Economics and Investing:

24 Reasons Why Millennials Are Screaming Mad About Our Unfair Economy o o o The Appalling Truth About Energy Subsidies. – E.K. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Putin Stockpiles Gold as Russia Prepares For Economic War ISIS to Mint Own Currency Out of Gold, Silver and Copper – Agree that the world debt-based fiat monetary system is enslaving the entire planet, but what is most interesting is perhaps this is how the U.S. might issue controls on gold/silver by giving the excuse da jour of “terrorism”, and poof there goes the Constitution and your God-given rights. Economists Trim …




The Costs of Survival, by F.R.

For many, the costs involved in preparing for any kind of emergency, whether man made or natural, is too high for most people to afford. It can be expensive to accumulate the things that would be necessary to give us some options in an emergency situation. I have always been cost conscious and have striven to get the most for my money, so this struggle is not new to me. Even if we had lots of money, it is still wise to try and get the most bang for our buck. When I first started preparing, I made some purchases …




Letter Re: Retirement Recommendations

Response to D.R., I am in no way qualified to make retirement recommendations for anyone other than myself. In fact, now that we are debt free I enlisted the help of a financial advisor for just that reason. I should clarify a bit concerning our 401K accounts. When I said in the article, “We pulled our money out of the market” we actually just pulled out of equities. We parked the funds in a savings account within our 401K plan, but we actually re-entered equities in 2010. The appreciation of those funds helped us in our war immensely. As for …




Economics and Investing:

GAO: IRS Lacks Adequate Internal Controls. – PLC o o o How Much Interest Has Your Food “Bank” Earned This Year? o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Marc ‘Dr. Doom’ Faber: I will soon be proven right Japan’s Slip into Surprise Recession Paves Way for Tax Delay, Snap Poll Japan Unexpectedly Enters Recession as Abe Weighs Tax: Economy




Economics and Investing:

Report: 25 Percent Of Connecticut Households Above Federal Poverty Level But Struggle To Meet Basic Needs. – G.G. (Free registration required to read the article. Don’t violate OPSEC.) o o o Nearly half of Florida households are struggling financially, United Way reports. – G.G. o o o Turkey production down, wholesale prices up . – M.M. o o o Borrowers, Beware: The Robo-signers Aren’t Finished Yet. – G.G. o o o Gold shortage worst in over a decade




Letter Re: Surviving Financial SHTF and Becoming Debt Free, by K.D.

HJL, KDs advice on getting out of debt and getting spending under control is spot on, but I am curious what KD and the SurvivalBlog editor recommend for retirement savings. Obviously silver and gold are vital components of any investment portfolio, as a hedge against the failure of currency, but these investments do not pay dividends and cannot be relied upon as a complete retirement plan. When investing for the auction price of a stock, as the mainstream foolishly recommends, I agree with SurvivalBlog that the stock market can be a dangerous store of wealth. However, if you approach investing …




Economics and Investing:

Weather, tight supplies drive U.S. cattle prices to new high o o o Winging it through retirement: 30 percent of Americans have no retirement savings. o o o The politics of housing: Why are many blue cities unaffordable to the middle class? o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: 24% Of Millennials “Expect” Student Loan Forgiveness – As someone with student loans, I understand the frustration of an highly overpriced “asset”, but this is insanity to even think this. Video: David Stockman Interview On Bloomberg TV: Congress Is In A Fiscal Coma—Do Not Disturb! Video: David Stockman Interview On Bloomberg …




Surviving Financial SHTF and Becoming Debt Free, by K.D. – Part 2

Meanwhile, I made another spreadsheet. This spreadsheet listed everything we owned, and I do mean everything. Well, it included everything except our house. We were underwater and basically renting anyway. Since we were at war with the banks, everything was in the fight, including all of our preps, everything. After all, this was our SHTF situation to deal with. We prioritized our “stuff ” from 1-5. An item identified with a one was among the most useful to our survival, and those things that were least useful were given a five. We then began selling the items listed as fives …




Economics and Investing:

ISIS Unveils Its New Gold-Backed Currency To Remove Itself From “The Oppressors’ Money System”. – B.B. o o o The Reverse Of Central Bank Gold Flows Spells The Death Of The Dollar o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: The Economic End Game Explained – This is a must read. Video: David Stockman Interview On Bloomberg TV: Reagan History Is Revisionist Mythology Foreclosures Spike as Banks Ramp Up Repossessions – I’ve lived next to a very nice unoccupied home for three years now, in a sought-after neighborhood, that has not even gone through the foreclosure process. These homes are all …




Surviving Financial SHTF and Becoming Debt Free, by K.D. – Part 1

We recently experienced our own financial SHTF situation. Well, that’s true, if you could call six years “recent”. Before I get into our situation, I think a little history would be appropriate. The wife and I had started prepping together in 2002. We actually were taking baby steps prior to that but when the economy trashed we went all in. I thought that was it. There was no way we, as a nation, could just print money and keep the ship afloat. Early in 2009, I realized we may actually have a bit more time. If every civilized country in …




Economics and Investing:

Vladimir Putin “Prepares For Economic War”, Buys Whopping 55 Tonnes Of Gold In Q3 o o o The Economic End Game Explained. – J.W. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Ask The Expert Interview with Chris Martenson from Peak Prosperity Mortgage Volume Stalls with Rates 24 Reasons Why Millennials Are Screaming Mad About Our Unfair Economy




Economics and Investing:

IEA Says Oil Supplies May Not Keep Up With Demand o o o Banks fined billions for rigging currency markets – G.G. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: What the Economy Has Done to the Family If Everything Is Just Fine, Why Are So Many Really Smart People Forecasting Economic Disaster? Fears of German Recession as Moment of Truth Looms Fed’s Rosengren Says Fight for Higher Inflation Should Be Vigorous– There’s so much I want to say, but this illustrates how fundamentally the economy is in a depression wanting to clear the imbalances by deleveraging, but the Central Bankers …




Letter: Silver Prices

Mr. Editor, Would you please ask Mr. Rawles why the price of silver coins and silver in general has dropped in price. Since I bought mine, it’s lost half its value. Is it going to go back up? Thanks so much. The info on your website is invaluable. – C. in OH JWR responds: The futures and spot silver markets are quite thin and easily subject to manipulation. It is presently being pressed very hard by the market manipulators. The REAL price of silver is somewhere around $22 per ounce. Just look how quickly it sells for that on the …




Economics and Investing:

Younger Generation Faces a Savings Deficit. – G.G. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Retailer Schism Widens Over Whether to Open Thanksgiving – This is sad, but the broader point is: if we had such a great recovery going on, why are these stores so intensely desperate for sales? Predictors of ’29 Crash See 65% Chance of 2015 Recession – They don’t let on that they are aware of how structurally unsound the U.S. is, rather they point to weakness worldwide dragging the U.S. down; so, to that extent, I disagree. Fed Money Printers At Work: Top 1% Gains …




Two Letters Re: Silver Deliveries and Nosy Deliverymen

HJL, We have ordered both ammo and silver through the mail from time to time and my response to my nosy FedEx guy is that it’s batteries for my UPS or the lawn mower. – WKJ o o o Hugh, Regarding MF’s problem with the UPS driver being curious, first of all, the driver knew it wasn’t bullets by the lack of an ORM-D label. It was probably insured, and the drivers know that, too. Tell him you’re getting into developing a wildcat cartridge loading and the box is full of custom machined solid copper bullets in say .284 caliber …