Overlooked Retirement Dangers

The Biggest Overlooked Retirement Danger

2011-06-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

The biggest retirement danger is running out of money. You may have enough, but have you ever considered how much your dollars are going to be worth as inflation takes hold?

Another major factor -- in case you don't think we will have substantial inflation -- is how will our U.S. government pay the massive federal pension and Social Security/Medicare obligations to the huge Baby Boomer generation? There won't be enough young workers to pay into the Ponzi scheme, to keep it solvent!

Doubt me? Read the book by former Presidential economic adviser Lawrence Kotlikoff -- The Coming Generational Storm. Kotlikoff says there is no other politically acceptable way these obligations can be paid. You can buy the book from Amazon right here on this page for 62 cents.

My point is, trouble is coming (as if the economy wasn't bad enough...). Worse trouble than most folks are prepared to handle...unless we band together through network marketing of necessary health-improving items, for example.

Network marketing is simply a matter of stacking a deep chain of buyers of useful products that people are already buying elsewhere for more money. With everyone only required to find two customers (in a binary compensation plan), it's possible to benefit from the sales to thousands of customers thanks to the small efforts of many others.

I first took a serious look at MLM as a business model when I was working in rural economic development for the U.S. Department of Commerce. I came to believe then that MLM provided the best opportunity for average people left with no local employment opportunities to create a middle-class or better income.

In the twenty years since that time, I have met thousands of people who are earning above-average incomes -- some of them from very remote places.

If you'd like to learn more about building a secondary income with a global distribution business, visit my new Web site (under construction, but filled with lots of useful information for those near retirement).

It is http://www.fatburningfuel.com Thanks for stopping by!

Is This Too Painful to Think About?

2011-03-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything in a while. I have been busy with my main Web site, HealthyPlanetDiet.com, and now a new one about techniques and products that help one lose fat.

It is rapidly becoming painfully obvious that retirees, unless they are very savvy at protecting themselves and their investments, will be in "deep doo-doo" very soon as our government spends its way into financial crisis.

We're already in debt up to our eye-balls, but we don't hesitate to involve ourselves in another expensive little foreign war, Libya. How many does that make now that we're tied up in?

Natural disasters and the resultant nuclear cataclysms that threaten to spread to our shores by tsunamis and trade winds are another factor we weren't counting on.

All the predictions that there will be -- at some unknown point -- a series of defaults on Social Security and pension obligations still hold true.

Inflation is beginning to show up from the trillions of dollars of new money that has been pumped into Wall St. to save the bankers who caused the housing crash that reduced the value of our retirement savings, represented by the equity in our homes.

I could go on a full-blown rant, but I think you get the message. There's no sense in dwelling on how badly we are being treated by our elite, here and in Europe.

There will be more terrorism here in the USA and Europe. There will be much higher inflation and possibly shortages of food. It would be a good idea to move to the country and get a big garden going.

It would be wise to spend time on improving your health, reduce your weight if need be, and put a large chunk of your assets into storable foods, garden seeds, water, and tradable goods, such as gold and silver.

If you can leave the USA, that might be even better, as long as you chose your destination wisely. Consult "International Living" or "Sovereign Man" for ideas on expatriating.

Who would have ever thought that U.S. states and municipal governments would be going broke and trying to renegotiate their promises to unions?

Get ready! Get healthy! Take care!

My New Web Site

2010-10-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

I have a new Web site, which is http://NRG-xplosion.drinkactweb.com It is my information and e-commerce site for my primary network marketing company.

Our top product, out of many, is our A.C.T. Energy Drink, which is sold in fifty or more countries around the world. We also sell the plant-derived colloidal minerals made famous by Dr. Joel Wallach.

A.C.T. is a unique energy drink in that it is formulated intelligently to promote healthy energy production in all our cells. It is very low in natural sugars, tastes delicious, and makes people of all ages feel almost as good as new.

If you would like to try a sample of our new, improved flavor, just contact me through my main site at http://www.healthyplanetdiet.com/best-energy-drink.html

New School Marketing by Kim Klaver: You Are The Message

2010-07-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

New School Marketing by Kim Klaver: You Are The Message

Health or Health Care?

2010-06-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

My college roommate died a week ago. He was 62, I believe. He had health care, but it wasn't enough to pull him through.

My point is, you can have the finest comprehensive health care insurance, but if you let your health go, you might not make it to retirement. Imagine! All those years of work for nothing!

I have always preferred to be in business for myself, so that I can take the time to make sure I get my exercise and eat well. Being on someone else's schedule has never appealed to me.

As a result, my health is excellent. I feel young. I have no need for doctors -- and that alone saves me a lot of money.

Dying before you get to retire is definitely an "overlooked retirement danger," wouldn't you agree?

Take care of your health is my advice for you. Spend 40-60 minutes daily walking briskly or bicycling. Lift some weights a couple times a week. Eat lots of vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains, legumes, and very little animal protein. That's my recipe for physical health.

For financial health, so that you can spare the time for leisurely living and exercise, consider starting a side business to fund your early retirement. I have found infomarketing and network marketing perfect for funding my easy-going lifestyle. Both are doing very well in this generally stagnant economy.

For more information on Internet and Network Marketing, visit my Web site: http://www.healthyplanetdiet.com/

Be Sure To Read The Article On Cancer Screening

2009-11-10T13:59:00.000-08:00

Before you go in for your next cancer screening, be sure to read the article in the widget below this post, entitled "Cancer--American Cancer Society Drops A Bombshell". The chief medical officer of the ACS made a very revealing announcement about the dubious value of what they've been calling "early detection."

The bottom line on this is that a lot of Americans have been steered into radical mastectomies and operations that have left men impotent and wearing diapers for the rest of their days for no good reason.

If you want to go to my source for this info, it is in Dr. John McDougall's October, 2009, newsletter: http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/oct/091000.htm

Articles Useful To Your Retirement

2009-11-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

The China Study

2009-08-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

My New Web Site Is Shaping Up

2009-08-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to tell you my new Web site is up and running. Check it out at http://www.HealthyPlanetDiet.com/ It can help you avoid the greatest danger to your happy retirement: Declining health.

Please join me in staying healthy into old age. It's possible. My grandfather did it, as well as many people in remote corners of the world that don't eat the toxic American meat-and-potatoes diet.

Check out the book, "The China Study," by T. Colin Campbell, PhD. It will tell you all you need to know about our health potential to avoid and even reverse diseases without drugs or surgery. Dr. Campbell is a respected authority on cancer and the science behind healthy eating.

Like to Lose Some Weight?

2009-06-22T17:55:00.001-07:00

I have purchased a new domain name and will be filling it with content about the ideal healthy diet that will help you lose weight -- if you want to -- and how to save money at the same time.

It amazes me that so many people fail at dieting and can't figure out why. I think I know. I'll be discussing this and other unique insights I've gained over fifty years of studying how to avoid getting pudgy and old-looking like so many of my friends have. I still wear the same size pants I wore in high school, so I must be doing something right. (And please don't assume that I am just genetically skinny. It has taken a lot of exercise and weightlifting to stay thin, but it's worth it.)

Come visit my new site in a few days when I have the home page up: www.HealthyPlanetDiet.com

Leave a comment here if there is a question you'd like me to answer on the new site.

Looking for Opportunity in this Depression?

2009-04-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

I've read some sad stories lately about retirees competing with teenagers for entry-level jobs. There is one part of our economy that is growing and that is Network Marketing.

Now, don't run off - it's true. Every recession brings more growth in network marketing companies because people who would never look at them otherwise are HUNGRY for an opportunity to create fallback plan. A Plan B, because their Retirement Plan "A" isn't working anymore.

The problem with MLM/network marketing is that it has been portrayed as something everyone can do - - and once the average person finds out there are sales involved, they want no part of it. It's not for everyone, it's for people who understand business and sales.

If you are a professional salesperson, who is about to be laid off, then take a look at a FREE ebooks I'm offering visitors on my other blog: http://mlm4freedom.blogspot.com/

I have met and worked with some of the big names of MLM. I can tell you the money and lifestyle are real. They have lot of fun and make it all look like fun.

Once you clear away the myths that have been spread about MLM -- and you pick a good company to represent -- a sales pro can earn a very handsome retirement income when combining the MLM compensation plan with using the Internet to attract and screen the propsects you want for your business.

If you need an opportunity -- it's there. Go download that short book that will clear up why some many people have a bad impression of network marketing and MLM. It is to the right of this post, called "The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing."

Just click on the big red book and follow the download instructions.

It really opened my eyes to the possibilities in MLM when you learn how to do it the right way.

See what you think and leave me a comment. Thanks!

Retirees Forced To Return To Work

2009-03-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

There is a new Overlooked Retirement Danger catching a growing number of Americans who thought they were ready for retirement: massive declines in asset values.

I recently read a sad article in the Wall Street Journal (2/17/09) about the many American retirees, some in their 70s, who are looking for work in this deepening Depression.

The article recounted the difficulties that older workers are having finding legitimate work at home positions that are widely touted on the 'Net: getting paid for filling out surveys, various online investment scams, and online marketing information about getting rich in marketing online marketing information (how imaginative!).

There is so much garbage floating around on the 'Net and the average retiree seems to have difficulty telling what's legit from what is not.

Beyond technical legitimacy, there should be consideration of what types of business will do well in this economic environment of reduced consumer spending. The typical former employee often doesn't know where to look and how to evaluate these criteria for business success.

When I worked with the U.S. Department of Commerce/Rural Development Administration to find and nurture new employment opportunities in rural Oregon communities hit by mill closures in the 1990s, I came to appreciate network marketing as one of the best self-employment opportunities for the average person.

Network marketing Is a legitimate business format, but all networking companies are not equal in their profit potential in today's economy.

Let me just offer some filters I use when considering the viability of any new home business opportunity:

Is the company solid, well-capitalized, profitable, and led by experienced businesspeople?

Has it been in business more than five years?

Are similar products already being bought and included in most Americans' budgets?

Are the products necessary or could they be dispensed with if money gets tighter?

Are the products better than store-bought alternatives at a competitive price?

Is it fairly easy to earn commissions for recommending the products and/or opportunity to others?

Network marketing and direct sales still carries a stigma for many people. Much of this has come from the way that distributors have been taught to promote their businesses - and this is due for revision. The ebook I am giving those who would like to learn more about Network Marketing will show how to make a success out of this ideal recession-busting business.

Get your copy at: http://PHK.the7greatliesofnetworkmarketing.com

Online MLM = Retirement Income

2009-01-29T15:49:00.000-08:00

What chance do you think we Americans have of seeing our 401Ks, savings accounts, and home equity return to a level where we can comfortably retire?

When do you think we will see the economy get "back to normal"?

Are you expecting President Obama to "fix" Healthcare and make it free for all?

I think we are kidding ourselves if we don't start our own "Plan B" to replenish our own retirement savings.

The Plan B that offers the most promise is online MLM or Network Marketing. No other business format has the Leverage and the Power to grow our savings as much as we need them to grow.

I came to this conclusion about 18 years ago when I was working for the U.S. Dept. of Commerce in the Rural Development field. MLM seemed like the perfect rural home business in the communities I was working, but no-one was able to make it work in a big way.

A New way to find people who WANT to work with you on your MLM business has turned up on the Internet (of course!).

I will be offering a FREE e-book explaining this revolutionary change in MLM/network marketing that can make it work for the average person.

No more talking to people who aren't interested.
No more cold-calling ice-cold "leads".
Only working with the people who want what you have - and only if they fit your standards.

And the best part: You will earn money from prospecting, not pay it out!

Leave me a comment here or bookmark this site or sign up for my RSS feed so you know when the ebook is available.
Stay tuned. Thanks for visiting!

2008-11-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

As we're all waiting for the smoke to clear, so we can see the new direction of our country, I will only surmise that those of us who still have a solid income above $150,000/year will be facing more taxes in the near future. Tax the more productive elements of our society and redistribute some of the money to those who were unwise in managing their finances: this seems to be the plan of the Obama administration, one that will be copied on the state and local level.

It's a good time to start thinking about how to protect your earnings from higher taxes, if you even have sufficient earnings to worry about. One way to do this is to start looking for another country to emigrate to, where taxes are not so oppressive.

Higher taxes are certainly a danger to your retirement plans, so you need to take countermeasures.

You may find this chart useful in your search:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_rates_around_the_world

Please Visit My New Main Blog

2008-11-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

I have decided my main focus for the next few years will be personal and community Food Security. To that end, I invite you - if you're interested - to visit my new blog entitled "Common Wealth Farm" at http://commonwealthfarm.blogspot.com

Now, the Election campaign is finally over. Saint Obama has won, proving that Americans in general don't want the truth about their political/economic affairs, so I have decided to stop talking about our immoral, murderous, and unwise foreign policies and to focus squarely on what can be done to maintain a comfortable standard of living for myself and those who see the danger of our situation.

When it becomes evident that all the Bailout monies are being wasted and unemployment keeps going up, Common Wealth Farm is a concept I offer for those who want honest work and a roof over their heads. Our American economy has been based on foolish premises that most of us can be consumers of a variety of products shipped into this country, without producing an equivalent value to trade the producer countries. With increases in oil prices and/or lack of credit to pay for shipments of vital goods, Americans may soon find many necessary items no longer in stock on supermarket shelves. Whoops!

We need to become locally self-sufficient in food and energy. This can be done, but it requires work and preparation now. Common Wealth Farm is just a name for an old way to do this. It may solve the problems of unemployment, homelessness, and food security for a lot of Americans, when they are ready for it.

By the way: Food that you grow for your family is equivalent to earnings you won't have to pay taxes on. Tax-free income!

If this seems like excessive worry, here's a little tidbit I found in the news yesterday: Central California will be limiting water supplies for cities and farms (where much of America's food is grown) to 15% of their requested ammount in 2009. Unless they have a very unusually wet winter, there may be a lot less produce coming out of California farms next year. It is not worth planting most crops if you won't have the necessary water to grow them. Think about that!

Here in Oregon, we have no shortage of water. In fact, it's raining steadily now, right on schedule!

Major Retirement Danger: Running Out of Money

2008-06-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

Running out of money, when you're too old to work anymore is a major bummer! Another related problem, often the reason we run out of money, is that our health begins failing and doctors extract what remains of our money. It's a sad situation.

Even though I've taken pretty good care of my health over the years, I still have my aches and pains and have begun to feel less and less like my younger self. Recently, though, I've discovered a product that makes me feel young and sharp and more energetic on a daily basis, without any negative side-effects. I feel about 15 years younger when I drink this delicious beverage.

It's an energy drink called A.C.T. (Advanced Cellular Therapy) and it's totally unlike the crazy concoctions the kids are drinking now. It is all natural, has very little sugars, and has vitamins and herbs that help energize your cells for 5-6 hours at a time. I like it much better than coffee or tea, which make me too nervous!

Some folks who try it are calling A.C.T. "liquid Viagra" and I can see what they mean. Like I said, it makes me FEEL YOUNG.

Best of all, A.C.T. is the "Energy Drink That Pays." The company doesn't spend big bucks on fancy advertising. It doesn't hire celebrities like Lance Armstrong to recommend their product. It offers you and me the opportunity to tell our friends about this exciting new product and receive commissions for the products we help them sell.

The company provides training through the 'Net and a great human support network. It's easy to like the beauty and simplicity of this lucrative opportunity. And you are doing people a favor by sharing this great discovery!

My favorite way to market this fantastic product is through the Internet. The company has laid out a step-by-step system, with a low initial investment and business overhead that makes it possible for the average hardworking person to create a million dollar business to help them stay FAR AHEAD of inflation and galloping MEDICAL EXPENSES!

If you're interested in feeling younger and making more money, I invite you to visit my Web site to learn more about DrinkACT: http://drinkactweb.com/healthywealth

By the way, if you travel overseas and have business connections there, A.C.T. can be shipped to 34 countries currently. The falling value of our dollar makes A.C.T. even more of a bargain for folks in Europe, Asia, and some South American countries. And don't forget the tax advantages to having a home-based business!

If you'd like to try A.C.T., or would like to learn more about the perfect retirement business, drop by my Web site: http://drinkactweb.com/healthywealth !

The Greatest Danger to Your Health & Wealth

2008-05-26T05:09:00.000-07:00

Surveys have shown the vast majority of Americans believe the war in Iraq was a mistake and should be ended - and yet it goes on. More deaths of real people are added to the list of those who died for a mistake every day. Today is Memorial Day, a holiday that is built around the lie that the deaths of millions of friends, relatives, and strangers has somehow preserved our Freedom. I'm here to tell you - in the kindest way I can - that millions of people over the years have died for that lie.

We all need to come to terms with some unpleasant realities of life if we want our world to be a better place. That's hard to do when all around you are smug lies, saying that these millions of deaths were necessary. Our preachers tell us the Lie; our President tells us the Lie; just about every newspaper and TV News pretty face tell us the Lie that the many Americans who died in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and even World War I and II died for a good reason.

We need to come to terms with the fact that we are being lied to, from the President on down. If we truly are free men and women, we need to get our minds around the fact that none of these wars were necessary to preserve our Freedom and the American Way of Life. Until we do that - and put our foot down - we're going to continue to have our friends and loved ones killed and maimed for life for no good reason.

I follow a higher law than the US government. That's the law that was taught to us centuries ago by Jesus Christ and many other enlightened spiritual teachers. Even the President says he is a Christian, but from watching his actions, I have to believe that either he is psychotic or he is a liar. It's time for all of us to start demanding our leaders to practice the higher laws that we say we believe.

"As you sow, so shall you reap." How plain is that? What goes around, comes around. If we continue to kill and destroy the homes of poor people in Iraq and elsewhere, their relatives and countrymen will try to do the same to us. Can you blame them?

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Either we believe this or we don't. Most Americans say we do, so let's start living our beliefs so we can start enjoying the real benefits of the peace and Freedom this country was created to provide.

How about "Thou shalt not kill!" If we want to honor our dead, who died with (for the most part) the best of intentions, we need to start living by our deepest beliefs.

We need to look at the cold, hard, ugly facts that nothing positive was accomplished by all the killing in Vietnam, Iraq, or even the Civil War, that could not have been accomplished by peaceful means. We trade with Vietnam now and they have proven to be no threat to our way of life - so how can we say our soldier died for some noble purpose?

Let's end the Lie! If we don't, we eventually will be dragged into a nuclear confrontation. Even the status quo of "acceptable levels of casualties" is insane, given that these wars are accomplisihing nothing but sowing the seeds of misery. War is impoverishing our nation.

There's a great article by Jacob Hornsberger of the Future of Freedom Foundation that says all this in a more scholarly manner, something about "They didn't die to defend our Freedom." I'll insert it when I locate the link.

I just wanted to say on this Memorial Day, let's honor our dead by swearing to stop believing the Lie that war is a necessary evil. It is not.

A Proven Income Opportunity

2008-04-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

What is the perfect "proven income opportunity"? What does everyone need that they will pay you a profit for providing? Would you agree it is Food?

I've been looking for the perfect, work-at-home business for years. I've found and started several, but they all had flaws. The more I thought and read about trends in our food production, the more certain I am that, using the right tehniques of farming and the right business model, growing food for your family and community is the perfect proven income opportunity for now and the future.

What's not to like about a business that is growing 17-20% per year, with its competition falling behind due to a rise in the prices of oil, plus the diversion of corn crops into ethanol production? Organic mini-farming, to be specific, will feel no direct impact from either of these two problems. And rising food prices in your neighborhood grocery stores are going to drive consumers into your arms, looking for quality affordable garden produce. Will you be ready?

To my mind, growing a big garden - enough for most of your needs and some to sell your neighbors - is the most sensible and profitable investment of your time. If nothing else, you will eliminate most of your food costs, get some healthy exercise, eat more nutritious foods - which is the equivalent of a tax free increase in income of more than $2500 per person in your household! Where else can you get a second work-at-home job that pays you tax-free income?

Now, most people will not start their own gardens, so you don't need to worry about a lot of new competition in the coming Recession. Most folks are too lazy and not yet hungry enough to willingly eat natural, unprocessed foods. Still, there is a growing market for organic, healthy food. I'm just telling you about it; if you don't want to take advantage of this opportunity to secure your family's food supply, that's your business.

I've looked at all the phony work-at-home proven income opportunities out there and I've seldom found any that were worth the effort. Many are outright scams. I'm tired of losing money - I have found a sure thing that a growing number of people will come to you and ask you to sell them. I know it works, because I've done it before.

If you want to learn more about how to create your own mini-farm and profitably market your crops, the best book I've found is Mini-Farming for Self Sufficiency, by Brett Markham. It is very well written, clear, and full of references. See the link on the right of this column.

The key to making this the perfect proven income opportunity is to market your produce by forming what's called a CSA. This means "community supported agriculture" and that means your customers pay you for your crops before you even plant them and come to pick them up once a week. Look into it. Obviously, it may take you two or more seasons of successful crops to prove you know what you're doing, so that your customes will trust you, but that's a worthwhile investment of time and effort. Every real business requires some start-up investment of time and money.

Read the book, it'll all make sense then.

This Sums It Up Better Than I Ever Could

2008-03-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a video just out from DonHarrold.net, discussing the Fed's manipulation of our currency to favor the big Wall Street insiders, while screwing the average stock investor. If you have any money on Wall Street's rigged Monopoly game, you need to see how the game is really being played.

Chek it out. The video is to the right of this post.

Your Future: World Made By Hand

2008-03-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite authors, James Howard Kunstler, has released his newest novel: World Made By Hand. He also wrote The Long Emergency, which I recommend highly.

I believe there are two types of people in this world - those who want to be amused and entertained and those who want actionable information to give them an edge in dealing with life as it is. I write for those grown-ups who want the whole truth so they can know what is likely coming. That way we can be prepared for the most likely scenarios. James Kunstler is someone worth listening to.

Kunstler's latest novel is no "light reading." It is heavy stuff, but believable if you are at all tuned in to the myriad catastrophes that are occuring everyday. If you can read between the lines of your daily news, you might have imagined a similar future. World Made By Hand only makes it more graphic and real.

When you put together the imminent potential of nuclear terrorism, a collapse of our economy due to the greed and arrogance of "the smartest people in the room," the end of American hegemony over the world, and therefor, the end of our preferred access to the magic elixir, oil, that makes our comfortable way of life possible, you'll get a glimpse of the future Kunstler envisions.

James Kunstler gives us the key to the puzzle of everyday events that brings the whole picture into focus. The trends that are in motion now, how they will interact to create dramatic changes in the near future. Like the illustrations that dare you to "Count the squirrels in this picture!", World Made By Hand will let you see the future that has been concealed in seeming random chaotic acts by separate actors.

Massive change can happen overnight, when tensions are released along fault lines that have endured pressure for centuries. Don't be caught unawares when it happens! I believe we are coming into an era of radical and unpleasant social/political/economic changes that have been stewing quietly for years. In hindsight, they will seem predictable, just as 9/11 does now.

If you want to find out where the juggernaut of world events is going so you can get out of the way, I urge you to read this book quickly. I did.

Why Nuclear Terror Here is Inevitable

2008-03-04T09:53:00.000-08:00

If you have any doubt that al-Qaeda or others will acquire and use nuclear weapons on the US in the near future, read this article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2368174.ece

It pretty well sums up much of what I'd like to say about the total incompetence of our government in their supposed efforts to "protect us".

A line of inquiry from one who knows that will make it even more disturbingly clear is this, about Sibel Edmonds: http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=12166

I'm not here to argue with anyone. If those articles don't convince you that we are being sold down the river by our rulers, then I will wish you luck and get on with my preparations for what I am sure will happen over the next few years.

I am writing these pages for those who do know - or at least suspect - that we're being set up for a major fall...and you want to prepare yourselves, as I do.

Here's another thing to keep in mind: Our leaders create problems for us (like they built up Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda with billions of our dollars to fight the Russians, years ago - now they have turned on us. ) and then they use those problems as a way to urge us to accept their solutions. Example: 9/11 was an excuse to invade Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11, but had a lot of oil and the potential to be used as a base for future operations in the region(think Iran).

One point I'd like to make is that, just like in chess, if your adversary WANTS you to move in a certain direction, it's probably not in your best interests. I'm sorry to say that our adversary in this chess game is our own government.

Whether through the hubris and incompetence/overconfidnce of the Neocons in the Bush administration, or through their out-of-control greed to make big bucks selling our nuclear secrets to our "allies" - one way or the other, we are being set up for nuclear terorism here in the states. When it happens, it will be a new excuse for some foreign war and more loss of our freedoms here at home. Don't fall for it! Who sold them the technology? Who betrayed the American people for thirty pieces of silver? That's your real enemy.

Unfortunately, our nuclear secrets have been sold, the cat is out of the bag, and it's only a matter of time before the first one goes off. My question for you is: Where will you be when nuclear terrorism comes to America?

Nuclear terror is one of the major Overlooked Retirement Dangers. You can prepare yourself for it by moving to safety, or you can go on believing in the fairy tale that "Everything is fine. That could never happen here!"

The Ultimate Sell Signal

2008-02-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

To give you an idea of what kind of sources I base my predictions on, here is one: David Walker, the head of the GAO (Government Accountability Office) a non-partisan Comptroller General of U.S. finances. He has been on a crusade for the last few years, trying to warn the American people and their leaders about the impending collapse of Social Security/Medicare and the bankruptcy of our nation itself. Google David Walker or Concord Coalition to hear what he has to say.

He must have been feeling some pressure from the Bush administration, due to his attacks on their out-of-control deficits. I am sure Walker was frustrated by the lack of serious discussion or - Heaven forbid! - any action by Congress in the direction of dealing with this massive impending shortfall in entitlement funding. In case you haven't heard, Social Security is run like a Ponzi scheme, which depends on a lot of new "investors" to pay into the scheme, so that it can continue paying for the ever-escalating medical and retirement income costs of the retired population.

The annual Social Security surplus produced by the huge Baby Boomer contingent of workers is about to come to an end and those folks will be retiring in droves over the next few year. All those surplusses have been lumped into the federal budget and spent. They are not invested in anything, to grow into the trillions of dollars needed to pay the Boomers what was promised them, as any normal insurance business would do. They are gone.

Now, you may be saying, "That's no problem. I wasn't counting on that tiny check anyway. I've got plenty of money and investments to provide for my retirement!"

Ahhh, but let me tell you "the rest of the story." Another of my key sources is economist Laurence Kotlikoff, who served on Reagan's Council of Economic Advisors and wrote The Coming Generational Storm in 2005 to explain the danger here. To summarize his argument: The only politiclly acceptable, workable way to find the funds needed to pay for a $60-70 Trillion shortfall in Social Security/Medicare, is to inflate their way out of it. This is how you and everyone else will suffer for Congress' and the White House's incompetence over the past twenty plus years.

I chose the title "The Ulimate Sell Signal" in reference to an article in the Daily Reckoning that appeared February 26, 2008. It quoted money market specialist Bill Donoghue, who noted that David Walker had recently resigned his post at the GAO, calling it "the ultimate sell signal" for America's prospects. The Daily Reckoning is a good read, I reccomend it highly.

Walker is evidently so frustrated that this country and our leadership (who should know better) seem determined to run this country off a cliff rather than come to terms with fiscal realities. Tellingly, Walker has accepted a post at the head of a billion dollar new foundation created by entrepreneur Pete Peterson to continue to spread the message that this country is doomed if it continues to spend money it doesn't have.

Have you noticed?

Foreign countries are losing confidence in the dollar.
Home sales and prices are declining nationwide.
Inflation is going up.
Jobs are going overseas.
Wall St. is highly nervous over massive speculation in sub-prime debt, SIVs, CDOs, etc.
The Fed is caught between their mandate to fight inflation, while trying to keep the economy functioning with lower interest rates.
Consumer spending, 70% of the GDP, is drying up. Uh-oh!
Bankruptcies and foreclosures are going up at record rates.
The country is mired in two overseas wars, at great expense, and looking for a reason to bomb Iran.
Both Democrats and Republicans have been talking about adding Universal Medical Insurance to our financial burden soon.
The inevitability of more terrorism here at home, possibly nuclear.
The inevitability of shortages, price increases, and embargoes of oil and natural gas.
Resource wars in a mistaken attempt to secure what's left for the USA.
The Average American doesn't seem to care about all these growing storm clouds.

I assume, if you're reading this, that you have money you want to protect in the likely event of a collapse of our economy and/or runaway inflation. Even if you don't have much to lose, you still must want to make sure you continue to have a roof over your head, food on the table, and some source of income.

I don't know what - if anything - you plan to do about all this, but I will tell you what I'm planning. I would suggest you read Kotlikoff's book and also James Howard Kunstler's "The Long Emergency". I will put these in a link box on this page for your convenience. These are books worth owning.

As a protection against the chaos these authors and others project, I would consider either moving out of this country or - at the least - moving to a safe, small community where you can provide for your own family's need for foods with a good-sized organic garden plot. This is a great way to save money on groceries, improve the quality of your health, and even provide a generous retirement income for yourself. More on this later...

I'm not a financial advisor, but I will say what I plan to do to protect the value of my money from inflation OR deflation. My plan is real basic: Gold and silver as a store of value, and real property in safe locale, plus a stock of tools, seeds, and knowledge. And trustworthy friends with complementary skills.

So, the Ultimate Sell Signal has been given - will you heed it?

Overlooked Retirement Dangers

2008-02-26T16:32:00.001-08:00

Your life in retirement is about to change dramatically due to what I call the overlooked retirement dangers. These are a perfect storm of converging trends that are about to change the world we know, and not for the better. It will be a hard time to be retired if you're not prepared for it.

What are the overlooked retirement dangers?

The first is one that most Americans have heard discussed for many years: The bankruptcy of the Social Security and Medicare system. Before you turn away, thinking you've heard all this too many times, let me assure you running out of money is not the problem. The problem for you - no matter how large your assets are - begins when our federal government is forced to print massive quantities of money to pay their obligations, thus inflating your savings out of existence. I'll explain in detail what you can do about this in a later post.

The next major overlooked retirement danger is the inevitability of more terrorism strikes here in America - probably nuclear - if our leaders don't change their approach to solving the problems connected with our ties to the Middle East. Atomizing a few square miles of Manhattan or L.A. will pretty much bring our complex society to its knees. This is totally unnecessary, but it is where we're headed if we don't change our foreign policies.

The final major Overlooked Retirement Danger is known as Peak Oil. We don't have to run out of oil and natural gas to slow our modern civilization to a crawl - all we need is for demand from China, India, and other nations to grow larger than the declining supplies of cheap, accessible oil. Peak Oil will affect every aspect of your life in the near future, from where you decide to retire to how you plan to feed your family, so you need to think about this now, before it becomes evident.

We're already seeing our economy about to go into what is euphemistically being called a "deep recession." There is so much built-up debt, both on a national and a personal level that it should be clear we are not easily going to paper over major economic problems this time around. When you factor in the crushing weight of the 77 million Baby Boomers' retirement obligations with two hugely expensive ongoing wars, it should be plain that we're in for no ordinary recession.

The key point I want to make here is that there is much we can do to smooth this transition. Most of us don't want front-row seats at Armageddon, and I believe there's a lot we can do to avoid it. With a little preparation, it may be possible to avoid the worst of these changes and prosper by providing your unprepared neighbors with critical goods and services they will need.

Why listen to me? I have a knack for gathering useful information and making correct decisions based on envisioning where our present course of action is going to take us. At age 18, I saw that the U.S. war on Vietnam was immoral, wrong, and was a terrible waste of lives and money. I faced prison rather than taking part and I believe that was one of the best decisions I ever made. History shows us that nothing worthwhile was accomplished, as we now trade freely with Vietnam and the Communist threat has proven to be an expensive delusion.

I feel just as strongly about these overlooked retirement dangers as I did about Vietnam forty years ago. I provide my reasoning and research here in hopes we can all work together to avoid some very unpleasant conditions in what are supposed to be our Golden Years.

In my next few posts I'll lay out our situation in brief and some surprisingly simple ways you can improve your personal retirement quality of life.