Gold Stocks Will Continue To Rise Over The Coming Years o o o 7 Stupid Things Bankers Say About Bitcoin o o o More Kids Now Living At Home Since The Great Depression o o o Watch How Hyperinflation Bloats Venezuela By 2020 o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Economics and Investing:

A Palace For Fannie (Mae) – Why The Imperial City Must Be Sacked o o o Chart of the Day – $GOLD vs. Brexit – “I see traders everywhere worrying about how the Brexit vote will effect gold. Folks, forget about the Brexit. By this time next week the Brexit will already be fading into memory and the market will go back to doing what it was doing before the vote”. o o o Anxiety Builds As Money Managers Near Record Long Gold Position o o o What to Watch for in Janet Yellen’s Congressional Testimony o o o SurvivalBlog …