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!
Showing posts with label overlooked retirement dangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label overlooked retirement dangers. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Is This Too Painful to Think About?
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!
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!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Retirees Forced To Return To Work
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
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
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Why Nuclear Terror Here is Inevitable
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!"
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!"
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The Ultimate Sell Signal
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?
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?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Overlooked Retirement Dangers
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
