Did you catch the Sunday New York Times article on the supper clubs in Palm Beach? Look, Your Survival Guy loves Palm Beach, especially lunch at the Brazilian Court, but a supper club? Sounds expensive. But wait a second. When I started running the numbers, I thought, “Self, it could actually work.” That is, if it’s the right one. You don’t have to be an uber-wealthy billionaire to have a nice life. Look for more supper clubs to show up, especially away from super high tax states. Welcome to Florida. OK, you really can’t make up these headlines. Pension funds rethinking private equity … [Read more...]
Your Survival Guy’s BEST Insider’s Guide to Key West
Happy Monday from New England. Your Survival Guy’s thin blood is adjusting to the cold, having just returned from a tropical island getaway to Key West. I’m here to report that the Conch Republic is alive and well. And notice it’s not a democracy. The Republic is where you go to get that neighborhood walkability without all the sensibilities. Tops on our list are lunches at Louie’s Backyard and the Thirsty Mermaid. Say hi to Patty at Louie’s and Ionela and Ava at Thirsty, and enjoy your cheeseburgers in paradise. Both are fab. And be sure to hit the waterfront at the Half Shell Raw Bar to … [Read more...]
For Whom Is Your Portfolio Serving?
Pressure and prices are no friend of the Prudent Man. When there’s pressure for your portfolio to “do something,” then you’ve already lost the game. The same is true with prices. If you need prices to get to some level, then forget it. Pressure and prices? These are terms for the speculator. Someone Your Survival Guy has no interest in serving. But there is a brighter way forward. Once you focus on a portfolio built on patience, dividends, interest, and compounding, an entire world opens up to you. One in which you control your destiny and can rise above the fray. You know, trusting other … [Read more...]
Are You Living Your Best Life?
Sitting in my cave today. Looking out at the beautiful landscape. Thanking myself for peace of mind. Knowing it’s my own decision to take shelter. It’s been a long time. Independent thinking is a lonely journey. Yes, it helps knowing this storm, too, will pass. But when? Will they ever learn? Because it’s in times like these, I appreciate the wisdom of my elders. Thinking about the fireside chats they shared with grace. Learning to tread lightly and to avoid the eager man looking to tread on me. I don’t like eager. I don’t like exciting. I’m fine preserving myself. … [Read more...]
Will the Black Swan Usher in Digital Dollars?
What’s most disturbing about a black swan event is how it affects the rest of us. What will this non-bailout, bailout of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature usher in? Will we have a new way of banking where the Fed gets to call the shots? Will digital dollars be their way to control us? Because it’s times like these when those in power usher in change in the name of following “the science.” Will this give them the extra inch they need to tell us that currency digitization is for our “protection?” One thing’s for sure, we’re not going back to the way life was. Sitting in my cave, it never … [Read more...]
The Education of Barney Frank
After authoring one of the banking industry's largest regulatory bills, Barney Frank, ironically, has found himself on the regulated end of a bank failure. Frank, who has been on the board of Signature Bank, which just failed, is now learning just how difficult life can be for regulated businesses. The editors of The Wall Street Journal write: Life is full of irony, but it’s hard to think of a richer one than Barney Frank sitting on the board of the failed Signature Bank. The former Congressman who was the scourge of Wall Street, the co-author of the Dodd-Frank Act that was supposed to keep … [Read more...]
Silicon Valley Bank: What Do Investors Expect?
Silicon Valley Bank's deposits increased by 238% in two years. Many of its deposits were from IPOs and SPAC deals. Andy Kessler writes that "Most startups had relationships with the bank." Why is that? Kessler explains: Why did so many startups bank with SVB in the first place? Here’s a hint. Apparently, more than half of SVB’s loans went to venture and private-equity firms backed by the borrower’s limited-partner commitments, a legal but slippery way to goose venture funds’ all-important internal rate of return metric, IRR, by investing three to six months before calling investors for … [Read more...]
What Does Inflation Mean to You?
Do you remember the 70s? I do. I remember that I could ride my bike to the pharmacy and get a candy bar for $0.25. My mom would tell me she could get five for a quarter when she was a kid. I’d think, "How can that be possible?" Nowadays, it’s not even close. But I haven’t bought a candy bar in a while. Scooping ice cream in the 80s, I would serve two scoops for $0.50. Later when we’d take our own kids out for ice cream, I’d spend about twenty bucks. Inflation is a thing. But it means different things at different times in your life. Imagine if you could have locked in interest rates … [Read more...]
“Will We Have Enough to Live On Forever?”
Being disciplined is tough. It often entails doing stuff you don’t want to do. Exercise and eating right are at the top of the list. Your career and saving money? Yup. Compounding money? Check. But what about retirement investing? Yes. Most definitely. But here’s the kicker. After years of doing what’s right, you’d think it would get a little easier. It doesn’t. When it comes to money and taking care of it like you would a loved one, it doesn’t get easier with age. It gets tougher and tougher. The pre-retirement years are brutal. “Will we have enough to live on for the rest of our … [Read more...]
Prepping for the Storm, Hiding in My Cozy Cave
You know I’m not interested in predictions. Yes, I hope the Bruins make it to the Stanley Cup and win it all. But I’m not betting my life’s savings on it. And most sports fans aren’t that reckless with their money. But when it comes to money and investing, the stories are crazy. If this was forwarded to you. Join the club. Sign Up here for my weekly email. It’s not unusual to hear horror-thons about betting the ranch on what turned out to be the next best thing. You know the stories as well as I do. And as Your Survival Guy, you should know by now I’m more interested in the return of … [Read more...]
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