The Forgotten Victims of Puerto Rico’s Bankruptcy
The US territory of Puerto Rico declared bankruptcy in early May. The island’s government has more than $70 billion in debt that it cannot pay, along with $49 billion in unfunded pensions.
Spanish Bank Fails – Harbinger of Things to Come?
Last week Spanish bank Banco Popular was in danger of failing and was purchased by Banco Santander...
Arizona Is Latest State to Adopt Pro-Gold Reforms
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey recently signed into law HB 2014, a bill to eliminate capital gains taxation on gold and silver coins...
Negative Interest Rates, the Federal Reserve, and Your Retirement
Recent news reports have indicated that President Trump has filled two of the open positions on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. One of them, Randal Quarles, was formerly involved in the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, a.k.a. the Plunge Protection Team. The other, Marvin Goodfriend, is an...
What Will You Spend Your Money on in Retirement?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent Consumer Expenditure Survey provided many insights into the spending habits of Americans...
Analysis of Minutes of the Federal Reserve’s May FOMC Meeting
The Federal Reserve Board recently published the minutes of the May 2-3 meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), giving an insight into the thinking of Federal Reserve policymakers regarding the strength and health of the economy.
Gold Demand Trends of 2017
The World Gold Council, a trade group for the gold industry, published in early May its report on trends in gold demand for the first quarter of 2017. The report is well worth reading, as it contains numerous insights that could help gold investors. Investment Demand for Gold The highlight of...
New Arizona Law Could Mean Bigger Profits for Gold Investors
Like many other commodities, gold has long been used as a hedge against currency devaluation, particularly against the gradual inflation that is symptomatic of today's monetary system. A new law passing in Arizona is creating more benefits for gold investment by removing taxation of precious metals — including gold...
End-of-April Government Shutdown Might Impact Economy and Personal Investments Immediately
It's not new knowledge that U.S. debt management is somewhat out of control, but amid so many urgent economic and geo-political stories, investors might not realize that the U.S. debt ceiling suspension expired as of March 16. With the clock — and the dollars — ticking away by the...
Inflation and Its Effects on Your Portfolio
Inflation is a major drain on investment portfolios — and indeed, almost any other financial product. Many people don't understand fully how inflation works, so it’s often ignored. However, when a portfolio doesn't get sufficient return, it can wind up being worth substantially less than you think in actual...