Who would have thought.

*Must* keep gold enthusiasm in check!!

[img width=1000]http://i.imgur.com/b4QTuFn.jpg[/img]

"Back in 1950, we had some rocking demographics.  With everyone smoking, driving unsafe cars, and eating a lot of fat, "

I think you need to replace the eating a lot of fat with "starting to consume a lot of carbs, esp. sugar"  but that is another discussion.

Good post to remind us all, especially the older ones among us, that things are never as bad as they might seem. I still have a good job, a good family, a nice house, smart kids and look forward to the same or better being available to them.  It is very easy to get caught up in the "we're all d...

I keep my emergency fund/partial PP cash readily available.  For, you know, emergencies! 

And for peace of mind that I can get to it in any situation.

This to me is the problem with trend following or momentum strategies.  It might be a sucker rally, or might not.  The 10 month average has you in cash for stocks at least, right?  So for the S&P trend following, you got hit in the Jan swoon, and sell out on Feb 1 because the signal flipped.  Wh...

Gold, baby! 

Sure gold provides local protection.  Look below.  You'd be up 20+% if your currency was the Rand, for example.

How about the action today? A few days ago I would have counseled that the stock market was due for a bounce (1 of 1) gold would get slammed again and bonds would get slammed again (0 for 2).  No way would I have expected all three assets to be up. Which is why we don't hold the assets in isolation,...

I love physical.  Gold is not cumbersome at all.  And risk is relative, either in a good safe or safe deposit box.  Comparing that to 1s and 0s on a computer that can disappear or go dark for extended periods, it is one of many things that attracts me to physical. Spread, from a reputable coin shop ...

Been reading this thread from afar for a while.  Makes me think about one of my favorite DS9 episodes, Past Tense.  Two parter.  Very prescient.  Sanctuary cities for people who are mentally ill, unemployed or otherwise a "problem" for society, and how a leader rises up and starts a change...

After my adventures in trading land I have concluded that no one can know anything. Last Friday my 2 year long LEAPs on SLV, GDX and GDXJ were closed out.  These were, at the time "Can't lose" scenarios, hell give me two years and there's no way in hell these options aren't going to make ...

For reference, 70/30 -9.3% YTD, PP+Cash -.5%, blended -4.5 and S&P500 -8.6% The shock at that -9.3% number, imagining it in my account right now, will certainly keep me to a blended/<40% stock allocation! The living expenses of my colleague are minimal, which is one of the reasons they were abl...

Honestly, what is best suited to my personality would be 100% in a 5% yielding money market, which we may not see again until long after I'm retired. I have done enough with Tyler's charts to convince me I need to up my equity to try and capture some more CAGR in the 13-17 years I have until retirem...

I am with Budd here.  At 27% equities right now, on the way to (gulp) 40% over the year.  1% chunks at a time. If the market continues tanking, seems like a decent a time as any to begin increasing stock allocation.  My modified PP will be 40 stocks, 25 each gold/TLT and 10 cash, a slightly modified...

Wow, this was quite a volatile day in the markets!  No way would I have guessed we'd go back positive after 500+ down, and then finish 200+ down!

And the PP just went, ehh, whatever and did its thing. 

PP must be blowing S&P 500 away by a longshot. Small itty bitty concern that gold has yet to really push higher -- sure it is up $17 right now, but we were here just a week or so ago and went back down.  And still only barely over $1100, jeez.  But I'll take it. In 2016 the gold and TLT up when ...

I don't begrudge anyone making more money than me.  What I think has thrown everything out of proportion is the scale of it.  300x salaries plus huge stock options plus golden parachutes for CEOs who many times run companies into the ground but are hired by another just because they seem to have som...

Either climate change is man-made or it ain't.  In either case, compromise is not appropriate. This is where I believe the arguing is a disservice to all.  Instead of climate change believers trying to shove policies, taxes and limitations down people's throats, and the deniers completely denying, ...

I quite possibly will incur the wrath of many on this board by saying I like Bernie.  He seems to be a no BS guy, and whether you agree with his positions or not, he seems to be a guy who could be trusted. If it were Trump vs. Sanders, it would be a tossup for me.  Trump vs. Hilary, I vote Trump.  D...

barrett wrote: Even if we are optimistic and assume that the PP can grow at its usual 4.5% annual rate, that still means you wait 16 years to double your money.

Crap, I'm screwed.  Time to get back into options...

The Scott Adams blog was pretty persuasive (hah).  I always read Dilbert, but not his blog.  I have added his blog to stuff I read. I am an engineer who has worked a few 3 day long trade shows, trying to sell product to people walking by, stopping them, extolling the virtues of the product, etc.  I ...

Had to know once someone thanked God for the PP that the next day TLT and gold get killed!  It is a ying yang lately that is going nowhere fast. 

I'm starting to feel the great sub 1000 washout in gold is coming soon.

I moved 1% into small cap and 1% into emrging mkts last week (on the way to 5-10% of each eventually).  Oops, a bit early, but that's why I didn't do it all at once.

When was the last time any 40-50 year government forecast chart was ever right? I think you look at that chart, and you look at US debt and both would be called unsustainable.  Whether because the US makes entry more difficult, or the US becomes less attractive, or whatever, I doubt that increasing ...

More I think about it, even though the money if invested wisely should support infinite generations of my family, I would probably take a large chunk and buy some large multiunit apartment buildings, ones large enough to need a property manager and kicking off enough income to make a profit. The man...