dualstow wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2019 1:41 pm I remember reading in 2016 or '17 that relative to GDP, we're not that high on the debtor nation list. Not time to worry yet.

You are correct. We are at about a 105% debt to GDP ratio now. Highest was in 1945 at 118%. Current consumer debt may be a bigger issue.

The U.S. debt just passed 22 trillion. This is equivalent to $67K per person or $170K per tax payer. At what point will this affect the economy and investors? How far can this can be kicked down the road?

I see little "principled" in what most folks (left and right) do as it pertains to the state and government benefits. Many folks on the right happily dive into the treasure troves of Social Security and Medicare, Both (especially the latter) of which they probably contributed far-far less...

If he did what she claims, I think she has every right to come forward whenever she pleases. What this really comes down to is whether he did it or not. It totally changes the nature of both her coming forward and him acting in such a defensive, unprofessional manner. The only things that don't hin...

So Maddy are you sickened by the allegations if they are true? Pushed into a room... held down... hand over mouth... friend turned music up sobody can here? Or are you just sickened by folks who oppose your preferred political outcome? They might not be true. But apparently you're in the Don Jr cam...

So Maddy are you sickened by the allegations if they are true? Pushed into a room... held down... hand over mouth... friend turned music up sobody can here? Or are you just sickened by folks who oppose your preferred political outcome? They might not be true. But apparently you're in the Don Jr cam...

Texas Precious Metals no longer has good prices. I don't know what happened but I won't buy from there now. The CREDIT CARD prices are in the left-most column. They are much higher than CASH / CHECK / WIRE prices. I was comparing Tex CC prices vs. everyone else's cash prices. Silly me. I suggested ...

In addition to buying from highly reputable dealers, how about only buying new issue American Eagles (2018) not random year coins? If the dealer is authorized affiliate of the Mint, you are essentially getting coins directly from the Mint eliminating the risk of counterfeit coins. Is my thinking fla...

As an aside, I once won the distinction of having been forcefully ejected from a Trader Joe's for spouting off at a two-year-old who was having a doozy of a meltdown. Maddy, Since I live in a smaller town, I have to rely on Walmart for my "test bed" of societal activity. I can't tell you ...

Lonestar, it sounds like you understand how to build the ladder, but the question is what average duration you really want. If you're trying to replace an intermediate fund, look up the duration of the fund for comparison. Your earlier example of the 1..10 ladder may be closer to what you need (or ...

OK.......just classic "ladder building". I've been going with intermediate funds and ETF's but am very interested in a T bond or secondary CD ladder. guess I need to just jump in an start the process.

This may be a terribly elementary question, but how does one hold a ladder of intermediate term (5yr) treasury bonds? Looks like you would either have to have equal amounts in treasuries maturing in years 1 through ten to equate a 5yr duration. Or, start purchasing a 5yr maturity treasuries each yea...

I'd personally be taking at least a haircut on I-Bonds, EE-Bonds, long and short-term treasuries. If that happens, I am no longer a lender to the USG. The USG needs to be able to borrow money because they are incapable of making cuts and running a balanced budget. No, whatever happens will be slopp...

We have made about 10 purchases of Eagles and Krugs from Texas Precious Metals in Shiner, Texas. I have got to say, they are the best prices I've found and based on my phone conversations with them, I feel they are very trustworthy. They have delivered EXACTLY as promised. I was recently looking for...

I have started paying the small premium to purchase current year uncirculated gold Eagles. The dealer I buy from is an authorized U.S. Mint dealer. I am assuming this might offer some protection against getting a counterfeit coin.

Ok, since we're talking audio, would it be all right for me to mention that I have a couple of items for sale? :D Only if they are tube amps. Then, while we are on the subject, how could I find out how much an old Harman Kardon Award Series A700 70 watt amp would be worth? Are there any forums out ...

You should at least buy a bag of junk silver for SHTF purposes. Making change with gold coins is problematic. :) Not to change the course of the thread, but I've wanted to buy a bag of junk silver for some time. So many choices. Do I buy mixed, dimes, quarters, etc?? Some dealers sell by face value...

dualstow,

OK thanks. I keep thinking for my needs TrueCrypt will continue to work just fine, but................why mess with the old stuff that won't be supported any more. The user interface is so close on VeraCrypt you really can't tell you have made the change.

Yeah, I switched to veracrypt b/c of advice on this forum. Works. Have you had any issues in the conversion to VeraCrypt? I downloaded and changed over yesterday and see no difference other than it takes longer to open the encrypted file. Documentation says this is because of the stronger encryption.

Just a quick re-visit to this subject (realizing I may be the only one interested).  After researching I still don't know about markup by Fidelity on secondary market purchases. It looks like the best solution is to by at auction through Fidelity.  As far as I can tell there is absolutely no markup ...

I just spoke with bond desk at fidelity and they stated no markup.  To verify I looked at current market yield on Bloomberg and it actually showed the yield at about 5 basis points lower than Fidelity, which would indicate a lower per bond price.  Real time quotes may be a factor here since we are o...

It's in my VP which is a 30/70 allocation.  Equities are all index funds.  The backtesting I've done shows a 5-7 year FI maturity gives me the risk profile and volatility I'm looking for.  Shorter maturity decreases my CAGR and longer maturity increases risk.  To be candid I'm probably way over thin...

I'll see if I can search out a thread over there.  Don't recall seeing it.  I've talked with the guys at the fixed income dept at Fidelity and they kinda sound like they think I'm crazy.  BUT, they can't give a good answer as to why not. I doubt they encounter folks that are this concerned with main...

There may be a disadvantage, but I'm unaware of it myself. I'd probably be reluctant to sell at a loss at the end of the year if rates have risen, and would probably just prefer to buy ticker IEI and ignore it. But, I see that you explicitly said you want to increase individual bond holdings. (What...

I was once told by a forum member named Joe that commissions aren't the only type of charge. Brokerages can also apply a markup on treasury transactions. I am also with Fidelity and am not exactly sure if they apply markups to treasuries on the secondary market. For that reason, it may be slightly ...