$4.15 Per Pound: Ground Beef Climbs to Another Record High. – G.G. o o o Multiemployer Program Posts Record Deficit, Single-Employer Shortfall Shrinks, PBGC Says. – G.G. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Deformations On The Dealer Lots: How The Fed’s ZIRP Is Fueling The Next Subprime Bust David Stockman: Take Cover Now – They Don’t Ring A Bell At The Top Part-Time Jobs Putting Millions in Poverty or Close To It
Ukraine Admits Its Gold Is Gone: “There Is Almost No Gold Left In The Central Bank Vault” o o o Serfdom is the New Normal ~ Gus Demos & Michael Krieger . – W.L. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Obama’s Secret Treaty Would Be The Most Important Step Toward A One World Economic System As Ruble Falls Even Teeth Cost Too Much to Fix As Debt Piles Up, Japan Tries to Lock in Low Borrowing Costs
bail ins coming to a bank near you. – W.L. o o o 60% Of Households Get More Benefits Than They Pay In Taxes. – G.G. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Economists Trim Fourth-Quarter U.S. Growth Forecasts Central Banks: The New Gold Bugs? Why Japan’s Money Printing Madness Matters
I once worked with a woman who only gave her dogs bottled water to drink. When asked if she could drive a vehicle with a manual transmission, she replied, “Oh no! I’d rather walk!” Seriously? There was no pioneer spirit there! In post SHTF, people like this may find it difficult surviving, much less finding bottled water for their dog. Preparing for emergencies or post SHTF can be overwhelming and expensive, but there are many ways to prep on a budget. Two years ago when a derecho (Editors note: a widespread, long-lived, straight-line wind storm) came through our area, the …
Hugh, Regarding K.D.’s article on becoming debt free, a 401K loan should be the last resort in most cases. “Paying ourselves interest” sounds like a fantastic deal, but it is not that simple. What many do not realize is that loan payments into a 401k (typically from payroll deductions) are made from after-tax dollars. When those dollars are later withdrawn from the 401k, they are taxed again. So, the dollars you “pay yourself interest” with will be taxed twice. Assuming the lowest federal bracket of 15%, that “additional 3.25%” the author mentions going into his retirement account will all be …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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
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
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …