You go into professions like these to make big bucks, not to live a life of compassion. If you want that, try teaching or religion. :-\ Why do so many in this group like to make broad sweeping angry and/or totally cynical generalizations, often about things they really know little about? I ordinari...

http://money.visualcapitalist.com/all-of-the-worlds-money-and-markets-in-one-visualization/ Linked to this from another thread. Nice way of showing where all of the global money is, since this comes up a lot. At the bottom are derivatives, of course swamping everything else. Controversial if they ar...

Agree. Sold my GTU due to all of the drama recently, realized capital losses, captured a few % in a decreasing discount driven by Sprott, and got CEF at nice discount. Although not pure gold, I trust more than the ETFs, and I like that I can sell at capital gains rate rather than collectables if/whe...

Indeed. Lots to reflect on here. Thanks.

Many of us are here because investment gains are secondary to minimizing large losses in unforeseen market conditions. But what about other risks that we ignore? Fraud, theft, etc. Some of these might be as high or higher a risk than market risk in a conventional portfolio. So I would like to hear y...

Really helpful, you all. Thanks.
And great explanation, Pet Hog!

Also, keep interest and dividends to a minimum. Buy the 30 year Treasury bonds with the lowest interest rates, so that your yield is delivered as LT capital gains instead of interest... ...it is hard to beat the PP for low taxes. Thanks! Just with 50% of assets spinning off interest, I am ever awar...

goodasgold wrote: I assume you are taking full advantage of Roth IRAs, physical gold and I-bonds.

Yes, tax deferred maxed. And yes.

What changes to make, if any, if large percentage of assets taxable and in highest tax bracket? Any recommendations without subjecting assets to undue risk?

I've harvested my tax losses earlier in the year. Are there other valid reasons to sell GTU? Seems that it will either be converted to PHYS or an ETF, the latter having less favorable tax consequences. Think I will sell today and buy PHYS, realizing loss. Can always buy back once the drama ends (if...

I held GTU for years and was quite happy until Sprott got into the picture. Discounts and premiums never bothered me because I follow the PP and it only benefited me. Not long ago I sold all my GTU for tax loss harvest purposes... Agree. Down on GTU now that it looks like it may be converted either...

I know. But if the capital losses were somehow carried between GTU and PHYS in their exchange, then I could simultaneously capture the losses AND the difference in discounts (the "free money" talked about in the corresponding thread).

Still pondering this Sprott exchange for Central Gold Trust shares. Like many of you, my GTU is down, ripe for a tax loss harvest. If I exchange for PHYS, will I lose the capital losses? If not, sure would be nice to take the "free money" some of you have alluded to, then sell PHYS after 3...

Ok, I have now received my third "TIME CRITICAL - MUST RESPOND" notice from Vanguard along with another Notice from Sprott! I too like GTU and will probably stick with it (and buy more). My only reservation is giving up the "free money" eluded to earlier in this post. Sophie and ...

Thanks for the synopsis, Early Cuyler. Might make for a viable alternative or variable portfolio.

Can you please post their suggest portfolios. Why not read the book and find out for yourself?  ;) I finished the book a couple of days ago. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so ill just say it was a thought provoking read and that I highly reccommend it. Not sure why folks are so reluctant to p...

It is very difficult to talk about any of this stuff both because it CANNOT be understood intellectually, and because much of it is inherently paradoxical Ah, and one of the paradoxes may be that one who is truly enlightened would have no need or interest in saying "I am enlightened." I s...

You are describing a few nice moments.  When you can live out of that nice space 24/7 you have part of the idea. I am still skeptical that humans can be 100% "enlightened" 24/7. Some can come very close, but not 100%. Even in the words of the Buddha and Jesus (or at least the translation)...

It is very difficult to talk about any of this stuff both because it CANNOT be understood intellectually, and because much of it is inherently paradoxical Then is it real?  Or is it simply fantasy of imagination, or worse the delusions of a fractured mind? What is actually "real?" And wha...

i am not so sure "you cease to exist as an individual" is accurate, you cease to exist as an ego that sees itself as separate may be a more accurate way of saying it, of course language will never adequately describe a state of being beyond language... it at best is a sign post pointing t...

Inspiring thread! I am a materialistic addict (in therapy), and I find that different things bring me down to different degrees. The biggest offenders are those things that need to be maintained, updated/upgraded or repaired frequently. So, electronics, autos, and house/yard are the first to look at...

Taking up kite surfing.

Don't mean to "post and run," Gumby. Not ignoring you; will study your rebuttals when I get the chance this week. Thanks for putting the time into this!

The fact that it's difficult to find evidence of chronic disease 200 or 500 years ago is the evidence . Hmm. Could it be because we do not have many bodies to autopsy? We have at least one (from 3350 and 3100 B.C.), and he had atherosclerosis, bad teeth, and gallstones: http://news.sciencemag.org/s...

It is incontrovertible that adult lifespans have not increased significantly over the past 500 years. For instance, even if we look at the lives of the well-documented Founding Fathers (in this case, the 1787 delegates), we see the following life spans were recorded: Don't buy it. Lots of bias here...