How to survive the Global Chaos of 2015

[cufflinks]

I am not too much in stocks. Here in the stans, banks are all government owned, and therefore pretty secure. We have decided a while back to share the investments between real estate, and guaranteed bank deposits. The real estate yields us about 10%, when rented out, which is not always the case. Banks, give 11% simple interest(not compounded), on dollar accounts, and 22% on local currency, which you can withdraw every month.  Also, no income tax on the revenues! That is sweeter than anything I have seen in the west.
And this is all legit, as the deposit are after taxes salaries, which have been invested here.

Could you share which Stans Cities and Banks and why you like them?

The Nomad Capitalist best offshore Banks for Yanks report included:

AN UNCONVENTIONAL CHOICE FOR BANKING, AZERBAIJAN OFFERS
OFFERS SURPRISINGLY HIGH LEVELS OF SERVICE AS A BANKING HUB IN
THE GROWING EURASIA REGION.
Situated at the crossroads of eastern Europe and western Asia, Azerbaijan is a little-known
country with an interesting banking industry. Popularized in the James Bond movie The
World is Not Enough, Azerbaijan is an oil-producing state on the Caspian Sea.
In fact, Vladimir Lenin suggested that Soviet Russia could not survive without the flow of oil
from the capital city of Baku. In short, the country is resource-rich.
One of the country’s largest banks, the International Bank of Azerbaijan, has gained global
prominence in financial circles for being well-managed. And while not all of the dozens of
"18
The Best Offshore Banks - 2015 Edition w w w . n o m a d c a p italist.com
banks in this small Eurasian country are as good, the jurisdiction is worth considering if
you need an easy, low-dollar place to bank in the region.
Azeri bank deposits are covered by a deposit insurance plan that insures 100% of your
money up to 30,000 manats. The manat is stronger than the US dollar and roughly on par
with the euro, so if you have a mid-five figure balance, your money will be safe so long as
you believe in the strength of the country’s finances.
Antigua is a good place to bank:
• Are doing business in Eurasia
• Are visiting the region and want an easy-to-open, low balance account
The Best Banks in Azerbaijan
Bank Respublika
Minimum Deposit: €100
Remote Opening: No
http://www.bankrespublika.az/?lang=en
Accepts US Persons: Yes
Accepts Offshore Companies: No

International Bank of Azerbaijan
Minimum Deposit: 10 AZN ($13)
Remote Opening: No
http://www.ibar.az
Accepts US Persons: Yes
Accepts Offshore Companies: No
"
Who knew?

[cdnexpat]

Infinbank, Uzbekistan.

http://www.infinbank.com/ru/private/deposit/inval/

You can get up to 23% in local currency, but it devalues around 10-15% each year, so dollar is better.

[cufflinks]

Infinbank, Uzbekistan.

http://www.infinbank.com/ru/private/deposit/inval/

You can get up to 23% in local currency, but it devalues around 10-15% each year, so dollar is better.

Good to know thanx...  Of course USA citizens might not be able to open accounts due to US IRS FATCA and FBAR harassment of overseas and offshore banks.

[cdnexpat]

May be so. But I invested my overseas salary of the last three years, on witch Canadian taxes have been paid.

[cufflinks]

Time to look at big Oil?

The Biggest Contrarian Indicator I’ve Seen in Years Points to a $9 Billion Opportunity
Keith Fitz-Gerald Aug 07, 2015 19
We’ve talked about contrarian indicators many times for two simple reasons:

Because the herd is almost always wrong; and,
They can be a source of huge wealth for savvy investors.
I’m bringing this up today because I’ve just spotted one of the biggest indicators I’ve seen in years.

What really makes the situation so compelling, though, isn’t just the indicator itself, but who’s creating the opportunity and why.

I’ll give you a hint.

These men and women have always backed the wrong horse, which means by implication that there’s a right horse.

The last time we saw this set up, incidentally, you had the opportunity to beat the broader markets by 6 to 1.

The profit potential is simply enormous.

What’s more, the contrarian indicator I am going to share with you today and the opportunity it creates is tied into not just Energy but also two other Unstoppable Trends that most people wouldn’t expect: Scarcity & Allocation and Demographics.

Saddle up – here’s how to capitalize on the situation.

Congress Just Wrote Off the Energy Sector
Like many Americans, I’m pretty jaded when it comes to Washington. So it takes a lot to surprise me.

But this did the trick.

Short on cash and evidently good financial sense, too, Congress has latched onto a bipartisan plan by Senators Mitch McConnell (R – KY) and Barbara Boxer (D – CA) to sell off portions of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a means of helping pay for a $47.1 billion shortage in an estimated $100 billion highway bill.

Naturally, the government and its bean-counters don’t think so. To them, this cockamamie plan is a success because they’re going to “offset” money needed without increasing the deficit or raising taxes. That’s government-speak for “spending cash they don’t have.”

They claim the average cost per barrel is only $29.70 which implies that selling them will be profitable at today’s prices. However, factor in inflation and forgone royalties and the cost is at least $74 a barrel, according to ClearView Energy Partners.

I think it’s more like $90 – $100 a barrel when you consider what it would cost to operate the reserves like any for-profit corporation would. But that’s a story for another time.

The reason this is such a big deal is that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve or “SPR” for short was created in 1975 as an emergency stock pile to insulate the country against supply shocks. That means it’s a national defense asset not a source of free cash nor an ATM.

You may have a different opinion and I respect that. But I’ve got to call this one like I see it… one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen our government do.

You might as well sell the insurance on your house to repave your driveway, to paraphrase Senator Lisa Murkowski (R – AK).

From an investing standpoint what gets my attention is twofold.

First, our government has a well-documented history of backing the wrong priorities. From corn-based ethanol to social security, it’s one mistake after another that reinforces 50 years of bad fiscal decision-making.

In this case, Congress is making a bet that oil prices will be at least $75 by 2018 and $96 a barrel in 2025. Oil futures traders priced oil for delivery in 2020 at $63 as of July 29, according to Bloomberg. Prices for immediate delivery are $8 lower now than they were at the start of 2015.

My point is that this is hardly a great time to sell oil. The black gold has fallen by more than half since October 2014 and isn’t set to rise any time soon.

If anything, the government should be taking advantage of low prices to boost inventory just as China is doing as part of a plan to boost that country’s reserves from 300 million barrels to 600 million barrels.

And that’s your entry.

Setting the Record Straight on the Global Energy Equation
Like many individual investors, Congress has never understood “buy low, sell high.” From $400 hammers to $640 toilet seats, they’ve always spent unbelievable amounts of money when they should have been saving it.

In this case, the fact that they’re willing to sell off part of our national strategic oil reserves at the worst possible moment and at a loss to boot is tantamount to believing the energy industry is going to cease to exist.

In fact, global energy consumption will rise by 25% – 35% by 2040 to accommodate upwards of 9 billion people versus only 7 billion now.

People need energy and cannot live without it.

The energy bears are completely discounting the Unstoppable Trend of Demographics. They’re ignoring the fact that there will be billions more consumers on the planet in the years ahead and they’re going to drive oil for decades to come.

Were he alive today, I have no doubt that one of the greatest investors of all time would agree.

Sir John Templeton made billions by investing at times like these when everybody had reached what he called the “point of maximum pessimism.” That’s when unwarranted bearish sentiment drives down prices to the point where most investors become convinced a corporation, commodity, or even entire sector is next to worthless.

Conservation efforts are important but they do not diminish overall demand, a point even the most resolute enviros begrudgingly acknowledge. Even the most aggressive scientists believe that it will take 25-35 years to change over to alternative energy, so you still need oil.

exxon
Figure 1 Exxon Mobil

And, finally, global energy is directly correlated to the world’s rising standard of living. The Brookings Institute estimates that 4.7 billion of the total 9 billion people will be middle class, up from only 1.9 billion in 2010 so we’re talking about a huge consumption boom.

China and India will account for the lion’s share of this, but so will much of South America and even Africa, where human progress and wealth creation are a function of energy availability.

Which brings me to Scarcity & Allocation. There’s not a single oil executive worried about not being able to sell every single drop of oil they bring out of the ground for the simple reason that regional growth will also create regional pricing dynamics and shifting demand.

Now for the fun part – the best way to play this.

Start Building Your Fortune With the Majors
I suggest you start with the majors: Chevron Corp. (NYSE:CVX), Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE:XOM) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP).

The average forward P/E ratio for the oil development and exploration industry is 26.29, according to the New York University’s school of business. But the companies I’m pointing out to you today are priced at a fraction of that.

Chevron is priced at a mere 9.3x its earnings. Exxon is trading at 11.7x forward earnings. ConocoPhillips is still less than half the industry average at 12.3

This is not only cheap, but fantastically so.

What’s more, these companies are generating steady annual revenue growth and cash flow from a mix of assets, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), deepwater fields spread around the world, shale in North America and downstream activities such as refining and retailing.

And, they’ve been through this before. Most investors have forgotten that this isn’t their first rodeo.

If you’re hesitant to buy at the moment because earnings have dropped and may drop further, I get that. It’s not normal to invest in a company when profits are going down in an industry that everybody hates and most have left for dead.

But remember, we’re talking about a contrarian play here. By its very definition, that means you go against the grain before the herd sees Congress for what it is…wrong.

Take your lead from the legendary Jim Rogers who co-founded the Quantum Fund and created a portfolio that returned 4,200% in less than 10 years at a time when the S&P 500 produced only 47% – “The price of a commodity will never go to zero…”

Recall the words of Warren Buffett who famously quipped that “it’s better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.”

In closing, Total Wealth is about three things. The formula is very simple which is why we keep coming back to it:

Concentrate on unstoppable trends
Pick the “must haves” not the “nice to haves” and
Control risk at every step of the way
Occasionally betting on the unexpected is part of the process.

Until then,

Keith Fitz-Gerald

[leeholsen]

Hello everybody !

I popped in because someone that goes by scarface wanted my notes and emailed me. I logged on to see who he was before sending them;(jury is still out, he doesn't seem to been very active).

Anyways, I popped in here because I always want to help the guys here if I can.

I would suggest going to streetalklive.com and getting their free newsletter. they are a financial management company here in Houston and their newsletter and checking their daily reads on their site are great.

(just fyi,; they say the market will still be going down from here).

best of luck to everyone here in the markets.

[cufflinks]

The One Sector Benefiting From the Fed
By Chad Shoop, Editor of Pure Income

Yesterday was one of the most anticipated Fed meetings of all time and the big takeaway was what I have been saying for some time now — that the Fed’s hands are tied and rates are going to remain dismal for years.

And the issue isn’t so much as when the Fed makes its first rate hike; rather, it’s the trajectory of future rate hikes that comes into question.

And the answer is that the Fed will remain extremely accommodative for an extended period of time.

How does this impact you?

Well, it will hold rates at historically low rates for years, maybe even another decade. In short, your desire for yield will only grow. But this non-action by the Fed tells you one important thing — where you want to invest.

When Fed Chair Janet Yellen was asked if she still expects a rate hike by the end of the year, which was an expectation she has laid out before, her stumbling response had a different tone. Instead of giving a straight answer, she decided not to give her own expectations, and recommended reviewing the data plots that were released after the meeting.

There is just one problem with those data plots — they have signaled for a rate hike since 2012. Clearly, this is a poor data set to focus on.

In short, it has been nine years without a rate hike, and we should expect at least one more. That means traditional yield opportunities such as bonds, Treasuries and bank CDs will continue to be dismal.

But it also means one area of the stock market will continue to thrive — dividend stocks, and I know a great one that is trading at a discount.

What Makes a Good Dividend Investment?

Dividend-paying stocks are the key to growth in stagnant stock markets. Your dividend yields continue to pile up while other investors’ returns remain in a rut. Plus, with the traditional income world stuck with minimal yields, investors will maintain demand for dividend stocks, keeping them elevated higher than other stocks.

But not all dividend-paying stocks are a good investment.

In fact, before I ever recommend a stock, I have a checklist I run through first to determine if it’s a great stock to buy.

There are three basic check marks to make before I get excited about going into a new stock. All three demonstrate a company’s commitment to growing shareholder wealth — which is the ultimate goal. Here they are:

Long history of dividend payments.

Rising dividend payments in each of the last three years.

And companies that conduct share buybacks each year.
Once these three boxes are checked, I start to get excited, but my research isn’t done.

You also want to see stocks that are growing revenues, not just the bottom line. The company is displaying that it is generating solid cash flows by consistently returning cash to shareholders, but in order for this to continue, revenues need to keep pace.

And lowering debt levels is a good trait as well.

Some debt is fine, as long as the company is using it for growth. It’s important to compare the company’s debt relative to its industry, but you don’t want to see stocks issuing debt to stay alive.

On the Right Track for Higher Gains

One stock that has these traits and looks cheap today is CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX), a leading rail-based transportation company.

The shares have been punished due to worries about global growth and the health of the economy. But now the security looks extremely cheap. The stock trades at just 13 times forward earnings, and the company is expected to grow earnings by 9% and 10.7% in the coming two years.

Plus, the stock yields a modest 2.5% today, compared to just 2% a year ago — which is a product of the falling stock price. And take a look at this chart: It shows just how stable the company has been at both increasing its dividend and buying back shares.


See larger image

This is a chart readers of Pure Income have become familiar with. CSX has raised its dividend and reduced its shares outstanding every year for nearly a decade.

That’s what I call consistent. And it’s a trait I continuously strive to find in stocks.

Once you find a stock with these characteristics, you know you have found a good investment.

Regards,

Chad Shoop
Editor, Pure Income

[cufflinks]

See also:

http://www.dividenddetective.com/dividend_etfs.htm

And;

http://wealthtrack.com/recent-programs/dreifus-confident-investor/

Takeaways:

SPDR S&P DIVIDEND ETF (SDY)

VANGUARD DIVIDEND APPRECIATION ETF (VIG)

[cufflinks]

And Takeaway https://www.roycefunds.com/insights/2014/03/focus-dividends-cash-flow

The fund invests in the Top Dividend Aristocrat stocks... which it attempts to buy at good prices - market corrections etc...

The S&P 500® Dividend Aristocrats® Index, constructed and maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, targets companies that are currently members of the S&P 500®, have increased dividend payments each year for at least 25 years, and meet certain market capitalization and liquidity requirements. The index contains a minimum of 40 stocks, which are equally weighted, and no single sector is allowed to comprise more than 30% of the index weight.

Index Holdings Information as of 6/30/15
Top 10 Index Companies    Weight
Pentair plc    2.22%
Leggett & Platt Inc.    2.18%
Brown-Forman Corp.-Class B    2.16%
McCormick & Co. Inc.    2.10%
Stanley Black & Decker Inc.    2.08%
AbbVie Inc.    2.07%
AT&T Inc.    2.05%
Cintas Corp.    2.03%
Hormel Foods Corp.    2.03%
PPG Industries Inc.    2.01%

And;

A high-dividend ETF is an exchange-traded fund that lets investors own a handful of dividend stocks with good yields.

"Good" yields are about 2.5% or higher. Right now the average dividend yield for stocks in the S&P 500 is 1.97% – up from 1.95% at the same time a year ago.

There are more dividend stocks to choose from than ever before. Currently, 421 companies in the S&P 500 Index pay a dividend. Some 185 of them have hiked payouts every year for the last five.

S&P Dow Jones Indices estimates S&P 500 companies returned a record $242 billion to shareholders in the first three months of 2015 via buybacks and dividends (final Q1 numbers come out in a few weeks).

The previous high dividend payout of $233 billion was logged eight years ago in Q2 2007.

Dividend payouts are trending higher because investors have become accustomed to them and will keep demanding them, said Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices.

A high-dividend ETF lets investors take advantage of multiple companies' increased payouts with one investment. The yield on a high-dividend ETF is typically greater than the S&P 500's overall less than 2% yield and the Dow's 2.3% yield.

Plus, a high-dividend ETF offers a tax advantage. Because they track an index, most have very little buying/selling activity. Thus they amass far fewer capital gains than an actively managed mutual fund. Additional ETF and mutual fund comparisons can be found here.

Here are a few high-dividend ETFs to consider.

High-Yield Dividend ETF No. 1: The Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (NYSE Arca: VYM) aims to track the performance of the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. The index is comprised of common stocks of companies that pay dividends that are generally higher than average.

Top 10 holdings include Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG), Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE), and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ).

The fund's expense ratio is just 0.10%. That's 91% lower than the average expense ratio of funds with similar holdings.

VYM's most recent quarterly distribution was $0.46 per share. Its current yield is 2.82%. Shares are up 1.4% in 2015.

High-Yield Dividend ETF No. 2: The iShares International Select Dividend ETF (NYSE Arca: IDV) seeks to track investment results of the Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend Index. The index is composed of relatively high-dividend-paying stocks in developed countries other than the United States.

Many European markets have outpaced the United States this year. The EURO STOXX 50 Index, Europe's leading blue-chip index for the Eurozone, is up about 14% year to date. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, is up just 1.43%.

IDV's top 10 holdings include Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (ASX: WPL), Royal Dutch Shell Plc. (LON: RDSA), AstraZeneca Plc. (LON: AZN), Eni SpA (BIT: ENI), Wesfarmers Ltd. (ASX: WES), National Austria Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB), British American Tobacco Plc. (LON: BATS), and Westpac Banking Corp. (ASX: WBC).

IDV is up 2.17% in 2015. It has a yield of 5.06%.

High-Yield Dividend ETF No. 3: The Global X SuperDividend ETF (NYSE Arca: SDIV) aims for results that mirror the Solactive Global SuperDividend Index. The index tracks the performance of companies ranking among the highest-yielding dividend stocks in the world.

Launched June 8, 2011, the fund offers yield plus diversified global and emerging market exposure across all sectors.

Top 10 holdings include Evergrande Real Estate (OTCMKTS: EGRNF), Surge Energy Inc. (OTCMKTS: ZPTAF),  First Bank of Nigeria Plc., Telefonica Brazil SA (NYSE ADR: VIV), Veresen Inc., Parkland Fuel Corp. (OTCMKTS: PKIUF), Southern Cross Media Group Ltd. (OTCMKTS: SOUTF), Delek Automotive Systems Ltd. (TLV: DLEA), ELISA Corp. (OTCMKTS: ELMUF), and Dream Global Real Estate Investment Trust (OTCMKTS: DUNDF).

SDIV's yield is 6.26%.

[cufflinks]

Ooops Shades of 2008/2009 time to keep your powder dry:

Peter Schiff Warns: “The Whole Economy Has Imploded… Collapse Is Coming”

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/peter-schiff-warns-the-whole-economy-has-imploded-collapse-is-coming_12062015

December 6th, 2015

SHTFplan.com

Back before 2008 Peter Schiff was harshly criticized and laughed at for his predictions about a coming economic collapse. Among other things Schiff warned that consumer spending had hit a wall, stocks were overpriced and lax credit lending practices would lead to a detonation of the banking system. Rather than heed the warnings, the biggest names in mainstream media tried to discredit him for not toeing the official narrative. Shortly thereafter, of course, Schiff was vindicated and much of the doom he had forecast came to pass.

Today, Schiff continues to argue that the economy is on a downhill trajectory and this time there’ll be no stopping it. All of the emergency measures implemented by the government following the Crash of 2008 were merely temporary stop-gaps. The light at the end of the tunnel being touted by officials as recovery, Schiff has famously said, is actually an oncoming train. And if the forecast he laid out in his latest interview is as accurate as those he shared in 2007, then the the train is about to derail.

We’re broke. We’re basically living off of debt. We’ve had a huge transformation of the American economy. Look at all the Americans now on food stamps, on disability, on unemployment.

The whole economy has imploded… the bottom hasn’t dropped out yet because we’re able to go deeper into debt. But the collapse is coming.

Fundamentally, America is worse off now than it was pre-crash. With the national debt rising unabated and money being printed out of thin air without reprieve, it is only a matter of time.

Schiff notes that while government statistics claim Americans are saving again and consumers seem to be spending, the average Joe Sixpack actually has a negative net worth. But most people don’t even realize what’s happening:

I read a statistic… The average American has less than a $5000 net worth… it’s pathetic… we’re basically broke… but in fact it’s much less… If you actually took the national debt and broke it down per capita, the average American has a negative net worth because the government has borrowed in his name more than the average American is able to save.

…

What’s happening is pretty much what we would anticipate. I don’t see from the data any real economic recovery, certainly not in the United States.

We’re spending more money, but it’s not because we’re generating more wealth. We’re generating more debt. We’re using that borrowed money to consume and so temporarily it feels that we’re wealthier because we get to spend all that money… but we have to come to terms with paying the bill.

The bills are going to come due. Right now interest rates are being kept at zero which makes it possible to service the debt even though it’s impossible to repay it… at least we can service it. But once interest rates go up then we can’t even service it let alone repay it.

And then the party is going to come to an end.

The problem, of course, is that no one with any real influence over public perception, like our elected officials or the media, will do anything about it. They’ll continue the party until it comes to an abrupt and irreversible end, and anyone who goes against the official narrative will be branded a lunatic gloom and doomer or extremist.

But vilifying those who are blaring the warning sirens will do nothing to change the end result:

We’re going to have a crisis… There are always going to be people who say ‘well, you’re a stopped clocked… you keep predicting doom and eventually it happens’… but you have to back and listen to why… Why are they saying it?

If you look back at things that I’ve said and the things that Ron Paul has said… This is why it’s happening… it’s not like we’re just saying negative things to be negative and then when something negative happens we can claim credit for it happening.

If you look back at the events it bears out that we’re right… unfortunately our opinions are in the minority… and you have governments that have a vested interest in ignoring these opinions because they don’t want to change because they’re at the root cause of the problem. But they don’t want to acknowledge their role in creating the problem. They don’t want to acknowledge that the problem is more government and that we need less government because that’s not how they stay in power. They promise something for nothing… they promise that government is the solution for your problems, not the cause of your problems.

They’re never going to acknowledge people like Ron Paul for what they’re saying… but they’ll try to discredit you by saying ‘well, you’ve been saying this for years and nothing bad has happened.’

But look around. A lot of bad stuff has happened. We just haven’t had the final and complete collapse. But what good is it when that happens? Now it’s too late to do anything about it.

The reality is that the American economy is on its last leg. Black Friday sales were pitiful, some of the world’s leading companies are warning of recession, and U.S. national debt will soon surpass $20 Trillion.

Just as was the case before the Crash of 2008, all of the signs are there. And just like before, the stock market continues to hover near all-time highs.

If you’ve been paying attention you know what happens next.

[Steveboy]

Ooops Shades of 2008/2009 time to keep your powder dry:

Peter Schiff Warns: “The Whole Economy Has Imploded… Collapse Is Coming”

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/peter-schiff-warns-the-whole-economy-has-imploded-collapse-is-coming_12062015

December 6th, 2015

SHTFplan.com

Back before 2008 Peter Schiff was harshly criticized and laughed at for his predictions about a coming economic collapse. Among other things Schiff warned that consumer spending had hit a wall, stocks were overpriced and lax credit lending practices would lead to a detonation of the banking system. Rather than heed the warnings, the biggest names in mainstream media tried to discredit him for not toeing the official narrative. Shortly thereafter, of course, Schiff was vindicated and much of the doom he had forecast came to pass.

Today, Schiff continues to argue that the economy is on a downhill trajectory and this time there’ll be no stopping it. All of the emergency measures implemented by the government following the Crash of 2008 were merely temporary stop-gaps. The light at the end of the tunnel being touted by officials as recovery, Schiff has famously said, is actually an oncoming train. And if the forecast he laid out in his latest interview is as accurate as those he shared in 2007, then the the train is about to derail.

We’re broke. We’re basically living off of debt. We’ve had a huge transformation of the American economy. Look at all the Americans now on food stamps, on disability, on unemployment.

The whole economy has imploded… the bottom hasn’t dropped out yet because we’re able to go deeper into debt. But the collapse is coming.

Fundamentally, America is worse off now than it was pre-crash. With the national debt rising unabated and money being printed out of thin air without reprieve, it is only a matter of time.

Schiff notes that while government statistics claim Americans are saving again and consumers seem to be spending, the average Joe Sixpack actually has a negative net worth. But most people don’t even realize what’s happening:

I read a statistic… The average American has less than a $5000 net worth… it’s pathetic… we’re basically broke… but in fact it’s much less… If you actually took the national debt and broke it down per capita, the average American has a negative net worth because the government has borrowed in his name more than the average American is able to save.

…

What’s happening is pretty much what we would anticipate. I don’t see from the data any real economic recovery, certainly not in the United States.

We’re spending more money, but it’s not because we’re generating more wealth. We’re generating more debt. We’re using that borrowed money to consume and so temporarily it feels that we’re wealthier because we get to spend all that money… but we have to come to terms with paying the bill.

The bills are going to come due. Right now interest rates are being kept at zero which makes it possible to service the debt even though it’s impossible to repay it… at least we can service it. But once interest rates go up then we can’t even service it let alone repay it.

And then the party is going to come to an end.

The problem, of course, is that no one with any real influence over public perception, like our elected officials or the media, will do anything about it. They’ll continue the party until it comes to an abrupt and irreversible end, and anyone who goes against the official narrative will be branded a lunatic gloom and doomer or extremist.

But vilifying those who are blaring the warning sirens will do nothing to change the end result:

We’re going to have a crisis… There are always going to be people who say ‘well, you’re a stopped clocked… you keep predicting doom and eventually it happens’… but you have to back and listen to why… Why are they saying it?

If you look back at things that I’ve said and the things that Ron Paul has said… This is why it’s happening… it’s not like we’re just saying negative things to be negative and then when something negative happens we can claim credit for it happening.

If you look back at the events it bears out that we’re right… unfortunately our opinions are in the minority… and you have governments that have a vested interest in ignoring these opinions because they don’t want to change because they’re at the root cause of the problem. But they don’t want to acknowledge their role in creating the problem. They don’t want to acknowledge that the problem is more government and that we need less government because that’s not how they stay in power. They promise something for nothing… they promise that government is the solution for your problems, not the cause of your problems.

They’re never going to acknowledge people like Ron Paul for what they’re saying… but they’ll try to discredit you by saying ‘well, you’ve been saying this for years and nothing bad has happened.’

But look around. A lot of bad stuff has happened. We just haven’t had the final and complete collapse. But what good is it when that happens? Now it’s too late to do anything about it.

The reality is that the American economy is on its last leg. Black Friday sales were pitiful, some of the world’s leading companies are warning of recession, and U.S. national debt will soon surpass $20 Trillion.

Just as was the case before the Crash of 2008, all of the signs are there. And just like before, the stock market continues to hover near all-time highs.

If you’ve been paying attention you know what happens next.

A cull of the worlds population ?

[cufflinks]

Interesting news - with oil tanking year end 2015 where can one make money in this crazy volatile chaotic world?

This Strategy Beats the Market by 400%
By: Matthew Milner
 
Trying to pick a single start-up that will become “the next Microsoft” or “the next Google” is pretty risky.
 
Even wildly successful venture capitalists strike out more than half the time.
 
So what should an individual investor like you do?
 
The Key to Market-Beating Returns
 
The key to making money in early-stage investing is diversification. That means building a portfolio of at least 25 to 50 investments.
 
If done properly, investment returns can be about 27% each year—that’s nearly 400% higher than the average returns from the stock market.
 
The thing is, it can take quite a bit of time to invest in 25 to 50 private companies.
 
Wouldn’t it be great if you could invest in them all at once?
 
You’d get the convenience and diversification of a mutual fund—along with the huge upside potential of early-stage private companies.
 
Well, I’m about to show you a special website where you can do just that.
 
You Can Have it All
 
The website I’m referring to is a “funding platform” called CircleUp.
 
CircleUp’s been on a tear lately—we covered the platform just last month after it inked a big strategic partnership.

Like the other platforms we cover, CircleUp connects start-ups that need capital, with people like you who are looking to make investments that have big upside.
 
But CircleUp is unique: instead of focusing on high-tech companies, CircleUp focuses its attention elsewhere. In fact, many first-time private investors prefer to invest in the type of deals you can find on CircleUp.
 
Here’s why...
 
CirlceUp specializes in “consumer products” companies—companies aiming to be the next Ben & Jerry’s, Gatorade, or Starbucks.
 
Investments in these consumer products are easy to understand—and they can be lucrative, too…
 
Easy Profits in Consumer Goods
 
Not so long ago, for example, the beverage maker Naked Juice was a tiny start-up based in Santa Monica, California. It believed there might be a market for all-natural juice in a bottle.
 
Fast-forward a few years and Pepsi acquired it—for an estimated $450 million.
 
As another example, just five years ago, Chobani was a small “start-up” that made Greek-style yogurt…
 
Now The Wall Street Journal says it’s worth about $3 billion.
 
But historically, knowing where to look for companies like these—and knowing which ones to back—has been tough.
 
That’s where a new offering from CircleUp comes in…
 
A “Mutual Fund” for Consumer Start-ups
 
Recently, CircleUp launched a diversified fund for early-stage consumer companies.
 
It’s called the CircleUp Marketplace Index Fund, and it offers investment access to a fund that includes 125 different companies.
 
125 companies would go a long way toward providing you with the diversification you need.
 
Company Selection Process
 
To select which start-ups are accepted into the fund, CircleUp leverages a combination of technology and human analysis:
 
First, its software aims to identify the most promising candidates by crunching numbers like Nielson data and customer reviews. If a company gets past the initial filter (just 5% make it), it’s then reviewed by CircleUp’s team of investment professionals.
 
This selection process appears to be working:
 
Start-ups that raised funding on CircleUp went on to increase their revenues an average of 86% each year. That’s roughly 3 times higher than the growth rate for the companies it rejected.
 
Not only that, but the investment performance for the 131 companies that have raised capital on CircleUp since 2012 has been strong: on average, the companies have increased in value by 50% per year.
 
The Details Behind This Unique Opportunity

Here are some details of the CircleUp fund:
 
Fees: Compared to a traditional fund that manages early-stage investments, CirlceUp’s fees are far lower, so investors get a bigger share of the profits.
 
Fees are 0.5% annually, with 0% carry (“carry” is the fund manager’s share of the eventual profits). A traditional fund typically charge a 2% fee and 20% carry.
 
Liquidity: In certain cases, CircleUp will allow you to sell your investment after 12 months. That’s less than the typical 5-to-7 year holding period for a private fund.
 
Access: But here’s “the catch.” Initially, the minimum investment for this product was $25,000—but due to strong demand, it’s been raised to $250,000.
 
Not to worry, however—we have some good news for you:
 
Once Title III of the JOBS Act goes into effect next year, CircleUp plans to open another fund—with far lower minimums. 
 
That means everyone will be able to invest, regardless of their income or net worth.
 
In fact, if the minimums are similar to Title IV deals, you might be able to jump into this diversified “start-up mutual fund” for just a few hundred dollars.
 
To learn more about the opportunity with the $250k minimum, click here »

And if you’re interested in getting into CircleUp’s new fund with the far lower minimum, stay tuned to Crowdability… we’ll give you a heads-up as soon as it opens.
 
Please note: Crowdability has no relationship with CircleUp, or with any of the platforms or companies we write about. Crowdability is an independent provider of education, information and research on start-ups and alternative investments.



Happy Investing,

Matthew Milner
Founder
Crowdability
Copyright © 2015 Crowdability, Inc., All rights reserved.
You signed up on http://www.crowdability.com/
Our mailing address is:
Crowdability, Inc.
229 West 28th Street
12th Floor
New York, NY 10001

[Slumba]

for those with the ability to do so, I would recommend the purchase of

First, some cash, actual paper bills, that you can store somewhere and have at hand - any kind of virus or electrical power event can knock out the ATM system, but people will still take cash ...

then

long term storable food that you will actually eat, even if there is no collapse (or, find an FSUW who like to can/preserve) - have 3 to 6 month's worth of food stored if you have the space for it - then, rotate by eating some of it and replacing it, taking advantage of sales from the local supermarkets.  Note that tests with even 30 year old cans show that provided they are still sealed, they retain most of the nutrients.  The big thing is preventing the cans from corroding or rusting.

then (assuming you have a space to store it after loading up on food)

guns and ammo - in the popular calibers of 22LR, 9MM, .223 (AR15 a/k/a NATO 5.56) , 7.62x39 (many SKS and AK variants were sold in the USA) ... not for shooting, but because guns and ammo rarely go down much in price . 

As an example, I don't even own a .22LR gun, but the 525 round boxes of .22LR I bought for $20 6 months are now worth at least $30 or $35 .

There are no restrictions in the USA , on buying ammo, in most states.  It is heavy to move around, however.

then

consider buying silver/gold, which is more risky than the 2 above as prices can vary by a greater amount but is another way to store value without counterparty risk

Note that in all these examples I am preferring stuff that you have on hand, that you can get to regardless of any external events that may occur nationally or internationally.  Of course any sort of debt should likely be paid off first ...

[cufflinks]

On the flip side...

Dear Reader,

We urge you not to panic.

A lot of experts are predicting a crash next year. But if you’re prepared, it could lead to an extraordinary opportunity.

For example, consider October 2008.

The market was plummeting – down 35% in three weeks.

But the following month – on November 13th, 2008 – a colleague of mine shared a list of his favorite investments at the time. Keep in mind: These investments are NOT meant to be “crash-proof” or a way of profiting from a crash.

But by buying and holding the stocks he cited, watch what would have happened to your money over the following years (as of last tally in August 2015)…

252% gain on Altria (MO)
186% gain on American States Water (AWR)
390% gain on Autoliv (ALV)
172% gain on Barnes Group (B)
344% gain on Brookfield Asset Management (BAM)
172% gain on Copart (CPRT)
116% gain on Corrections Corp of America (CXW)
339% gain on Cynosure (CYNO)
220% gain on Grainger (GWW)
870% gain on Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR)

491% gain on Herbalife (HLF)
164% gain on Hershey (HSY)
332% gain on IDEXX Labs (IDXX)
733% gain on IRIDEX (IRIX)
199% gain on iRobot (IRBT)
164% gain on Johnson Controls (JCI)
159% gain on JM Smucker (SJM)
727% gain on Las Vegas Sands (LVS)
294% gain on Luxottica (LUX)
207% gain on Markel (MKL)
158% gain on Pentair (PNR)
233% gain on ResMed (RMD)
135% gain on Rocky Mountain Chocolate (RMCF)
404% gain on Taser International (TASR)
283% gain on Tiffany (TIF)
225% gain on Universal Electronics (UEIC)
323% gain on Vascular Solutions (VASC)
272% gain on VMware (VMW)
Well…recently, he’s begun recommending another list of stocks.

If you’re worried about your money, you should have a look at the details immediately. It’s attracted a huge amount of interest.

Sincerely,

Dan Steinhart
Executive Editor, Casey Research

[cufflinks]

Interesting end of year Email from CROWDability:

The Most Important Day

In America in 83 Years

Write This Date Down:

May 16, 2016

 
That is the exact date the doors to the private stock market will finally open to all investors.
 
Which is why Matt & Wayne recently hosted a LIVE Early-Stage Playbook lesson for all current students.  Since that date is only a few short months away, their goal is to get all Early-Stage Playbook students ready for it.
 
During this lesson Matt & Wayne covered:
Where to find the very best early-stage investments
Several unexpected changes to The JOBS Act
The minimum investment to get started (it's much lower than you think)...
And most importantly, they gave every attendee the chance to claim a one-time free gift from Crowdability:
 
A full, one year subscription to CrowdabilityIQ — the world's first stock screener for private companies.
 
The transcript of the live lesson is below.
 
We encourage you to read it in its entirety as your financial future may depend on it.  But fair warning, you must act quickly, this presentation will be removed from the Internet by Wednesday, December 23rd at 11:59 PM.
 
TRANSCRIPT: 12/16/2015  |  8:00 PM Eastern  |   New York, NY:

Best Regards,

Ben Schott,

Your Host & Publisher of Crowdability, Inc.
We designed it so that it would be simple and easy to use for a first-time investor—but powerful enough for a professional investor.

For example, Howard Lindzon, who we've mentioned a handful of times tonight, actively uses CrowdabilityIQ. Again, Howard's one of the most active seed-stage venture capitalists in the country. Howard recently told us that he now...

"... runs all [his] companies through CrowdabilityIQ before investing."

And once you get a look at it for yourself, it'll be easy to understand why...

Our team has engineered a system that's never, ever been available for private market investments before.

No matter what you're searching for, with just a few clicks of your mouse, you can narrow down a long list of potential investments, to just a handful of the very best deals.

For example, what you’re looking at on the screen right now, is the filter for our “Risk of Ruin” score:

You can even use CrowdabilityIQ to find deals based on who else is investing—this way you can invest alongside well-known venture capitalists and angel investors. Just to use myself as an example here, I personally love the peace of mind that I get from following “smart money” into a deal.

And keep in mind: this is just a fraction of the tools and content that CrowdabilityIQ offers—but once you join and dive into the software for yourself, you’ll see why even professionals like Howard are now using the software to find profitable early-stage investments.

An Exclusive $2,400 Free Gift

For Early-Stage Playbook

 Students Only!

Because you're already an Early-Stage Playbook student—and because we really appreciate that you had faith in us for the past year and you started to prepare yourself early for Title III, we'd like to reward you with a gift...

We'd like to make you a one-time offer—and please understand: you're never going to see this again:

Currently, CrowdabilityIQ costs nearly $1,200 per year. Furthermore, as the May 16th "go live" date for Title III approaches, we're seriously considering raising our prices.

But today only, we're willing to give you a one-year subscription to the Crowdability IQ software for a dramatically reduced price.

You can get started tonight, right now, for just $249...

That's $249 for a full year of access to CrowdabilityIQ.

That's less than a dollar a day for a piece of software that could help you find investments that have the potential to return 10x....50x...even 100x your money.

But, we're actually going to go even further for you...

Just for those who subscribe right now—as part of this special promotion—we'll give you an extra year of CrowdabilityIQ, completely free.

Again, you'll get one year for just $249—that's already a savings of roughly $1,000—and then you'll get your second year, absolutely free.

Keep in mind: two full years of the software would normally cost $2400—but you're getting it tonight, for just $249...that's a $2,000 savings, and that's just for those here tonight.

 

Subscribe Now »

 

BEN:

If you're still on the fence, let me give you a few details about exactly what you get with CrowdabilityIQ.

As soon as you subscribe, you'll receive immediate access to the CrowdabilityIQ members-only website.

You can log in there at any time and you'll find the deals that have already been aggregated from the highest-quality platforms across the web.

In fact, as soon as you login tonight, you'll instantly find several new deals waiting for your review.

And then you can start filtering to find the right deals for you:

You can organize your search by sector... by location... by company founders... by Risk of Ruin...

Or you can just focus on the deals where you can follow a professional investor.

And remember: for each of these deals, you’ll also be provided with a detailed 10-to-15 page research report.
 
Long story short:

CrowdabilityIQ simplifies start-up investing. It saves you time, it protects you from investing in deals that are likely to fail, and it ensures that you're only investing in the deals with the most profit potential.

Again, I just can't tell you how important and valuable this is—especially as you're about to get flooded with new deals when Title III comes online...

So look: unless you have a team of financial analysts on staff, there's simply gonna be too many deals to look through on your own WITHOUT CrowdabilityIQ.

And, because you've already enrolled in The Early-Stage Playbook, you have this one-time-only opportunity to get a full year of CrowdabilityIQ for just $249.

On top of that, just for those who subscribe tonight, we're actually going to give you a second year of CrowdabilityIQ, completely free.

That's 1 year for just $249, and your second year, absolutely free.

And to make this decision even easier on you, I also want to mention one other thing...

At any time in the next 30 days, if you decide that CrowdabilityIQ isn't for you, just drop us a line and we'll refund 100% of your money—no questions asked.

You'll have a full month to evaluate the software and get all of your money back if you're not happy with it. On top of that, if sometime in the next few months you decide the software isn't right for you, just contact us and we'll refund the unused portion of your subscription.

Again, we want to be sure you're 100% comfortable and satisfied with this service.

 

Subscribe Now »

 

WAYNE:

Ok guys, before Matt and I answer some of the questions that came in tonight, I wanted to talk about one other special offer we're going to extend just for students here with us tonight...

And this one could save you several thousand dollars...

You see, as soon as you see how easy CrowdabilityIQ makes early-stage investing, and how quickly it helps you find the most profitable investments, you'll never want to invest without it...

So if you take me up on this offer tonight, I'm going to grant you access to CrowdabilityIQ, FOR LIFE... at a dramatically reduced price...

Again, our standard pricing for CrowdabilityIQ costs nearly $1,200 per year...

But today only, we're offering access to a lifetime of Crowdability IQ... for just $495.

You won't see this offer anywhere else.... and you won't see it again. Once this webinar is over, it's gone...

Keep in mind: this is a tremendous cost savings and it's an offer we're only extending to our most dedicated students. If you're not serious about making big gains in this new market, this program clearly isn't for you.

But if you're interested in making early-stage companies a long-term part of your portfolio, then, as you'll see in a moment, this is an unbelievable deal.

For example, at our standard pricing of roughly $1,200 per year, you're already saving $700 in your first year of CrowdabilityIQ access alone.

Over two years, you'll save about $2,000...

And over ten years, you'll save nearly $12,000.

You'll never have to worry about paying for it again: you'll already be paid up for LIFE—regardless of how much we raise prices in the future, and regardless of how many times we upgrade the software. This includes free upgrades for life as well.

 

Subscribe Now »

 

BEN:

But let me quickly re-cap both of our special offers:

For the first offer, if you subscribe to CrowdabilityIQ for a full year—something that normally costs about $1,200—we'll give you a one-time discount and only charge you $249...that's a savings of nearly $1,000...

And on top of that, just for those who subscribe tonight, we'll give you another year of CrowdabilityIQ, completely free.

Again, that's 1 year for just $249, and your second year, absolutely free.

So instead of paying about $2400 for two years of CrowdabilityIQ, you'll pay just $249—that's a savings of about $2,000, just for those here tonight.

For the second offer, we're offering a lifetime subscription to Crowdability IQ... for just $495.

We're making this offer available to only our most dedicated students.

If you're interested in making early-stage companies a long-term part of your portfolio, this is a great way to save a LOT of money.

To put it in perspective, over ten years, you'll save nearly $12,000.

And you'll never have to worry about paying for this service ever again: you'll be paid for LIFE.

And don't forget about the guarantee that comes with these offers:

At any time in the next 30 days, if you decide the software isn't right for you, simply drop us a line and we'll refund 100% of your money—no questions asked.

You'll have a full month to evaluate the software and get all of your money back if you're not happy with it.

We want to be sure you're 100% comfortable and satisfied with this service.

So click that link now.

And oh, there's one final bonus we're offering for anyone who subscribes right now:

Since we're running out of time tonight, we're going to offer a special live Q&A session next month—this is a live session—just like the one we've hosted here tonight—that Matt & Wayne will host next month, just for the folks who take us up on either one of these offers tonight...

This is your chance to have a private session with other CrowdabilityIQ members, and get Matt and Wayne to answer all of your early-stage investing questions.

Before the Q&A session, you'll have at least month to try out the software, dig into it, and then you can come in and ask all your questions directly.

 

Subscribe Now »

 

The Most Frequently

Asked Questions

 

So the first question that came up a lot is this one:

What's the minimum investment size for these deals?

WAYNE:

Some of these Title III deals will have minimums as low as $100 -- and remember: even small dollar amounts -- like $100 to a few hundred dollars -- those could turn into six (and possibly even seven) figure windfalls.

So the minimum investment amount won't keep anyone out of this market. Once Title III goes live in May, there's gonna be plenty of high-quality deals with low investment minimums.

MATT:

Hey, everyone -- this is Matt...

You know, Wayne and I have been thinking about this idea a LOT -- and actually, it's something we might add to CrowdabilityIQ in the near future.

So if this feature is something you're interested in, you might want to consider locking in your discount to CrowdabilityIQ right now.

BEN:

Thanks Matt...

So next question:

Can non-U.S. citizens participate in private equity investments?

WAYNE:

Good question, this is Wayne again -- and the answer is yes, the TItle III crowdfunding platforms will accept investments from non-U.S. citizens. You'll just need to provide them with a couple of forms of ID and also a TIN - or a tax ID number.

BEN:

Again, I think all of you who got on board with The Early Stage Playbook and who made it here for this webinar are really ahead of the game.

You guys recognize the opportunity that early-stage investing is presenting you with, and you're actually doing something about it.

I really want to encourage you to take Matt and Wayne up on their offer tonight as well. I can tell you that CrowdabilityIQ is really going to simplify and streamline the entire investing process for you.

This is a proprietary score that CrowdabilityIQ calculates for each company... and just by using this simple slider, you can quickly and easily screen out all the companies that have the highest risk of failing, so you can rest easy at night.
 
You can also filter out deals based on valuation, so you’re only investing in deals in the valuation “sweet spot” we taught you about in the Early-Stage Playbook.
 

No matter what you’re searching for, with just a few clicks of your mouse, you can narrow down a long list of potential investments, to just a handful of the very best deals.
 
And when you find a company you’re ready to dig into more deeply, you can download its 10-to-15 page research report.
 
Every single company on CrowdabilityIQ comes with one of our detailed, but easy-to-understand research reports: