Even the US Government is Worried There Won’t Be Enough Electricity

Even the US Government is Worried There Won’t Be Enough Electricity

Notes From the Field  January 27, 2025  By James Hickman (Simon Black)

It was known as the “Timber Famine” in 18th-century Great Britain. And it was no exaggeration to say that it was a national crisis: Britain was running out of wood.

The first major reason was population growth; wood was the major material and fuel source of the era, used for cooking, heating, and construction. And Britain’s booming population growth created insatiable demand for timber.

The second reason was technological advancement. New machines like steam engines needed a reliable fuel source to generate heat... causing demand for wood to skyrocket.

Soon timber demand outstripped supply. Loggers cleared out entire forests, and timber prices shot up dramatically. British writer Malachy Postlethwayt lamented in 1747, “So great is the scarcity of wood. . . that where cord wood had been sold at six and seven shillings per cord, it is now sold for upwards of fifteen and twenty shillings; and in some places is all consumed.”

But Britain’s timber famine wasn’t just an economic problem—it was a matter of national security.

The domestic iron industry needed wood to fuel its fires. And with the timber shortage came a major risk of having to rely on foreign imports. Moreover, the timber famine also jeopardized the ability for the Royal Navy and merchant fleets to build new ships and repair existing ones.

The solution was clear: Britain needed to switch to a well-known alternative fuel source: coal.

But it didn’t happen without serious resistance.

Those profiting from the timber trade formed a powerful lobby, and the politicians in their pocket made ridiculous, specious arguments against coal.

Coal critics even went as far as arguing that the smell of wood smoke was preferable to coal smoke, and cleverly labeled coal “the devil’s excrement.”

Another criticism was that coal production was too dangerous (compared to logging). But technology fixed that too. Inventions like water pumps and safety lamps dramatically improved conditions in coal mines.

In the end, coal overcame the criticism and became the primary fuel of the Industrial Revolution; and the world became vastly more prosperous as a result of the combination of cheaper, more efficient energy, combined with groundbreaking productive technology (like the steam engine).

The world faces a similar choice today.

Like Britain throughout the 1700s, significant population growth has increased demand for electricity around the world, including in the US. And while there’s no “timber famine” today, there are major challenges in the production of electricity.

Much of this is self-inflicted. Years of climate fanaticism have pushed power companies to shut down coal-fired plants and replace them with inefficient wind and solar facilities.

Look, I like a clean environment as much as anyone. But the reality is that wind and solar simply aren’t as clean as the mainstream narrative would have you believe.

The mining of key input materials like germanium, cobalt, etc. is incredibly filthy. Batteries are filthy. The manufacturing process is filthy. And that doesn’t even get into child labor issues.

Plus, with wind and solar, you have to build in all sorts of extra redundancy for times when the wind doesn’t blow. Or, you know, night time, when the sun doesn’t shine. And all that extra redundancy increases the environmental waste even more.

Despite the costs and limitations, however, the share of wind and solar powering America’s grid is higher than ever before. This is a major reason why the electrical grid is struggling to keep up with surging demand.

Aside from population growth, another key driver of demand is new technology. Similar to Britain in the late 1700s, it’s well known now that our modern technology (AI) consumes massive quantities of electricity.

The net result of this supply and demand imbalance is a major concern for looming electricity shortages.

Elon Musk predicted last March that “the world will face supply crunches in electricity” this year. He’s far from alone.

One of the ventures that I’ve invested in (along with many of our Total Access members) is a technology company that focuses on specialized microchips. And the head of sales told me he was in the Washington DC area last week meeting with various government officials who are prospective customers.

One of the major concerns they expressed to him was that there simply wasn’t going to be enough electricity to meet their needs (hence their interest in our technology, which is designed to consume less power).

They recognize that there isn’t enough electrical production capacity coming on line to match demand. They also understand that demand for electricity can (and likely will) grow much faster than supply.

And it was extraordinary that even government officials were complaining about the intense, bureaucratic regulation at the local, state, and federal level to bring new power plants online. God forbid you have to displace a bird’s nest, which might set you back several years.

In Britain’s timber famine, they solved their supply shortage by turning to a better technology: coal.

Today there is also a vastly superior technology, and that’s nuclear.

We’ve written about this before— the idea that a single rock can power a small city is nothing short of astonishing. But like coal in Britain’s industrial age, nuclear power today has plenty of detractors.

But the latest emerging technology— small scale reactors— dispenses with virtually all criticism. It’s safer, cleaner, and cuts down on 90% of the waste. It’s also cheaper and faster to build, requiring 80% less energy to construct than traditional reactors.

And it has the potential to drive widespread prosperity throughout the world— something cheap energy has always been able to do.

A lot of countries have already woken up to this idea, which is why places like China, India, and even Russia have been rapidly building their own nuclear reactors.

Europe has naturally been shutting theirs down, but those governments are clearly insane. And if you have a problem with their self-destructive decisions then you’re a far-right fascist. Those people are in serious need of psychiatric care.

The US is now waking up from its green fantasy. And as America often does, it’s starting this race from behind... but will probably catch up quickly.

All of this makes uranium, i.e. the fuel source for most nuclear reactors, one of the most critical resources in the world.

Yet the supply chain for uranium is fragile, and the market is painfully underdeveloped. Decades of disinterest in nuclear have kept uranium exploration and production at a standstill, even as global demand is poised to soar.

The US government is acutely aware of this risk. In 2020, Congress established the US Uranium Reserve, allocating $75 million to buy domestically-produced uranium.

But $75 million is nothing. Even with this program, domestic production is expected to fall far short of what’s needed to fuel the next generation of reactors.

Meanwhile, the uranium market is taking notice. Prices have more than doubled since 2021, but they remain well below the levels needed to incentivize new production.

The few publicly traded uranium miners and developers have seen their stocks surge. Yet most investors remain unaware of just how critical this resource will become.

Uranium is also a quintessential real asset— a critical resource that is vital to economic prosperity and new technology.

Yet, again, uranium is in a deficit. Demand already outpaces supply, and that imbalance is only set to worsen.

That likely means skyrocketing uranium prices. And massive profits for the few producers left— many still trading at quite modest valuations.

To your freedom,   James Hickman   Co-Founder, Schiff Sovereign LLC

https://www.schiffsovereign.com/trends/even-the-us-government-is-worried-there-wont-be-enough-electricity-152012/

Millionaires Live by These Rules To Build Wealth

Millionaires Live by These Rules To Build Wealth — Experts Explain If They’ll Work for You

Angela Mae  Mon, January 27, 2025   GOBankingRates

There’s an estimated 24.5 million millionaires in the United States. That’s a relatively small percentage of the country’s population, but it’s also not zero — meaning it’s very possible for more people to achieve “millionaire” status. It’s all about being strategic and intentional with your money and financial decisions.

If you’ve decided to truly pursue the goal of becoming a millionaire, you might be wondering how to get started. What types of rules do millionaires — especially self-made ones — follow to build (and maintain) their wealth?

Here’s the answer, according to a Forbes article, and how well the average person can follow those rules to do the same, as per the experts.

Pay Yourself First

Building wealth can take a while, but you can get yourself on the right path by prioritizing saving money before you prioritize spending it. In other words, pay yourself first.

According to the Forbes article, you should be saving 20% to 30% of your total income. This means you should save $20,000 to $30,000 for every $100,000 you make. You can do this based on either net or gross income, but gross will result in greater savings potential.

“By prioritizing savings and investments before any discretionary spending, individuals ensure that they are consistently building wealth,” said Shirley Mueller, founder of VA Loans Texas. “The earlier you begin this habit, the more time your money has to grow, particularly through the power of compound interest.”

Live Below Your Means

Millionaires stay millionaires not because they flaunt what they have or spend their money with abandon, but because they live below their means. But they become millionaires because they also think big.

This means spending less than you earn, which could entail eliminating those unnecessary expenses or reevaluating your budget. And it means dreaming of — and planning for — a bigger future.

“Resist the urge to splurge! Once of the most common financial mistakes people make is to drastically increase their expenses as soon as their income increases,” said Melissa Murphy Pavone, founder at Mindful Financial Partners.

“Avoid the urge to spend more as you make more. Instead save more. Invest the difference. As you get a raise, give yourself a raise. Increase your 401(k) contribution. Add to your emergency fund. Your future self will thank you.”

Be Strategic With Debt

According to Experian, the average U.S. consumer has $104,215 in total debt — including mortgages and other loans. But while some debt is “good” — or rather, useful — much should be avoided.

TO READ MORE:  https://finance.yahoo.com/news/millionaires-live-rules-build-wealth-210100915.html

It’s like a Netflix and a Half Just Vanished Yesterday.

It’s like a Netflix and a Half Just Vanished Yesterday.

Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black)  January 28, 2025

Yesterday, Nvidia—the company which makes GPUs, including for AI— suffered the largest single-day market value loss in history.

The stock dropped 17.4% wiping $600 billion from its valuation in hours, and actually pulling the entire Nasdaq Composite down 3.4%. 

To put that in perspective, this amount of value loss is like if the entire company of Netflix AND AT&T simply disappeared.

What caused this? A Chinese AI startup called DeepSeek. Over the weekend, it revealed a new large language model (LLM) that matches the output of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and similar models but at a fraction of the cost.

Here’s the kicker: DeepSeek trained its LLM with just $5 million and 2,000 low-tech Nvidia GPUs. Compare that to ChatGPT’s $100 million budget and over 100,000 cutting-edge GPUs.

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen called this AI’s Sputnik moment.

And that’s true.

It was 1957 when the Soviets launched Sputnik into space, which made the Americans realize how much they needed to catch up.

There was a lot of panic yesterday, and it’s easy to understand why. The whole industry felt they had a competitive advantage that no longer exists.

But the reality is, this is good news for everyone. And this is the topic of our podcast today.

Many of you know that I’m the chairman of a emerging technology company which makes extremely powerful and efficient semiconductors.

It’s completely unrelated to AI, so DeepSeek doesn’t have any impact. But I reached out to a number of people in the business to help me understand this better. And overall there are a few conclusions that are pretty obvious.

One, Nvidia is still going to be able to sell all the GPUs they can produce. The difference is now they will be selling to more people. The days of Nvidia delivering GPUs by armored car are long gone. And now these professional grade chips are going to be available to even the lowliest of AI start-ups.

It also means that AI start ups can launch their businesses and develop their technology with a smaller amount of money.

Instead of having to raise half a billion dollars just to get started, they can create a viable product for just a few million dollars now.

That means more innovation, and hence more productivity for everyone.

The last thing is the market rout yesterday was classic overreaction and panic that extended to sectors that still have me scratching my head.

There was even a sell-off in natural gas stocks, which is absurd.

We talk a lot about real assets, and why they are such a smart buy right now. And natural gas companies are a great example.

Some of these businesses are well managed, profitable, dividend paying, and have pristine balance sheets. And yet the market is now giving them away.

We discuss all this and more in today’s short podcast.

(For the audio-only version, check out our online post here.)

https://www.schiffsovereign.com/podcast/its-like-a-netflix-and-a-half-just-vanished-yesterday-podcast-152017/ 

To your freedom,   James Hickman  Co-Founder, Schiff Sovereign LLCIt’s like a Netflix and a Half Just Vanished Yesterday. [Podcast]

Millionaires Live by These Rules To Build Wealth

Millionaires Live by These Rules To Build Wealth — Experts Explain If They’ll Work for You

Angela Mae   Mon, January 27, 2025  GOBankingRates

There’s an estimated 24.5 million millionaires in the United States. That’s a relatively small percentage of the country’s population, but it’s also not zero — meaning it’s very possible for more people to achieve “millionaire” status. It’s all about being strategic and intentional with your money and financial decisions.

If you’ve decided to truly pursue the goal of becoming a millionaire, you might be wondering how to get started. What types of rules do millionaires — especially self-made ones — follow to build (and maintain) their wealth?

Here’s the answer, according to a Forbes article, and how well the average person can follow those rules to do the same, as per the experts.

Pay Yourself First

Building wealth can take a while, but you can get yourself on the right path by prioritizing saving money before you prioritize spending it. In other words, pay yourself first.

According to the Forbes article, you should be saving 20% to 30% of your total income. This means you should save $20,000 to $30,000 for every $100,000 you make. You can do this based on either net or gross income, but gross will result in greater savings potential.

“By prioritizing savings and investments before any discretionary spending, individuals ensure that they are consistently building wealth,” said Shirley Mueller, founder of VA Loans Texas. “The earlier you begin this habit, the more time your money has to grow, particularly through the power of compound interest.”

Live Below Your Means

Millionaires stay millionaires not because they flaunt what they have or spend their money with abandon, but because they live below their means. But they become millionaires because they also think big.

This means spending less than you earn, which could entail eliminating those unnecessary expenses or reevaluating your budget. And it means dreaming of — and planning for — a bigger future.

“Resist the urge to splurge! Once of the most common financial mistakes people make is to drastically increase their expenses as soon as their income increases,” said Melissa Murphy Pavone, founder at Mindful Financial Partners.

“Avoid the urge to spend more as you make more. Instead save more. Invest the difference. As you get a raise, give yourself a raise. Increase your 401(k) contribution. Add to your emergency fund. Your future self will thank you.”

Be Strategic With Debt

TO READ MORE:   https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/millionaires-live-rules-build-wealth-210100915.html

How To Avoid, Prevent 'Financial Infidelity' In Your Relationship

How To Avoid, Prevent 'Financial Infidelity' In Your Relationship

Brad Smith  Mon, January 27,  Yahoo Finance Video

Bankrate Senior Industry analyst Ted Rossman joins Wealth to discuss how couples can avoid financial infidelity in their relationships.

According to Rossman, secret spending is the most common form of financial infidelity, followed by hidden debt and concealed credit cards or bank accounts. He explains that people often hide financial matters because "they feel ashamed about the way they handle money" or they're seeking independence, noting "it's hard for people to mesh those money personalities."

Rossman advocates for the "yours, mine, ours" approach to money management. This strategy allows couples to be transparent about joint expenses while maintaining some financial independence. "Increasingly, people are craving some sort of financial separation, even within a relationship," he states, citing that 60% of couples maintain separate accounts.

Rossman emphasizes transparency as the key distinction: "It's financial infidelity when it's a secret." He stresses the importance of open communication, adding that couples should discuss "not just where it's going today but also where you want it to go in the future."

To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Wealth here.

This post was written by Angel Smith

TO READ MORE AND VIEW VIDEO:

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/video/avoid-prevent-financial-infidelity-relationship-200500599.html

When Financial Infidelity Rears Its Ugly Head

When Financial Infidelity Rears Its Ugly Head

Maurie Backman  Mon, January 27, 2025  Moneywise

I found out my wife, 52, has more than $90K stashed in a secret savings account. What do I do now?

Money can be a point of contention in any marriage. And sometimes, the tension it creates can have big consequences.   Roughly two-thirds of U.S. divorces happen to couples in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to the American Psychological Association. But the rate of divorce among adults 50 and older doubled between 1990 and 2010. And as of 2019, 36% of U.S. divorces were among adults 50 and up.

Now there are various factors that can lead to divorce, but money tends to be a big contributor. And if you're in your 50s and just found out that your wife has been secretly hiding money in a savings account throughout your 20-year marriage, you may be experiencing a range of emotions, from anger to sadness.

You may also be wondering how to cope with the news — especially if you're talking about a large sum of money like $90,000.

But divorce isn't necessarily the answer. There may be ways you can salvage your marriage and move forward in a more open and honest fashion with one another.

When financial infidelity rears its ugly head

Financial infidelity can take on a lot of forms. For some couples, it can mean one person racking up scores of debt and keeping it a secret. In others, it can mean having a hidden savings account that isn't shared with a partner.

A recent study shows that more than 40% of U.S. adults who are married or live with a partner have kept a financial secret from their significant other.

This is consistent with a late 2021 survey by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) which found that 43% of U.S. adults have engaged in financial deception.

The most common type of financial infidelity identified was hiding specific purchases, bank accounts, statements or cash (39%), followed by racking up debt in secret or lying about money that was earned (21%).

How to cope with financial infidelity

Financial infidelity can be a tough thing to get over. The NEFE says that among couples who experienced it, 32% wound up with less trust in the relationship. And for 16%, it ultimately caused them to separate their finances or get divorced.

TO READ MORE:  https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/found-wife-52-more-90k-120500120.html

9 Important Financial Emergencies and How To Deal With Them

9 Important Financial Emergencies and How To Deal With Them

Personal Finance - Janice Friedman - May 23, 2019

DO YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY FUND?

Have you ever encountered a financial emergency? What was it about, and how did you deal with it? Here, we will explore some of the most common financial emergencies and how to deal with them.

9 Important Financial Emergencies and How to Deal with Them

Have you ever been in a situation that requires you to use some finances which you had not anticipated?  In life, we’re sometimes faced with sudden inevitable occurrences.  Whether a sudden sickness, job loss, or sudden demise of a loved one, different financial emergences occurrences require us to dig our pockets deeper to fix them.

I’ve been using Personal Capital to plan for a financial emergency. I can use it to monitor my emergency fund and see how much cash is embedded in my net worth. Best part it’s completely free to use.

Financial freedom is all about having the flexibility to live completely free without any burden even if there is an emergency. Even if you’ve achieved financial freedom, building some sort of buffer in your financial plan for financial emergencies is important.

Before we explore more on the different types of financial emergencies and ways to deal with them, let’s look at what a financial emergency is first.

So, What are Financial Emergencies?

Financial emergencies are unexpected situations that require one to use some money that they didn’t intend. What happens when you find yourself in need of cash abruptly from an unanticipated event is what is referred to as a financial emergency.

If not resolved on time, it can pose immediate grave repercussions. These emergencies can occur at any time and in any circle of life, including at home, and work and more.

Since you can’t prevent some of these emergencies, the prudent thing to do would be to plan for them. That is, make sure that when the unexpected event occurs, you have some cash stashed somewhere to cushion you from the impact.

Although you cannot entirely plan for everything, having a fall back plan or some backup is always crucial.

List of Most Common Financial Emergencies

Here are 9 of the most severe financial emergencies you are likely to encounter.

Major Medical Emergencies

Some health or medical emergencies are beyond our control, and no matter how much we try to stay healthy and fit, they still occur. Although we all want to believe that we won’t get sick, planning for such things before they happen is the best thing to do.

TO READ MORE: https://millionairemob.com/financial-emergencies/

7 Ways to Develop Financial Trust in Your Relationship

7 Ways to Develop Financial Trust in Your Relationship

Harris Financial Coaching

If you find that you're constantly fighting about money or hiding how you spend money from your partner, it may be time to rethink your relationship goals and values. Fighting about money can create tension in a relationship and make it challenging to accomplish future goals. When one spouse gets frustrated with the other, it can seem like you're on an island all on your own, trying to resolve a difficult situation. How can couples develop and build financial trust in their relationship?

From creating a long-term goal to paying bills on time, here are several tips for developing financial trust in your relationship.

Share a Joint Credit Card

Opening a joint credit card is a great way to build and develop financial trust. Being transparent and on the same page when it comes to handling money is a crucial aspect in any relationship.

This allows couples to develop a line of credit that'll benefit future investments if both parties maintain a good credit score. It also helps couples define their combined budget, savings, and expenses more than having completely separate finances.

- Gigi Ji, Head of Brand and Business Development, KOKOLU

Establish Clear Boundaries

Couples can develop and build financial trust in their relationship by establishing clear boundaries. In other words, couples need to define what's theirs and what's not clearly. This can help them avoid unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings and prevent any nasty surprises when one partner wants to spend money on something they've already agreed not to do.

It's also important for couples to address any financial disagreements as soon as possible so they don't fester and become bigger problems later on. When couples ignore their financial disagreements, it can lead to resentment and even result in divorce. Therefore, I believe couples who can talk about their money issues openly and honestly are much more likely to find a solution that works for both parties. - Tiffany Homan, COO, Texas Divorce Laws

Have Regular, Transparent, and Productive Discussions

One way for couples to develop financial trust in their relationship is to have open and honest conversations about finances. This includes discussing each person's income, debts, expenses, savings goals, and any other financial matters that could affect the relationship. It's important for couples to be transparent with each other about their finances and to come up with a plan that works for both of them.

This could include setting a budget, discussing how to save money, and creating an emergency fund. Having these discussions can help couples build trust in each other and their financial decisions, as well as provide peace of mind knowing that both partners are on the same page. - Michael Alexis, CEO, Tiny Campfire

Be Open and Honest About Financial Situations

In marriage, finances are an important issue. One way for couples to build financial trust is by being open and honest about each of their financial situations. Couples should communicate with each other about their income, debts, and investments. They should also agree on a budget that works for both parties. This will ensure they're each aware of how much money is coming in and where it's going. - Jennie Miller, Co-Founder, Midss

TO READ MORE: https://www.harriscashcoach.com/post/7-ways-to-develop-financial-trust-in-your-relationship?fbclid=IwAR2n1HJnL5Bh_R2jMZNHOU06ddMY8ZG5bKwWwxVhSmhawzLmYu0iZroF8o0

9 Unexpected Obstacles To Plan For Before It’s Too Late

Jordan Rosenfeld  Fri, January 24, 2025  GOBankingRates

If you find yourself in the lucky position of either passing along your wealth to your heirs or receiving a wealth transfer from a relative, this is an exciting thing, but it does come with some legal and financial concerns if not done well.

To save you and your beneficiaries from expensive hassles, experts offered nine obstacles to prepare for and get ahead of to avoid messy court battles or tax implications down the road.

Not Laying Out a Vision

Kevin Landis, a CFP, chartered financial analyst and senior vice president with Wealth Enhancement Group, said there are two main types of wealth transfers for those who are not uber-wealthy. The first is beneficiary wealth, leaving your estate to your beneficiaries, and the second is legacy wealth, setting up something that “goes on in perpetuity” such as a trust. You want to decide what kind of wealth transfer is right for you and your beneficiaries ahead of time.

“The bottom line though is just [creating a] vision of what you’d like to see done with your money,” Landis said.

If you don’t leave instructions for your vision, you not only lose control over how your wealth will be disbursed, but you could leave your heirs with a messy legal process on their hands to figure it out, too.

Not Clarifying Tax-Qualified From Nonqualified Assets

Landis shared that the IRS considers wealth transfers such as IRA and 401(k) accounts as “tax qualified” because they have tax benefits. Nonqualified money includes such things as stocks, bonds, brokerage accounts and certificates of deposit (CD).

“So there’s a 10-year rule now that if the kids receive anything that’s tax-qualified, that money has to come out of that tax preferred environment within 10 years, but they lose up to a third of it in income taxes.”

With preplanning, heirs can create a strategy to offset some of that transferred income with other deductions to minimize taxes, he explained.

Not Getting Things in Writing

It’s not enough to just tell your beneficiaries what you want — it needs to be in writing, just in case anyone else contests the right to your money or assets, Landis said. Not having things in writing can send your estate to probate, a long, expensive and often protracted legal process that can also create bad blood among family members and other beneficiaries.

TO READ MORE:  https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/wealth-transfers-9-unexpected-obstacles-190015566.html

The Most Common Banking Mistakes

The Most Common Banking Mistakes

I’m a Financial Advisor: Here Are the Most Common Banking Mistakes I See Among Clients

Laura Bogart   Thu, January 23, 2025  GOBankingRates

Financial advisors have seen it all. From people who are burdened by six figures of credit card debt to millionaires, their clients span a range of backgrounds, income, stages in life, and relationships to money. That’s what makes their jobs equal parts challenging and rewarding.

However, as financial advisors gain experience, they come to observe a few general patterns in their clients’ banking and how they manage their finances. And in those patterns, there are some common mistakes. Fortunately, almost every mistake provides an opportunity for people to learn more and do better — if they know where to start.

GOBankingRates connected with a few financial advisors to learn more about the common money mistakes they’ve seen and to share their advice for avoiding them.

Taking a One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Retirement

As the Founder and CEO of 11 Financial, Taylor Kovar has helped a lot of business owners achieve their financial goals over the years. However, he’s also seen that many of his clients, particularly business owners, are reluctant to retire completely, even as they reach the age where a lot of people are ready to sail off into the sunset professionally.

Though society often portrays retirement as carefree, there are also many individuals who want to stay involved in the businesses they’ve built, even part-time. Those people sometimes don’t realize they can factor continued income from their businesses into their retirement budgets. Worse, they may avoid budgeting for retirement altogether because they think it would mean giving up their passions. And if they choose to stay working, even at reduced hours, failing to account for taxes can become a costly mistake.

 “It’s important to remind clients that retirement doesn’t have to look like the traditional model,” said Kovar. “They can create their own version that allows them to continue doing what they love, just at a different pace.”

Leaving Money in a Traditional Savings Account

For Andrea Woroch, a nationally recognized consumer finance and budgeting expert, one of the biggest, most frustrating errors people make is leaving money on the table by keeping it in a traditional savings account.

TO READ MORE: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/m-financial-advisor-most-common-183009744.html

4 Common Fears About Money To Overcome

4 Common Fears About Money To Overcome

Heather Taylor      GOBankingRates

Most people share certain types of financial fears in common. Some will be able to overcome these fears with support, but others will let fear rule the rest of their lives. Leading a life where financial fears take top priority can keep you trapped in an unhealthy financial mindset. It can even lead to losing money throughout your lifetime.

Even if you feel scared to do it, it is possible to break the cycle and develop a healthy financial attitude where money is viewed as a tool that can help, not hinder, you. Here are some of the most common financial fears and what it takes to overcome each one.

Fear of Going Broke

Let’s start with one of the most common financial fears: going broke or even bankrupt.

This is often a learned money belief or habit, said Chloe Elise, certified financial coach and CEO of Deeper Than Money. Typically, the person who holds this fear has observed it from their parents or grandparents.

“They look at money as always being scarce, and they fear they will run out,” Elise said.

While this belief can be extremely difficult to break, the ultimate goal is to view money through an abundance mentality. Elise said some of her clients adopt the mantra “money flows to me” as a way to start welcoming money into their lives.

It takes more than a mantra though! To start welcoming money into your life is to watch your money work for you. Elise’s favorite recommendation for doing this is to keep your emergency fund in a high-yield savings account.

“With total liquidity and no risk, a HYSA is an incredible way to begin to see interest accumulate on your account by doing nothing,” said Elise, who adds that as of right now interest rates are over 3%.

Once you do this, Elise said you can start to look into other investments, like retirement accounts or real estate. This eases the fear of stepping outside of your comfort zone and increases the likelihood you will be rewarded.

Fear of Checking Your Bank Account

Who among us has indulged in an expensive weekend out, or a week-long vacation, and then felt paralyzed with fear about what their bank account will look like in the aftermath of these pending transactions?

Here’s what happens when you don’t check your bank account today. You’re not likely to check it tomorrow or the day after.

“What often happens is we let this feeling of guilt and shame from spending money spiral,” Elise said. Before long a month passes and you start to experience anxiety about facing your finances.

To overcome this fear, Elise recommends planning as much in advance as possible. If you are going on vacation, Elise said you can create a bucket in your savings account specific to the trip.

TO READ MORE: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/4-common-fears-money-overcome-160015068.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Is the New Golden Age Possible? We Do the Math

Is the New Golden Age Possible? We Do the Math

Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black)  January 23, 2025

The Wall Street Journal this morning released its latest economic forecast survey.  This is where they ask leading economists what they think inflation and economic growth will be in 2025 and beyond.

The results were pretty incredible. Between the last survey, in October before the election, and this month’s survey, the predictions for US economic growth have increased dramatically.

Optimism is clearly everywhere, not just in the economic forecasts but also the labor market, stock market, etc.  One of the reasons for that, obviously, is that Americans were just promised a New Golden Age of prosperity.

We’ve written before, many times, that America’s gargantuan fiscal challenges are still fixable.

But a Golden Age? Is that really feasible?

Well, above everything else at this organization, we are intellectually honest, and we let the math be our guide. And in today’s podcast, we actually do the math at a high level and discuss whether that Golden Age actually is possible.

Spoiler alert: it is!

But it’s gong to require what I believe are modest budget cuts— roughly $300 billion— and significantly higher economic growth.

When you think about it, it’s really something to be said that the US, i.e. the most advanced economy in the world, only clocks around 2% “real” GDP growth each year.

Given America’s population growth, the literally tens of trillions of dollars of investable capital, the massive pool of talent, and innovation, 2% growth is utterly pathetic. Talk about under-achieving your potential.

It’s deregulation, ease of doing business, and tax policy that can really move the needle on that growth.

And these are all completely realistic goals.

At the same time, there are so many forces and entrenched special interests that will battle against reform. So while there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic, it’s not a forgone conclusion.

That’s why it makes so much sense to have a Plan B.

We talk about all this and more in today’s podcast, as we walk through the math on the New Golden Age. (For the audio-only version, check out our online post here.)

To your freedom,   James Hickman   Co-Founder, Schiff Sovereign LLC

https://www.schiffsovereign.com/podcast/is-the-new-golden-age-possible-we-do-the-math-podcast-152005/

Some Thoughts On Today’s Record High Prices

Some Thoughts On Today’s Record High Prices 

Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black) January 22 2025

Herbert Hoover was an unstoppable force in 1928.

The Roaring Twenties were in full swing. Prosperity (it seemed) was everywhere. The stock market was soaring. People were making money hand over fist. And Hoover was the ‘status quo’ Presidential candidate that year.

In other words, a vote for Hoover was a vote for the good times to continue. And the guy vanquished his opponent on election day, November 6, 1928, by one of the most lopsided margins in history up to that point.

So the euphoria continued. In the four months between Hoover’s election victory in November, and his inauguration in early March, the stock market soared by more than 20%.

Optimism was everywhere. And, convinced that asset prices would only go up, Americans borrowed heavily to buy shares on the stock market.

But it was less than eight months into Hoover’s presidency that the stock market crashed... and all that confidence quickly evaporated. The Dow Jones Industrial Average went on to lose nearly 90% of its value over the next three years.

Now, don’t get me wrong— I’m not predicting an imminent crash of the stock market. America’s economy today is fundamentally different than it was in 1929.

But there are some similarities.

One key similarity is that stock valuations, i.e. the amounts that investors are willing to pay for every dollar of a company’s earnings, revenue, and/or assets, are more stretched than they were even in 1929.

And the cause is also similar.

By 1929 the Federal Reserve was still pretty new; it had only been formed in 1913, and had spent most of the decade engaged in a rate-cutting monetary bonanza that fueled wild financial speculation.

Roughly nine decades later, the Fed engaged in a similar monetary bonanza as the pandemic began. They conjured trillions of dollars out of thin air and slashed rates to zero, sparking one of the most extreme speculative bubbles in financial history.

I’m sure you remember: even the most outrageous assets— meme stocks, shitcoins, and ‘artwork’ consisting of a banana duct-taped to the wall, traded hands for unbelievable prices.

Interest rates have risen significantly since then, and the Fed has made some efforts to make tiny reductions to the money supply. But most of the excesses still remain— hence historically high stock market valuations like Price/Earnings ratios, or the total stock market capitalization to GDP ratio.

If stock market valuations were to return to historic averages, it would require either a sharp decline in stock prices... or an extended period of stagnant market performance.

But again, I’m not predicting this is going to happen. There’s absolutely no reason why stocks can’t remain expensive... or become even more expensive. Historic averages are indicators of some deviation from the norm. But they don’t dictate immediate outcomes.

But for investors, this environment presents a dilemma. On one hand, it’s difficult to justify paying record high prices for assets at super-stretched valuations. Yet, again, on the other hand, historically high valuations don’t necessarily mean that a collapse or pullback is imminent.

But there is an alternative worth considering.

Early in his career, Warren Buffett favored an ultra deep-value strategy that focused on buying companies trading at steep discounts to their intrinsic worth.

Some of these businesses were of questionable quality. In a way, Buffett was willing to buy almost anything if it were cheap enough.

But soon his long-time partner Charlie Munger entered the picture and introduced Buffett to a transformative idea: instead of sifting through mediocre companies simply because they were cheap, why not seek out high-quality businesses with durable competitive advantages, even if they came at a higher— but still fair— price?

Buffett eventually understood the axiom: “it’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.”

(Obviously it’s even better if you can find wonderful businesses at wonderful prices.)

Where can you find that today?

Well, it’s very difficult in the US. There are some wonderful businesses. But it’s hard to argue that a 100x Enterprise Value to Free Cash Flow ratio is a “fair price”.

But if you expand your horizons abroad, there are fantastic businesses around the world that trade for next to nothing. It seems like everyone is buying US stocks, but they completely ignore amazing deals overseas.

Another option we’ve talked about many times before is the real asset sector, i.e. vital resources and commodities such as metals, energy, agriculture, and productive technology.

There is a severe lack of investment in many of these real asset companies, to the point where certain commodities are becoming scarce relative to demand.

Uranium is a great example. There is now literally a supply deficit, i.e. not enough production to meet demand. And given the momentum for nuclear power, uranium is poised to become one of the world’s most important resources.

Gold is another example. For years, exploration has been lackluster, partly due to lack of investor interest in the sector. Remaining mine reserves are dwindling, and future gold production is questionable.

Yet demand for gold has skyrocketed— mostly from central banks who have been dumping their US dollars. So the gold miners who have efficient production, high quality mines, and solid reserves are making huge profits... yet their share prices have barely moved.

In other words, investors would rather pay 100x earnings for a popular tech stock than pay 3x earnings for a profitable, debt-free, dividend paying gold stock.

Again, the stock market could keep flying higher to even more dizzying heights. But there are definitely some excellent companies out there which offer profits, dividends, and substantial value— if you’re willing to look beyond the mainstream.

To your freedom,  James Hickman  Co-Founder, Schiff Sovereign LLC

PS- We routinely name specific real asset companies, which we believe are primed to boom under these conditions, in Schiff Sovereign Premium.

We focus on businesses which have valuations just 4 or 5 times their yearly free cash flow, and often pay out a lot of those profits through dividends.

https://www.schiffsovereign.com/trends/some-thoughts-on-todays-record-high-prices-152000/