Utilizing a Self-Directed IRA: A Case Study in Investing Outside of Wall Street- Part 1, by J.J.

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Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 ASV

Author’s Note

Please note that this is only an example of my utilization of a Self Directed IRA, albeit in a minimal manner, to diversify investments into hard assets. This is not meant to give investment advice to anyone, and your decision to pursue this option should be done with careful scrutiny of the IRS rules governing this type of IRA. Very careful consideration should be given in regard to prohibited investments, prohibited transactions, and prohibited parties defined by the IRS code. Not adhering to these can be disastrous to your investment goals.

A Little Background

Having spent 25 years in corporate Fortune 500 America, my wife and I were looking forward to a transition into a much less frantic “retirement job”. Aiming down the road 3-5 years, our timeline came early when I found myself “RIFed” out of a job at age 55. Having lived a fairly conservative lifestyle, my wife and I were, for the most part, prepared for a reduction in family income. However, further adjustments to our budget and planning were still necessary. Several years previous, my wife and I had attended Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University” at our church. We had offered it to all our kids and decided we would attend with them as well. Ramsey’s direction on debt, saving, and investing is almost unique these days, and it’s certainly counter to today’s culture of spend, spend, spend. What a blessing Dave’s program has been for the entire family!

Continue reading“Utilizing a Self-Directed IRA: A Case Study in Investing Outside of Wall Street- Part 1, by J.J.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on Eastern Oregon Data Centers. (See the Eastern Oregon section.)

 

Idaho

I heard that Seekins Precision (in Lewiston, Idaho) has just added some great .224 Valkyrie uppers and complete rifles to their product line. Note: When I last checked, their web site had not yet been updated to show their new .224 Valkyrie products. So call them for details.

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Final plan for central Idaho wilderness area approved

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Two Idaho men to stay free after time served in Bundy standoff

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Good Growth or Good Grief?

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Bank robberies are a real rarity for North Idaho: Shots fired at CDA bank, suspect died at the scene (But good marksmanship is hardly a rarity, in the Redoubt.)

 

Montana

Service from the Saddle. Forty-five years after the first Back Country Horsemen chapter formed in Columbia Falls, members across the nation remain faithful to the founding principle of prioritizing service to the resource

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Road Kill and Recovery: Record grizzly bear mortalities and removals tallied this year in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem

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Kootenai Forest Fire Grows 1,200 Acres Overnight

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There’s Bitcoin Gold in Them Thar Hills–Cryptocurrency miners reveal the site selection process that led them to Montana.

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The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”.

Gun Owners and the Deep State

Gun owners are increasingly violating firearms laws and their numbers are expanding, but not for the reason that the media wants you to think. They are both willfully and/or unwillfully violating these laws because the number of laws outlawing certain firearms or accessories are increasing. This isn’t the result of a violent crime wave, but because they continue to possess things that the government has deemed “bad” and doesn’t want them to possess anymore. The true numbers are unknown, but examples are the Connecticut legislature that passed the ridiculous “assault weapon” ban registration that really targets semi-auto sporting rifles that just look like an assault rifle. Estimates put the number of compliant owners at only 15%. All others are now felons. Thanks to DSV for the link.

Overloaded Hospitals

As America slowly slips towards a single payer health system, we should look towards the UK as an example of what to expect. The official reports are out and it’s clear that socialized medicine cannot handle the patient load. Last year, UK hospitals were plauged with long wait times, delayed procedures and an overstressed medical workforce. A particularly virulent strain of influenza hit Britain and overwhelmed their hospitals. One doctor described the situation as “patients literally everywhere” and noted that they would not have been able to get a cardiac arrest patient through the hallways. Patients routinely wait 18 weeks or more for critical procedures. Thanks to T.Z. for the link.

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SIG Sauer P220 Desert Model, by Pat Cascio

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I’m a real sucker for super-accurate handguns, and the SIG Sauer line-up has always proven themselves in this respect. We tested the P220 Desert model .45 ACP handgun from SIG and found it to be a winner.

Impressed with SIG Sauer P220 Imported Under Browning Name

I’ll admit, I haven’t always been on top of the firearms game, when it came to the newest models out there. Even today, I don’t have the time to browse every gun maker’s website once a week or so to see what is new and exciting. I obtained my first FFL in 1980 and started out just doing gunsmithing, but eventually I got into buying and selling firearms. It was during this time that a customer asked me to order them a Browning BDA .45 ACP! I have to admit, I didn’t know what kind of pistol that was, until I actually received it for the customer. It was a SIG Sauer P220 .45 ACP handgun that was being imported under the Browning name. I was more than a little impressed with this fine handgun when it arrived.

The Best P220 To Date

Fast forward a few years later. I became a huge SIG Sauer fan and have probably owned just about every type of handgun they made. The newest models are all that much better than the previous models, if you ask me. I’ve owned more than a couple of the “regular” SIG P220 .45 ACP handguns, new and used, and they were all good shooters, never missing a beat. However, not long ago, I spied a new P220 model in my local gun shop and had to have it. I did a trade, of course, since I don’t have that kind of money in my pocket, ever! I came home with the new SIG Sauer P220 .45 ACP “Desert” model, and it is the best P220 to date, if you ask me.

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Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on the dying currencies of the present day.  (See the Forex section.)

 

Precious Metals:

John Rubino: Spectacular Gold COT Report: Prepare For A Huge Six Months

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Gary Wagner of Kitco: You Say Good Buy, I Say Heck No

 

Stocks:

Next, from David Borun, at Zacks: Is Elon Musk Crazy, or Crazy Like a Fox?

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At the Charles Schwab site, Randy Frederick opines: Trader’s Outlook for August 10, 2018: Technical resistance strikes again

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Here is encouragement to prayer. There is no cause for fearing that the petitions of the righteous will not be heard, or that their sighs and tears shall escape the notice of God, since He knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. There is no danger of the individual saint being overlooked amidst the multitude of supplicants who daily and hourly present their various petitions, for an infinite Mind is as capable of paying the same attention to millions as if only one individual were seeking its attention.” – Arthur W. Pink, The Attributes of God

Gunsmith Training: Pistolsmithing – Week One, by R2

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Design, Function, and Repair

This week I started on the core of the course. One of the things emphasized heavily in this course, according to the introductory material that I reviewed last week, was the essential of design, function, and repair (DFR).

Design, Function, and Repair (DFR)

To be anything more than a rudimentary parts swapper, you have to have a complete understanding of how the firearm was designed to work, how it functions, and what your courses of action are to make any sort of repairs or changes to it. Without understanding the design, it’s just a black box that works magic when you pull the trigger. Very few firearms are so simplistic that you can instantly understand why things are designed the way they are. In fact, many firearms are literally works of art. The ability to see and understand how the parts fit together and their relationship in a three dimensional space is a critical skill.

This is where I found AGI’s cutaway views inside of functional firearms to be invaluable. It amazes me how sensitive some of these parts. Changes of only a few thousandths of an inch can have a huge impact on the reliability or whether or not the firearm even functions. This is also where I wish that there were some three dimensional depictions or animations of the parts, but I suspect that if/when these videos are updated, that will make it in. In the meantime, the primary instructor– Bob Dunlap– does very well at explaining the “how” and “why” using these cutaway views, disassembled parts, and working firearms.

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The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Today features a video of simple rainwater collection in a semi-arid location.

Defense Distributed

There has been a lot of news coverage of the Defense Distributed legal settlement. (The Federal government finally conceded the case and agreed to pay DefDist’s court costs.) But now the State of Washington has filed an injunction against DefDist releasing the milling code. Not to worry: The controversial code has popped up on numerous mirror sites not named in the injunction, including this one: Codeisfreespeech.com

Meanwhile, Shopify suddenly, and without cause, shutdown Cody Wilson’s online store with no explanation. After successfully running the store in good standing for over two years, Cody received an email on August 10th that notified him that his online presence was shut down effective immediately in violation of the one-year contract that Cody had with them. He immediately responded with a demand for an explanation, but they have not responded. Cody plans to sue them for breach of contract and a return of the fees that they kept from his sales through them. Thanks to DSV for the link.

Amir Tsarfati

Amir Tsarfati’s upcoming book The Last Hour: An Israeli Insider Looks at the End Times will not be released until September 4th, but it has already sold more than 10,000 copies in pre-orders! Tsarfati is an Israeli believer in Jesus and a reserve IDF intelligence officer. This promises to be a fascinating read. – JWR

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – August 11, 2018

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On August 11, 1857, N. H. Wolfe and Company, the oldest flour and grain company in New York City, failed. This failure shook investor confidence and began a slow sell off in the market which continued into late August. Several other failures followed, and this cascaded into what was later called the Panic of 1857.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 78 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  6. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 78 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Adaptation is Key to Survival, by B. L.

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Over the years what it means to be a prepper and how to prepare has changed quite a bit for me. I have learned that adaptation is key to survival.

Grew Up With Mentality and Heart of a Prepper

I haven’t been a “prepper” my whole life, but I have had the mentality and heart of one due to the way I was raised. I grew up in a blue-collar family where if you wanted something you worked for it. If something was broke, you tried to fix it first before spending money on it, and where everything had a second purpose. I smile as I write that, because it reminds me of gardening with my dad and using milk jugs as little greenhouses for tomato seedlings.

Stay Quiet and Observe Surroundings

My dad was big into hunting, so I spent a lot of time outdoors. He taught me a lot. He taught me how to hunt, fish, process game, and preserve food. The most important thing that he taught while hunting was how to stay quiet and to really observe my surroundings. It might sound simple, but it was hard for a little kid to always remain still and quiet. However, I did succeed in learning this and have been amazed at how well that ability has served me in my life.

First Big Mistake

As a young man I got more interested in the life style of self-reliance and started to learn as much as I could about sustainable ways of living and long-term disaster planning. Like most young people, I lost my way and became fixated on fads and things that were popular. I was set in the “lone wolf” mentality of survival, thinking that I could conquer the world.

Youth really is wasted on the young. Rather than learning skills and gathering information, I spent too much time on obtaining gear and supplies. Since I took that popular route of prepping, the bulk of my stores were made of weapons, expensive tools, and easy food prep, such as MREs and freeze-dried food. This was my first big mistake because in a way I was relying on others for some of my survival capabilities while at the same time wanting to be a loner.

Continue reading“Adaptation is Key to Survival, by B. L.”