Shrink the State. End the Fed. Balance the budget. Make a profit. Leave an inheritance.
Gary North
Written by Gary North on January 4, 2012
This video is worth watching, even though the sound is poor. (Why won’t people spend $25 on a lapel microphone?) Robert Powell, the expert on retirement investing, interviews a Boston University professor of finance. His warning: get stocks out of your portfolio.
Continue reading →Written by Gary North on January 2, 2012
Each year, David Collum produces a review. It covers a lot. Let me begin with the overall assessment. We have a massive global debt problem that will take years to unwind. Some think it is a zero-sum game, but I disagree. The World is blanketed with people fully aware of what has been promised to […]
Continue reading →Written by Gary North on December 27, 2011
First, if you are salaried, you cannot get your 401(k) plan money out until you retire or quit. Second, if you are salaried, the IRA discriminates against you. Third, if you are salaried, it’s hard to ask for more money in a bad economy (like ours). Fourth, if you are salaried, you future depends on […]
Continue reading →Written by Gary North on December 26, 2011
Barry Ritholtz is a well-informed investor. He writes a good blog, The Big Picture. Recently, he wrote an article on three factors that undermine most people’s investment plans: (1) the market, (2) the professionals, (3) their own selective overestimation of their investment skills. The market, meaning all organized capital markets, price every asset in terms […]
Continue reading →Written by Gary North on December 21, 2011
The problem is getting attention, but this Wall Street Journal story caught my attention. The median household headed by a person aged 60 to 62 with a 401(k) account has less than one-quarter of what is needed in that account to maintain its standard of living in retirement, according to data compiled by the Federal […]
Continue reading →Written by Gary North on December 21, 2011
The bailout was great for the biggest banks. But it also did wonders for the salaries of the CEO’s of America’s largest companies, which were up by 40% last year. In the name of helping the little guy, the government and the Federal Reserve make the very rich even richer. Fiat money and tax money […]
Continue reading →Written by Gary North on December 14, 2011
The likelihood of direct gold confiscation is low, says this bullion coin dealer. But that is not the only threat. There is a threat of an emergency decree controlling access to government-approved retirement assets. Firs, on direct confiscation. Last week I discussed how some coin marketers are trying to scare customers into purchasing more profitable […]
Continue reading →Written by Gary North on December 9, 2011
MF Global lost $1.2 billion in customers’ accounts. The clients’ money is gone. Corzine testified under oath to Congress yesterday that he has no idea where it went. If he doesn’t know, nobody knows. Yet the financial system rests on this: investors think someone in charge knows where all of their money is. If you […]
Continue reading →Written by Gary North on December 9, 2011
The new trend is for 401(k) plans to offer fewer choices. It seems that investors are getting confused. They make mistakes. So, employers want to help. Help themselves. Simpler menus can help employers, too. “From the plan sponsor’s point of view, you have fewer funds that you have to monitor and evaluate on an ongoing […]
Continue reading →Written by Gary North on November 25, 2011
If you are planning to retire in comfort, you must make different plans from those your friends and peers are making. That’s because the conventional pension fund programs are in trouble. This article by John Rubino spells it out. First, only the rich will be able to enjoy a comfortable retirement. Americans are part of […]
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