Weak US Labor Market Belies Narrative of Booming Economy
To hear the financial media tell it, the US economy is going great. There are more job openings than unemployed people, companies are falling all over themselves trying to find workers, and the future is bright. But behind the headline numbers, the labor market is showing serious signs of weakness. That weakness is the result of severe structural issues...
Are You Prepared for Sudden Job Loss… Or Worse?
Millions of Americans have dreams of retiring and living the life they’ve always wanted to. But many of their plans rely on everything to happen absolutely perfectly in order for those dreams to be fulfilled. If anything should go wrong, their dreams will end up dashed to pieces. Even the best-laid plans, those in which investors save more than necessary,...
Gold as a Defense Against Financial Transaction Taxes
You may have heard about Bernie Sanders’ latest idea to raise money. As part of his campaign for President he is floating the idea of taxing various financial transactions in order to raise money for the federal government. The money raised would be earmarked to fund free college tuition and reduce student debt levels that continue to climb. The tax...
Household Debt Continues to Grow as Americans Open Up Their Wallets
The economy may be on the verge of another financial crisis but based on American households’ financial holdings you’d be hard pressed to see it. Americans remain so bullish about the US economy and its prospects that they continue to take on massive amounts of debt. Overall household debt in the US has expanded to nearly $13.7 trillion, nearly...
Is There Really Such a Thing as a Gold Bug?
If you’ve ever read any commentary about investing in gold you’ve probably come across the term “gold bug.” It’s a derogatory term used mainly by mainstream financial commentators to denigrate those who understand the importance of gold to a well-rounded investment portfolio. But is there really such a thing as a gold bug? The term gold bug is used in...
Don’t Sacrifice Your Retirement for Your Children
Those of us who are parents want to do everything we can to give our children the best start to life possible. From the time they’re infants, through high school and college, and into early adulthood, parents always want to be there to support their children. But an increasing number of Americans are going too far, destroying their ability...
Here Are the Trends Driving the Gold Price
Gold’s price, like the price of any other asset, is driven by issues of supply and demand. Increases in supply lead to price drops, while increases in demand lead to price increases. With the mining sector facing increasing difficulty in discovering new gold deposits, and with economic headwinds encouraging more and more investors to get into gold as a...
Worried About Income Inequality? Blame the Fed
More and more people today understand that income inequality in the United States is growing. The top 1% keep getting richer and richer while the other 99% largely stagnate. The percentage of wealth owned by the richest grows larger and larger while the middle and lower classes are increasingly changing from owners to renters, unable to cope with the...