I was just checking the numbers myself this morning and they are sobering: the U.S. will soon be borrowing more than its entire economic output. How long can a nation, even one as powerful as America, owe more than it produces? At a Senate hearing last week, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) auditor quietly dropped … Read more

Gold showed its fortitude as a safe haven asset in the first quarter of 2016, rising 16%. Silver rose about 12% during the same period. In fact, gold and silver were practically the only bright spots to be seen in the markets during the last three months. What’s going on? Falling stocks, currency weakness, ultra-loose … Read more

The numbers simply boggle the mind: More than $1.2 trillion in student loan debt 40 million borrowers Average balance of $29,000 each Student loan debt is more than an election year campaign issue: it is a serious long-term threat to the U.S. economy and your retirement assets. College attendance has been rising for almost 30 … Read more

If you owned gold and silver in 2016, you’re probably patting yourself on the back right now. Traditional stock markets are basically flat for the year, while both gold and silver are in the positive double digits. According to recent market research, your diversification strategy could literally save your bacon if you plan to retire … Read more

Gold has been in the news everywhere, and the words you hear spoken most are “wealth protector.” Gold is up 18% so far this year, while both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones are down. That’s the kind of wealth protection everyone could use more of these days. But gold has additional reasons for its … Read more

Gold demand has been so strong in 2016 that the largest gold exchange-traded commodity (“ETC”) has temporarily suspended the issuance of new shares to investors. While Blackrock’s demand problem is good news generally for gold and silver investors, it also highlights the risks of holding “paper gold” instead of actual physical bullion. Because of the … Read more

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers made waves last week with an pronouncement heard across the world: he believes that large denomination bills should be phased out permanently. In his words: “It’s time to kill the $100 bill.” The reason? These paper instruments allow for anonymous transactions that can’t be tracked by government authorities. In … Read more

Like any good quote, this one just gets more true every year: “Invest in inflation. It’s the only thing going up…” – Will Rogers No surprise, then, that the idea of returning the USA to a gold standard is again under public discussion. This is especially true on the red side of the aisle. However, … Read more

It is a pattern I’ve seen repeated again and again in the news media over the years. First comes concerns over the economy, then oil hits the skids, then the major stock indices hit double-digit negative territory… and then suddenly articles about gold are blooming everywhere. Over the weekend, both the Wall Street Journal and … Read more

2016 is a clear, painful lesson in diversification for people who are over-invested in stocks. I don’t point this out to rub salt in any wounds, especially since I have stocks among my retirement assets too. My goal is to help you prepare for what might come next.As the old proverb goes: hope for the … Read more