Historical CD Rates

Best Ways To Invest Your Money Rather Than The Bank

Historical CD Rates

Dennis recently said,

I retired 13 years ago.

That first year, I purchased 45 acres adjoining my homestead for $500 an acre. Total investment $22,500.

When I retired, I left $400 in a savings account at my employee credit union, just to keep the account active.

Thirteen years later the land I purchased for $500 an acre is surrounded by land that sold recently for $2,000 an acre. A 300% increase in value.

The savings account increased to a total of $459. A 15% increase.

– Dennis (a MSB contributor)

 
Here’s the question,

Because banks don’t provide any resemblance of a decent rate of return on your bank account, what are the best ways to invest your money?

The policies of the ‘Federal Reserve’ (and global banking) have kept interest rates very low for a very long time. This has forced money to other places looking for a return on investment more than just a fraction of a percent at your local bank.

While not everyone is afforded the ‘luxury’ of having excess money to invest, some do. So lets talk about it… Modern (economic) Survival.

 
You want to invest in assets (not liabilities). You might say that primary asset classes include Real Estate, Businesses, and Paper assets (stocks bonds notes, etc). They offer potential return on investment or cash flow.

 
The first thing that people will say is The STOCK MARKET.

The stock market is such a broad term though. The focused (or general) investment choices are numerous. Winners and Losers. Conservative investments and Risky investments.

But has the market run-up reached plateau? There are many who think the stock market is so overvalued that you’d be crazy to jump in. Others think there’s still plenty of opportunity.

We hear about the stunning returns on cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and others. Countless millionaires have been created from relatively small investments. Maybe cryptocurrency technology investments are only in their infancy. Maybe, maybe not.

What market sectors do YOU believe to be good investments for the future?

There’s always risk in the stock market. Yet nearly everyone with money invests there.

 
What about other investments?

Precious metals? Gold or Silver? That’s been a joke since 2011… Are powerful entities keeping their prices suppressed? Many believe, yes.

We keep hearing from ‘gold bugs’ that it’s going to break out any day now… Yet the powers-that-be keep the economic collapse genie in its bottle. Gold and Silver remain in a fairly narrow price range.

I personally still believe that holding some is a good investment under certain conditions and scenarios (not all).

Real Estate values have been going up and up in most places, but even though you might sell for a nice return, you’ve got to live somewhere and you’ll pay more there too (unless you move to a suppressed area and pocket the difference).

Some may invest in real estate as a landlord (everyone has to live somewhere so this makes some logical sense). But not everyone can put up with the hassles of being a landlord. And what if prices do fall in the future? Again, risks.

Land. This is tricky. What are you going to do with that land? Subdivide and sell? That’s risky too, unless you have a sure-thing. Will you just hold on to it hoping that land values go up until one day you sell it? Ever heard of “location, location, location”?

I believe that if you’re a homesteader capable person, buying land that can produce for you may be a good thing. Even a very good thing. Building and establishing a homestead involves time and work. Not everyone has the time and not everyone wants to ‘work’. But you are investing in yourself in this regard. Given that we’re a preparedness blog, many here either already are doing this or would like to.

Invest in yourself. I really like the idea of putting your money into yourself. This is a broad concept but it applies in many areas.

– your health and well being
– ways to produce (and preserve) your own food
– things that reduce your reliance on others
– small business to make extra money
– pay off debt (should be high priority)

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!

 
The concept of investing is to expect a return on investment. That’s why it’s done. A ‘return’ might be valued in today’s currency (dollars) or it might be valued in other ways (peace of mind, self sufficiency & self reliance, and many others).

There are many individual paths to wealth and they don’t all involve money.

What are your opinions on best or better ways to invest one’s money?
Be as general or specific as you’d like.

More: 5 Steps BEFORE You Retire

More: Property Taxes – Lowest to Highest by State sorted by dollars

48 Comments

  1. We believe in diversity so we have a little of a lot of areas that Ken mentioned Some have decreased in value but most have increased

  2. – Several things come to mind.

    First, Education. What’s between your ears, chosen wisely, will always be yours so long as you are breathing. Pick those things wisely and you will always be able to realize an income from them.

    Second, Land. It’s for sure “they” aren’t making anymore of it. it will always have some value, but like a lot of other things, your choice will have both upsides and downsides. Back to the ‘location’ thing. It must have water and at least potential traffic to be of major value.

    Third, Intrinsic Value. It should have value for what it is, as well as what it is made of. Look at the prices offered for certain guns now, and don’t you wish you had a closet-full of Savage 24’s or M-6’s put back for trade or sale now? They used to be less than $100 apiece. In good condition, one will often bring $7-800 now. (Of course, the same could be said for a lot of things. The dollars are not worth what they used to be!)

    – Papa S.

    1. While I agree Papa Smurf about the value of firearms holding real value if we go into the Venezuela Style (Blue Wave) Socialist crash (My greatest fear as a long term nightmare) guns will be a TOTAL trust only affair as plenty of “Good Citizens” would love to get an award for turning a gun person in. Hard to trade a Illegal item (If Socialism wins) for food and stuff.

      Just a thought from a well travelled fool.

    2. – NH Michael –
      Sorry, maybe that wasn’t the best example of an intrinsic value item. Look at the price of a good carpenter’s tool set, or the cost of a loaf of bread or a gallon of gasoline or milk. I’m old enough to remember paying far less for any of those on a normal day. They’re all still worth what they were before, but thanks to inflation the same gallon of gasoline I once paid less than a quarter for is tagged at far more… unless you happen to have a silver quarter to sell to pay for it.

      – Papa S.

      1. Papa Smurf no need to apologize friend. Intrinsic value is a good thing but I fear given the momentum of the current Socialists in America we need to make wise judgment as to what could be freely traded in the future.

        When I enlisted in the US Army I never thought my country could go so communist. But here we are looking at a lot of young voters who think socialism (communism lite) is such a GREAT Idea….

        Dark times ahead I fear so I try to prepare to prosper as my “GOOD Germans” Grand Parents did after Kristalnacht by accepting what they could not change and adapting to the new realities.

        But where could we go to now if the American “Grand Experiment” as our founding fathers called it fails?

        1. I overheard an interesting conversation today. The high point was one man pointing out that in socialist countries people “pay an awful lot for that free stuff.”

          The TANSTAAFL principle works even in socialist and communist societies.

  3. Unfortunately there are really no safe long term places to invest in.

    The stock market is unpredictable and manipulated.

    Precious metals seem like a good investment. However they will likely be banned if things get tough. The potentially confiscation and loss due to theft make them risky.

    Property is risky because it can be confiscated. The market is also in a bubble, so right now to make a good investment you need to wait to invest.

    Investing in yourself is a must but at the same time your life is very fragile. I think faith is the best thing to work on here.

    Since everything can be vulnerable. I recommend spreading your risk around and investing in everything.

    1. While investing in brass and lead might be a good idea for some trying to put a couple of hundred thousand in ammo for retirement just ain’t gonna work.

  4. Historically Gold and Silver were used to Preserve and Transport Wealth. In the USA gold and silver are priced in dollars and really reflect what the world thinks about the value of our dollar vs. precious metals.

    Having a decent amount of physical Cash, Gold and Silver outside the digital banking system means WHEN (Not IF) a Banking/VISA Card etc. issue occurs you can still buy needed stuff and MOST Importantly Pay Taxes as not to lose your property (A MAJOR SHTF situation in my opinion).

    With Precious Metals there will be market movement that shows a small loss or gain in REAL VALUE (The amount of stuff you can get for that amount of money) but in the 1800 a fine mans ensemble (silk, linen, fine leather footgear and wool) cost about an ounce of gold, today the same quality ensemble still costs about an ounce of gold.

    As far as transport Kingdoms and Countries pre internet settled debts by shipping gold. During the post Kristalnacht exodus of Jews to America children and ladies had small gold coins sewn into their clothing to sneak wealth past the German Guards for use in America. I know this is true because several of my Grand Parents did that themselves.

    A Shoe with Metal Decorations and such could be modified to carry a ounce of gold pretty easily and get past X-ray because of the metal clutter. I hope we never need to smuggle our own wealth out to restart a life elsewhere but Gold has served many a refugee restart.

    Best ways to invest your money IMHO, Learn Useful Skills, have the tools to do them, establish yourself as reliable and you will always have value to your neighborhood. You may have to accept barter as payment (see note above about Taxes) but you will still have things you need.

    Second best (but still quite good) is invest in tangibles like Solar Power and Permaculture (long term gardening) as to reduce the amount of future money you will need to prosper.

    Paying off debt is the most important action you can take. Above all debt makes you a slave to someone else. Foolish folks say when they “Know” SHTF they are going to Max out the Credit Cards blah,blah,blah… but a study of the Great Depression and others will show that the BANKS will be supported by the Gov.com and Sheriffs to be Re-Paid. So Do not do it. Prison is a lousy place to deal with SHTF esp. for your now fatherless family on the streets.

    1. – A friend of my father’s escaped from Iran when the Shah fell. He was able to move a good amount of his families wealth in the form of a gold breastplate and cuffs worn under his uniform shirt as they boarded the jet which carried them from Iran to the U.S. (He was an officer in the Shah’s military. Many of those lost their lives not being able to leave when things went south.) When my father knew him, he was working as an engineer for an American chemical company, where my father was also an engineer. It was able to buy them a decent house, and an automobile, and had kept them fed and sheltered for about two years while looking for a job.

      At least they had some place to run to!

      – Papa S.

  5. A good first step is to invest in getting out of debt or reduce it to a very manageable level. This opens the door to being able to take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself. I don’t put all my eggs in one basket. That would not be for me. I like to spread out and diversify investments. I do like PM’s. I have several parcels of land but this last year the county reappraised properties and taxes went much higher for many rural folks. One of my best investments was a hobby I have been involved with for many years, antique trap collecting. A good investment will likely be different for each of us. Just be ready when the opportunity presents itself.

  6. I feel that the safest investment is in ones self. The more you learn, the more valuable you become to others. The best thing is that it cannot be taken from you. I’ve learned quite a bit over the years, but I am not done yet. Since I have such a black thumb when it comes to indoor plants, I have taking to reading about planting and growing indoors. Since the weather has been so crazy we feel that we might be forced to grow inside someday. I will put what I read into practice and see if I can grow a plant inside from seed. I love to learn new stuff.

    1. The biggest issue there is going to be light. The second biggest will be insects. Take care of those two items and your plants will thrive.

      I’ve kept orange trees, lemon trees, peach trees and a bunch of different veggies in the house all winter. Scale almost got the lemon, whiteflies got the peach. The others mostly struggled with light.

  7. Honestly the only “thing” you have of value is Time (and maybe your health), that Time you have can be sold for making money or used for your own self-interests/satisfaction.

    BUT, since this is an Article on “Money” than let’s stick with that only.

    Cash, Dollars, Greenbacks, Dinero, Currency, call it whatever you want, mostly call it gone in a flash is you invest incorrectly. All investments have an inherent risk involved, agreed that some more than others, but again, ALL investments are risky, for there is ALWAYS someone else trying to take your Money one way or another, period.

    Ken has mentioned several “things/places” whereas to put your time you sold for $$$$. All of which are subject to failure at almost any time, with the exception of investing in your own Health (Which BTW cost very little, just some of that ‘time’).

    Are we not ‘Investing’ to hedge inflation? Are we not “putting money away” into an investment with the hope of at least having the same buying power as the same money has now, hopefully more? Take a very hard look at the ‘cost of living’ now as compared to 10-20 years ago. Inflation can and will eat up a LOT of the Gain from some investments, or the .gov will take a LOT of your gain in Taxes. What is the rate for Capital Gains now-a-days?

    So, where to invest, what scheme can one ‘get into’ to make money for your hard earned cash? Cryptocurrency, Gold/Silver/Stocks/Bonds, how about Commodities?

    Well first of all if you have ANY Debt, forget about investing, PAY OFF THE DEBT, for you’re not going to make more money on an investment than the Interest you’re paying (Especially CC Debt), for someone is making a LOT of money on your Debt.

    I really appreciate this Quote; “or it might be valued in other ways (peace of mind, self sufficiency & self reliance, and many others)”. For 99% what else is more important?

    As I happened to learn the hard way a few years back, Money really does not matter a whole hill of beans if you’re not whole in your-self, take that Time you sell for a cup of Starbucks Coffee and spent that on yourself, figure out what really means most, that $450,000 Ferrari or the Time you can spend with Family and Friends, Sure the car would be nice, but so is sitting atop that Mountain.

    Ok, after all that rambling, I agree 1000% with Papa Smurf. Stuff, stuff that you will need this week, this coming month, how about what you will consume in 2-5 years? The costs of ALL consumer good are going up at an astonishing rate (yet there is not inflation right .gov?).

    How about investing in the tools you will need to retire with, Gardening Tools, A good set of Binoculars for Bird Watching, how about those hobbies your thinking of?

    Ok let’s be more practical, Food, the ‘stuff’ need to Grow and Store Foods. How many times do we talk about a SHTF, do you have the stuff to ‘make it through’ 2 years without outside help? THAT my friends is an investment that, in my opinion, is well worth the chance to take AND guess what, the value will not go down like the Stock Market may.

    Ok, end of Rant. Sorry kinda long winded.

    PS: I see a lot of comments on “Investing in ones self”, EXACTLY!!!!! Cash is worthless if you don’t know who you are.

  8. First priority for any person is to invest in self for an education or training. End goal is a professional license or trade certificate. I am a nurse. On this site, that is considered a valuable skill. If the education does not result in a tangible end goal, I would not go into that particular field. A professional license grants a person the gift of mobility.

    Second priority is reputation: as in your resume with proof that is easy to verify. This part is reliant on people that are still alive and working and is dependent upon one maintaining social contacts. This is how carpenters and handy-people go from job to job. References are by word of mouth. This is how I worked in the area of corporate security after my relatively short career as an LEO.

    I studied economics in college so I must warn people that the stock market goes up ( and has been lately..) and it goes down as well. If you invest in the market, be prepared for the down times as well as the up times. There are times when financial people will cash out, buy a case of tuna fish and ramen noodles and head for the hills.

    The most dangerous practice I have seen is called : “Buying on margin” – this is the practice of borrowing money to invest in a “sure thing”. There is no sure thing except for death and taxes.

    Along with this practice is “loaning” and giving your children money with the hopes that they will pay you back. I see and hear many disappointed parents these days. I hope parents out there retain the ability to say “no” to some of the requests of their children. I have seen people take money intended for a years worth of college get blown on a 10 day trip to Europe with first class tickets on the airline. ( the “grown-up child” just goes home begging for more cash…).

    If you invest in gold or silver, where do you keep it and how do you keep it secure when you are not at home? Certificates of deposit are good though I prefer to do my banking in person. ( thus I use small local banks for most of my transactions and I go through a local broker for my stocks/bonds transactions.). the small local banks were among the last institutions to be affected in the last economic downturn. The big banks were difficult to deal with because of the protests taking place in front of the buildings. Face to face transactions are the ultimate security measure.

    I have hobbies that pay for themselves. If I cannot afford it, I do not do it. I used to snow ski ( downhill) when I was young. Not only is it expensive butt it is tough on the body as well. I switched over to cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. Thus, my hobbies have become suburban trapping and pest control. That along with gun repair at a local shop before the old gunsmith retired. I used to hunt on farmland then it was turned into houses and neighborhoods. I watched it happen from the seat of a tractor and from the cab of a pick up truck. ( houses with pristine yards being over run by raccoons because their yard and home borders a creek.).

    When things get too weird, sometimes you have to leave. Thus my handle on this site: Calirefugee. ( Will work for cash – half payment up front. No checks accepted.).

    1. (If you invest in gold or silver, where do you keep it and how do you keep it secure when you are not at home?)

      I have this big, very heavy box with a combination dial on the front of it.

      My brother and I about had a hernia getting it up the stairs and that was with the door removed.

      But you don’t have to have a safe to keep silver or gold safe, just put it someplace hidden well.

      1. Calirefugee you are right on the word of mouth thing. It works for me so well that I can’t possibly get to all the work that people call me wanting me to fix or build things for them. I only use word of mouth.

        If I get a call today it will take me 5-weeks or longer to get to the job.

        1. (The most dangerous practice I have seen is called : “Buying on margin” – this is the practice of borrowing money to invest in a “sure thing”. There is no sure thing.)

          Think October 1929

        2. A Factoid to mess with your sleep friends as a Financial History Buff Chuck Findlay is correct about extreme Buying on Margin AND over the past 4 + months our current Stock Market has EXCEEDED the worst of the Margin Buying of 1929. Old Homesteader speaks of a Knife Edge…..

          Prep Hard Friends, who knows how long this game of Musical Chairs can last before the US Dollar fails.

      2. And may I add have a Decoy Safe fairly well hidden so the stubborn (who Know you have wealth) think they found it all. This also works well with storage foods and firearms. You don’t want everything you have to be lost in one fell swoop.

        As far as non safe hiding Sheet Rock Repair is not that hard (BIG HINT) and a 2 inch by 16 inch space can hold a LOT of small valuables like oh Gold?

  9. You only realize the gain on the land if you sell…plus you have to pay taxes on the property every year which always goes UP over the long haul plus capital gains taxes on the sale. If you don’t sell, then enjoy the property–you lost nothing. Now gold and silver is a whole different situation and well worth the investment if you buy the stuff right. You can’t purchase food and medical stuff with land unless you rent it our or barter for other things. Just thinking out loud.

  10. First invest in yourself. I agree with Calirefugee 1000% on getting training or education that gives you some sort of certificate that is marketable. I did that when I was young, and it still carries me financially. All else is worthless if you have not invested in yourself as NRP said. You can invest in yourself and your own knowledge for damn near free too. The big thing after investing in yourself, if you have $$ to invest, is to diversify. Some in Land, some in precious metals, some in good tools, maybe some stocks or bonds or REITs, but not all in one basket. Land with water that is farmable seems to always hold its value. Land on the edge of suburbia with good all year round access and a good views, another winner IMHO. Here again though, I think it is better to invest in several smaller properties with good water than one big one, you can sell off smaller parcels as you need to. (in some places old mining claims used to be a good investment after thorough investigation.) I don’t invest in crypto-currencies or other countries currencies, too much risk.

  11. For what it is worth, gold and silver have slowly been creeping up. Gold mining stock is kind of flat. Through superior insight I did very well buying FRGOX a few years ago. Now for the truthful part, I got lucky. I wish I had invested 100,000 but had nowhere near that to play with. I did make a few thousand on it. If it gets low enough I’ll buy more. One of the other blogs advises to buy nickels and I have a few hundred dollars of them. When I bought they had a melt value of 5.7 cents and had fallen to 4.3 cents. Currently they’re back up and today a nickel is actually worth a nickel. (They’ll always be worth at least a nickel.) Nickels are an alloy of nickel and copper, so is monel which is used in the marine industry. I like coinflation.com to follow gold, silver and base metal prices.

  12. Someone else can check my math, but isn’t $2000 on an initial amount of $500 an increase in value of 300%, not 400% (The difference of initial and current)/initial price, so (2000-500)/500=3X increase=300%?

    1. Dave, You are correct. I took at face value the math from the quoted comment. I’ve adjusted the quote in the article to 300%. Thanks for noticing ;)

    2. Dave,

      Your math is correct. The return on the investment was in fact 300%. The increase in the value of the original investment was 400%. Since I have no need to sell the land at this time to cash in on that 300% increase, the “value” of my original investment is 400% it’s original value or 4 times as much as it’s original value. For the 45 acres, the original value was $22,500, now it’s value is $90,000, or 4 x the original investment.
      Had the $400 in the credit union grown in value at the same rate, it would have a balance of $1,600 instead of $459.
      Minus inflation of course.

  13. It’s good to have supplies and be prepared, but when the SHTF is an unknown. Start now with your financial security as we may get old waiting for the big one.

  14. Best investment I ever made and am still making it is to learn skills, buy supporting tools for those skills and self employment.

    When you work for someone you have to hope your boss sees fit to give you more money when you learn a new skill. And even if he or she did give you a paycheck boost it’s not going to be all that much.

    But being self employed you learn a new skill you get a big boost in income right away.

    As an example several years ago I bought $200.00 in new PEX plumbing tools in hopes of making some money with them. I had no jobs lined up when I bought the tools. But I let a few people know I could do PEX plumbing and a week later I made $1,500.00 on a job that some slime-ball broke into the home and ripped out all the copper pipes. I get about 3 of these jobs a year. I also use the PEX tools every few weeks.

    It’s been a very good investment for me. I also do many other things that pay me back many times over.

    Investment in yourself is probably the best payback I can think of.

    It does have it’s problem in that it has no income unless you are working.

    I do buy a LOT of silver for future use but not as a money maker, more as a way to save the labor I do today and be able to use it later.

  15. Commodities will rule in hard times. Long-term food storage, needful items such as toilet paper, feminine hygiene supplies, antibiotics, items for personal defense, etc. You cannot put a value on them now, but when the balloon goes up, you will wish you had what you do not have. As far as money, silver is still legal tender and will be useful. That and some greenbacks are buried in clean mayonnaise jars in my back yard. Go to the John Galt Shenandoah website and read his blogvel: THE DAY THE DOLLAR DIED. It will scare the peanuts out of your M&Ms.

    1. Dweezil you are evil encouraging me to look up that webpage this late at night.

      That writer wrote like I was dictating my nightmares of the Economic Collapse, Martial Law, sell out your neighbor and get rewarded I dreamed years ago. Now this nightmare in Spanish is occurring in Oh So Socialist Venezuela.

      And people wonder why I’d prefer an massive EMP event instead. OY

  16. A good long term investment is planting a prodigious, disease resistant apple tree. Go long with perennials like rhubarb, strawberries, and asparagus. Short the annuals like carrots, peas and potatoes. If you can’t water them then you don’t own them. Plum, peach and pear should round out you long term portfolio. If you want exotic, plant a medlar, mulberry or pawpaw tree. Tend your investments with pruning and watch those grafts, they can spread disease but pay off in diversification of risk. Chickens, ducks and rabbits are a whole different level of investing. They are sometimes more useful for what they make (fertilizer) than what they do (eat). Don’t let the kids name them.

  17. Several good ,sound ideas where to put investment money has been mentioned . Very critical points made , the most crutial being, IMHO . “get out of debt”. This is the starting point to make just about any investment. You will sleep better too.

    We invest in what we eat and use .Examples are clothes, garden & hand tools, veggie seeds, eyeglasses, lots of extra vitamins, and the list goes on and on.

    As far as banks go, we use two local banks in case of a bank holiday and we are restricted in making with-drawls . We do not use a safe deposit box, because a bank is only open 40 hours a week , and if they are closed you do not have access .

    When it comes to saving cash, I only hope that cash is not outlawed in a martial law situation some day and replaced with government script. When it comes to gold & silver , that also may be confiscated like they did with gold confiscation in the 1930’s. Precious metals do not generate interest but they are always worth something.The history of fiat currency such as we have in the U.S. is not good, there is no historical record of it ever working that I am aware of .

    I would recommend to invest in tangible stuff that is commonly used by folks , and that includes a long list of things . It is very worthwhile to invest in yourself by gaining knowledge and skills that work for you.

  18. I came from a long line of investors starting with my grandfather who was a farmer. My father was an engineer and I am the one in conventional medicine.

    If one is to invest, try to invest in something you know about and have a certain amount of knowledge in. My father’s contribution to the nest egg was in precious metals and rare earth magnets because these were things being used in the rapidly growing computer industry after WW2.

    My own contribution to the body of knowledge was in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to include gene therapy, gene splicing and gene editing with CRISPR technology. If you are currently taking antibiotics, used genetic testing company like 23 and me or if you are using chemotherapy involving immune system boosters, odds are you are using something from a company I have already invested in.

    From the days I started as a young EMT – 1 driving in a California Metro Area, I have seen AIDS go from a certain death sentence to a manageable, chronic condition. Hepatitis C did not kill outright but it shaved off 15 years of life expectancy. Now there is a cure for it (Gilead Pharmaceuticals had their Initial Public Offering almost a year before the first tv advertisement went on the air.). The Human Genome was decoded about the time I graduated from a Bay Area Nursing Program. Biotech continues to be a growth industry at the present time so it is not too late.

    Main point being: The things we invested in (food, computers and medicine) were not things to be coveted and hoarded. We invested in those things that people use just about every day. I talk a lot about guns on this site. They are a fun hobby but most investors I know of think of their portfolio much like a farm or a fruit orchard. The satisfaction of helping things grow and to cast out those things that do not produce.

  19. Since the market crash of 2008 there is now a series of funds set up in anticipation of things going south ( market downturn, hedging your bets on other stocks.)

    These funds have the word “Contrarian” as part of the name. When most everything is going up, these funds do not do well. If you are holding these funds when the market goes down, the returns can be flat-ass amazing.

    The market crash of 1929 was way before my time. I was around to observe the “stagflation” in the U.S. during the Presidency of Jimmy Carter (1976-1980). I was riding my bicycle past the lines of cars at the gas pumps on my way to and from school and work..

    Watching things like that made me deeply distrustful as a child and it led to me majoring in Economics as an adult.

    1. Beware of Counter Party Risk when you invest in Contrarian Funds. Lost 2 messages on this subject so short here. In normal market corrections you can make money less the high fees BUT in an severe market crash Bankrupt companies do not honor hedges. So never bet the house on this stock market

  20. Ok so here’s a dumb question…..
    My only debt is the house. I have a few funds my dad invested in. Enough to pay off my mortgage? I don’t know, but close. Fees and taxes would deminish a lot of that money, i assume. My 401k would cover my debt. But then again fines, fees and taxes.
    My thoughts are if I should lose my job or.have financial difficulty, I could use it then…..or the stock market crashes and I lose it all. Or if I pass, family could use it. So what if the house is foreclosed on.
    They could start anew.

    I just want to make a.smart choice and not kick myself.

    1. And if SHTF
      Who cares if the house is paid off or if S doesn’t HTF who cares if the house is paid off? One way or another I could lose it…..taxes for example.
      Could that extra, unheld money go elsewhere?
      Been beating my brain on this issue for years.
      Hence the cabin..,….

    2. Pre 59 1/2 SEPP withdrawals are IRS authorized if you are in Financial Distress. Worth looking up. Allows you to use your 401K and such before normal retirement age with out penalties.

      That said Joe c I am not a financial adviser but then again I also do not charge for advise or sell you investments so….

      This weird party has gone on far longer than I could ever expect AND nothing says it will not stumble along for 20 more years. I expect the odds are pretty poor but. So Dumping your retirement funds to take a guaranteed loss vies penalties and taxes seems unwise. Even during the Great Depression good companies too a hit but eventually recovered. Bad companies died off so losses will occur in a major stock market correction. I have a few solid companies in my portfolio but I am mostly cash right now. I have a shopping list of stocks I would love to own cheaply thus the cash.

      Your query seems to be about Financial Collapse and Social Collapse worries. Paying off your mortgage is only worthwhile IF you can still maintain taxes on it, otherwise you will still lose it in a year or two. Also you need to think IF you would want to live where you are IF Social Collapse occurs. Your answers to these questions should guide your thinking.

      Hope this helps

      1. NHM
        I hear ya.
        Ya know I’ve got out of pocket expenses, well over several grand in now outdated insulin in my fridge.
        I can’t win.
        Thanks for your thoughts.

        1. Joe c you are still alive, breathing, kicking and MOST of All THINKING so by my book your still winning. Clearly your not in a hospital bed with tubes everywhere using a laptop to surf MSB.

          When friends ask me complex questions I tell them to pick up a yellow pad and a pencil and to WRITE out what they are thinking-worried about. Do not analyze it JUST write it out.

          THEN set it aside for a few days, goof off maybe, go fishing, pray read your bible.

          THEN reread what you wrote. Very often clarity comes to mind and actionable thought TO BE DONE.

          I do this process when I find myself in a swamp of confusion spinning my wheels and when CLARITY comes am far more successful in doing actions that count.

          Proverbs chapter 6 was my reading yesterday, worth a quiet read.

        2. NHM
          Thank you for being a listening ear, so to speak.
          Just a lot of crap on the brain…..as always.
          Will have to go to the cabin to read Proverbs…… might be the perfect place. The ‘bin is a go to, that’s why the Bible is there.
          Haven’t had time to hit the library,.but I have the jist.on the.ash.trees.
          Thanks, dude.

  21. I’ve been buying knifes everything from small folding to large hunting knifes
    At a garage sale the lady had several nice knives after talking with her she showed
    me all of her uncle’s knifes. $600 later over 4500 knifes loaded in my truck.
    Can you say barter!!
    Best investment ever!

  22. I didn’t know about this article, it’s a very good one.

    What I did, and I know very few here can do this.

    Around here in Oct, they have a bred cow sale. Well, I was a cattleman, so each yr I would buy 80 to 90 bred cows with an April 15 cut off date. That is 2 semi loads.

    Calve them out, pasture them separate from the main herd, In July, that’s when hamburger cows are the highest, the cows are grass fat, usually 3 to 4 hundred pounds heavier, I would split them. Put the calves, about 3 to 4 weight in my background pens and start teaching them to feedlot ready. Sell the cows for hamburger. Keep the calves till Sept, then sell them to go to Kansas to winter on winter wheat.

    I’ll leave a lot out here, but I usually showed a 30% to 40% gain on my investment. I made a lot of money.

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