My April RAGE Gauge is in, and RISK remains HIGH. Therefore, I want you to be a mindful and cautious investor, especially with your “safe” money. Your anchor-to-windward savings need to be safe. I’m talking specifically about bonds. Bonds are not dead, far from it. They’re alive and well, especially if you have access to new and secondary market issues. And not just letting the chips fall as they may. Remember, bond prices swing in the opposite direction of interest rates. Their sensitivity to interest rate swings is measured by duration. As a rule of thumb, duration (measured in years) … [Read more...]
You’re Telling Me Friends Ask You This Question
You’re telling me what friends are asking you the most. But first, let’s take a step back. You’ve been through a lot over the last year. Most of you stuck with me as we watched the world turn upside down. We lived to fight another day. Hey, I’m Your Survival Guy, not your "hope we make it" guy; what did you expect? You didn’t think I’d leave you behind, did you? You didn’t panic (maybe a little), you didn’t drop to your knees and raise your hands to the sky in despair (it’s OK, no one saw that), and you stuck to your plan (too scary not too). You made it through in your own way in one of the … [Read more...]
FACTORY SHUTDOWN: Semiconductor Shortage Halts Auto Production at Some Plants
A global shortage in semiconductors has begun impacting automobile production as companies can't source enough chips. Ford Motor Company is the latest to be impacted and has announced a plan to idle production of F-150s. Christina Rogers reports in The Wall Street Journal: Ford Motor Co. F -1.69% is scheduling more downtime at several U.S. factories, including its two major truck plants, as a global shortage of semiconductors upends vehicle manufacturing for car makers in North America. The company said Wednesday that it would halt production for two weeks in April at its truck plant in … [Read more...]
Biden Tax Hikes: I’m Here to Help, But Only if You’re Serious
Well, that didn’t take long. Less than two months into his presidency and Joe Biden wants to raise taxes because we need to pay for all the SPENDING. Give me a break. They’re not interested in paying for anything. They won’t be paying for their spending, they’ll just be creating dollars out of thin air. Look at the chart of M2 money supply below to see how it’s already started. Press Secretary Jen Psaki talks to us with a face that says “I hate you,” and “I will crush you,” and looks just fine with the idea of taking more of what’s yours. She doesn’t look like she worries too much about … [Read more...]
Did the Floodgates for Actively Managed ETFs Just Open?
Recently a mutual fund, for the first time, successfully became an ETF. Is this the harbinger of a flood of new actively managed ETFs hitting the market as other mutual funds follow suit? Claire Ballentine reports for Bloomberg: A small mutual-fund provider has made history by becoming the first to formally change its products into exchange-traded funds. Guinness Atkinson Funds announced on Monday that it had converted two of its mutual funds into the SmartETFs Dividend Builder (ticker DIVS) and SmartETFs Asia Pacific Dividend Builder (ADIV). The conversion was a non-taxable event for … [Read more...]
Parents and Politicians Fight Abuse by Teachers’ Unions During Pandemic
There are still places in America where schools are closed. Despite a promise by Joe Biden that he'd have them open in his first 100 days (by April 30), teachers' unions in many places have no intention of opening schools. The selfish response to the pandemic by teachers' unions, who have left children at home dealing with the mental distress of isolation, has opened the eyes of many parents and politicians who are now fighting back. You've read a lot about West Virginia Governor Jim Justice here lately, and that's because he's leading a charge to make the state part of America's "growth … [Read more...]
Germany Finds AstraZeneca Too Risky for People Under 60
Germany will only recommend people over 60 years old get the AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19. Bloomberg's Daniel Schaefer reports: Germany will change its recommendation on AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine and say it should only be used for women and men older than 60, after new data emerged on potential side effects. The country’s vaccination commission has drafted a recommendation that the shots only be used for older people but leaves open the possibility to administer it to younger people at a doctor’s discretion, according to a person familiar with the document. Chancellor … [Read more...]
My Key West Garden Office
Hard to believe it has been nearly 30 years since I walked away from dealing with investing clients, prospects, or the financial media. I also stopped speaking at capacity-filled investment conferences around the world from New Orleans to Switzerland to Hong Kong. About that same time, Debbie and I bought two Harley-Davidson motorcycles along with a little pink Conch cottage in Key West, Florida. In the following decades, we racked-up 125,000 miles on the bikes with not a single mishap (or road beer) along the way. Today, dodging road obstacles and traffic or riding through passing … [Read more...]
Fidelity is #1: Meet FidSafe and Raise Your Family’s Level of Preparation
UPDATE, 3.29.21: One of the best ways FidSafe can help your family is with useful estate planning document management tools. You can start out on FidSafe with their estate planning checklist, that helps you organize all your most important files the right way. There are many documents you’ll need to be fully prepared, including a last will and testament, durable power of attorney, trust documents, marriage licenses, vehicle titles, charitable wishes, deeds, and more. FidSafe helps you remember it all, keep it safe, and have it ready when needed. Originally posted on September 24, 2020. A … [Read more...]
US Companies Join Chorus of the Inflation Wary
American companies are sounding the alarm on inflation. The Financial Times reports: Investors are fretting over inflation. Scores of US companies are saying they are right to. A growing list of businesses are warning that supply-chain bottlenecks, increasing raw material costs and higher labour expenses are beginning to bite. Manufacturing behemoth 3M has flagged rising air and freight costs to ship its goods, while Walmart has warned on the congestion in US ports. Mobile home manufacturer Legacy Homes and Williams-Sonoma, the purveyor of Breville espresso machines and Wüsthof knife … [Read more...]
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