I’ve just taken our friendship to the next level — and I want YOU to be a big part of it!
For a long time, now, I’ve been searching for ways for us to get to know each other better.
Specifically, I’m looking to make our friendship time together more of a two-way street — to be able to pick your brain on important issues, and to give you the opportunity to share some of your best ideas with like-minded investors.
Today, that desire is becoming reality — with the beta-test of my personal BLOG! And to get the conversation started, I’m going to pose a compelling question for you every day for the next two weeks.
Today, our first question is a simple, but crucial one …
What is your #1 obstacle
to making money right now,
in this environment?
Just scroll down or click here to answer now and to get the help that could create a breakthrough for you!
Good luck and God bless!
Martin
{ 3881 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello Martin,
I am so very impressed with your work and that of your staff. However, now that I have subscribed through emails I am receiving so much information, it is difficult to ferret through it all and determine a course of action. There is surely a theme about having cash and protecting ones’ resources, but beyond that I am not sure where you recommend we invest during these unprecedented and perilous times. In terms of priorities, which of the publications or emails I receive best represent the opinions/recommendations of your organization?
A Devoted Reader
trust and confidence!
Lack of confidence in the markets due to the high volatility
Not knowing which way the stock market will turn, in particular the DOW. Some say that it will go down to 5500. Others say that we are at the bottom and we will have a sharp rally and the bear market is over.
well….not alot of trust for a long time….
confusing the varied directives ala….sagami, weiss, edelson.
Not being able to employ more people.
The number one obstacle to me in real estate consulting is the lack of available capital to provide bridge loans to cover debt of retail and general commercial developers which has led to zero retail expansion and lack of work. Associated with that obstacle is the lack of consumer spending tied to huge unemployment issues and overextended personal financial situations.
Trust & low income
Put all my eggs in the same basket, no fresh money
I believe the uncertainty in the economy and the direction we are headed to, makes it difficult to invest in this environment. Also, the constant statements in the media indicating this is the worst crisis since the Great Depression has instilled a situation where investors are holding on to their cash positions.
I just returned from Asia- specifically India, although the economy seems like it is moving, I was told by locals that a recession is just starting in that country.
The FED
not living long enough to see the recovery
Not knowing if the market has hit bottom yet and if it is safe to start investing again
Awesome. I’ll follow this one too.
Greetings,
Lack of seed money at this time due to sickness expenses. I hope to solve that problem in time but will have to make some major changes and sacrifices in 4 or 5 months if all goes according to plans.
Thanks, Dennis
Not having the experience to know how to “trade volitility” when that is what is most predominate.
My problem is that listening and reading the best of you, there is no consensus. One says gold will rally and be a safe have, Others, that gold no longerserves that purpose. Some sal Oil will rally again…others that it will fall furter.
I repect you all but you can’t all be right.
Income has slowed and lost 60% of the investment money . Also not knowing if anyone can peg the bottom of this ride.
Low income, high mortgage, utility bills, high commodity price.
Looking for the sound wisdom in the current turmoil. Difficult to see all the currents in the redirected flow of capital. Looking to find the clarity . . . . .
Cash flow
Fear of the unknown. I am reluctant to invest in the market with the daily bad news about jobs, the economy, unemployment, etc. Interest rates are pathetically low – so low it led me to pay off our mortgage. We are debt free and do feel good about that.
The best high leverage technique with a low risk
Uncertainty. Uncertainty creates fear and an unwillingness to move. Everything looks like quicksand. Lack of terra firma feeling. Hello? Do you understand me?
i know you are correct about currency trading for profit, but i do not have any knowledge of these markets and unless you give me specific trades i don’t think i can be successful…..it is too difficult
Your guidance on the direction of the markets has been outstanding and has made me a lot of money. The problem is timing of the market is being controlled by the Plunge Protection Team (PPT), Specialist and market makers. How to dodge these interferences is my biggest issue.
I would really like to thank you for the good information you have given for gratis. The U.S. Government was telling us that it was limited to the subprime crisis and the banks were sound. People should be going to jail and not getting bailout money from the poor taxpayers who have no choice in the matter.
Thanks
Again
Dave
fear and trust. Should i be concerned about money market accounts at Vanguard or others. what makes them safer than the brokerages that have collapsed. how safe are they? Do i need to deal directly with the Feds?
No extra money to invest in the market; would rather invest in the real estate market. (Already loosing money in my 401k protfolio)
Not knowing what the Government will do next. They can’t seem to get out of their own way. Are they manipulating the stock market and gold markets now? Why do we not know what they did with the first $350 Billion of TARP money. They are the biggest unknown for me right now. I can’t make money now, or have any confidence, because I don’t know the extent of what will happen next from Washington.
I’ve been net short since September and have made some progress, but I keep getting whacked by the sudden, foolish bear rallies. Unfortunately, I also need income, but find those bonds that actually pay a return a bit too scary. I sold just about everything in early September.
A lack of capital.
Low income opportunities and friends with out savings.
Interest rates….!!!
The amount of money I have to invest.
Figuring out who can I trust for advice and then having an easy simple way to implement the advice.
lack of seed money due to sickness. Hope to remedy in time.
For me, it would be the investors who sell off in a panic!!! I wish they would remember that NOBODY makes a cent when they panic…
Hi Martin,
I believe it is ignorance and incompetence (applies to upmarkets as well as downmarkets) as harsh as it may sound. We can make money in any environment – as your team has shown us, and not just while stocks moving up.
I followed your general advice since over a year and have made upwards of 25% profit last year with my portfolio while running my business fulltime.
Thanks for your insight and valubale and courageous forecasts.
Karl
fear from volality of market
How much money should you shoot for? We have a system of fiat currency; the value depends on what the government and their banker buddies says it is worth.
Right now we have a deflationary environment, that can change in a flash to inflationary. The inflation can go to hyperinflation. Inflations (hyperinflations) always end in deflation again. Check Zimbabwe.
Government insists on soviet central style of economic management…a system that is a proven failure.
Seems to me Gold and Silver (precious metals) are the only investments we can talk about at this stage.
I am broke &filing bankruptcy.I am baby sitting my mom 78 years old at home &no income.How can I do?
what works and how !
Fear!
low income. as a simple as that
Government intervention in the markets. I believe the trend is down, but am concerned about using contra-ETF’s because of government market interference.
where is the market going…. short term ?
Unable to trust the system and the industry. We do not know what we are investing in anymore. If the money mangers did not understand, how can the ordinary investor?
Have all my investment assets in cash at the moment with the exception of inverse ETF’s you have recommended. Don’t know if I should buy gold via GLD as an added protection. Since I live in the UK the value of my assets are a function of the GBP/USD rate of exchange. Causes me great concern as I could have an up market day one day only to see my assets reduced because the USD weakens against sterling.
Hello Mr. Weiss,
After the presentation by the new Sec of the Treasury essentially indicating that nothing that the TARP wanted to accomplish (economic stability) was a disaster, I beleive Canada might be a consideration. The Presidents presentation last night seemed as though he was operating with borrowed knowledge.. I am usually more positive.. The unknown is the ballance sheets of these Banks that have already received TARP, they should be examined by a third party such as yourself.
Ignorant politicians who make things worse.
Reduced income stream has me more afraid of deflation therefore holding on to the small cash that i have in case income drops below fixed expenses which it has done in 4 of the last 12 months.
Losing Principal
I am like everyone else right now.
Which way do you turn?
There is no rhyme or reason to the markets!
With the news of job looses they go up…
With the news of Obama’s package they go down!
housing and frozen credit markets
low confidence and fear to loose money
No trust in banks, nor in corporate execs with regard to the honesty of their financial statements nor in the rating agencies. I can tolerate risk, but not dishonesty. Where do I put my savings now? Arthur Aberman is into short-term treasuries, probably OK, but are long-term treasuries save with all the risk the feds are taking on??
Signed: Ten years retired.
The whipsaws in the market.
Closed out short position yesterday ahead of the bailout today. Big Mistake.
Also, the ETFs are out of whack with the markets.
Look at the charts on DXD, SRS, FAZ and you will see they are not where
they should be trading compared to markets.
Fear of the FED. Will they devalue the dollar?
FEAR !!!!
Thank you.
Fear of losing my savings during my period of unemployment….Fear deters you from making investment bets, even when you think you will be right!
Loss of risk tolerance. The whipsaw of prices across all asset classes in unnerving. At the moment, a 3.5% return on cash equivalent investments is better than the risk of any loss. On the other hand, a fully-secured Weiss GIC with a yield greater than 5% would be very interesting . . .
Fear of loosing more money, don’t trust anybody.
Poor job opportunities after having lost my job in January. My background is in manufacturing and capital equipment sales in the manufacturing sector.
Wallstreet crooks hustling funds and trading programs bleed me dry
Fear
confidence in where the markets are heading
Extreme volatility and a lack of trust/confidence in the markets/financial statements.
CDs, I have three million in CDs, with no dudections for the IRs.
This is clearly a trader’s market. Knowing when to get in and when to get out is my biggest obstacle to making money :)
HELLO….I CANNOT SEEM TO GET TRACTION WITH STOCKS…I HAVE SUBSCRIBED TO YOUR HIGH YIELD SERVICE, BUT THEY ARE DROPPING TOO. WITH DOWNS LIKE TODAY AT 400 POINTS, I AM OF A MIND TO JUST SELL ALL AND SIT IT OUT. REAL ESTATE DOES NOT OFFER MUCH OF A BETTER SOLUTION. I WORRY ABOUT THE BANKS, HAVE MY ACCOUNT WITH E TRADE, AND WORRY ABOUT THEIR BANK ALSO. WORRY IS THE WORD….JIM HURST
A decent paycheck, and the elemination of the IRS’s draconian taxation.
I’m asking about a high leverage technique in which sector with the least amount of risk
We have an inexperienced crew up in Washington right now. I watched the conference and the speech and came away with a very unsatisfying feeling. I’m not so sure they know what they are doing. It’s much the same rhetoric we have heard in the past and extremely short on clarity and direction. I’m holding cash. But have my finger on the trigger as I see terrific value out there, but maybe six to eight months out..
Guts.
knowing when to hit the market HARD when it goes low ..but when i do bloody thing keeps going further down ..and the opposite happens ..when you SELL ..very strange
To afraid to take a risk. Lost enough, and job security.
We sold our house and put a lot of the money into an annuity, thinking that that would be our retirement. So far, we’ve lost a bunch of our money. We are both 58 and have to be 59 1/2 to be able to pull out the money without tons of fees, etc. We just don’t know what to do!! Any advice?
Our Federal Government! When government bailout plans in the 100’s of billions of dollars change by the day. When they bailout some but not others (for the record they shouldn’t be bailouting out any of these firms). When it is obvious that the most powerful people in this country’s government don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to finance & economics…how can people be expected to make the decisions necessary to make money???
Thanks for the care, info.,and hard work. The facts,advice,opinions are great.
Thanks again Money and Markets,T.Vise
The money I have in interest bearing accounts is drawing nothing (.1$) BUT, I guess the old saying “Pigs get fat, Hogs get slaughtered” is right. I shouldn’t be greedy when others are suffering.
Not having a problem. I am 90 years olf and have no stocks except Golld stocks and Gold stored at Perth Mint. All other assets atre in cash.
It appears there is nowhere to hide right now except in gold or silver until about 2012 when this will turn very ugly with deflation….
EVERYTIME IT LOOKS LIKE THINGS ARE PICKING UP THE IDIOT POLITICIANS IN WASHINGTON PUT TOGETHER ANOTHER PACKAGE THAT SCARES PEOPLE AND CAUSES THEM TO STOP BUYING.
Confusing voices and firm predictions diametrically opposed to each other rendered by long-term friends and economists with respectable track records, such as yourself. For example, you are going to Dow 5500 or lower while even in your own camp some are going over 12,000 first. There has been enough error and enough success by each of the many (expensive) subscriptions I have (including your group) to both inspire hope and consideration, yet paralyze decisions and action.
I personally don’t see any Obstacles. But to be sure, the “Chicken Little Syndrome” is the prevailing drift. So I always wear a helmut. Larry is right, Trust is the key. We cannot trust the government to make a “Bailout” of this size and proportion be successful. History is on our side here. This will be a very deep recession if not a modern day Depression. The cry of Capital Hill must be “Help me Obe Wan Kenobi!!!” But as you may recall, even Obe Wan sacrificed himself for a new beginning.
Fear of the market tanking even more. Would like the name of a company or two that are dependable gold sellers (bullion). I think gold will do well in for quite some time.
low income
I am a firm believer in the idea you can make good money in any market. The trick understanding the short term trends and being able to move quickly. You won’t make any money in the “safe” investments, at best you can break even, which for most is better than the heavy losses in most markets. As a novice investor my biggest barrier is experience, knowledge, and having the right tools.
Like a previous comment left by Mr. Aberman. I see this market very unpredictable. FX trading seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel. However, I don’t want the hassle of doing it myself. I would be more comfortable in a FX Managed Fund.
In addition to my last submitted comments I find it terribly confusing when you, Larry, Jack, and others do not seem to agree on things like the USD or gold getting stronger. I know each has a different philosophy but as I subscribe to several of your investment letters it would be nice to receive one consistent message from the Weiss Group.
The wildly contradictory advice out there. The genuine fear that this is scary precisely because it is unprecedented in its ferocity and its magnitude — and that the pundits– bear and bull alike are making things up as they go along.
Thank you we are invested with WCM
Tightening of credit, without the comfort level of credit or just knowing that more is there or out there, you may not feel comfortable taking some other risks. Instead hording cash seems to be the way to go as Dr. Weiss suggests. I don’t think people have any other choice frankly. And when this is all over and investment opportunities become somewhat lucrative again, we should all have enough cash to take advantage. I’ll just wait for my que from Dr. Weiss before I proceed, he and his team seem to be the only ones that know what they are talking about.
I will try to type “slower”! I am afraid to invest because of limited funds.
NOT HAVING THE EXTRA MONEY TO INVEST.
THERE IS NO OBSTACLE TO MAKE MONEY, I JUST DON’T HAVE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN OUR LEADERS AS OF NOW, TO MAKE ANY INVESTMENT, BESIDES TREAS AND GOLD STOCKS AND HARD ASSETS.
This response (from a friend)to your news letters:
Anyone promising huge profits is a liar. There’s no such thing without huge risk. If they could make huge profits they wouldn’t be writing newsletters or providing advisory services, they’d be trading like George Soros. He makes huge profits and he sure doesn’t share his methods with anyone. As soon as a few people discover an efficacious method it stops working because then everyone trades it and everyone gets on the same side of the trade and it collapses. Sure, some of their recommendations will score big. And they’ll talk them up. But they make hundreds every year, or month, and most go bust. The only way to make money trading is to see a long trend so clearly that you yourself realize it’s got to be a winner, then you stick with it even when it goes against you because you know you’re right. If it’s just on some else’s recommendation you’ll dump it as soon as it goes against you and you’ll lose. This is the most volatile market in at least 70 years. So any trade will go against you at times. Unless you’re just super lucky. Then play you’re luck for all it’s worth.
Jeff
don’t know who to believe.
Nothing is a detriment now, except impatience. Just as the case with you, I predicted this debacle two+ years ago. The opportunities in real estate will be incredible in the next 12-18 months, however certain markets (e.g. Michigan, Las Vegas) should be avoided. In the other markets, if you pay more than 3-4 cents on the dollar you have overpaid. I also consur that the Euro has some good downside.
My biggest obstacle is the commodity downturn. Now that the natural gas price has begun to improve, perhaps my oil land gas trusts will strengthen.
Fear of losing -I have previously lost a lot of money about 20 years ago .Fortunately I was young enough to deal with the problem and recover from the experience .Now I am 64 and thus more risk averse.I am now on a small pension living in Ireland .
great depression incoming , fiat money , counterparty risk , general insolvency , bullshit market. Universal bankruptcy. Monetary system broken.
Martin, I’ve been a M&M subscriber for many years and have followed your recommendations very closely. I am also a subscriber to Mike Larson’s COET service. Making money in this crazy market is very difficult. And, as you have said repeadly, it’s the return of your money, not the return on your money that’s important. So, I’m following your advice and have sold off all equities and have cash in Treasuries waiting for the right moment when you give the go-ahead. Till then I have some positions in GLD and SLV for insurance.
I am also invested in some variable annuities that have a principal income guarantee. I other words, although the contract value has tanked by some 30%, my income is based on the high contract value prior to the market crash.
FEAR! Almost around every corner!
My number one obstacle right now is MYSELF. I try to tell the
market what to do; instead ofreacting to what it does.
The total lack of credibility of financial advisors
EVERYTIME IT LOOKS LIKE BUSINESS IS PICKING UP THE POLITICIANS IN WASHINGTON COME OUT WITH ANOTHER WAY TO WASTE MONEY AND IT SCARES PEOPLE AND THEY STOP BUYING AGAIN.
Low income
and we need all the help we can get.
Is it the Right to move into Gold Junior Stocks?My only hunch , IF DOW tanks, which Martin I believe is the case, then GOLD STOCKS will get decimated again OR WILL IT THIS TIME AROUND?
Volatility
Right now I am wary due to
being unable to detect a trend
huge moves being generated by mostly unpredictable actions of government
too much uncertainty with respect to uncertainty as opposed to the classic “uncertainty with respect to loss” consideration.
Actually doing well, as I day trade, and can ride either market direction. I wouldn’t be an investor,though- untill transparency becomes reality and market sentiment starts to make sense again.
Martin your guidance certainly has helped me in this tough market but one of the obstacles in making money is you are always promoting so new way to make money. that’s why I joined safemoney. why not charge more for safemoney and make the advice free or charge less for the ideas. as a retired 70 yr old I’m reluctant to gamble $2-5m. you say if we dont have that kind of money then we shouldnt get involved in currency or other investment ideas. if that’s the case hustle outside safemoney.
Lack of investment money
In the “real” business world significant drop of activity in option trading, probably the best time to be in provided one does exercise responsible risk management.
Not trusting my instincts and pressing the button. This is a technical market now and its really as simple as that. Paying attention to the news is a bad idea. I went short at the open today and Im glad I did. I am an option trader so I have to be fairly accurate due ot the high leverage. My biggest problem is just pressing the damn button, so maybe my barrier to making money is simple fear or hesitation.
Getting in front of a financial backer who is open minded to listen to an idea that can help them, their community and our great nation. I want to quit my day job and launch 3 web portals that will drive costs out of our system and teach people how to solve problems with less dependency on government.
In such volatile financial times its difficult to put my trust in any predictions. Some had suggested that gold was going to soar to $2000 per ounce,oil to $200 a barrel and beyond. It is an unpredictable environment . Does anybody really know ? and if so why would I invest my hard earned $ in there predictions. Maybe best to just sit .
Volatility and the belief that things cant get any worse
I have been with you and your advice as long as I can remember. I am old enough to remember your father. So no other advice is necessary. Hurrah for Safe Money.
We just don’t know what our government is going to come up with next. It is impossible to make good plans for the future.
Taking on more risk in the market as the stock prices have dropped. Investing in additional shares of the stocks I am holding. Using a dividend strategy for income and a longer horizon to reach a positive result.
trying to decide which scenerio is going to win out (deflation/inflation). Martin W. says deflation, Larry E. says hyperinflation. I respect both opinions. Both scenerios require different strategies. It lools to me like there is a very good chance the dollar will eventually get trashed. So, do you want to be in any dollar denominated investments ?
The biggest problem for me at this time is the uncertainty of the market and
the economy. What do you do with inventory? It has become somewhat of
a problem to obtain merchandise because no one wanted to carry a lot of
items at this time.
Lack of employment.
Companies don’t want to pay you for what you worth.
in today’s market I would say the lack of Lenders and capital either private or Federal.
ray
Indecision
We continue to be lied to by our leaders (in government, business and media) about what they have allowed to happen to our wider economy. If a scintilla of truth comes to widespread light about our abject bankrupt state because of hundreds of trillions of dollars in derivatives (likely worthless), we could easily see the Dow go to zero.
It is against this backdrop that I have no trust in anything but cash as a current investment.
NEED FOR SPECIFIC BUY AND SELL RECS IN THIS TURBULENT MARKET
I’m a technical trader, with a good enough set of indicators (personally developed) to keep me out of the current chop.
Besides, I’m 78 and not taking any chances…and my capital is limited.
I don’t think you can fix any of this, but the confirmations you’ve been giving that this is a time for caution (T-Bills) have helped my peace of mind.
Fear!! I have the potential to invest in something but keep getting conflicting information from many sources. Not sure who is right. Have seen some projections into future and it ain’t a pretty picture. Should I short, buy gold with what limited resources I have available.
I believe the market is more than ever driven by crises which are unpredictable and I don’t like the odds of investing in that environment.
Confidence – which short term direction will be: Deflation vs. Inflation…
I put my money in Gold/ Silver miners – small and mid cap stocks like NXG, SWC and PAL
Please, advise.
When it comes to “spending” I would love to invest what I have but on a very “limited” in come,what could I expect! I need a lot of help!
The stock market seems to be trying to reverse higher, but can not sustain a rally. I’m waiting for a clearer sign the market has reversed. What is a good, reliable indicator to look at? The feds are very accomodative with their monetary policy, but where wil the money flow? Japan lowered their interest rate to zero at one time, but it did not seem very effective. What is the difference between the U.S. and Japan?
The conviction and courage to implement a defensive strategy in the midst of so much noise and opposing opinions coming from the investment community.
very low on funds-the lowest cash position i’ve been in the last several years. i’m also 76-yr old retiree with a fixed income, therefore no way to create new income outside of the market.what can i do with limited funds?
Market Volatility and lack of faith in economic and political system going forward
Desire to protect principal in these volitile days.
The market is too volitle, and there is too much debt.
I’ve tried to hang in there with some faith in the market and in those who I thought might have a little insight into it. My Morgan Stanley IRA has lost 40% in the last year
and I am wondering if their buying and selling activity on my behalf is geared more toward generating commissions rather than protecting my investment . Anyway I guess my main obstacle is getting the remaining money into a more self-directed environment
like one of the *Trades and from there maybe into short term Treasuries
Hopeless optimists delaying the crash. I’m short!
Trying to figure out where has all the worlds money gone ! It’s got to be somewhere but ‘exactly where’ is the real answer.
I’m in Retail. Fear and caution are driving shoppers away from Malls and shopping centers and those that buy are looking for deals. The good news is that landlords are now willing to make deals and even re-negitiate leases.
Thank you to Martin and company for giving me a heads up that this crisis was on it’s way. I was prepared.
Lack of INTEGRITY in the market (corporate financial reports), therefore a total lack of confidence in ANY representations in the declining market, coupled with virtually no interests being paid for cash investments (T-Bills, etc.) “Deflation”, “zero interests” / virtually no RoI on any investments, a steadily declining market . . . and all of this in spite of the absudity of $350B – $750B being injected into the FIs and corporations. None of this makes any common sense. When “common sense” is ignored, then we’re usually in for an even bigger disaster.
Many like me who have lost money recently, now decline to venture out into the markets at all for fear of losing more. Once burned, twice shy. That’s the bottom line for me.
You have recently stated that a second great American depression in now inevitable. I believe you. The government efforts are too little too late to stop it.
Given that likelihood for declines in the economy of the US and the world lasting years, staying in short term treasuries (thanks for that good advice, repeated over and over in your fine newsletters) seems like a good approach.
And, although as some of your colleagues say, some profits can be contemplated from well placed currency plays or from reverse ETFs betting on declines in certain sectors, this approach is difficult for an individual to time.
I am very interested to hear if
a. you would alter the US dollar focus in favor of other currency investments or
b. you would comment about this moment as a good time to enter the bear market strategy fund in Weiss capital management.
thanks
Uncertainty in the markets…lack of trust in the Govt.,…not knowing where is the safest place for cash with the banks being on fraigle ground…
Stan
Minus capital and confidence.
Is Vfinance a good bet or is it bogus
The #1 obstacle to making money right now, in this environment is, the SEC “Pattern Day Trading Rule”. This SEC rule should be abolished!
Find a good and ECN provider with clear pricing and giving acces to a simple trading platform with effective charting software. Most of them ressemble more to croocks than partner.
fear, uncertainty and low income
knowledge.
I have some gold shares and GLD — should I do “covered calls” on these for more income?
Job elimination…automation!
I live in Japan. You have, too, Martin… My savings are mostly in Japanese yen. I wish you’d give more insight in what’s happening in the yen-US$ relationship, both short-term and long-.
The government in it’s misdirected attempt to right the market and the market believing that the government can save the economy.
holding winning trades with the wild market swings. I really think this market could break down very hard
In your articles, you tell us to not bet the house or borrowed money! I
can borrow on home equity to purchase more.
lost enough
Fear of the unknown. Lack of experience and confidence. I feel I need to aquire more knowledge on the workings and I am looking for short term investment gains.
I need specific ETF,s and their expected ranges to risk making investment,s now,
Martin, As someone else alluded to, my biggest problem is timing; knowing when to get in/out when the market is not functioning based on technical analysis or at least some semblance of common sense (in other words FED manipulation).
Perhaps my problem is one of trying to be too precise; I am not a day trader. Within the last week my gut told me to buy, but fear of the PPT made me hold back and I lost potential gains both times. Having said that of course, potential gains lost are always better than real losses realized.
Having said that, you all have saved my skin big time; I am up 25% over the last 6 mo. Thanks so much!!
Lack of faith in others, by judging what is going on right now..
When is the stock market going to bottom and when is the right time to get back in the market?
Also is buyng gold stock and the dollar the antidote?
I am in the business brokerage business helping Sellers (business owners) sell and Buyers to buy. The lack of available funds for financing is putting the breaks on transactions getting done. If that were not enough, Buyers are also scared to commit too and I can not blame them.
The karmic wheel.
The irrational behavior of the majority of the people in the markets.
This makes it hard to maintain perspective and continue to try to
be rational in my own decisions.
Can’t understand why the markets go up on days when the (earning reports, unemployment,) are god awful!
Chosing the information to rely on.
I don’t have the money to invest to really make it worth the effort . With what the advisors charge.
Do not have enough money to invest in anything.
Just thanks much for what you’re been doing. Keeping me out of trouble. Allows me
to sleep at night. Keep up the good work!! JH
current debt
Declining dividends
I have far too much credit card and similar consumer debt to even consider investing beyond what goes into my 403-b account with TIAA-CREF.
Like everyone else, I’m not sure what to invest in. But even more, I don’t know what banks I can trust or what funds I can trust (do they own what they claim they own?). The whole financial world has turned fraudulent.
Volatility is a problem right now. The daily swings, both in stocks as well as in currencies, are fairly large and largely unpredictable. Politics is also playing a role. Who knew this morning what Geithner was going to say and what effect it would have?
Listening to investment services like yours who have people who give opposite views. One time you say its time to buy stocks,then you have one of your writers say sell. It,s the same thing on the dollar. Thanks
There are as many opinions about where we are headed and what to invest in as Carter has pills? How can one know?
You guys are a real class act helping us retail investers. My #1 obstacle is the fear of constant rule changes by the SEC/FEDs and losing the existing money I have chasing after more money. -Josh
I’m making money!
market uncertainty and low interest rates….Norv
It is my understanding that seventy percent of all trades in the market are made by the Hedge Funds, thereby being the controllers of the market. I personally believe that these highly paid individuals play every day to a “pre-determined concert” of buys/sells within the framework of what is happening in the news that particular day, and that the outcome is pretty much known to them, but very few others. The difficulty, or obstacle, to making money in the market is that one has to adopt a new reality. If one has two consecutive days of earning money, sell! More and more people are going to the sidelines, and if one thinks buy and hold is the way to go….he/she will go broke. The volatility and the Hedge Funds, and the way they operate are my biggest obstacle. They should have strict rules for their operation, but—they are “unbridled” and are taking a lot of people’s money in an underhanded manner.
The #1 obstical is timeing this temporary deflationary period – for the main event! Which is the hyper-inflation, which is guaranteed to follow in the Fall of ‘09 to the Fall of ‘10! Why is this the turning point? Time tested repeating commodity cycles are afoot. We will know the time to sell the dollar and buy gold by listening to the market – not by picking an anxious entry. I will say that I do know exactly what to look for! Good trading to you.
Cash and confidence. It seems that everyone is right and everyone is wrong all at the same time. Very hard to predict what will happen next in these trying times.
I don’t think one can time the market – but I beleive there is a huge money making opportunity out there at the moment – I am just not sure what it is.
My brain is simple. Easy credit means higher asset prices. If the asset bubble burst – I expect much lower prices than I see. But the government is trying to solve a problem created by easy credit, with even easier credit – and flooding the market with dollars.
What am I missing other than the coming hper inflation? And when do put my money into assets (instead of cash) to protect myself.
I love your website – and I really enjoy your column in particular – but right now, nothing makes sense to me.
no fundamental based trends
trends are played and broken daily by traders, manipulators and central bank intervention
Martin
I live in Australia. Direct investing in the US has many complications for me but I find your reports useful in giving me a feel for the world situation.
I am still investing aggressively in the Australian market with a view to retirement in a couple of years. The belief is that we are plumbing the depths right now and within a year or two the upswing will be on its way. Money going into the market during the trough will provide healthy returns during the upswing.
I have no belief in anything right now because the financial markets are being manipulated. When the rules are changing all the time, how can one even begin to make accurate decisions?
World wide economic uncertainies. No stability in any Sector of the Market. Too much distrust and GREED.
Fear!!! The markets are too volatile and profitable trades do not cover losses on stopped out trades.
Not know who to trust after losing about 45% of our portfolio. You and your people don’t even agree and that has cost us dearly. We are sure it will get worse and will be many years before a real recovery. So this breeds uncertainty. Do we keep paying on our mortgage or dump our house and buy back later? Which investment advisor can we trust? Will we ever be able to retire?
Hi and thanks for all your advice. My current problem is fear which is exacerbated by the extremes in volatility. Just when you think it’s safe to dabble again, the market has a 300 point down day. I just don’t know anymore if I should be short or long, so I stay out, and no money can be made if you are out.
I am currently dealing with clients that were normally cautious to begin with which is normal, but now that caution has turned more to almost a state of paranoia that is causing many to pull out or not want to invest right now at all. I have gained alot in the past with the client base that i built rather easily and also helped even in down markets by staying in constant touch with them i kept their confidence over the years. Many clients are expressing more concern now with their jobs and obligations rather than putting money away for the future.
Lack of trust in the financial system.
Right now I am working on a confirming/management tool that will help me make more accurate investment decisions. This tool will help me to see and decide how to procede. So until I do this I am less active.
Since I am a real estate broker, the biggest obstacles are the housing crisis and the mortgage crisis.
being retired I am fearfull of investing my money which I need for retirement however I am tempted to play the inverse etf’s
Not knowing when the market has hit bottom.
My goal is leverage. You can’t steal second with your foot on first. Hence I have purchased many shares of Junior Gold and Silver Exploration Companies. They were down 90 to 95 %.
They are heading North but you can’t eat Gold.
thanks,
Tommy
Fear of loosing money as I am retired. My wife and I feel that our standard of living has eroded. This stems from asset and home devaluation.
The negative thinking of the general public. Most people are holding tight to their money and not wanting to spend due to fear. A type of fear they have never before experienced like what is taking place in todays marketplace. Most consumers have been living paycheck to paycheck. Savings are non-existent and most consumers will lose most of what they have if our economy truly is in dire straits. Our govt. leaders and financial CEO’s have sold this country out. It will take the “grace of God” and a major correction with the “hearts of this nation” to turn things around.
Can’t do much with 401k and that’s where most of my cash is. I have about 5 minutes a month to dedicate to figuring out the conflicting advice of what to do with the rest of my cash, so I do nothing with it- I don’t have the time or patience to take care of it and I dont trust someone else to lose it and say “oops!”. I have some limited free cash to invest and no clue which place to invest it! Each product you offer costs a lot of cash and I have no idea which one is the right one for me.
Some of the deep discounted preferred trusts look inviting…those that the gov’t has injected cash and are recieving dividends…Thoughts??
Whipsaws! Trying to indentify ‘tradeable’ trends!
Not having the time, knowledge, or impettus to buy & sell or invest on my own. Need a person, stockbroker, service to inverst or buy & sell for me!
My own lack of knowledge about how to read charts and how to forecast with a certain amount of accuracy what will happen. I have only a small amount of money available to me right now (about $5000) to invest as my husband and I are trying to build up as much of an emergency fund as possible. I’m not sure where I would get the most bang for the buck with this small investment.
My #1 obstacle right now is MYSELF. I try to tell the market what
to do instead of reacting to what it does.
To feel comfortable that I have the proper diversification in my portfolio under present market conditions.
I echo the “thanks” given by other readers. My losses were lessened by withdrawing most of my money from the market by mid-year ‘08. I read several financial publications and weigh the often conflicting arguments against each other to help in my decision-making. Safe Money has proven to be on-target with the big market trends. Currently I’m also studying IBD’s CANSLIM investing approach, and considering implementing small trades during market upswings. Their approach makes sense to me given it’s track record. Though most of my money is currently on the sidelines, I do have some investable funds. I’m hesitant to pay for a subscription service. Particularly one involving currency trading, since I have little understanding of how it works, and a fairly small portfolio.
Fear to trade, unable to call an entry point and the direction of the market.
Time
Trust and Confidence!!!! Seeing all the bailout money being wasted on a no fix situation!!!! High unemployment rate!
answer: NOT LOOSING MONEY!! PRESERVATION OF CAPITAL/PRINCIPAL!!
Not having the time, knowledge, or impetus to buy & sell or invest on my own.
Need a person, stockbroker, or service to invest or buy & sell for me!
Selecting funds in my 401k.
Government intervention in the markets….
Lack of positive cash flow.
Clients with permit to build cannot proceed w/o funding for their project.
Clients with funding cannot proceed due to the “greenies” obstructing the project approval processes.
Forget about the markets…..
The real problem with America is lack of honest work and if there is honest work it doesn’t pay well. Instead America has become home to wise guys who can make money (used to at least) just by talking and asset shuffling. Not to mention the politicians who are mostly hot air. I take a deflationary and jaundiced view of the country I love and grew up in. We have to get back to a base economic reality but the present deflation will force this upon us anyway. And no one likes this base reality, we have been deferring it for years because Americans try to avoid physical work and science and engineering in college. Americans became addicted to dreaming, addicted to money for nothing and “the money of the mind”
And part of the reason people are so interested in investing is because their jobs don’t pay enough. Back in the 1950s you just earned money and banked it with 2% interest
Lack of trust in the current markets. Since last Sept. my experience and investments have all been down due to the market fluctuations.
It takes money to make money! I don’t have much left to do anything with. I’m afraid to do anything with the several thousand we have left. My husband and I are retirement age and don’t see retirement ever being possible. We need help, but can’t really afford it. Lack of money is a huge problem.
Dear Martin,
I enjoy your commentary, but its very USA centric. I am based in Australia (Down Under).
I use US market timing signallers (EquityTiming and FibTimer) to determine when I should be in Australian ETF stocks and when I should not. However, our ETF market (StateStreet’s products and Barclays i-shares) is very thin and offers few products (e.g. no inverse EFTs).
I have heard there are market makers for EFTs. Is that true and are they obliged to make a market in these products when there are too few buyers and sellers?
Regards
Percy Allan
NOT LOOSING MONEY!! PRESERVATION OF CAPITAL/PRINCIPAL!!
Trustworthy and specific advice.
Belief that another expensive course will make a difference.
Trust
I thought I had done everything right: Home & cars paid for; money in the bank and zero debt. The interest rate drop took my income down 80% and I am looking at “eating my seed corn” to get by until rates move up.
My #1 obstacle is that I am not clever enough to trade options in this market.
The #1 obstacle is timeing this temporary deflationary period – for the main event! Which is the hyper-inflation, which is guaranteed to follow in the Fall of ‘09 to the Fall of ‘10! Why is this the turning point? Time tested repeating commodity cycles are afoot. We will know the time to sell the dollar and buy gold by listening to the market – not by picking an anxious entry. I will say that I do know exactly what to look for! Good trading to you.
I would like to buy some gold , but can’t find any to actually get my hands on!
Confusion abounding! Who’s right, who’s wrong. As the economic situation unfolds, a scary picture is being painted as we speak. This financial crisis is much worse than the news media and banks will ever let you know. SO, what do you do? Focus–do the right thing, conserve your cash, invest only in Tresuary Bills (short term), don’t buy a new car if you don’t absoultely have too (millions of good used cars right now), pray that our goverment leaders are asking for divine help in their decision making! Because most of them are not true business leaders, they are people who ran for a particular office and won! That doesn’t make you business savy! Love your family, wife and kids during this financial mess! We will be fine. Just use your head and stay calm. Thank Martin for his advice and his teams advice.
Getting whipsawed by the markets when they do the opposite after you have entered a position based on sound advice including yours.
I have just no confidence in any source of financial information, especially if that source is encouraging me to invest in something. At the very most basic of our financial structures, the individuals in charge have proven themselves to be blind, ignorant, selfish and quite possibly dishonest with the public they are entrusted to support with viable financial information. I’m 77 years old and still not smart enough to smell the scoundrels before they have a hand in my pocketbook.
FEAR of what is happening to our great nation.
I just took off last half of year to care for parents who both died within 12 days of each other and were buried in November so my savings has been sort of used up and then with the crash, my retirement funds are not looking pretty and I have 4 sons in college… BOTTOM LINE LACK of capital to get started or restarted in making investments.
Capital which I think I can remedy in the near future. Thanks for your counsel.
My obstacle is that I already lost almost everything I had in the early 80’s. It would take a volume to tell the story about all of that. Then what I did salvage out of that mess was taken by a series of Medical issues including accidents, cancer, etc. I have been living on S.S. Disability for several years now which is $1009.00 per month and I am having a hell of a time making ends meet. I know I probably shouldn’t be getting your letters but I read them to try to figure out what is in store for the future. I am 65 years old and have kids and grandkids that don’t seem to have a clue. I come from homestead family’s that saw unbelievable obstacles and they have passed down to me somewhat of a survivalist mentality that young people just can’t get a grasp of, even though they know the history. I enjoy getting different perspectives on things. Thanks Ed Lipp
Fear.
I am retired living on social security, my former employer’s monthly pension checks, and annual withdrawals from my IRA. I own no mutual fund assets, preferring to manage my own investments. In 2007, I grew my portfolio 48%, but in 2009, I lost 10%, which would have been worse but for listening to your advice in “Safe Money.”
I have been out of the market except for a tiny investment in gold (which you recommended). And since your rationale that the DJIA will drop further to 5500 makes sense to me, I hesitate to pick up what LOOK like bargains.
I have seen my money go down to almost nothing. I am afraid to take out whatever little is left. I also feel that the trust I had in the ompany holding my money is loosing ground.
Trust was the first thing that came into my mind. Secondly, my customers need to call me more often.
None actually. Just fear that instead of making money in this crazy market I would just add to my losses. Making money in this market seems to be fit for a day trader and not a intermediate/ long term investor like me. I would rather concentrate on how to earn money doing something I enjoy than play the markets with the odds stacked against me.
I think all will agree that these markets are hard to trade short term. I feel knowledge is the key to making money and thank you for trying to make me a little smarter
~Mark~
Too much month at the end of the money.
We need more volatility and more 3X ETF funds…. 12X if you leverage.
I lack the inteligence for making good investments.
Martin,
biggest obstacle……..”My Wife” ….otherwise I would be entirely invested in the areas in which you have directed so many of your investors correctly.
She is happy with our money in our local bank collecting 3.5% per year.
AppleHappy
There are money making opportunities EVERYWHERE you simply have to be creative, opened and flexible.
BARACK Obstinate OBAMA, and his idiot minions!!
The falling stock market and the low yield on Treasuries and fixed income instruments
Dr. Weiss….in my particular case i m holding a couple of small apartment buildings, cash, and silver bullion ( 2000 ounces )……like my compatriots here….its the fear factor that is keeping me back….fear and uncertainty….which of course is any investors hardest hurdle to overcome…..
As a Canadian, I would like to know if I can participate and how I can participate in your many and varied investment opportunities…
steve from canada….
Yes. Looking for a Job..Loosing Confidence and Time..
Lack of liquid funds to invest.
The uncertainty about Washington policy and its unability to rescue the US financial system meltdown which has caused recent market high volatility. Its been very high upswing and downs, if we’re in the wrong side of the market it can get you stopped out till death. Until more money left to open another position to cover-up.
Access to opportunity…especially foreclosures which don’t seem to hit the general marketplace.
Martin: I need help in trading. In other words, I can follow Jack Ctrooks in WCO and Mike’s Rapid Fire ETF’s but, I really don’t have the time to read & execute all of the trades. Can you set up a trading account for me at Weiss where somebody at your end can execute their recos?
Peter
Here we go:
FEAR
Getting out of the market when I am down so much and afraid I’ll miss the upswing.
How to trade the ultra etf’s. I keep losing money on them so guess my entry and exits are off.
High volitility
forced retirement low income and loss of home
Fear of this market swinging so violently up and down. i have been a seller of puts and calls for POT for a while. its been nuts keeping tracking of it..
I guess….Plain old lack of trust.
My wife and I have pulled back our 401K’s that were “worth” over $750k in July, into money market accts. I’m not sure this is a good move, or even a safe move.
We also just paid off of mortgage. We feel comfortable having done that regardless of whether it made good financial sense or not.
I just received a packet from our bank today. I met with their financial planner yesterday. He wants us to put a large amount of our $$ into AXA Equitable Variable Annuities. I know next to nothing about annuities, except they’re a high profit item for the seller…
oh well
Market volatility is so unpredictable it is not possible to do any practical investing.
Larry and Associates….
Just hope you all know the trust, hope and in the end….our retirement that we place in you…..and somehow really do trust you!
We must get rid of big wasteful government and big wasteful taxation by government.Every way the average person turns they face bureaucracy and headaches when simplicity is needed.We need government off peoples’ backs and out of their pockets.Government is now mortgaging the futures of peoples’ children,grandchildren and maybe even great grandchildren.We need a NEW American Revolution!!!Ron Paul speaks common sense for small government!Thank you for your information and heroic efforts!
EXTREME FEAR OF LOSS
Low income, customers.
I have no fear, trust, or confidence issues about the future. I’m an online futures daytrader. Just need one thing – the best (money making) back tested emini S&P 500 techical indicator. I have a fairly good back tested indicator now but would like to know if there’s something better.
my personal feeling is the stock market works on 3 themes, hope, fear and greed. currently, i dont see any hope just despair followed by alot of fear. i have friends getting pay cuts, layoffs and big reductions in home equity. who knows when and where the bottom will be . no hope plenty of fear, who has excess monies to invest in such unsure times, it is really scary out there now. thankyou for asking, dg
The number one obstacle is the continual volatility caused by continuing market manipulation.
The exact timing of entering the markets again is critical. Specifically, when will the US markets hit the bottom? When will international markets get to the bottom and specifically China, Brazil, India? Gold and silver has been rising. Obviously i may have miscalulated when i sold all of my gold and silver holdings in expectation of buying them back at lower prices. Will gold and silver also drop again in the next six months or so before they hit a consistent rise?
Pending Divorce
Not concentrating on the “new” needs of consumers… as in Saving money, and finding ways to consume less.
OBAMBI, GEITNER, BERNANKE……they are clueless and without a plan !
Excellent research….terrible newsletters…..too many chiefs….not enough indians…time to clean house.
My investments have been handled by a money management firm and before the market crashed, they took me out of the market. I’ve relied on others to this point but I am toying with the idea of trying new methods of income growth, on a limited basis until I become comfortable.
the uncertinity of the markets & lack of trust in washington
Low interest rates in fixed income market, low confidence – some fear and a lot of uncertainty.. With everything behaving so untypically we cannot rely on past history as a guide.
Invested in Canadian dollars and need to convert to US. Hope oil and commodities will lift the Can dollar to par before I invest. Currency play is key
My biggest problem is the illegal actions of the PPT, the Plunge Protection Team. As horrific as the market fundamentals are, there’s no way I would be long anything other than gold or silver mining shares but even here the market is heavily manipulated to keep PM prices depressed. I’ve been trying to pickup some extra cash using Rydex’s Inverse Funds but the PPT is making it extremely difficult. The DOW would have been well below 5,000 were it not for these gummint and Wall Street SOB’s.
Finding a reliable on line broker with reasonable prices where I can trade ETF’s.
We have cash to invest, but uncertainty and lack of confidence in the markets is holding us back.
go
Am in music business.. and production budgets are on hold. Just have to ride it out!
Pensioner. No longer gamble on shares. Money in safe savings accounts,low interest but my money is secure.
Hmm judging by what my stocks have gone through in the last few years ie falling below 50%, I am prone to buy and hang onto real estate…but I am waiting for the “ride” to slow down, might be as predicted in 2011, In the meantime I am secure with cash sitting in treasuries…even though the return is low:( As for all these new fandangled thins like ETF’s and Hedges etc. I am unfamiliar with how they function and as I read this morning, hate to put my money in the hands of someone I don’t know and who is not investing in the same thing…
Hi All,
We think the Weiss group has been providing great advice and service for a long time…
However, we remain highly critical and skeptical of their recent push toward currency trading…this honestly does not make much sense…statistics show that only 1% of currency or forex traders make any positive cash flow without losing their shirts….
In addition, they push the fear factor way too far…after all, if you remain properly diversified in different asset classes, you will be just fine…and guess what? this current crisis will not be the end of equities, or real estate, or REITs, or high yield bonds, or foreign bonds…it only means that you should be skeptical of what Wall Street is telling you, and diversify aggresively…after all, people have making money and prospering through many events in the past….remember late 1870s…1907, 1914, 1929, 1937, 1941…1973…1987..1991…2000..and now 2007…until now and ongoing…the message is, capitalism works, and you just need to realize that any investor MUST follow a proper asset allocation program for his/her needs…
Cheeers..and looking forward to hear from you…
Not knowing where to put my money.
Like others here, my biggest obstacle is having limited funds to invest. Opportunities abound if you know where to look, even in this market. But with limited capital it’s hard to take advantage of those opportunities. Sure, there are leveraged investments, like leveraged ETFs, but one mis-step early on could wipe out your capital.
I would like clear trades. I have a small IRA and would risk it all on good clear trades to increase it as quick as possible in this volatile market.
Biggest problem is risking 401 K savings while under 59 1/2 with no part time income to supplement spouse income to pay mortgage etc.
My fear of losing more money which I cannot afford to lose
Lost most of my $ already.
Looking to cash in on a large tax refund this year.
Ready to go again.
Larry
Martin, I live in Canada. Apart from life insurance policies, and a partial annuity. I have no assets nor holdings in the USA. All our resources are abroad. We don’t trust the US government nor administration. State Governors are also very dubious people, running scam states in many cases. Obama may be better, but it is too soon to know. We don’t like the kind of backgrounds of people he chooses, like Tim Geitner, Tom Daschle, Gov. Richardson, Al Franken, Hillary Clinton; all sound like shameless liars and not trustworthy people.
So, we have doubts that the USA can survive the financial crisis and the US $ remain as convertable and sound. That means we have to hedge our bets at present. Hopefully it will get better in 12 to 18 months. We’ll watch and see.
Chaos, turmoil and uncertainty with respect to anything that has to do with making, keeping and growing money.
There’s no work, the banks are in a mess, the “Money as Debt” system is being subsidised, and nothing good will come of it – time for changes, except we’ve missed the boat on that. Nothing changes. Affluenza has failed. Cash is king and places like Brazil and other countries that the west has left behind are the new way forward. The planet is the main beneficiary of this slowdown, however, so that should be the way forward. Keep it natural and constructive. And get out there and live. Enough about these fools wrecking the financial world! Find a way to enjoy unemployment and make the most of it.
I keep losing money on trading ultra etf, guess I need better entry and exit points.
My obstacle is lack of knowledge in trading however I am learning through a close freind.
When is the financial world going to clense itself of corporate greed and corruption?
I am running a business on total transparency and honesty and doing well. I would like to make excess money so I can help others.
Would like to invest , but not at this time due to market going DOWN.. I want to try your currency trading but I know that nothing is Free and I would have to spend alot of time to learn that kind of investment strategy , however with that said I still toy with the idea of your trading ways.. I do look forward to reading your Money and Market everyday , Thank you Richard
The need to know in quantitative terms, how much deflation do we still face and when will the deflation turn around and stabilize or become inflation.
best test to explain world markets I have heard is…
ASSUME:
American business is running at only a small percent of ultimate capacity. For your problem assume 65%. This means a factory is only turning out 65% of what it can sell. If it turns out more, it goes into inventory or prices come down even more.
Assume this business is already cutting back on employees and hours worked because management isn’t stupid and they want something left in the bonus pool for December bonuses.
EXPLAIN:
How money from any of the so-called ’stimulus’ legislation will increase sales or explain how the company will use the money to increase production rates beyond current demand levels so they can hire someone back.
BARACK OBAMA, who has never had a job, never worked in the private sector, and thinks government is everybody’s daddy. Government is NOT the SOLUTION, Government is the PROBLEM!!
Government actions large and small, actual and “expected soon”, including outright manipulation – have ALL the markets in complete flux. While it is certainly more of a traders market, I’d really call it a gamblers market. Not being a gambler I’m mostly waiting.
uncertainty and fear
Fear over losing more principal.
Hi
You give a great insight into how the whole system works, however as I live in Ireland I cannot always buy the investment products you advise
Most of the stocks I have now are oil, energy and precious metals. After losing about half the value during 2008 I am reluctant to move ahead mostly to ignorance of what might be coming on the horizon. I don’t know if I should sell everything and just sit on the cash or just let things “ride” for the time-being. I am at a “fork-in-the-road”.
Thanks, Martin for the venting space! Truth is, and will be for the foreseeable future any area of investment is highly speculative and increasingly risky now! Most of us would love a smaller return on investments if there was a sense, the investment was not playing in a “black hole!” For me, “risk” has exceeded my investment tolerance. Currencies are all over the place, their governments/economies are unstable as is our own, and commodities fluctuate by the minute. My number #1 issue: reduce the greed, increase confidence that legitimate investment vehicles can provide a fair and reasonable return.
Fear of loss
The system has become so corrupt and
so compromised that no curative process
based on true facts will be allowed
by the elite masters. We will have to be
freed from the grip of the Wall Street-
Fed-lobbyist-Government complex; this
will happen only when forced by events.
Buy physical gold and trade currencies is
the only way to go until then.
Not enough time in the day — or night.
Market direction & volatility! Nothing is good enough just to buy and put away in this market. And, there is very little room for error on timing because the major trend is down and there is a constant threat of retesting November lows, and possibly even breaking through.
too many uncertain variables makes investing that I always felt a bit of a gamble now a real crap shoot. I am investing regardless but primarily corporate bonds in my retirement acct and personnally nyc GO and revenue bonds. Will see if the Fed buying back 100 year t bills will lower interest rates and hence increase price ofthese investments plus decrease and make more affordable getting a mortgage.. At least these are not boring times.
Staying focused. For awhile I live in the reality that things are bad and I need to be extremely prudent. Then I get sick of all those depressing thoughts and wander off course and start spending money (which takes me farther from my goal). I want to believe things will be alright again (it was all just a dream), but then something happens and I get shaken back to reality and again resolve to stay on course.
My Health
Martin…i like this idea. My # 1 concern in this market is identifying investments that protect my capital…and offer a good chance of appreciation.
Bruce McCristal
Close to fully invested. Confidence to move one investment into another that will give me a return.
Not having much money to invest. With only a $1000.00 to play with makes it hard to know what to do.
I did not pick my parents correctly.
Goverment controlls are strangling the effforts to create a work force. We are turning into a middle man country. Lobbyist should be a crime, it’s killing America. Give the voice back to the people not special interest groups. We are not producing enough, due to goverment rules, regulations, raising minimum wage, lack of goverment control on its own spending, waste, pork, affirmative action, diversity programs, all that the goverment doesn’t have to comply with. Excessive benefits for goverment workers, they never tighten their belts.
Pensioner,no longer gamble on shares.Low interest savings account
Most of my resources are tied up in real estate that won’t sell and is returning less than 1%. I expected that rental properties would be a large part of my retirement plans.
uncertainty,volatility,mistrust of the markets
I know little about economics, but I remember that rule of economics is that when a government prints excessive amount of money, the money looses its value. Therefore,
the stimulous package is a dangerous way to boost the economy. Knowing that most people like to spend money when they see it. I feel that he stimulous package will only boost the economy artificially for a little time. Then, it is posible that will tamble down.
You are the experts. please correct me if I am wrong.
Nestor
Not sure which market to trade now
Don’t trust Obama, much less the tax cheats he has appointed to high places. I can’t find any data that points to a turnaround in the stock market, and a few billion dollars to ACORN is a political payoff not a stimulus, as is a lot of the other pork in the package.
uncertainty
doubt & uncertainty…following your advice I’ve had some gains, but also losses. The same applies to Mike’s Crisis Opportunity. I find myself on the wrong side of the trade more often than not. So lately, I am just frozen and confused about which way to turn.
G@B next year we will be £1000000 air,s
Contradictory information. Uncertainty. Volatility. Not knowing what is the “safest” investment beyond the short-term t-bills. I bought the Money Making Machine and am currently trading the Rockefeller Forex Trader so I’m excited/hopeful about that…
For a person like myself who has not traded in the paper investments you & your staff are experts at picking, being able to have a member of your staff\inhouse be able to actually place my orders for any of the investments you recommend would be a best case scenerio for me versus my having to pick & trust a total stranger at a un-tried for me brokerage firm (which is somthing I can not risk). I know you choose not to provide said service for your own reasons however that`s what has kept me glued to the sidelines & cost me profit opportunities I`m sure, but thanks for asking. Jay.
I don ‘t believe the big government bailouts are going to save our economy. It didn’t work in FDR’s time and it won’t work now.
I will NOT invest in China because it is communist and they are NOT our friends. They already own too much of our debt and their goal is to ruin us which they are doing a good job of.
I don’t know enough about buying and selling options or short and/or long sales and I don’t want to spend every moment of the day following the market.
I’m almost 100% in MM funds and will likely stay there for the foreseeable future.
No money to invest and no access to any money to invest
Me!
I have had in my grasp plenty of paper profits and opportunities but I keep getting in the way of myself.
Cheers!
The Fed, Treasury, JPMorgan, & Goldman/Sachs. I am convinced that JPM & G/S have been naked shorting gold and gold mining shares at the behest of the Fed & Treasury. The SEC has turned a blind eye. Now the head of enforcement in the SEC is being replaced, as though that would make a difference. Ha! I have lost all confidence in the federal gov’t. It appears now the law breakers are the law makers. The law applies to everyone but them. If that is not true, why aren’t Gleithner & Daschle in jail, or heavily fined, or both. The bailout so far has taken care of those who gave big political contributions; started by Paulson & now to be continued by Geithner (another G/S alumni).
As you may surmise, I am a gold investor.
The uncertainity of almost all markets, however, short term treasurys yield stinks. Do you still advocate these? Now we face the big passing of the stimulas package. What next?
people are frozen with fear and scared to move their money out of anything right now…even though they know their ship is sinking. i see way too many retirees who have a short, selective memory and did not learn from what the market’s did only a few years ago…’01, ‘02 and ‘03. greed is very powerful and it has made many retirees, or people close to retirement, lose a lot of sleep the past year. for the majority of retirees, the stock market is not the place to have their money…money that they need to be there for them for rest of their lives. there’s way too much bad advice being given out there from all the brokerage houses who only deal with stocks, bonds and mutual funds…way too much risk for a good chunk of their clients.
Potential for a formal devaluation of the dollar, or new currency introduced with a low value to today’s dollar. Also the new currency being connected to a higher gold value possibly created by the feds. (Edelson theory)
Hard to find an automatically trading system for day trading.
I sold the markets a couple of years ago since history and charts did not support what was going on at the time. My current market holdings are about 5% of my port. Now, the waiting game is the most interesting item I’m dealing with, and many of the CD’s I bought are coming due, some banks I have CD’s in are caving in, and new interest rates are very low.
so muck conflicting advice on what is going to happen. Hard to know which way to go.
too many uncertain variables makes investing that I always felt a bit of a gamble now a real crap shoot. I am investing regardless but primarily corporate bonds in my retirement acct and personally nyc GO and revenue bonds. Will see if the Fed buying back 10 year t bills will lower interest rates and hence increase price of these investments plus decrease and make more affordable getting a mortgage.. At least these are not boring times.
I don’t have enough money at this time to play with and gamble on loosing. And yet if I sit back and do nothing there are great profits to be lost. I need to know that I am in good hands and that my hand will be held every step of the way. I am a middle aged baby investor.
The relative inflexibility of an IRA, where most of my tradeable assets are. For example, in my non-IRA account, I will sell a put near the price I’m prepared to pay for a stock rather than enter a limit order –that way, I can get paid for waiting. You can’t use this strategy in an IRA.
Another is strictly my problem, but I’m curious if anybody else has anything similar: I’m restricted to using a local brokerage because my wife wants an office and a person to go to in case I should get run over by a bus, or disappear on a bender to Las Vegas.
LOOSING 50% OF MY PRINCIPAL IN THE MARKET.
TRUSTING Others {Banks, Advisors, Agents, Governments, Big Businesses etc
CONFIDENCE in others
I feel the number one disaster right now is LOW INTEREST RATES. Everytime they lower the rates they are stabbing a knive in the heart of baby boomers and twisting the knife. Interest rates are ridiculously low. A million dollars cash right now will earn you $25,000 per year if you have a liquid account. Poverty wages. Why is it so great to encourage people to go into debt. Interest rates on savings should be a least 5% and never lower. Low interest rates are making everything worse. They are only helping those who made this mess to begin with by using debt irresponsibly.
Lack of capital
I enjoy reading your emails, but I need someone to make the investments for me, I asked one time but I beleive you do not make investments for people -correct>
I need training on the forex.
Fear of all investments and no confidence that our government knows what they are doing.
Dear Martin,
The #1 difficulty in this market is that risk is so pervasive (across virtually all asset classes) that the “no better time to” mantra rings hollow.
I would like to anticipate the market so that I can make successful option trades. Market trends help, but I am afraid there is no transparency on maximum trades that get traded on the news or ahead of the news. The little guy is at the mercy of those controlling the news. Is there anyway that this can be supervised. Also perhaps bringing back the up-tick prior to a put or sell purchase order might have a controlling affect. Thanks for all your insights. They have been helpful. NL
Market Makers still actively Short Selling (NAKED short selling).
Can’t prove it. Just know it.
They continue to ruin companies.
SEC is absolutely, totally worthless…like it’s always has been.
THE ONLY PROBLEMS I HAVE ARE CAUSED BY THE MORONS WE SEND TO WASHINGTON…..IT’S NO LONGER A FAIR GAME WHEN WE HAVE THESE MORONS CHANGING THE RULES EVERYDAY…
THE MARKET HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL ON MY INVESTMENTS, AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING. I DO HAVE PHYSICAL GOLD/SILVER HOWEVER!!!!!
we are in unknown waters and lack a clear, concise compass, ie valid information.
My only holdings now are gold since you predict the dow going to 5500.
Risk! I am retired with a fair amount of capitol to invest. I know that I cannot survive in the long run on the interest of treasury bonds. At this time I lack the confidence to invest large sums in the equity markets. It seems that there is no reasonably safe investment strategy that will not whipsaw me into a loss.
keeping emotions out of the decision process first of all, getting a feel of the day to day direction, however up and down it may be and being right at least 51% of the time and using the right investment vehicle, I like covered calls combined with inverse etfs, having 2 to 3 positions but….sometimes my little chunk of change swings 5 to 10K a day, makes me a bit nervous at times.
I’ve been to 5 CFP’s and they are all more interested in themselves than making me money. So it is the complete distrust of the totally loaded against the small investor system that causes me to not move forward and the latest debacle is only the tip of the iceberg, greed & dishonesty is everywhere.
Confusion, just when you see a trend starting, you get blind sided by someones illogical statement. I read you and your associates info, but still difficult to see what direction to go.I am getting old enough to be concerned about market recovery.I will keep on reading your articles though.
Bob
Hard to find two nickles to rub together
its all to do with cash flow…
There is alot of money to be made in these markets. #1 obstacle is a slowing of loans to purchase new businesses. Other than that I follow Martin’s and Larry’s reports and their advice, especially on gold and short index etf’s, done very well. By the way, is there any way the safe money report can give a current list of banks that are originating business loans, especially with respect to different industries. Thanks.
Capital commitments are not honoured the amount promised or on time. Closing deals (banking) takes too long for local business or international. What banks are trustworthy now? Who knows and what banks can you trust?
The markets are far too volatile and unpredictable> Being either short or long holds high risks and one must be a day trader to make money without undue risk. Trying to predict the market sentiments is impossible. The government is now the 900 pound gorilla.
Conventional “investing” is moot. The other side of the pendulem is taking hold. One now
must adapt by thinking contrarian by shorting (or at least staying out of) equities. Gold
ETF’s are good.
Lost some money on my 401K Retirement account, where do I go from here?
I’m 55 years old.
What funds should I be selecting now. Or move funds over into an interest only option.
I suspect even those with stellar resumes don’t really know how to crawl out of this. It is a system of trial and error and evaluated by those who know so much less than those who are trying alternatives. In this environment it has been unrewarding to invest except to trade the volatility and sectors that play to the emotions of the times based on the latest news coverage. As an early 60-something I am at least trying to direct to some preservation and better than cash dividend return and don’t mind some risk to do that. Dividends in the 4% range in stable companies catch my attention. If I expect to live a long life I can’t retreat to only treading water. I believe strongly in growth investments for boomers once a basic income stream is assured. I do like some of the MLP’s, like KMP. I like the TIP ETF, below 100 with an opportunity for yield and a double digit return when inflation sets in eventually. I also think whenever, if ever we begin to stabilize, it could be a buying opportunity that will carry forward for the next two decades given where we will be starting out again. I just hope our young people can structure something of a decent life with the burdens will are piling on them. You should consider several levels of strategy, within your perspective, for the the 20-somethings through the 80-somethings.
Fear. Sometimes I feel paralysed and don’t know whom to believe or trust. Everything I buy seems to go down whether I use inverse ETF or buy divident paying stocks. So I do nothing because I’m tired of losing money. So I let it sit in US short term treasuries and bank deposit even though I get no yield.I still own about 20% of my portfolio in stocks.
I am worried about our country and the road that our leaders are taking us down. I do not trust our government to make the right economic decisions and fear that our dollar will become worthless. I do not have very much money to invest, however, I believe that I need to do something to stay ahead of the declining dollar.
What does awaiting moderation mean?
Having someone in charge of our Treasury that is not a tax cheat. Having a government that has some kind of back bone. Having politicians that work for the people that voted for them and not for their own idea’s
Not knowing where to invest in this very uncertain and volatile market.
Protecting the value of my savings while maximizing the income from them.
Thought I was alone but see I’m not–it is Fear, pure and simple–at 75 I can’t take the risks that younger people can assume. Jack Campbell
The more opinions I read the more confusing it is. I don’t think the government or anyone else has the answer at this time. It seemed perhaps the market was bottoming out around 8000 until today., altho some say 5500. Waiting for some semblance of a trend.
Hi and thank you. I have a orientation on the 16th for a tractor truck driveing job, for j b hunt.
Those that still have their job are in fear of losing them – those that lost their job cannot qualify to refinance or diig out of an upsidedown position in their home. Even those in the upper class are holding on to their money – putting off major purchases. It’s a great time to buy a home or investment property but people are holding out for lower rates and a more secure future.
Thanks for all of your hard work Martin.
I would rather armageddon come quickly because then buying opportunities will abound for some real long term growth. However, with the rat pack in charge of this country that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. I’m hopeful that things will start to correct about a year from now, but honestly that’s looking to be a fairly optimistic view.
I feel very strongly that we are in a depression and the government is following the same road as FDR did in the 1930’s depression. It did not work then. The Second World War was the catalyst that turned the economy around then, not FDR’s policies. Why follow the same ineffective policy now?
I believe we are heading into years of depression and that the market will fall much, much further over the coming years.
I currently looking at Real Estate for income.
Interest rates too low for those of us on a fixed income and cannot afford to take risk with our money.
Our family wealth is primarily in my husband’s IRA, which is under the direction of a money manager and down 50% from sixteen months ago. They talked him into putting all the money in equities. I was against this, but I have no control and no say. We are in our sixties and I fear we will not live long enough to recoup our losses. Heck, starvation is in our future.
In 1997 I started a small buisess which we built to the point where we were number one and still are within in our market influence. In June of 2008 we sold our shares to a public company for several million dollars and have been scared to do anything with the cash. As I read your newsletter the question is security, I am closer to 57 than 56, I signed on to manage the business for another couple of years with an option for another year. Having a place to place the money with a secure reasonable return is the main road block (obstical) right now. In two words, “feeling secure”. We are very comfortable with our life and life style and do not like to gamble our hard earned cash.
Paul
Fear and being able to invest my 401-K the way I need to.
A. Having cash to invest in anything. B. If A were not an obstacle then trying to figure out how government intervention will mess with the investments you know can and should produce good returns in this environment.
Lack of available capital to invest! Money tied up in a portfolio that consists predominantly of gold, silver, miners, geothermal and commodities. I decided not to bail and ride this dip in what will, in my opinion be the place to have one’s money over the next 5 to 10 years! So Im all in with nothing left to buy the screaming bargains!
Under performing business complete with cash flow problems is #1. Clueless administration and politicians is a very close second. Why not revive the RTC to liquidate these troubled assets at auction rates?
Fear and indecision. I am an income investor and have several Preferreds in banks. Understand nationalization wipes out my preferreds? Have cash and will wait until the government sets its policy. Lookin at preferreds in other industries.
I have been reading your financial information and your dad’s for over 26 years-both of you have been on the money every time-my great grand dad was a medical doctor in 1929 and lost over a million dollars in the crash-it wiped out our family wealth-my brother & I grew up dirt poor-I just retired from the third largest bank in world-you have called the banking problems to the T-I have not lost any money!! Thank You for the wonderful advice-What a Great Publication!!
Kent
I really want to buy your system and learn how to trade, but the confidence and spending the money to buy the system are a problem. I know that does not help my goal for increasing my profits but its actually scary when you really break things down and try to move forward. I love reading the daily emails, and keeping up on the economy, so thank you. I try and spend at least one hr a day learning about the stocks/trading/interest rates ect..
I’m forever glad I started subscribing to MaM eLetter and could take advantage of both your conventional and unconventional wisdom. My #1 obstacle to making any substantial money is having so much of my wealth tied up in an inflexible 401K. I have been able to put other small $$ in ETFs and a couple of options. Due to bad debt decisions I didn’t have the means to try the Personal Money Machine at this time. Maybe if I get laid off from my job and get the 401K in lump (!) But I think it’s a great idea and am still thinking about it.
Lack of positive cash flow – first.
Then negative experience with annuities,
financial councelling – second.
Thank you for the services, you are providing!
Like you wonderful people I saw and predicted the bubble in housing and loans in 2005, and was laughed at by many. But I got out and they aren’t laughing anymore.
Now I see a larger problem called our naive economic leaders as the biggest obstacle to a shortened depression and a long overdue cleaning of our economy which has needed for 25 years. Controlled inflation is nothing more than borrowing against the future and creates little if any value added in production.
How can we impeach these appointees or publically VET them? The same guys that got us here are still captaining the ship into the next iceburg. Spend ourway out of debt – Bah!
My number 1 obstacle to making money in this environment is government, primarily at the federal level but also at the state level. If they would get out of the way by lowering all taxes (personal and corporate), eliminate many of the regulations and do only the things that are explicitly stated and authorized in the Constitution.
I would like to anticipate the market so that I can make successful option trades. but I am afraid there is no transparency on maximum trades that get traded on the news or ahead of the news. The little guy is at the mercy of those controlling the news.
I believe your long term predictions are right on. However, if I had shorted the market in November when I took control and rolled my 401(k) into an IRA, I would be just break-even right now. I read (and listen) to you and your panel of experts religously, but I also follow a shorter term trading software package that I purchased. It has whip-sawed me on more than one occaision. Obviously, if I could have shorted the market 8 months or more ago and just left it, I would be better off. As it is, one account is up 20% and the other up only 4%.
Please keep up the good work. I love your “family” of experts.
Every time I pick a new stock, something bad happens and it goes down. There needs to be a complete wash out so that the market can form a new base from which some stability can occur. At least we would then have a better idea of which companies will survive and pay safe dividends. The Government is not helping because every time it acts, new uncertainty occurs and its ” best laid plan” does not work.
Retired 15 years ago. Lost 60% of IRA reacaently, Havve limited cash flow. Depend on
Limited social security and a reversible mortgage for income. Have 30 % invested in USGlobal
Gold & Pre Metals funds for about a month which has proven to date to be the better investment I have ever made-so far. With threee of inflaation this may prove to be a winner in the future-if I live ong enough.
after burning my fingers miserably aversion to risk is my biggest obstacle
I want to do CFD and need help. I put too much in one basket and got caught when the stock market crashed or went down. of course didn’t sell but now have to wait for the market to go up. I am on a self mangaged super fund.
need all the advice that I can get
I lack trust in the market and in the government bail out plans. I am
preserving capital in Treasury Money Market accounts and TIPS, but want to eventually
build my nest egg for retirement.
My number one obstacle now; is overcoming my extreme caution picking an investment vehicle. I can’t afford to loose any more of my funds; however, I can’t afford to stop investing for my income and my future. I have been trading very successfully daily, earning my income, and building my savings for 9 years. I need to build my funds back up to where I feel comfortable. I stay mostly fully invested at all times; just varying the investment vehicles.
how we will recover what we lost, and putting trust in some advice. NOT THE FED>>>
the fear of further throwing my money away. I have been dogged this last year by ruinous investments.
Am not so much interested in making money as I am keeping the money that I’ve already made !!
I’m retired with an adequate savings unless inflation roars back to destroy me. I’m a skilled option trader, and have done reasonably well with options.
My biggest problem is that non-market interference (attempts by the fed and the government to avoid market corrections) take the edge off of directional moves, or worse, cause the market to go in the opposite direction (for a short period). For an option trader (straight buyer of options) this can be disasterous. I remember a fed announcment on a Thursday after the close in a down week that caused an enourmous up move on Friday (which would never have happened without intervention). So the uncertainty enhanced by intervention is the biggest problem.
Pete
It takes money to make money
1. Low capital.
2. 9 to 5 routine (namely JOB) making money for somebody else.
3. Kid’s expense
4. Mortgages
Since I have recently retired, I too am concerned with capital preservation. I have 75% in cash, money markets and Canadian bonds. Trying to decide when to re-balance this portfolio is not an easy job. I planning to use dollar cost averaging as a buying strategy – buying once a month during any dips that occur in the third week of each month – the last week as a general rule often has an uptick as managers “polish their portfolios”! I buy mainly ETFs for diversification and low costs, but which ones and the asset allocation are the hardest decisions to make.
relocated due job change and all of my extra income is going to home that I can not sell.
low funds.
not understanding the full scope of bull & bear & so many other terms.
how can a person make so much money with 1,000.00 or even 100.00
afraid to invest market …economy is so screwed up.
wondering what you charge to help me invest.
how can you guarantee a win?
Income being very low because of having a long term business that sells high end discretionary items. Have been looking for and trying out lower priced items but still having trouble with low sales revenue. High bills & debts that were affordable before income got slashed to pieces.
Volatility . Getting on wrong side of major swing.
Conflicting advice
Like don.t fight the fed
Buy gold
Deflation to drive raw material prices down
Frustration
Since I am retired, I simply can not afford to risk loosing any more of my capital. I took huge losses in the 2000-2002 recession. Been out of the markets for 3 years now and sleeping darn good.
My biggest challange is finding companies that will be able to take advantage of this down turn and pick up market share and gain strength over the next 3-5 years!
TRUSTING Banks & Big Business etc
CONFIDENCE in Others
To receive dividends from stocks that are safe and sequre for the future and beond the present downturn.
Paul
Trust and confidence are the issue. Trust in the money, institutions, the SEC and CFTC, the whole enchilada. As long as “two large banks” are allowed to control the markets and allowed naked short selling and other market manipulations, as long as the FED and other agencies are allowed to issue bogus financial data, there can be no confidence in the system. The bailouts have gone into the pockets of the wealthy and have done nothing to re establish trust and confidence in the system. The bailouts, has provided for “paradigm preservation” and done nothing to provide for the needed capital for main street America.It is time for a new paradigm, it is time to let those that have failed to actually step aside. The game as it stands is rigged. Now the whole world knows the truth.
I refuse point blank to invest in anything other than cash right now. I dont think anyone knows how deep this hole is. With all due respect martin, I admire your opinion immensly, but I am sure even you would admit it could get a few percent worse than you have bravely stated.
My Speculation right now is through the simple and hugely tax efficient UK Spread bet market on FX. I have trained myself through passing the STA diploma and use Jack Crooks et al, for fundamental input. So far This is proving encouraging. I started along this path some time ago (2007), as you were calling the risks Martin, which is why I felt empowered to decline your offer. But 3 years ago I would have swallowed it whole. I was actually forced into a finacial mess much like masses of people are in now and saw short term, cheap FX trading as my only way back, as I can no longer work. I therefore believe your FX strategy is a great Idea and was relieved to see you come up with it.
Really have no confidence in market trends or even a bottom. Reactions in the market seem inconsistent sometimes as thought they’re being monipulated instead of acting freely.
Confidence has left the room.
Time is running out fast.
Cash is King.
Timing is everthing.
Recovery is nowhere in sight.
Changing Peoples Mindset.
casflow
Our structural steel company of 30 years has only gotten better year after year. Right now, my confidence in the construction market has been shaken through the media and nightly news. Normally I’d make what ever capital investments were going to increase production, BUT NOW, I’m on hold till my confidence returns.( PS, I don’t listen to the media any more)
While I have been a value investor all my life, this has been a bad place to be over the last 10 years. So, I’m looking for a new medium to make money. I’ve considered trading currencies, or other avenues; however, I’m a novice investor and have little time to concentrate on the subject. Any suggestions?
Your issues cover mainly the USA Sector but lacks info on the Canadian Sector where I live. For now I’m just sitting on the cash waiting for more info hopefully on where in the Canadian markets to invest.
I don’t know, but I appreciate your advise. I really believe you mean it when you say”Good luck and God bless”
Lack of financing to get my business off the ground.
The biggest fear is not fear itself, its fear that our Govt and its policy makers have no idea what to do or the consequenses of their action or inaction. What kind of future are we sewing for our children and grandchildren. Greed for lack of a better word is BAD. It makes normally decent people look the other way. Lord help us now.
Difficulty predicting the future (with any significant degree of confidence)
I think everyone is feeling as though we are living in the twilight zone. Nothing feels safe anymore, not even cash in the bank. It is impossible to make good investment decisions when we are in this kind of environment. Yes, fear reigns right now.
Since I do not desire to do the research on my own, I feel it best to try a pay service from time to time that does the research for you and provide recommendations. Every one I have tried has failed. I find all the services pad their performances with unrealistic entry and exit points. Furthermore, past performances are greatly exaggerated and are basically sales pitches. So my biggest obstacle in making money is finding a truthful, reputable, consistent and affordable reco pay service. I would have no problems paying for something that works and keeps my risk and losses at the very minimum.
I trade Forex and i have a wonderful trading strategy. But ive not been trading profitably
My emotions come into play when i trade. i have been able to document my trading rules but i need some one who can turn it into automation for me and make the automated system perform exactly based on my trading rules. can you reccomend anybody?
additionally, i wont mind buying a truly truly profitable EA. can you reccomend one?
Too much volatility to risk pulling out of Treasuries.
High volatility
I have followed your previous advice on getting out of European stock and buying US Government issues and although returns are not big the capital value vis a vis GBP has soared. I have however not ventured into your “can’t go wrong” currency markets; on which I made a $65,000 theoretical loss by dabbling without committing cash.
It would appear to me that the present time is not for speculating, certainly not after the half baked measures announced from Washington today. I intend to stay put and see how things settle, you may also be wise enough to do likewise!!!!
Detecting the upswing ahead of the curve with some confidence ought to be the next task with careful analysis as to the likely market segments to move upwards first.
My best wishes for your future efforts and thanks for your advice.
Kind regards,
Freddie Barter
My money is tied up in my 401K, which has limited options for investing, and a beach rental which is in a great location and I hate to sell. So how do I free up cash to invest?!
The crash is still yet to come……………
Housing has tumbled off a cliff yet there is still trillions of loses too come out of housing, that’s a lot of cash to take out of an already shaky market. It is leaving record numbers of people upside down in mortgages and zero liquidity. The golden egg has cracked with no plan “B”as the mounting job loses will compound everything even more. One other area is oil has fallen off a cliff giving us one sliver of hope because lower oil prices should drop the price of gas putting monies into consumers pockets yet , the gas at the pumps is not falling near as much as it should be what gives? Is it the refineries or the government keeping the gas prices up artificialy? Even today gas is sitting at about 1.25 wholesale a gallon and going up while oil is under 40$ a barrel.
I’d like to know if and when to cash out my IRA. If the government starts to meddle with our retirement funds then I’d rather cash out my IRA early and take the penalty. I’d rather have something than absolutely nothing.
Being too bullish on the bear. I have invested too heavily in vehicles that should appreciate in a market decline, and have not seen the money yet. Obviously, my timing has not been good, either.
Since I have recently retired, I too am concerned with capital preservation. I have 75% in cash, money markets and Canadian bonds. Trying to decide when to re-balance this portfolio is not an easy job. I am planning to use dollar cost averaging as a buying strategy – buying once a month during any dips that occur in the third week of each month – the last week as a general rule often has an uptick as managers “polish their portfolios”! I buy mainly ETFs for diversification and low costs, but which ones and the asset allocation are the hardest decisions to make.
Very little capital. Plus, I commute to a full time day job and cannot access the computer to trade the markets.
What is your #1 obstacle
to making money right now,
in this environment?
Defensively…where to invest or whether to invest at all? Isn’t cash still king?
I am 80 years old. It is difficult for me to follow the quick changes and then act on buying or selling . In addition it takes me much longer to perform all my other responsabilities so I cannot moniter the computer frequently.
do not know when is the best moment to invest and which sectors and which stocks should be invested.
Lack of confidence and trust, primarily due to the monumental corruption created by the government’s long-term enmeshment with big business. This stacks the cards against small investors to begin with. But when their “genius program” blows up in their faces (and ours), we further become the punishees.
I luckily smelled a rat 18 months ago and went almost all cash, therefore avoiding the wholesale destruction of my then blue chip (LOL..BLUE chip indeed) portfolio. However, with interest rates at next to nothing cash is idle. I am in no position to lose my hard earned assets so I wait and watch and dabble in energy royalty trusts that even now pay a half decent dividend. I enjoy Money & Markets and the insights even if I don’t always agree with all of them. My advice…be fearful and distrustful because right now it is only the fats cats getting the bailouts of our money. The fed is bleeding us dry.
Would love to have an investment adviser for my company 401k as well as for my employees as we have taken quite a hit in the last year. Problem is that we have limited choices for investment in the plan and few-to-no options that will increase in a down market.
So I have followed your advice and am 80% cash. I did also hedge with 20% in gold. Haven’t gotten hurt as bad as my employees but I feel deeply for them. And things only seem to be getting worse.
The markets make NO sense. When news is at it WORST – the DOW will go up that day. It almost feels like the market is being manipulated and I’m not even certain by whom. Personally I love ETF’s. They can be a rocky ride and are not for the faint of heart.
My risk tollerance is much lower now than in the past few years. I think one could say I am more fearful than greedy right now. I have been dilligent in paying down debt and accumulating cash for the long term. I have a fair amount of money waiting to be put to work at the right time whether the market is trending up or down. The biggest obstacle is feeling the risk/reward is somehow much more important today than in the resent past. A few years ago the markets were still challenging but there was the feeling that there were plenty of opportunities for other jobs or investments that would allow one to make money if something didn’t go as planned. Today with all the uncertainty, the consumer and investor confidence is very low and going lower which makes it difficult to risk the security of the capital I have set aside. Now, if I felt confident that putting this money to work right now would make me money with little risk of loss, then I would be willing to put more of it to work. This is actually a strange feeling, considering that I have probably made more money with a smaller amount of risked captital in the last few months than the bull run since 2003. This is mainly due to following you and your associates advice. Thank you for your help and I look forward to any help you can provide for us all to prosper through these uncertain times.
I am retired, living from pay check to pay check. What is a fellow to do?
Low interest rates and not knowing what hair-brained scheme that the govt is coming up with next
In a word, Uncertainty.
It creates too much risk.
I believe that as long as the government continues to interfer in free markets and does not address the underlying problem, which is the housing bust in my opinion, there will be no confidence in the economy. I own a small business and can see first hand the contraction in spending by corporations and individuals. I have reduced payroll and have stop taking a paycheck from the company. Preservation of capitol is my number one concern. We need “real” leadership from Washington; not what we are getting which is elected people not having a clue about economics. It isn’t rocket science, just good common sense and values, unfortunately I believe our leaders are lacking!
Thanks, Wayne
Why would ANY rational and prudent person invest in a declining market that is projected to lose at least another 10% to 20%, or more? And due to the unknown collateral damage that may occur, nothing appears to be a good bet where even one’s principle is truly safe. When the professional “insider” fund managers are investing in “zero interests T-Bills” that fairly well defines the overall situation, doesn’t it? The only “guarantee” for Investing in this declining market is the loss of principle. Congress must formulate and issue regulations and means of oversight for INSTILLING INTEGRITY in the market; and our economy has to hit bottom before things can mprove. It is a difficult situtation that we just have to work through. The government is dragging it out by artificially propping up too many failing institutions and dragging the process out.
Unemployed
Mix of cash and shares held. No confidence in either selling, investing or looking at alternatives. Uncertain and indecisive.
Too much money being ‘created’ by the mint & fed.
Markets have traded on wishful thinking or “calamity avoidance” for some weeks in the hope the new administration would/will deliver on its promise to help avoid what professor Rubini terms an impeding “L” shaped recession. Market’s action has been a far cry from expectations based on the gravity of the collective financial system, which clearly cannot be spared or fixed by any stimulus action that pales in relation to the underlying gargantuan problems never mind achieve that in short order !
Thank you Money & Markets for so accurately warning and accurately exposing long long time ago the fundamentals of the impeding calamity !
Knowing when to best cycle into the market (and into what?) fred
Hi Martin and the Team,
I have been getting your regular emails for well over 2 years – fantastic! However your commentary and investment picks are US centric and not always relevant for your international readers. I am in Australia.
Anyhow back to your question… In my case,with 4 kids at school and University, insufficient free cash especially a lump sum.
Martin,
I like to believe there is no obstacle to making money in this market. All the tools are available. All I need to do is take action.
Following the info from the Safe Money newsletter has given me profits and prevented huge losses that I would have racked up by listening to my broker or myself. Any losses I have are due to my own hesitation or not paying close attention.
As you can tell, I am happy with the results I am getting. And I’m looking positively toward the future.
Keep up the good work.
Voltatility and unpredicatability of political process — witness reaction of markets today to Geithner speech, which was a big disappointment in my view.
I’ve had success with combintation of reverse and leverage ETFs over the past month, esp. real estate and financials. However, I’m interested in the long-term: when to jump into gold-related shares, stocks with good dividend yields.
I’ve found a lot of good ideas in SafeMoney Report and related e-mails, but haven’t scored with some of your recs, esp. China, gold, and currency options.
Still can’t understand why the government doesn’t just let real estate markets reach equiliubrium. They appear to be overvalued in many parts of the country (more than 3X median household income).
Hi and thank you. I have a orientation on the 16th for a tractor truck driveing job, for j b hunt.Then deit to pay off. What gave you this Idea of a blog?
Paralysis. Like Larry F., I’m all paid up. Cash earns a paltry return, but capital is preserved. Looking at new investing like a deer in the headlights. Afraid to do anything but keep cash and PM’s.
Lack of confidence:
1- Lack of confidence: In the companies, in their performances and their net asset value, PE ratio and potential for Growth. Is any thing left? Also, unpredictable currencies and commoditiies. So, high volatility everywhere. For example, I am now interested in the high yield corporate bonds. BUt what would be the purpose when the market is supposed to fall another 20 percent.
2- Lack of confidence also in the predictions of different financial newsletters and professionals. Those who claim could make you money, but in reality their money is not really where their mouth is!
After all, now more than any time else we are seing more Chaos than PREDICTABILITY!
Timing,
- the market seems to do the opposite of what it should do, i.e. why is shorting Real Estate (REW) not performing? Why is the Dollar strong and Gold/Silver going sideways? I feel like I’m making the right moves in this market but I end up taking two steps back.
- Where are we going and why are we all in this hand basket???
THE BANKS!!!
It was the Banks that created this crash, Bernie Madoff and the likes. They want bailouts, (not to save us), but to pay themselves HUGE bonuses and 1.2 mil to reno their office??? Why should one ever trust them again???
As a Canadian, I am playing it safe, putting my money into the TFSA ad RDSP, the Gov’t came out with. Also, taking it out of the BIG lousy banks with their puny $60k guarantee and putting it into the provincial bank or credit union which has an UNLIMITED guarantee on your money.
I expect it to be worse for at least 2 years. After that, then think about scooping up devalued stocks and real estate. But for now, the safe hiding place for me is CASH!!!
Happy Saving!!!!
Not having enough time to play ETFs, options or currencies. Not knowing if gold will rally high or not; expert predictions diverge. Will sitting on cash be the best solution?
after havinf lost about 1/3 paper value of my stock portfolio, i am locked in. remember , you haven’t lost a penny until you sell ! so i am pressed for cash to realize some nifty bargains hanging in front of my mouth.
There is a pervasive lack of confidence in the markets. This is reflected every day by the Dow and S&P. The equity and credit markets are in free fall. And trust, perhaps the most important element in any transaction or interaction, has been breached by years of financial and political ineptitude. Until trust and confidence are restored, and sound economic architecture is put in place, virtually all investors will face increasingly greater difficulties. Restoration will not take place overnight. We are in for a long, uncertain slog.
Trade Options…only PUTS. I can have a good profit on a day like today, but did not do a “take.” I do not have any fresh monies and would like to rake in some profit. Drives me nuts, not taking a timely profit. Only to see a bounce up…once profits, evaporate. Now the option time is working against me. I know, I need better discipline. I am wondering if and when we are going to be experiencing more substiantial down days.
It appears we may be seeing the start of another leg down?? But now I don’t have fresh monies to take advantage of.
Inflation or Deflation? That, is the question around which everything revolves. I’m not convinced that your deflation argument is correct with the massive increases in the money supply occuring.
Not having enough to risk. The unknown. Too many pot-holes in the road.
I have no obstacle to making money. It’s the loosing it that gets me.
The same as many others, the fear of loosing money when the time is to keep what you have. I would like to buy one of your subscription for trading, but the initial cost as well as the fear of loosing $ is greater than the potential reward.
I agree with several of your visitors, that (erratic) market volatility has been the main obstacle in the way of my making money consistently.
I will hang onto inverse ETFs, as I expect the DOW will (as you’ve indicated in your emails) lose several hundred more points. Currency options are “almost always” a go; they’ve been difficult lately, but I expect they’ll show their true colors by Fall.
Washington is not minding the store, too many crooks and not enough SEC people doing their jobs.
I am a gold and silver person. The SEC and CFTC= goldman sachs and JP Morgan Chase. It’s called MANIPULATION!
Don’t know which way the stock market will turn with respect to trade ETFS. Some say that it will go down to 5500. Others say that we are at the bottom and we will have a sharp rally and the bear market is over.
None – you’ve made it possible for me to not need to answer this first question!! Thank you!!
How about the following: FEAR, market volatility, no discernible market direction, global instability, significant portfolio losses, Washington and Wall Street talking head morons, our government’s “bailout program” that no individual investor would execute to help his own family out of financial problems, and finally, investor financial services that can’t provide reliable advice given the current state of affairs.
Trying to stay focused on my plans in the midst of so much conflicting daily information
Difficulty in gauging investor sentiment, i.e. why would market go up on news of 600,000 new unemployed. Also trying to stay nimble on investments to take short term profits while trying to work out of older stagnant or losing positions
I am 74 years old and have been consistently 80% invested in equity, mutual funds and individual stocks until early 2008. I have been raising my cash position in all my accounts to about 50% cash at this time. I have also invested in short term treasury ETF,s just to stop the bleeding (down about 30% since beginning of 2008 in all my accounts). I am very concerned that the worst is yet to come and I don’t think our government has the answer to the problems that started 10-12 years ago with 115% mortgages to people who should have been renting and then Wall Street creating the CMO’s that became the investment of the decade until it all blew up! I am currently in “preservation mode”
This morning i looked at my account and I have 2 CD accounts, a gold account, and two others like Microsoft. The CD’s are only earning 3.8% and I felt bad about that until I realized how good I would feel if all me funds made at least that much. I am going nuts trying to outguess the market and how to be on the earning side. I have lost over $50K this year and I am retired with most of my non liquid funds into a ranch which I cant sell profitably. I hope to live long enough to see this through.
insufficient personal energy to watch risk investment 24/7 minute by minute which current environment requires
This is great service with Mr. Crooks, The Currency Alerts. I’m trying to recover from the losses. I hope this way I can.
canyoncountry05
Fear, uncertainity and trust. Newly retired several years ago, we suffered severe losses due to poor professional advice. Unable to regain those losses and now with reduced resources we don’t know what to do.
lost quite abit in the last year in the stock market, I am 81 and don,t think I should be investing more money into the market
Hi Martin,
I believe what everyone needs and wants is the opportunity of
funding an investment that is managed by a team of experts.
For example, entry level one: For those with little capital, take
a low investment from $100 to $10,000, and build group funds
with say a minimum of 5,000 people or more, leveraging a higher
investment amount.
Entry level two: $10,000 to $50,000 and so on, with x number
of participants in this group.
Based on what you put the funds into, you could offer a decent
ROI in terms of 30 days, 60 days to 180 days or more. You may
also choose to piggy-back on other investments that are doing
well.
I’m not stating this very well, but I’m sure you get the drift of
what I’m trying to say. Food for thought? Too many of us
haven’t a clue.
lack of money to put up front to expand my small business and to save even more..I am only just squeezing by …..
Trust. Is anything really safe? I know you’ve advised treasury bills or an all treasury money market fund. I’ve had both: the bills through Treasury Direct and the all treasury money market through the Reserve Fund. Yes, the same Reserve whose primary fund broke the buck. My account was frozen for about three months before I finally got access to my supposedly ultra-safe money. Personally, I don’t trust anything and certainly not the government. They’re the clowns that got us in this mess and now they’re making it worse!
As a turnaround consultant I can say with reasonable certainty that the biggest obstacle facing us all is the huge debt overload this economy has managed to swallow. I am not really sure how more debt, albeit from the government that has the ability to make money with a printing press, is going to solve the fundamental problem. I beleive that only time will cure the ills we have created. Remember back to basics seems to always be the way.
I would have to say time and lack of confidence. I have very little time to manage investments, as my job is 60-70 hours a week of high stress, high impact management. I don’t read even your advice with the time and clarity it deserves, and I become hesitant to do anything because I lack confidence that I fully understand what I need to do it effectively.
fear and trust on limited budget
My greates obstacle has been bad financial advice from my investment advisor who works for Switzerland’s largest major investment bank. It would be nice to find someone to handle my 401k who has my interest at heart instead of their own. I thought we were paying a fee each year to these guys to do this for us. There is little or no communication coupled with a “buy and hold” attitude. The best advice that I received and acted on was to take half of my investments an move them to secure investments last summer before the precipitous drop in equities last fall; this advice was from you Martin. Thanks!
I have too much real estate, which ties up most my assets. I do have a low LTV ratio so no immediate fear. Selling is very difficult in today’s market though.
I believe your argument that the economy will trend down for several more quarters. I am uncertain that anyone can, with relative safety, make money on the way down. So I’ll stay in cash and wait for signs of a turnaround. Washington’s actions may extend that happy day from quarters away to years.
I have a problem finding people that will tell the truth.
Lately, if a mouth opens a lie pour forth…
Uncertainty in the markets and the impression that no one – NO ONE – knows what to do or which way the economy will go. Stock market up or down? Inflation or deflation? It is neither a risk-taking environment nor one in which the most conservative investor can be assured of a reasonable return and the security of his investment.
I have to move a 401K soon as no longer work for the same company. My biggest concern is what to do with it now????
I do not want to continue to keep loosing as this is all I have for retirement at this time.
Thanks
Brain damage, perfect hindseight, no foreseight!?!
Pension only
Getting a loan! I could open a $600,000 – $1,000,000 medical pracitice, but no one would give us a loan, tried since August 2008. They lied in congress today saying banks are trying to loan money but business don’t want it.
NOT LOOSING MONEY!! PRESERVATION OF CAPITAL
Too much volatility . I lost big money on recent stock trades.
Thank you for your service. I have followed your advice and got into cash ,Gov’t M/M, because of stops in May and am down 1.7% from 1/1/08 to present.
Now I am tracking many ETF’s Gold, Silver, Commodities, China, but nothing seems to make sense. In prior years when the market went down Gold went up. Now Gold has just started doing the same, but is this the real trend???
China you feel is 2 months away still feel the same???
Long Term bonds you say are going down 40% in 2009, they are going up today which is what they did when the market tanked in 2008. Do you feel this trend will keep going the same way, if the dow is going to 5500??
Lastly thanks for your warning on ETN’s. I was considering them for commodities but not now.
Keep up the great work
Tally-ho
Fred
Low income, fear. Economy and possibility of job loss.
My only investments are in a 401K and to say the least, don’t know how much will be left, if any, before this crisis is over. I cannot take it out or do anything about it.
Tax ramifications on increased earnings…plus little confidence in stocks and funds at the moment.
Mainly lack of trust and fear and not wanting to loose MORE. 74 yr old …..not interested in long term investing……but need to carefully manage what I do have left….have taken some large losses….still invested in market with balance….and it continues to go down. How to get out. Where to safely put it when I do.
lack of capital,social security income only.
market uncertainties and lack of trust on those that provide an advise for profit making.
I believe that trust is necessary in order to face this critical financial times. definetly, this is not a time to save but rather to invest, however, most investors that have lost the most, has been through their financial institution´s financial planners.
Low Income full stop
buy puts
#1 obstacle as I see it is the US government. They need to let the capital markets flush out the weak big banks and support the stronger community banks. In this country, we now privatize financial profits and socialize financial losses for the benefit of Wall Street.
Lack of patience.
I want my inverse ETF’s to pop tomorrow.
I want the next bull market to start the next day.
Secondly, my perception of the media investment experts has been shattered. They are clueless. They grab theories out of a big bag. Sometimes they get lucky.
Hi Martin: Thanks for taking time to set up a blog….your service and EWI and the best I have ever seen and were spot on about the financial crisis. I believe the ultra short ETF’s will help restore some lost capital. Ron
I’m retired and afraid of losing money. I am 40% physical precious metals and 60 % cash and have been since 2005. So I’m ahead and want to stay that way.
Fear of losing more than I already have! Thanks for the blog site…looks like most of the folks share my thoughts.
the need to be a nimble trader
unpredictable markets
FEAR says it all. NO Confidence in the markets. Job Security falling. Not knowing when or what to invest in because the little money we do have CAN’T be lost.. Country is headed in the wrong direction…..
Unemployed. 401K and IRA have tanked. No extra funds to invest. Tight budget.
My biggest obsticle to investing right now outside of my 401K,is I’m maximizing my debt paydown. I want to be totally debt free in 6 years.
Martin and staff – The one hindrance I have is lack of capital and collateral. Not much you can do for that at the present. I was offered my inheritance early and I should have taken it, but I left it up to the family member as she might be setting a trap for me to fall in. Not a good relationship do I have. For example: I would like to buy an ounce bar of gold but I would have to pull most of my money from two savings accounts to do that. I do not play the stock market but I have a daughter in the investing and planning of financial services. She can open up an account (Federal Money Market) with a $100 deposit. She likes ETF’s. I may do this but then the Feds will have control over my money eventually with Obama determined to establish Socialism!
Trying to stay focused in the midst of so much conflicting information on a daily basis
The problem is the turmoil and uncertainty in the economy and the markets.
Not having information to select what stocks to buy.
I am retired and living off my investments. My main fear is losing more money during the recession/depression that is taking place. I currently have all my investment funds in Vanguard treasury money market funds. This gives virtually no interest and is losing money due to inflation. But the market is so volatile that there seems no safe alternative. Except maybe a gold or gold stock ETF for a portion of my investment capital. What do you or other bloggers think?
With the lack of ethics displayed by many major and some smaller financial companies, including banks, brokers, investment advisors, etc. and their executoves, the media is having a field day projecting only doom and gloom, which in turn has a tremendeous impact on trust and confidence in the economy and its players on the average investor. I am not advocating cleaning up the news, however, supporting the institutions that are doing good is not something the media is good at. There are many, many good companies out there doing their best to provide acceptable service to the consumers and investors, only to be mistreated by the lack of trust and confidence that prevails due to the sensationalizing of the few bad apples. Same applies to the mortgage crises. At one time, all the government had to accomplish to avoid the crises was to guarantee the mortgages, suspend mark-to-market, and require banks to re-negotiate with their mortgagees to acceptable levels. However, if that had been done, then the banks would not have been able to market their REO’s while still receiving FREE BILLIONS from their old friends, the representatives of the taxpayers. All we did was to guarantee their profits. No additional lending occured. The waste this TARP money created (3% of GDP)is insane. Consumers and investors need to pick themselves up and search for the places their money will move this economy foward, IGNORING the media and government interference in our free market. The lack of oversight by the government in the past is no permission slip now to mortgage our childrens future with these irresponsible spending bills. This is a nightmare come true. The inflationary incubation period is starting with the distribution of these trillions of dollars. What is keeping me from making money? GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE IN THE ECONOMY.
waiting for the mail and your currency report
Cash is King?……
isn’t 5.2% in 60 month CD enough when people are loosing 40-60% in stocks?
WOW!
just like my BRO said….”more is NEVER enough”.
pay off your house, have cd’s, metals, and your hobbies!
Bolt the door, sit back, put your favorite movies on and pop some
popcorn…..NOW THAT’S LIVIN!
Too much hype from investment advisors. It’s time consuming to sort through it all to figure out what is real and where to invest my money. I still have some and like any investor want to see it grow and not squander it. I trade the FX spot market and it has been the one market where I can operate as the lone ranger, do my fundamental analysis, and stay ahead.
I,m in Scotland and have completely lost faith in the people who run the country. This will go down in history as the most morally corrupt government that it has ever been our misfurtune to ever let near power.they are completely out of touch and to my mind hav,nt the faintest idea what to do to impove the situation, .What with a huge unsustainable public sector to fund and everbody up to their necks in debt caused by living far beyond their means for years i think Britain will be bankrupted eventually .I suppose their next move will be to print trillions and cause massive inflation.i,m staying in cash at the moment ,i have a suspicion that no matter what the powers that be do this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. I just hope it learns governments, companies and people to live within their means.
In ability to secure financing on real estate
?
Honesty, intelligence, and investing experience are keys for me individually to turn this situation around. I have been reading Weise Management’s guru’s online (Money & Markets) for 12 months, and hope that the information I have read is reliable, and not just salesmanship to get me to come aboard with my life savings of $500,000. I came on board to profit from a bear market as well as from a bull market. So far I have lost a little over $22,000 in 3 months. I am hoping that Weise Capital Management can turn this around and at least stop me from losing any more of my nest egg.
There are No problems. The market is always the same. Some days good, Some days bad. Trust in the Lord. Invest in Gold (GLD) and Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ARNA) which could double your money on March 30th if the FDA approves their obesity product.
The number one hinderance is lack of time. I work 12 hours a day seven days a week and I am located on the other side of the world from America.
After losing so much money already in my past and present investments it is hard to trust any financial advisors. Too much manipulation of stocks, bonds, silver and gold in the markets so it is hard to trust anyone.
Uncertainty is probably my biggest obstacle at this point – I have money to invest ( approx. 400K) – back in November when my broker had me overweigthed in financials I panicked and sold everything leaving me with cash for new investments but every time I think I have a good handle on which way to go new “Bad” new appears and changes my thinking
Martin,
My #1 obstacle to making money right now in this environment is not being able to base my investment decisions on market fundamentals and technical parameters. In today’s environment, the market is driven by the latest rhetoric out of Washington. For example, on any given day, there may be an overwhelming number of really awful economic reports released. Yet, the market may rally, fiercely I might add, on the mere HOPE that Washington MIGHT be about to announce some new stimulus package or bank bailout program. It has become totally absurd and irrational.
With that said, I do wish to thank you for all your very sound advice you’ve give me throughout the years both via Money and Markets and Safe Money Report. Your advice has been profitable to me, but more importantly, it enables me to sleep soundly at night.
Regards,
Scott
I live in Canada and most of the informations and strategies to play different markets stands for US dollars dominated investments. The currency market is so wild that it is virtualy impossible to follow with CDN investors. As an example just today Gold went up 20$ in USD but arround 40$ in CDN.That is my major obstacle.
No fresh money, to invest in other markets like FOREX.
Fear, Uncertainty, and the constant drumbeat of bad news at the same time people are inundated with information on a daily basis and beginning to retire, and a new President…. – powerful forces!
Not knowing how to manage the volatility and choosing a suitable time frame to trade in.
Myself
Collecting from customers to have the capital to invest when you recommend new ways to make money.
We are developing revolutionary new technology that can power homes, cars and everything else that needs electricity, without fuel or batteries. Major funding is under negotiation. Since the energy source, the Zero Point Field, has never before been commercialized, anyone with technical background is understandably skeptical. That will end when an Independent Laboratory validates the work and Demonstration Devices become available. In the meantime, raising modest bridge capital is a problem.
Mixed messages by so called pundits when its quite obvious it gonna take more than pumping green backs into banks to revive the world economy.
Very little cash and a whole lot of inexperience!
The need to be conservative as we are officially in what most refer to us as the retirement years. And yet we would like to see not just protection but some growth that is relatively safe as our risk tolerance is dramatically reduced.
Inverse EtF’s that didn.t work the way they were designed has cost me some money and irritation. I have been expecting some explanation from Weiss as you tourned me on to ETF but I’ve heard narry a peep from Weiss. What’s up guys I’m one of your biggest fans but feellike Ive been left twisting in the wind. I also got hurt in gold not your fault. And Crooks is concerned by volitity so My currency investments are on hold. Not a fun thing.
On a more personel note My business Rita Street Appliance Recycling is doing very well as more are repairing and buying used. But I could use a hedge for the inflation I’m sure will come roaring back.
I don’t mean to be a downer but My investment ideas are not pannig out.
Earl
dont know who to believe/trust..suspect the doom and glomers are wright,but that goes against my nature. I STILL have options trades in place, but two of five are underwater, my mad money acct, is down so far I cant do too much trading..
Fear on the part of investors and forced selling by hedge funds.
Martin, thanks for your efforts to help people. I’d like to sell short but knowing what and when is the problem. I’m also trying to educate myself about options trading.
I thought I was writing to you. I don’t need to know other subscribers business or they mine. You people might have more success if you let subscribers pay you after they made the killings which you and yours are shilling. My problem is the US government rules such as FDIC insurance to $250,000.00 for “only” one year. Can we depend on the FDIC insurance if the bank fails? What is the point of saving, investing, having a pension only to have it ripped away with one small stroke of a pen. If things were so bad in the fairly recent past, I never even noticed it and we certainly did not need a stimulus package, whatever that is.
that is.
I agree with most of the sentiments expressed. My situation is almost exactly that expressed by Arthur Aberman. I am more concerned about not losing principal, rather than making a lot of money in the market. 3 month U.S. treasury bills, bank CDs, and some gold works for me. All $ from maturing CDs will go into short-term treasuries for now. Martin’s “Mr. Conservative” recommendations are perfect for me; and I am very grateful for that sound guidance over the last year.
I am my own problem. My inability to progress myself.
My inability to problem solve my road blocks. Some how
it seems easier and safer to stall.
Access to funds to expand – Reduction of my capital lines – increases in interest on existing borrowed debt. 7 years new in my construction business – survived divorce, tax mistakes, breakup of original partnership, etc. (all, or most of the 101a mistakes).
But at this time the bootstraps are already pulled up around the ears and the voice is back to my seventh grade sprano octave. Still going forward without fear- just an enhanced sense of prudence.
Having enough free money available to direct down that road, even though our New President is going to build this so-called road!
I don’t know what to do or where to start,My home is payed for I have gold and silver.Little cash.What can I do to get ahead?Trade in a couple oz of gold?Buy stock or ETFs?Low Income ($945 SSD)
Newsflows & market reaction confusing
Retired and don’t wish to risk the nest egg in these uncertain markets!!!
Fear that continues to grow with each day. After your Monday Money and Markets on the Dow going to 5500, my husband and I are concerned about the only mutual funds we have in our IRAs. They are First Eagle Global, Pimco Real Return and American Funds Income – US Government GTD secs. (We thought this was mostly treasuries but we think it might have Fannie and Freddie, etc.) We are in our mid 70’s and can’t afford to lose any more. Should we sell these also and just leave the money in a money market account? Thank you for any advice and counsel.
I definitely would say the very high volatility. Right now it is a market for the daytraders and the swing traders. Every time their is a rally one way or the other it is met by sharp reversals. You either have to be perfect in your timing or you are going to miss and wind up being in the middle and then profiting is difficult. I think it is a great time to gather cash. Hmm wonder who else has been saying that.
You have given great advice and I’m learning about markets never thought of or didn’t know of. Ultimately I’m responsible for my investments and I don’t know enough to have confidence to actually invest in them. I’m investing in books right now to bone up and hopefully feel like I actually know what I’m doing.
I truly thank you for all the information you give for free.
Indecision and Fear
Combination of need to stay creditor protected in life insurance cash value because of my risky business, and insecurity over viability of Life companies is driving me crazy. It’s been great for me so far because I haven’t lost any assets, but I feel the need to move. Should I hunker down with what I have, or try to move some out even if it is exposed to creditors? There is over seven figures at risk. Are the big life companies in imminent danger?
complete failure of confidence in the banks and investment houses I thought were honest.
My unwillingness to sell several, dividend paying stocks with large, taxable, capital gains.
No further capital to invest as I decided not to bail out knowing that Im in this for the next 5 to 10 years. My existing portfolio is predominantly in gold, silver, uranium and associated miners. Im also in natural resource and commodity funds with a punt on geothermal. For me it was the fear of jumping and not getting back in and therefore turning paper losses into real losses! I believe strongly that over the next ten years I will have recovered and made substantial gains to make this period a minor stress! My portfolio is about 30% down on my original investment made 2 years ago. I wish I had available cash to be snapping up the bargains that exist in this sector right now!
Not having the conviction to make more bets and bigger bets against the the indexes using ETF’s.
I have money to invest, but can’t afford to lose it. The bank seems safer than the options.
Martin: My concern is to try and break the conservative investment strategy. I did cash in $70,000 of bonds and bought 70 oz. of gold at $754 U.S. oz. I sent Sharon Teets a complete list of my investment portfolio to review and advise and I will wait and see what she advises. Regards. Paul Henderson
too scared. bail-out is doomed. all in treasury bills or government only money market.
My number one concern is capital preservation with respect to my 401K. Where should I put this money where it will be safe until some stability and growth returns to the market? I personally am invested in gold and forex options and can take some risk with that investment, but I want to protect my 401K from further losses. Jack Crooks is probably smiling today. Bruce
The key issue in todays environment is having a good feeling about when the recession will end. The market usually forcasts events six to twelve months in advance. Right now the market is not showing any conviction on the economy getting turned around to positive growth.
Limited income.
Fear,not necessarily reality based,but the general climate speaks to me loudly.
Waiting for Dow to hit 4000, then get in with one foot.
Steve, 61, Kansas
let me rethink that….. i don’t trust the federal reserve as far as i can spit, so let’s abolish this privately owned company, that is licenced to print money like there is no tomorrow; and let’s reintroduce the gold standard. that will reintroduce some confidence into the market. now there, that’ll be enough to get me into trouble……
understanding the real risk: reading your articles makes me feel like its a sure deal , but we both no better. im also looking in key areas for cash flow in real estate, what do you think?
Since I am a swing trader. this is the best trailing 12 months I ever had, with shorting from mid may 2008. & going long november 20 2008 till about january 6 2009.
Our new President and the Democratic controlled congress
Larry Lurie said it much better than I, but I totally agree with his comments
Lack of money & income due to losses in the stock market.
little money to invest, no knowledge of how to invest, fear that top management will keep all the profits.
VOLITILY OF MARKET NEVER BOTHERED ME IN MY 40 YEARS OF INVESTMENT CAREER AND BY UTILIZING WEEEKLY AND MONTHLY CHARTS ON THE INDEXES (LONG HAND UP TO 1990 THEN COMPUTERS)USING EXPONANTIAL MOVING AVERAGES AND CONENTRATING ON DOW STOCKS ,ONE CAN GET QLL THE PERFORMANCE YOU CONSERVATIVELY CAN EXSPECT..
……….ALSO BENG 55 WHEN RETIRING IN 1988 STAYING CLOSE TO SHORE AND BEING AWARE OF MRKET CORRECTIONS WITH WEEKLY MONTHLY STATS JUST TAKE SUBTRACTION,ADDITION AND DIVISION TO ACCOMPLISH……ON A WEEKLYH MONTHLY BASIS…
………..AT THE PRESENT TIME INTEREST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SINCE CASH POSTION WAS ESTABLIHSED IN FALL OF 2007 WITH INTEREST STILL MINUT BUT SAVING PRICIPLE MOST IMPORTANT…
…………INTEREST WITH MAX OF 4-5 YEARS WHILE WAITING FORMAJOR PRICE TREND TO ESTABLISH ITSELF I.E. MAR-APR OF 2003 LAST TIME
……….INVESTMENT IS PURE PRICE TREND ANALYSIS WEEKLY MONTHLY..IN RESPSONSIBLE COMPANIES…IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHEN THE 196 MULTI BILLION CARTELS IN THE WORLD ARE GOING TO ACT BUT THEY RUN THE SHOW AND THE PRICE MUST REVEAL ITSELF IN THEIR BUYS AND SELLS….AND TREND TRANSACTIONS
I lack trust in the market and in the government bail out plans. I am
preserving capital in Treasury Money Market accounts and TIPS, but want to eventually
build my nest egg for retirement.
There was a time when investing in fundamentally good companies was relatively straight forward. Now, there too many factors affecting prices. Between traders, more and more gov’t involvement affecting markets, and human nature, investing has become very challenging.
Clive Bambury Investor
Up until last year I was heavily invested in central London property, but bailed out of most of it over the past two years. I truly believed the bubble would burst and I can’t understand why the powers that be missed it so badly. That said, I have no confidence in equities and for the last few months have been playing the foreign currency swap market on platforms with a couple of major banks in the UK. Who have been pretty helpful in assisting me with setting up. Listening to Obama today I am not convinced their good intentions will find root and I have heard rumors that the Russians may default on loan repayments with Europe. If that happens I guess gold will be the best bet for the short term, as currencies may devalue considerably. Your thoughts please.
Looking forward to receiving your FX CD collection and expertise. And thankyou. I find your newsletters inspiring and most helpful.
US Government either Bush or Obama, lack of regulation,and the gangsters from business schools from all over the US! How the heck can we trust these get rich gamblers. Maybe more direct investing with us companies, thereby sidestepping these morons, that have brought shame to this great country.
Fear and more fear
STARTED “SAFE MONEY” TOO LATE. IRA IS DOWN ABOUT 40%. FORTUNATELY HALF OF IT IS IN NILUS’S “SUPER DIVIDENDS” OR GOLD AND SILVER ETF’S. NEED DIVIDENDS FOR INCOME, BUT SEE SOME GOING LOWER. REALLY EXPECT PRECIOUS METALS TO SOAR SOON. CAN’T BRING MYSELF TO SELL BALANCE OF IRA CONSISTING OF COMMODITY, FOOD, AND ENERGY STOCKS AND ETF’S THAT FELL DRASTICALLY. THEY SHOULD COME BACK IN A FEW YEARS, ESPECIALLY FOOD, FOLLOWED BY OIL. ALSO HAVE ADULT CHILDREN OUT OF WORK. NEED TO KEEP AVAILABLE CASH FOR THEIR EMERGENCY.
Only have two positions; primary one is gold and is in a Canadian gold stock–RIC on Amex. ”Second is Arna-both common and Jan, 2010 options.
Do you have an opinion? Woud appreciate any comments that you might have.
I am grateful that I was able to eliminate almost all of my debts before this crisis.
Now it is:
1) Low income (slightly fixed if I wish to drive trucks over the road but then I will have NO time and no family time)
2) Time (to accumulate money if successful)
3) Concern over losing any capital that I accumulate
4) Big concern over how this biggest theft of money from the largest number of people in the history of the world will play out. Yes, I am talking about the $10 TRILLION stolen from the US Government with permission from most of our elected leaders. Ron Paul was right. Sorry I could not convince anyone. Sorry the media would not take him seriously.
5) Concern that this is a setup for one world government domination that will be hard to overcome.
6) Concern that even cash will become useless.
Do I sound properly concerned that this is THE big and long expected financial Armagedon? Watch out for the chip implantation that will soon be here.
I would not have believed it one year ago that it would be done this fast! At least it is interesting! Never a dull day. Who is actually a respectable leader? In Washington, DC, I count very very few. I hope, with NO evidence, that President Obama can do something to stem this robbery.
Growing food and watching out for the big boot of Big Brother!
The lack of trust and confidence that investment programs that I look to for assistance actually will work and aren’t just smoke and mirrors and alot of hype.. and that my money I pay for advice doesn’t just go to waste until the next “big idea” comes along. This is a crazy market. Your perceptions have been spot on over that last 2 years but unfortunately some of the services have not been. COPT was a bust for me. Makes me gun-shy about currency trading.
I still have a few highly rated stocks but wonder if I shouldn’t sell them and follow ETF opportunities or world currency options only. It would appear that even highly rated stocks will be vulnerable to the coming fall in the market.
By the way, I didn’t follow up on you personal money machine offer as I already subscribe to WCO and Crisis Opportunity ETF Trader. This seemed like a redundancy. Am I wrong.
Panic and sheer fear
Not having a job. I may end up using my investment funds for groceries.
Due to old enough.
volatility! It is tough to stay in the “market” long enough, even if you pick the right direction, with the high volatility in the markets right now. Volatility is in the 40’s and “normal” is in the teens or below.
Who to trust? So much negativity. Information overload.
The key issue in todays environment is having a good feeling about when the recession will end. The market usually forcasts events six to twelve months in advance. Right now the market is indicating the recession will continue. Why invest now?
Fear of losing what little I have left
just retired from being self employed forty three years. Insurance to high, taxes too high, retirement in the toilet!
State of financial market and drain it places on other stocks. Waiting for market to hit its bottom and all toxic portfolios uncovered.
No job
Lack of capital – lost $19,000 since October 2007.
Now invested uniquely in gold mining stock.
Also being eaten alive by credit card debt and interest upto 21.6%
I’m sure that those of your readers who still have some money to invest will respond by saying that the “impediment” is risk.
But since I subscribe to some of the subscriptions of your associates, I have to say that the number 1 impediment is the extent of market volatility, attributed in part, to our government’s insistence on market intervention.
obe
P.S. pleased to see that you’ve added this feature to your website (your commentaries, together with Mish Shedlock’s, are daily MUST READs!).
Funds…Capital…No Capital to Invest…
The Federal Reserve and our fiat currency. Also I like Maggie Thatcher’s comment that the trouble with socialism is it always runs out of other peoples money.
How about a Mentor that does not charge for his forex course, trains that person and hires that individual to help others. Imagine the goodwill and the increase in business!
Carl
February 10, 2009
My biggest problem right now is finding stocks I’m comfortable writing front month calls against. Option premium is great but a quick down move in the underlying stock can eat up all my profits and erode principal.
Watching my 401k of 11 years of saving drop to half its value…meaning MY money, MY earnings, not the stockmarket values, MY MONEY has been STOLEN. I had to use my first 401k to put my daughter through college, started a new one when I started this job, and now it is gone with NOTHING to show for it. Everyone tells you to save save save for your retirement, and now at age 62, I was looking forward to having enough saved to be comfortable…not rich, but just able to live as I had when I was working in a couple more years…and now that is gone. I sometimes think this was part of a plot to keep all us Baby Boomers working til we drop over dead so Social Security won’t have to pay us back some of the money we paid in.
If anyone thinks I want to put money into the stock market now, they are crazy. I would rather go gambling at a casino…probably do as good if not better there.
After a lifetime of being a responsible citizen, saving, paying my bills, and buying homes I could afford (MY criteria was no housepayment could be more than I make in a week…one salary, not both, one salary, one week.). What ever happened to personal responsiblity? What happened to financial responsiblity? From what the news says, all this was caused by people buying homes they couldn’t afford. Seems to me, when I have asked for a morgage, I had to put 10-20% down, show proof of salary, they checked my work record and credit reports….what happened to that criteria? Did the bankers get dumber and greedier? Sorry, don’t feel sorry for people that bought more than they could afford…they deserve foreclosure. And the banks that loaned the money should be punished as well. Those financial officers should be fined and get jail time.
Sorry, I am ready to see people get jail time for causing this mess. To me, they have STOLEN our money and need to be punished.
I have traded the markets for many years and could always see trends, but now trends last hours not months. The volatility is amazing and getting worse. Throw in almost daily gov’t intervention and total uncertainty and pundits constantly varying from the worst bear to the start of the greatest bull does not help anyone make rational decisions so it is best to do nothing, which does not make any money. Being forced to be conservative is also detrimental and even the invesre ETF’s have proven inadequate for todays market and show poor results. No interest and no dividends from so many traditional sources is also making it very difficult to come out ahead. Buying at 52 week lows and selling on any surge seems to be the only structured way to any profits in this market.
preservation of capital is more important than trying to make money in these volatile markets due to greed and lack of regulations. Who can we trust when even your supposedly representatives do not want you to know the extent of this financial fiasco?
By the way is there somebody that knows it ?
Hi Martin:
I can agree with many of the comments I have read. I would like to be a buy and hold investor, but many of your recommendations are coming too late, and by the time I get in, I am buying at too high a price. I get the feeling I should have followed your advice yesterday, and put a stop loss in immediately which I know is suggested many times. The Gold recommendations have turned out good and bad, but I still wonder if it will ever go as high as your people suggest.
HIT
DO YOU STILL FEEL THAT 2 & 3 MONTH T-BILLS ARE SAFE? I HEAR NOW THAT THEY MAY BE IN A BUBBLE.IS THIS TRUE?
to-bad all the bail out money is going to same banks who put us into this mess and now into retired senators for getting us out of these problems lots of pork ,we need a change to recover . good luck show me some recovery to gain our confidence, thanks martin
Not having my channell analysis program working. You are too far away too sort this out I will have to find a local fixer.
Acting on Jack Crooks advise !!!
Confidence and ability to find safe investments. I do not trust the government officials. They do not know what to do with this crisis. It seems to me they are all cheaters (taxes etc) in some way or another. I think they are going to bankrupt this country very shortly.
Interest Rate on safe investments
I have tried investing in options and did not do well. I would really like to learn how to make money daily and weekly but am afraid to lose precious capital in todays economy.
Fear, and cash flow
I wouldn’t say there obstacles to making money in this environment. Many of us have followed the analysis from Weiss and either protected ourselves from the downside or earned a respectable return while others lost their shirts. There are elements of this environment that make investing very different from “traditional wisdom”. Many of the comments already point to the extreme volatility of the markets with the difference between intra-day highs and lows on the Dow often exceeding 200 or more points. Couple this with the availability of leveraged ETFs indexed to up and down markets and the volatility takes on the look and feel of gambling. Fortunately, having the analysis from Weiss is like having an edge against the house.
(I do not advocate free-wheeling with my or your financial future. Having a sound financial plan, having reserves against unforeseen life events, looking for steady overall returns, protecting capital and the other lessons we have all been taught remain prudent. If you are going to be active in this market, the volatility often forces more frequent trades than a traditional buy-and-hold model. This can make the tax consequences a headache unless a tax-deferred account like an IRA is used for these trades.)
Too much Gov’t interference.
My number 1 obstacle is trust. I don’t trust Washington, Wall Street or and “financial wizards”. I have all my assets very liquid and am presently renting. I have done some investing with double inverse ETFs and may do so again as I think we’re on the verge of another deeper plunge.
Fear of losing what I’ve worked so hard to build up. Lake of confidence in specific knowledge of vehicles i.e. options; futures; currency; commodities. Although your advise is a fresh breeze of honesty, it doesn’t make me an accomplished, fearless investor.
How to inform and alliance with as many people as possible in exposing and bringing the criminals of the financial scandals of this century into justice and help to rebuilt a system that is resources beased and not monetary based.
Uncertain what the market is going to do in the near furture.
The key issue in todays investment environment is guessing when the recession will end.
In order to make money these days you have to be either really stupid or be really pro and to understand what goes on with all the markets, including stocks, bonds, currency, ETFs, etc. You have to deal with it on daily basis and even that won’t give you any guarantees. So, go find about 2.5%-3% CD rate and keep money there for short (no longer than 1-year) term. Don’t expect middle class people will start investing in something without any idea of how it works.
My biggest obstacle to making money in this environment or in any other environment is FEAR associated with committing new monies to equities that may behave as poorly as my other great choices of 3-6 months ago that now lie in the intensive care ward with a crash cart close at hand. Preservation of capital carefully built over a lifetime is quite important and I have lost two years earnings in the past few months by not cutting my losses and by not sticking with my inverse ETFs. In effect, I am my own worst enemy and my past successes combined with a certain amount of market rebound usually saved the day….but not lately. I always buy with the hope of selling higher (optimism) and the new paradigm of buy low and know it will go lower requires a psychological recalibration. Also, watching the markets to carefully or closely is not good for me. I need to buy into a trend that seems logical such as staying long all of my good quality gold issues (ABX, KGC, GFI, AUY, etc.) and staying with the inverse ETFs (SDS and others) and stick with the trend until it has achieved its full potential. Finally, I must promise to keep more faith in the good Dr. Weiss and Mr. Larry Edelson and the others on the team … they are smarter than me.
To make any investment first of all I need the many,that all what I need,but I like to read about them
there is an old saying in the financial pits ” fear and greed drive the markets, the rest is bull-crap” how true this is.. If you daytrade as I do, you need volatility and volume. I believe that the markets have changed dramatically, long gone are the days of buy and hold! If you trade the futures markets be very careful!! maybe spreads or options/ futures together. I believe Martin Weiss and his staff are true and genuine in their efforts to help us out in these turbulent times. They have been bullish on gold and bearish on the stock market for some time.
I think things will work out if the government would only stay out of it.
thank you
The Government— we can’t get anything done !!!
No one will sign off any document without months and months of delay
Reducing the inventory. Cash flow is diminished to the point that personal asssets will have to be drastically deminished.
What to sell and what to buy now.
Obsticles
not enough money, choices are many without enough thought, trust in making a choice and this doesn’t happen to be all with others some is with me….I could have 20 choices and 1 is wrong and I will pick the wrong….
Time to check everything out and available capital
We have had a Humpty Dumpty landing instead of a Goldilocks landing.
I join the fear group. I need income on my investments or gains. Right now I don’t see a conservative way to do so.
My #1 obstacle is how to follow your advice AND keep my money in Canadian dollars. Following US stocks/indexes as well as currencies is too much for me to handle.
Liquidity. I am getting a nice settlement in March and until then i can’t make a move but i do read everthing you put on my e-mail and your articals are all on the money. Thank you so much Martin . JPH
I have learned much from your articles and read them daily. However, I had started subscribing to your newsletter after having purchased my positions through gold and silver ETF’s. Economically, what is happening now, I expected to happen more than a year ago and without the bubble of a strong dollar. In the meantime, I am content to continue riding out the commodities ebb of much of this past year.
By the way, I always enjoy Jack Crooks insight on FX. I love his writings.
An inability to tune out, turn off, not pay attention to all the news letters, gurus, wise folks and just look at the market. This market has a long term big down trend with a potential major resistance at recent lows. This market is in a sideways channel of a couple of months and until it breaks up or down out of the intermediate sideways channel, I just do not know which way it is going. Sideways markets just are not worth paying attention to and only lead to short term losses. Which ever way it breaks out some gurus will claim brillance. I will not have been brilliant but hopefully I can become patient.
My problem is fear and confusion. Nothing works these days.
The unknown reliability and diversity of the advice that is out there………….
dificulty trusting recommendatios too many choices
I lost alot of money during the 9/11 situation and have ever since been timid about investing money. I do have some stocks with companies that I bought back in the 90’s and have enjoyed watching them split but I am well aware that I am losing money with them now as well. What can we do to ensure our trust in the economy in order to invest in 401K’s and such?
Crude oil being so low :(
Last time I invested in your options, we lost all our monies?? We were up considerably but then your investment team lost all the monies. We were up about $50,000. and they kept buying options but lost them over about 9 months. Therefore, am apprehensive in investing in options again??
I am not in the business of making money. I am a missionary looking for ways to teach others, specially those on rural areas in Latin America, how to apply knowledge to itheir quality of life. For some, this will result in making money, but for others making money may not be the end result: increasing understanding may be the priority. Having said that, making money has probably more to do with wiring than any thing else. A Venezuelan friend of mine, speaking of how Chavez is nationalizing private companies, said: You can take away all the money that a guy like Bill Gates has made over the years, and the day after he would start making money again becuase the wealth is he himself. (this sounded better in Spanish than my attempt to translate this friend’s words!)
The idiots in Washington!!! What are they doing to our country!
This is definitely a trader’s market as far as I’m concerned. In this environment one would need timely information to be able to get in and out without getting stuck in a trade.
We can’t buy our way out of this, we can only produce our way out of this. We’re doomed if we follow the politicians! They want us to become a socialist nation!
losing trust in the whole system. Also, scared shitless!
Avoiding dividend cuts and corporate bond defaults.
My biggest obstacle to expanding our business is getting our clients to release their contracts. This includes DHS, DOD, Petrobras, Banco Central do Brasil, etc. There is significant fear about where the world economies are going, and what monies should be spent.
My next fear is that we will not get the operating cash to function till we get paid once we receive the contracts.
Lack of experience in the finer arts of investment (e.g. beyond mutual funds, straight share purchase, etc) and the hesitancy that comes with that.
Being long and not short is the obstacle.
Cannot afford to lose any of my capital trying to increase my retirement money.
My fear is that I will loose there rest of my nest egg. I have a four and seven year old to think about. I am torn between investing into their future or mine.
Is it inflation or deflation????????????
Are those high yield dividends safe? I bought ACAS and they suspended dividend!
Cash is king but those high yield dividends are sweet!
Being an investment advisor with 25 plus years of experience, I have encountered investor reluctance in committing new funds to investing. My clients have largely protected their principal thanks to the remarkable strategy that Martin has espoused over the last several years. Their reluctance to fully adopt the use of inverse ETFs has been detrimental to increasing thir personal net worths.
Risk Aversion !!
Aticipating possible devaluation of the U,S, dollar,
are my holdings in ILF to be kept?
My own lack of faith in financial system. With the federal government giving money to so called too important to fail public companies I can see no end to the contraction of the economy. The ownership of common stock seems doomed by what the government is doing today and by the fact that managements of public companies are overcompensated for positive results and unpunished for massive failure. Shareholders don’t have enough of a say about how management is compensated the for the service it provides. Finally the Madoff 50 billion dollar ponzi ripoff totally undermines my faith in the system.
Actually have two obstacles: The uncertainty of gov’t. grabbing private assets and volatility.
At age 82, and being a 100% disabled veteran of WWII, my prospects for living long enough to enjoy greater financial rewards are fairly slim. Therefore, all of our monies are
in CD’s and T-Bills with very little interest, though we have two special accounts with one Credit Union which pay 5.02% on $35,000 in each account. There are requirements which we must meet in order to get this interest, and we have to watch so as
to not getting more than $250,000 in each account, and I believe the FICA, as of December 31 of this year, may elect to change the amount being insured. Right now we are more concerned with the return OF our money than the return ON our money. I think that was a statememt made by Will Rogers, or was it Mark Twain?
To find a simple on line business that I can earn $ 5,000 per month would be just great!
As a GM car dealer,our volume has fallen to unprofitable levels due to lack of reasonable credit for our customers.After 83 years in business with GMAC,they now demand additional security to floorplan our inventory and very high credit scores for our customers. Further our local economy is in the pit due to the fall in the timber and textile industry.
Available funds.
Dear Martin: My reluctance on the investment vehicle is one of; low income, Trust, Feds, cost of living, uncertainty, amount of initial investment, on retirement mode and not knowing entry, exit and the time to hold or sell. Have some inckling as to when to exit but it is a gut guess and not technical.
Fear!
Conflicting advise. Safe Money says the DOW could fall to 5500 and to keep our money safe in US Treasury money markets, while other publications are saying that now is the buying opportunity of a lifetime and to be buying quality growth stocks.
Mortgages:
I’m working on a loan mitigation for my primary residence. Then I will do the same for my secondary residence. Thirdly, I will try to renegotiate my three investment properties interest rates. Once complete, I should have enough cash flow to invest more.
In the mean time I’m waiting on your Currency system to arrive. When it does I will study it completely and put it to work.
cash flow problem due to losses in 2007-8
I’m new to investing and lack experience. Where do I go to invest? What are trusted broker websites or what brokers to use? Can I trade on my own? Will it work in enough time when following your co. trading advice? I don’t have the amount required to share our portfolio with Weiss to receive their suggestions. Thank you.
I misjudged my timing in buying put options on Lennar a month too early (and stupidly not putting a stop in) thus losing my investment capital.
I do appreciate greatly all the info you have provided over the last several months. you have saved me a lot of money.
I am looking for an investing vehicle that I feel comfortable will work in this environment. I am looking at Jack Crooks as a possibility.
thank you ,,
joe
Too many with a herd investment mentality causing mass distortions reading the same investment recos. Prices turning on a dime for no good reason.
Retired, caution is my consern I took your advice and went to safety in mid year 2008 but still had some losses. Need help with the call and put options to make money.
FEAR
Uncertain what the market is going to do in the near future,i need to protect our principal.
Knowing what to do with the remaining funds after having sustained major losses in the market.
patience
Trepidation (fear of losing even more than I’ve lost already), anxiety, uncertainty, indecisiveness, ignorance … all rolled up into one big, fat, useless question mark.
Currently unemployed. My position was eliminated by Georgia-Pacific LLC on January 2nd, 2009. Will continue to be 70% or higher in cash until I can find new employment. This could be a real challenge at 59.5 years old.
A daily currency report from your team would gretaly assist me in the challenges I have as a Currency Trader.
Fear! Fear of further losses. Fear of the Government trying to figure out a way to spend $Trillions of dollars on many bad ideas.
I have no faith in the Senate and House leaders, the ones who are telling us, that they will save us. The same old career ones who have failed us.
I have followed your advice and kept my money safe so have not lost any money but I was counting on interest income. Which is at .001%. That is crazy. It seems like all the rules have been turned upside-down.
Not yet understanding the market well enough to make the right move at the right time more often.
Mark to market accounting needs to be modified like it was in 1938. Adding more money to the system without doing so is like adding water to a bathtub with a hole in the bottom.
The argument that it will reduce trust in the banks. But look at market action of the banks when they suggest it ( up ) and market action when they leave it off the table ( today )
The market doesn’t agree with that theory.
Paralysis created by fear. I know you recommend currency trading, but I would have to invest what little I have left after the stock market ate my portfolio and my 401(k) to learn how. Can’t/won’t gamble with that. Wish you would focus on what those of us who are looking into the abyss should do. I moved everything into bonds (not bonds I could choose, but bonds available through the 401(k) or my stockbroker’s firm). Now, I sit here, nervously waiting to see what happens to the bond market.
My single biggest problem is that most of my funds are in an IRA account with Charles Schwab and while I have what I consider to be excellent intelligence on the markets I wish to trade, i.e. international, Schwab does not allow me to trade internationally on line. I have to go through their international desk and enter the trades with a Schwab representative. By the time I do this a good share of the trades have moved beyond my buy/sell points.
For me, simply not having the knowledge I need to invest because I am just starting to gain interest in investing and need to learn all of the things that are probably child’s play for a serious investor. I, and probably others, would greatly benefit from simply having more explained to us in greater detail, instead of just assuming that we already know what you are talking about.
FEAR. Being a UK resident it is difficult to relate to all of your good trading advice, however your market predictions have been spot on. I would like your considered views as to whether the UK and Euro equity markets are now likely to fall to the same levels, in % terms, as your predictions in the USA, bearing in mind the relevant average PE’s of each market.
Very SCARY!!! We have personally lost 100K+ in equity in an investment property that we inherited. It has no mortgage and we are currently trying to sell based on good advice we have read from you (wish we would have tried to sell earlier but we have only been receiving your newsletter the last year or so). It’s the best deal on the market with no takers. If it does sell, we’re too afraid to invest elsewhere and take a chance for fear of making the wrong decision and losing even more. There’s no guarantees right? We think the best place for cash right now is in your own safe as long as you have the proper protection and security procedures in place. No liquid cash either (unless we sell the house). We’re trying to squeeze as much out of every nickel right now without spending on anything or taking ANY chances whatsoever. WE CAN”T AFFORD TO LOSE ANYTHING!
FEAR
Lack of turst
not knowing where to invest ie. US, Canada, Asia, Europe?
Government&Financial institutions.
Fear! I was doing great with investing in property. I have lost so much sometimes I do nit trust myself anymore. I also was doing great investing in Silver and it took a big tank that no one expected and I second guess myself. I need some successes.
I am interested in gold only. But it is so volatile in 2008-09. I was a little disappointed that some time ago, you predicted that gold would go down sharply, but it did not happen as you predicted.
Lack of confidence in the timing of the long term trends.
Phil,
There is a risk of a “treasury bubble” with the long-term U.S. treasuries, not with 3 month treasury bills. When they mature you can roll the $ into a new short-term treasury at a higher rate.
Bruce
The 16th Amendment
I am in a quandry as to what to do! I have several dogs I would like to get rid of, but I stand to lose quite a bit when I do. I keep hoping I will see a blip up in the market. However, when there is one, I still cannot get out of the stocks I want to. Thanks for your guidance. I rely heavily on your expertise.
For over 23 years I’ve been looking for these very markets per the advice of two friends who are each now multi-billionaires and credited by top publications and books as two of the absolute best traders in history. I helped them with their first investors from the 100s and 100s of billions in investment capital known well by me. Today, my biggest challenge is finding the right investment managers who can, first, preserve capital, and second, profit in these markets, and third, have experience in managing 100s of millions in investment capital. Certainly, integrity is key, too!
I don’t feel comfortable with any of the kinds of investment vehicles that you’re recommending. I follow your newsletter only to get your take on what’s going on in the economy.
Refusal to believe the current situation is as bad as youpredicted. To date….you good….I bad. Not sure yet I am believer.
Martin: My largest obstacle is rasing non-critical cash to invest. My own analysis prompted me in 2007 to sell all stock and go all cash. (Although I did successfully short a few stocks on my way out of my positions.). Then taking the cash, I invested it on items that would lower my expenses and overhead in the years ahead. (Solar domestic hot water, coal/wood boiler to replace my oil system, pay down/pay off credit cards and other debt and make other investment property improvements. etc.)
The thought process was that it was better to expend the cash now (in 2007) then see cash all but dissapear due to higher expenses, overhead, debt, and a devalution of the dollar or hyper inflation later when I was retired, which I am now. The down side is having less cash now, but the up side is I have much less debt and expenses, and I am making 30% ROI per year on the expenses and overhead I am saving by investing that cash the way I did. My ROI will get even better as oil goes up and inflation ramps up! So presently, I am consulting to raise cash to invest. ( I have bought some Swiss Francs) Yet, I can withstand the harshest of economic downturns (e.g. a depression) because I have prepared for that. Overall I am glad I did as for me, it was the best plan, which I may add, I successfully executed. So in summary; the plan gave me the best ROI for the least risk and was something that I could control and execute.
Richard Barbieri
Ashby, MA
TRUST
In the Government. (Politicians really)
In Advisory Services, who always look great until you get on board.
In Myself. Always wait too long to act. Then when I decide to move quicker, it backfires
In Money. The pile is getting smaller
Not enough time to devote to trading,
do not want to waste any gunpowder(cash)
Martin:
Succinctly, limited capital and knowledge. I am a small time investor, with only a little over a year experience,with limited capital, particularly after sustaining 40% losses over the last year, not counting investment advice expense. As a result, I can not always follow the recommendations you and your group and other advisors make to me which means my investment selections are hit and miss–obviously with more losers than winners. Having sustained these losses, I am exceedingly reluctant to invest more of my limited funds but instead I am trying to be patient waiting for my China investments, (CCJ, LTAAF, CHL, CHNG, EDU, EJ, FNI, FXI, USCOX), to recover and for my small gold, silver and platinum investments (AUY, GG, GLD, PTM, SLV, TGLDX) to increase, hopefully substantially, in value. I believe that most, if not all, of these investments will prosper in the future but waiting is, of course, difficult.
Tom Keever
fear of the stock market and the probable crash of the market by summer if not sooner…..
The market should have crashed last year, but for the bailouts….
There is not sufficient liquidity in the world to stop the crashes of the banks, the stock market, bonds, mortgages, credit cards, etc.
Stimulus just passed is my biggest concern.
I don’t have the time to devote to monitor investments myself and managed accounts tend to have pretty stiff minimums that exceed limits I am willing to consider for that type of investment. I’m personally well protected if there is deflation but at risk if there is inflation so any managed account I did invest in would need to have a similar target. Brokers I’ve worked with in the past haven’t impressed me, Money and Markets does impress me. Well considered opinion with logical reasoning and advice.
I will not return to investing until I have paper traded enough to be comfortable in this volatile market. I am studying selling options on index futures, but the volatility whipsaws me too much to trade right now.
Losing so much in the stock market and my house shortly after retirement
Have lost apprx 1/3 of stock value and not sure what to do. Seems like there are a lot of good stocks to buy now, but are they? (GE comes to mind). Lack of spendable cash would cause me to sell my laggards (aren’t they all now?) but what can I get that’s better?
not enougy $ to get started.
Lack of confidence; No guts
Significantly underwater on my goldstocks.
Feeling with so much uncertainty, it is better to keep my powder dry until I can see which way the wind is blowing for more than a day or two at a time.
A combination of fear and the need to keep money in the safest possible place – treasuries. The price you pay for that luxury is No Income. If one steps out even to play a bearish round, timing is of the essence. One may hold bearish instruments, like me, but I have bought them at such expensive levels that I am not sure I will ever recoup my losses, even if the market goes my way.
CD’s at the safest banks are paying very little, but we have taken money out of Fidelity and opened a few CD’s just to have some diversity. I shudder at the thought that Fidelity will go down =- with our 6 accounts, including IRA’s and an Annuity.
And with all of the steps we have taken over the last two years, we still lost a lot of money:-(
Will my husband’s job be there in a couple of years>
We still have a few years to social security….. will it be there for us in 6 years?
Will Medicare be there for us?
I am already a once cancer survivor, totally not insurable.
But, we are counting our blessings every day. We had you to warn us, we have each other, still savings left, kids have jobs and the kittie cats are thriving!
My debts have reached the level of leaving little or no cash flow. My husbands physical condition with Parkinson’s and kidney problems leaves little or no time for anything to be launched in the direction of making more money again like it used to be when I could work in the field of Real Estate.
Have capital in bank – very little interest – but not young enough to make a long-term investment
Am fully invested in Canadian oil & junior mining stocks, and green geothermal, wind and wave energy stocks.
Thank you for you honest comments and keeping me alert to the true nature of our economy. I am stuck within a large position of SRS. I don’t understand the movement of this Ultra inverse ETF. When the Dow is in the high 7800 -7900 we see SRS in the mid 60’s, Reits are still significantly high according to the market outlook for Commercial Real Estate and the Index is still strong. It has been pretty painful since Dec. All my funds are tied into this. I am afraid to put borrowed money into this when it is even in the high 40’s and 50’s…which trading in this range over the past few months could have made me alot of money. I guess it is confidence and fear. I cannot refinance, sell real estate assets, get any type of interim financing. Taxs come due and there goes the Cash to invest. Any ideas would be appreciated.
FEAR OF LOSING MY RESERVE.
A technical analyst that I follow recently spoke with a senator in Washington. This analyst proposed that 3 years of income taxes be rebated to every tax filer, with a minimum of $50,000 being rebated. Half of that money must be used to pay off debt. It would cost less than what will eventually be spent on bailouts and stimulus packages presently proposed and erase the toxicity in the markets from the bottom up. Of course, this idea was rejected because it will help the average American and likely solve the problem. Moral of the story: corporations and politicians are not our friends.
WE ARE HEAVY IN REAL ESTATE. MY WIFE HAS BEEN A TOP REALTOR FOR 28YRS & HAD 2 TRANSACTIONS LAST YEAR. I HAVE INVESTED IN SMALL DEVELOPMENTS IN FLORIDA WITH MY SON IN LAW WHO HAS BEEN A HIGH END BUILDER FOR 18 YRS, & WE GOT CAUGHT IN OUR LAST DEVELOPMENT ON THE OCEAN( HALF OF THE BUYERS DID NOT SHOW @ CLOSINGS). NEEDLESS TO SAY WE ARE GOING BROKE. MY WIFE & I HAVE 3 NEW CONDOS IN FL.& ONE CONDO PLUS OUR MAIN HOUSE IN ILLINOIS: ALL FOR SALE. IT COSTS $ 100K + TO MAINTAIN THESE PROPERTIES. WE ARE EATING UP OUR SAVINGS FAST. I WOULD LIKE TO INVEST IN CURRENCIES< BUT I CAN’T DO ANYTHING NOW. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR ADVISE, BUT WE HAVE NO OUT YET!!
Fear of loss. I am retired and need to conserve my assets. I understand that profits are the reward for taking risk, but if I risk and lose, I don’t have time to recover in my lifetime.
Lack of regulation and fear that Wall Street will take us for another ride.
Confidence,Know How,Knowledge
maintaining income
There are no investments with any level of safety that are returning anything other than a miniscule rate of return. So we have to eat up our capital to survive. The lessons of risk/reward has burned us all. Plus, you can’t trust any advice that you do get. Everyone seems to be serving their own interests.
No obstacles, trying to accumulate some cash and just patiently waiting for wave 5.
Trust and time…I did the right thing-put down ample money for a down payment, maxed my 401 k contributions, and now fear there won’t be enough time to recuperate from the losses. If we had money to invest, where would we put it? If we have anything left, is it appropriate to move the remainder into something less volatile? Need confidence in financial direction.
thank you
AFTER READING THE PREVIOUS BLOGGERS…ALL OF THE ABOVE.. I’M 63 YRS OLD AND DISABLED. CAN’T AFFORD TO LOOSE MY INVESTMENTS. I AM IN CASH NOW,
(800,000 PLUS.. LOW INTEREST % RETURN IN MM FUNDS) AND KEPT MY CANADA OIL
AND GAS ENERGY INCOME TRUSTS (THESE ARE DROPPING IN VALUE AND MONTHLY
DISTRBUTION.) IF ONE FOLLOWS THE MONEY, I BELIEVE OUR BANKING SYSTEM IS INSOLVENT.
great work martin…. i am holding srs because i really think commercial realestate is going to drop hard… i know you agree but it doesnt seem srs tracks the sector properly… i know there is money to be made in shorting this sector… what is your opinion ….should i add to SRS at low 60’s thanks darrell
RISK IS THE BIG FACTOR! WE ARE IN UNCHARTED WATERS AND THE EXPLANTATIONS
CHANGE BY THE SECOND. JUST TO MAINTAIN THE VALUE (PURCHASING POWER) OF CASH ON HAND IS A CHALLANGE. TIME WILL DEMINISH THE RISK AS THIS ERA UNWINDS. CHINA IS LOOKING BETTER EVERYDAY!
Not knowing why the market behaves as it does. You would think with all of the really bad news of late that the market would be crashing on a daily basis. But then in the middle of it, Obama makes a speech or cabinet appointment and it rallys. Like the gentleman stated earlier, I thought with the Stimulus getting through the Senate today, that the market would rally. Maybe people are getting smarter and seeing through all the Voodo economics being put out by our Government leaders and the market will now start acting in accordance with reality… I have a subscription with Crisis Opportunity Alert and am doing fairly well. I have feeling that even Mike questions why the market is holding up so well considering……I only hope and pray that we get through this and soon. For the most part, I’m in cash and waiting for you to point me in the right direction. I certainly can’t figure it out on my own….
I am 50. If I don’t screw it up, I will have the assets to retire. Per your advice, I am sitting on cash and short term treasuries. I have invested a small amount in the short ETFs that you suggested. My obstacle…….fear of moving more assets to a short position and having the market rally.
The Congress approved stimulus is my biggest concern to buying in the market.
Today there is a new reality with about 50% of our superfund gone. Hopeing we have hit the bottom today is a possibility but probably unlikely. Biggest concern is to get a balance right today that can help protect on the downside and yet give you some upside to recover, if we ever will ,some of our losses. Do you establish a portfolio now with 50% cash and 50% of the best stocks in the world? What currency do you use if all our funds today are in AUD
I would lik eto say that you make the most sense to me and I know of your past historical record of honesty and serious in tent to really help people. I learned how to trade pretty good a long time ago. So whats stopping me is that I only have 2000 to invest and cant afford any courses more than 100 dollars. Ps. I didnt lose any money trading. I just dont have enough to risk. the rule is not to risk mre than 5% on any one trade.
I’d like to invest and make money but lack the knowledge as to what to buy and/or sell. I think that because of the volatility it is important to have a plan as to what to buy, when to get in and when to get out. By making short term trades, I believe you could make a profit. At some point with some stocks it may be good to buy and hold, as they may return a nice profit.
I had a 10% pay cut in my salary, the bills are increasing, the credit cards companies take measures that prejudice me affecting my credit score. (they decrease the credit limit, increase the APR, etc). By decreasing the credit limit, the ratio debt/credit limit increased artificially overnight, affecting the credit score.This will create a vicious circle, the APR will be increased, the more people will default. I would say that this is much more than the terrorist act of 9/11 because it is an unfriendly action against a very, very large number of people.
Confusion, doubt, and the manipulation and fraud by the gov’t and large corporations that can change market conditions so fast.
Also, not having the time needed to fully understand what is going on day to day and to devote to investing smartly.
We sold our house in October 07 (when everone in the UK was still saying house
prices could only go up), having rented since then we probably will save £30K-£40K
when we re-enter the housing market. However, we put our money in fixed term bonds (different banks to lessen the risk!), which do not mature to the end of April 09.
I do wish that we had not comitted all our funds and had some available to follow your exellent investment advise of the last year. Does the Weiss team believe the coming year will present as many opportunities?
Timing my entries and exits has to be my #1 obstacle to making money right now, in this market environment. I either get in too early, and have to endure a lot of pain, or I exit too early and leave a lot of money on the table.
Biggest loss by acting on Jack Crooks advise !!!
TRUST
No cash, assets mostly tied up in bullion & CEF, along with some that went into mining Jr.’s just before they took the huge hit. No sense trying to cash the equities when they are so low – just hold on and hope most of them don’t go bankrupt. Main income now Social Security.
Trust and confidence in the market and a way of investing that is easy.
FEAR, DISTRUST of the Government, INFLATION, Age 70. I have No time to wait for the market to rise and no feeling that it will. The so-called Stimulus Package is still a bucket of pork, rotten pork, and since it gives a billion to ACORN it will do far more for the far left than for any of the peons. If the dollar doesn’t collapse outright, it will be a miracle.
Low starting capitol to invest
seed funding, to push ahead with what is verifiably a multi-trillion dollar business, for which we have some valid solutions.
I need the very best financial information and incite to guide me through these ruthless markets.
salesmen posing as advisers and banks pretending they exist for my benefit, government saying they are serving me, and revenue people wanting more and more of the money I have worked for while they claim to be keeping me free. I don’t feel like helping the economy while very wealthy people have my tax money shoveled into their pockets. Gotta stop now. RPM
I feel the biggest problem in making money now is created by the polices and
programs devised by our politicians (both federal and state). They do not appear to
have our country (and most importantly its’ citizens) headed in the right direction.
They are more concerned for their own selfish benefit (and their cronies) then for
the people they are suppose to represent.
If they would base their decisions on “sound economic” policies we could resolve
the economic disatser they have created. I would aslo add common sense as a
requirement in their decisions.
Unitl our government can get itself “straightened out” I do not see an opportunity
to make money in the usual manner. The best way to make money will be in gold
or inverse related selections.
Unfortunately making money in these types of investments means our country is
in a financial mess.
Thank you for the opportunity to express my thoughts. I wish you success in
this new endeavor.
Until our government gets itself “straightened out” I do not believe
cash flow is the problem due to losses in 2007-8…to stay in the game losses have to be accepted
volatility
I am stuck with some inverse ETFs that I am waiting for the market to drop. To many eggs in one place.
The stock market is in the middle of its range. If you go short you could get crushed by the soon to be Fiscal bubble to replace the Tech, credit, and housing bubbles of recent years. If you go long you could get clobbered by the unreal amount of toxic waste that still exists in our economy with the same people, ideas, etc. that created this mess trying to solve the problem with more of the problem (debt consumerism). Time for us Americans to stop buying stuff they can’t afford!
I pulled all my money out of the market and into treasuries as you warned. I am not making any money at this time but I am not losing any. My money manager only deals in mutual funds, so I am waiting for direction of when and where to put my money to work again. I am not experienced enough to gamble on your currency program. I just can not justify $2500 with no prior experience.
reply is simple and direct: —- lack of investment capital
Fully invested (and under advice) at time of crash. Equity is tied up in stocks that are in the trench. It would be a wipe out to sell them.
It would be good if someone would advise on how to invest by the month to produce a decent shorter-term return. Penny stocks are attractive with the low up front cost, though the risk becomes greater. Many (including me) do not have a lot of cash on hand, though they may be able to put together $50 or $100 a month to invest. But…where should it be invested?? I am retired, and live alone. I cannot afford to Lose money, but I would like to grow something. I keep an eye out all the time, and have not found an investment that will be reasonably safe, and provide shorter term growth, with only a monthly investment.
I am in need of a good day trade guidance
where I can go both short and long. What
do you have at a reasonable price?
To avoid losing what I have!!!!!!!!
I am worried that there will not be a recovery at all. I was born in 1915 and remember the depression well. I am sticking to Martin’s investmetns…he has guided me for a long time now.
FEAR!
the number of alerts from World Currency Alerts and Crisis Opportunity Alerts has decreased so much from last year, that I am not generating as much income as it once was last year……I wonder why there are so few suggestions this year????
Not sure who to trust on the markets. Some predicting further doom and gloom other advisers exactly the opposite.People have ulterior motives for their reasoning.How do we trust you.
Uncertainty & lack of trust.
The only certainty is that the market, housing and almost all investments are going lower- so I am sitting out with my funds in T Bills, Money markets etc.
No one can trust the info provided by investment agencies.
What I would like is a decent return say 3-6% with certainty that the capital is secure. T Bills and short term deposits are the only thing available.
If you or even the the government, would set up a fund with say SECURE first mortgages yielding 6%, I’d place my funds and so would thousands of others. I describe a secure first mortgage as one that represents not more than 75% of real Fair Market Value of the property. ( Just like in the old days- when I bought my first house I had to put 25% down).
There are probably billions of dollars sitting in Monwy Market Funds / T bills which do nothing to stimulate the economy. If we could get some of that money working safely, attitudes would change and the investment process would begin again.
The government stimulus programs are spending the money at the wrong level to achieve any immediate or even any long term results.
Martin,
My #1 problem is that I don’t have anywhere near enough income or capital. I have a little money in stocks in my own little portfolio. I have saving s going to mutual funds through the tax-deferred retirement plan at work. I also have a small investment property that is cash flow positive (about 9.5%). The problem is that I don’t earn enough extra money at my job to invest in another property for a while or invest at least $1000 at a time. right now my money is locked up or flowing at a trickle. I know you can’t solve this problem for me. If I need more investment capital, I have to earn it somehow or borrow it from a lender, but there’s another brick wall. Sorry to vent, but the lack of income or investment capital is killing me right now.
Trust and Confidence in the system! Thank you for your imput. Great coments in all directions covered. Have vizion, but luck of trust and confidence do not allow the leverage to be employed!
Uncertainty of asset value and loss of confidence in the crediblity, fairness and honesty in the equity market universe ; additionally , there’s a prolonged and growing concern that the finest, most prestigious economists just cant fix whats going on here……….much more pain to come……..thats why I’m keeping my cash in my pocket………convince me otherwise………I’m willing to listen………………..HK
Knowing who’s advice to trust.
The present market is only appropriate for short term trading, not long term investing. It therefore becomes critical to only buy stocks of the highest quality with the strongest balance sheets and further, only buy these stocks at times the market has significantly sold off. Also, only buy stocks which have a long history of paying growing dividends over a significant period of time. By buying in such fashion, one limits the downside risk and if one does make an error in timing, one will not be “stuck” in a stock of dubious quality.
Stay away from the financials at this point in time and diversify across sectors and markets which offer the greatest degree of quality and safety. And when one has the opportunity, do not be reticent to take ones profit.
BKM
I am a Futures, ETF, OPOtions and Currency Trader who creates his own technical indicators and automated trading programs – the risk is greater than average so the probability oif profit is less – change that and provide capital and I can do very well
The most controlling element, I believe, is the human element of fear. I have faced it, but I must admit that it is still one that you constantly must face in order to invest despite the condition of the market. The conditions of the market have been w/us since the markets began–even on the most simple scale. Since greed and exploitation share in the marketplace, many types of regulation whether from gov’t or the private sector itself have developed over time. Yet, I think, it is the combination of these attempts of, to control or not control, that will, hopefully, bring about a solution for the better. Of course, if each of us took responsibility for ourselves, I do believe, this global sphere would have less wobble as it turns.
Getting my Tradestation up and going after my business sale. Getting back into the globex currency biz. I missed the CD run up back in 07.
I am committed to the precious metals market and with possible hperinflation on the way am waiting for the ride.
A double edged sword. One side is FEAR that the Stimulus package will fail, and the other side is that if it is sucessful, how do we ever pay off the national debt.
Although I have the seed money to invest, I lack the experience to capitalize on these extremely volital markets, and the tremendous income potential they provide.
Uncertainty about the markets and lack of confidence.
First, I like the information that I get from you. However, your team recently sent a letter out requiring an initial investment of a quarter of a million dollars. I think it would be a good investment but that’s a lot of money to put at risk since all investments have risks! Could you lower the amount. Second, at times I fell the information I am getting from the various letters that are sent out that they contradict eachother. One minute I am reading that I should be investing in China, then I read I need to be in treasuries, and I read that I should be in other things. As a conservative investor I am looking for safety and also a way to keep up with inflation. Now, it appears deflation has crept in. What to do? Is there someone to talk to at your end to get a clear advice? Maybe there needs to be a service at your end where for a fee one could talk to one of your folks! Just an idea. Keep the letters coming and thanks! You have forced me to wake up and I really don’t like what I see out there. Who can you trust, your government, your banker, your broker that suggests that you get back into stocks??
Restrictions on short sales in my rollover IRA and lack of the availability of options in my 401K plan. Crummy performance of the double-short ETFs as a substitute for actual shorting.
My personal business is very slow and am happy if we can match last years sales even though ‘08 was off 58% from ‘07!
We think the world of your sage advice Martin, thank God we got out of all stocks and went to Treasuries in the spring last year. Then unfortunately we did follow some suggestions from your team last year on BRIC funds, GLD, raw materials and a little china funds. None have made any money. Now only in Treasuries which even those make me a bit nervous, but I’d rather make 1% or 0% than loose 40%! We are trying small bits of Jack’s currency recos, but that just started. We wanted to participate in your trading advice offer, but thought that we shouldn’t take a $2k expenditure unless we can follow advice daily. We might miss an alert and take a big hit. My belief is; if history always repeats it’s self like the depression, it’s markets and Gov’t mistakes. Then it should also be true for the upside. Just waiting patiently.
What is your outlook toward possble devaluation of the U.S. dollar in the near future?
Is the government capable to stop the economy from collapse?
All those double leveraged shorts I bought to “protect myself” have collapsed over 60 %!!!
Mark to Market accounting.
I have no obstacle whatsoever. I have No Debt, my house and cars are free and clear and I’m out of the market. Also, I intend to stay out for the remainder of my life which may or may not be long. Smile. I’m 88. My position in two investments was established at less than thirty percent of the current value of one and twenty-six times less than the current value of the other. Both will more than double again. Why would I go back into the stock market where I was lied too, time and time again about How Great a stock was, only to have the companies go broke? Nope, I’m finished with the stock market and brokers. Used car salesmen are more honest. Now laugh out-loud. I do have a high regard for your daily notes as they compare with three other news letters. I’m a subscriber to your letter, but I’m not an investor. I do think there are some good choices available right now. ACAS–DHI, Siris and some others I statistically track daily. Means, Standard Deviations, Standard Errors, Correlations, Standard Errors of estimate, t tests where indicated etc. I’m a former professor of statistics so enjoy manipulating numbers—— as long as I do the manipulating. Smile.
Fear of losing more. “No place to hide.”
Fear and Trust
Thank You Martin. Your on target. I am convinced we are headed for a very deep down turn 2250 to 3000 on the DOW; ahead on Gold, Gas, Oil and other metals. What is ahead of us wiill make the 30’s a picnic. Martin, we are now experiencing a generational change. Very few businesses nation wide have managers that grew up during the depression of the thirties, consequently they have only seen short term down turns in the economy and consider only short terms ahead. No one in WDC or NY has any idea how poor the education of our young citizens really is. Over fifty percent do not graduate from high school. This is a major fact, when it comes to actually doing quality work in a factory or business.
I tried investing fundementally based on good ratios
I tries investing on charts and trends
I tried investing on experts recomendations and hunches
the result all loss, maybe not as much as some but about 25% of portfolio
for every one great gain I get 3-4 down turns.
I dont want to be in a cash position but I almost want to go on defence and cash out at least my loses will be limited to inflation rate.
CONFUSION! All of the promotions, mostly your org. are conflicting and promoting
costs to subs. to more material. You are creating revenue for Weiss, and for a very few
of out here mostly trading $’s
There really aren’t any obstacles to making money right now, you just have to be prepared to make money when the stock markets fall. The biggest concern I have is the recent and current administrations are defying economics 101 – the topics taught 10 minutes after the class syllabus is handed out.
Retired. Need income and preservation of capital. Rates erode base and inhibit any current investments for fear of further losses.
Technical analysis has basically stopped working since the fall unless a person can trade extremely short term (day trade) and be able to monitor positions all day long. Fortunately, my job is keeping me busy. I am long oil, one drilling contractor and the gold miner index…fully invested in my IRAs…but I bought near the bottom so I’m looking at some nice gains. But, I have no extra money in my IRAs to invest.
Not enough available income and not enough time to seemingly chase a crazy market on a daily basis. It seems that investing for the long term is simply not possible right now, and trying to time the market to make a buck is hard. Trust.
#1 Obstacle… Not knowing where to risk current assets without losing them when you are depending on lower income levels, along with those assets, to weather the storm.
Dear Mr. Weiss,
The problem is that I’d been chosen for what the Federal/ State governments (now nothing more than gobs of malfeasance!) call ‘mind games’, which are terrorist acts carried out on U.S. citizens in this United States, and as I spoke and keep speaking out against these malicious endeavors having seen the damage done to other Americans, these ‘mind game’ terrorist who are paid our U.S. tax dollars as ‘employees’ now proceed to steal all my stocks, gold funds, as well as already stole my home and properties, destroyed my life and my families lives.
These government terrorists, products of the University of Washington in this State of Washington, invade the privacy of American homes from other living quarters in our communities to destroy Americans at will, ruin their families, steal from them to deny their children a future if identified intelligent and capable to do away with dissent against the heinous crimes they mean to perpetrate on Americans indefinitely in this United States!
Calling Voo-Doo ‘mind games’ or terrorist acts doesn’t put these miscreants and their malefactors above our U.S. laws. Voo-Doo can not be called a new U.S. Economics!
As a matter of fact, they chose me as a challenge, but they lost these challenges time and time again, and summed it up at a $100 million each one for me and my family, but rather than let us have the funds these criminals owe us, they now just want to keep sharpening their skills on me, depriving me and my family of a good, normal way of life.
It’s not enough for these university idiots to impair our babies before they are birthed any more, or cripple our children before they are allowed to go to school, they now want to use our American homes for animal pens, our families for meat, maladies and body parts, and to engage in Search & Destroy Missions under a Bush-Nazi Racial profiling System to demolish our abodes as the breeding grounds for all our future American leaders, seeing as the Campaign Finance Reform law to keep our grassroots chosen American leaders from the running for Congress or the White House doesn’t seem to be enough any more!
So you can see the dilema that I’m in! Funny thing is that this United States has never found me wanting: I made it a priority to serve our U.S. military after I graduated from high school and before I did anything else, then serve them in Vietnam for over six years under a U.S. Navy contract #44105, taught the U.S. Navy three years, the U.S. Air Force for three years, the U.S. Army for 1-1/2 years, and not only served our U.S. government and State government, but cared enough to uphold our laws all these many years later!
Meanwhile my relatives, who chose not to do any of the above, now live better than I do as they stuck their noses up these ‘mind game’ terrorist buttholes and kept their mouths shut about the terrible damage that they have done to turn this country into another Third World Hovel!
Today the subhumans who are allowed and brought into this United States are indoctrinated into ‘mind games’, which as I said are terrorist acts, some not even U.S. citizens, permitted to invade the privacy of our homes, financial accounts, medical records and reading habits to destroy the very Americans who gave them a good way of life and provided their children with a future, paid our U.S. tax dollars to have these congressionals call that hidious craft their job security!
Though I always stood-up for Americans, these slum dwellers, ghetto inhabitants, houseboys and housegirls now beat-up and accost me every day, invading my privacy and letting other Americans see them get away with it, or accosting me somewhere else in public trying to get me to break the law so that they can hold themselves witnesses against me and that to finally have me put away to keep my mouth shut while they keep sharpening their skills on me to preferably destroy other Americans for what these cretin call ‘A Whole New industry’!
I Could say a lot more, but all I can do for now is try to keep abreast of their lawless antics, and that’s why I subscribed to you! You’re always on top of things and I do appreciate that very much! I was following your father since the mid-1980’s.
Keep up the good work and God bless!
Very Sincerely, Alfred Koppel.
Since I am now retired I must be cautious as my income is confined to the usual constraints such as pension and playing with the capiital already invested. This took two hits – selling my US equities at a loss in order to enter he Chinese market which promptly lost some 70 percent. I am loath to enter the currency market despite your urging. I read your Safe Money reports carefully, also Larry Edelson’s Real Wealth Report and Tony Segami’s input. I am quite heavily into gold and your suggested short positions plus the energy stocks recommended by Larry. That’s aboout it for the time being. Love our new blog
Am 80+ vertually wiped out of my retirement income on this latest trend on commodies
I need a good system. I have tried many things in trading. I need to win at least 70% of the time.
To much data and information,which conflicts and is directly opposite of the next piece of data.To much uncertainty due to goverment action,lack of action or incorrect action.No clear plan or path to follow.
I am not yet retired, so most of my investment money is tied up in a 401k plan. I do have limited ability to shift investments within certain (generally Fidelity) funds. I watch your advice closely because I can (and have) done some shifting of funds, but mostly because I will retire fairly soon and then will actually have control over my investments. What can you offer in terms of managing my 401k rollover when the time comes? I have been looking at Edward Jones for this, but am very much open to any available alternative you might have to offer.
Trust and confidance
I do not need money that much. Maybe I’ll do better next time.
That’s an easy one Martin. The daily rebalancing of these inverse etfs is killing me. Even if your right on the overall trend, you end up losing money in a choppy market due to the nature of the rebalancing. You lose much more on a bad day than what you make on an equally good(point-wise move) day.
FEAR – I’ve worked long and hard for the little money I have saved up and this volatile market has made it hard for me to sleep at night. I’ve pulled out of everything with the exception of short term treasury as you have recommended. It seems, every time I try an inverse ETF Or something a little aggressive I get clobbered. I’m frustrated with this market and hate to sit on the sideline but I feel I have no choice.
I’m 80 and cannot wait for the market to recover!
Breacking about even, I guess that is all you ask right now.
Day To Day Volatility
Money is the main problem, but I would also like to know what is the least amount of money we need for each of your investments, that would help a lot of us to decide if it is right for us.
I am systemactically investing in the gas pipelines that pay a good dividend and are 80% tax deferred. In 1982 the government passed legislature that certain bussiness would not pay any taxes at the corporate level. This gives the ability to have an IRA outside of an IRA and more controll over your investments using a cost averaging approach. Some of these Mlp’s have good balance sheets and their dividend is as secure as any other investment I can think of at this time. These guy’s have been pushed down so far that it seems to be a good buying opportunity. But because of what is going on in the economy, you need to $ cost average into the different positions.
i can ditto most of the above scenario’s. i don’t see anything working right now even with all your expertise. this novice must use caution. thanks for all the inputs.
I wish the $ would get moving and I am getting tired waiting for Gold & Silver to come down so I can buy more. I realize I need more patience but Treasuries are not generating much.
The stock market is the world’s largest casino. It seems that the market usually does the opposite on what I double down on. Today, for example, I bought Bank of America call options after BoA cratered over 17% today (buy when everyone else is selling, right?). So tomorrow, we’ll see what happens. And yes, I am your options service and follow those recommendations. I just do some of my own “riskier” stuff too (in much smaller doses).
Have big real estate exposure and scared of its losing value everyday.
“Fear” of losing more in a market where there will be more job losses and less/no business spending. The fact it will not be a V recovery etc…
Hear experts calling for DOW 10k and some that call DOW 5k. Sitting in the middle (7900) is an uneasy feeling. I feel were going to be sub 7k in no time.
Probably reluctance, because of age, to learn put&call options and currency. My long term investments were decimated last year.
Just can’t get in sync with the markets volatility. Just when I think its going up/down and about to get in the market gets whacked! I don’t react fast enough.
I need a safe Canadian brokerage account. Can you recommend one.
I’m 77 and retired with 75% cash position waiting patiently for the stock portfolio to come back to life. As for the cash, I occasionally try to time the double inverse SSO and SSD and find it frustrating and at times costly — much like gambling. Trying to hang on to my nest egg and to get some return for the cash part is hard to do these days with interest rates so low. I have little confidence in the market now and that’s the bottom line. Paul S.
The public’s lack of confidence in the economy. I have rental property (15 Houses) and am have a difficult time renting the 3 vacant ones. And of course not many people are buying. The mortgage companies are getting bailout money but are raising interest rates all they can. I am trying to get 2 banks (GMAC and TB&W to lower interest rates to 6.5% but am being ignored.
#1 OBSTACLE to making money . . . FEAR of the future
#2 OBSTACLE …..FEAR of the incompetents running our Government
#3 OBSTACLE . . . Lack of TRUST in Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Dodd, Frank
#4 OBSTACLE . . . NO TRUST in politicians touting “TRANSPARENCY”
The greatest obstacle to making profitable investments has been the bad advice that I received over the past 2 years from my 401k manager who works for a large Swiss bank that has been in the news lately (probably should not mention them by name). It would be nice to find an advisor who communicates once in a while and acts in investor interest rather than their own and doesn’t reward themselves with a fee even though clients are loosing money.
Based on the great advice in your newsletter, I liquidated about half of my stocks last summer before the precipitous drop in equities.
need a good day trade guidance
for shorts and long and option.
What can you give me at a reasonable price?
Martin , I am a retire, who lives off Investments and SS , Everyday I get more dividendcuts. I have some cash but am afraid to let it go.I need safety and Income.
I do not need money that much. Maybe I’ll do better next time.
What is your #1 obstacle
to making money right now,
in this environment?
Weiss advice……!!
Can’t be that, you guys have been for the most part spot on.
I think the biggest obstacle is trying to determine if Congress can turn this into an inflationary spriral similar to the 70’s. Back in the 30’s all the goverments around the globe were aiming for balancing the budgets, quite a deflationary move. Now all the governments around the world are attempting to stimulate their economies. Either case, it should be a downer for the equity markets.
Debt, volatile forex markets.
Too many different people giving to many different forecast and all them rationalizing what they say.
Risk and trust that the information is accurate. Since history is a series of lies agreed upon, Napoleon Bonapart, one can not trust the past as a bridge to the future.
Government regulations and taxes
Knowing when to buy and sell ? Thanks to your team I have plenty of good strategys
and products to invest in. It just seems like rather I’m buying or selling, I usually pull the trigger at the wrong time.
I’m just not very smart.
Cash Flow, Banks will not lend on my Real Estate investment equity, because my debt to income ratio increased. But my income decreased because I could not get the capitol to continue doing business. If I had the capitol to do use in my business, my income would increase. Then I would have cash flow. then I can invest more. The financial markets are definatley screwed up.
I have not been able to identify any clear cut trend yet in any asset classes except in gold, e.g., oil is up and down, retail is falling, REITS are inconsistent, commodities still lack direction(except for gold which is more than a commodity….it is money). It may be that when the Obama spending bill ( not stimulus bill) gets going infrastructure spending may be the place to be..
The stock marget up one day and way down the next has caused my stocks and option to fall alot during the past year.
I don’t know what you’re asking me.
the media,they do not report the news. they create it to fill their agenda.
im the only one of my friends, and associates, that made money in the market. guess where i received my news from?
weiss research…..
thanks for telling the truth
Daily VOLATILITY
There is no reason to moderate facts, but it is prudent to tell things as they are so that something can be done about the short-comings! -Al Koppel.
Trust in a system. Knowledge of which investment vehicle to drive through this recession. I have been burned before by someone telling me about a great way to make money.
How crazy does Paul Grignon sound now?
I think we are doomed. They will try to pump up this market and make it fly and it is possible to rally, but it does anyway. They drive up the short ETF’s and they tank and then they run up the stock. Some people are making a lot of money. I have mine in CD’s, annunity’s, I-Bonds, E-Bonds. I have a few oil stocks and FSYS, KWT, PBT,BPT,ROM, DBO and NSC. I am looking into buying ENS, FSLR, APD,ZOLT, ANDE, and ORA. However this market could drop much further down. Every time I tried to buy short I got killed. Most people trade SKF SRS TWM and DTO. I don’t.
First of all, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts/views with us on a regular basis. I have found them of immense help. They have been proven true time and time again.
I would like to learn effective ways of overcoming fear in this uncertain market and hold on to the winning trades. Most of the time I have found that my trades have done much much better after exiting the winning trades due to fear of losing the gains made.
Mostly I swing trade US equities or ETF’s, but of late daytrading even seems too long of a time horizon genearlly speaking. In the past I’ve also enjoyed scalping successfully, but the roller coaster emotional aspects of this type of trading keeps me away from it these days.
World currencies do have appeal, but after tracking recos from MAM’s finest for the last 3 months, it is highly obvious the choppiness of the FX market also makes for indeterminate currency trading, even by the best players.
I’m concerned about getting too over weighted in physical gold and at the same time trying to stay away from holding too much USD for obvious reasons.
I am trying to keep my money fluid, just in case the family needs it (a real possibility since son #2 owns a home worth less than his draconian mortgage). However, fluidiity means very little earnings on my money. Question: Are you ever going to cover whether credit unions are safe?
Knowing what to invest in.
I don’t trust anyone – not government agencies, not bankers, not ponzi scheming financiers, not misleading CEO’s, not paper assets that may not be worth the fiber they are written on and not financial newsletter writers who make fantastic claims that are bogus. I want a physical asset other than precious metals that I can touch and possess in a way that no one can lie to me about what I am buying.
Fear of losing more money is the biggest obstacle to making money today. For now, raise and hold cash and you will narrow the gap between yourself and other higher net-worth investors who continue to lose money daily. Some day when we rid ourselves of all the derivatives and phony assets and markets hit bottom, you will have maximum cash to invest in the market and narrow the gap further as markets begin to recover. The time to transition into gold/precious metal related investments will be when/if the dollar begins to show signs of collapse.
Insufficient knowledge and if I had it the time to exercise it.
My belief that things are so uncertain (including advisors’ advice) that in this environment there really is no safe way to make money.
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, DO NOT TRUST THE GOVERNMENT OR ITS MONETARY POLICIES, BANKS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. GOT OUT OF THE MARKET BEFORE THE CRASH. BOUGHT SOME GOLD AND SILVER. NOTHING IS LEVEL IN THE MARKET.
IT REQUIRES 2-3 HOURS A DAY TO SORT OUT ALL THE CRAP. INTERESTED IN CURRENCY MARKET, NEED TO DO MORE RESEARCH. YOU CAN HELP WITH MORE INFORMATIVE ARTICLES
I have about $20,000 in a defered compensation account with the city of Spokane, Washington. They match up to $150/month. That is 100% on my money. Not too bad. The only problem is the plans are married to the stock market and lost about $4300 in the last quarter. The only way to get the money out is to quit. Walking away for a good paying job wouldn’t be the smart thing to do right now. My question; is there any way I can get out of this loosing situation and put the money to work.
I recently subscribed to Jack Crooks Currency Currents.
Regards, Clyde
The market is so volatile I am afraid to invest in the market….so I am out of it, which I don’t like to be.
Lack of knowledge
With the volatility, there is this great opportunity to bet with the indexes or bet against them using ETF’s. It just takes balls.
Very difficult market environment. Losses significant. Now mostly in cash and preferred with some common in financials, energy/metals/gold and short some currencies.
Richard
Lack of start up money. Promoting my home business taking priority.
I believe the Fed is the problem. It’s still run by the scarecrow . . . . if he only had a brain. We’re not in Kansas anymore. The constant weakening of the watered-down dollar is causing our food to cost more each week. People don’t have extra to spend on retail, etc., so the economy is stalled. If the interest rate was above 5% again the dollar would be strong and groceries (many imported) would cost less. People would have something to spend at the store and drive retail (demand) which would create employment to sell and to replace goods. With sales increasing, company profits would rise and so would their stock value. Economies start at the bottom and work upward — there is no trickle-down in reality. And with a decent interest rate, banks would have no trouble attracting capital from increased savings accounts. They really don’t need to bleed the taxpayers and lower the value of the dollar. It’s self-defeating. But that’s our government. . .
I’ve always trusted your programs as they applied to me and my family, but your current plan becomes inaccessible due to current financial constraints. Having the membership fee is handled but having investing start- up funds without using plastic is difficult. No more plastic!Very frustrating!
Jack Crooks currency investment, but they are very expensive to subscribe to.
I know your using this blog to market your income producing idea. Frankly, I’m growing tired of the repeated ateempts to sell that idea. Your method of marketing it was very weak. I’m an experienced financial adviser and found your presentation and follow-up weak and confusing. I enjoy most of your commentaries and would appreciate a reduction in your income marketing attempts. Don’t mean to sound negative but thats how I feel. Thank you.
The worry of making a bad losing investment leading to further loss of capital which is a more mind shuddering experience than leaving cash earning no return or selling good but fallen shares which should recover at some future date. Better to live on bread and water for a year or so than run out of assets a couple of months before I run out of breathe. No, no more worry than I already have,thank you. I.’ve never blogged before, but I think it’s a great idea. V.
Terrible inertia! Fear of hyper inflation combined with expected total loss of value of what’s left of my retirement (savings). WHAT will I do when bills explode and retirement craps? I am 84 years old and in marginal health.
FEAR. To me we are not near the bottem and remember the 30,s and 40,s
Accquiring the information needed to make strong investments.
Okay Martin: My reluctance on the investment vehicle is one of low income and not knowing what the initial dollar amount is needed. Entry and exit on a short time period is needed and must learn process. I cannot trust the FEDS and the Federal Reserve but I have to learn how to get out of their tidle wave and survive.
1. Broken trust in the capitalist system that is supposed to reward the successful businesses, punish the failures and give us confidence that the system was not rigged.
2. Uncertainty in the markets. The only safe investments are treasury bills that pay a puny interest.
3. Lack of trust in the government and politicians (who can say that they will not confiscate my gold?).
4. Conflicting views on the direction of different investment options coming from financial advisors and your team members.
My biggest obstacle is the uncertainty of the national and world situation right now. I own aa lot of gold and silver right now because in my opinion it is the safest place to be and if even a small advance in these metals as predicted by Larry Edleson could result in huge gain with little downside risk.
I invested a lot of money in the Anglo Irish bank for a 2 year bond fixed rate 7% per year in november 2008. Since then the irish goverment has nationalized the bank and garenteed the money until sept 2010. I live in the uk and when i first opened the account I was covered by the uk scheme to protect all money in uk banks up to £50000
the irish goverment says it will garantee 100% but this then makes the uk compensation scheme worthless. My money I would say is prety safe on the assumption that Ireland doesnt go bust !(Remember Iceland!) Whats your advice should I leave my money in or try to get it out ?.
Thanks to you and your group, my wife and I finally gained enough confidence and decided to sell EVERYTHING we had in mutual funds back in November 2007.
Now we feel unsecure and afraid to make any mistakes, so we leave everything in Altamira High Interest Cash Performer (Altamira now belongs to National Bank of Canada). It pays a daily interest of only 2.5% these days but the money is very liquid. I can see that we could make a lot more with inverse ETFs but the volatility is scary! Currency trading is too mysterious and looks kind of complicated.
So we do nothing else !!!
Low income = no cash to spare
Am having fun watching my inverse ETF’s though, thanks!
I do volunteer work @ a veterans hospital—-People are scared–THE COMPANIES ARE LAYING OFF PEOPLE EVERYWHERE–they all worry( BUY EXTRA SOUP & TOILET PAPER )
Presently on an Annuity from lottery winnings.50k before taxes.17 more years.Am 60yrs old.Make about 5k more during the year.Have certain items to attend to before I consider investing.However,down the road I will be interested if the risk and return is within certain parameters.
Too much debt and not enough money to invest in a couple of the tools your company and partners offer to help me such as the currency course..
because–now is the time to be poor–washington will ruin your labor and the
profit of your labor.
Some IRA money has been in an AXA Equitable annuity for 8 years. Now that I’m able to pull it out with no penalty, I’m looking at a John Hancock annuity that has quite a few living benefits, so I might roll this over. But that would “lock me in” for another 3 years, and I’m also concerned with the strength of Hancock (or any insurance company). Maybe I should rollover this money into another kind of IRA, not an annuity. Treasuries, via Fidelity, etc?
Suggestions?????????
easy question–having lost a third of our retirememt savings in the last year with a conservative asset allocation i am gunshy and have done nothing to change course-this worked in the past as everything came back but i am much older now and dont feel this time will be a replication of past performance-50 years work and planning got burned in less then one year-all this in the face of imminent inflation like we have never seen it beforeonce the smoke clears-
My perversely risk-averse wife!
The low price of crude oil and natural gas. I am a retired oil and gas producer. I am giving the current administration the benefit of a doubt. They have already collected $150,000 in back taxes.
Retired 2 years ago at 72. Had over a million dollars investeed
in the market. Have gone through three financial advisors &
have done better on my own. Lost 100k before bailing out in
October 08. Now 80% in Treasury’s and 20% in gold with
Fidelity. About ready to dump the Treasury’s & go to cash.
Not being able to rent my townhouse at this time.
The fear of revenue loss.
I have been able to hold on to most all of my investments thanks to your timely advice along with Larry’s as I am a subscriber to both publications. I would like to venture out to more investment recomendations but the fear of loss has held me back to a degree. I have been paying attention to both of your recomendations and will probably dip my toes back into the arena soon, as I do have the liquidity sitting on the sidelines waiting for the right opportunity.
I am simply waiting for some strong recomendations.
Thanks
Ron Imperiale
The only obstacle to making money is to determine how to get a piece of the pork that that Washington will be handing out and how to bang the government for a piece of that pie. The money will be wasted and their will be winners and a whole lot of losers ie the taxpayer. So unless you had retained a good lobbyist or are in the pocket of your Senator or Congressman you will just have to be creative. Also, Martin did you ever really explain to people what really happens when you trade currencies, ie the vast amount of ordinary people playing that game and how many of them lose a ton of money. You and Jack Crooks all make it sound like it so easy and just listen to your recommendations and we will all make money. I’d really like to see your or Jack’s history of trading currencies and if you have ever really made any serious money. doing it. Have you made several million or not. Because if you did, I’am not sure you would be wasting your time trying to sell subscriptions to your service for $1,500 to $2,000. Good luck.
I have a question about Treasury Bills and Bonds. Given all that is going on now, how would you rate the liklihood of a US government default on these securities in the near term and within the next 3-5 years? If a default were to occur, what alternatives to these investments would you recommend?
Lack of Trust and confidence in the markets and market makers. Already lost 1/2 of my 401K. Too busy to track too much, but lost alot in currency markets in the past.
Hey,
I’m happy not to be loosing a lot of the money that I do have control over.
Its not much but its safe. Thanks Martin and Crew.
My 401k is down a bunch.
Been doing Currency Options since December with no pay offs yet.
Wont go near the Stock Markets due to their total disconnect form reality, manipulation,
and insanity.
Would try other avenues if I could afford.
Alot of comments in such a short time !!!!
Keeping YOUR money SAFE is the KEY here I believe .
With some PROFIT !
Thanks for the BLOG and KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK !!!!
Don’t know which way to go.
Finding quality income producing property at the right price
Had a smallish manufacturing business (electrical transformers, etc.; max sales $5 mill.)
Almost went broke in ‘91 after suffering a stroke. Subsequently had sporadic work as marketing consultant, accumulated a little capital to 2000+; made some in stock market but lost considerable in wake of dotcom bust. Sold all around 2006; left cash in brokerage account now down to less than $10K in IRA; income from Soc.Sec.; no mortgage but substantial real estate taxes. Am very cautious about risking the little nest egg. (i do greatly appreciate your work; remember your father’s advice but had never fully believed his dire predictions.)
Now that the theory of conservative investing and diversification was proven wrong how does a 71 year old retiree salvage what’s left of his IRA ?
I would move from a monthly fee based service to a semi-annual advisory charge for the remainder of my portfolio, if there was a clearer picture of the market in the next 5 years.
I do not believe I have the smarts to invest in the currency market, however I do agree your advice about riding the up/down of the currency market does sound right.
THE SEC NOT CONTROLING THE THEIFS THAT ARE STEELING MONEY FROM
HARD WORKING PEOPLE WHO INVEST IN THE MARKET. THESE PEOPLE SHOULD BE
PUNISHED FOR WHAT THEY DO. THE LAWS NEED TO CHANGE TO PROTECT THE
INVESTORS.
Though a 40 year retired energy expert on conservation, the renewables, the fossils and nuclear power, and someone who thinks Limits to Growth + Peak Oil + the Low Net Energy of all proposed new energy supply technologies are now coming to pass, I am unsure where to put my money for the safest and highest continuing income yield. Is my best income from oil prices turning up 2 to 3 years from now despite a developed world Depression going to be pipelines, oil tankers, LNG tankers, Canroys or coal-to-liquid refineries such as the one Buffett is building north of Buffalo, Wyoming? Despite the Hirsch report on US PEAK OIL I can’t decide what energy investments will give me the most and most stable income in the remaing 20 to 30 years of my life.
Too nervous to stay in the market more than one day at a time. A lot of your ideas are for the US market which I won’t touch due to such volatility in the currency exchange (I am Canadian). I just don’t believe in US short term treasuries. It is at the point where you can start to lose money in them as they come back down to PAR (but suppose you bought into them because you are from Russia, Australia, UK etc., then the movement to PAR is not a problem if the US currencies holds up against these people’s home currency, which I think it will for quite a while yet).
Husband making no money, bonuses for 2009 going down, so keeping a lot of money in my socks, 3.75% high interest saving account in Canada (under $100,000 per institution) and buying the TSX index at the end of the day when it drops 2.5% or more in a day and selling it out the next day even if it only goes up .5%, but usually I catch 1 to 1.5% gain the next day.
Low income and job security
There is a major turning point coming up in mid April, for those preparing (Martin knows) all is good, those without a clue(the overwhelming vast majority) goodness gracious great balls of fire, what happened. This is called the PHASE TRANSITION.
I have every confidence that the market will turn around — if the government can just get out of the way. I am confident that governmental interventions in the marketplace will tend to screw up the normal signals that help give investors direction. My guess is that many investors who know which sectors the our leaders currently favor with their infusions of money, will likely profit handsomely — legally and illegally.
The Hedge fund managers are still heavily in the market bringing down all of the corporations. When they get to a point where the stocks are at $3.00 to $5.00 a share; maybe that is the time to jump back into the market. The risk is just to great to hang on to the higher end stocks. As they slowly go South the Hedge fund managers make billions and they have billions more to make before they exit the market.
The market is just to volitile. The risk is just to great. With the advent of computers, they have the advantage over smaller investors; as when to jump in, and when to extract their gains at the expense of the small investors.
Market volitility and money preservation. I don’t want to loose more money in a volatile market where reasonable stoplosses get hit, I get stopped out and then the stock rebounds.
reliable information
Fear of losing what I have through investment.
Fear !!! Don’t know who to believe. Should I take my loses and start over or hold on
no fear, just luck, you tell me how
I see many of you seem to want to get back into the market when it hits bottom. Wait!
We are just getting started into the DEPRESSION. The opportunities will be awesome @ the bottom. I’m impatient also because of an aversion to shorting. I did though buy some pro share inverse Euros. We’ll see what happens,
When to invest the funds in my Weiss Treasuries Only Money Market Account.
I have lost more than half of my pension fund value and as that is my only income,
I am very unsure of were to put my cash reserves to increase their value safely.
I live in Australia, here the Government is going to put $200 billion back into the economy in direct grants over the next 3 yrs.
In a country of only 21 million people that is going to take a very long time to pay back.
Government distrust.They collectively do not appear to have the peoples interest at the forefront.The constant scandals,major or minor, tell me that it is all about them.The more we learn the less our elected officials instill confidence.
Lack of confidence in who to believe and in which direction to go.
My portfolio was switched to cash equivalent investments, ie: bonds, CD’s. These bonds and CD’s are now maturing. I have opened CD accounts at various banks, which has been an experience in itself! My problem is trying to evaluate the safety of the banks. I had opened an account at Alliance Bank and intended to fund the $60,000 the following Monday. On Saturday the newspaper had the story that Alliance Bank was being shut down and California Bank and Trust of San Diego, CA had taken over. I have not funded the CD as I have not been able to obtain the current interest rate. My broker and accountant are both in agreement that CD’s are the way to invest, at this time. My broker has encouraged me to look for the best INSURED bank interest. At this time I am concerned about the safety of my funds – even in the Bank. What do you suggest? Thank you
I’m still “making money” by going to work and earning a paycheck. I am even saving money by living significantly below my means (blame the recession on people like me, if you like). However, investment income is near zero because I have nearly all savings in short term treasury securities which pay diddly squad in interest. My obstacle to making investment money right now is my lack of guts to buy on the really bad days, hold for a few days in the hope that it is technically oversold and unload it all again. I simply don’t have the time or nerve to play that game. I also don’t have confidence in buy-and-hold strategies when it comes to stocks right now. I can’t afford to loose more than the 20% I lost last year but if I want to retire, I can’t afford to keep holding treasuries forever either. If this is a 10-year dolldrum in the markets, I’ll probably die in the harness.
fear
Discipline to sell. Sometimes I get greedy like a pig… and like a pig, I have been slaughtered! So in a word: DISCIPLINE
Trust and compentence in information is of prime concern, but other factors such as cause and effect of politics, resource shortages, energy problems, oil contango, etc., contribute to investing decision making.
i.e., Goldfield looked very good above $15.00 per share in 2007, then they had a power problem and share price dropped below $7.00 per share. Today it is up more than 50% over its low.
You have given your subscribers a lot of good information, keep up the good work. Thank you!
I’ve consistently believed that a volative market is a trader’s delight and an investor’s nightmare. If your prediction on the DJIA is going the materialize, ETFs and shorts seem logical.
Market understanding. For instance, financials have been down and are going down. The SKF ETF seems like a no-brainer. Yet, if you’d bought it recently you’d only seen your investment go sideways, or, perhaps, taken a big hit. What gives?
Dear Martin,
The way of investing has changed so much in the last several years. I have no confidence in the market and I am tired of losing money. The new money machine program will be “key” I hope to turning things around for a more prosperous future. The market is scary today, and I like a lot of people have no confidence in the markets. I did sign up for the money machine only at the very last possible moment before the deadline, and the anticipation I have is very high to learn a new way of making money!!!
Sincerly,
Nelson
I have a deep distrust in government and financial charletons. I’m convinced that the Uniterd States has had seen the halcyon days of spending and belief in Teddy’s manifest dysteny that led us into one war after another…a repeat of the Roman Empire.
At 79 years old,an economic recovery needs to happen within 5 years!! Am thinking of selling half of my mutual fund portfolio and purchasing solid dividend producing stocks.
With so much money being printed, should not one invest in “gold”?
There is no transparancy of any kind on Wall Street. The CDO and CDS derivative markets have put us here and no-one, not even Geitner, understands the severety of the global impact of these kind of derivatives. Geitner’s explanations today on CNBC revealed the utter ignorance and magnitude of the problem.
There is a major trust issue permeating about Wall Street and the government. It will take a long time for me to invest in US equities again. I’d like much more transparancy between institutions and from insitutions to their clients. Having the government mengle with the system now will only exacerbate the obvious.
I suspect that the #1 thing that is stopping me from making money right now is also the #1 thing that’s saving me from losing it. I’m only trading with money I can afford to lose, and frankly, that isn’t very much.
I’d like to take this chance to say thank you for providing such great free advice, steering me in the right direction. I hope someday I’ll be able to afford to take advantage of some of your premium services. Maybe you could create a lower cost product aimed at newbies and small fry.
In the meantime, I could certainly benefit from a lesson in exit strategies. I’ve been fairly successful spotting uptrends but haven’t done very well figuring out when to get out.
I can not make a decision with confidence so that I do not loose money. Can not trust financial advisors, first they charge a lot and the market move opposite all the time. Already burned few times with your services too.
Uncertainty — frozen as in “Deer in the Headlights.”
I HAVE NO TRUST IN THE SYSTEM I HAVE NO TRUST IN THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE SYSTEM
FEAR, FEAR and more FEAR. Luckily I retired from the financial industry two years ago, sold my house for 7 figures and moved to Montana. My MBA in Finance helps a little but in this new world we live in you can’t trust people, information or the Govt. Greed destroyed what our forefathers labored so hard to build and it will take years to build confidence and recover.
p.s. Tony’s my neighbor by coincidence !!
Dr. Weiss,
I appreciate all your efforts and the great information. I subscribe to
Safe Money and have been able to limit my losses to about 12% for the last year,
thank’s to the short funds you recommended. I also own Prudent Bear, which has
performed very well.
Just had to thank you before answering your question. The old Joe Karbo quote, “most people are too busy working for a living to make any money”. Your currency investing course sounded interesting, maybe you should put more information out about it, the
time committment required, etc.
My feeling is that the stock market system is broken; that greed and illegality has been the only successful strategy for the past 12 years; and that I would be a fool to invest in such a rigged system.
Being able to correctly evaluate and assess investment risk and opportunity. I subscribe to a number of paid newsletters and am amazed at how many times these “experts” are getting it wrong …. it is a very turbulent environment with a lot of dynamics …. it seems like all the pieces on the chess board are moving at the time.
I would like to be able to substantially improve my “hit vs miss ” rate . I would like to invest when the fundamentals are extremely solid and the probably over time on the downside is very low.
My money is 100% in an IRA so when I make a stock purchase I have to hold for four days before I can sell. The market is in a trading range at the present time and five days can be an eternity. It is very difficult to predict out so far ahead of time. I am making gobs of money in my day trading account.
Fear of loss of money on either withdrawal or investment.
I knew this was coming because I’ve been reading high-level newsletters (such as yours, Richard Russell, Harry Schultz, James Dines, Aden sisters, Wellington Letter, etc.) since the late 1970s. Still, I lost money, though much less than most people (about 6-7% of my liquid investments and about 2% of my total net worth, not counting whatever I lost on my house, which is paid for).
My problem is that there’s really nowhere safe to park a lot of money other than treasuries or gold. I’m not very motivated to get into the stock market, the bond market, or the real estate market, until this thing hits bottom. I’m in “preserve capital” mode right now rather than “make money through investing” mode. I’m just waiting for the bottom, where I hope to be liquid enough to scoop up what no one else wants at that point.
I’m a value investor and there are lots of great values in this market if you’re willing to sit on new acquisitions through the turmoil for probably a couple of years. Great companies that don’t deserve it have been beaten down in an overall market that’s punishing those that do. Unfortunately, with a carefully crafted over decades portfolio of blue chips bought on value I don’t want to sell against my recent losses in long term companies that are undervalued to free up cash for new opportunities. Any ideas?
Uncertainty as to the nature and extent of government involvement in the markets.
Actually, we’re very blessed and grateful. But also a bit cautious in that I know we 1) need to save a bit more cash to have “on hand” and 2) suspect that in the near future the various layers of government — state, counties, cities, special taxing entities, will be grabbing anything they can access , so I’m trying to anticipate that.
I’m not sure what the market is going to do . You say it is going down , another writer from this service says it is at the bottom . I have done what you say to do ( cash ) 98%. but new money is going into the market. unp , s&p . , Dig , I’m just a small fish trying to make it. I have my ears open hoping to learn but I have worked too long just to flush this money. Untill I know what to do and when I’ll mostly just be watching.
Thanks for your input , I read all of them.
low income
No income, recently got laid off from AT&T after 10 years of service. Trying to keep investing in my Roth IRA but every month my contribution investment just loses more money, and watching my 401K depleted to nothing after saving 30% off my monthly pay check for ten years. My account has been decimated from almost 500k to less than 155K. When is this all going to stop?
I have been bitten in the past by (offshore) currency options where I was asked to plunk down $5000 minimum. I do not have that kind of money to speculate with. I do have up to $1000 but have been unable to get indications as to whether this amount is feasible. Also, and I hate to admit it, I am unsure as to how to find a reputablebroker.
SO, IN A NUTSHELL – “lack of information” is what has been and continues to hold me back from speculating in the currency market.
Big losses on traditional safe-haven retiree stocks, e.g., GE, NOV, DOW, MO, PM, PG.
My biggest obstacle to making money is a lack of money.
I’m anticipating the big move upward in gold that your team has been talking about. However, I don’t have a good grasp on how gold stocks will be affected when the market moves down towards 5500. Generally, gold stocks were dragged down with the market last fall when the market tanked. Is that going to happen with the next move down by the market? Do I have any security in gold stocks or should I stick only with gold bullion and ETF’s?
Thanks for all you do!
Hi Martin, uncertanty
Fear, and uncertainty about which “expert” to trust at this time.
identifying the current situation as deflationary or inflationary
Deciding between deflation and inflation. I know we are deflating now but with the massive
creatiion of money going on I am leaning towar inflation.
Fear of loosing my nest egg, and not sure as to how to react in these times.
First I should thank you and your partners. If not for your advice I would not be able to invest. With that said, I at my age have little courage or desire to invest until I see at least three postive quaters. With a S&P PE of 18 I still think we are over priced.
The current economy and the reduction of income in my current employment. The reduction in my net worth and the abliity to bring cash to an investment.
I would like to be able to make money without taking a lot of risk. Options, currency, futures and other types of trading are to risky and/or expensive to get into. What I am looking for is a mentor or adviser that can guide me with making investments that will pay 5-10% and does not have high risk attached to it. In the current market I have not found this rare bird, or at least one I can afford. I am currently following most of the advice found in Safe Money Report. However, I am not making much since most of my funds are in cash. On the positive side, I am not loosing anything by following Safe Money Report.
The biggest problem is any consistent direction to the markets. Down one day, up the next. Buy and hold in either direction becomes a wash while short term trading works sometimes but usually by the end of the week it’s been a waste of time and energy.
It’s a tuff market to trade whether it be for the long haul or short term. I’m up for 2008 and early 2009 but the whipsaws we’ve been seeing lately don’t breed any conviction.
It’s a timers game for now.
It’s equally frustrating knowing that all the new financial people that Obama’s surrounding himself with are the ones that got us into this mess and it appears they are making an even bigger problem. I vote for Martin to be on Obama’s advisory team, front and center, please hurry!
I agree with Michael,
I am like everyone else right now. Which way do you turn? There “seems to be” no rhyme or reason to the markets! With the news of job looses the markets go up…
Today the news of Obama’s package the markets plunge!
My wife has shorted some stocks but seems we are just one month off the needed numbers to turn a profit.
Looking forward to our blogs!
The market is changing so fast every time I get ready to invest it changes so I am just sticking with gold until I see which way to go.
I am awaiting receipt of the currency trading package that I subscribed to. Can you advise when and how it was shipped? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I followed your advice for the past four years, and am OK financially and am carefully trading inverse ETF’s with success so far. You and your team have been eerily accurate, and for that my wife, extended family and I are most appreciative. Keep up the great work.
Dear Martin, I read with interest the argument that based on valuation the market could be due easily another 40% down from here. In the current environment I certainly see this as a possibility. On the other hand sentiment is a significant variable in this equation and I do believe that if sentiment turns positive we could see the end of this horrific situation. In the meantime there are fabulous values out there who are more in line with the lower case general market scenario.
Lack of trust + even the best experts and the ‘not best experts’ get it wrong so how do you devise a strategy that has got a 50/50% chance to get it right or to get it wrong!!!
Political control of markets-regardless of what the markets are doing themselves.In Hawaii-all decisions are made off the record and behind closed doors-if they like you -you can play–depending on their perception of who your friends and allies are–but that changes depending on the most recent parties and galas thrown and held.Doesnt matter what customers and consumers want-or how successful and beneficial those things are–whatever fuels the political machine is what plays.Everything else gets blocked -or parasited so badly its not financially worth it to even bother.
Dear Martin, I read with interest the argument that based on valuation the market could be due easily another 40% down from here. In the current environment I certainly see this as a possibility. On the other hand sentiment is a significant variable in this equation and I do believe that if sentiment turns positive we could see the end of this horrific situation. In the meantime there are fabulous values out there which are more in line with the lower case general market scenario.
I’ve lost some money on some trades and now I’m paralyzed with fear of losing any more. So, I’m in cash and waiting for the market direction to be clearer before doing anything else. I love the newsletter and learn a great deal from it. Thanks!
Not being able to invest in an active, rewarding market. Most of my funds are in Treasury Only MM, as you have suggested.
This unpredictable market and the thieves that make up this market.
It almost takes a crystal ball to know how to make a few bucks.
Many previous investments that have gone nowhere,leaving me short of cash compounded by the fact that business income has deteriorated.
Thanks,
Robert
I have decided that I will follow one newsletter writer… Louis Navellier and his Blue Chip Report and his Quantum Growth. So far so good!!!!!! He keeps his recommendations well spread out and does not concentrate on any one area.
Lack of knowledge. I am sure I could make money in a volatile economy if I had more information and how to use it.
In Australia the government has guaranteed bank accounts up to $1m and there have been no bank failures because we never succumbed to removal of our banking regulatory system. I can still get over 4% interest from the bank. The domestic economy is still strong, even though sentiment is bad. We have been very fortunate because our currency has fallen 30% against the greenback and hence the yuan so our export commodities have remained competitive in a contracting world market. I worry about the greenback because it’s really defying gravity and if confidence in the greenback falters it would be bad for us because our currency would revalue against our trading partners (Japan, China and the US), though probably good for US export trade. I would then consider investing in US stocks or real estate, at the right time.
Getting back to your question – the #1 obstacle to making money for me is fear that further nasty plunges in value worldwide could happen this year.
Uncertainty about what to do over the next 2 to 5 years.
2/3rds of my holdings are in Cash/Money market Funds/Gics. The rest in Canadian Real estate and balanced mutual funds. Should I try to sell the R/E and put all in Cash? or buy some more Gold?…
I believe that we are approaching in “inter empire gap”, that is where no one country has dominance in the world. The US has held this position for the past 60 years, but this is changing. When this has happened with previous empires, their currency has devalued and the world goes into chaos and turmoil. Huge money is lost- but huge money is also made.
How do you find the opportunities?
The IRS
Thank you my good friend Martin D. Weiss.
First of all is you have to have confidence on your self, if you have no confidence in your self you ‘ve two (2) times lost the race of life.
Whom on earth born of woman will you have confidence and trust on regarding what is happening all over the world today, anyway i’m stil searching on what to do with my money.
Have a good day,
GOD Bless.
Matthew Obaye.
To much debt, right now I am putting all my efforts into getting out of debt
I have been reading Money and Markets for several months now. It teaches me what I don’t know. Along with Buffett, I believe in working at my core competence, architecture. I have hired brokers who state their “core competence” is investing. It has not been successful for me. I wish brokers made money based on the money their clients’ make, not fee for service. I almost signed up for you recent DVD teaching how to trade currencies but lacked the trust that I would be able to really do it myself as trading is not my thing. January 27th, First Franklin “redeemed” bonds for 0. All money lost. Last June, I was told to “hold” this bond position because First Franklin is a reputable company. Question: Will other mortgage backed bonds follow suite if they see that Franklin did this? Should bonds in this asset class be sold even though there will be servere losses?
Not having money to invest after Hurricane got through with us. I did not try to collect from the Insurance Company because I knew they would jack our insurance up sky high to get it back in spite of our paying for 60 years and not having many claims. But i really do not know much about investing and do not have time right now to learn for i am just now winding up all the damage done during the Hurricane and my husband has been in the hospital for nearly 14 months and that left me strapped for time. I will try within the next few months to learn a lot more and try to get some money to invest for I find it fascinating. I had cancer 5 years ago and it has taken that long to get me back on my feet but still have times that I am down for days.
am a new student or I should say investor to be,and need all the help I can get.
Lack of motive.
Fear and mistrust of the government and it’s interventions in the market.
I am retired and live on social security. My retirement ira is with vanguard . in june I rolled every
thing into short term treasury bills per your recommendation. my social security is 2400 a month. I am recovering from an unexpected surgery . thank you for assisting me in preserving my life time IRA . I worked 3 jobs for many years. many of my friends refused to believe stocks would go down and not come back up again They were advised to stay in the market by their financial advisors. my financial advisor did the same thing. no advice no money for him. I now am my own financial advisor. I am interested in getting into a gold and silver mutual fund of some sort . Trading curriences is to risky.
THANKS FOR YOUR WISDOM AND TRUTHFULLNESS–i HAVE NOT OWNED ANY STOCKS FOR OVER A YEAR AND A HALF—I COULD FEEL THIS COMING BECAUSE OF PEOPLE i KNEW IN THE MORTGAGE INDUSTRY—-I am mostly in CD’S or cash—I have a large IRA and other funds—I would be interested to know what statigies I should use for my IRA account and my regular account
Fear
Ignorance
I am a senior still needing to work – which I do. But income is less than a year ago due to economy. Being a senior and not able to retire I need to protect my savings. I am a sole proprietor
Confusion leads to inaction. Clients are so confused as to what to do they prefer to do nothing. they are scared silly! I am in the financial planning, estate planning business.
UNCERTAINTY IN THE MARKET AND THE INABILITY TO DISTINGUISH ANY TREND MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO TRADE WITH ANY SUCCESS IN THIS MANIPULATED-YES, MANIPULATED MARKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEITHER TECHNICAL NOR FUNDAMENTAL ANAYLSIS IS WORKING IN THIS CRAZY MANIPULATED-YES, MANIPULATED-MARKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND THE SHORT ETFS ARE NEAR WORTHLESS AS THEY ARE NOT CONSISTENT. PROBABLY WILL ALL GO TO ZERO ONE DAY NO MATTER WHAT THE MARKET DOES!!!!!!!
More capital as I swing trade between commodities and precious metals.
Despite Mr. Crooks ideas on the dollar…. the precious metals will appreciate.
Best of luck to everyone.
I have stopped trading for fear and no confidence in the markets. Thank the Lord I have enough cash to live off for a few Years. When the markets stabilize some and come off the bottom, I will get in again. I don’t mind to miss the very bottom. It’s pretty tricky out there right now.
Cool idea. The impediment for me is that I depend on my dividends, now diminished, to provide me the standard of living I have. I lack free capital to invest in more risky ventures.
volatility of market
great way to comunicat.
actualy yr predictions are solid.
looking forward working with you and yr team.
obstacles i don’t have…just wondering how long this is going to last this major change !!!..and the economies we are heading to !!!???.
Seems like the chaos of the last six months has rendered most of the strategies I was using with some success to be irrelevant. Even the short selling I’ve done has been mixed. Selling covered calls is the only new strategy I’ve tried that’s pretty successful right now.
I make money when the market goes up and lose when it goes down. It changes every day. I need to buy aservice that will show me how to day trade.
To which money are we referring? If you are talking paper curency,I believe IMO, that money is a risk as well as investing. Soon paper currency will be worth cents on the dollar, and it is backed by the trust you put in it,Of which at this time is not much. I am searching the best investment for the next 10 years not tomorrow. Where will our country be in ten years, then address what, where and how much to invest. Where my #1 obstacle is which metal to invest in for the bang. I am looking intensly to copper and silver due to its industrial applications. But again it is my own opinion.
What to buy and when to sell
too much personal debt
In a fiat currency world, it seems pretty clear that we need to be looking past deflation to how we position ourselves when governments inflate their way out of the mess they are creating. The problem is timing and trying to understand what the policy response will be and when, and what will be the triggers for inflation. It is easier with ETFs to position for inflation than it used to be, but governments do not and will not make it easy; remember the the 1933 confiscation of Gold! Bottom line is, inflation will make speculators of all of us, otherwise I would just sit here and save like my parents.
The big impediment to investing in precious metals is the manipulation of the futures market (Comex) by a few large financial institutions (who received bailout money) in with collaboration with the Fed. Hope everyone follows Ted Butler…. http://www.investmentrarities.com
Not being able to invest in a rewarding market. Most of my funds are in Treasury Only MM as you suggested.
Greetings Martin!
Thanks for the blog and for the opportunity to share my perspective.
Short and sweet (or maybe bitter!): I am nearly sixty one years old. I used to be a mechanical drafter. I now work as a sales associate at a big box retailer for half of what I used to make.
My obstacles to making more money?
1) Technical jobs have mostly moved out of this country.
2) I am getting too old–yes, there is age discrimination.
3) The economy stinks really bad.
4) Corporate management seems to have become populated with people who have this strange disease–I think I was once told the name of this disease: Cranial Rectumitis.
I ordered your currency trading money making machine. I am having high hopes for it.
Thanks,
Wayne
I don’t feel I have enough knowledge as to how the market works My portfolio is invested in a conservative type trust. Guess I have little courage to make any changes.
Regards
Low CD rates….
Have limited investment funds. I have followed your advice and admit it is dead on. If I had the money I would subscribe to one of your services like I did last year. It worked out well but I just do not have enough cash right now. I am also unemployeed as of Feb 1. That is scary and cannot take chances.
Having paid for one daughter’s wedding 2 years ago, our other daughter is seriously interested in someone. We give equally. With the cost of weddings, and our travel cross country for the planning and showers, we *have* to reserve a chunk of our “living expense” money (both in 60s) earning ~3% (but not losing anything!) The company will likely be folding up the tents within 4-5 months. However, we are secure in our faith for His Provision, come deflation, depression, recession, unemployment, or failed bailout when the world comes to an end-again. He will prevail throughout it all.
I am making money…in my consulting business, and this is my primary focus. I’ve been using money made to reduce the principal on my mortgage and putting some aside for a renovation project I promised my wife we’d do this year. However, in my self-directed investment portfolio I’ve had very uneven results in following advice in some of your option services and am reluctant to commit meaningful money towards making money this way until I see more consistent results. The fault may be mine since I cannot always react to buy or sell recommendations in a timely manner. I’ve not been able to have a large enough discretionary investment “stash” to take advantage of every recommendation, so I may be loosing out by picking more loosers than winners due to the limited capital dedicated to speculative investing.
Income, no one is spending money
Martin everyone says this a recession and I believe it is a depression no job and trying to hold onto what you have is important in these times and someone you trust in.for the right help.
No confidence in anything labeled an “investment” right now. I’d rather put my time & energy into a business helping people by providing them jobs. That’s what we need, Martin. If you could put some wise minds together to create jobs for people, that would help more than growing the little bit of money we have left. America needs you right now- not just the wealthy elite. The common man – we need your wisdom, your insights, your creative ideas.
I can’t seem to be able to pull the trigger and invest in inverse ETF’s in a down market…my mind doesn’t seem to work that way!
In our present Times, the greatest impedent to sound investment ideal’s, is, Inconcestant Government Policies, Programs, and Treatment of an individuals person, property, and income, The Facist State!
The large loss in pension, 401K and annuity and no good choices to get the money back by retirement. Not knowing when and where the large amounts of cash on the sidelines are going to go in the future.
I’m thinking, nearly all these comments are from people stuck in a traditional paradigm. Let’s stop equating “making money” with stocks and bonds, mutual funds, etc. I have the luxury of a tiny US gov’t pension and healthcare plan, and so at 72 Ican make ends meet. I lived in Thailand 2005 to 2008, and live like a “somebody.” People are making money as teachers of English all over the world, no matter how bad the market is.
So maybe it’s time for readers to step back and look at the expectations, values, and habits of mind. Currently I’m writing songs full-time. No pay-off yet, but lots of high ratings for my YouTube videos. Who knows?
My first obstacle is knowledge. How?
The second is information.
Lack of transparency of the Fed and Treasury.
What is your #1 obstacle, Martin?
I’m glad to hear your taking a closer interest with your clients.
Also I hope Larry’s right about the gold stock, but I’m not
sure about that. Is he right or wrong is the question????
Larry
Having taken your advice , I am in a completely liquid position,awaiting your buying suggestion… I will not follow up on any advice that suggests I should get involved with the option market…. Thank you… Les Unger
Fear of the unknown.
listening to the “scratch sheets” that I have subscribed to. I have kept a record of them on my watchlists and for the most part they all suck.
Need lessons in how to read a balance sheet of a company and not be taken in by the glossy pages and presentation
Hello
Martin,
This is great. I just read the comments of others. We can agree with almost all.
Nothing beats personal contact. The real problem here is a face with investing, that we have confidence in. Same with our government. We really appreciate the info received
from you. CONFIDENCE is the magic word.
Which analyst to listen too. Who to trust. Seems like there are opinions all over the place, even within the Money & Market group. Which one is right?
Fear of being burned, losing more…lack of confidence in financial advice from those I once trusted….worthless and non-credible. Also lack of confidence in CEO’s to deliver on promises. Was a significant investor in Dow Chemical stock for year mainly due to the stability, predictibility and decent and reliable dividend year after year for a hundred years. New CEO comes in and puts the company at incredible “transformational” risk at the worst time in history. Stock falls with others to first level and he goes all over the news media (to those adoring fans of his on Squawk Box) and guarantees the dividend…multiple times. Hung in there with a good yield and a dividend guarantee. Then his “sure thing” deal with Kuwait falls apart and the specifics of the Rohm & Hass acquistion come to light…with NO bailout clause for literally any reason. Stock falls 90% and now the CEO says that “the low price of our stock is the market telling us that our dividend is too high”. Translation…no guarantees and dividend cut is imminent. I trust no one anymore!
i have avoided the downside by staying out,now i fear being on the wrong side of a nasty trade,,so i guess FEAR is the overiding emotion,i am all in cash,ready to start investing again but some of the dow and s&p 500 forecasts are pretty dire,,so perhaps patience is needed and honest advice,,
Mostly some fear and not being able to trust the government and the markets. Someone earlier in this Blog mentioned the PPT – Plunge Protection Team. Sometimes I wonder if there really is such a group – it seems like it. From the standpoint of my business (retail), people just aren’t spending money. I can’t much blame them. Thanks for the advice you give in Money & Markets and in Safe Money Report. I’m thinking seriously about taking the plunge and investing some money in the inverse ETFs and GLD.
keep on listening to MARTIN D. WEISS, Ph. D.
This unpredictable market is making it difficult to get ahead of the power curve, coupled with the market theives without standards.
All my money’s in my 401K. I’M TRAPPED!!! BTW, no one ever speaks about 401K monies. It’s like there’s a whole sea of people out here just being ignored.
Not knowing when and how much Gold to buy. You’ve recently said right now to keep it at 2 1/2 % of assets. Others say a lot higher percentage. Plus concerns about GLD and SLV; hard to trust they have the amount of gold they say they have. No auditing, etc.
I don’t have a problem with making money. Although without total control of the situation I’m not going to invest my hard earned money in anything at this time. The goverment is going to change all the rules to their covenience been their done that.
my 2cent
Chris
My reluctance to invest is based on suspicion that the “Now is the time” bulls are discounting the effects of the spreading unemployment which is now appearing and the assured inflation which has yet to appear, plus more insight into the next bubble to ride up and the next bubble to excape. Ditto Ron Easton – and I’m a retired broker, too.
My biggest fear is losing my money!!!!
Martin – It is a fundamental lack of trust created by failure of major ratings agencies and other experts to correctly evaluate risk due to naivety, duplicity, greed or some combination. Were it not for the grace of God and your team’s help, I may have lost significant wealth that I am counting on to fund my continued retirement. God bless you.
In a word CONFIDENCE!! I live in Australia and our economy is small and subject to the whims of the world.
We need to change our attitude about money and how we think about money and
not believe all the bad news that we have been hearing about lately.
If we say to ourselves we want to and we will make more money and
if we listin to Martin Weiss and his friends we will have a much better
chance of making more money.
Then , we will
The urge to protect whatever is left, and the fear of the next institutional failure. The situation is now clearly out of control, and the government seems determined to make the situation even worse. I need to know if my brokerage is sound, because I am becoming alarmed about leaving my assets with them too long.
Volatility
fear of losing money perhaps. the market is so volatile.
I acknowledge and applaud your early recognition of what has resulted in our present serious economic dislocation on most levels. I have cancelled a number of advisory services that merely fill pages with “fluff”. However, I have recently subscribed to a new service that provides a daily report. It not only provides the “statistical” dots, but also have filled in the dots with very specific information on sectors. For instance, they provided a 50-page report on Canadian Oil Trusts, with follow-up reports on U.S. MLP’s concerning pipelines. With my own further research and analysis, I have been able to identify a select few high-yielding Trusts. In your urge to rush to low-yielding treasuries you over-looked the fact that in the mean time, it takes income for living expenses. It would be helpful if your in-depth research of in come opportunities, such as low risk Corporate Bonds, Convertible preferred stocks and Preferred Stocks. To the extent that you would be able to offer such research, it would make your services all the more valuable. Thanks for your concerns and insights
For this week/month identifying the sector, the right stock within that sector and identifying a buy,sell price.
Fear-Ive lost all my play money and can’t risk any more.
I have sustantial funds in Charitable gift annuities I can’t control
You are pushing China when I fear their own stimulous program.
What happens when the money runs out?
I think Washington is doing the right thing but a lousy job of presenting it. I’m hoping for a good enough Bear market rally to recoupe as much as I can and get out. Options look good at the right time. Currencies are too complex. I’m too slow. God help us!
Martin,
Your new blog is great! I’ll check back often. I look forward to e-mails from your associates and especially you on a daily basis. I feel as if I am well informed.
As I mentioned above, I also agree with most everyone else that has replied to your question so far. The general consensus seems to be to keep what you have and don’t lose anything else! Right now I believe it is capital preservation at all costs. Also, spending money to make money also seems to have taken a back seat for me since there is significant risk involved. As an average investor, especially with the initial outlay of funds for the advice.
Thanks again for all you do for FREE everyday! Too bad the government doesn’t listen to what you have to say. Things might get better much quicker!
Fear that we are in the early innings of a long and protracted Depression. I have a small investment in GLD and SLV, but am not feeling very safe in paper metals.
I believe that I already know the answer to what I should be doing. I believe that there is more profit available in trading currencies, in the environment of today.
My biggest concern is with the Government and the handling of the potential meltdown.
I believe that, politically. we have been very poorly served for the last 8 years (or more) and nobody seems to be able to accept that we are swiftly heading into a major financial problem which can’t be cured by throwing money at the sore spots – i.e. banks and the bigger companies such as G E. We have to recognize that the rest of the world has grown up and with our leadership and guidance various countries have advanced significantly to the point where they are now GOOD competition and should encourage us to do even better instead of sitting back and feeling sorry for ourselves.
keeping what i have
Fear of losing more money in this untrustworthy environment.
The banks, in my case primarily European, sitting on what cash they have and not releasing into productive usage.
The price of oil has put the breaks on all oil & gas producers. We need to see oil at $60/bbl.
I would like to have a really good currency option recommendation service and an online order entry service to enter the trades in order to make the trades without broker involvement.
my biggest obstacle is that i have over committed to your put and call recommendations and am in a big hole with the losses- both currency and stock options. i am working my way out. my other things are going well- tipple leveraged efts- both long and short.
Invested in metals & mining stocks, waiting for this madness to blow up.
My biggest problem is low income and few assets. However, I do follow Money and Markets assiduously. It has given me a really good understanding into what the hell is going on out there. Good work. Eventually I will become a paying client when I have the money available to pay for a subscription and also have meaningful assets to invest. In the meantime I have recommended your newsletter to everybody I can. Your analysis and recommendations have built a level of trust and credibility that is growing stronger day by day.
Irrational (manipulated?) markets and insuffient time in the day to do the necessary research. Also, a steep learning curve – I’ve only been at this for six months, having taken over our nestegg from an investment advisor in July.
The lowering of ethical standards we have witnessed in Washington and Wall Street is enough to put fear into the heart of even the most experienced business person. We must demand higher levels of integrity from every elected official and corporate leader.
The great uncertainty of the market direction, and tremendous volatility, are working against my having any comfort in this market today.
im excited about falling asset values
im just wondering if i should stay in cash ( or gold,silver) for the next year or 2 or 3 ect
if i choose the correct place to park my money i will be able to steal my share of assests
kristian ps i live in australia
I, as so many others, have just lost my job. I am 68 years young and have very little saved. Lost entire $$$ during the 80’s and haven’t caught up since. Morgan-Stanley has a little of my monies but I can’t seem to get my broker to answer phone calls. Also, haven’t received this years end statement and I have requested another one. HMMMMM
Nothing will keep me from making money, but the socialists now in control of the federal government will do everything they can to limit the opportunities for the average person to make money and create work and opportunity for others. Further, I am quite surprised and disappointed that a man of your accomplishments would support a blatant socialist for president, as you did in the Nov. elections.
My biggest obstacle right now is trying to convince clients that the world is not coming to an end. We’re in a long-needed correction. Call it depression. Call it recession. All I can tell you is that my Real Estate stats show that in Charleston, South Carolina, prices have not dropped like the rest of the country and buying activity has begun to rise once again. But mass media is telling everyone to bail out of everything. Are we not further exasperating the problem?
Dear Martin,
After reading many of the above responses, I thought it was important to point out how your website has helped me make 40% during the past year and several times that during the prior 3-4 years.
As you spoke of the market topping in the fall of 2007, I started looking for “downmarket” funds to roll into after a number of very successful years in Fidelity Latin America (FLATX) and the Brazil ETF (EWZ). I should also point out to your readers that I found those two top performing funds by following your encouragement to look south of the border, especially Brazil. Anyhow, as those funds started down along with the rest of the world, I found my way to Rydex URSA (RYURX),which is an inverse fund based on the S&P 500, and have been there ever since. URSA is up about 40% during the past year. Thanks for your help!… :)
Mike
You can no longer trust most elected and appointed officials. Never before has there been such a run on taxpayers money. The lack of honest leadership continues to set this country back decades. The government wants to be all things to all people – it grows without limits and without accountability. Corruption, almost as if supported by mainstream media and adorned by Hollywood, yet incomprehensible by the masses, continues daily. We spend billions on education and have the most universities in the world, yet we can’t develop the work force to be competitive. #1 Obstacle, a lack of hope.
In my late 70’s, very low income, got inverse ETF’s too soon, so my available funds were lost over the winter . . . Holding the tattered remains in hope of some recovery.
Ted Fishman
The US Treasury would never outright default on TBills you hold. Much more likely is they would say your 5 year TBill is actually a 10 year TBill. That your 6 month TBill is now a one year TBill
Your money would be head up involuntarily
Same as California is not paying out income tax refunds right away
Being retired and in my mid seventies my only option for making money is by prudent investing. I dont seem to be able to make the right choses (IN OPTIONS).
doing just as you say. Holding cash, for cash is king, and the bottom is not here just yet.
Total loss of confidence in our government. Thinking of moving to Panama!
Hello Mr. Weiss,
I would say a lack of a job, a lack of confidence, my hedging strategies have not worked, and I am basically waiting for the bottom of this market. I think you have nailed it on most calls so I would agree, we have a ways to go down yet. That bottom will come quicker once we can get some transparency from the FED. Unfortunately, I do not think that is going to happen any time soon. I also think the politicians are playing chicken with the American public and Wall Street. They keep throwing crud up on the wall to see what will stick. However, today’s response from investors shows that they do not trust what Mr. Geithner has proposed has anything to do with fixing the banks. Just the fact that the government wants shared responsibility from the public investment sector for all the toxic assets demonstrates that they do not want to absorb a bunch of junk that no one can put a value on. I believe that as long as the truth will not come out about how bad the financial system is, we are stuck in a trading range. If the bad news would just come out all at once we could get to Dow 5000 or 6000 and then begin to rebuild the portfolio. I believe that will only happen when investors also realize that the couple of trillion $ the government wants to use to try and fix the real problem is like throwing a pebble into an ocean of debt. Stop putting band-aids on a hemorraging patient and just let “CAPITALIST” market forces purge the system!
Lack of any reliable detail information coming out of Washington. Multiple members of Congress do not even understand the complex monitery system and just pop-off for television coverage. ‘Chucky’ Summer e.g.
who can we trust?to move from very comfortable to comfortable is ok however going fromccomfort to less is pure PANIC
I am already fully invested.
The biggest struggle is always, for me, having the courage of my convictions. These days it’s easier. Things are just so plainly BAD that it’s pretty easy to stay out of stocks and into short funds, puts, etc.
Been doing that for 3 years and have had a great ride.
I’d recommend other people simply stick to the fundamentals: If you think the economy will be nosediving for months or years to come, biu short funds and stick with them. Don’t let the goldilocks on CNBC talk you out of seeing the forest for the trees.
The question right now is where to put money that will maintain principal with continuing purchasing power in a downward changing monetary climate and that will yield a reasonable amount of income. I’m using T-bill money markets, but see the dollars purchasing power depreciating very dramatically with the current moves of the government both old and new administrations.
No Guts
Lack of trust ! Low confidence in gov.
Fear and a COMPLETE lack of trust
I meant you NEED to LISTEN to MARTIN D. WEISS, Ph. D.
Uncertainty about the market, and the moves are too fast and too big. Lots of volatility, no evidence of a positive trend. I would like to buy some good dividend paying stocks, but not sure market is at the bottom yet.
My husband is one of the 5 top exec. officers in one of the Top 10 sized Thrifts, (and he doesn’t make more than the proposed cap on exec. pay at Tarp funded banks), and we’ve lost 80% of our portfolio plus no cash due to a wedding and a needed house remodel that we were into when this mess hit. We haven’t had a raise or bonus in 2 out of the last three years, though raises and bonuses were given to all employees below Sr. VP, and all targets were hit. We’ve never carried any debt except our mortgage, but now we have a margin loan and home equity loan and are cash strapped. The bank is not taking money from the feds and has had no layoffs, and is making loans. His bank has done everything right, and yet our retirement savings have been virtually wiped out and we’ll have to work at least 10 more years to see any great recovery. I can’t see selling our stock at such prices in order to invest in many of your suggestions, though I wish we could. And I’m angered by many people’s conception of the entire banking system when it was a few, though the largest, out of thousands that were excessive and irresponsible. What do people like us do, who started with nothing, built up our assests slowly, and have now had them practically wiped out?
The lack of funds beyond “Safe Money” and concern of risk in this mkt.
Thanks and sincerely
Herb Beckerdite
Distrust of the financial system and those who run it!
I honestly feel my #1 impediment(s) is the incessant subterfuge and campaigns of disinformation I and other “Retail Investors” are constantly subjected to in our seemingly hopeless quest for financial security.
fear of socialism and what it would do to our way of life. 535 people who are supposed to be representing our interests but just can’t help taking care of themselves and their wants (re-election) before taking care of the problems they were put there to take care of.
I’ve been a follower and subscriber to many of the Weiss group for several years.I think that ETF’s and Put options are the only way to go at this time.The retail business is in trouble.Stores that have been in business ever since I can remember, are going out.Store chains are laying off thousands of employees.I was in a Home Depot store yesterday and could not find someone to wait on me.I left and went to Lowes.Not having enough help causes customers to go elsewhere.Manufacturers are loaded with inventory,laying off their help and sales and profits are being buried.A little upswing in the market doesn’t alter the direction in which the market is going,BEARISH.What may happen in 6 or 9 months is anyones guess.
I feel that the main obstacle to making $$$$ now is the EXTREME MARKET CONDITIONS as well as the RADICAL AND UNPREDICTABLE VOLATILITY at
any given moment. It is EASY to LOSE BIG $$$ FAST in this market. Additionally,
too many untrustworthy investment counselors are leading people in the WRONG
direction. I hear that covered calls can be great in a more stable market. I know
that dividend capturing is good when companies are doing well. I’ve heard that IF A
PERSON KNOWS HOW TO TRADE OPTIONS ———-it is like robbing the bank—–due to LOT’S OF CASH MADE !!!! MARTIN AND MIKE —-PLEASE SHOW US ONE
OF THESE IDEAS “ABOVE” AT A TIME——–HELP US GET STARTED!!
THANKS,
GLENN
I do not have any extra money to invest!
I had some money in Horace Mann; it lost value due
to the drop in stocks.
What kind of answer was that. I have never blogged you before.
As an investment real estate sales broker, the poor economy has lead us to negative underlying real estate fundamentals. The Fed has done nothing to alleviate the banking mistakes made in the boom years with respect to liquidity. Subsequently values are down and there is no transaction volume. There is no end in sight as the politicians try to prop up the old commercial real estate economy.
FEAR!
Time …
1) Uncertainty about a market bottom.
2) Concern about the real ultimate safety of even an all-Treasury money market account.
Thank you.
Not getting in front of quality prospects. It appears they have to make major choices in their personal lives first, before they can move forward.
Lack of time to follow the market the way I feel I should, and lack of knowledge to be comfortable not folowing my investments closely.
Not enough capital.
” ITs the economy Stupid”
Thankyou
Older retired teacher (age 77) who cannot afford to lose money which has been in a
growth and income fund.
Not enough income, my business sales are 50% off due to the economy.
I am 70 years old no knowledge how it works,or better should work.No trust,I lost with CIBC (TAL Managment) in 2001 270.000.– I have th rest of my money part in Fix term Deposits (400.000.–)and 100.000.– in GIC 1.65%.I will invest 100.000 in a Restaurat ion Comp in Calgary for 6 month 12% return.
I have no trust,b’cause if I would have done what my 1 Financial Adv, recommendit I would have in income of 2.500.– still have a mortgage and would eat the dirt under my fingernails.
Best regards
Inge Schuster
I am writing from the UK, and follow your commentary because I believe we more or less mirror the US on a time lag. My main obstacle to making money in the current climate is trying to second guess whether to plan for deflation or inflation. Even your own regular contributors differ in opinion on this, as do many other reports.
I know you have encouraged your readers to invest in forex because of its immunity to this conundrum, but I don’t have enough confidence to be able to pick the correct direction of any particular currency – again something that many differ in opinion (plus accessing currency ETF’s if more difficult in the UK)
My company shut down in December and I have not found another job. I have no income stream for investing.
AT the present I am primarily fired-up to restore my two accounts to there former glory.To be seriouse about it to regain my 08 losses and continue earning for my famliy and primaily my grandsons education.
Being in a protect and defend stance instead of an expansionist mode.
Martin,
I think it is not really knowing what I’m doing. I put some money in the austrailian CDs and the market dumped. I have left it there until I see it come back.
I want to complete the mastery study with Options University before I pick up the pace again.
The most difficult aspect I find is that living in Australia in a different time zone means a change in a life cycle for the adventure I want to take in the future.
It seems like once you figure out a way to make a little money the insiders change the game so start losing again. If the markets were not manipulated you would have alot more people participating. pleasure to help out!
Unstable US dollar. Where to and when?
Martin,
I have been disabled since March 16,2007, I finally have my Social Security Hearing this March 12th. I will be entitled to back pay and back pension plus a lump sum settlement. Since I will be permanently disabled this will be the last money I will ever get, so I would like to protect it. But by nature I am not a conservative kind of guy. I won’t have much just around $100,000.00. I welcome all suggestions.
Art
Risk related to high volaility and economic uncertainty.
Gov’t intervention. you think the market is going down, so I set up buy short etf’s. then just before the market opens, BAM! Gov’t announcement and market goes up.
The today, market has been trending up. Geithner’s comments were worthlesss and the market, which had been going up ahead of his remarks, oes a 180 and drops like a rock.
We’re not trading fundamentals or technicals. We;re trading the lastest gov’t announcement, news of the announcement, rumor or lack thereof, of an announcement.
So for me, the biggest obstacle is gov’t.
Overcoming the insidious rebalancing which seems to take place continuously within the inverse ETF’s which you have recommended and which have therefore not followed the moves in the market as wished and expected.
there is no obstacle…i would like nice steady, slow returns to minimize taxable events. “stay low and keep your head down”
the biggest obstacle is EMOTIONS…fighting the tendency to cut and run while balancing the courage to trust one’s instincts.
i need more dry powder for all these phenomenal life changing oppurtunities
Self-reinforcing process of deflation and a depression. Late 2009, or more likely 2010 is going to be a buying opportunity of the century.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Thank You for all your insight and helpful Information. Very LOW Income being on S.S Disability FEAR and LACK of TRUST in our system at the way things are going I am even afraid to leave my money in the bank. No confidence in the Market and No confidence in the Government and Lack of knowledge will stop us
Not easily finding a pillar of trust in business relations.
Being undercapitalized and just now understanding how to trade currencies after 2 yrs of losses, practice and coaching.
Thanks for your news letters and efforts
I am waiting for the stock market to bottom.
I am somewhat afraid of the new types f investments that can make money when deflation is happening.
I guess it is because I have just retired and feel more comfortable with the investments I have made during the past 10 years.
Retired and caught between a rock and a hard place. Income investments not throwing off income, equity investments dead in the water. Only gold and energy are performing. Not willing to risk short selling or reverse ETFs. Where to go?
Hello
Money is not a problem for me. Yes my country is still growing (Australia), but is slowing down. Fortunately I have taken my money out and put it in a govt gaurenteed bank. Now I just dont know how to spend my money, as I am a bachelor and am looking for a wife and family!
Fear that things will continue to get worse and our dollar will shrivel in value to nothingness, and the inability to see any trends in the current mess. I am putting $ into precious metals and forest ground, paying bills down, and looking for someone to trust who can help me make some sense of things. Keep up the good work, Martin and staff…
I have no obstacles, I only own gold and silver stocks and occasionally a sprinkling of S&P Bull and Bear ETF’s witch I trade with varying degrees of success. Today was good.
uncertainty in the market and fear in the governments ability and knowledge to make things better for us retired and working people. thanks LARRY
about 65% of my funds are short the s & p 500
how can i get a larger return on the down side without using options?
thank you
hank
Our politico/economic system has been allowed to fall into the hands of spivs and self servers. The system is corrupt and there is no commitment to the common good.
Decisions that need to be taken for the common good are userped by the unethical and greedy. Special interests and money rule. Its a long way back to the “Dream of America”.
#1 obstacle is finding someone who can recommend consistent profitable trades. It is great to have a long-term prediction of where the markets are headed. But timing is so critical to avoid getting chewed up in the ups and downs. And, with all the uncertainty, your suggestion to put ones money in t-bills is prudent, with the low interest rate on t-bills, it is difficult to get the income needed to cover the day-to-day expenses. Hopefully, you can help us with this dilemma.
Thanks for providing this feedback tool.
Gerald
Fear, and lack of knowlege.
Health [at 82] Just got left hip replaced-going to be ready to go full blast-soon. Have several friends with substantial cash who would like help in investing [at least they have asked me!] I need more knowledge on the currency market, and as my health improves I hope to do a good job of following Jack Crooks. The Currency market seems to be a huge answer-no matter what the Dow-Jones and other indicators seem to reveal.
I DO NOT TRUST WALL STREET, THE BROKERAGES, THE BROKERS, THE INVESTMENT BANKS AND THE COMMERCIAL BANKS THAT ARE SELLING “INVESTMENT PRODUCTS”…ETC, ETC ! !
TRUST IS OUT THE WINDOW !,,,EVEN THE ANNUAL REPORTS ARE WORTHLESS READING [AS IF THEY EVER WERE] AS YOU CAN’T TRUST THE NUMBERS. WITH TRIPLLIONS OF DERITIVES, ETF’S, ETN’S, CREDIT-DEFAULT SWAPS, ETC, ETC. ITS ALL “HOT AIR”…!
Not enough investing funds. Even though my returns of late have been negative overall, I am very encouraged. I am still over 100% since late August
The govt is the number one obsticle.
I’d like a stimulus plan where all the projects waiting for government approval or permission (and there are thousands) are granted, tort refom is enacted where those jerks that seek to control everybody else’s property are disregarded with prejudice and contracts enforced, starting with the Constitution, then the FNM 200B billion dollar obligation.
We need predictability and transparency, not whatever.
Lack of confidence in the market. I am an income investor and fear any dividend paying stock reducing their payouts to conserve cash. I’m sitting on my cash for now since this is the lesser of any evils.
Timing is the number one problem.
Thanks so much to you for all your great insight and advice. We have made excellent money with your Safe Money report.
The uncertainties of today’s investment markets as reflected by their extreme volatility. Therefore the odds, for making the wrong investment choices, have increased substantially. This has created a situation which makes it more advisable than ever for a layman investor to seek the the advise and guidance of investment professionals. However, finding good ones has become more difficult, as this investment climate has spawned a plethora of con men with offers that are too “good to be true”. These offers, which clog our mail boxes and e-mail message centers, are crafted by talented word smiths that who draft investment programs that are so ludicrous that they insult the intelligence of the average recipient.
FEAR–This market is jumping all over. Your afraid to bet on the up trend for fear it will nosedive.-When you dont have a lot of capital to lose- you dont bet to often. I wish i would have subscribed to get in on the ETF trading.
Lost 60% of investment capital. Need to find fhe best high leverage technique with a low risk.
Here’s my answer: Taxes! What’s my recommendation? The FairTax. If you’re not familiar with FairTax, two books have been written that explain the initiative. Private sector research at a cost of $2mil went into the research of this topic. This of necessity would need to be driven from the bottom up. Don’t expect help from politicians because the K Street lobbyists don’t like the idea. Repeal the 16th Amendment, abolish the IRS and watch billions of dollars come back to our country.
So, what’s your next question?
Respectfully,
Gene Sprenkle
it seems to be an overinflated market in all categories at a time of deleveraging.
I’m looking at the yahoo ETF center does anyone has some feedback about it?
Understanding the conflicting arguments that we are in a deflationary period versus the argument that bailouts = inflation on the horizon. Deflation + a flight to safety leads to dollar appreciation and declining commodity prices. Inflation leads to the opposite. Are the deflationary forces too powerful to overwhelm helicopter Ben, or will the massive expansion of M3 which seems to be going on counteract these forces, and if so, when the velocity of the new money in circulation increases as it must at some point, will that give us high inflation? Any long term investor cannot think what to do until this question begins to show a resolution. There is no doubt that the dollar has rebounded and commodity prices have declined since last summer, yet now Gold and Silver are moving higher and treasuries are starting to look shakey and not quite the safe havens they were thought to be. What happens next really is the $63 million question!
Thank You for saving so many incomes.
We have all lost in this bear market, but the only way is up or down and we need to be patient and steady. You have taught us well. Still learning.
We the people, need to put the crooks in our government in jail and change the laws so this headache we have experianced doesn’t happen in the future.
Plain old simple fear, born from uncertainty and lack of trust.
If possible, I would like to get ETF and currency advise at a lower cost than are currently offered by Weiss. Perhaps a subset of the current offerings? I trust your team’s market knowledge, but the entry fee is too pricey for my meager portfolio. I use the Safe Money Report now.
It’s not Warlord time…yet.
I’ve lost so much in the markett, I don’t have any left to re-invest.
I am unemployed and totally broke. Lucky to be able to buy food and pay my rent. But i really enjoy your newsletters. :-)
Figuring out who I can trust for financial investment advice that is not out to just sell subscriptions to newsletters, fear of our current government actions, invested in gold and not willing to risk what I will not affort to lose.
Twelve months ago our portfolio was 50% in US Strip Bonds and 50% IN Canadian Strip Bonds. Our daughter needed to buy a larger home and signed guaranteed buyout agreement with a Century 21 real estate agent who subsequently reneged on the deal after she had entered into a contract for her new home. Consequently we loaned her 50% of our capital thus restricting our investment activities. We exited all remaining Strip Bonds after their value started to drop. and remained in cash while I searched for invertment advisers I could trust, believing that the market was heading for a bog fall. I finally found you! And thank goodness I did. My only hiccup was in following Larry’s advice to put 25% of our total (remaining) wealth into GOLD which I have never had any love for. Well we lost some 25 K before I pulled out. Subsequently we have more than made up for that loss through inverse ETFs. I am convinced that the Dow 30 will bottom around 3,000, perhaps even lower, given the massive size of the bubble. Advice I would appreciate at the moment is an update on profit targets for the various inverse ETFs that have been recommended including DOG, PSQ, DXD, EEV, RWM, SRS, SEF, SCC, UUP and SDP. My efforts in Options have met with some success but I get greedy and pile in to what I think are real winners. Well my lack of good judgement and restraint are serious impediments to my success although I am still ahead!
Best regards, Stan
volitility,when you work in the day you cant be there to take advantage of direction changes or at least protect yourself.yesterdays idex charts looked like a good reversal point,doji candlestick,top of trading range,but you never know how severe it will be unless you are there to make the trades and profits turn to losses very quick.
Lack of confidence in my knowledge of when to trade and picking the best investments, but lack of trust in the integrity and timing of mutual funds. (If Weiss would lower the minimums to invest with them, I would be in! hint, hint)
The credit freeze
Current investments are all down – deciding where the cash will come from for future investments has me stopped in my tracks.
I admire your ratings and advice. However, we are really little guys. Have a pension and mortgage free house. Lost less than 20% in Ira due to risk averse posture. Per your advice moved $10,000 from ING savings to T-bill MMF. Gold is 8% of non house assets.
Don’t see how to make much money at age 80.
Hi Martin:
It is difficult with the extreme volatility of the market & the total reversals it has done in all in one day, to make any headway. You think the market is heading south, so you hop into a few shorts only to have the market do a suddenly turn around & go positive! You make $500 on day one, only to loose it on day two.
Don
I am unemployed and totally broke. Lucky to be able to buy food and pay my rent. But i really enjoy your newsletters. :-)
I think the banks and housing are the key to the recovery. I don’t think anyone is going to do well until these two areas begin to heal. By the way, I am traveling in South America and am writing this from Lima, Peru. Surprisingly, they are having a condo boom here, rising real estate prices and seem to be at some distance from the world crisis.They are also developing natural gas terminals and are a big exporter of copper and gold.
Obstacle: Unable to safely park cash that will return more than two-tenths of one percent interest income.
Martin: Good idea your creating a two-way communication vehicle. Hope it works.
Fully invested – no additional funds available.
The Money Masters are pulling liquidity out of the marketplace and the creditplace, by calling in loans thru foreclosure, and by refusing to issue new loan credit. You can’t “make money” when every week there is less money out there to get a hold of. This is the nature of ‘rowing the economy’ from easy money and easy credit, to tight money and hard times. There is nothing ‘natural’ about the ‘business cycle’, it is a contrived and controlled ‘rowing of the economy’ from easy credit and plentiful money, to tight credit and a shrinking money supply. The ‘banksters’ are tightening the credit and money supply right now. Bailouts and stimulus aside, as all that money is not getting to The People, it is being siphoned off and hidden away by those receiving it so far (proof: where did the TARP money go?). Equity is likewise being sucked out of the stock markets thru falling asset prices. You can’t ‘make any money’ until the banksters decide to stop their ‘rowing of the economy’ toward hard times and tight money and credit.
Other than that, nobody has much discretionary spending money to flaunt on other than necessities of living like; food and roof over the head etc.
Other than ‘the rich’ that is. And as someone famous once said, “The Rich will always be with us.”
Martin, Dr. Weiss,
I appreciate your thoughtful approach to your business model, and the sound insights you provide. I am fortunate in having run the only resume service ever awarded a lease to do business in the Pentagon; I was there for 13 years and now do this from my home, since I get many referrals and don’t need to pay rent. Right now, my wife and I earn 12% via personal loans to our tax accountant, who has become a full-fledged movie producer for a firm in LA that markets low-budget films internationally. I am looking to diversify, and although I seem to have no trouble maintaining a considerable income from what I do, I’d also like to explore other investment vehicles such as those you describe. It’s taking me time to fully trust that a subscription fee north of $1000 is the way to do this, so I’m taking my time and just reading along.
Thanks, Gabe Heilig
Takoma Park, MD
65% of my funds are short the s & p 500
how can i make a greater return when the market falls without using options?
thank you,
hank
Fear of investing, also not employed just now and my resume has times when I didn’t work which will make it hard to get a job. As to your blog, I right away added the RSS feed, thanks. That is quicker for me than remembering to log into that email address.
Market volatility keeps me from taking more risks than I have with your Safe Money and the various ETF programs I subscribe to now. I use the Option Trading but even that has just broke even at best during the past year.
I do like the rapid fire approach……grab a quick $200 …….or keep tight stops….
Hey $200 a couple times a week is almost as good as a job today.
I live in Australia. Fear Fear and more Fear, being 69 doesn’t leave a very long time frame for recovery and having lost 58% of our Superannuation has shattered my confidence somewhat, we need to generate some income but from ‘where’ I don’t know
Lousy interest rates for Govt Treasuries
i don’t have an obstacle to making money in this environment. are you targeting people who don’t make money in this current environment with that question?
Is there an inexpensive way to learn forex before investing in you forex product to get the basics down and perhaps do some paper trading?
Lack of trust in Congress and President, they are spending like there is no tomorrow and no plan to pay it back. I fear for out future generations.
Visibility
From my perspective the visibility into how/when this current crisis will be solved is not clear. Lot’s of talk, some action, but no quick fix. Without visibility it’s difficult to commit capital.
Confidence and Fear
I have little confidence in our elected officials and corporate officers. The country opted for change, which was much needed, but recent weeks demonstrate we have elected a mirror image of the previous administration…just bent to the left vs. right.
Our corporate officers are willing to take anything as long as it benefits them…to hell with the shareholders and employees. Ethics no longer exist.
The common theme in both groups, “They put themselves ahead of the stake holders.” While it is unfair to paint everyone with such a broad brush the common theme is both groups have led us to this crisis.
Without a change in perspective from our top corporate officials and our government leaders I cannot see how you can deliver confidence back to the system.
Clarity
The only theme which seems to be winning at the movement is limit your risk to only the short term. I cannot tell from one day/week to the next what areas appear to be reasonable medium term investments. A mattress and a glock appear to be the only safe investment.
trepidation in investing…sitting on sidelines, earning nothing, trying to determine when to jump in and which way to place my bet
Now, as most times, I feel I can do best by being a trader. My problem always comes down to psychologic issues that sap my confidence at the wrong time of the process.
My biggest hurdle is the fact that my customers have been offshored to China or bankrupted “competing”. China’s taxes on my products make it impossible for my company to sell to them, and they have flooded the market with their products that compete with us.
Off shoring is the #1 underlying problem in this economy, just because mega-corporations made a couple years record profits does not make globalization good for America. In fact, I say look around you. The reality is self-evident
My main concerns are TRUSTing my money in the hands of others ,no knowledge of how to invest if the the areas you talk about. Apparently you have to be plenty savvy to know when to buy,hold and sell. Thats my hang up.Thanks ,John
Government at all levels pissing away all our money and reputation.
Before the election I tried to talk to my liberal friends. I said if the Dems get in it will be the end of the dem. party. Their lack of knowledge, no plan etc. Their talk daily only reinforces my view.
I am 86, debt free, not trying to make profits, but keep what I have. The problems
started with Roosevelt. GM-Unions, schools-Unions, functionally illiterate people wanting a free ride. We will all have to wake up and get to work. It will take one or
two generations to straighten out the mess. The bailout will not cut it.
Thank goodness I probably be around to pay off the mounting debt.
It is frustrating when I own inverse ETFs on stock markets (like QID and SDS) and they don’t act as well in down markets. This is most likely due to the compounding of leverage
resulting in their prices being re-set NOT in the favor of the shareholder. It would be nice if this problem could be alleviated.
I don’t think you can help us that are starting completely over..
Why don’t you publish to the public the real culprits causing this eminent holocost?
Every one of the politicians in high position is taking orders from the Bilderbergs..
And I know that you know it ! ! You gotta be squirming when Obama is smoothing over Americans only furthering the deception..
Having just retired (in Australia, US Citizen) I am totally dependent on cash flow from existing assets. With interest rates dropping dramatically here (still much better than in the USA!) my income is taking a proportional hit. The first, and only time I tried to make some money in currency market I got badly burned (1.5 yrs ago), and I have no faith or abilities in the stock market. The property market was hot here in Australia and I did well in AXA for a time….now some of my money is frozen in that fund for 6 months and I have no idea what will eventuate…Scary times. Fortunately most of my funds are now in cash, but I’m terribly fearful of investments; anything I might lose would have a long term effect on my ability to survive, and that thought is paralyzing. Yet the consequences of doing nothing also mean loss. While I appreciate the advice I read in the newsletter, briefings, I am hesitant to act because of the volatility in the FX rate AU to US$.
plung team causing volity
I have been bitten by highly leveraged CFD’s and having a too short focus on exposure thus getting out of positions too early. I am therefore very cautious now. This mean I am looking for the economic situation to become more clear before getting more exposed.
I have some gold ETF’s and that is it. There is too much uncerainty around.
#1 obstacle: lack of directional knowledge. leave my money in my ever shrinking 401k or utilize some other alternative. how, what and when to do it… have no solid idea. i feel frozen in a bewildered state.
I feel like I’m on the island in the TV series “LOST”….I used to live in the U.S.A., now with sociialism creeping up my leg, I’m not sure anymore, is Washington completely nuts??? The “Stimulus Bill” is going to grease our skids as emerging third world nation….Martin can you run next term?? I think we can get you elected…
Government at all levels squandering all our money and reputation.
Took a big hit on uranium so I am much more cautions now. Heavily invested in gold presently –not for profit but for long term security. The FED’s actions keep the game rules and in some cases the game itself changing.
If I had more capiltal, I`d do some currency trading. The best holding i have is
Yamana Gold, who have very little extraction costs, due to the copper extracted
paying extraction costs. Plus no corporate debt.
I’m in my late 70’s, very low income, got inverse ETF’s too soon! So lost available funds over the fall/winter . . . still holding a few with large loss, but with some hope for at least a bit of recovery.
I cannot idetify a lucrative market at present
Not knowning what congress will come up with next which will swing the market in the short run.
To truly comprehend the games being played. Maybe it is no more than everyone is only trying to out guess the other.
Market uncertanty.
Scared of missing the bottom and not being invested…..scared of staying in and riding it to the bottom. Which way to go???
I’m stuck in two Spanish financial titles: Santander and Mapfre. Big losses if I sell.
Howdy,
We live in NW Illinois, in one of the “higher rated” villages, name Algonquin.
We have the Fox river running behind our home. It is a non-recreational section of the river. It has a constant flow and we have a wide selection of wildlife.
I am a 100% disabled veteran. Prior to my disability, I was an Auditor, and Fraud Examiner of Financial Institutions throughout Chicago and the metropolitan areas.
I witnessed the rise and fall of the “S and L” industry. I observed the loss and abandonment of controls after the “Comptroller of The Currency” faded away.
It is my opinion that the “financial crisis” was due in large part to the loss of effective “oversight,” the government’s push for “fair housing,” and the gross negligence in lending and credit policies and procedures.
I, personally, uncovered dozens of fraud cases, testified before Grand juries, and witnessed major Public Accounting firms turning away their heads from these actions by their major clients.
The underlying problem to all of this mess is, “who can you trust?”
Citizens complain about “big brother,” and government controls. The reality is that in a Democracy as ours, “oversight is essential.” “Freedom is never absolute.” With “freedom” comes “Rights,” and to ensure these Rights you must have controls.
Our problems begin when you try to address every “exception to the rule.” The fanatical approach to “Political Correctness” pursued by our public officials, has contributed significantly to our cultural and social decomposition.
The reality is that “you cannot please everyone.” The “hypocrisy” of our government is that the “will of the people, the majority,” is overturned by the appearance of “injustice to the minority.”
Thus our government has turned into a dynamic “Catch 22.”
Thank you and God bless,
Thanks for your insights.
not knowing which way to go. I have a steady income but no knowledge of how to invest for these current times.
Lack of accurate data, government involvement in business, political incompetence
Dear Martin,
My late father was a huge fan of yours and so I took up your news letter too. I was
impressed how you forcasted the current crisis. I was looking for ways to make
money in a market such as we have now and came across your Jack Crooks and decided currency trading looked like a good avenue. I signed up for $2500 to receive his RECO’s and indeed I did. Five bad RECO’s. One after the other and I lost a lot of money. So, in answer to your question…I would have to say my #one obstacle is getting good information I can count on consistently. I know it is a difficult market to trade in but that was the lure to currencies…that they could be traded successfilly in any market. ??? This won’t stop me from looking for other opportunities that you suggest, however I will be approaching it much more carefully.
Regards,
Sherry
My wife and myself are in our seventy’s and have some savings in treasury only MM as you said are the safest. Lost more than 60 % in the stock market and now need something for income. Should have taken your advice sooner. THANKS
Martin,
Changing regulations that govern the loan business and the unknown “bottom” of the real estate market.
Paralysis. The systems we operate in are dysfunctional. Our governmental entities do little to instill confidence. They’re intent on spending money we don’t have. They’re quietly amassing their own personal kitties while talking out of the other sides of their mouths saying we need financial discipline. Governmental employees have such a sweet retirement setup that bears little resemblance to people in the real world of work. Much of that borders on immoral.
I’ve been a banker for 34 yrs., running them for 22. I’ve never experienced such a activity dead-zone. Hurrah for the consumer that is figuring it out. I’d rather they determined they can’t afford their lifestyle than to have me tell them. I know that doesn’t bode well for the economy, but then maybe it’s time we let some of the air out of the American dream that has been expanding this bubble during my working lifetime.
I just hope there is something left for those that were disciplined enough to save all along.
I am 83 years old and do not have enough investment assets to speculate at this
period in my life. When something looks good enough to put a little money into, the
investment goes down. I am mostly in Treasury only money market.
Knowing what to invest in this market ,short term and long term without fear.
As a retiree of 81 years of age, I’m very cautious, and my understanding of how the markets work is being tested to the max. I’m barely holding on to what I’ve got, although I trust my portfolio managers (UST); think they’re doing a good job. I’m pretty much out of stocks, and into more liquid assets, for better or worse. Not earning much though. I”m willing to listen to any suggestions you have, and I’ll pass them on. I’m just not able to sit at my computer for long making trades, etc. It’s not my thing. EB
I have to go with the current theme. Work has been real slow as a contractor, so not alot of extra income to invest, luckily I have found a small private managed forex fund that has been averaging over 6% weekly return through last friday and allows one to compound if they wish.
But the same problem, even though profits are there for the taking, didn’t have much to throw at it and have to be patient while it builds and hope the traders can continue with the results they have been achieving over the last 9 months.
So my biggest problem isn’t finding places to invest and make a return , it’s not having the funds to invest.
FEAR!!! Of the moves toward BILLION dollar debt the government is pushing us into.
And not enough income to purchase the premium service I want.
seems to be at a turning point: US$ near high, oil near low
and a lot of government interference
My major problem is not knowing who to take advice from: I’ve invested in big pharma..it practically collapsed, dividends halved. Oil trusts,supposed to deliver big dividends..oil prices dropped along with stock prices and dividends. I invested in one on my own bought at super cheap..supposed to pay big dividends..stock price plummeted even more, divs were cut, also. I don’t have any confidence to buy anything at any price right now.
I mis-spoke, the private sector money invested for FairTax research was not $2mil, it was $22mil! Do some research into H.R. 1025 and Google “FairTax”. It’s truly a breath of fresh air. Again, I must apologize for the error in numbers.
Gene Sprenkle
10-2-2009
Fromof December 2008, we have been succesfully by buying and selling with profit, just Dutch shares. I collected almost over the last 8 jears their day quotations, and have selected 5 companies, of which i know their product,clients,market,competion,and bought tjem nearly on botumprice, Some days, many days my offer whas to low, than no + but no -, so there where enough days to collect profit.I could earn much more, with more funds. Last four market days, prices lifted up, and i whas on he side line, waiting for the next backstap. It is a came and there is no must to pay, unless…….
The only thing to fear, is fear itself. And there is alot of that going on! This country is very resourceful under any circumstances. I don’t know about you, but I’m a baby boomer and ready for retirement. I’ve got my pention, my 401, CD’s and some rental property. I realize that I took a hit some what but over-all I’m going to be Ok. All my friends are also baby boomers and are in simialar situations fanancially. From what I understand the baby boomers have carried this country financially for over 65 years. It started with diapers, cloths, food to education, cars, jobs and houses. And now it’s time to cash in!. For me and most of my friends, we are looking a vacation home, some are looking for RV’s and some are looking to travel. Yes, we put the brakes for a little spell, but only because we have been listening to the talking heads and nay sayers. hell if you listen to that for to long, it will make you crazy!. My friends and I decided that we are not going to be part of the problem and allow fear to keep us from living out what we have been dreaming about all these years!. Besides, there is no rational for what is going on other then fear. Have no fear, the baby boomers are hear, and we have alot of money to spend in our golden years. Oh, by the way, you haven’t by chance know of someone that is selling a beach home in HuntingBeach would you?. PS. hang in there baby!
Identifying the lowest risk, highest reward opportunity at this juncture.
Best reguards,
Thomas Heath
An uncertain global market environment created by a small population of individuals with incredible greed and no sense of ethics is my #1 obstacle to making money.
The number one problem with trying to get positive results in the market to day is a continuing sinking dow . The market in my eyes is ruined . to over come this little problem I have ordered your forex course . Which I await with great anticipation where is it ?.
MARTIN,
MY BIGGEST HINDRANCE IS CONFUSION. I AM RETIRED AND 70 YEARS OLD WITH NO EARNED INCOME. I AM WILLING TO TAKE RISK (PROBABLY MORE THAN I SHOULD UNDER MY SITUATION). I SUBSCRIBE TO SAFE MONEY, REAL WEALTH, DIVIDEND SUPERSTARS AND CRISIS OPPORTUNITY ALERT.
I HAVE ABOUT 65% OF MY FUNDS IN TREASURY-ONLY MONEY FUNDS AND ABOUT 15% IN SAFE MONEY, 15% IN REAL WEALTH AND 5% IN CRISIS OPPURTUNITY ALERT RECOMMENDATIONS. SOMETIMES I AM CONFUSED WHICH WAY TO GO? IT SEEMS SOMETIMES THAT YOU AND MIKE ARE INDICATING A SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT DIRECTION THAN LARRY AND NILUS.
I sure do love those inverse ETF though. Makes up for the lousy interest rates paid out to those who try to SAVE.
My major problem is not knowing who to take advice from: I’ve invested in big pharma..it practically collapsed, dividends halved. Oil trusts,supposed to deliver big dividends..oil prices dropped along with stock prices and dividends. I invested in one on my own bought at super cheap..supposed to pay big dividends..stock price plummeted even more, divs were cut, also. I don’t have any confidence to buy anything at any price right now. The only one making money from my investments is my broker.
My personal opinion, Martin, you are absolutely correct on what you are offering. Last week for the first time in history the Fed purchased U.S treasuries. I pray this couse will not be sustained and I hope I was just hearing unconfirmed rumors over the radio and talk shows.
Money is in a 401k with limited options…can’t take the money out to reinvest in alternatives due to penalties of being employed by the company.
my goal isnot to lose any money. my biggest holding is gld along wity dog.
Lack of confidence in any financial advice I receive. Too many different opinions. Hard to tell which way to go. Dennis
I’m just a wage earner with little savings. I’m currently preparing myself by buying supplies, food, that sort of thing. I have the precious metals thing figured out. And I have the paper scam figured out enough to know I need to stay out of it. Look at Madoff…
Being a former business owner that sold his company, my greatest obstacle to forming another company to make money is the legal system. With the abuse of our court system it isn’t worth the risk of starting another company.
Investment wise I’m not having trouble making some money. I wish it was easier to make interest. Parking money into muni bonds and forgetting about them is preferable.
Diminished income, lack of trust, lack of time to profoundly study & inform myself of the different investment opportunities out there, besides real estate.
WE are witnessing the demise of the capitalistic system as we know it today. If the citizens of this country don’t wake up to what is really going on, my fear is that it will take decades if at all to get out of this “engineered” mess that we find ourselves in today. It is by no mistake that this administration is following same path that was layed out by FDR and consequently exacerbated and prolonged the great depression.
The stakes are much higher today. The debt will become much larger and by the time the elections come in 2010 people will be so desperate and dependent on this government that my greatest fear will be realized……… Socialism bordering on despotism. WATCH!
I immigrated from South Africa to Australia, the info that you supply is very applicable to the States, not quite sure how applicable it is to the Australian situation and I can not afford to loose any more money.
I HAVE A GOOD KNOWLEDGE IN RAW GOLD AND THAT MARKET AND HAVE FOUND GOLD NUGGETS WITH MY METAL DETECTOR……. BUT KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE MONEY MARKET AND WISE TRADING… I WANT TO LEAN AND HAVE ORDERED YOUR……….. MONEY MACHINE PACKAGE…….NOW, I AM LOOKING FOR THE WISDOM AND TRADING SKILLS.
anticipating the dimension of the market change, and timing
Mr. Weiss:
Have been following you and your staff’s recommendations for 1yr +. In 2005 I put 10% of our total portfolio in gold proof coins. Still holding. The balance of my IRA I moved into reverse ETF after losing option trades buying and selling market. Moved my 50% of wife’s to cash, short term Treasury mutual fund and TIPS.
I love your currency trading program idea and would consider selling some gold to purchase and trade with but it is too expensive and although I think you and your firm are honest and trustworthy there are no guarantees about any trading system/method. If there was a try before you buy scenario and/or more documentation/testimonials you could provide about it, that would help.
My current business is down over 80% in profit in the past 2 years, I am in the process of creating new income stream. If it is successful I will try your currency trading course.
Thanks
Matt
my belief that we are in the early stages of a worldwide depression that will be worse than 1929…
Nothing is keeping me from making money. I just need to take my time, do my homework, develop, my plan and then work the plan.
Still observing the market place there will be lots of time to be brave. Now Learn.
I HAVE NO TRUST IN THIS NEW ADMINISTRATION IN DEALING WITH THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS.
Fundamentally I am not having trouble making money. The question is how to make more so I can finally retire. I am actively working on getting the answers to that issue. I am pleased that Gold and Silver are doing as well as they are. When the bubble forms I will exit. I rode the market up when real estate was forming a bubble and I was able to acquire some income producing properties. I also flipped a few properties but that didn’t let me sleep too well when I was in the middle of it. Now I have the bulk of my cash in Gold and Silver bullion. My plan is to re-enter the real estate market shortly – but I want to see how 2009 develops. I expect there will be some real bargains coming available and I must re-build my investment team first (I let it fall apart after I exited the market a little while back). I am not afraid of debt since most of my debt is producing income because it is in an income producing investment or it’s in bullion which is constantly rising faster than inflation, interest, and taxes. I am counting on inflation to reduce my real debt to a very low value so I can pay it off with a fraction of the asset. These are all the things that many contrarians on the web promote, but I have a feeling that hardly anyone around me is a contrarian. I am not a contrarian for the heck of it. I am a contrarian because following the mainstream has never paid off in the 30 years I was following the crowd. Now I do the opposite and my success seems to be increasing – touch wood… Even though I constantly talk about it with friends and acquaintances, I know of no-one that does even a fraction of what I do to preserve and increase their wealth. It kind of frustrates me in a way. But I understand their fear. Who knows what the future will bring… but doing what everyone else does, and being afraid to get the right education and then courage to do otherwise, I believe, is a sure way to loss.
Fear- I am immobilized- If I pull out of stocks, have I done it at close to the bottom of the market??
No one knows what the hell is going on
iv’e always been told to make money you need to have some! by the time we pay our bills we are usally out of money for the month.i read your e-mails with the hope that something will present itself & i might be able to create extra income for our family
that’s easy. it’s the porky pig Federal government sucking up all the resources in civilization. there is no money left in the economy. no discretionary income for people to earn or to spend. Obamanomics is a joke. Unfortunately the joke’s on us and the dumbing down of the American people will perpetuate it for years to come. The working class is being strangled.
Need more income just to stay afloat before I can even think of trading currencies.
I traded in past and know it works with the right mentorship and charts.
Why are gold stocks so low when the price of gold is so high? Is this a good time to buy more gold stock?
Uncertainty about where and in what to invest. Confusion about which “expert” opinions
to trust.
No money.
Hey, sorry Martin, but I’ve been reading your reports for one reason only: I am a mere spectator in this sport of economics-watching. Your updates are very informative. Thanks a lot! I enjoy reading them, and I learn much from them. But I have no $ to invest. You can cut me off now from the list if you like. On the other hand, maybe I’ll have some capital someday, in which your stringing me along may prove worth the expense of keeping me on your list.
Carey Rowland, author of Glass half-Full
Distrust of Washington Politics……
Under capitalization and a reduced cash flow due to reduced work hours.
As a real estate broker in California, it is difficult to find qualified buyers that can borrow money and sellers willing to reduce their prices. More than 60% of the sales are bank owned properties in my town, a beach town, which is doing better than many others.
FEAR–
No matter what our sales staff says, it cannot seem to budge clients/prospects.
Not easily finding a pillar of trust in business relations.
Thanks for the great newsletter!
that’s easy. it’s the Federal government sucking up all the resources in civilization. there is no money left in the economy. no discretionary income for people to earn or to spend. The working class is being strangled.
having the time to sit in front of the screen all day. (i have to good to work).
buy and hold (or momentum trading) is over, atleast for a few years, the movement in all markets run for 3 sessions at the most. trade size should be half (maximum) whatever you use to trade, and the ETF market is great for allowing less experienced to trade both sides of the market. i find spread trades the most profitable right now. short dow, long gold (the bill bonner trade). or right now long silver/short gold. gold/oil was the homerun recently. outright is more difficult now unless risk reward looks better which for stocks or the usd or gold i just dont know right now. the “flation” battle will rage for the rest of this year.
a good piece i read recently points out that trading/investing should be thought of like practicing medicine. you dont know everthing, you cant, things are constantly changing but if you continue to practice you can get good at it, but you will continue to practice until the day you stop. final word, humility
The question really doesn’t concern me. As I stated in your questionnaire the other day, I am old and retired. The current economic distress has reduced my equity capital but I am invested in stocks whose dividends are high and quite safe, e.g Exxon, Electric Utilities. Most of my money is in bonds, the capital value is lower but the dividends continue.
The government eyes my capital and would dearly love to grab most of it it when I die so I avoid increasing itl and live comfortably on my income from my investments. I constantly give to my children, schools,the arts and and charity to keep from adding capital which the government would take..
Figuring out which premium service that you offer is the best going forward. It’s not unusual for two services to have opposite opinions on what’s going to happen to gold, the Asian markets, commodities or currencies. I have had more success just reading your (Martin’s) perspective and making my own calls (or puts).
Not knowing if the markets is going up or down!
Only funds are in retirement account. Almost half cash due to stop losses. Not sure who to believe right now–doubt anyone really knows what will happen next–too uncertain.
The crocks in Washington, and wall street fraudsters, the thieves.
Not enough recomendations…..got plenty of cash. I suppose I could double up on your recommendations, but concerned with the risk, given the volatility of the market.
There is no obstacle to my making money in this market! I have an amazing resource of information from Weiss, et.al., and others, along with two funded trading accounts. The challenge I am having is to pull from all the resources what I want to “focus” on. Staying “organized” with lists from what I read/study is a help; but, when it comes down to trades, I think I should do two to four at a time. Tell me, MW, am I thinking correctly?
I HAVE NO TRUST IN THIS NEW ADMINISTRATION IN DEALING WITH THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS. I BELIEVE THAT THIS COUNTRY HAS TURNED AGAINST GOD AND VOTED IN A ABORTION ADMINISTRATION. WE WILL SUFFER MUCH BECAUSE OF THIS
My health, have m.s., living from what I made while working as an electrican. Own my home and car, both payed for, my disability is eight hundred and tweny four a month. These times are scary as hell
My money is in a company 401-k and a deferred comp program and I am limited to the options available.
Government inaction, wrong action, failed action…Government. Get together with your critics (the same folks who saw this coming), develop a good plan (with your critics help) and get it going. Just please don’t tap Geitner (former head of NY Fed) and march him out to pump us up over his “new plan” when his (Paulson’s) old plan was an abject failure. Wall street saw through that dog and pony show pretty clearly today. Time for some fresh ideas Washington!
Knowing what to invest in. Tried reverse ETF’s, gold this past fall. Nothing worse than being right about what is going to happen only to lose money because the strategy was wrong….
The housing bubble, I sell sod to builders, so many are talking bankruptcy. I think I might make some money in 2011.
The “FEAR” of loss, I am new to day-trading online and my heart rate doubles every time I press BUY as stocks take a tumble every time I do, then I don’t know if I have lost too much to get out! With hindsight looking at the charts after the fact it looks so easy!
I am an amateur, the people who knock day traders don’t know what it’s like to try it!
To reduce a very complex situation to a single answer- as noted by many previous replies-RISK! Retired in the mid nineties with a nice nest-egg. After a slow start at investing progressed very nicely into the tech bubble top. Some tech, but well diversified. I was well aware that I was risking my retirement stake, but felt I could live with a one third draw down and an occasional bad year. Three bad years later I was reduced to a fixed income investor and now there’s no place to find a fixed income with what I have left. I have rearranged my life to accommodate a much more austere budget and I still have a small amount to invest, but it must be as close to risk-free as possible. I have felt since 2003 that we are in a secular Bear market and profit should be available on the short side, but the volatility continually cuts me off at the knees.
I am cost averaging in my retirement accounts into several index funds with very low costs, since my time horizon is 20+ years.
I also have an emergency cash reserve and a “disaster” reserve in precious metals.
I don’t want to gamble with short term trading, inverse ETFs, currency ETFs, options, etc.
If I want to gamble I go to Vegas.
I don’t think anybody knows where the economy or the market is going in the next year or two, or in the next decade, for that matter.
I have no debts except mortgage with very low fixed tax deductible interest.
I have an untapped HELOC with very low %, I am thinking about possibly buying an income property with this money.
Our banks are run by scumbags–for example, Ken Lewis of BofA, and before him, Ken Thompson of Wachovia. These guys pocketed hundreds of millions of dollars and left their stockholders high and dry. The $500K limit on their salaries is a joke.
My biggest concern is that no one will do anything that needs to be done. like canceling the NAFT treaty an put a high tax on everthing ,that comes over our borders. If they(the leaders in D.C.)only had the gut to do that,the whole thing would fix it,s self in a matter of a few months.like 6 months.
I have been lucky, I over funded my life insurance policy, a mutual company. Have not lost a dime; as a matter of fact, the company declared a 7.5 dividend for 2009. I borrowed money from the company, and they continue to credit my account. It is comparable to being my own bank. Whole Life Insuranc is still a great product. It has been around for over 150 years.
Not enough spare cash at the moment. Going back into temp/part-time work to build on. Beyond that, government is our problem as usual. They should have been working on this situation years ago. Seems they have not learned a thing over the years even tho the majority of congressional members have been there long enough to have absorbed something from the past. Your Father did lay out the causes. Why no takers?! Bailouts of guilty entities is going to really undo the general public. Be sure to note that the guilty parties have not cost themselves much, if anything, and remain without penalties from the law. Unreal! Are our representatives in Wash DC so scared of the billionaires financial manipulators in this country that they do nothing about their immoral/illegal behavior? If it is not illegal to steal from investors, why is it not okay for investors to demand retribution from heads of these rogue entities? And why are our duly elected congressional people not doing something common sensical about it? Sound Dollar is the only way to go. The world needs to find a balance between precious metals/materials and fiat money with a healthy dose of morality attached.
Beyond that, when funds are available, I will be requesting your investment advisories which are way out of my league now!
Thanks for all you’ve taught us over the years!
eunice
My biggest problem making money in the past year is to sell all stocks and go short
as an investing approach. I am down to less than 20% long stocks so I’m getting there.
ETF that make money when the stock market goes down have been among the
only vehicles that have worked in the past year.
The volatility in the stock market. The usual safer investments such as utilities can no longer be counted on for an income source.
All of my stocks are going down instead of up.
Having the confidence to stick with a plan in uncertain times. I was blessed to use double inverse ETF’s off and on April through the 3rd week of October last year resulting in a full double of my portfolio. I’ve now gotten wet feet – though I’m still certain there is a moderate to lot of downside to go. So, I’m treading water in a shallow estuary of cash, uncertain as to the size of the sharks lingering beyond the heavy surf just offshore. So, I continue to tread water in Treasuries being fairly certain I’ll not be pulled under but frustrated at the wait and indecision.
It does not matter how much I save, the government will keep adding debt onto my back to be paid back with interest accruing so I would have to say i don’t trust the government and the Federal Reserve because they are Enroning our economy. The name of the game is Bailout.
What is your #1 obstacle
to making money right now,
in this environment?
All of my stocks are going down instead of up. d
Knowing who to trust and then moving forward to invest with confidence. I want to learn how to invest. If there are courses to enroll in or other opportunities, I am willing to invest time if I could be pointed in the right direction. Thank you very much.
Just patiently waiting for the U.S. Dollar to crash.My gold stocks doing OK but should soar when Obama Mania ends and all confidence is lost that anyone is capable of bailing out the Titanic. The U.S. hit an iceberg around 1970 and has been in decline since.The decline is now accelerating.Real risky to be holding shares of the U.S.(Dollars) now.
Needing to pay off debt and save money, so no extra money to spend.
Lost too much $ in market and cash flow is in low position
When and what to invest in ?
Fear ! I’m far from an experienced investor and this roller-coaster market has me almost in a state of panic . Do I take an almost 30% loss in my (limited) IRA and go to cash and wait it out , or do I hold and hope for a long-term recovery ? By the way , long-term for me is probably on the order of 5-10 years . I’m 80 years old . Some of the exotic ideas for dealing with this current market – inverse ETF’s , hedging with options , foreign (especially China ) investments – are for people who have broad investing experience and had to deal with similar types of market cycles . That’s not my situation so I feel stuck in a morass of uncertainty .
FEAR AND LACK OF TRUST.
I am currently investing in the ETFs that short the market. ie. SKF. I follow Safe Money and Real Wealth and have hedged what few investments I have by purchasing various short ETFs, but my biggest obstacle is fear! Not fear of the market, but getting stuck investing to short the market and the Obama Administration do things beyond reason (putting it nicely) that will mask the true picture of our market and I’ll get stuck!
Martin, You have saved my butt with your dead on calls. Most of my money is in short term t-bills with a little for short etf’s and puts. The problem I have is not having the experience to know when to buy or sell especially etf’s, the market should be going straight down but any good news[if you want to call it that] gets the bulls going. Also I am not very patient. I would like to get all my money back quickly even if I know that is not the frame of mind to making consistent profit. But that is what I have you for. Thanks very much. Ray
Knowing what to invest in. I’m all in cash and see MLP’s and Trusts’ paying 6 and 8% dividends and I’m earning 0.3%. CNBC talking heads say the bottom is in every night and that the recovery is started, the recession could be shor, no inflation to worry about and to be in stocks. Who’s right?
signed
to much info
Time!!
Money
We are retired – how do we continue to be able to spend for each day when our money is getting more worthless and rumor has it that Obama is going to take all IRA and 401(k)s and add to Soc. Sec. so it doesn’t go belly up. With all the Government spending, inflation is going to go out of sight.
Getting funds. If I had cash I would short the markets right now….
lack of capital
Hi Martin
I waited way too long to get out of the market. Even though I was mostly in energy and resource funds, I lost over 50% of my retirement before I finally sold them all. I vowed never to sell at the bottom but I sold at 8800 because I agree with your prediction of much worse times and below 5500 or so on the DOW. Today we are down nearly 400 and at 7888.
I am out of investment money and cannot risk the inverse ETF’s if by the one in a milion chance that Obama and his clowns actually turn things around soon and the market goes up.
The best advice of all was to keep everything I still have in short term money market funds like Fidelity FDLXX.
Thanks to your advice and insight through Money & Markets and the Safe Money Report I was able to avoid the carnage suffered in stock market mutual funds in my 401K. Thank you for having the courage to issue a clear voice of warning in these rough economic times. The biggest obsticle to making money in this market is the fact that this is not our normal business cycle downturn. None of the old rules apply. Buy and hold and dollar cost averaging have cost millions of people their retirement security, and confidence in the free market system.
Dear Mr Weiss,
My biggest obstacle is finding a honest person whom I can trust to guide me, one on one to invest wisely as time is running out for me. (Age 60). Thanks and God Bless.
Peter Goh
My bank (Westpac) do not trade in overseas markets..
In these trying times i have found it more difficult to get top dollar for the natural pearls that i harvest from the wild .
They are like panning for gold except more easily found . I have noticed a tighting in my market and am having to continually find new market outlets .
Uncertainty on the NYSE and an erratic track of the Dow-Jones Industrial Average makes it difficult to invest with any certainty in today market.
No extra cash, unemployed, loss savings money in currency trading.
Extreme volatility and need to preserve capital.
Sold business and retired 6 years ago. Purchased a life time annuity for wife and self. good income stream. $$ tied up in CD earning 5% for 1 more year.
When CD comes due I don’t know what to do. Stay in cash position ?? market very volitle know and I believe will be unsteady for next 2 to 3 years.
Fear stops me from putting $$ into market.
I have followed Martin for years and like his economics and wisdom on the market Also like Larry and rest of his crew, just don’t have much money to invest.
#1 obstacle is the government can “change the rules of the game in the middle of the game” – and that portends the possibility of HUGE LOSSES on almost anything from treasuries to gold, etc.
It’s difficult to find out what is real and what is illusionary. Who do you believe when there is a divergence of opinion.
Fully invested, down 40%, no new money for investing and not yet real hot on dumping what may be some losers to try some of your suggestions.
I know what I want to invest in but don’t have the capital to make the investments.
I’d like more regular communication on Currency Trading as a paid subscriber. It is a very complex market and am confounded by the cintinuing strength of the dollar.
Martin
Thank you for the excellent foresite, and super advice todate.
How do you collect money from someone that has none? You can not squeeze blood out of a turnip. What did they do 75 years ago?
erratic focus
finding out how to trade leverage etfs on an intermediate term basis
Time…………
Concern since I have never been affected by anything like this before……from 1964 on.
My money is parked and safe but I am paralzyed by not being very certain whether or not the market will go down more, stay the same or go up. So for now I can not bet on a short fund nor invest in stocks for a possible upturn. I guess doing nothing is not a bad choice at this point but I will probably miss a big opportunity.
Lack of capital
An easy call for investments is in Guns and magazines lol………..They are bound to go up.
The professionals don’t agree on anything and who do you trust? I lack the personal confidence to trust myself or anyone else.
Have a little to invest but the biggest obstacle in making making money in this enviroment and actually any other is a lack of knowledge. Don’t study and watch the market everyday. Even when I find a good stock have not done well in the timing of the buy and sell. It would be great to find someone I trust to manage some of my money but for now looking to learn more from you guys to do myself. You have my trust….
Distrust in our phony and fake money system and too much knowledge about what the FED really is. Cash=Trash.
Just keep doing and helping those you can. Vaya Con Dios
Trust in any adviser. They win even when I lose! I like what you guys have to say but I’m in UK and your advice is not always directly relevant. Also plagued by dodgy prime minister who wasn’t voted in and appears desperate!
Lack of available investment funds due to current and ongoing medical costs
Lack of Investment Capital.
Fear! I not only lost a fifteen percent gain, I also lost twenty seven percent of my base.
THE US DOLLARS BUYING LESS OVER TIME
How to go about ETF and/or currency trading with about $500 to start. Want to learn how.
Thank you for all your insights, news, and views. I really appreciate it. Keep up the good Work. God Bless…
My trading account is fully vested in stocks,and currency. some poor stock i still hold that was recommended by money and market and some others that i pick , i still hold,
that are way below 75% of book value. Playing with only limited funds now.
I’ve just become an octogenerian and my risk tolerance is -0-! Accordingly, I’m NOT interested in making money! The $6,000,000.00+ I have in MM (@2.5%) accounts and CDs (@4.1%) is in the about the best secure parking places I can find and still have enough to live on presently. I always have been oriented to live below my means. My ultimate objective is to place these funds in double tax exempt income rated no less than S&P AA with maturities in the range of 15-19 years. Calif. GOs have just been downgraded to A by S&P but I believe we shall see extreme rises in inflation within the next two years so (even at my age) I’m going to continue to”PARK” money until I see a GO signal. I’m betting on the chance to aquire muni bonds yielding 7-9%. (Ask Mr. Volker if he agrees.)
Lack of proper investment education. I need thorough knowledge in one solid instrument like Stock market / Futures/ currency market! Present environment fears me to invest.But i believe there is a great opportunity ahead, but don’t know where to step in.
Limited retirement income, but waiting for the right signals from the Weiss group to gingerly put my investment toe back into the water. P.S. Inverse ETFs have helped me stay even.
I have no confidence in the market. As long as Washington continues to try and repair all the wrongs that have been done in the past we will continue to loose ground. Mainly people overextending there spending along with banks over borrowing we are going to continue this sideway market that has a downward bias. Washington help create this mess but it took individuals to take on more debt that what they could afford that created this mess. I hope you can give me some optomism because i have none since i have been in cash for about 6 months now thus saving alot of losses but making minimal on sitting in money market funds.
My concern right now is I really don’t know where to safely make any money. The Treasury Bill funds aren’t paying anything but I am getting mixed information from your family of investments. Some are saying time to get in gradually. Others are stating stay 25% in gold. You are stating get rid of everything except 2.5% gold.
Mr. Edelson has been fairly accurate thus far, and much of your deflation mandate has not yet proven out. I am not disputing it, however, I remain uncertain of the next immediate step because of the above.
I bought gold bullion in GBPounds in September low and it has grown 47% in 5 months. The way Gordon Brown is printing Monopoly money, I just leave it there – who knows how high it can go. And the dollar investors havn’t even begun to think about Monopoly Dollars. Sure I could have bought Dollars, but that really would have been gambling; no-one can really make sense of why Dollar is so high vs Gold. I don’t think it can stay that way for much longer. I bought some diamond stocks – a really good profitable, positive liquidity and positive EY company that will x6 its turnover this year and greatly increase its profits, but the share price is only moving down; I’m holding on to them because they must go up sooner or not too much later. A middle East investor has been carefully buying them up and has a majority holding now – what might be the significance of that? When the diamond price recovers it will be very sweet!
actually i have no problem-
i’m partially offsetting the bear with double inverse ETFs on stk indices
large portion of my assets is in no yield treas bills which is OK since cash is in a bull market
i have a good portion of long treas purchased in 90s which throw off lots of income and my offset here will be a double inverse etf on 20 yr lehman, but will await further plunge in equities as bonds will likely go back up in price while that action is going on
as we destroy our currency i am not so sure – gold is the obvious, but historically gold has gone down in big down mkts – difference this time though is that we are faced with currency problems which have not been a big factor in earlier bear mkts and recession – depression environments – so, gold may work this time
and then there is always farmland once it gets depressed in price
Insight and intuition needed to safelty overcome the risk of investing resources with others who have not yet shown credibility in managing well.
I was in Panama last month where they are still growing and developing new projects, but are beginning to feel the slow-down in US and European tourists. I was in Orlando last week and things are looking like they did in 2002-3, except for the affluent.
The uncertainty of Wall Street and Washington make it very difficult to judge the best direction to invest–Dow to 10K, or Dow to 5K–while it trades between 7500 & 8500!
Federal Government and stupid Democrats that caused the problem and are now in charge of fixing the problem. It is the same old, same old.
Thank you for your and your team’s excellent analysis of the situation that has been unfolding – I am in real estate as you call it in the US (as a mortgage broker) and was considering buying property in the USA last year when the GBP was at $2 and property values of recently built property in Florida appeared to be nearly 50% down on their original sale price. In the Uk at that time prices were still holding up well as was the stock market – I thought then there would be a severe downturn over here too ,as we almost always follow you with a time lag of about 18mths, but the extent of that downturn is exceeding expectations. The problem I have had and continue to have (despite raising capital at that time with a view to seeking out opportunities) is timing and huge volatility – I have been right about overall direction often with your assistance, but have still been shaken out of positions at a loss – I have contemplated putting a substantial amount of money in gold with no gearing and just sitting on the investment but could I sit through a possible pull back to c.$550 – that could be hard. I have thought maybe an answer might be to put long term buy orders at what seem ridiculous prices – oil at $15 for instance – and just see whether they get hit but then I though Barclays bank shares would never go below £1.35 and they recently bottomed? at c £0.50p. Currencies are also exceptionally volatile at present. What I feel is the case now is that we are at moment in the crisis where there are powerful forces simultaneously pulling and pushing the markets as some people now hope the worst is over. So, stand aside until the next move establishes itself? Try to trade the market with very tight stops? Take punt with a relatively small amount of cash in ETFs in the direction of the (down)trend and ride the fluctuations whilst trying to pick up real assets at low prices. Buy China on a pullback. Or just go and hide somewhere ’til its all over??
Unfortunately from your compelling analysis which I have shown to many of my clients and friends – I don’t think the last one is an option!
Many thanks again for assisting me to understand the gravity of the situation ahead of it fully unfolding and thereby at least preventing ill advised real estate bargain hunting too early in the cycle.
The entire financial system is unstable. The banks are insolvent, and the liquidity that does exist, artificially provided by the printing presses, is evaporating quickly.
If one does profit in dollars, their value has to diminish, ultimately to nothing, under the current conditions of ’stimulus’.
Multiply your dollars, pay taxes on apparent’profits’ and lose purchasing power – why bother to invest.
Wanted to retire next year but lost so much money in stocks probably can’t. Don’t know whether to keep investing or pull out of stocks.
Money management
THANKS FOR ALL THAT YOU ARE DOING FOR US ………NEW POTENTIAL ……. INVESTORS. I HOPE EVERYTHING WORKS OUT FOR BOTH YOU AND THE ONES WHO WILL ….. LISTEN AND ACT WITH …. WISDOM….. AND CAUTION.
I am a small general contractor and have laid off half of my employees, I will likely have to lay off the rest in a week or so. Our customers are basically wealthy people, most of whom depend on the stock market, real estate, and financial investments. They are afraid, as am I, for their savings and retirement funds and are not willing to spend money until the economy turns around. So, my obstacle to making money is the stock market and economy. I can’t make money, or have new money to invest, until people start spending again. I have stopped any unnecessary spending as I’m sure most others have, even though I know it just causes the economy to keep spiraling downward. Where does it end?
Mr Weiss
I’ve read your news letter for several years and have learned a great deal, having the opportunity to dialog will be helpful. I think as a culture we have developed a “speculative” nature and perhapse not fully understanding the risks. Recovering from losses will be a step at a time but can be done.
Thanks for your help
I am retired and due to asset losses, I need a return of about 8 – 9% annually. I lean toward taking advantage of the high yield now in MLPs in the transportation and storage of natural gas and oil and toward the high yield of corporate bonds rated BBB. I feel that this opportunity will not last for long, yet there is so much uncertainty since government actions have a large effect upon the market now and I cannot even determine which bond issuing corporations will be able to pay their debts and which MLPs will be able to sustain their dividends.
Insight and intuition needed to safely overcome the risk of investing resources with others who have not yet shown credibility in managing well.
cash flow
As a long time (for decades) buy-hold, now wounded, investor, I believe that short term investing will offer the best opportunities for the foreseeable future; but short term (sometimes very short) is to me unfamiliar and therefore dangerous territory wherein I lack both experience and tools.
The United States Government
`2009 February 10 t’h 3.00 p’ m’ \ pacif’c time Tuesday
The number one obstacle to makiing more money right today is as much due, to my own reluctance, to risk additional capital – as it is the consequence, of the open market bid \ ask mechanism. I am finding that within the most recent two years that good till canceled orders are lapsing into days and weeks. The precise similar criterion scenario g’ t’ c’ orders – have to my recollection – lapsed perhaps into minutes and hours, and sometimes a day or two later. That is to mean from the bid side, and placing an order at the lower price with a view to add some momentum, to an increase, or to protect in some wise from a false bottom. Providing that a few not unimportant criteria are also clearly met. Aside from a dozen other now clear and obvious causes, to a considerable popular decline in sector, market and currency – wherever. However like each previous obstacle which I have encountered that was not made by our creator maker, it also shall dissipate and yield a resilient money making opportunity, or and direction, long before the next B’ M’ comes along and presents another quiet thirty five year conundrum cum calumny.
cash on hand and determining good entry points
Losing principal is is my major concern in these unstable times. I am so conservative I make the “Safe Money Report” look like a wild eyed gambler.
fear luck of trust in myself
There is absolutely no place to place an investment and then forget about it as it grows. I just do not have the time or energy to constantly jump from here to there even though the advice Safe Money etc. gives is very good. I am not convinced you can make money in this environment–I just want to not lose money.
Time and additional funds are a big part but more recently the fear that is being felt about the economy.
Lack of honesty.
Lack of confidence in the market
I am retired and have not been involved in stocks in the past. Right now a person would be craze to invest in the stock market. It tanked almost 400 points today. I don’t see any safe way to invest and make money. CDS & treasure bills are paying almost no interest. I do subscribe to a few investment newsletters but they are always trying to sell you the latest and greatest investment however most retirees on a fixed income can not afford to put their money at risk. Maybe Will Rodgers was right when he said he was more interested in the return of his money than return on his money.
Lack access to inexpensive long term capital to fund initiatives and endeavors; no confidence or trust in markets or banks or investment brokerages, hence no truly safe place to put capital to work, whether foreign currencies, or equities, or options, or ETFs; no confidence or trust that government is taking the right steps or finding the real solutions that will restore intergrity, trust and stability, but rather, to the contrary, seem to be employing measures that probably will make matters much worse in the long term, for the dollar, the taxpayer and the consumer. God help us, esp. future generations.
John Audette
I feel that we are sort of trapped, I don’t know which way to go on investing
why i can’t make money now,it’s all the government help i am recieving,no confidence in the market,nor can we assume that there will continue to be dividends paid
I’m a little short of uninvested cash, and not sure I want to make bets on which currencies will rise or fall next- it’s too much like gambling, but, I am intrigued with your new program, and hope to be able to purchase it at some point.
The present,but hopefully temporary, unfavourable A$ v US$ exchange rate.
Speaking in behalf of my kids, there is a very small percentage of work available in construction sector.
Speaking of myself, my obstacle is Bill Gates who prevents me from getting hold of softwares offered to me.
lack of available funds . How can you make money if you have none to start with ?
no disposable income left
uncertainty is by far the biggest concern for us all
The lag between the time I execute ETF trades and their settlement dates eats into the profit. I feel like the fisherman who throws in the line and instantly hooks a big fish (a large, fast and favorable turn in a market), only to have to sit on his hands for three days watching sharks come along to eat a part of his fish (profits), until finally, by settlement date, all he can reel in is a minnow-sized version of the original whale.
Half of my money, collected over the last 40 years, locked into a 403b where there aren’t any good options. And I’ve lost 64% of it.
Semi-retired. Still volunteering for the Red Cross. Am all in Gold and Silver stocks, little bit of bullion, oil stocks. Have taken a major hit like most, but making a come back, still a long way to go. Wait & see now, would like to convert some more to bullion, coins, later.
Okay, I am broke but I have no debt and I keep my overhead low. Capitalism is finally coming home to roost and now we get our just desserts. Throughout history it has been the bankers and financiers who have manipulated capital and interest to accumulate wealth. Used to be that dividends and company profits from manufacturing necessary goods and services was the important thing. But now, once again in history the bankers have created an unsustainable industry which makes far too much of the GDP. You all went along for the ride and now that the cards are coming crashing down you all are crying the blues. Everyone wants to become part of the banking industry. How can I make a lot of money from doing nothing?
We need to start taxing capital, giving tax breaks to businesses that produce something of real value to the society. Get rid of the insurance companies who only care about profit rather than health or help; get rid of the unregulated hedge funds who manipulate the legislature and get rid of all these “financial products” that are really only designed to separate you from your money.
It got out of control. The bankers and money managers finally got too much power and the poker game is over.
Lack of cash. Money tied up in Perth West Australia Real Estate ( slowing but still healthy. investments made 3 years ago with one completing late this year )
Low interest rates. I’m retired and can’t take chances on losing capital.
I take your news letter
I take your news letter & the NR thing from Larry Edelson ,&also the newsletter from Steve Leeb. This is the first time that you two have been going in 180 directions. You say that things will keep going down, and he thinks that things are on the way up. It will be interesting to see who is right .
7
I find it impossible to approach bank managers to purchase apartments/houses at 80% of the purchase price for low value properties in the U.K, although properties are being sold at approx. 25% Below Market Value. It is frustrating
No confidence in government and financial institutions to survive the destitution brought about by the greed of individuals.
FEAR/LACK OF CONFIDENCE DUE TO:
1. Gov’t botching all attempted fixes.
2. Market corruption, naked short selling, hedge fund crooks, market manipulation – all with no SEC action!
3. Significant loss of net worth already due to poor performance of all investment classes – stocks, bonds, real estate.
4. Upside down business environment – own a corporate benefits insurance brokerage with shrinking revenue/profits due to massive employer group layoffs/closures/bankruptcies.
Need I say more?
Low interest rates reduce my C.D. and Treasury income.
newly widowed,low income fear of the unknown
knowledge and small amt of capital to invest….on fixed income
caught in the snowball. whatever I sell the capital gains kills me and have to sell more to pay the gain loosing the battle as this administration of no help all my wealth being given to others
limited disposable income
Uncertainty about the markets, makes it a challenge to invest. No one wants to risk losing hard earned money in a market that may fall another 40%.
I’d like to invest in the currency markets, but I do not know enough about it. I am beginning to study it. I am scarred of the leverage losses I may encounter once I begin investing in such a market. It takes a lot of confidence to come up with over $2000 to pay for the guidance to trade in the currency markets. Some kind of a subscription payable over several months, may make it easier for people in my position.
However, I am very appreciative of the sound advice I have always received from the team at Money and Markets.
Hi Martin,
My first obstacle is the completely lack of experience in trading. My high hopes that one day I’ll be able to trade profitably helps me to keep going on this unpredictable road. As a new canadian from Quebec, I am missing the regulations, the rules and the first push-in on the market. Trading by myself ? Which market? And a lot of other technical questions…Thanks in advance for a little alignment on the good tracks, seeing my concerns.
Who to believe & when to sell.
Thanks for all your advise and emergency web broadcasts, they have helped. I own a sucessful blue colllar type business, I’m a tradesman. I just read about 100 or so of the e-mails on your new site, and the biggest obstacle that I can see from the people is probably fear. How unfortunate that most peolpe either don’t understand or choose not to understand that fear is an illusion. With everyone talking about a sinking economy, unemployment etc, you have to have vision and try really hard not to partake in the negativity. Stop watching the evening news. Things are noticibly slower for my company as well, however tomorrow the sun is still going to rise and i get another chance to create something sucessful. Never quit.
WOW! It seems like trust in our government is going to hell in a handbag. I agree that nobody seems to know what to do, but pork spending is sure making it through the “stimulus” spending package. I can’t tell right now but I don’t think it’s going to help me at all. How about you? Can anyone convince me otherwise? How do I get my share of the billions? I can’t believe anything will trickle down to me and I’m just an average citizen. We’re all in big trouble and I don’t think there is much we can do except watch how our elected officials continue to ruin the country we used to know…KEEP YOUR MONEY UNDER LOCK AND KEY WITH ARMED GUARDS! This is just the beginning…
I am 61 and feel that I must be very conservative with my money yet don’t feel that I will be able to recover losses in time for retirement.
The Mining Industry comeback would help immensley. Also learn not to put all of your eggs in one basket and to br more aware and diversified.
small figure to invest do not know what to do
Uncertainty about the direction of the economy, stock markets, etc.
it’s a quessing game. when you pay for advice there are two many options and not enough cash. if you had enough cash, you woudn’t need the advice. what about srs?
It is my belief that we are in a general bear market for stocks and it is my belief this recession is not going away any time soon. Even securities that should be performing well (AUY, PBR, KO, etc.) are mired near their recent lows. I am dabbling in oil companies and nabbing small, very near term profits in DXO and the like. I have recovered about 33% off of the lows (particularly with some super low ball purchases on gold stocks) but am reluctant to hold for the longer term. I am still stuck with a mixture of supposedly “recession-proof” big caps, natural gas stocks (that have been killed) and a ton of precious metals and resource stocks that are like a boat anchor on my portfolio. What do you suggest? D.
hi, Martin
how comes the inverse ETFs also doesn’t work well if you look at charts?
To tell the truth I beleive we are well positioned and waiting results… ie gold and silver the debasing of the dollar.
Not knowing when to get back into the market.
I am sticking to cash equivalents (mostly short-term Treasuries plus one modest CD), and a generous helping of metals, bought when they bottomed-out years ago, until deflation hits bottom. Then I hope to get entirely out of the US dollar before hyperinflation ruins it. With this policy in place since 2007, and mostly CD’s between 1999 and 2007, I have not lost a penny in NASDAQ or the current disaster. The trick in this market is to worry about return OF principal, not return ON principal. I also use Treasury Direct to purchase T-bills and stick to 13-week bills, that way there is no payment to managers of Treasury funds. It’s slightly more work, but costs nothing.
Very limited income
Lost money on investing, due to not enough knowledge on the know how and just relying on the so called “experts”, so I lost money when the sell signal came too late. I blame myself really for my ignorance. So I have to learn the trade myself.
The US government’s policy of artificially propping up worthless. (or near worthless), investment vehicles so that the investor cannot assign a true and proper value to equities. Why invest when the true value of an asset might be half – or less – of what one pays for it?
RE:5:39 Not sure of what moderation of comment means as never blogged before. Can you clarify? (If not appropriate, please edit out.) Appreciate the cross-section look at others’ choices. Also, Mr. Fishman 5:28PM has a great question that could impact many more of us than just him.
I can not trust any investment suggestion now after last year’s markect crash
The very low value of the Australian dollar. Otherwise I’d buy gold.
need capital to pay for living expenses….don’t believe the government can get us out of this current mess…I think we’re going much lower.
Sorting and filtering through all the investment advice and views to come up with my own strategies in allocating my financial resources. I’m not so much concerned about the return on my money as I am about protecting its value in real dollar terms. Deflation gives me the edge now but I believe we are going to have some significant inflation issues going forward.
I have a small amount available for investment. I will be retiring in less than 6 months at age 55, with a retirement of $50,000 a year. I need to make sure i preserve what’s still left of my investments.
Fear of success. Something deep has me shun, forget about, or soon get out of the good deals that comes my way. Most people are this way, which isn’t much compensation. And virtually all people prefer this truth not be mentioned, which silence nurtures this widespread self defeatism. Some people are instinctive losers, like some, as Martin Weiss might acknowledge, are instinctive bears.
I don’t have a good plan
Fear and no ability of knowing whom to trust. The majority of CEO’s don’t seem to be interested in share price as much as their own wealth with their salaries and bonuses.
The government has proven itself to be untrustworthy as well. The banks are obvious thieves. The news is biased. WHo IS LEFT???
helo mr weiss the volatility is what allows quick profits/ gold we are using aus$ to buy and sell as it has the most range to US$these are the best times we have seen hedge fund operators would be having a field day WEFEEL THE BANK EXECS/CEO,S ARE NOT AS QUALIFIED AS WE THINK THEY ARE LIKE PUBLIC SERVANT NO REAL CREATIVE CONSIOUSNESS THEY FOLLOW A PROTOCOL AND IF IT IS DIFFERENT THEY ASK AN ECONOMIST WHO IS THE SAME MENTALLITY GREAT MEMORIES TO PASS THEIR EXAMS BUT DONT ASK THEM TO PUT 1+1 TOGETHER YOU WONT GET 2
I am near retirement but not retired and so have little time to commit to investments; meanwhile, because retirement is so near, I can’t afford too big mistakes and so can’t afford much money in any one kind of risk. So, what needs to be diverse and consequently potentially complicated can’t be for lack of time. Additonally, I’m not strongly convinced of either the your deflation or other’s inflation arguments, though I’m generally inclined to expect mild, not extreme, deflation over the next year or two and then substantial inflation thereafter for 2-3 years.
Not having confidence on where or how to invest during the current unstable times
Integrating all the “expert” advise and maintaining a plan. With so much often conflicting information coming in, including the Weise group of experts, it is difficult to sift it down to a plan. Obviously experts can have a variety of opinions but it is difficult to decide what to act on, to ladder the advice and create a strategy. I often want to suggest various experts get in a room and sort it out, priority wise.
Being overwhelmed with too many options by you is a real thing.. and then of course the amounts of money to invest for a first time try.. By this I mean that if there could be more or a gradual way to trade currency working with say a start using 500$ to buy some of your advice.. rather than 2500 it would allow me to start.. so then I would prove it out to myself.. then spend the next 500 and so forth.. he risking of 2500 to get started is too high for me at my first go around.. But , Again I wish to thank you for your earnest help.. Terry
I’m somewhat paralyzed by indecision. I’ve taken your advice to protect my money but I am hesitant to take any risks right now.
Stock Market doldrums.
i am looking for ways to find stocks that move
picking the wrong investments
When do I believe my broker.
limited money to invest, where best to put it.
THE GOVERNMENT !!!!!!!!
I’m retired for 15 years – my wife and I worked hard and saved our money – we drove our cars 130,000 miles or more – we didn’t over spend for useless trinkets but spent for needs not desires – up till the time Alan and then Ben messed around with the discount rate we received approx. $965.00 per month in a money market account – kept about 33% in MM – last month we received $332.00 -wow – the gov is busy bailing out companys and people who made unwise decisions or bought to satisfy their desires – who does any thing for those who were wise and took care of themselves ??????? – luckly we got out of the market, except for some long shots and bonds in May, July and October of 2007 – since then we have week traded ( not day traded) and have been able to hold on – January 1, 2008 to February 1, 2009, 13 months down 1.38% – no thanks to the Washington crowd – when are some of the talking heads and writing fingers going to pay attention to the responsible people – those who are in trouble did it to themselves – give them one of the shovels the politicians keep talking about – remember the ones that worked hard and brought about all the great things we have today – not the ones who were greedy who indulged themselves and brought about many of the problems we have now – keep your chin up and your eyes not only on the road ahead but also the road behind – history is a great teacher
My biggest obstacle, as T Harv Eker is my own brain! I feel disheartened by everything I read, especially some of your writings. No disrespect, but the sad predictions for the future are really depressing! Then our own president, who thinks he will create change, starts with the panic! We may not be able to reverse the trend if we don’t pass this thing. I haven’t gone to cash, but, I’m not be speculative either. I’m buying quality, but nothing works. Treasuries as you suggest are now approaching a negative yield, forex is a new area, but I have my doubts. My question to you, is how do you change the energy out there that is so black and forboding that you can’t cut it with a knife? I love people, and would like to help myself and others have some positive I can’s, and hope for the future. The numbers don’t look good for inverse ETF’s if you’re in at the wrong time, treasuries won’t ever make the monies people need to be wealthy, you can’t bet it all on another countries monies – what do you suggest we do to put some positive energy to work? We don’t have a financial crisis – we have a crisis of confidence. Sorry for the length of my rambling, but would appreciate some sort of response. K
The FEDS also. I “owe” them backtaxes due to a recent audit and denial of writeoffs and some new taxes. Those monkeys running our money system just don’t get it. We need DISPOSABLE income to stimulate the economy not taxable income. We should go back to the gold standard and away from the toilet paper standard that caused us to be in trillions of dollars of interest accruing debt in the first place.
A corrupt FED, a corrupt Wall Street, and lobbyists.
Dear Dr. Weiss, Continue to follow your advice. Congress is the big disapointment. When the Dems took control 2 1/2 ys ago no change happened. Why did they jump on
the AIG bailout and no others even though I disagree with the whole bailout mess. It is alleged that their pension is protected by AIG. Earmarks are still in fashion. I wonder if President Obama removed his from the Defence Bill after he was elected. I keep writing my Representative that is citizen oriented and others in hopes that common sense will finally prevail.
There is noone in this world that you can trust. You don’t know if the fundamentals reported are accurate or a figment of someone’s next big bonus (or bailout). I know that people who hand out advise do so for their own incomes. There is noone out there who is genuinely ready to help anyone. Everyone just wants the fast buck, and just for themselves. How can anyone afford to take any kind of risk in this kind of environment? Even economists, who are supposed to be schooled in all this crap disagree about what will work, what will help and how long it wil take to help. Those of us who have lost half of our 401K’s dare not try again. Wall Street should be ashamed of themselves with the lies and big salaries, they may lose us all! All those cheats deserve to fall and fall big, but not those of us who had faith in their false information.
Main obstacle to making money is losing money. Down 45% since the collapse. Investments mostly in energies (primarily oil), shipping and a little in high tech. I am nearly 84 yrs. old and working. I would like to, first, protect what I have left. Even better, make some money.
Lack of confidence/trust in the markets stemming from extreme volatility, deteriorating economic conditions, and poor regulation. The Feds seem to have no real plan and appear to be throwing money at financial institutions which will not solve the underlying problems we are facing in this economic crisis. The greed and corruption on Wall Street and lack of oversight from the government agencies (like the SEC) is shameful.
I am angry that the 8 year Bush presidency has brought the country to its knees. Wall Street was allowed to run roughshod by Congress over the best interests of its constituencies and even took their automatic pay raise when unemployment is at an all-time high. Before I would reenter the stock market I want to see a completely new Congress voted in with term limits to eliminate “career” politicians. Until that happens and public confidence in government is restored I will not gamble what little I have left in the machinations of any market over which others have the control only for their own interests.
I went through the last depression/was very young young, but remember my Father(a dentist) being paid with chickens, turkeys and eggs. I worry because the present generation will turn violent when the situations worsen.
I know the value of having sufficient cash and gold. I am fearful of making a poor decision. I am 88 yrs old and see history repeating itself and I realize I must continue learning and not be an ostrich like so many of surviving friends. Yes, I am a long time subscriber/’helps me keep my mind right.
Also, fear of losing all of my 401k (with current employer) since it’s with Meryl Lynch and if BOA goes insolvent, so goes my 401k…
I am in sales. My products are handmade baskets from OH, pottery/dinnerware/bakeware, wrought iron pieces/stands/tables, and fabric for baskets or decor purposes. Until 7 years ago, my sales from 1987 were huge! Since 2001, my sales have gone downward every single year. It’s very depressing. I love what I do and want more to enjoy the fun with home sales and helping others have beautiful, more organized homes and offices. This market has hit us hard, but our business is doing better than most other home-based businesses.
I have lost 2/3 of my investments, even though I was diversified! These were funds I was to depend on in my retirement years. I’m 69 but still love working. With all the depressing news every day, it’s hard to be motivated.
I made some changes in my funds in January, and now those are going down. I want to know what I should do to keep the money so I have some left to pay for my medical problems. Any suggestions? Will I be able to change from what I did right away so not to lose more or will I be penalized? Legg Mason into Eaton Vance Lg Cap or American Balanced B funds. Thanks for all your advice. Wish I understood it more.
I would say the #1 is uncertainty. Will the price go much lower so that I will get more of quality stocks at a cheaper price? Or are we near the bottom, already? Having lots of disposable income would be nice too…
My broker advise, when do I stop believing what he continues to tell me to stay in the market.
Yes our government is out of control they dont work for us anymore. Nancy Polosy is trying to take care of her special contributors. We need some people getting removed from office. Obama is to stupid to know better. Shame on the people who are distroying our country right before our eyes.
Martin,seems like most people are unsure of what to do,the guy talking about brazil,has a good point,but I,did not see anyone talk about,austraila,,west,,some banks in the usa,6%,but 15,000 min deps,and for me lack of funds,,have a few hundred to play with,but not for a month or so,when I emailed,you last time,I had mentioned etfs,moving paper money, from one country to another,and quickly,cat and mouse,I ofcourse,got the info from,,who should lead the nyse—MARTIN–YOU,,GOD-BLESS,BE WELL!!!!!!!!!!also some gold stocks,that are out there,,and as I said OLD COINS<never lose their value!!!!seeya!!!!!!!!!!!!GOLD COINS!!!
FINDING A BROKER I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN, WHO PRACTICES WHAT HE PREACHES!!!
IF THE FED WOULD NOT MEDDLE IN ALL THE TIME, I WOULD HAVE MADE QUITE A BIT MONEY.
I HAD PUT OPTIONS ON SEVERAL BANKS THAT WERE IN THE MONEY FOR SOME TIME AND THEN THE GOVERMENT BAILS THEM OUT AND I TAKE A LOSS. IF THE GOVERMENT WANTS TO HELP THEN BE FAIR GIVE EVERYBODY $ 5000.00 TO BE SPEND ON A NEW AMERICAN CAR OR ANY OTHER BIG ITEM AND JAIL THEM BANKERS THAT CREATED THIS MESS.
low interest rates on CD’s and other totally insured and protected product
Market uncertanty
With the volatility in the market and in view that as a pastor age 80 retiring at the end of this May, I hesitate to take the few thousands I have saved to risk it as i see all stocks plunging south.
Bob
the government. why is there never a mention of federal credit unions by you or you publications? can you please give an opinion of these entities as pertains to the current economic problems and how they compare to banks and the new realities of the banking/us gov’t partnership? there are some very strong cu’s out there. are they subject to collapse as well? thanks for your indulgence!
objective information in past years from you has been vital. if i can avoid volitivity by investing in 10 years and euros, then i need more timley and objective info. kudos on your past info and looking forward to your technical and fundamental info for bonds and euros.
I am affraid the Presidents Stimulus will only put us deeper in debt it will help in the short time but only companies and corporations can really help our economy in the long term. The stimulus will pay a lot of Union bosses off for the election and the working poor will still be at the bottom until the real estate situation is addressed there will be no real recovery until that time hold your cards close to the vest.
There is always money to be made in up and down market. The problem is knowing which move will be sustained long enough, which direction and soon enough to make a profit. there are to many know it all profit out there.
I would rather wait for the upside, and hope it’s not too long in coming!
In the meantime, we are where you suggested – Treasuries… safe!
We are retired for 5 years….and have already lost over $100 thousand of our funds…And fear plays a big part……We don’t know who to believe……because we can’t afford to loose more money. We would love to be sucure and wish that we had someone to tell us how……..but we just don’t have any confidence…………because of all the scams and crooked Leadership with our Nation…….
wm
Tis a shame…we have all become algorithmic market traders or “card counter’s” on Wall Street. The media pundits don’t have a clue and their story changes by the day. Swing movements (long or short) are the only safe “investments”…Long-term (“more than a week”) can get one clobbered. T-bills or cash for the next 6 months or so. Inflation and deja vu interest rates are on the horizon.
You, Martin, is the reason my “overall” portfolio is down only 4% since Dec2007. And, I have made some living expenses on the short side of 2008 and this year. Luv’d today.
YES! ALL OF THE ABOVE. FEAR, TRUST, TIME, MONEY, LACK OF CAPITAL, etc.
I’ve been long winded tonight but very scared. You really got me going and woke me up! I don’t usually have time to post to blogs. Oh well, time for the awful evening news, that’s it for now. Thanks for everything Martin,
Take care…Bill
I bought some recommended inverse ETF’s and currency options, then watched them go down, so I have money tied up in them. Can’t sell, without a big loss. For every buy reco, there seems to also be a sell! There is too much confusion in the markets. I have gotten hard-won experience in avoiding panic, though, and if I can wait some of these out, they come back up, but not enough so far!
I think the stock market is in a corrective state i.e. a 4th wave of 5 in the bear market and hence it isn’t moving in any particular direction. I believe it will head south soon but I’m waiting.
Similarly the dollar has been inversely related to the stock markets and stuck in a corrective stage of a bull market. I think I must wait till it gets out of this corrective state. I believe Jack Crooks has hit the nail right on the head i.e. the world will run to the dollar when this corrective phase is over.
I don’t believe the government efforts to stimulate and bailout are having any effect on markets. They will when the stupidity is fully realized but I don’t think that time has come yet.
Al Mc
investments losing their value
Fear of loss & total mistrust of the financial industry & corrupt politicians. “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand should be required reading for everyone in government.
I am a subscriber to your website and a fan. My main problem is that I am in the UK, have renounced my US citizenship and cannot hold US stocks or bonds directly without being dragged back into the US tax net. Thanks largely to you, I’m 60% in cash, 10% in equities and 30% in short term highly rated corporate bonds. When the bonds mature and the fixed interest on my cash bonds mature (half this summer and half middle of 2010), all paying 5-7%, what should I do? I have no pension and will get nothing from cash. I am frustrated because all your advice about EDFs don’t seem to apply to me. How can I translate your daily words of wisdom into UK sense? Or am I off your radar screen? Kind regards, Richard Stamp
In the midst of a million opinions, the question I have which I have not heard discussed anywhere and would influence whose recommendations I might follow is this: If the market has lost trillions of dollars (which no doubt it has) “Where did the money go”?
It doesn’t just vanish.
THE SCREWED UP ECONOMY-BANKS- FIANANCIAL THEFT- SENIOR CITIZEN LOSS OF INTREST- SHRINKING DOLLAR VALUE-MISTRUST-A BIG MESS-HOUSEING MARKET-VERY FRUSTRATING TIMES. THE LOSS OF MY PORTFOLIO VALUE.I AM AN UNHAPPY 85 YEAR VETRAN OF WW11 3YEARS AND 5 CAMPAINS IN EUROPE. WHAT A WASTE.
How can anyone at this point in our economy have the nerve to put forth any money into the market , when forces prevail that have nothing to free market are at work.
Govt. intervention, massive greed in all sectors, no thruth to be found any where.
You don’t even need fear in this situation ….we will self distruct on our own..
I suppose that interest rates are low and that my savings will not earn what it would if interest rates were higher. That stocks have continued to move lower and many companies have reduced or eliminated their dividend payments. Finally that the housing bust has continued to get worse by the day and that unemployment continues to rise. It seems like the perfect storm for people not to be able to make or grow as much money as they used to.
Lack of capital! I am a beginning investor nad only have 1k to invest right now – where do I put it to make it grow?
ack of integrity,trust. Media,politicians,feds,wall street just an incestetus bunch.Why would I put real money on the table when others can vaporise with leveraged instruments.So I have to play under the radar.At the end of the day that system needs me mor then I need it.Bring it on…
I am a homebuilder in the midwest our biggest problem; while there is some lending going on, the construction loan which we must have on each transaction is the real problem. You need a minimum of 20% in the deal and a credit score of over 700, then you have to fight for and appraisal thats even remotely within reason. Our building costs haven’t went down that much and as you know the appraisers cannot use cost, they must have comps that have sold within the last six months and I’m sure you know whats happened to prices in the last yr. We are winding up with 30 to 40 percent equity if we are able to make the deal at all.
I’ve picked about 10 different stocks that give high yields, are profitable and I have been watching them through this downturn. If I had any cash to buy them with, I would do it now, but my wife divorced me at age 69 and all I am left with is a hightly leveraged house. I might be a little up-side-down with it now too.
Manipulations caused by careless statements like change in the accounting rules as it applies to banks causing the bank stocks to rally or last fall elimination of shorting for a period of time. Continual promises for help of various types from the government for banks, car companies and state governments etc. New promises to buy government to buy certain assets or Treasuries or whatever. What kind of rally has 10 to 1 or greater lower lows to higher highs and lower oil prices?
Martin: Firrst of all, fantastic idea!!!! I think the two-way partnership is a great way to go. Thank you for doing it.
Number one obstacle to making money?
Probably good solid experience for starters. For instance, concerning your currency offerings, I looked at them a bit and don’t have ‘any’ idea what to make of it. Like having the dollar matched/teamed-up against the yen, met nothing to me. One is higher, the other lower …… just looked way to foreign (no pun intended:). I know you said 30 day money back and ‘we’ll show you exactly what to do’; but I needed some experience with it all to feel comfortable.
I think this two-way will help. thanks, take care, Dan
I don,t have enough savvy or information to predict which stocks will go up and when, so I can’t really profit much in a rally, but I know that whatever stocks have gone up, are going to go back down, until the forces pushing them down are exhausted. Ive almost recovered the 15,000 I lost in nov. with double inverse etf’s a few short sells and the dxd. I took control of my finances when I realized your newsletter made me a better investor than my broker. I have to remind myself not to get greedy, a half a loaf of bread is better than no bread at all, and I can’t expect to make money every day. I,ve made over 25% on physical silver, which I prefer over gold, as the monetary value of an ounce makes it usable as currency, if that becomes necessary
want of extra income
THE DROPPING STOCK MARKET DUE TO THE ECONOMY,AFRAID TO INVEST UNTIL
THIS MARKET REBOUNDS TO A BULL MARKET.
The biggest obstacle is knowing which investments (stocks, options, etc.) to be invested in. In this environment there is money to be made, it’s just that finding the vehicle is nearly guesswork.
Having to keep liquidity at max. as don’t know if will have a job tmrw.
I am excited about this year and anticipate the greatest year financially I have ever had.
My greatest fear is for my countries direction in our traditional values. AS for the markets you have to get the best information you can and go with it. I beleave Money and markets are doing the best job out there right now. Folks get rid of the fear and you can have profit. I never make any money when all the advisers agree.
All our investments are tied up in very low value and can’t sell anything to cash in the losses leading to loss of confidence to investment any more in our lives.
It’s a lack of Character in our Society today, and Character does determine Success. A Nation’s future will be shaped by the Character we demonstrate in our personal lives, our Businesses, our Communities, or our Government. Bad character does corrupt good morals, but one by one as individuals we can effect positively those around us by making right choices based on right motives.
Be happy with what little we have,and Pray.
My husband is now a teacher and I had an accident 5years ago, and except for one short stint have not worked for five years. We are poor as church mice. Plus we have no credit However, my plan. 1) Buy some cheap stocks that will go up. 2)Get a house,by hook or by crook.3)start my business. 4)Use the two above and any other assets I can pull together to capitalize the company 5)GROW… Somewhere along the way I either have to learn computers or find some genius who is un-employed to work for the company.
I am not sure of the direction and can’t afford the technical help of the experts.
The Obama administration and all the uncertainty of what and who the government (us with the $) are going to bail out next. Like yourself several others have predicted the problems we are now encountering. However, you say to keep money in US Treasuries. I have a lot in FDIC CDs that are yielding over 6% and don’t really want to redeem them early to invest at 1%. How much more risk do you think I am assuming by keeping these CDs? Others say to get out of the US Dollar and into foreign currencies/investments. Nearly all say buy gold, silver and commodities.
I avoided the stock market crash.
What do you suggest?
Confusion. The concensus seems to indicate equities are going down soon.
I have taken Sean’s advice and invested in gold and silver. These are doing OK.
People are talking about Bonds but I find this to be a minefield especially investing in individual bonds.
volatility
fear of losing money
the government
losing what i now have in this market.
I`m 73 years old , retired from farming and am interested in the all you say .
However, I have never been in the markets and am scared to begin now .
I`d need someone to take me by the hand or better yet invest for me until,
I got some confidence
We are both 67 and semi-retired as we run a Bed & Breakfast in Hawaii and realize we will need to keep running our business for the forseeable future. Our primary concern is one of knowledge. How to make sound investment choices in these troubled times.
kevin,its kinda of unkool to brag about your abilities when so many people here are having a hard time of it.im down to 4 work days a week and on that day off i usually do a couple block trades and make more than when i work.but i feel its more prudent to keep most of your money safe unless you have funds to speculate with.when i have to work ,i dont know whats going on and the few positions i have mostly average out gld slv dog but from what i see here it would be unwise for most of these folks to dump all their money in stocks options,futures ect.if you doing good more power to ya.
the cost of your valuable information including all related contributing services wipes out my play money
No accountibility, no Free market, too much market minupilation.
Martin-
Fortunately, I moved virtually all (95%) of my savings=taxable account (33%), IRA(33%) & Roth (10%) funds into short-term treasury funds before the market disaster. (I recently moved 28% of the IRA funds to VAIPX). I also have about 25% in the cash account of a variable annuity that I’ve had for 10 years. I feel good about not losing 40-50% of my net worth as so many have, but I know I can’t stay in this position forever (I am recently retired). I have never made money in the stock market & am very leery of it. While I expect to need only 2-3% of my money each year, how can I safely get that much yield & keep up with inflation?
Basically fear. All conventional ways of making money seem to have suffered a seachange. Practically zero interest rates. Volatile stockmarkets, down grading or disappearance of a steady stream of dividends. Currency options seem to be the best bet but again can be very volatile and some detailed knowledge is required. Current crisis is so huge and unknown, almost biblical.
unfortunately the conspiracy therory and one world govenment are on its way; can’t believe wall street or the fed. i do believe a new currency will be inevitable. gold should be held to some extent.
growth
All asset classes/segments are losing value at an fast pace. Money Market returns are dismal. Any investment risk is very high.
Information overload makes it difficult to ascertain and weigh all aspects relevant to making the investment decision. Access to analysts who have a track record of success and some reliance on their opinion can ease the process of reaching the right decision…
I have lost more than one third of my IRA of $312,000, cash value remaining is $151.000. With Lincoln Financial Group Variable Annuity. My age is 75, should I cash it in? I would put it with Weiss bear, but you require $250,000.
Additionally, with Schwab I’ve lost about $35,000 catching the falling knife. I am now not in the market, too scared
George Bivins
making money is not linear. i am in a cash building mode waiting for some big kills to make. i am not concerned about this downturn, nor the future. i am watching currencies, bonds, real estate and equities. right now, the only way to make money is by trading (been there, done that). i am an investor, and i do well buying long. there is nothing to buy long right now so i wait, one year – five years. who knows?
gov’t making economy worse, and for how long.
I know absolutely nothing about trading or stocks.
The number one obstacle is not feeling safe to take my retirement cash and make it work for me. I sold my commericial real estate, it took from last June to last week for it to close with an SBA loan for the buyer. The closing was touch and go and I wasn’t informed of the closing until 2 hours before it actually happened. I went into a contract for a retirement home in Italy and have listened to you and Mr. Crooks and by delaying and delaying the closing I have saved about 20% from last June when I signed the K.
I am scared silly. I am frozen in place and afraid to make any investment decisions since last November.
Most of the experts help to too expensive, i.e. $5000 per year.
i’m just holding my 4 bonds and2 annuities, and the rest is in money market
Martin,
what a great idea, but how can you possibly handle so many people with different needs?
I stake my financial future on your research and recommendations, but I have difficulties in the actual execution of additional orders since I am spread out too much already.
We are waiting for a call from one of your advisors to select the “keepers” and move on.
It would be helpful to have an account with you.
Thank you.
Stephen G. Weise, Ph.D.
LACK OF IT.
Too much short selling driving the market down.
My biggest obstacle, as T Harv Eker is my own brain! I feel disheartened by everything I read, especially some of your writings. No disrespect, but the sad predictions for the future are really depressing! Then our own president, who thinks he will create change, starts with the panic! We may not be able to reverse the trend if we don’t pass this thing. I haven’t gone to cash, but, I’m not be speculative either. I’m buying quality, but nothing works. Treasuries as you suggest are now approaching a negative yield, forex is a new area, but I have my doubts. My question to you, is how do you change the energy out there that is so black and forboding that you can’t cut it with a knife? I love people, and would like to help myself and others have some positive I can’s, and hope for the future. The numbers don’t look good for inverse ETF’s if you’re in at the wrong time, treasuries won’t ever make the monies people need to be wealthy, you can’t bet it all on another countries monies – what do you suggest we do to put some positive energy to work? We don’t have a financial crisis – we have a crisis of confidence. Sorry for the length of my rambling, but would appreciate some sort of response. K
Lack of funds is the only reason I am not following Jack Crooks. I have no trust issues.I hope to have a tiny bit of investment capitol next month. Jack will be seeing me soon. I can’t wait.
I am waiting for some of my capital to get freed up. I had a large investment investment which appears to have collapsed entirely (over 1 million U.S.) . I am not a rich man. That investment came from decades of saving and buying real estate then listening to the advice of investment councilors and losing it all. I still have some assets but I am leery of advice from anyone who makes a commission from my investments. I would have entered into an arrangement with Jack Crooks and his currency trading, but I am in Canada and I don’t know what the method of trading currencies is here. I am an unsophisticated investor and would need a lot of baby sitting. I have read your newsletters and have found a lot of conflicting advice from your various experts.
Complete distrust of financial advisers. They really do not know much more than I do and their motivation appears to be not what is best for me but what put $$ in their pockets. If all their advice was that good why do they have to sell me subscriptions to their advice services rather than using their funds to invest in the vehicles they recommend. Something does not add up
Basically fear and having to think in different ways about wealth preservation. Too many unknowns. Huge unchartered territory here.
That would be a near complete lack of confidence in expecting a reasonable near future return on any kinds of investments. With virtually all sectors in decline, it’s like a crap game that you can only win at against all odds. One bunch says “Invest in FX”, another says “currencies”, another says “energies”. And the list not only goes on but changes from day to day with most of the “advice givers” I hear from. How is anybody supposed to be able to successfully navigate through such a hostile, volatile sea?
As a federal employee,I invest in a 401K type of plan. I am thinking about reducing
my contribution percentage to the minimum required to get the government’s matching
contribution. With this plan,you can not short. I would then invest the additional take
home in my IRA account,where I can use reverse index funds.
Martin, it is nice of you to want to be my friend. I have listened to your program and do believe that you knowledge and espertise will help all of us recover. I am retired and invested heavily into the market in 2000 in Mortgage Reits, TMA, NLY and IMH. I lost $100,000 and it was inheritance from my father. He told me not to go near the markets. But I will take the hit for this. Now I am in my own “Home Business” with a great company and great products. Of course things are slow due to the economy
My broker did not keep me informed. Cash flow is not there now and some credit cards need to be paid off. Thanks, I still listen to you.
what are you looking for?
Having to operate with limited capital I have increasingly chosen to trade options, mostly puts, lately, of course. Last Fall was great up to December but recently the market has moved sideways very erratically ( i.e. going up in spite of a very bad unemployment report). The situation is likely to improve with time. I expect the deflationary trends to slip into high inflation in the Summer with commodities and gold rising rapidly. Stocks may bottom sooner. The pace in options is approaching day-trading and I am sure others have had to deal with increased losses, as well. Martin, I just read the the article of your German analyst. You truly have a brilliant team. God bless, Peter
My biggest obstacle, as T Harv Eker is my own brain! I feel disheartened by everything I read, especially some of your writings. No disrespect, but the sad predictions for the future are really depressing! Then our own president, who thinks he will create change, starts with the panic! We may not be able to reverse the trend if we don’t pass this thing. I haven’t gone to cash, but, I’m not be speculative either. I’m buying quality, but nothing works. Treasuries as you suggest are now approaching a negative yield, forex is a new area, but I have my doubts. My question to you, is how do you change the energy out there that is so black and forboding that you can’t cut it with a knife? I love people, and would like to help myself and others have some positive I can’s, and hope for the future. The numbers don’t look good for inverse ETF’s if you’re in at the wrong time, treasuries won’t ever make the monies people need to be wealthy, you can’t bet it all on another countries monies – what do you suggest we do to put some positive energy to work? We don’t have a financial crisis – we have a crisis of confidence. Sorry for the length of my rambling, but would appreciate some sort of response. K
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Distaste for the greed, incompetence and corruption that exists!
LOW INCOME!@!
There are too many variables to answer that one in a short sentence.
Nonetheless, Thank You, and God bless you Martin, for what you try to do everyday.
#1 block…limited capital and limited time due to age. Perhaps it’s time to forget
investing–take the money and run…er..walk. I still have some gold in my teeth
that could be removed and sold (my best investment) and a memory of a company called Textron that always seemed to do well in recovery periods. So the final block is choosing the right investment meeting my need for yield (short term and capital gain
in less then five years). Glad to meet you Mr. Weiss.
only come back if you have a specific question.
Can’t add to the pot because all funds are being used for survival of my business. I have no extra change to invest….OR RISK.
Ability and time to understand Markets and the Global interconnection. Seems like I am always “a day late (on news) and a dollar short( lack of capital). Both of which I hope you can help me improve on. Thanks Martin .
I have just moved from New Zealand I own three house’s over here which are losing value at present. I have an 8mth old who is fantastic, so one income which tends to be patchy. My ability to make the right decisions while investing has become critical.
My degree of success was good at the beginning, although am going through a ruff patch at the moment. 3mths ago I thought the US dollar could only get stronger, I have since learned timing the market seems to be more important than fundamentals.
All the tools I need to make money are available. The obstacle, as usual, is uncertainty. Your advice helps with this.
This may not be the response you were looking for, but it’s true.
I have been retired for 15 years, so income stream is now problem. Am too old to learn new tricks plus never took any economics, finance, etc. in college. Am well diversified but now must start shedding planned on future sources of income. Found myself as an ARS Fraud victim on Feb. 13, 1008 with 200,000 others who had 330 b.
at stake. (Several things still puzzle me: 1. that # is almost 1/2 the original TARP pkg and yet most people never heard of it (2) why didn’t I realize that ALL was not well at that time (3) my securities were not mortgage back or student load stuff so …..?) So I am beginning to be acclimated to the realization that this will be the end of my way of life in which I worked very hard to be thoroughly responsible for myself and selected others. Sorry to be so pessimistic – and interesting to think I was born in the Great Depression and will die in the Greatest of them all. I wish I were young again and could really cope with all the information and advice you give us, but after the ARS debacle and dreadful losses in all my holdings (except maybe some collectibles) I trust no one anymore – most of all, myself.
How do you safely get enough yield (3-4%) to supplement your retirement & keep up with inflation?
Moderation?
I live in the UK. My present interest is in currencies, but I donot know how to go about it, what procedure to adopt, or who to trust. I can only go about it in a very small way and see how it goes. The GBP/USD rates appear to be extremely volatile.
Lack of liquidity, money still left in commercial Real Estate TIC’s
The problem is trying to decide which investment vehicle you can trust.
With all the scandals and all the government incompetence and all thr corporate coruption, what is left to invest in.
A completly new paradigm shift has to occur whereby spending is redirected to “global good” not “global negative” eg Military spending should be diverted to education – illuminating such topics as ‘different priorities in the time of global uncertainty’, as well as providing educational infrastructure building.
Furthermore military budgets should be diverted to medical/hospital infrastructure improvement.
Co. restructures have had the effect of increasing unemployment – thereby limiting cashflow. Rather than continuing the promotion of a “spend” mentality – one must promote the idea of a “learn” mentality and free education should be readily available (in a similar way that you disseminate financial information via your website).
Investments have eroded. Co. accountability has to be increased; transparency has to be increased. Greater regulation needs to occur; more limiting of bonuses of non-performing (or negative result) protoganists, greater transparency of how companies are really performing. Companies that are no longer viable must be allowed to fail, not to be bailed out – it’s a house of cards.
Hedge fund managers should be made to direct their efforts towards a “common” good in these unprecedented times – a moratorium on hedge funds channeling funds away from bona fide investments should be put into action poste haste. Similarly a moratorium should be placed on subprime debt in the US to prevent individuals being made squatters in their own homes.
Marketplace volatility means that unless one understands (or is permitted) to shortsell/play options/ or buy futures – there is little to do in the marketplace except buy gold which is already trending towards being a bubble.
Speculative plays in small cap companies are frustrating & largely depend on insider knowledge, (if not rumour). It’s an unlevel playing field with too much guessing for the general public.
As a result of US greed, deregulation and rife speculation with too many people living vastly beyond their needs or means, the rest of the world has been made to suffer. Millions of ordinary people have been affected by a phenomenon that should have been contained within the US. Because of your country’s past leaders’ needs to dominate the globe populations as far away as mine, ie Australia, have been made to suffer. We have all made our “sacrifices” for the sake of the US – now it is the US’s turn to reimburse the rest of the world by showing responsible, viable, action, urgently. Throwing good money after bad will not be the solution…..a lateral solution has to be considered, urgently – a lateral solution with a focus on global issues: education, environment, the issue of over population – other health issues…..now – or there won’t be a financial system to be concerned about.
Funny you should ask! I’m long retired, age 83, trying to preserve my available capital plus “some growth” as I withdraw/use funds as needed. Risk is my biggest fear — as tempted as I have been to “get back in.” As you recommended, I’ve been in short term treasury money market funds for a number of months — possibly make the mistake of getting out of a gold ETF at the point it was heading downhill — at which point it zoomed back up over 13%! Just waiting for now — can’t handle options, etc. My advisor in “”the higher realm” suggests I wait until possibly the 3rd or 4th quarter but I am still considering gold (again!).
I am retired and have lost $100,000.00 out of my IRA. I don’t know how to build it up, to where I will feel comfortable again.
It is a self-directed IRA. Anything you advise is welcome. This IRA is my fund that I use to “live on,” when my living expenses are getting low. I don’t have a regular savings account anymore.
Thank you Martin for creating this blog of your’s where we can talk about our money worries to a real person and not to have to pay for it again.
Geraldina Howell
HELLO mR wEISS BEEN FOLLOWING YOUR INSIGHT obviously your product is talking up gold but after the fact selling info is your business however i have learnt by reading as much as i can and feel the system to make profits is on now but it will have to change and czo its obvious america will have stes seeding fro and going on their own its looking like china when Mao tse tung gained control it is serfs/peasants barons and kings it is ripe to pluck when that happens australia may be at war agian with japan and other world allies will be on there own as the split americas will be divvying up the spoils of military and minerals borders and internal wars and skirmishes gold will be adopted as a standard currency by many financial systems but the userer system will fall by the way as fairness and distribution of not wealth but qulaity of living will be demanded and taken internet conects most of world internally state created terrorism will be exposed and when people are told the terrorism is over in another country wont wash it will change for what?
The discretionary income has gravitated to a possible necessity.
When your understudies start seeing a good firm maybe turn-around, that will give me a little elbow room.
YOU HAVE MONEY AND MARKETS.
I HAVE ONLY MARKETS; NO MONEY
Being afraid to invest in any market, i.e. forex, options, EFT’s, gold, etc. Albeit, your experts give invaluable advice, and I read all of it religiously. I am afraid to commit the necessary money for the various subscriptions, in order to make the necessary investment, for fear of not only being down the original subscription price, but, also whatever is invested as a result of the advice. I guess in trepidation of pulling any sort of investment trigger.
The squirrels and weasels and other assorted neer-do-wells in power in Washington and New York. You are trying to make sense of it but its like being in the whirlpool of a drainpipe. Your advice influenced me to get out on Nov 07. Got everything parked since then.
The greatest impediment in the market is volatility and government interference,
including the new “stimulus” package. I have NO confidence in the government’s efforts to stimulate the economy. they are repeating the same mistakes made by FDR in the 1930-s, including new “Buy America” legislation. Didn’t they learn anything from the Smoot-Hawley tariff in the 1930’s?
#1. No institutional integrity is the number one reason that keeps me away from making money in today’s market.
Sidebar: Second, the Fed and their consortium of moneychangers own the U.S. Gov, Imo. Remember Mayer Amchel Rothchild’s quip? Surely a Phd remembers. If so, why try to ’sterlize’ the Fed and make it appear as American as apple pie?
Enough said!!!
SHAME ON WASHINGTON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!DOW 4000 SOON
Trust ! I am concerned with the corruption I see everywhere in Washington. How can we invest and plan for the future in order to take care of ourselves and our families when we can trust no one or what they tell us.
Thankyou for your question.
Are things any different in Australia where I live?. I have lost 90% of my investment money on the share market as I had to sell on a falling market due to a margin loan. This was borrowed against my equity. Interest on that has just climbed to 11.25%!! These criminals that caused this need hanging….and the economy of what is left of it is bailing them out!!!! I am a single mum running a farm and was trying to provide for my son and myself securing my farm after a 4 yr court battle.
So back to your question…..no money to invest, high interest rates, do not know how long I can keep going as I only have 1 months mortgage payment left now with hardly any income. Staying positive!!.
Martin;
I am a Chaplain,part time Real Estate agent, and a full time christian;
I have alittle money to invest,but little still “time to ponder investing”therefore I am not wanting this business of investing to become “my life”!
any suggestions?
Dick Valnes
Fear of whip saw as a result of volitility. It does not appear safe to hold any position for even short periods of time. This is not a market that I view as being traded by rational thinkers.
Lack of trust in anything! The behavior of the bankers is disgusting & vile! The Marie Antoinette attitude towards this whole mess is far more insulting & devastating to the American people than 9/11! At least they were our enemies, the bankers are us! The French gov’t is afraid of it’s people revolting, in the US the people are afraid of the govt.
“The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome becomes bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”
– Cicero , 55 BC
I have never realy been what you would call an investor I tryed to make money but have never been able to be in the right stock at the right time. I did however took your advise a couple months ago and made some of my 401 k money back using ETF smn. I guess I don’t meet what you would look for with your investment advise. I have about 35000 left in my 401k which I control each investment myself and 45000 in my saving account.I would like to be able to make money and I liked your summit on currencies , but I have never dealt with option or puts and I fear I would loose everything I have.Also with the little that I have it seemed expensive for me to put out 2000 dollars for something I know nothing about.I do beleive you guys know what your doing but it seems your geared to deal with people with considerable more funds that what I have.
Roger Gullett
Martin: My biggest problem is not having more money to invest. I took a big hit before I prescribed to your service, Since then I have not lost any more and have actually moved up about $5,000. I started taking money out of my mutual fund and investing it and I have done a little better than my fund manager. My fund manager is a five (5) star manager and my fund is a five (5) star fund. What really helped was when you published all those firms that you said were good put companies. I got four (4) 200 plus baggers and several 40 to 60%ers..
The market volatility, CNBC’s egotistical. self-centered. money grabbing slant on the financial news, and perceived government interference with the markets are my reasons for not trading at this time.
My wife and I are both 78. We recently lost close to $750,000 what, after about 12 years investing, turned out to be a Ponzi scheme. We now live on Social Security and a few saved, left over dollars. After this experience we, obviously, don’t trust anybody anymore and life has turned into a nightmare!
Well, I believe that the #1 obsticle is us, meaning people ourselves just not being able to make that move because of this so called market we are in. People go with the flow generally alot of times people cannot think for themselves because of fear. Fear of loss thats why people just dont want to take a risk they are afraid.If you can look at History you will find that basically ” When the going gets tough the tough get going” to make any kind of move now adays you need to be tough.If you want to call yourself an investor in anything you need to have a backbone you can’t wimp out every time the wind blows be ready to take that risk. ” Nothing ventured Nothing Gained” It’s that simple get ready to prosper make the move be ready to gain.
Hi,
So, I read the comments that were posted by others,I’m sorry for them,you can forward any or all of them to my e-mail for peptalks. I used to do a lot of things,but I remember very well sitting across from business owners or Boards of Directors and telling them they were not going to get the money they wanted because they had either not put in the necessary work to get financial support from anyone, or they were not willing to give up what they had to give up, in order to get the dollars. Unrealistic expectations combined with small thinking. Also, you have to be willing to risk,and possibly fail. I like you blog. Thank for the opportunity to ask relevant questions.
Corruption in goverment; propaganda in the media; misleading, confusing and conflicting voices of authority all leading to lack of trust and confidence. The big question of inflationary recession, deflationary depression or is it all smoke and mirrors?
A market that is driven by emotion is a great big problem. There are far too many conflicting reports on the depth of this recession.
Being 70 + years of age, I have an absolute fear for the ultimate long term and short term safety of the cash & real property assets of my children as well as mine…….and my risk tolerance is ‘zero’ for the first time in my life.
Fear, Lack of trust and confidence in our government. Greed
Lack of knowledge, experience and time to weed through the vast amount of contradicting information out there.
This situation is, in a way, a joke. But you were kind enough to offer the opportunity. Here’s the laughable part of my bog {not blog}.
I have little to invest, and thus I’m afraid to step out into the ‘low cost’ newsletter recommdendations such as Outstanding Investments or Steve Sjuggeruud’s True Wealth. I can’t be sure of those reco’s cause they’re not certain.
So along come the offers via the newsletters that show all of these absolutely certain and gargantuan amounts. but the cost of those letters is anywhere from $995 to $6,000. {yes} IAnd I surely ain’t going there.
I have complained about this to Agora more than once. Why can’t some of these outlandishly expensive letters do a ‘Tithe” of their reco’s on occasion and let us little guys get out hands on one of these ‘certainly profitable’ co’s or payouts so we can get in the door.
But I guess that’s expecting too much. Us guys who are standing out on the night curb wishing to get inside where it’s all warm and cozy just isn’t a possibility. I might be willing to risk a coupel fo thou if that came along. What have I said? I wish the rich guys would throw an occasional bone to us dogs on the curb.
Lack of trust and confidence in our government along with absent market clarity.
JUST,some positive short term positions that could give us a little more money.
I am inexperienced and have been sending currency option and stock option purchases through a full service broker. This is quite pricey! I need help in making on-line internet purchases with low fees. A simple step by step manual on this subject would give me a great deal of assurance and courage to cut a major part of my overhead.
Retired, fixed income, less than 100K in IRA, mortgage, love to try some of your programs Martin, but we need INCOME from our investments, not risky ventures, although I do subscribe to your ETF program and follow your weekly advice to the letter of the law and Safe Money Report also, as well as Nilus’s report. Most of your other programs are for portfolios OVER 100K or 250K, so what about the millions of us who are retired and in the very same fix as we? We need more help than the guys over $250K for sure!!
My portfolio was not affected too badly by the 2008 debacle, as I have about half my investments in variable annuities that have locked in much higher income benefits than the current values and I will be forced to take the income rather than wait years for the values to return to 2007 levels. This is going to put me in a much higher tax bracket when I retire in the next few years.
There is no other solution that makes sense for me.
My major obstacle is my belief that consumers who make up 70% of national spending are either losing their jobs and have less money to spend or are using all available income beyond basic needs to build up their savings or pay off debts accumulated over years of overspending. How can the economy grow until this condition is remedied? Government projects will take time to draft, engineer, bid and staff. That will take too much time given the spiral downward that is well under way. Income tax reductions in the form of lower withholdings would put more money into paychecks immediately, but that would generate little growth if most of it is saved or used to pay down debt. It will take time for individuals to get their balance sheets in order before an enduring recovery can take place. The problem- the individual consumers are not considered too big to fail!
RISK resulting from current uncertainty. The ‘professional’ advice against my better judgement caused me to lose 18% of my capital before I followed my judgement and sold my portfolio. Had I adhered to the ‘professional’ advice, my losses now would amount to some 50%.
My intention was and remains to invest for a return on capital, not to gamble my hard earned money away.
Confidence in our Government. I voted for Obama but I did not expect that I was voting for the old ‘crooks’, Clinton, Geithner, Sommers,etc. This is not change or new thinking. Today the public, and the business community, voted “NO” to Obama’s ‘ideas of change’. This financial catastrophe will not end until average Americans develop confidence in their leaders and government. We need more political parties to give us real opportunities to express our political views when we vote.
not knowing where to put the money, to much uncertainty alredy lost 100+ k on my 401K
A total lack of confidence in private sector leadership and elected representatives. I don’t know that we as Americans have the willingness to admit that we might just be wrong and that maybe a little compromise might be the answer. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike should be able to lay aside their own agendas and work together to produce a favorable solution. Our future depends on it.
I like this Idea. Looks like others have expressed my initial thoughts. And it is interesting to see the concerns of others.
Thanks Martin
Thanks you for checking out our specific needs in the area of investment.
I am living on fix income. Your help would be greatly appreciated on how to invest in and find a type of investment that generates a regular monthly income. A list of theses type of monthly cash flow income must have a reasonable risk factor would be a good place to start. What are the best choices to choose from, in Canada, China So. America, or worldwide?
Thank You for your reply. B. Y.
do I preserve what I have with treasuries or go for it by selling short?
google successful investment ulli and read his blog very informative and says stay out until the trend starts coming back.
Tight Budget and fixed income.A little leary about taking a chance
Hi Martin,
I was amazed there were so many like myself who stated the number 1 obstacle …fear! It is obvious that we are in the middle of the biggest wealth transfer ever. I have always appreciated your comments and have as you suggested focused on selling my home (while i still have equity) and eliminating all my debts. This is a time when one must do an inordinate amount of due diligence, and I thank you for your insights! The economic and political elite always will leave themselves an exit to be used when the crisis comes. We simply must be as smart as they are and locate the exits ahead of time. Happy exiting!!!!
Not taking a short enough time frame. Trends are too short for even comfortably holding over night. I’m probably defining volatility as a problem, because I prefer to trade with a longer time frame than it takes to drink a cup of coffee. This is a market of fear, not a market of investors.
Its a Great time in History you can be a part of the biggest turn around financially in the History of this country. Believe in God, Believe in yourself, and believe in country and you will be in the right place at the right time. Just wait and see!!!
We are retired and just don’t know where to go with IRA & personal savings. Most in Treasury Money Markets and Local Bank CD’s.
I don’t see any investment opportunities out there without taking substantial risk of losing capital. Our fianncial institutions have done a great harm in ruining my confidence in the system altogether. I feel the system is rigged to exploit the small investors like me. One had to be very very savy in the present environment and unfortunately I do not happen to fall in that catagory hence total aversion to risk!
For me I think it’s simply fear of what the markets are going to do next, and a lack of trust. My “really” important retirement money is safe, but I would like to be able to do some trading in our IRA’s.
I like trading options. I usually buy within 2 months expiration & at or near the money contracts. The last few months the contracts seem awfully expensive and in the past when a 5% move in the underlying stock price went my way the contract would move 20 to 40% in my favor. These days it seems that a 10% price move in the stock price results in a 10% option contract move. Not what I started trading options for.
I really don’t have an obstacle to making money in this market. I trade options in the direction the market is moving. I win some and lose some. I use your very informative resources and reports. Thanks for being there.
Low income
The fact that one cannot discern the actual financial condition of a number of companies especially those in the financial industry as details of loan covenants and leverage are cleverly disguised, as are the asset values on their balance sheets. It even happens in relatively stable food industry where for example SDA took a big hit to earnings solely based on the CFO trading currencies. So trust and transparency are paramount to rebuilding investor confidence
What is your #1 obstacle to making money right now, in this environment?
Not a fair answer/response to your question. I can’t narrow it down to just one obstacle; however, this is my answer.
1) Lack of investment knowledge and experience.
2) Declining income.
3) Consumer debt.
Lack of investment knowledge and experience. Thank you for Money and Markets and Safe Money Report. I am a new subscriber and reading these publications has help me understand how money works and flows within our economy as well as other global economies. There is much more to learn and I have a various appetite for more knowledge and history lessons. It is time I take responsibility for my own investment decisions and not rely on others.
Declining income. This deflationary economy has had a negative impact on my income. I have experienced two layoffs within a 20 month period of which my income has declined by 40%. Now 100% of my income is used for necessities and to pay down consumer debt. I have no discretionary income to contribute to a savings plan or to an IRA, whereby limiting my investments.
Consumer debt. Well consumer debt is never good it only has an eroding effect on your finances. It’s important to maintain a good pay history as many employers are now looking at a prospective employees credit scores as part of the hiring process. Low credit scores no job.
I apologize; I just could not just pick just one obstacle.
LIKE I SAID GO TO ULLI WEBSITE AND READ AND LEARN. MARKET IS A SCARY PLACE
LIKE I SAID GO TO ULLI WEBSITE AND READ AND LEARN. MARKET IS A SCARY PLACE
The time to analyze the seemingly daily changes in the investment arena, which creates fear of making any move at all! But also fear of having my current investments just continue to disappear.
Instability and irrationality of the markets. Too risky to try to play at my age.
Knee-jerk,overreactions of bussinessmen and feds on both sides of the border.
Money (lack of) and investment letters
Martin,
Well now, I believe WE have won the battle….the WAR is a far bigger concern for me. Lost about 10% over the past 1-1/2 years in the market. Now I find my business crashing since September 2008. I am searching for a job to support my family and retain my savings principal. I am looking to find safe INCOME PRODUCING investments that WILL NOT place the principal in great harms way. The market and Washington scares me.
LAZ
I’ve lost so much already, afraid to lose the rest.
I am unable to decide if productive farm land is a good investment right now, or, will it be a better buy within the next couple of years?
Uncertainty about what the economy and stock market will do next. Also, lack of proper trading education. I don’t know enough about trading yet to make good buy/sell decisions. Knowledge is POWER. I’m currently reading and educating myself about investing and trading. THERE IS A LOT TO LEARN! Your service helps.
Professionals (doctors, lawyers, pilots, etc.) learn and train for years before succeeding. Why should it be different for us? I’m sitting on a lot of cash until I feel secure that I know enough to jump back in. Burned too often in the past.
My biggest impediment to making money is the lack of money and lack of time and taxes. I want to have $2 million. If I had $1 million today, I am confident that I could turn that into $2 million in 3 years. Taxes however would take away at least $200,000 of that so I’d have to turn it into $2,250,000 to net $2 million. Unless President Obama raises capital gains tax rates which I think he will.
My problem is I don’t have $1 million today. I have very little. So the only way to make $2 million is to take unreasonable risks, borrow money, use leverage, concentrate rather than diversify. And that almost inevitably leads to disaster.
I don’t have 15 years.
Yet there are so MANY opportunities, if you have the money today. This is the greatest opportunity I have seen in my lifetime — barring a total financial breakdown and depression. You had the opportunity in the internet craze but I couldn’t value companies with great products but no earnings trading at high multiples to sales and book value. But today you have sound companies, with sound earnings, with incredible dividends, with good balance sheets, trading below 10 times earnings (some much below), trading near or below book. Those companies will double in three years or less if the economy bottoms out this year and begins to recover.
But as the lottery commercial said: “You’ve got to be in it to win it”.
YOU GOTTA HAVE MONEY TO MAKE MONEY.
My situation is that the work has become less available and the money I make for this work has gone downward as well.
I am a media producer- good ethical media regarding culture.
First of all, thanks for the excellent guidance you have provided. I read all your commentary and try to keep your advice front and center.
I am a retired Canadian who, like many my age, played by the rules (save for retirement as you can, keep debt to a minimum, live within your means, etc. etc.). It seems those we must trust have long since tossed these values aside and substituted an “I want it all now” attitude where greed and an obvious lack of ethics now rule. I feel sick for all the seniors who built and defended with their lives a free society that believed in its values, and I am genuinely concerned for the future we are leaving to generations to come.
I have little or no trust in our political leadership, financial organizations, control and oversight bodies, brokers, newsletter advisers (you are an exception).
The market is full of interference and manipulation and “spin” where analysis and logic play a very small part. Information overload is no solution.
Like many, I have lost self confidence in making the necessary decisions required of an active investor.
There is lots of investment capital available. But, I believe that until there is reason to trust the system, no “political” solution will bring it back into play.
Please keep your valued views coming. They are much appreciated.
Thanks for the opportunity to “blow off some steam”.
I think Paul Morris’ response fits mine. I don’t trust the President or his henchmen
to do the right thing. Probably steal my profits faster than I can acquire them. Even
gold is risky when the powers that be can take it away with a pen stroke. Is anything
safe? They will take my home next and it’s free and clear!!! –Probably because it is
free and clear. Too bad we can’t all refuse to report income just by saying “sorry, I didn’t know how to fill out the form”. Best now have any income – take our money away from them.
Our coutry is going down the road of socialism and in the process they are in the process of destroy our financial institution…….SELL
Fear of losing money in an investment. For instance, following a recommendation from this advisory service, like currency trading and then it goes down. Do you have a fund of your own that puts its money where the suggestions are and offer that fund to your clients?
Uncertainty……to how the excessive debt burden that exits within the nation and Business enterprises will effect investments. My gut says interest rates along with all hard assets must increase due to the increased global money supply. Yet I am not seeing any signs of that yet. It creates a concern that something I do not yet understand is impedeing natural market forces.
Restrictive retirement plan. Trapped by a 401 that is not as flexable as I would like. Like many of the other respondents I lack confidence in the market, fund managers, and the government to do the right thing.
I would also like to see a model portfolio from each of your WR contributors so that I could get an idea of their performance.
capital
Don’t understand the technical indicators as when to go to cash in time to avoid excessive loss. Listening to my adviser was 100% wrong. Not enough trustworthy individuals in the business.
FOR SOME REASON I PERSUADED SHIRLEY — AND WE BOTH SOLD ALL OUR STOCK
HOLDINGS AROUND SEPT. 19, 2006 — AND WE BOTH ARE VERY QUEEZIE ABOUT
GETTING BACK IN — ESPECIALLY WITH THE DOW DOWN 382 — AND WITH THE
PRESENT “LEADER”.
Inability to know what kind of mess the government will make next.
1. Lack of capital.
2. Financial Advisors (RIA’s) selection of Mutual Funds which have performed miserably
Trying to decide if I need to change Jobs after 23 years just so I can get control
of my 401k, pension, and then roll them into an IRA
Uncertain market and lack of liquidity by banks. I am looking forward to the currency program.
Can I trust someone who does not have any bussines to be trusted?
Definitely YES!
Fear of loss of value. Yields are so low that it is extremely risky to try and invest and diversification is not available.
I wish we had some optomists out their i am watching the nightly news and nothing but negative. Hey maybe we are at the bottom.????????
The Government is the problem. Everytime I make a logical dicision based on what is happening (finance, housing), the government steps in and throws money at the problem and distorts the markets. I’m starting to get fearful of buying any
more ETF ultrashorts because the gov. may step in at any time and ban them.
ESPECIALLY WITH THE DOW DOWN 382 — AND WITH THE PRESENT “LEADER”.
No cash! I am 100% in T Bills.
my stocks are down,way down.
no fresh money to invest.
would not quite know where to trust at this point.
When there is crisis what is the right thing to do? Thats right, never panic! Why? Well because when we panic we make mistakes, i believe that is part of the reason why we are in this market, our goverment paniced and made some very critical mistakes that affects us all. Lets face it our goverment needs to get back to ” of the people” “by the people” and “For the people” They have forgotten about us. Maybe it’s time to remember us “THE PEOPLE”
with only 3K to invest can’t afford to spend 1K on a newsletter. Only when I am sure like I knew housing prices were going down I invested in SRS. Have to be very careful with what little I have.
Lack of capital.
The risk of losing principal and the weakness of any of the organizations where you can invest as well as the lack of confidence in any of them.
LACK OF CASH FLOW FOR REINVESTING IN OUR COMPANY…WE FEEL STRONGLY WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT BIG LEVEL OF 300% INCREASE AND ALSO WE COULD INVITE SOME INVESTORS TO MAKE, TOGETHER WITH US, SOME GOOD PROFITS IN THE RANGES BETWEEN 12%-18% ANNUALLY .
PS: OUR WEBSITE STILL IN CONSTRUCCION..SOON WILL BE UP COMPLETE.
Several: low to middle income single mom of 2 (well behaved) teenagers. I have been following your newsletter + the Elliot Wave newsletters on + off for many years + because of your advice I’ve had my (very small) 401k acct in cash for several years, was able to talk my parents into doing the same thing + we have not lost a single penny: I CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!!!!
I finally made the decision to open a $3000 acct at Scottrade + have invested in a subscription to Mike’s ETF Trader (along with an HP mini laptop so I can make a trade at work if I need to :). I’m not afraid of this market because I know I can trust your advice. It’s been a learning experience these last 2 months (buying, selling, setting stops, learning not to buy “Rapid Fire” ETFs with unsettled funds, setting alerts so i don’t miss Mike’s recommensations,etc..)but reading your newsletters in combination with the Elliot Wave Short Term Update gives me the confidence to know that you are so right: ultimately, the Dow will see 5000 (+ much lower) but there WILL be huge bear market rallies along the way just to confuse everyone.
For me, the only hold up right now is trying to work with such a small acct but ultimately I will be fine because of all the FANTASTIC advice coming from you + your whole team: you’re doing a great thing for all of us + I hope that more of your subscribers will begin to feel more confident in following your advice.
I’m looking forward to someday having enough money to invest in some of your other subscriptions!!! Thanx again!
I havent a clue on how to invest. It’s all Greek to me. Where do I start learning?
With the economic crisis affecting many average and above average income households, there is demand for private classical piano lessons (my profession) .
I am skeptical about trading foreign currencies because it is so uncertain and volatile, don’t trust bonds, or stocks either and simply do not understand ETF’s and have more faith in purchasing gold but am confused whether to buy numismatic, bouillion, gold shares or gold certificates.
I’m 76 yrs. old & have not used any of my nest egg thats in bank cds at 3.5 -4% and ee & I bonds plus cash and gold and silver coins in safety deposit boxes. I also have cash enough for a few years. I think
my bonds are safe but may I ask , are they safe? Don
..to get caught in a wave of hyperinflation while fully invested. You buy a gold bar/stock/ETF…., and it doubles in price. Next thing you know inflation is 500% per annum. Impossible? Quite the opposite: the goal. Help!
I avoided the large loss in 08 by going to cash to pay down and pay off a home mortgage and improve my cash flow. Still into thee only fertilizer that pays a decent dividend in my ira, so it doesn’t matter whether its a short term or not. Since I’m in my last quarter, I’m not afraid to take short term gains. Long term, we’re all dead. Largest problem: the current and past political administrations over the past 25 years and the Fed with their printing presses. gold and silver may take part of the sting out of recent stimules.
please go to this website and learn……http://www.successful-investment.com/
please go to this website and learn……http://www.successful-investment.com/
I use a broker that takes 3 days to clear a trade, and therefore when recommendations are made, I have to sell and wait until my money is available. Do you have a faster system in place, and how do I move my investments into your system?
I just need to build my reserves again and build up my investment knowledge.
There are no sustainable trends. I cannot watch the market every minute to make in and out trades. In only a few hours the market (sectors, etc.) will change direction.
Martin,
I see an economy and a currency on the verge of collapse.
Based on BDI (Baltic exchange Dry Index), which reflects a sharp downward spiral on the movement and demand of goods worldwide, my primal response is vindicated. I have gone into survival mode assuming the US treasury will run out of money or hyperinflate it via printing press and no longer be able to support social services which could lead to a complete collapse of society as we know it. Based on this view is there really someplace to invest?
I have had all my life bad experiences to be in the stock market and I am now 72 years old. This time is so scary you can not trust anything. My wife told me to get out of stocks for the rest of our life. And for the moment I agree completely.
Everything can go the other direction. For example gold is a loss for me while there is a crises. I bought 3 bonds, 2 of them are chapter 11 and one will may be going under this year. The stock market suppose to go down while other “experts” tell me that there is a
rally coming this year. Who is right in the coming month. I was planning to buy reverse ETF’s but I am scared that this will also go against me. This was it Martin. Thanks for letting me give you my opinion. Hank Kouw.
I subscribe to the Safe Money Report and Larrys Real Wealth Report and have managed to stay just slightly ahead. I would like to subscribe to some of your specialty publications but because of the steep prices a chunk of my available cash to invest would be used up.
I am not liquid enough. I invested mainly in Real Estate.
Who do we trust or even believe.
Fear of and confidence in the unpredictability of our socialist-leaning government, especially with the majority of both houses and presidency under democratic control.
The one thing this whole thing has proven to me is, NO BODY KNOWS WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO FIX THIS MESS! By this I am saying, the people we have put in charge rule by trial and error, not from knowledge. They have been placed there by popular vote, not bassed on knowledge and experience. It is such a shame, we the most profitable nation in the world, can not have a better way to manage our national economy.
My big concern is SAFETY, where is it?
71 years old, no debt, home paid for, $500K+ in MM funds, and CDs, (almost always what I have been in) which are maturing to go into the MM funds within next year, and thus have miserable earning potential for the immediately forseeable future.
But, I have finally seen the financial markets and many banks, mortgage lenders and other major U.S. businesses act in the way that I had long expected they would, and I have actually gained a little (pre-inflation), rather than losing 25-50% in these last two, horrible, years. My reasons are simple really, and they relate to the first principle …”first, don’t lose any money”.
I do not want any single month’s account statement to show a balance lower than the previous month — I have paid too dearly, in foregone enjoyment and self-denial, for my life savings accumulation. Oh, sure, I know about my losses to “inflation” over the years, and I would certainly like to do better. Any, risk-free, bright ideas from your several newsletter editors (who are not very consistent, and often of “differing expert opinion)? I thought not…
Fear and no confidence in present government proposals in stimulus bill.
I donot have any confidence in the financial markets any more. I want to invest and make money but
I don’t know where to start. Why is the dollar gettingh stronger? With our debt so high and interest
rates lowd I don’t see how I could trade the dollar long against the Euro and other currencies.
f you have any suggestilons let me know.
I.VE AN EMPTY CONDO THAT I/VE BEEN TRYING TO SELL FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS
I have to work during the day and cant monitor the market at all times- so I sometimes miss opportunities.
What I urgently need:Accurate and reliable short-term timing alerts.
Deciding when the deflation will end and the rapid inflationary period will begin.
Per your advice, I am mostly in cash, with gold and silver a basic position for long range.
Just going with all cash, seems to be a holding pattern , with no clear guide to move ahead with any investment. Waiting for DJ to be 5000, and P/E to be low is a long wait.
What is the path you chart?
By the way are you selling your second home in Brazil, as you are suggesting I do about my second home in Florida? It is almost unsaleable right now.
Unfortunately unemployed. Money is tight. For necessities only right now.Still keeping up with your newsletters and taking notes for future.
My overall goal, make money.
My more urgent goal right now, is to save money. Trading paper for gold and silver is the number one best way I know to do that. I am doing that. One ounce US coins are my choice. Next stockpiling basic foods, non perishable and canned,drinking water, toilet articles, a large supply of household paper goods. Bleach, epsom salts vinegar
salt ammonia, dish and laundry detergents, alcohol [rubbin and drinkin.]
I will add to my first aid supplies and buy extra under ware and flashlights and
batteries.
Remember “THE COLD WAR?” Russia Cuba China
Jim Corbin
The concern that the size of the national debt is out of control unsustainable and lack of any economic sense from the members of Congress.
stock market,.. feeder cattle prices, high in put costs…etc
Caution Not sure feds know what their doing.
Uncharacteristic market unpredictability and volatility. The ‘meltdown’ seems manipulated, and markets and money are not behaving in typical fashion, and I suspect only a handful of insiders know exactly why, and only they know what is going to ‘happen’ next. The deck is stacked. The financial knowledge I’ve garnered over the years suddenly doesn’t work due to unseen and unseemly external factors beyond my control, but not within my knowledge so I can do something about it.
My biggest obstacle is my broker at Merrill who has been in denial for the last two years while I tried to convey to him your documented and CORRECT advice concerning the economy and the market. I followed some of your advice (gold, a few inverse ETF’s) and raising cash,) but not enough to save my wife and me from a six figure paper loss.
BB
PS I requested a portfolio review but haven’t heard from you.
My biggest issue in getting going and in particular getting access to ETF’s etc is that I live in Australia and I am not sure how to do it from here.
Lots of cash .Dont know where to put it.No trust in the economy that it will stay togetter.
Number one: The changes Opra, oh sorry, its OBama will be creating will be too many, too heavy, and too noisy in my pocket!
Number one: Under this climate of high volatility and extreme uncertainty, and not knowing how long this so-called change will take to gain traction, and when we will see the sunshine again, I will soon be dipping into my investment fund for food money. Hey, I started out with different baskets, but I sold them all on eBay for dog-food, now I just have one.
It is hard to make money on your money when there seems to be nothing safe to invest in! Even the paper gold and silver markets may be rigged by the crooks. Buy some subsistance farm land deep in the hills and survive if you can. 10 acres of remote land, half in woods, a walking plow, a cutivater and a few breeding stock, goats, sheep, chickens, a milkcow for milk and a beef calf from her each year if you can breed her to a neighbors bull. But stay away from the governments bull- it is toxic!
There is only one problem and thats the grey matter between my ears.
To Karen,
It is a case of not losing money, rather than making money. Better to miss some upside than sustain downside this year, and maybe next year as well. Cash is King.
ETF’s have a very high hidden cost, which manifests as a small nibble every day thru the cost of how they effect their positions. ETF’s are not a buy and hold vehicle.
USTreasuries will default at some point. That said, Zero % (or 0.50%) govt financing rates can procrastinate that day of reckoning for years, making the timing of when the ‘new money’ will manifest most difficult to predict, and when to not be holding USGovt paper.
If you thought ‘timing’ was difficult in the stock market, trying to trade options in the stock or futures markets or foreign currencies in the FOREX market, there timing is 3x to 10x more crucial for success. Stay away from Forex it will kill you, if not from the intense time to learn it well.
Stay with what you know. If you know Real Estate, like I do, stick with that, and wait for the opportunities that you can understand. Use these difficult times to be out of the markets, and to take a vacation away from it all, keeping an eye on things, until the tide has turned and the money supply and the ease of credit returns to normal levels and prosperity has at least a chance of a return to normalcy.
Best, Kovilhelm
I subscribed to currency options but all my cash is in IRAs.
The government constantly experimenting and interfering with the operation of markets so that I get whipsawed and a thin trading range. The government is intentionally proping up certain institutions at the expense of investors and other banks. The are manipulating hard assets like gold and silver through interventions in the market etc.
Dr. Weiss I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the newsletters daily. As a single and almost retired woman, my only setback right now is having enough money to even think of investing. Are there places you can invest that don’t require alot of $$. I have never invested in my life, so I don’t know the first thing about it, but at times I think about throwing my hat in the ring, then I read about the losses and change my mind real quick..ha,ha. However, it’s good to keep up with the information on what’s happening around the world! Thank you all so much for your informative newsletters!! God Bless you all!
I think the biggest challenge for me is patience. I have gotten to fast markets where one can make money by buying low and selling high (of selected stocks). Now, one has to be net on the “short”-side. It is not as easy to sell high and buy low consistently. While I have “preserved” capital (thanks to your advices), it tests my patience to sit tight while the overall market drifts downwards. Fortunately, I don’t need to make money, per se, to make my living so I can afford to sit tight but it is not as easy.
Getting information that you can trust
Martin,
I lost big due to annunities and have only $5,000 to invest. What program that Weiss provide should I use? Thanks
Hal
Outsourcing, creative destruction, low income and reinventing myself.
“Unknowns” and “Lack of Confidence (Faith)”.
There are always unknowns, but in the past I felt there were people I could have faith in to have a reasonable understanding of these unknowns. Today, that faith is gone.
I am 100% cash! I am waiting for the market to show direction…maybe today’s the day!
Fear! Currency trades sound intriguing but dangerous. I’d like to learn more, but I am unwilling to fork over $2500. Besides, I have a job; I don’t have time to watch currency movements all day. I am debt free and have a significant chunk of cash in the bank. I need help in finding a safer place to put it. I’ve talked to an advisor only to get the same old stocks and bonds song and dance.
Fear for the future economy. Fear of our own government. The lack of a cohesive and reasonable long term investment strategy. Even your associates are divided!
The absolute uncertainty of this market. The Government keeps throwing money at each problem from Housing to Banking, without thinking about what the true cause of the dilemma is. My theory? The baby boomers had launched the greatest economic boom in our history and they are now causing the largest bust in our history. Baby boomers are beyond their peak earning and spending years and are entering retirement where their spending will decrease even further. Our economy is 2/3rd consumer spending. The more the baby boomers halt their wild spending, the more our economy will contract. No amount of money thrown at this demographic fact will alter the outcome. It will simply bankrupt us. So, where do you turn for any market gain? KMarch
My situation is that work has become less available and the money I make for this work has gone downward as well.
I am a media producer- good ethical media regarding culture.
Mara Katt makes sense with regards to an overview of the current global problem.
A paradigm shift needs to take place- competition needs to replace monopolies…
what is needed is new world socialism not old world capitolism!
There needs to be a revolution of the heart and mind…
until this happens, it will be greed that killed the beast!
I can’t seem to be able to tell what the government is going to screw up this week!
My problem is confidently believing that the market is going to continue to crash. Your research has the most data and logic to it, in my opinion, but this was also the case during all the rallies and bottoms in the stock market since I’ve been following your work (off and on since the mid 90’s). A clock that is stopped is going to be right at least once a day. I’m sure you get that a lot. I hope you do, anyway.
Erlanger also says the bottom is probably not in yet. His work is fairly unique and very logical, and he isn’t a stopped clock. But he talks tentatively, as if he’s not really ready to commit to a position.
ChangeWave says the bottom is probably not yet in, or at least we will re-test the lows, but as always, Tobin continues to recommend stocks that continue to lose tons of money. It’s amazing, really. He says the market is going down, and in the same breath says buy this list of stocks. To give him due credit, however, he now has a few short ETF’s in place to “balance” the barn door after the cows are out. And to his great credit, he called the bottom of the tech bubble burst with breath-taking precision. I was there and continued to listen to those who said the market is going down further. So I missed the bottom completely.
Of course there are numerous talking heads and gurus who say the bottom is in and we’re going up. It’s difficult for me to ignore them. And the market is discounting bad news like I’ve never seen before in my life. That’s generally a sign of a bottom, I suppose.
So that’s my problem. I think the market is going to puke from here (2/9/09), but I don’t have the courage of my convictions because the loudest and most studious voice (yours) sings one note, year after year… the “Four Horses of the Apocalypse.” You’ve been ultimately right about everything, but your timing is not useful to a trader (to put it politely). john swingtrader doe
Hi Martin,
Firstly, thanks to you and your team for your well researched valuable insights and straight talking.
My money is in Euros as I am based in Ireland. I am a subscriber to ’safe money report’ but fear that if I follow the recommendations and buy into the US stock market and hence the USD, a later fall in value of the USD-EUR exchange rate when the positions are sold, could negate any profit on the positions especially when fees and taxes are taken into account.
I know that there is a German publication of ‘Safe Money report’. Does this report deal mainly with Euro denominated investments? If so, could I change my subsription to receive this instead, so as to take the currency variable out of the equation? It would be great if there was an english language version of the German edition too.
Thanks again
John
no job
Mr.Martin Weiss ,
Thank you for the Blog,the hard work…!
Ica Vaszy
lack of discipline
There are no good income low risk options. To much volatility and a major lack of confidence due to the govt. and wall street mismanagement of our financial institutions.
Trading options with the downside protected.
The major banks credit card departments raising their interest rates to extreme levels as well as requiring larger monthly payments. WE should put a 10% limit on interest rates on the cards irregardless of the card holders problems.
I’m waiting on your currency program to arrive. As soon as I am comfortable with the knowledge that I am expecting to learn , I beleave most of the obstacles will be removed. I know currency trading is probably the best way to make money in these troubled times.
Martin, thanks for the heads up on the crash! I am tired of losses and have cash ready to pounce but trends are fearsome with no bottom in sight. I plan to work longer at age 62. Oh well.
My main obstacle is that I’m 72 years old and have a substantial, but limited net worth, and income, neither of which I have time remaining to replace. Thus I am very risk averse.
Fortunately, my business plan is working well. . . as long as too many of my customers don’t go broke.
First, thanks to you and your team Martin for excellent advice in 2008. I do not want to be a trader, although, I am reluctantly doing some trading. I look forward to the time that I can make long term stock and mutual fund purchases with confidence again.
Glad I’m not the only one. I run a mom and pop shop, and we are actually doing better than expected. Because we are self employed in something that’s risky, we do this with little or no debt, we are in the jewelry business, which has ALWAYS been red-lined by the banks, so I’m on net 30 with my suppliers. (Who also don’t have much in the way of bank loans, because bean counters don’t loan to jewelry businesses.)
What worries me is more taxes, more governement regulations to deal with. I got everything out of the stock market a year ago, I’m been trying to figure out where to put what I’ve got in my IRA, and I’m just plain clueless. All I can see is this: print money=economic disaster. I see a lot of people from all over the country and the world, because of my shop, and people all over are just plain worried and scared about the future. I think what has already happened is just the begining of a bigger mess.
My problem is trusting the system or anyone at the other end of my $$$$, handling the exchange. Secondly, we are headed for a huge depression and no one is going to stop this runaway freight train. Especially Liberal politicians. Tell me I’m wrong..And I hope to Hell I am wrong…
My bigest impediments are Taxes and Government over regulation.
Low interest rates on savings accounts. I am in a high cash position, as per your Safe Money Report, and am long time retired. Would like to get better return on my “safe” money which is stashed in U.S. Treasury money market accounts.
GOVERNMENT LUNACY CREATING A $4 TRILLION DEFICIT ($3 TRILLION JUST TODAY), AND GROWING. MANIPULATION OF THE COMMODITIES MARKETS, PARTICULARLY GOLD……….
SO MUCH FOR CAPITALISM AND LASSEZ FAIRE…. WE SHOULD NOT BAIL OUT CROOKS, SELF ABSORBED CEO’S, AND UNDER-CAPITALIZED FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND CORPORATIONS SUCH AS GM, BAD BANKS, THE WALL STREET ELITE, ETC. LET ‘EM FAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THEN WE CAN MAKE SOME REAL MONEY.
Biggest obstacle – dishonest or misinformation in the market. All the investing experience, economic training….etc, it seems like the rules we have learned over the years are meaningless. Oil at $60 to $140 to $44 …… in 6 months? Something is not right, which makes it difficult to invest.
The lack of any investment offering reliable prospects of a positive return.N.B. Gold is overbought now,guys.It has become a fools’ bandwagon.I see it as an ‘emperor’s new clothes’ situation.
Are you really reading all these messages?
For what it’s worth, I think that the most difficult aspect right now is the “Bungee syndrome”. One day, the FED says something, the DOW goes up (or down), the same afternoon Bernancke cough a good word, the market goes up. If he says something at a bad timing, then it’s down! The “Bungee syndrome”… As the ordinary person, we don’t know where to turn. A few months ago, I read from some very trusted source, that Citigroup was THE stock to be in, after it had lost 20-30%. He said that eventhough it might go down a “bit further”, the wait was worthwhile, with its dividend, etc. In 5 years, from now, we would all laugh at this…. Well, I didn’t have to wait that long to laugh! Being a technical analyst myself, I decided to let that train pass… and now, I’m the one who is laughing. So, that’s another BIG problem, how can we trust people like that… and like you! ;-)
Due to market volatility, almost all asset classes seem to have too much risk and too little reward. Buy and hold strategies in the past 2-3 years have caused large losses and it seems that even professional money managers are not having positive results in this investment environment.
Other than gold and a few careful currency trades, preserving capital for the next year or more seems like the only sensible investment strategy, with negligible return.
I want to invest and have my money grow, I can only start with 500 dollars, and I know that is hard to compound in this economy. If you buy a course on investing, they range from 500 -3000. I know you have one on the forex market for 2500. This where I am at. I am not sure if these investment courses on just for the people selling them are making their money off the people buying them. My question is, If all these people are making all this money in the markets, why do they need to sell a course?
thank you.
At 85 years old I need income from my IRA account. Low interest rates won’t do it.
What do you recomend?
Lack of finances for my company.
Unlike most who have posted, I do not perceive major obstacales to making money at present. Quite the contrary, there are many more quality stocks on sale (well below their intrinsic value) than I have the funds to purchase. However, I have still been buying within my means and expect to have a number of doubles and triples by next year.
I’m not concerned if we are right at the bottom yet – we may or may not be, but I think we’re close. I am buying large cap blue chips with great balance sheets, high credit ratings, lots of cash and free cashflow & good dividends, as well as tax free Canadian income trusts (primarily oil & gas) which are paying excellent distributions in the 11-20% range (distributions paid monthly – I’m retired so this is important).
As a Canadian resident, we seem to have entered this recession with better set of conditions here than most other countries. Our banking system is rated #1 in the world because the government never stopped regulating it & because maximum leverage allowed is 16:1 (vs. 24:1 in the US and a whopping 69:1 in Europe). Our housing market is down a bit but has not crashed. The Canadian federal government has reported fiscal surpluses for the past 7-8 years and these surpluses went to pay long term debt down substancially. Not we are entering a budget deficit period to pay for stimulii, but we can afford it. We have also had a trade surplus for 10 or more years. I look at the US & Europe situations and shake my head as to how badly they have managed their affairs in recent years. They know better, so it must just be greed.
My single biggest problem right now is whether to invest in good US shares. There are a number I want to buy but I expect the US dollar to crash against the Canadian dollar sooner than later due to the sheer debt burden. You can’t print money ad infinitum, without backing, and expect it to hold it’s value. When (not if) the US dollar depreciates, I will take a bad currency hit on the great US stocks I wish to purchase. I fear it could be more than the anticipated gains. (However, the converse to this – US citizens investing in the Canadian market using their US dollars – would be a dream come true for me. US citizens can get great stock appreciation as well as a currency gain when the US dollar crashes).
Best of luck to all. I fear the comments on this blog generally reflect a mood that’s too negative. The beginning of an upside is closer than many believe & there are some true bargins out there for savy value investors. Just as Warren Buffet!!
I guess right, but then the government steps in and keeps changing the rules!
Both my wife and I are unemployed, living in a small town that has a very poor track record of employment in good times much less now. I’m considering relocation to a better job market (if that exists) although are main investment is our house which would be difficult to sell and renting it out could be challenging. It is hard to make a desicion on the best course of action.
No jobs! I have my own business, and my husband does too. Mine is in Accounting, my husband’s is in Architecture. Neither of us is getting clients. Things are really slow right now.
Preservation is the operative word in this uncertain environment based on the wealth destruction that has occurred in 2008 and will most certainly continue in 2009. Consumption levels at 70% of GDP are unsustainable and until the economy resets to a more sustainable level that traditional investments (investments not aimed at a declining market) will continue to suffer. We might have to look back 15-20 years to see what a sustainable level is. The ride downward will be painful no doubt with unemploment reaching levels(# of people not just percentages) that we have not seen for many years eroding confidence further. People need to learn to live within their means. The downward unwinding of the derivatives problems in the financial institutions could continue for several more months. If one is willing to take some risk on reverse ETFs, put options, and short of stocks you may be able to maintain parity in this tough market as you have many times noted in your communiques.
The sincere belief that God is control (not man) and America is paying for its greed. The bailout will not work because the same greedy people are trying to rob the masses and safe their current system. Bailout the car industry when they have been robbing the public for years as has insurance, health industry and real eatate. The system is broken, America can not export all jobs and expect to still have money in the system to borrow from. When you are an import nation (including illegal immigration) someone else is getting the profit. Not only that- we are just talking ecomomics here-any major catastrophe natural or war will tank the whole world. Now isn’t this the most pessimistic of all views.
I trade the precious metals market. My greatest difficulty in trading is the apparent market manipulation going on constantly
I am a Boeing 757 and 767 captain for a major international airline. My inflation-adjusted pay is more than 35% lower than it was 8 years ago, my pension was frozen to a small fraction of the amount promised when I was hired, my Florida home and rental property have both collapsed in value, and I am much deeper in debt than I was 8 years ago, or even 4 years ago.
A thousand thank you’s go to Weiss Research, whose advice kept my losses to a minimum in my 401k and defined contribution retirement accounts last year and so far this year. This has truly been the ONLY bright spot in my finances.
IMHO, America and Americans do NOT need any more debt. The only sure way to get desperately needed money back into the hands of the middle class (aka “consumers” in our consumer-driven economy) is through improvements in pay and benefits, which have been flat to down for most of the past decade, even though the prices of most things have skyrocketed.
Republicans
I have been trying to sell a couple of properties in the UK for over 5 months but banks are not lending yet! Wanted funds to trade forex.
I throughly enjoy reading your newsletters and advice it allows me to have great discussions with collegues and friend. Many thanks.
Lack of trust in the system and govt influence in a free market supposedly.
Skepticism! Although trading currencies looks good, for every winner there has to be a loser! This means I’m pitting my limited experience and resources against the “smart money”. Statistically, as far as trading is concerned, only 20% are winners so there is a very good chance that I would be part of the 80% loser category and funding the 20% of winners. I’ve done the day trading and CFD’s and it is very stressfull but I may consider “looking over the shoulder” of a successful trader as it would appear that full time success requires a full time application!
Either the govt. is stupid or they don’t have any idea what to do.
All that i seem to hear is Fear negative responses BOO HOO the market this the market that . Get some backbone make a move get ready to profit! Oh no you can’t profit in this market poor me bullxxxxxx dont let somone or something else dictate your destination! Listen ask yourself where do i want to be? where am i going right now? and if where you are is not where you want to be,Than change directions DUMMY! its like driving a car if you miss your turn go around the block and get back to where you need to be .The problem is people dont want to go around the block to get back there because it might take a little longer. But think about this the farther you go the wrong way the farther you have to go to get back. So change directions now and it wont take so long.
not at all certain as to the short term direction re market’s,economy,etc
Still financially recuperating from 2008.
fear to invest because of lack of knowledge
Low interest rates on bonds, cds, etc.
My problem is the 545 people in Washington DC. Who created this whole mess. They need to be replaced.
Fear of losing my job. I work for a state, the public sector. There is real talk of layoffs. I am not a young man any more.
Probably information overload with just too many conflicting information such that it is hard to know which side of the market to play. Besides that, there is the nonsensical nature of the market in which a company loses 5 billion dollars but goes up some 15% the next day and then you may have company grow earnings 200 fold only to go down by 20% following that. in such an environment what is a trader to do but simply throw up your hands in disgust. There is often no rhyme or reason for market moves, especially in the short term, other than to maximize individual losses. Thanks for all your hard work Martin in trying to give us some sense in a market that is often too filled with nonsense.
The Goverment & the dam Democrats
Total distrust of financial markets. It’s an insiders’ game. J
Lack of cash. I own gold and oil stocks and ETF’S. I’m just waiting…..
Have already lost 32%. Holding 30%of remainder cash out of fear what the incompetent managers with questionable morals will do. Hope the new regime can learn before they have us buried in debt forever.
No trust in world’s bankers, particularly US & UK.
government intervention
Waiting for settlement of one property and sale of principal place of residence. Will put me into significant cashed up position to invest without any debt.
fluid cash flow, finding a way to generate another stream of money to invest in the market, I am starting to realise that no matter what mess or level the markets are at there will always be an opportunity to capitalise or make money, wether going long or short if stocks are rising or falling, but yes timing !!! that is the key. Hey come on over to good old England and join the party we are having a wonderfull time here as well !!
Don’t have money to invest.
Lack of trust in our national financial plan
I have read a few comments and finally gave up reading. Everybody seems to be having different interests and a different approach of the market, not to talk of their needs.
I’ve been short since September when I started playing with you and have come out moer or less even money so far. Is it worth it ?
I am more of a speculator than an investor and I play with one million appx. The rest is in gold as you advised me to.(one million)
I find it very difficult to do everything you advise us to do since I am not always in front of my computer and very often, the time difference between Europe and the US is too important to react on time.
I have been thinking of giving you part of my portofolio to manage and have been hesitant about calling you because I feel that though your advice has always been clear and always made sense as regards to your market perspective, I have never bee able to make any money (or so little) following part of your instructions.
Maybe I should finally contact you to see if you can do better for me by yourselves ?
My bank in Switzerland is SCS Alliance in Geneva. How would you work with them if I gave you my portofolio to manage ?
You can call me in Switzerland at he following number: +4179 6073829 until the 15th of Feb or on +1809 7064992 in the Dominican Republic after that date where I will be staying until the 2nd of May.
Regards
Remy Pfenniger
Hi Martin, I’m probably your oldest member, 81 yrs old & have been a
subscriber for some 5-10 yrs. Mostly I have followed the advise in the
Safe Money report, but have also used some from Real Wealth & some
from Sean & Tony also for a couple of yrs plus did some stuff on my own.
Made some mistakes along the way & lost about 1/3 of my portfolio in
2008. To answer your question, I have such a small portfolio I find it hard
to get ahead very much (28,500) is all I have right now, but am ahead
by $1000 so far this year. I am also trying out Mike Larson’s COET &
Jack Crooks World Currency Alert, but the fees are probably more than I
should be paying for such a small portfolio. I wish I could get it all in the
Safe Money Report, guess I’ll know by the end of the year if it was worth
it! Don’t keep much in savings, just inverse funds, gold, & a few infra
structure stocks,& 2 currency etf’s & Pot (my favorite from last yr)& Moo.
fear, disappointed in our government spending all those billions. Afraid of running out of money and having to burden my children for support as I get older and unable to earn any money
For a swing trader trading short,long, & options since may 08. Do not see any obstales in this market. This market is for the highly experienced trader.
The ones who created this mess are still collecting pay from us. We are victims.
Volatility is just too high. Up then Down, then Up then Down in trading ranges — in virtually every asset class.
Martin, Truthfully my current concern is not how to make money, it is how do I presearve the money that I have. The biggest problem facing me today is, is the economy heading for full blown deflation or hyper inflation? I realize that you are fully on the side of deflation but 9 out of 10 other financial writers are on the side of hyper inflation. In the past you have been correct more often than the others and therefore I am following your advise with about 75% of my monies but the other 25% is not tied up so tight that it can’t be moved. Todays market said a lot about Obamas plans and abilities to implement.
Frankly, I feel the only real limit is the small amount of money I have available for spec. I have every confidence that you and your team will keep us on the right path and protect our savings as well as will be possible.
I’ve already lost way too much money in this market. I don’t have any more to invest right now
Not knowing what the fruitcakes in Washington might do to further damage and indebt the economy
a safe 7% a year!
my wife holds me back. after loseing 200k she has a good reason. I now believe every thing martin says and will wait at least another 6 months.
I think that we are in the most dangerous economic condition that I have ever seen and I am 76 years of age. I really dont see a way out of this mess and it of course impairs me
from being what I would deem to be an aggresive trading personality. I am defensive,
negitive and totally convinced that we are being led in washington by a pack of orang ‘tangs. who self interest comes first. I am a member of the CME having maintained the gold deck during the late seventies. In more recent years I have been to Mongolia thirteen times leading and expedition searching for the lost tomb of Ghengis Khan. Getting to know me won’t be boring Martin ………..I promise you ! Maury
It just doesn’t seem to matter what I do, the market will swing wildly in the opposite direction in a few days and I lose money!!! It seems very difficult to “make a buck” any more, even in low risk options and inverse ETF’s.
EMPLOYMENT – If its easier to creat money than it is jobs then someone is putting the harse before the cart, something is wrong.
Main concern is not having the banks collapse now after all that has been done for them.
I subscribed originally to Weiss for their wonderful bank worthiness surveys. My pitiful accounts don’t challenge the $100K FDIC guarantee, but employers use these banks to store income before disbursements, and these accounts are huge and NOT guaranteed.
Also the health of PBGC as I am 67 now and not much wiggle room. BUT as an officially old person I can turn on all my retirements and KEEP WORKING, but then will be a huge target for the Obama tax-everyone-over $250,000 of income plan. It seems this once in a lifetime opportunity to get the credit cards paid off, and get ahead of the game before finally stopping work is a minefield. In this environment nobody is unscathed.
Unstable US Markets & Us economy, depression like conditions, high unemployment.
No reliable & good fixed investments available with a reasonable return.
With current losses I will not be investing in any products until I see some type of turn around.
Thanks to you I got my retirement savings into cash in January 2008. I am 10 months from retirement and reluctant to take a risk with more than 10% of my cash. Ten percent will not get me where I need to be but I’m very risk averse at this time.
I am a poor Brit. and, thanks to our idiot of a Prime Minister, have every prospect of getting poorer. I love reading what you guys have to say, it all makes great sense and I think your are doing a very good job in trying to protect your clients in what is a very bad climate. I find out more about the state of my own country from your people than I do from over here. Your company with it’s friendly attitude seems to be run like a large family, which is amazing. I have just started to get seriously into investing, at the moment allbeit in a small way, but as the Chinese say ” a journey of a thousand miles starts with but a single step. I am also on a steep learning curve, I know about normal stocks and shares but am trying to digest “puts and calls and covered versions of same”. You guys live with these terms and obviously find it so easy. I have got news for you, it is not! I hope the bad economic climate lasts long enough for me to learn all the tricks of the trade so to speak, and benefit from such knowledge. I have the ambition to become rich and I feel that through reading your articles this could well happen. I am into dividend reinvestment and on the face of it it seems more profitable to invest in American companies rather than British. Many of our brokers over here in the UK are not geared up for DRIP action so I have to find an online broker in the USA that I can use but it is difficult as I don’t know the good from the bad.
Sorry about the length of this but it is good to have a two way communication. For those of your readers, who don’t seem to appreciate what you do, here’s one that does.
Best regards to all of you, keep up good work
Peter Chilcott
The #1 obstacle to making money right now is that everything is overpriced. The U.S. dollar has replaced gold as the “world currency”, and years of low interest rates and greed driven speculation have inflated nearly all asset classes (stocks, real estate) in the largest credit bubble in human history. Now the debt has become unmanageable, and a relatively minor correction in prices has rendered most major financial institutions insolvent due to the extreme leverage that they have employed. To make matters worse, in an effort to undercut fractional reserve requirements, financial innovators have sold packages of garbage mortgages etc. to investment funds, foreign governments and the U.S. Fannie and Freddie entities with AAA risk ratings to further increase their ability to generate new loans.
I’m afraid that the game is now over, but now the individuals who caused this mess are trying to fix it by supporting the banks instead of letting them fail, which will only undermine the U.S. currency. That’s the reason behind all of these ridiculous stimulus packages and bailouts, but they will only serve to delay the inevitable and devalue the U.S. dollar. The net result will be that most debts will be defaulted, either through inflation or bankruptcy.
Hmmm… so I guess the best way to make money would have been to be an investment banker over the last decade. Henry Paulson seemed to do pretty well….
FEAR
Martin,
I am a former CPA and entrepenuer. Our system is clogged with dishonest people and institutions. Our big banks are insolvent, and we don’t have enough money to save them.
How can honest Americans succeed in such a mess? We need to start new banks and private equity firms where new ideas can be vetted and financed as they once were. We can create a new model for capital markets that is based on the internet and social networks and not on Wall Street.
Private citizens have lots of cash right now, we could put together a diversified fund that operates like a mutual insurance company, and rather than speculate in a market we can no longer predict we start investing in small companies that can make money if they have access to cash. And our members then could make a living by selling the services of these companies?
Such a company could have it’s own bank, and small banks can be purhcased and built upon. That’s no different that BA or Citi, but it would have a fresh start and be managed by honest folks that follow prudent practices. The bank part could be run by retired bankers who are horrified by the present state of affairs. The business and sales part could be run by others. We could run courses about how to make money trading currencies, selling on the internet, etc
From the looks of the comments on this blog, we could start a firestorm. That firestorm could create a bank/private equity firm that can influence the future of the country by example. With in two weeks the news could be everywhere!
You cant trust the plutocracy that runs this country, every thing is rigged, especially the stock market. The super rich want it all. I work for an oil company where the ceo paid himself 488 milion dollars , which was more than the combined income of all eight thousand employees. I took 800,000 dollars out of the stock market Dec 27, 2007, because I knew all this was going to happen. They have slowed down the slide in order to prevent rioting.
Thank you for your honesty and hard work. Fear keeps me from investing right now. My timing is horrible. Seems I always make the wrong decision at the wrong time. I don’t trust myself to make an investment decision. I know at one time Jack Crook had a program that was around two hundred dollars for a year where he would tell you what etf to pick concerning currency trading what to buy when to buy it when to sell it. Then you went to this program which costs two thousand dollars where you teach us how to do the same thing. The problem is currency traders have been at this for years. I would have no reason to believe I could master currency trading in months as you propose.
Total distrust of financial markets. It’s an insiders’ game.
Capital, and time is running out in getting capital. This financial crisis is part of the prophesy that will never recover!
Accurate, timely, useful, & information-like when the Federal Reserve will stop supporting naked COMEX gold shorts that keeps gold prices artificially low?
The Fed’s balance sheet suggests it has been cranking the printing presses like mad. Fed liabilities have expanded to $2.26 trillion, up over 140% since September. However, currency in circulation is up only 7% in that same time period. Where is this “trapped” $1.37 trillion? Will this excess liquidity go into gold or be directly injected into the economy, which would be immediately very inflationary?
Scroll up to: Tim 02.10.09 at 7:08 pm THANK YOU TIM !
Lack of funds to take advantage of all the opportunities.
Several people have mentioned ETFs like SKF, maybe EEV, QID – and I add that the Options on these indeed are not as repsonive to market moves as it seems may have been the case in November. Anything to learn here regarding if is possible for manipulatation of options pricing, unfairly or inappropriately??
not enough cash. not enough invested to warrant buying your $2600 advice. But I do like what services of yours I can afford to buy. thanks
I’d say capitial and liquidity. I don’t have enough starting capital or liquidity to invest in most illiquid markets such as precious metals, etc. I’d love to invest in Forex considering I’ve been running a practice account for several months and have done quite well. But with the little starting capital I have to get going it could be a long time before it starts to really pay off.
You are the best. I have made money in the market throughout this entire down market. Keep up the great work..
I’m an experienced investor who depends on technical and fundamental analysis to select and trade equities or currencies. As a trend trader, the ups and downs of the market is making for slim pickings but patience is the key.
Your newsletters and ETF recommendations are above average in results, but even your suggestions are subject to some misses as well – hence I vet these before I trade and my averages are quite good and my downside has been minimal.
Keep up the good work.
The criminal,unconstitutional Federal Reserve Bank.
And our criminal and corrupt Federal Government.
And “Capitalists” with crony ties to the aforementioned criminals exploiting the labor of common workers by theft through creating “Capital” or money out of thin air,
And through draconian state sponsored and inflation of the money supply caused Taxation.
Fear. Pure and simple.
Outlook for the next year: deflation followed by inflation? Stagflation?
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to communicate and at least feel as if someone out there is listening to us. Everyone needs to feel that they can engage on some level. I want to say that as the economy and weather turns increasingly chilly, I want to encourage your readers to use this time to turn their focus inward. Remember to celebrate what’s great about your life, your family, your friends, your home…I encourage your readers to journal. By doing so, you can create words for all time that’s at once healing, uplifting and helps give you the ability to reinvent oneself. Get back to basics…heal…elevate…reach out and help others Go to nitalina.com and start to take back your power.
high option premiums and shell shock from prior losses
Mixed signals. I want to buy short term treasuries, but the talk of possible demonitizing of the dollar and the rise of the supposed currency for the North American Union, the currency called the Amero, scares me and make me think “what’s the use?”
JK in Southern Indiana
The extreme volatility and unpredictability of the market, even on a daily/hourly basis. There seems to be no logic to some of the moves. The movements defy logic. Even the so called experts are all over the map with their views.
TIMING. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE I’M EITHER LATE EVERY TIME I BUY EQUITIES.
Letting small losses turn into bigger ones and being short of funds now for doing that.
The IRS is helping no one……………………..!! Period
The huge manipulative short positions in both AU and AG markets by only 3 banks!
I have worked in banking, financial services and real estate for 33 years. I have never seen a time like now when there is so much uncertainty, lack of trust and lack of confidence. Until we get a good idea where the public politicans in Washington are headed, I think short term treasuries and a little gold is the best options. I am still willing to place a few bets on the U S Government. I firmly believe that some fine days are ahead in the future. When is the question?
Not enough money to take advantage of the opportunities in Currency and other markets.
I am 81 years old and am afraid to put what I have into anything right now. Probably about 90% of what I have is in a Treas. MM and the rest is in gold and silver coins that I have had for a good while. I’m afraid it is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
Rollercoaster volatility of the market and pervasive mistrust and lack of confidence throughout our society.
Without taking the first step it is hard to get anywhere. There is too much fear and the rules keep changing. Why can’t the feds let small business take one year off with no taxes? It looks like the feds closed down Wamu without good reason. If we keep closing down they will not get any income from us anyhow.
There are many obstacles but they are not preventing me from making money in this environment currently.
Don’t know how to pick stocks in Canada markets.
finding investments that offer exceptional dividends, sectors that are clearly trending, stocks that are undervalued but financially sound, contrarian advice that makes sense and opps to invest that are not highly speculative, etc etc and having a clear strategy to limit loses.
Hi Martin,
In answer to your question, I say there is nothing left to believe in and there is no hope left…..Sorry!
Thank you for the opportunity to respond
PS The biggest thing that is missing in the present admisistrations plan is food and shelter for the many homeless families that growing by the hour. Tent cities are already starting in Nashville, tn……What next?
Sincerely, Jack Stout
1. Lack of Credit.
2. Lack of accurate financial information (weiss excepted).
3. Inability to financially plan – they keep changing the rules.
4. The continuing Silver Short crime on the COMEX.
listen to your wife. quit gambling
fear & not enough experience when it comes to knowning who one can trust.
Our president . . .
i want to take half of my 401 k money and invest in the market but i don’t know what to buy. I do believe right now is the time to make money.
Lack of trust, fear of losing what little I have managed to hang onto so far!
Volatility and the Govt.’s (Fed, Treasury, White House) announcements and actions.
Let the markets work…our governments’ actions have lead us into this mess. We need
campaign reform and term limits. No more pork spending and budget deficits (longer term). We need a really independent Fed. We need accountability. Crooks and Frauds need to be prosecuted to restore faith in our system. Good Luck!
Thanks to you I got into cash in January 2008.
Ten months from retirement – risk averse at this time-reluctant to invest more than 10% of cash holdings.
Question: I have Series E Savings bonds accumulated over the last twenty years. Should I sell or hold?
The speech by Obama last night was very negative and he seems to be just blaming the prior admin. How about some new ideas other than as usual the Democrats cramming a poorly thought out spending bill down our throats. For example, why is there millions in tax breaks for Hollywood producers to purchase film, 50 mil for Natl Endow Arts, 32 new gov. programs that will never go away,billions for Acorn (under investigation for voter fraud) and a stealth attempt to sneak in the start of Universal Health Care WITH NO DEBATE! I am for a Bill BUT NOT this bill.
this is for Jean who “hasn’t a clue how to invest and wants to know where to start learning.”
1) an old book, How to Buy Stocks by Louis Engel is very basic and excellent for a beginner. It really doesn’t telly you how to buy stocks but gives you the background you need before you even start to consider doing it.
2) you really should understand a little finance. if you don’t, you really can’t analyze stocks. For example you need to look at things like the balance sheet and how much debt the company has compared to how much equity. You need to look at the incomestatement and how much cash flow the company has compared to how much interest it has to pay. These types of things are important to determine how risky a company is.
I am licensed to sell stocks and I work with a financial advisor. I have an MBA in finance and other qualifications. But there is no way for you or other people to know much about people like me. Many financial advisors or stockbrokers (and I have seen a lot) don’t do a very good job for their clients.
If you want to learn, Motley Fool is a good place to go after you read How to Buy Stocks by Louis Engel.
But to make investing decisions is something that you need to put a lot of work into to have a chance. Most investors, probably 8 out of 10, underperform the general stock market. They buy when the market is going up, often getting the courage to buy only when it is near the top. Then they hold on when the market goes down, and finally panic and sell when it is near the bottom. They trade on emotion.
You are probably best just investing in a diversified portfolio of index funds or Exchange Traded funds.
If you are willing to put some time into it, read The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns by John Bogle. The exceptional person can do better. But the average person can’t and will do worse if they try to on their own.
This is very sincere and I hope you read it and it helps.
Lack of trust and knowledge.A growing awareness as I inform myself with books from the Ludwig Von Mises Institute, eg The Roosevelt Myth,and other sources and economy sites such as this one,that no one can predict how this house of cards is going to collapse.It all depends on which sectors the government props up which as I understand it wll simply delay their demise and distort other sectors.Even the most experienced get it wrong sometimes e.g. Peter Schiff forcasted the meltdown but under estimated the consequent rise in the USD resulting in a major loss to his hedge fund. Who are these ‘ private investors’ that are buying Tresuries to the tune of billions of dollars..isn’t the FED a private bank ..could they be purposely causing a Tresury bubble to enrch themselves further by hedging against it ect?The above could probably described as ignorant,fanciful even paranoid but what I have learnt is that in a bankruptcy the banks get paid first, then the bond and preferred shareholders, and lastly the common shareholders.I have read there is a hidden,unregulated over the counter [otc] economy of CDSs CDOs etc of upto 582 Trillion dollars yet to be realised.Surely all investments are at risk until this egg has been unscrambled.
There are a lot of people out there whose arguments for the dollar going up AND down, or the commodities going up AND down, or gold going up AND down – all make logical sense. I know the time frames are sometimes different – and sometimes people are just plain wrong. Without knowing the time frame, I have a hard time filing potentially quality information appropriately. How can I know where someone’s time horizon is? Economists are rarely willing to say WHEN, but most traders function within a horizon they have become comfortable with. So how can I know?
The lack of veracity harbored within our so called leaders. Their mendacity coupled with my natural fear of risk creates an untenable enviroment in which to invest.
I’m a beginner @ 59 years with only $5K to get started. It seems I may not have enough capital to build a retirement nestegg in 6-8 years. Should I start with 4X, options, bonds, ????
I have always been invested in managed money. Of course, we all know how that has turned out. Now, I am just trying to soak up all the info I can about investing. Just do not know when to dip my toes into the water. Your specific newsletters are too pricey for me at this stage. You should consider a new investor newsletter for us newbies. Very basic with an educational bent and some specific “light” suggestions.
my biggest problem is very low cash flow and not knowing what is safe to invest in where I won’t lose $$$.
Any stock that I buy after some research, just goes down in two or three days. Usually, I would buy one that has increased for last few days or weeks.
Not really having the time to be able to act on your recos and follow them to profitability.
Fear that I have a lack of knowledge in a down market, that will cause me to loose precious cash that may be needed in the future.
Was waiting for a retracement of the DOW to 9,000 to 9,500
but it is apparent that this will not happen. Bear market ralley not
likely to occur now. Dow broke major support of 8,000 twice. Will enter inverse ETF ( dxd )or ( srs ) on any significant rebound. I expect a blood bath.
Fear of losing more of my retimement money and fear of losing my job.
Prioritizing in a time constrained environment.
Thanks to Money & Markets, we got out of the market at the correct time and were able to save all our hard-earned money. I credit Martin Weiss for saving our retirement for free. Thanks.
I’m retired and I’m afraid I will lose my money. Most of my money is in cd’s. I do have some money in stocks and mutal funds. I am not touching anything at this moment.
I DO BELIEVE WE ARE IN A BEAR MARKET WITH SHARP RALLIES TO COME, BUT UNSURE OF MYSELF AND OPINIONS WHEN TO PUT MONEY BACK INTO THE MARKET AND PULL OUT IN TIME WHEN MARKET HEADS DOWN AGAIN.
fear / 72 yrs old need more income.
I’m not making any money, but, thanks to you and Dan Sullivan and Jim Stack, I didn’t lose very much.
I’m keeping my powder dry but I’m itchin’ to do something.
Ed
I feared nothing as a fighter pilot, but retired I fear my money pool will dry up before my breath stops. Cdn IRS (RRIF), very conservative holdings, savings, no debts, but the RRIF is losing steam big-time and it’s crucial, not for survival of a sort, but survival in the woods isn’t what I seek.
If I hesitated in the olden days as I’m hesitating now, a missle or a 30mm whizzer would be up my backside in a heartbeat.
I’m thinking, I’m thinking. Yes I am!
NG
For me, the reason that it is so difficult to make a profit is the lack of consistancy of a trend. The market just mostly chops back and forth and does not present a sustainable pattern. If you do happen to get on the right side of a trade, the trend in your favor can sometimes only last a few hours and then turns the other way. Sometimes profits are there for only a day or so and then the next thing you know that profit has disappeared into a loss. You can never predict for any length of time which way the market will turn.
The answer to your question is time. You said that gold will increase in price, so I bought gold. I’m waiting. You said that the market will crash, so I invested in reverse ETFs. I’m waiting. I invested in energy, which I’m told will eventually increase in value. I’m waiting.
Hi Martin. To be perfectly honest? I think its lazyness.
Then apprehension. Then trust in the system.
I bought my first and last direct stocks 30 years ago.
The company was PSFS (Phils savings fund society) went public.
I invested around $800. They were busted in less than three years.
I retired in mid 2000. We had been saving automaticly for years.
With what I get from my pention and Social, I have not needed to dip into savings
as of yet. i help the kids out when they need it and still get along alright.
I fear the tax man, if and when I need to get into my savings.
I just hope my mutual funds are still worth something after this mess
clears itself up. Hope to leave whatever remains to the children.
Many thanks for all you do. Best wishes . john
LACK OF TRUST!
Who really knows if the money I paid to buy (GLD) stock was really used to buy physical gold, was it stored in a secure vault somewhere, is it ever inventoried or confirmed by a reliable government agency we can trust, does anyone in government really care?
Bernake!
Hi Martin,
I see no issues with investing at the moment. The main issue in this complicated time is systematic approach to new investment.
i.e. If one wants to invest in dividend superstars to which service of yours should be subscribed? If investing into options trading is preferable then I would think options trading pit is the way to go (correct me if wrong);
Similarly not sure if there is any special service for recommending gold/oil stocks to invest in.
Generally instead of reading a flood of news we should have some specific recommendations with clear criteria of stock/oprtions choice and timing to come in/exit from the markets.
No confidence in stocks or the economy in general, scared of currencies, not clear about gold, no trust in real estate yet……where is there a safe return without paying exorbitant fees for dependable advice on placement of cash? I have $100k effectively doing nothing right now.
I am 84 years old and very reluctant to buy into this market because I may not be able to outlive any period of waiting…even with professional advice.
Answer: Number one reason people are not invested today is fear. They see some bargains, but fear the bottom is not in.
Lack of a plan that I understand.
high real estate taxes and 15% i’m paying for social security (i’m self employed) that i’ll probably never see when i’m “of age”. yes, i should sell the 3500 square foot house that is paid for, and rent 900 square feet, and put my “collectibles” on ebay, but i missed that boat. let’s add some fear to this cocktail too! got gold?
My biggest obstacle would be very low income and trust in the system.
I have lost 1/2 of my Investment in The U.S. and lost confidence.
The extreme volatility! I no sooner position myself for an up market and things tank big time. Or I position with contra positions and the market shoots up! Jeez!
Don’t know where to start and who to turn to. Lack of strong and faithful networking.
Lacking money that make more money. Living paycheck to paycheck. Living without any kind of health insurance. But I enjoy reading Money and Market anyway because you guys are very sharp. Always good to know something about money anyway just incase one day I may have some.
Mine is all my moned is tied up in an IRA, TAX DEFERRED for now and how do I close out of this without paying an early tax penalty. I am 68 and will need to start withdrawing in a couple of years. That is the only cash available. I have a second home with no mortgage, but to sell right now is dangerous. What can I do?
Having too little money in the first place to chase any scheme.
I can hardly afford DRIPs; i am stuck trying to live off dividends from falling stocks.
I sure could use a way to earn money. I was laid off from my job in November after 15 years faithful service with the same company. I have been doing the same type of work for the last 27 years and that type of work is very closely related to the construction industry (Truss Tech). I don’t expect to find a job any time soon with out major retraining. I have a little money to invest but I am afraid to loose the little I have left. Sure would be nice to be able to earn a living from home.
Depression Fears.
No REAL Traction at all!
Who’s advice to trust? Everyone saying the exact opposite of each other.
Fear—-investor see the bargains, but fear the bottom is not in.
Fear…..of everything! Washington has proven itself , in my opinion, ignorant of the very system they are trying to “fix”. My shelter is still old fashioned cash.
I Don’t know where to start and who to turn to. Lack of strong and faithful networking.
COMPETITION TAKING JOBS AT LESS THAN COST. ALSO NO CREDIT LINES FOR LARGE JOBS
No REAL traction at all, along with the “herd” mentality, going the wrong direction.
8=(
No network.
Fear of being late.
Fear of being early.
Fear of being in wrong sector.
Fear of not being enough in the right sector
Illegal Naked Short Sellers and Market Manipulation by our government and sovereign wealth funds.
Dear Martin – My #1 obstacle to investing right now is the volatility of the markets. I don’t want to lose any money, so am hesitant to buy anything.
FYI – I’ve subscribed to Safe Money and Real Wealth for many years and have learned a lot about how the world works. Your information is very fascinating to me. Thank you very much for that.
After losing considerable money with several full service brokers, I moved my IRA to Schwab and in 2004 began managing my own account generally following a conservative combination of Safe Money and Real Wealth Report model portfolios. For the first time I made money! – actually, I more than recovered the annual required minimum withdrawals for 4 straight years (until 2008 when I had a modest loss). I am very satisfied about how well I’ve done. Again – thank you for your help.
Nowadays I’ve shifted 85% to Schwab’s short-term treasury-only money market fund, GLD, and some of Mike Larson’s inverse ETFs, so I tend to see-saw up and down a lot but feel sort of safer from permanent loss.
Had trusted people who defrauded me , no job ,
looking at foreclosure if nothing breaks within 3 months
I have been reading your synopsis for two years Martin
I wish I could have come on board instead of listening to
those who put my life and finances in jeapardy
Ron *
actually, i am making money.
gold, silver an platinum are up nicely today, thank you.
very little exposure to stocks.
b
Fear – not sure what to invest in, or who to believe.
-credit squeeze ;cash squeeze
-confidence
-Fx integrity; Fx acct. minimum ; unknown certainty; and
The answer to your question is all of the above.
The biggest obstacle is not knowing where the market is going….. sometimes is does the total opposite of what its supposed to do! Also, confidence and practice is something I need a lot of! However, following your COET’s have helped me make a bit of money in this crazy market!
I am stuck right now( with a huge chunk) with FNM and BAC for five months already and I was waiting for it to rally today with Geithner’s plan but instead it dropped along with financials………. maybe I can get some advice from you?
Thanks,
don’t put your trust in the new administration or the market put your trust in the Lord he will guide your finances if you put him first. luke 6:38 Jesus said give and it will be given back to you press down shaken together and running over. with the measure you give it will be measured back to you.
Hi Martin;
I read most of your readers responses and the overwhelming opinions were lack of funds and lack of faith. I am also in that camp. In my research on the web I have come across many websites that offer a view into the future. One in particular is Jim Willie’s goldenjackass.com. I have never heard such revelations on the financial markets as those from Jim Willie. I have been pretty much of a sceptic of the fools on wall street and their related banks. Jim reveals the sordid underbelly of this beast. It is not pretty. Most of the same crooks are still dictating our countries financial future. So to answer your question as to what is keeping me from investing in this rigged casino, I will have to say that the crooks are running the game. If you think you can outwit these masters of deception then you are gifted indeed. The whole system is a house of smoke and mirrors. From paper currencies created out of thin air, to conterfeit mortgage bonds, insider trading, market manipulation, naked shorting, pension fund games, CDO’s, CDS’s and a host of other phantom paper fallacies. Who knows what is what? Even the masters of deception have a hard time understanding their Frankensteins. The ultimate issue is that us small frys are only fish bait for the sharks. This is a harsh assessment but I stand by it. The nature of humans is that if an advantage is offered to them then they will take it as far as it will go. And who has the best advantages? Wall Street, CEOs, politicians, bankers, lawyers, lobbyists, and all the other pigs at the sty. I say stick with real things. Avoid anything that is paper oriented. Avoid debt. Boycott the banks and wall street. Cut them off at the knees. They need us more than we know. So stop giving them your money. It is ultimately a ponzi scheme. Create your own investment club. Use discount brokers.
Thanks for the chance to hear my opinion.
Martin
Your services are not designed for the average person with an average income.
Please develope services that will involve the average income person.
Financial newsletter authors can dance with the best of them when their predictions fail. After having subscribed to a number of them, I’ve come to the conclusion that no one has the answers. Free advice tends toward establishing panic to sell their services. After having lost large chunks of my 401K in the past, I’m sitting 100% in a guaranteed income fund supported by 3 insurance companies. I’m questioning the safety of those 3 insurance companies and their wrap contracts. Would it be safer to roll into an IRA where I have more control over how the money is invested? All the other investments in the 401K have lost money in the last year.
Lack of trust in our Governments, the Fed, the bankers, the CEO’s, the Dollar.
What becomes of us when the Dollar isn’t worth the paper it’s written on? Will the New Amero Dollar be introduced and rammed down our throats by the architects of the “New World Order”?
As a born-again Christian, I don’t fear what’s ahead, but I know from subscribing to your articles and Elliottwave system we are in for years of bad times. I’m concerned for our younger generation……….my kids and grandkids and others.
We have a larger, interstate, 24 hour restaurant (38 years), plus rental properties, so I feel a deep responsibility for people. Many that rely on us for income and those that I read about on this blog have needs. It bothers me that I can’t do more. I just met with a man that is physically unable to hold a job and lives with an elderly mother………..he’s broke. How many more are within an arms reach that need help?
Perhaps when the economy declines further it will bring a few to the point of showing what we are made of and if America is to survive we will reach out to those in real need. I guess what I’m saying is, let’s look beyond OUR concerns,because our neighbors may be worse off than ourselves.
Our effort has been to get the right mix of reverses and stocks so that we are not too badly hurt financially with a volitile market. Having dividends is important to us. Our small total investment needs adjustment, if this is a reasonable effort.
Lack of trust in our Government and wastefull spending as if there is no tomorrow and a burden on future generatons.
Violatility in the market – Wastful Spending in Washington – The President and representatives not having a clue about how to clean up the mess that they created – No personal responsibility shown at all levels of government and corporations and very little the individual can do to protect any of their assets!
Dear Martin,
Question please.
Have Preferred Stock of Bank of America, HSBC, Morgan Stanley which pays approximately 6%. Paid $25 each share several years ago. Broker would not sell when higher, said preferred is safe. Now of course they are much less. $10 or so. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
I’m into 2X Inverse Rydex Funds and UltraShort ProShares. I’ve been pretty much on the mark as far as trends go. I prefer not to trade frequently. My problem, which took me too long to learn, is that if you don’t trade and the market indexes are essentially the same after a long holding you will always wind up behind the eight-ball (even if they’re down somewhat), depending on the length of time you’ve been holding and the number of ups and downs (the more ups & downs, the worse. Does this mean that to play this game it is essential to trade the moves or is there another solution?
I am a builder specialising in the renovation market. While they say the renovation market is “recession proof” I have found recently people are too uncertain about thier future and are not spending. I think that everything in the news is doom and gloom, I believe now is a great time to invest in real estate. While there might be a ways to go til it hits bottom, prices and interest rates are at a 50 yr low, and while interest rates have dropped to encourage spending, now the banks are making it harder and harder to borrow. It is now cheaper to pay off a mortgage than to rent. That should generate lots of work in the building industy if only people had the money to use as a deposit for a loan and the banks would lend.
Right now is the lack of seed money. I have two irons in the
fire. Mabey by May sould have some Investment Money!
Al
A very practical reason for not making as much money or sometimes a just-scalped profit turns to loss due to the slowness of response to my clicks from my broker’s website (Barclays stockbrokers in the UK).
Sometimes 3/4 minute to get to the execute trade screens means that some long ETF oil I wish to sell has moved down (sterling has made a move up or oil down in this time).
Seconds count when you’re trading ‘At best’ and oil is too volatile for limit orders.
Otherwise, it’s lack of access to the big picture on sector sentiment on a daily basis.
Little or no cashflow left for investing
Marty,
Not trusting anyone or anything any more.
Invested in non liquid, micro cap commodity stocks so I have lost a bundle and I am afraid they will suddenly go up after I finally sell at huge losses. No other money available.
I need some bail-out money and I will actually spend it
I think I remember you saying a while back that everyone should set money aside for a risk-free investment vehicle, & after that’s done, consider any other investments. At this point I don’t feel like I’m ready to venture into anything other than money-markets.
I do not trust the market now. I think it is being manipulated. We need a stimulus bill
that will STIMULATE THE ECONOMY. If the government truly wants to get out
of this recession they should 1. Lower Taxes 2. Bring Corporate Rates down and
3. Keep interest rates down. I think we are on the road toward SOCIALISM and
most of the people will wake up too late!
Martin, I was Bernie Madoffed ! Left with little but investing still with your philosophies and options . Had to cancel your services but listen still closely to you. Only have 6,ooo dollars left in trading account. Dave Stepelton
Fear, because I have no money to invest. I live on Soc. Sec. and Pension. But I believe in you and trust you which is so important. I just don’t know which way to turn.
Hello Martin:
I would say that my unfamiliarity and lack of comfort with the shorting and the short side of transactions cause me the biggest problem in this market. As a long time value investor and businessman, my more natural inclination tilts towards the positive and recognizing value and possibilities. Taking the opposite side runs contrary to my grain, if you will.
My reason is simple. Although I have had the course for my Canadian mutual funds license, and I know enough to have passed the course exam, that is really scratching a twig in the dirt compared to digging a grave. I know that I know almost nothing.
I am vaguely familiar with the products, having passed the exam, but this is not the real knowledge needed to use and sell the products I have access to.
So, I sit in the background learning all I can to eventually be able to help people become debt free and wealthy. Not having a job makes that somewhat difficult though.
So, any knowledge gleaned makes me wiser, and it is a wise man who knows when it is the right time to lead the flock of sheep.
My memory goes back before the bottom of the Great Depression in July 1932.
My feel is our current state of the economy cannot support the market at the current level. I see another leg down – and I WOULD LOVE TO BE WRONG!
i think never gona be again i have to find another kind of besness, with guys like madof forget it.
i agree with glyn hawkins.
Dear Martin,
I lost about 100K in my 401k. I’m 74 years old and I’m lost in this economic turmoil.
Kind of apprehend to invest in this chaos.
Regards
Jean-Claude
Not enough capital to invest further; already 60% in CDs with good yields pro tem plus 15% gold/silver; and balance of stocks have lost quite a bit and are dividend-paying securities; so I feel like I am in a catch-22 situation.
1) It is very difficult to invest -or play market games when they keep changing the rules of the game.(the politicians)
2) Determining a market which is panic-not an investable market; reading company reports which you know lie.
I’ve been investing in Gold, Silver, Pal, I’m short in several stocks, currency trading is new to me some I’m going slowly. So far so good with the metals. I think they are going to be the place to be in the near and long term future. We need a hedge for the future.
I am 95% in cash and the rewards for this are minimal, but I am a happy fellow awaiting a good re-entry time. Kind regards Bryan
I need to preserve my wealth until the end of my days which is about 25 year.(100). I need this wealth to survive. What do I do about the hedge funds you suggested we buy. Have not heard much comment on them of late.
Hi Martin…..The biggest obstacle to making money now is understanding the beast called Deflation….getting educated about the new market conditions that deflation causes.
Knowing which people really are offering the correct facts about the current situation.
Then getting an action plan together to protect and grow your assets…..Then take action.
Fear is debilitating,and causes procrastination…Doing nothing is not an option.
Martin came across your site about six months ago…..very impressed with the content.
This has led me to get involved with put option trading and currency speculation.
Getting very excited about Elliot Wave and Fibonacci relationships.
— First, lack of confidence in the market; Second, being unemployed and hence, not having “new money” to invest; Third, medical expenses of my dissabled Mother.
— This is above and beyond what I lost a couple of years ago. — As a result, I ask myself: is it prudent to take more chances?
— I have some cash tied in IRA’s, …I said “tied” because it’s there, but don’t know what the best way to go around it without, what seems to be, the penalty of having to pay high taxes.
— Finally, I’m 63, would I live long enough to see the recovery of any investment I make today???
Fear and lack of trust for financial world ( banks, insurance companies ) and the government.
For years we’ve listened to the financial advisors, putting money in the stock market,where does that get us?
When we run out of money, who will bail us out?
Debt
Good and truthful advice.
Education
I have no problems at this time ,but shall get a big shunk of money very soon , all in dollars bills.I’ll shall need your help at this time .In the meantime ,I am improving my financial skills ,thanks to you.
Nothing is stopping me from making money right now – I’m an options trader and I actually love this environment.
My problem is: 1) i am scared–i cant afford to lose more money . 2) i have had some very –very bad experiances with investing over-seas–mainly in America / UK–not good–they were dis-honest & just took my money ! 3) my resources now are low–i am looking for someone i can trust 100% 3) i cant do this kind of stuff–i dont fully understand it–my time is also limited, i have many friends in the same situation–they have been burnt.4) i am a Cattle / Livestock person–if you want advice on that i am your man–but investing–i just dont know–thats why i am scared now–been burnt–lost confidence–my trust in Financial Advisors / people are low–i am sorry-but this is a honest case !! Regards Bill
what % of assets should be in gold & silver? what 2 do if govt confiscates gold like 1933?
I lost a lot of money during the last 12 months, having been invested mainly in commodities and gold shares.
There is no cash to invest.
Getting my website up and running! Switched designers, s/b available in 2 weeks.
Looking for a good small recession proof business to start
My problem is with short selling and it’s predatory nature, especially under the current guidelines, especially after the up-tick rule was removed July 2007 – which coincidently corresponded with the Elliott Wave top of most stock Markets. Furthermore, there is little to no transparency in the markets as reporting is always weeks behind. Alternate trading platforms [ECN's] exacerbate transparency as well. Is reason there is little confidence in world stock markets and a continuing build up of funds in treasury bills. Most Mum and Dad investors are shying away from the Stock Market as they believe it has become a Casino run for the spivs and coat tuggers in the community.
Provided they revert to real money – physical gold and silver – they will probably have made the right choice going forward.
Until the short selling up-tick rule is reimposed, in conjunction with much better regulation of world markets and a massive increase in transparency, I will avoid stock markets and await their transformation back from their current status of a Casino to the old concept of a place to buy and sell shares and raise capital.
I fear the market will continue to go down.
I am afraid to move out of the cash (money market) position I have retreated to approx 5 months ago.
Faith in our leaders, and coroprate greed.
Market seems too risky, not much time left before retirement.
Debt position. Unfortunately, it is just bad luck we are positioned the way we are today. However, if we can’t make investments elsewhere, we are making investments in ourselves. My focus has been to diversify services to create new revenue streams as both a short and long term strategy. It allows us to service debt and provides a way out of the pit. It will provide revenue over 15 years that will allow me to capitalise on your advice over time. A shame I wasn’t in a position last year as everthing we read from you was accurate. These days…. watching the news is like dejavu… we already read about it before it happened on Martin’s website. Thankyou. One day I’ll be able to join you as an investor. The world may have lost confidence, but I haven’t.
Have been an investor for 40 years and built up my portfolio with DRIP’s. I and retired and depend on Dividends to live on and invest. My problems was in not selling when I had large gains and this last year the value of my portfolio fell 50%. When I seek to have a financial firm take over handing my account they want l.25% immediatly on funds I have accumulated over 40 years. I am not a trader. The money from stocks that I sold last year is invested in CD’s and Money Market funds at this time. The market is just to unstable and we have to many traders in the market. I am slowley liquidating stocks and going to cash even thoe I will be taking losses.
I have followed most of your advice and recommendations. Recently, I have gained confidence in your ETF recommendations. I am concerned that after making gains using ETFs, the market will turn and the gains will be given back before communication of sell recommendations are received. I subscribe to Elliottwave, religously read their analysis, so I know, about as well as anyone can, the swings of the various averages. But, this does not give me a timely and focused view of market segment activity.
SOON RETIRED,MY RISK LIMIT AND THE VOLATILITY OF THE PRESENT MARKET FRIGHTEN ME.
AT LEAST, YOUR ADVICES HELP ME.
I’m reading each of your associates comments, each day. The problem is each person has thier own ideas and thoughts. Who’s right and who should i believe.
America’s inability to think ahead more than fifteen minutes. It’s a GREAT time to be an investor. CAT less than 30. P & G nearly 50. Are you kidding me? I only wish I had more capital to invest. (Wth crying in the background) “Yes, but their earnings might not be any good in 2009!” They might not be. But what about 2012, 2013 . . .? And if these stalwarts go in the sewer it won’t make any difference anyway because the whole economy will have imploded.
I’m not a Bilderberger…and I don’t have any friends who are. Only the insider could have confidence and they may have manipulated an out-of-control monster. Your Weiss Report is a welcome voice in the dark. Thanks!
Not enough income currently to be able to invest more than $500 or a little more; already 60% CDs with relatively good yields and short term maturity dates to take advantage of hopefully inflated rates later; plus about 15% in gold/silver; and balance of portfolio has taken a beating but comprises basically dividend-paying stocks [help and thanks from Nilus] so I am sort of between a “rock and a hard place.”
Waiting for the FED and the IRS to go out of existence.
Reliable and honest advice
Thanks for the forum
I am afraid after losing a great deal of my IRA money because of the lack of credibility of my financial advisor. Also, fear of what the stimulus package is doing to do to investments.
the ONLY obstacle I have to making money is myself…but frankly in this environment I’ve been doing fantastic…I have no complaints….you and your team always have sound and salient advice, and I appreciate all your efforts…keep up the good work! Paying attention to the markets everyday and maintaining a disciplined approach can reward you in ANY type of market…this one is ripe with opportunity.
Don’t trust the markets and I have limited income.
I have always invested in real estate both in the UK and the US. Fortunately we sold our UK property right before the decline back in ‘07. Since I am not familiar with the stock markets – way too complicated, I would like to invest in foreign currency exchange. The biggest obsticle here is time limitations as I work from home with two small kids and will not invest untill I fully investigate and understandi it. For the first time (I am usually quite careful with money) I am enjoying spending as shopping around there are some great deals to be had!
The Fed, They just recently admitted that we are in a recession! What a Joke!
I think the biggest obstacle is the current lack of any solid foundation on which to build. Part of that is the fact that no one seems to know what it’s like to be in a stable well-regulated economic environment (there has been very loose regulation and multiple bubbles for many years now). A foundation needs to be established where the institutions solidify and the boundaries become clear. With that, confidence can strengthen and one can see that meaningful growth will occur. In the meantime, the bets are to the downside or related to a few narrow areas.
Lost of jobs, lack of confidence in the markets and governments that don’t know which way is up.
Today is Feb. 10, 2009. The stock market fell 382 points. Is this a good time to buy some stocks.
I am retired and I am just trying to increase my retirement (crazy you say), but money markets CD’s are next to nothing. Gerald
What is your #1 obstacle to making money right now, in this environment?
The answer is: Corruption. This exists at both the governmental and Corporate as well as personal level. Deceit and lies have seem to become entrenched within our financial system. It is nearly impossible to use rational judgment when evaluating investment opportunities because so much financial information is falsified. There is little oversight into abuses within the financial markets. Bernie Madoff not only lied to investors on a personal level, it will be revealed he had assistance from within the ranks of the SEC who looked the other way. Most of the largest banks have lied about loss exposures by using off-balance sheet derivatives. The Federal Reserve lies about the amount of money in circulation while the Federal government routinely lies about key economic indicators. Some many thieves are in collusion with one another it becomes difficult to find investments based on reliable data.
Fear of loss capital. Retiring and need income from capital.
Martin, i have been following your advice for quite sometime now, but still feel that there is no definite sense of direction in the market and the analysts are making the conditions worse by diverse and often times conflicting views expressed at different times. I think it will take lots of patience and endurance to beat this situation. I will continue to read your column which makes the most sense at tha prsent time.
I haven’t found an affordable trading service with buy sell recomendations that I can use to run my account balances up so that trading can become my primary source of income sufficient to not have to work at something else anymore.
My money is in my IRA which is in an annuity. I’ve put my trust in my broker, figuring he knows more about all this than I do (just started getting your e-mail letters). He says it guarantees a minimum 7% annually. Can I trust that this will actually happen???
In the past years we looked at all the people who robbed our savings, payed themselves fees and commission, living the good life at our expense with no accountability and no conscience sitting on the sideline, ready to take us again. Trust in investing is lost because of those practises.
I’ve done quite well in this market. 2008 was a very good year for me and today was especially good. My limitation is with the amount of capital I have to trade with. I don’t have enough capital to allow it to supply a significant income yet.
One idea that your readers could find beneficial, and has worked well for me in an IRA account, is to divide off the funds into three investments of: 1/3 Gold (such as GLD), 1/3 short the SP500 (I use the ETF – SDS, which is double short), and 1/3 money market funds. Periodically rebalancing these will help even out the ups and downs and lock in short term gains. Back test the method yourself and you’ll see that it is a winner. It is based on the premise that we will have periods of deflation where shorting the SP500 will gain and periods where inflationary forces dominate and Gold will rise. Either way, you benefit in the long run. Good Luck!
Greed and stupidity!! …mine, that is….lol
leverage and cashflow
Should I be buying the ETF’s GLD & TBT
I have done–hopefully you have it–i am from Perth –Western Australia–they say the best place in the world–yes thats probably right–if you dont have any pains–!!!Looking forward to your response to me–i have been a member & read your comments a lot
Regards
Bill
What is your #1 obstacle to making money right now, in this environment?
Obstacle: having my 401k funds tied up and bound within selections available within Fidelity Investments.
No money to invest otherwise these are excellenet times to pick up blue chips
term limits for politicians,wishful thinking,which will restore some confidence in the
financial markets.
Conflicting advise. Gold up to $1000+, Gold down to $300. Market down another 40%, up to 12,000.
Lack of confidence in the system and economy at this point.
Martin…How did you get this blog set-up. Is there special software for it ? Is it a DIY project ? Is there a book with instructions ? Info on – line somewhere ? EW
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Welcome to Blogland……I did it again….believed in bull markets and rejected bear bytes. I shoulda been short in Jan ‘08. I shoulda believed my automated programming.
Investing environment is too risky right now.
I don’t have a good answer to the question, “what is my #1 obstacle to making money.” My portfolio, consisting of reverse ETFs and selected commodities, was up substantially today. Thank you Dr. Weiss for your advice over the years, and I look forward to interacting with you on this blog.
My number one obstacle in making money right now is to quickly eliminate 22k in liabilities to free up more cash so I can properly and cautiously enter this market. I have subscribed to Your Personal Money Machine. Taking into account the forces that are working against us, like the Fed and its 94 year manipulation of our currency and the gold standard, I still believe that in every crisis and chaotic event with proper knowledge, discipline and awareness one can weather the storm.
Wondering what the market will do and when to jump in.
I believe money can be made now, but I also believe asset values and corporate earnings will decrease further. I’m not impressed by companies that earn money now when their earnings are progressively lessening. So why not learn more, study and prepare for a more demonstrated cleansing of the financial system prior to making a move. Unfortunately, I also believe the bottom will be volatile with few lasting recoveries for, possibly, several years; where’s the hurry unless the dollars starts to tank? Some traders may do OK in such an environment, but I’m 75 and not a trader; nor am I prepared, yet, to invest in currencies.
Thank you for enlightening me over the past 3 months.
I own an Independent Health Insurance Agency. Things are getting very challenging. We have many folks losing their jobs. They have a Cobra option for continuing coverage, whichn most cannot afford. We have an abnormal number of people falling behind in their premium payments. There are record numbers of uninsured / uninsurables out there. Not only can they not get health insurance most cant even afford an alternative. I have many years [ 35] experience and this is as bad as I have experienced and getting worse by the day. The eventual effect on the overall economy from these circumstances will be catastrophic. I have a sense that the powers in Washington do not have a clue. I truly believe that. God bless us all. Rf
Stuggling between the prognosticators like you who project a deflationary environment and those (like Warren Buffet) who seem to be buying value stocks now because of the belief we are near a bottom and the intensity of the negativity toward stocks seems to be their que to get back in. I don’t want to miss the upturn, but don’t want to get in now if the Dow is indeed headed for 5,000 to 5,500 as you project.
Low income, knowledge and the lack of faith in our Government.
Lack of courage to move at all. Do not want to throw good money (cash) after bad.
Lack of credible information & money. Safe Money Report is without a doubt the best source of information; however, for us middle class folks many of your products beyond the basic newsletter are very expensive.
Fear. I do not have enough experience to trust the market.
The risks of investing in this type of political environment are incredibly high. The fear is exacerbated because the recession has gone global & the laws of common sense are not being applied.
knowing what the major trends are. For example, in the past 9 months it was the collapse in oil prices, thus PUTs on Oil ETF would of been great. Or which bank stocks would be good bets for PUTs.
Uncertainty. Whipsawing market. ETF’s, Options that are logical can be thrown off track (and money lost) when government tries to help by throwing money at the system. I finally felt like I zigged when I should have zagged, even with your experts advising. By now my risk tolerance is very low. We are now working with WCM. Too much worry following it through the day alone.
Just getting out of treasuries into something that makes a little more better return.
at this time unwilling to take on any additional risk other than the ones I’m comfortably with which are the ones I lost monies for example domestic and international funds.
Until the banks are able to put a considerable amount of money into circulation w/o the tarp participation restrictions, and until the mark to market system is eliminated,I am holding my money in the Weiss money market fund, not much income, but at least I am safe. Holding out for a better environment.
My wife is holding me back. She is scared to death to invest in anything, even gold, and we have most of our funds in cash in a safe deposit box. Are there some assuring words I could give her to give her some cofidence in safe investing? I have sent for your Personal Money Machine materials and hope to convince her that it is a good way to ride out this economic meltdown. How can I convice her?
both my wife and i work at a small shop and fear a loss of our jobs if the economy does not turn around. we are holding on to our cash as our investments decrease in value.
First, there is no confidence in my government that seems to be wasting my money by passing the stimulus package. Second, there is no confidence in the market and an increase in workforce insecurity (joblessness). Third, most of all, a lack of funds that I would be willing to gamble with(in the market). All of the so called experts are just flying by the seat of their pants, because none of them have gone through this type of market down turn before…
RISK
Fear of lack of knowledge on ETF options which I believe can turn loss to some
gain
ref McGregor notes…..I didn’t know that the uptick rule was suspended in July ‘07. How did you find out ?
There is no short term trend. Even technical analysis for short term options is not working.
What are the rules? It seems like the Gov. is the investor that I am competing w/ not the other investor. Also profit & loss has no place in this ,will this co. get bailout funds or tarp funds. I am on the sidelines until free market ideals return. I am not for socialism or I would have moved to Russia years ago.
I have not lost a dime in this market since the bubble burst. Thats because I did not have a dime to invest at the time., I still have the same as I had when it all started.
Martin Weiss is the smartest economist out there right now and if those so called smart politicians and government officials would listen to what Martin has to say we could get through this crisis without going through what we are about to face in this country.
Spread the stimulus among U.S. citizens and let the people spend it. That will jump start the economy.
Hi, Thanks fopr the opportunity to dialogue.
I am invested in prcious metal and I got stuck.
I am in the middle of raising some money for investment. If I pay for the program, I do not have money at all right now. After I raise some money then I will invest. Another thing is I never invested in Forex. I already bought the Jack Crooks prgram but I am not in it yet due to lack of capitol. I really want to invest in the Forex when I am ready.
Kiho
My own personal apathy/antipathy towards anything having to do with markets, investment strategies, exotic investment instruments promising regal returns. Even though I subscribe to numerous investment newsletters, I seem to get this “clearinghouse sweepstakes” shiver that gives me the heebeejeebees. I don’t have a ton of money to invest, have taken it all out of the stock market (CitiBank), don’t have an IRA, health insurance, or any other backstop but my own common sense. I spend most of my time overseas where, while things are not great, and degrading at a pace that is surprising, you can still find good food and decent rail service. Don’t know how long these will last, but I’m betting on local economies, local everything, whatever that means.
Eventually, I will need help investing in the markets on a more long term basis.
Currently, I’m about 98% cash. I’ve been doing very well placing short term trades on ultra short etf’s. Or, I try to take advantage of volatile ranges of individual stocks, often only holding them for a few hrs or a few days at most. I seldom hold anything long as I expect the market to dip well below 7,000. I could use more help in finding equities or funds to ‘range trade’……it consumes way too much of my time.
Not enough money to invest in the things that I know will make money.
1 – Investment money way down with the “crash” in Oct 08, some 40 %. Sold as you advised and those mutuals today are virtually where they were when I sold (on a high day as you advised). Feel sort of stupid becuase I lost out on dividends.
2 – Some of your programs sound interesting although they are too expensive for these times. Also, they require much more time than I’m willing to put into them to become an expert on currency trades. There must be an easier way at a better intro rate.
3 – Lack of confidence. With all the gloom and doom news, from you and some of your experts too, it seems like a time to hold cash and gold rather than be taken by the massive unknowns.
CASH ! I can’t invest when i have lost all my CASH !
I trade currencies and indices, but hard to trade when so volitile
Not knowing when to get out of current investments and reorganize my portfolio; i.e. waiting for a nice rally.
Martin, we appreciate all the knowledge we have gained from the information you openly provide us with about the financial meltdown. We are anxiously awaiting our Currency Market CD’s so that we can put this knowledge to use! We feel this is a better option as the stock market is WAY to unpredictable. Looking forward to future advise!
Getting back to my previous job or position of that job
1- Lack of confidence in the market; 2- being unemployed and hence, not having “new money” to invest; 3- medical expenses of my dissabled Mother. This being above and beyond what I lost a couple of years ago, I ask myself: it is prudent to take more chances? Have some cash tied in IRA’s, …I said “tied” because it’s there, but don’t know the best way to manage it without what seems to be the “penalty” of having to pay high taxes. Lastly, I’m 63 and wonder, would I live enough to see the recovery of any investment made today?
Lackof confidence in the politicians who in charge of our country at this time
Viable strategies in the spot currency market.
Hi,
Thanks for providing opportunity to dailogue.
I have not invested in Forex. I am in the middle of raising some capitol.
Kiho Kim
Monetary policy must be returned to the control of elected government. We must issue a backed, debt free, interest free currency according to the needs to facilitate production and trade. The foreign owned Federal Reserve must be exterminated forever. Only then can substance and confidence be rebuilt in the American economy and currency. Otherwise we will only continue to scuffle over who can control the most deck chairs on the sinking Titanic. True wealth cannot be built faster than it is being sucked away by the Federal Reserve and it’s many minions.
Old age, no income and a drought of national leadership. Our new president, with his buddies, is going to send us down that slippery slope into oblivion.
Thank you for Money and Markets. I go to that each morning. You are right on with your predictions. Thank you.
I have not received the new currency trading info yet and hope I will be able to devote the time to learn it. I do not feel comfortable doing ETF \shorts on the market as I am a dentist and do not have a good feel for fortune telling.. I feel comfortable with my present positions in Treasury Bills, waiting for the bargains that I feel will lie ahead
WAYNE
Current investment strategy I suppose, along with a healthy fear of the unknown.
I just have to get disposable money to make it grow!
I will have it this year!
There is no stumbling blocks just patience needed
My portfolio is down 30% since Oct. Staying on the sidelines now for fear that the market is going lower. Can’t afford another major hit.
AC
Those idiots would not know the truth if it hit them in the face !
FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN PARADIGM SHIFT IN THE “NEW WORLD ORDER”.
Living down under in Australia, I find it difficult to trade in the US, i.e. finding an online Broker who can be trusted and trades in US securities. I also find it scary to open an account in USA.
Total lack of faith in any government institution and the financial elite that controls them. The financial markets have been manipulated for some time but it has now progressed to the point where I believe that the individual investor cannot make sensible investment decisions without being constantly concerned that they will be wiped out in an instant by some decision by government, in collusion with the special interests that now control every aspect of our country.
Limited access to capital.
Uncertainty over what scenario we are in. There are two ways to go:
Deflation (we could lose our income: SAVE CASH)
Inflation (our cash could become worthless: BUY REAL ASSETS)
It’s obvious that deflation will rule over the short term. Then we think it’s almost certain and inflationary or hyperinflation scenario will kick in–as central banks try to inflate away all this massive debt they’re incurring. The question is–how fast?? The problem is to see when deflation gives way to inflation (or hyperinflation). This has us hedging both ways, to the point where no matter what the markets do–we’re wrong. :-)
The ability to send email’s to a large number of people.
Just plain fear and distrust!
Already lost 50% of portfolio. Afraid to lose the rest.
No one knows when and if anything the govt is doing will help. So far the stimulus and bailouts, handled with no oversight, or conditions, have had NO positive effect on Wall Street, the American people, businesses. Things just seems to continue to spiral downward, more layoffs, stock market goes down every day, more people needing unemployment, stalwart businesses closing after having survived even the Great Depression.
“We’ve nothing to fear but fear itself”, Roosevelt said, well there is so much fear, it has created a total standstill for everyone. Banks fear lending money, business fear hiring, expanding, borrowing, consumers fear buying anything but necessary items and many can hardly afford that with layoffs reaching unprecedented levels. And what happens when the unemployment runs out or states run out of money? We all fear the unknown and that is what many bloggers are saying. FEAR has paralyzed us. And nothing will change until we are no longer afraid and our confidence is restored.
Low interest rates
Making money or saving money? I’m doing the latter and as long as I’m not losing money and the dollar appreciates and things I want to buy depreciates, well then, I’m making money. Only potential obstacle is a home I can’t sell, is way upside down, I foreclose and get a judgement against me roughly the size of my nest egg.
The # 1 thing problem is that the Govt is not letting the problems in the market resolve themselves normally by market forces. Instead the govt is busy trying to shore up the system to prevent the pain that is necessary to “clean out” the problems. How can you determine the true value of assets to invest.
God help our country and the world – we are in for alot of pain and suffering that will even make the Depression look good!!!
SAFETY
Time it takes to get out and start in fresh, free, country. I have no problem making money w/investments in this environment. I simply own gold bullion and AAA corp. bonds. not exciting but provides income (bonds) and capital gains, of sorts, if you consider capital preservation a capital gain.
Good luck
Hi Martin…I feel I know you very well. For a time you guys handled my little portfolio. I have read what you write for years.
I am now 81. I had to start learning about money after I was widowed in ‘81. Life had always just taken care of me while I did my job of taking care of those in my Life. It was a very steep curve, and I never had a sense of the big picture which steers the nations through their ups and downs. I believed with all my heart in the decency of people in public service. I still have a terrible time getting my mind around some of today’s happenings. Just money seems such a useless goal if it means doing such unbelievable harm to so many. Just ordinary self interest would seem a reason for better choices. I had no job skills and recognized how completely up the creek I was. So I taught myself bookkeeping so I had a starting point in understanding what I was facing. I reached out and got little jobs, and learned more. I learned job costing with a contractor….I was staying afloat. When I was old enough I got SS. A Whopping 500.00 a month. So I limped along learning a bit of this and a bit of that until now I am helping to build a small software company. All during this time I have been studying the markets. Reading newsletters such as yours and doing my best to get a handle on what one must do to stay alive and well in the world as it is. When my little company takes off, and I know it will, I will have funds with which to follow your suggestions. I will know what you are talking about….I will be able to handle living in hard times and good times….I hope I live a long time so that I may enjoy the fruits of my labors.
Thank you for the opportunity to Blog with you. What a marvelous world we live in! I hope this is not too long.
Thanks again and God Bless, Eve
The “RISK” is toooo great becasue the current bailouts are not eliminating from the corporate system the bad managers, executives and board members who do not want to manage fairly and honestly, make wise decisions, and are only intested in making their own personal income larger each year.
Lack of information—like not all of your recommendations include reasons for and/or pitfalls to investing & your not taking phone calls to explain. Example is recommendation SCC (Proshares double inverse ETF) which paid out a large shortterm gain that comes on my 1099 as an ORDINARY DIVIDEND
which cannot be offset by some of the many shortterm losses I incurred in 2008. Otherwise I agree with nearly everything you & your people say.
Lack of free money. Most of my money is invested in ETF double shorts on the main indexes. SH. QID, DXD, SEP and some stocks POT, MOS, Pharmaceuticals, and I am the ultimate gold bug because I have become a fairly good numismatist. Yesterday, I bought a 450 USD gold coin for 300 USD. Contrary to what Jack says. I think we will become a small model of Zimbabwee(sp?) I think in 1 to 2 years we will see a 1 ND bill. The mint needs some maintenance. So, 1 New Dollar will equal 10 present dollars. You can keep printing up M3 and not get results. Obama will accomplish what Hitler and Later Cold War Russia tried to do. Don’t beleve the govt or the press. So many companies in So. Fla have closed or gone to a 4 day week. The day they shut down is Friday. It used to be the busiest day. Now, you find half the cars and half the trucks on Friday. I made it to Miami from Delray Bch in half the usual time. Trucks cant make a delivery to a closed plant. Lots of luck. I send no money to the US govt. Except the 55% of my earnings that IRS, State of Fla. My city plus licenses and fees. My concealed weapon carry and my military training is coming closer. Saturday morning (last) the police arrested a previous felon who had shot the convenience store clerk around the corner and this felon came running gun in one hand and 110 USDs in the other hand . The police cornered him in a kindergarden parking lot across the street. He threw the gun towards my house. That’s close. But, A nice section of Delray is not that different than Jupiter. LOL Good Luck ur subscriber ( recently renewed) John E. Miller.
Retired and now with only limited interest income- Major source of funds tied up in annuities.
The lack of credibility in Washington(the president and congress)
Total lack of ethics from corporation behavior to the behavior of brokerage houses and their employees–and now an adminisration trying to power through a plan to “stimulate the economy” that no one seems to comprehend. How can one confidently invest in that type of environment?
I have been trying to earn money in forex with Jack Crooks, and now it is so volitile, that even that has been challenging. Volitility is daily and hourly, so it is hard to predict as last fall it was easier to make money with it. Now I am choosing to just sit tight and hold on.
Martin;
The wolves managing the hen house… haven’t been caught, yet! When does that take place? We would see great relief… and trust returning.
The market seems to behave as if it’s being manipulated. The market is overpriced and needs to correct but isn’t able to. Economic intervention is also keeping the excesses from being worked out. As a result I am unable to determine which way the market is going to move and can’t take advantage of the volatility.
The federal government and the control exercised by the so called stimulus bill
Retired and do not have available funds.
Do to the lack of desposable cash at this time I believe most of us would be investers are needing a vary low start up venture in order to recap some investment capital. Not everyone can shell out 4,5,or 6 hundred to join the game then put in a stake on top of it.
Hi Martin,
This blog is an excellent idea. The move to closer contact with us, your subscribers, is welcome. In my case you may have already achieved this closeness. Whenever I read your words I hear your voice saying them!! Eerie isn’t it?– sometimes this gives me pause for bizaare imagination.
I am closing my mortgage office, this has been the worst 12 months in my career. I should have paid more attention in 2007 when all of my lenders were likewise closing their doors. I had let my subscription lapse for a couple of years and didn’t get the early warnings that have been helpful in the last 6 months. Like many of the commentors here I have fear but it is tempered with knowledge, from you and others. Fear is good (paraphrasing Gordon Gekko), it is reliable and it exists for a reason. Our ancestors who lacked fear were unable to pass the Darwinian test.
My fear is about how much to set aside for necessities and for how long, then decide what is remaining for investments. New sources of income are also troubling. I have taken to asking older folks about the frugality measures their families used to survive the 1930’s Depression. Their answers were enlightening but somewhat discouraging. People, of course, were more self-sufficient then, many still lived on farms or had access to them. Groceries were grown not bought. Skills in carpentry and machinery were common and not hired-out as we do today. Likewise for clothing. Self-administered dentistry was not unusual. Walking for miles was completly acceptable transportation. Electricity was primarily for lighting but lanterns worked almost as well. Plumbing and frequent bathing were — infrequent. In the absence of cash they were able to barter. There was a trust and common view of responsibility and behavior even between strangers which no longer exists. Despite these conditions they considered themselves lucky to be Americans. We share one thing in common, banks and Wall Street brokers were regarded with ire and deep suspicion.
Unfortunately I discovered we may not be able to survive a depression as well as the previous generation. We have one thing in our favor which they lacked. Our government is much larger and has a plethora of agencies to administer money and services which will or perhaps may lessen or remove the coming hardships. Of course if these services are not available as promised then we have an even more incindiary possibility than the earlier generation. For the few who share this forum we may be able to guide ourselves through the unknown reefs of deflationary investing and living. Later we may very well prepare for the tsunami of hyper-inflation.
Your father taught you many things about those earlier days. Things which bear repeating. It took strong conviction and knowledge to short the market in those euphoric days prior to October 1929. He must have experienced fear, yet he made the right decision. We will have a similar opportunity and we must make the right decision.
Best Regards,
John
A lack of confidence in the current government actions which seem more as a socialist agenda power grab than an economic stimulus plan. Ultimately, this lowers the prospects for making market profits.
Actually listening to your advice (actually your point of view!) since the meltdown in Oct, I’m doing OK! Have EFT’s you’ve recommended, including bear Dow, and gold. Today was a good day!! If you’re correct and the Dow gets down to 6K or less, I’ll be quite happy. Then I’d have to figure out my “next big thing.”
I’m facing a very possible layoff and that’s the big constraint to investing more, and will cause me to have to liquidate positions to live.
Looked at currencies, and while I can’t play right now, and there’s always a bull market somewhere, the impact of the politicians have created too much volatility for my risk tolerance. They’re yanking the market around, like an animal in it’s death throes. Have to wait until they stop moving.
So, I share the point of view with many above; high risk of job loss, weak employment picture to move on, busted financial system (see animal above!).
I have never trusted any financial adviser in 40 years. I listen, gather facts, but at the end of the day when I buy or sell, make or lose money, I made the call. I have always been in a position to blame only myself. Thanks for your point of view. I share it and have made money from it.
Worry about a total collapse of the global financial system
Fear — I followed your advice on commodities and had a 20% gain in my portfolio but since I didn’t put in any stop-loss orders I lost it all, plus another 20%. Currently I’m holding the ETFs you suggest which short the various sectors and I’m hoping you are right that these sectors will drop. Right now these ETFs are down from what I paid. I also have no stop loss orders here. Will I lose even more money?
I only follow your advice in Safe Money; I feel you are the only one I can trust. But I’m afraid — is it time to buy gold? Oil? Stocks that pay good dividends? Will there be deflation? Inflation? Will there be a complete breakdown of the financial system, or at least enough of a breakdown to cause a run on supermarkets, etc? These questions really worry me.
my answer is simple on the surface:
“Fear of losing my principal”
Medical debt. No insurance , no money to invest
Old age and insufficient capital.
Getting rid of the non productive distraction in my life is my number 1 obstacle.
Uncertainity in the economy
Can’t get reasonable financing for investments.
I am getting to the point where i trust almost no one, and feel that others are getting information before I do.
To take advantage of the extreme current volatility, I would like to trade bull and bear index funds. However, I would need reliable forecasts at least night-before.
I am Analyst. I always read articles at you website. I like them. I am tracking globals markets since the market since long time and was waiting for this opportunityfor years. And I saved money to invest during such time. Well there is still huge time left I feel people have to wait more to find better value to invest. I have invested most of my money in gold and made gains. I do not have investments in stocks. I lost my job and have little savings for my working capital. I may get married inshaallah. So need money for marriage so no investments. I feel gold will do well this year.
simply because I am insecure. I do not trust my judgement and I am always a little late catching on.
Declining short and long term yields in the Municipal Bond Market and the uncertainty that municipalities will have tax revenues to cover semi-annual interest payments
I feel that i do not have enough experience
Not having enough information to hopefully invest intelligently and profitably.
I am only investing in what look like beaten down high yielding instruments, and not many of those. The reason: a complete lack of faith in what politicians are doing to the economy. The president and top leaders are way out of their depth. The other party did not have a clue either. Doing nothing would be much better. When did creating more debt ever get us out of debt? It is time to batten down the hatches and rig for stormy weather. This could get very ugly — for a long time.
I have my money invested in 1 year CD’S.
I’m retired and can’t recover from investments that have unknown risk.
I’ve already lost more that I can afford.
Uncertainty…I’m looking for the best bang for the buck. Some of my sources say gold, but which? There are at least 4 different ones.
Perspective. Most of us do not have the time, talent, or training to study the market and compete against those who do. Your various newsletters and those of others such as Robert Prechter of ElliottWave saw the present debacle coming and prepared their readers for the crash. Fear is caused by lack of good information and historical perspective. The crash of ‘29 was followed by a good ralley and a second crash in 1937. Events and markets are driven by waves of optimism followed by pessimism, not the other way around. Good financial advisers provide the historical perspective, and comparisons with the present, so that their readers get a feel for where we are in market cycles driven by greed and fear, optimism and pessimism. By knowing that almost all secular bear markets go through similar ups and down, and by having some idea of where we are at the present in this secular bear market, we can have confidence instead of fear, wait patiently for the right time to enter the market with appropriate stop losses in case we are off in our timing, and avoid feeling like we are being banged around by the big players in the market. You have helped provide some of this perspective. The more you work at giving your readers and clients the overall big picture the more they will develop trust. Education about the market is important. Knowing the track record of your managed accounts and having lower minimums and fees would encourage many people to take advantage of such services. Keep up the good work.
Credit Card Policies and Practices — predatory and outrageous. When cards issued to small businesses change from high rates to rates which would satisfy any mob boss, do so unilaterally and without justification, they cripple the ability of any small business AND ITS CUSTOMERS to perform well. Unfortunately, the current set of “bailouts” has not done anything to limit these practices. It is long past time for national usury statutes, rather than the patchwork of State regulations which ensure that offending banks and card companies can headquarter in Delaware or the Dakotas, or other states with no limit on interest, and charge rates to and including 40% (while the same banks are borrowing billions from the government). No credit, no customers. No customers, no business.
Liquidity
Knowing there are NO garuantee! !
Hi Martin, I am from Indonesia.
Wish your blog succesfull, and thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Lack of funds, and I am certain the one market I trust “Real Estate” is still in for a huge down word turn. Maybe another 30% or more.
Trust. Who is really competent and trustworthy enough to take a reasonable fee for creating a true value for an investor. Many made promises that are now just red ink. I have no problem paying for good counsel but after what has happened these past months, a guarantee is impossible and FEAR of losing all, especially cash in these times seems to risky and even foolhardy. What will sustain one if this debacle goes deeper for years to come? Admitedlly, we all have a greedy streak of sorts, however my dream has always been to have just enough money to not have to think about money. Boy! has this disaster taken a hatchet to what was nearly an achieveable idea.
No new money available for investment.
Lack of capital to invest in every reccomendation, as well as some other
offers from your associates which I’m trying to do but don’t know if it’s worth it with 25,000 to work with. I want to incorporate 4 different
portfolios into one. Need more guidence about the wisdom of doing that. It does seem to be working fairly well as long as the buying or selling
alerts get sent out in time. Includes Safe Money, Real Wealth, COET & World Currency Alert.
I am not convinced whether the monies spent to date by our government is working. I am going to stay conservatively invested until I am convinced.
Excessive volatility in a schizophrenic market. Just when you think its going one way it reverses direction and goes the other.
I filed Chapter 13 almost 5 yrs ago. Can’t find a broker because of my credit??
I am 75yrs and have lost 40% of my income due to equities. My IRA is my only source of income It will not grow sitting in Treasuries. I need to add to my income now not down the road.
Not knowing where to put my money to make money and letters from every investment seller out there with “positive” ways to make money IF ONLY you send them more money than you can afford!
“The wallstreet ’s parties are infact over”, said President Obama today
If so … there may be less market movement to be traded ie, it stalls in a tighter rang .. wasting time and eye’s health just for being breakeven with the trades
I hold some solid mortgages on real estate with 75% equity, the rest of my liquid money is in savings for security.
Already lost quite a bit of our equity in the market. Afraid to lose any more.
Leaving the currently flawed balanced theory of portfolio investing. This theory for the past few years has lead to balancing the losses in the various sectors of the portfolio such as large cap, small cap… The broker was using bond funds for a portion of the fixed income segment of the portfolio. Bond funds lost value also! The results were a loss of about 25 to 30 percent of the value of my portfolio. Better than Bernie Madoff but a disaster for a retired person who is not generating significant additional income.
Thanks for Weiss sharing a different perspective and the encouragement to take action. I am moving to another broker who specializes in fixed income investing.
Some 15 years ago I signed up for your option program and lost a bunch. I have always enjoyed your M&M and late 2007/early 2008 I signed up for 4 programs jack Crook, Sean Brodrick, Mike Larson and a dividend program. I am still down 15% from my initial investment, and I believe that this crazy trading environment is even too difficult for most of your guys. Now I follow Larry Edelman’s advice to build up to 25% GLD and I have recovered earlier losses partly. I keep running spreadsheets of all the investment suggestions and I have come to the conclusion that with such volatility STOPLOSSES are the main cause of accumulating losses. In many cases the price drops are just below the stop losses and then they recover. It is more risky not to apply stop losses, but in this environment my results are better. I am still with COET but it also shows a loss. I will keep the dividend program, since I believe that dividendpaying shares are the ultimate answer provided the purchase timing is right. DOW5500 appears to be the right level as your German counterpart pointed out in his very interesting M&M. I look forward to his video session.
My latest problem is the failure of the market to fall ,I’m hoping patience will pay off.
forex trader
Just don’t know how!
The fact that for my long term and short term investment strategies have been so far hindered by the U.S. goverment’s interference (stimulas package) with the cycle of the market.The inflating of the money supply (the bailout’s) will effect my international investment strategies in the short term ( protectionalism) and for my international investment strategies in the long term (geopolitical instability).
Justo to have a small amout to get risk to short indices
truth and confidence
My #1 obstacle to making money, right now, in this environment, is rising living expenses. Our family’s “cost” to live is rising faster than our limited income. Each month, we get farther and farther behind, prohibiting any accumulation of savings that would be allocated towards investment! What’s the answer?
I’m unwilling to take chances as I have before; for the last two and a half years, I’ve had to live off of savings from the “boom” real estate years. After having recently lost a large sum in the failing economy, I have come to the realization that I will never have the opportunity to retire. My income has taken a 75% reduction because of the financial crisis and the lack of credibllity in the housing market. The current government and their “bail outs” are never going to give me the opportunity to advance my financial goals.
The politicians are not honest with the American people and have not enforced the laws to protect the average investor. The SEC should be replaced with a new staff. The system is ricked any geared for the speculator. The advice by all advisers is only an assumption. Greed has caught up with the system. Nobody knows what the future holds. The future is in the Lords hands. He in in charge.
What is the #1 obstacle to making real money. Martin, I have been reading you at least 20+ years with a short break in there. I have done options for many of those years with rather poor results over that period.. What you said all those years ago is finally coming to a head and the only hindrance is not having made a greater amount of seed money. Since last year I have quadrupled my investments in S&P options and with this coming plunge to new lows I hope to do it again. What I have and the understanding of markets and currencies I owe to Martin and some others he has recommended over the years. The volitility is your friend right now and being able to pick potential highs and lows is all important. If I may pass along someone with a great ability for this it is Bob Prechter and the “Elliottwave”. It is very reassuring when you have two people’s organizations virtually standing on the same ground who for years have said, watch out. I thought I would be in the middle of my career when this debacle struck but I am retired 2 years and worried my pension is not long lived. This sounds like an advertisement for Martin and Bob, but if your looking for someone who you can trust with what the future may look like, all I can say is I’ve been able to look pretty smart to my family and friends lately. Not that I take pride in that but it takes hard times to get some people to move sometimes. I realize that once this market bottoms there may be no interest in it for stock options and an income will no longer be viable. I look forward to Martins insight on currency options.. Thank You Martin
Not having enough capital to advantage of the next opportunity.
Lack of capital. This is a buyer’s market if you are in the financial position to wait out the recession.
Being retired my interest is in preserving the asset(s) small as they are.
So far my attempt is considerably less than marvelous.
Actually, no problem at all. Retired from the State of N.J.
Retired from the U.S. Army.
Receive SS
Work part time Am 76 and counting.
After giving back much of our stock gains of the last ten years, down 30%+-, finding good stocks, real estate for the next 20+ yrs, staying invested with modest debt. Lots of time, God & health willing, to make up lost ground. Confident we’ll persevere through the current cycle and adapt to challenges as before, regardless of what the nitwits in DC manage to throw upon us. Continuing to seek new opportunity, bring it on.
Have dependent children that keep me busy so even though I know how to profit from down markets I cannot devote the time to do so. Also, live in a small area with limited job opportunities. Have a lot of real estate with limited cash flow and inability to refinance because of stricter regulations.
You asked what the number one hurdle for making money in this environment was. I answered that the predatory practices of credit card companies cripples my business and my customers’ ability to pay for goods and services. They cannot afford interest rates of almost 40%. I am upset that this segment of the banking industry — which is receiving hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars — is permitted to unilaterally change agreements, rates, conditions, limits, etc. on its credit card customers, with no discernable regulation. Is that enough “moderation” to print this?
Market indecison (Trendless), volatile (Whipsawing)
Inopportune markets, interest & dividend rates.
I don’t risk the amount of money necessary to invest in your currency trading and I don’t know what to do. I hope you continue giving specific advice on stocks/ETFs to buy, etc. in Safe Money; that’s the only hope I have left.
I have no obstacles, because I am so happy that Martin Weiss advised me to pull my
million out of the market 6 months ago. I am so happy to have my principal,
I don’t need interest.
DEBT and LACK OF CAPITAL
Why would anyone take investing in stock markets, when the inmates are still running the institutions. As long as people are foolish enough to believe in corrupt, ignorant, politicos we have a downward slope in values. Can anyone of even average intelligence believe when we turn to the same people who caused the problems to find a solution to their incompetence and or corruption we will have a nation on the mend. Forget stocks, real estate etc. Its time to move to bullion or speculate, particularly in foreign exchange. Failing that I would suggest prayer. Oh yes I forgot we have kicked God out of our country.
To enhance my retirement
i lost all of my money and then some in the real estate market here in toronto canada. i would love to try investing following your advice but i have no money.
I have trouble pulling the trigger or tend to try and over-analyze things, especially using technical indicators. I try and watch too many markets and catch NONE of the moves, even though my sentiment is usually correct! Frustrating!
FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN.!!!!EVERYDAY THE ECONOMY SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE. !!!!!
All I have is some money in term deposit which is growing at 5%. Now I am apprehensive about putting it where it can grow at the rate you suggest. If what you say is in fact true than most people would be very rich. !!!!.
How can I believe what you say ? as what I have is hard earned.
I don’t see “making money right now, in this environment” as my “#1 obstacle” since it is not my #1 goal. Right now the more important goal, as the cliche goes, is not return ON capital but return OF capital. The government’s current fiscal and monetary initiatives may be poilitically inevitable, but it’s hard for me to see why they’d be any more successful than what the “New Deal” tried in the 1930’s. You make a strong argument for deflation in the near-term; but surely much of the debt will simply be “repudiated,” and the inevitable monetization that will result from the government’s “stimulus” has to be inflationary, i.e. money-supply inflation eventually resulting in price inflation. So, cash in the near-term, inflation hedges longer-term.
To Richard re variable annuities with guarantees. I have considered this investment, but am concerned about the health of the companies issuing them. If the issuer fails, the guarantee is worthless.
Money is tied up in losing investments, so insufficient cash flow.
The ability by people to spend money…
There are two underlying conditions, which are continuing, such to negatively impact investors.
1. The concentration of wealth and income, withn the USA.
2. The bizarre method, which is used, as real estate is being valued. Real estate valuations, in the majority, reflect an appreciation of the land value and an appreciation, of the structure value. As an example: mom and dad build a house for $8000 on a $1500 lot duirng 1949. Today, some poor sould is paying $70,000.00 for this same propety.
The reality: the lot is worth, maybe, $30,000.00; the structure is worth $0.00.
The structuer is man made using materials, which are continuing, such to decay. The structure is fully depreciated, at this time.
Finance real esate using this method: A mortgage for the land. An installment loan for the structure. The mortgage is, perhaps, an interest only agreement, with a balloon, at the end of the structure’s life or when the propery changes hands. The installment loan is as is an auto loan; the structure is continually being depreciated. The day the structure is being compledted; the structure’s demolition date is already being known.USA citizens are not, correctly, being classified, as “sub prime,” by the greedy hogs, who are controlling, eighty percent of the wealth, in the USA.Rip the system apart!
Over the years I’ve noticed that most financial (and economic) pundits tell us that markets will continue going up when they are going up and down when they are going down, not to mention sideways when they are doing that.
But as Kierkegaard said, “Life is understood backwards but must be lived forwards” and too many financial advisers walk backwards while talking forwards and out of both sides of their mouths, pretending that they are predicting the future.
The few astute advisers who predict the future, more or less correctly, rarely have precise timing and are usually found on the sidelines while yahoos and no nothings are making profits by following “irrationally exuberant” markets upwards and then scrambling for the exits when they tumble.
Those are not patterns I want to follow in any part of my life, financial or other.
Dear Martin,
Foe months now, we’ve heard the talking heads and their “experts” on TV complain that nobody has a valid solution for stopping the continuing, on-going foreclosure problem (the basic root problem with the economy). I have the solution but can’t get anybody who cares to listen. My solution would cost almost nothing to implement except for a tiny administrative cost. Are you curious? Assuming my solution has credibility, it will need someone of your stature to “TAKE AN INTEREST”!
CAN YOU SPARE 5 MINUTES TO CHECK IT OUT FOR THE SAKE OF OUR COUNTRY?
Fear of losing what little I have before I have learned how to make more.
I need to know the truth about refinancing. What is the lowest interest rate on a conforming 30 year loan? The bank tells me I have excellent credit (780) and am considered a “good customer” by them since my existing loan is with them. My loan has been approved by them, but they have stalled me since December with numerous excuses about too many loan applications as well as changing the rate each time we talk.
My goal is a 30 year fixed conforming loan at no more than 4.5%. I was told by the mortgage guy that it was a go, and now he has changed the numbers. My question to you is the following: is 4.5% on a 30 year fixed conforming loan possible? My property is appraised at about 850,000 at present. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I am getting tired on the run around and I want to complete this loan/refi process.
Thank you
My number 1 obstacle to making money right now is the overwhelming impact of unpredictable and often misguided policies of the altogether too-powerful Federal government.
“—in this invironment.” is the key to your question. The ordinary individual investor like me does not have the information at hand to know where to put the money to grow with a fair degree of safety.
You have an EXPERIENCED staff and you are studying it every day maybe 24 hours a day. You get timely information FIRST, because you are watching for it all the time, so I rely on professionals to give me the info at a reasonable price.
Credit is non-exitant for business. Only the people that don’t need money can get money.
I am out of work and don’ have any money to invest.
It takes money to make money—-right?
For a retired firefighter trying to make something out of his IRA to be invited into an opportunity like this is amazing and exciting. I always have many more questions than answers so picking my brain offers you a low water mark for any comparisons. Your clear and well reasoned reports have already been a great benefit to me.
I understand that to operating in a hazardous environment a person must use proper techniques and tools in combination with proper training. Fortunately, I seem to have an ability to recognize when I’m operating in a hazardous environment. I went completely to cash in 1997 because I couldn’t make sense of the prices being paid for securities but was frustrated with not being able to exploit the amazing returns for the next two years. After studying some charting techniques, I returned to the markets in 2003 and with your reassurance started going back into cash in late 2007. By July 2008, I was again all in cash down 7%.
I also seem to have the ability to recognize great mentors. I had the great fortune to be mentored by a great man who had to be born to fight fires. I feel I’m again being given access to a great man born to fight life altering markets. By understanding my limitations, I have survived easy markets and avoided the ultra hazardous ones. My #1 obstacle to making money right now, in this environment is I don’t even know what tools are needed much less the proper techniques or training and the mechanics needed to succeed. But I’m working on it.
Fear of the unknown. Where can an investor put their hard earned money where you can make a modest return without the fear of losing prinicpal and the fear of not knowing if your investment broker and the firms they work for are investing in your best interest or just trying to make a buck themselves.
Not having confidence in the people in Washington,DC
and that includes the top man..It seem he wants to play
a ball game with The Yankees and start flying over the
US, instead on staying in DC where I think he should be
with the people that are voting on the great things that
we need to get done..
An incredibly dishonest, corrupt and incompetent government which nevertheless is absolutely stellar at pulling the wool over everybody’s eyes and making them think it’s somebody else’s fault. Also, Wall Street, whose main interest and first priority seems to be to enrich Wall Street. For some reason, our so called leaders in Washington D.C. have decided that if the ship is sinking because it has a hole in the hull, the best way to save her is to make the hole bigger so that more water will pass through it faster and maybe that way it will float to the top. Sorry. Just blowing off steam in frustration!
Disposable income and the fear of what this congress and administration will come up next to spend OUR money for their pet social programs that have nothing to do with true recovery. Never in our country’s history have we moved so rapidly toward socialism and all the accompanying economic impacts!
Lack of capital and market volatility
At this point in time I am fighting a painful situation. Additionally in a short period of time I will be leaving town irregardless of how I feel.
NOT KNOWING WHAT THE NEXT TWO YEARS WILL BE, AND RECOVERING WHAT MY PAPER LOSSES ARE AT THIS TIME. ALSO, MAKING MONEY OUT OF WHAT EVER WAY THE MARKET WILL GO, HOWEVER, I MAY GO WITH REAL ESTATE. I NEVER LOST MONEY IN A REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT.
AS a physician,I see more people unable to pay(uninsured). They are coming in sicker and desperate.
I emjoy work, but would prefer not to have to work, as my IRA sinks
Lack of confidence in politicians and no real solution in sight for the problems the average person in our country faces.
First of all thank you so much for your timely updates on a regular basis. Your opinions/views have proved so true time and time again. I find them of immense value to me.
In this uncertain market which moves so drastically, I have very often closed my winning short term positions (1 to 7 days) out of fear. Sometimes, I have proved right and sometimes wrong. But I am happy that atleast the trades were closed with some positive outcomes.
Not knowing the general daily direction of the markets.
Lack of trust………..lack of experience…………….must show me, and I mean ME………not someone I don’t know……..Make me a test subject….use my money and make more with it…….I would be a perfect subject.
I DARE YOU GUYS TO HELP ME
FOREX MARKETS, NOT TRUSTING FOREX BROKERS WITH YOUR MONEY ???? as they are up to many tricks. But info for you if your in that market DUKASCOPY very good and look at Forex peace army to find out INFO on any broker your thinking of tradeing with and can you trust them ? also make sure you read every copy of Money and Markets in your e-mail tray each day to be ahead of the game,
In farming the high cost of rents, machinery, seed and fertilizer and the low prices of farm products–wheat, corn, cotton, alfalfa,etc. We have had a short reprieve in fuel prices but don’t expect it to last for long. The customers that we sell to –dairies and cattle feeders are experiencing a credit crunch- cannot obtain financing for their feed lines and the prices of their commodities- milk and beef have been cut in half as have ours since August 2008. The other large market that we supply, the horse owners, to whom we sell baled alfalfa have had to sell their horses to keep food on the table for their families. Demand is down and there is now an oversupply of locally produced and consumed commodities. We can’t compete in the export markets with the surging strength of the US dollar relative to foreign currencies. The current administration is bent on reducing farm price supports through regulatory changes in the administration of the farm bill at a very inopportune time.
Distracted with other issues and did not stay in touch with Weiss for two years. Held-on to most Stocks & Mutual Funds in both imnveastment & IRAs – & lost a lot and am stalled in decision-making. Need good guidance on how to proceed from here
Fear of the unknown and knowing what is happening in the present tends to paralyze decision- making. But we need to find what we have lost. As I see it, the high gas prices began this downward spiral and then buyers began to contract their spending and rightfully so. Gas prices have come down but by then the damage was done: people were choosing: getting to work or paying for the mortgage. Then the tsunami of the mortgage meltdown which was reportedly only affecting 3% to 5% of the mortgages ever written yet there has been a snowball effect: the more house prices fall, the more people bail on their mortgages. In hindsight, the banks should have been forced to rewrite 30 year loans almost immediately by the government in an effort to curtail the downward spiral of housing prices and to keep people in their homes and continuing to pay their mortgages. Because the government did not act quickly to force the banks to rewrite on paper and allow the homeowners to continue to pay their new lower mortgages, we have the mess we have today in the housing market. The banks are greedy and had to have known what would eventually happen, but they also had to have known that the government would not let them fail, so all the scheming would be worth it to them.
I feel banks should not be allowed to be in the investment business and should return to just being able to give loans. They have shown that they are too risky and reckless when allowed to be involved in the investment business. But you’ll notice that the first thing Chase and Bank of AMerica did was to rush out and buy up investment houses sinking in the sand. That had to be because the banks were knee deep in the hedge fund betting and credit swap paper, etc. This whole banking, credit, hedgefund betting subprime lending mess is connected and on the surface appears to be unethical and bordering on criminal. It is this situation that undermines Americans confidence in the American government looking out for their interests. I think we have generally concluded that no one in the government cared before this all happened and no one cares now. Oh, the government can now claim that they care and will do something about it but does anyone really believe that they will? This loss of confidence in the government amd America’s markets and even its far reaching effects on global economies is what is so gut wrenching . Maybe it is time to have closed economies so as to limit the downward spiraling effects in one country from pulling another country down into the abyss so effectively.
I just have so much negative unrealized that I am pinned
FEAR! I am afraid to hold anything overnite! I day trade and am out by the end of the day. That’s it! I dont feel comfortable Investing anymore!
I don’t trust anything about this market!
Time is to haord cash as long as paper currancy is gaining and enhancing it’s value against man made products,services and basic commodities I don’t see why risk at all.
I lost most of what I had due to a work injury. I dont have anything in savings or put away. LOW INCOME
Fear of getting my money to safety by liquidating my current IRA stock account that is going down monthly.
I am reluctant to pull the trigger and make purchases of the recos in Safe Money Report.
2008 losses were horrendous.
Martin,
I have been fortunate to have seen my trust account approximately double although it is still relatively small. The biggest obstacles right now are fresh capital and I agree with others, our government is repeating history…not making it. One cannot trust Obama or Big Bro to fix this. One idea that might need spreading but I am not sure how best to work this…
Since 1933 there is no real money…most of your readers probably are aware of the Fed Reserve scam on Americans now almost a century in the making. What if we boycott the Fed and force a sound money policy by dealing in some other exchange on some small but cumulative level that creates the need to have real and valuable money issued by ourselves (our gov’t) and not by a private banking conglomerate?
Bryan
How to research and be able to tell the overall direction a market is moving. Not knowing how to evaluate stocks and other investments in a bear market. I believe it is wrong to totally rely on financial advisers advice for investments. I need and want to understand why they recommend what they recommend and when. What criteria did they use, what data are they using?
My biggest concern in trying to make money in this environment is to try and find a safe place or entity in which to use to do so. Other than short term treasury notes I feel that is might not be safe right now to leave money in your bank, or other banking institutions – example, ING, Emmigrantdirect etc….
Are fixed annuities safe with a company like New York Life?
It is hard to have confidence in institutions that you never had a problem with before.
What will be the next “brick” to fall? Thanks for listening. I read your articles everyday. Unfortunately, things are not going to be going well for who knows how long.
My number one obstacle is the investment/commercial real estate business in this area, which I have worked in for the past 20 years, has gone from a hyper speculative frenzy to a bust. The Newsmakers of the past 3 or 4 years are now on the headlines for foreclosure actions, bankrupcy, lawsuits etc. The property on the market is primarily people who way overpaid in the past 5 years that will never find a buyer in the next 10 years. I want to create new ways to earn a high and reasonably reliable income. Forget about dividends and interest, they’re pretty much gone now too. Reits, ouch, luckily I got out near the top, and I say luckily.
I’ve never had any confidence in my ability to succeed with investing and this is even though I have read many books, subscribed to newsletters, and tried to become well informed. So now, with all the economic trouble, I have even less confidence. And I do not want to lose what I have. I understand that not getting a return is like losing over time due to inflation. Nevertheless, I’m just waiting to see what happens while sitting in Treasuries.
Not knowing who to trust. Everyone has an agenda. They all are trying to sell you something.
What are the best long and short ETF’s?(1x&2x)
Timing the market entry is a problem.
I sold my investment real estate (25 lots in Florida) in 2005 and the first half of 2006. I sold 100% of my stocks in September 2007. I feel that it is too risky to reinvest in either area at this time. The stock markets are gyrating up and down in a schizophrenic fashion.
I do not want to sit at my computer trying to make money in these markets, nor do I want to wake up every day wondering what catastrophe will happen today in the financial markets or foreign affairs. We should value peace of mind, being debt-free, and preservation of capital in these times. Nancy Johnson
Knowing when to get out of cash and back into the market.
From what I have learned in recent weeks, it’s the fed’s control of the markets and cash flow that is making it difficult for many of us to earn a decent income. On a side note, the lack of willingness of employers to hire less experienced but totally qualified applicants!
I’m an octogenarian….the “Great Depression” broke my family and I became an orphan.
I made mine in commodities years ago. I’m not interested in money…except to make
sure what I do have is in a save place, long before your advice came along. We are
headed for a “Depression”. But this time….I’m not an orphan, and I’m ready. However,
I am very skeptical about the “Money Machine”. I’m writing a book on currency trading.
I start out with the cheapest advice one can ever get….”Stay out of the stocks and
commodities or any market…you probably don’t belong in it”. If you still insist, then
I’ll explain all the odds against you. And believe me…the odds can be too great. Even
though I made it….IT WASN’T WORTH IT. Many on this blog will have a hard time in
believeing that. Money is not the answer. Again…I want to see this “Money Machine”.
The most interesting part I want to know: MONEY MANAGEMENT.
We’ve all been brainwashed by all the past gurus like Gann, Elliot, etc. It is suggested
all on this blog to read Charles P. Kindlegerger’s “Manias, Panics, and Crashes”.
FEAR OF DEFAULTS BONDS AND ALSO FUTURE MANIPULATION BY THE US TREASURY
IN THE TREASURY MARKETS. CURRENTLY IN 90 DAY T-BILLS 70% & TARP BANK 2-3
YR BONDS FROM SECONDARY MARKET 30%. NOT MUCH YIELD. SAFETY????
Not enough consistant downward trend in the DOW, NASDAQ, and S&P500 to reward my contranian positions in reverse index funds and put positions, as well as my positions in gold and gold miners…
My own lack of discipline to follow my trading strategy and the resultant loss of capital.
TOO MUCH VOLITILITY
TOO MANY SURPRISES
TOO MUCH RISK
NOT ENOUGH RETURNS ON FIXED INCOME
FEAR!
gettiing a system which will allow me a reliable income. I have subscribed to the currency corse and am looking foward to gettting the materials in the mail. I did the etf subscription and did well with it, but felt i wanted some thing which I could be in charge of and wouldn’t be dependent on some one elses skills.
I don’t have any funds available. Maybe in 6 months to 9 months – or if I win the lottery.
Hi Martin -
I have no confidence in corporate boards and their lack of critical thinking, direction and oversight, of most CEOs and their cronies who make decisions — not about my interests as a stockholder–but more clearly about the size of their salary, bonus and other perk packages before all else. Fundamentals-based investing no longer mean
anything either on Wall Street or Main Street. Now that’s what I call an obstacle to future investment considerations!
Nothing but the extra money to invest with!
Would love to play the currency markets, but need to learn how.
Being mostly directional traders we can make money in either direction but right now the unpredicatability and whipsaws in the market makesswing trades more difficult. Also the implied volatilty on many options has reduced the reward/risk for selling premium for credit spreads.
HI Martin, firsrt of all thank you for all the excellent advice throughout this period of turmoil. Ok, my answer is simple. I am now unemployed trying to decide how I am going to provide for my two children. I think my personal biggest obstcale is the fear of losing even more money.
I have absolutely no clue about what the economy is going to do.
Our Goverment. You don’t now what to do because they keep interfering in all directions.
I’m in Australia,not the States.
Lack of knowledge which I am acquiring and lack of money
Risk–risk—risk ???
I am confused about the direction of the stock market and its severity. Will the econimacy take 1,2, 3 or 4 years years to recover? I relize that it is difficult to determine when the ecomomy will begin to recover. It is also difficult to suberimpose the stimulus packages by congress that may help or hinder a recovery. Also, it is difficult to get a handle on when China will reemerge as a groth giant.
Except for these minor matters, I think that no one knows for certain what, how, and when to invest, given the present situation.
Ed Nulton
Low on big funds and time to watch everyday… Thnks from Mn.
I have limited funds to invest and I don’t trust the people who run the markets. How can I get started with confidence?
Market timing. The majority of the market news and economic indicators are very bearish but the recent market up-trend indicates optimism of a bottom. It is very confusing when the majority of news/information indicates market movement in one direction but the market actually moves in the opposit. And trading options, timing is so much more critical than trading equities.
Need for more clues to play inverse ETFs. My investments recently have been restricted to these. Your info has been helpful, though I have some questions.
For some time now you have been recommending buy 50 shares each of DOG, PSQ, SEF, and EUM. And 300 shares of RYJUX. I looked at the charts for each of these. On RYJUX, $10K purchased in 1999 has been going down steadily until today it is worth $5,610.54. It made a drastic fall just recently. On the others. for the most part the values have been fluctuating over the last couple years, and not going up steadily if indeed they would have been bought in hopes of their increasing in value. What is your rationale for these recommendations? Or have I misread something?.
Government interference in the market place.
The wrong end of a whipsaw.
Market is moving in violent ways. Becoming a day trading event. There is no trust in the market or the graphs.
Uncertainty and trepidation. A continuous stream of negativism from Washington makes this an atmosphere the likes of which we have not experienced in 80 years. Government bail-outs without financial responsibilities and controls. Continuing industry lay-offs by those very same companies receiving bailouts structured to save them.
My main obstacle is the “Obama-nation” of the US govt / US Treasury bailing out Private Banks and Private Corps with taxpayers being forced to pick up the tab, thus resulting in a ‘broken economy’.
Perhaps Congress should bail out the taxpayer himself? As long as the taxpayer is liable, why not give the ‘borrowed’ funds to himself instead of inept agencies and Banks that have proved they do not know how to manage their own companies?
It is safer and easier to do nothing than to expose one’s assets to risk in this environment. The risk involved in doing nothing is the risk of opportunity lost. The net potential loss of this lack of action is easier to accept rather than the loss of the gain/opportunity lost if the market goes north. The key and most important outcome for me personally is saftey and not loosing assets.
Liquid cash that can be invested so when the market swings up or down, your postion can pay off. I have emplemented your suggestions to protect on the downside.
However, I seem be able to make small option plays while we wait. I win 2 or 3 and loose one or 2. Patience is the key you refer to many times. I am learning.
Thanks for your insights and your team you have assebled.
Dr. Ron
I was feeling pretty good following your suggestions Martin. However, I was very disapointed when you said you had a new business opportunity available only to find out it was nothing more than an expensive training DVD. I still love your site and look forward to my daily emails, but, my trust has been rocked.
Don
The number 1 obstacle to making money in this environment is the erratic and often irrational action of the strock market.
I am heavily invested in a company that produces environmentally friendly fertilizer and refining the silver. They will be producing 2.4 million ounces of silver by the end of this year or early next year. When silver reaches $40-$50/ounce I will be a wealthy man. This is a penny stock but, when the price is right, anythig goes.
THE FX MARKET IS THE PLACE TO BE. THE TWO CLEAR PROBLEMS ARE
LACK OF SOUND ADVICE, AND THE INABILITY TO FIND THE SERVICES OF
AN HONEST BROKER. MY TRADES WERE MADE CLEARLY FOR THE COMMISSIONS.
The only thing you keep, is what you give away!
I’ve been following the market for a long ,long time. The old sound rules and practices of yesteryear no longer apply. Its hard for me realize that they should be scrapped.Rules such as “buy and hold”
I through some luck and a lot of uncertainty managed to avoid most of the carnage in our 401-k’s. I recently rolled over an old employer’s 401-k into a self-directed IRA in order to gain some flexibility. I was a registered rep in the 80’s.
My biggest single issue is that I am on salary and recently took about a 5% pay cut. I really need to better define my strategies. I am 58 and I hear the clock ticking.
Fear of loss,and i have lost lots of money making the wrong decisions.My family has rental property and ive been managing it for the last 6 years since my father passed.Is now a good time to buy more rental property since prices are depressed or should I wait for even lower prices.I know rentals are not for everyone ,lots of headaches, but I think im starting to get the hang of it.
I am currently living off my principal due to very low and, in some cases, non-existent
interest rates (short-term Treasury-based mutual fund).
Jeff
My biggest obstacle is lack of more capital–don’t want to touch my current investments.
#1 obstacle is fear!!!! I don’t know what to do, and I am more risk adverse than any other time in the last 20 years
The whipsaw of deflation/inflation— no, deflation—-no, inflation—-what????
Which and when??? It is driving me crazy!
Unloading all the stock I have now in order to put the money somewhere else, plus the fear that if I do the PM mining stock I now hold will take off.
For years this country has been hollowed out by the multinationals and the banksters. They are the unseen hand—not the markets. They must all go—at once. Don’t hold your breath.
In a responsibly regulated futures market, I would be willing and capable to invest. It is a market in which money can be made on both up and down swings and in short time frames. It is now heavily influenced by the PPT, the unscrupulous SEC, and leveraged hedge funds. And how reliable is Harris Bank which holds the segregated margin accounts? Multiple risks now instead of the mere fear/greed!
Thanks for trying to help, Martin.
My #1 obstacle to making money right now, in this environment, is simply that I am not savvy enough about market strategies and securities. I’ve recently lost my job and can’t afford to take any financial risks as I will need to live on my savings until I can sell my home or find another job, whichever happens first. I really enjoy your website and, as I gain knowledge, I might venture out when I feel more confident.
Thank you Martin
My #1 obstacle is that the market seems to require constant vigilance to be successful with inverse and double ETF’s.
Not enough choices to find safe investments that pay a respectable return without undue risk. FX, inverse ETF’s, preferred, options, gold, silver – Forget it! – every one of these can become big losers, based on market timing! I just bought two CD’s (FDIC)from my local bank at 3.75% – one 8 month, another 14 months. Hopefully, other investment options will appear by the end of 2009, or beginning 2010.
Message to “Gold Bugs” – seek immediate mental help! Try buying food from Publix, or gas for your car with your gold Eagles. The U.S. dollar is OUR STANDARD MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE and remains the standard of the world. If the dollar fails, your T Bills, job, home, retirement funds – whatever – will become worthless. The government will take away your gold if you try to spend it. Also, you will need a gun…. maybe an automatic machine gun…. and an underground bunker!
Dr Martin,
I subscribe to several of your publications which has helped to guide me thru the good times and the challenging ones.I also use a couple of other publications.We heeded your call concerning the housing bubble and sold our main residence in the spring of 2006 and downsized since there is just my wife and myself (children all on their own).Trading a lot of put and call options made us a ton of money last year,all in an IRA so it is tax deferred.I have never sold a stock short because of the potential downside.Thankyou Martin AND a very smart Mike Larson!! Pete
i am basicaly frozen in my action taking attempt by the developments in the markets and economy. i am long time subscriber and i still own one of your recommendations the Canadian oil trust PVX it went down by half but pays nice dividend so i am holding it.
i need to make some smart decisions as to how to make money since my business is doing very poorly.
I am contemplating on starting to trade currencies and i know it is risky.
any idea -help of what should i do will be appreciated, your researge ollready saved me my hard earned money.thanks-KAZ
You are my most important source of info as to market direction, but for timing of the market in volatile times as now I find it extremely difficult to get it right. I am quite a bit into covered call writing on Canadian agribusiness and mining shares, which provides me with some pretty safe money. Here a person has to play the ups and the downs with an eye on technical analytical data to wait for the right entry and exit points.
Retired couple in early 80’s. All income from regular IRAs and Social Security. S.S. taxed at almost 85% plus $2,200. for medicare. IRA losses from June 1st 08 to Dec. 31, 2008 about 25%.
To rebuild principle need solid Companies With 6-10% return; and or solid bond returns. Have strong %tage in Treasury’s
Your thoughts?
R. Whitney
Too many conflicting opinions from too many “experts”.
I am 66. Not enough monthly income to live on. Very limited savings. Probably shouldn’t be “investing”. Just started with an online broker. Very little knowledge of trading and apparently reduced ability to learn. Just wanting to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Am currently dabbling in ETF’s.
It seems every dog and his pups and want you to buy there super duper investment advice. With my limited experience with them, I have made better buys than they have.
The government is the biggest problem. Most people in government simply do not understand the economy. Mixing politics and economics is like mixing gunpowder and alcohol. Our new treasury secretary keeps talking about how complex everything is and blows smoke up the senators rears by telling them “thats a great question” over and over. Isn’t he bright enough to figure out politicians are veteran smoke blowers? What was that news confrence about? The problems we are facing really aren’t that complex. They are big, extensive but really simple in their origin. One simple solution I have found to problems in the past is to remove the people who brought us into the problem. We have a government who seems to want to reward failure with bailouts and to punish success with the bill. Why don’t we try taking one of the Packages of mortgages from countrywide or whoever. Break it down to its components and the homes and borrowers with the current status of the loan and collateral. Advertise and auction where investors can come and buy the mortgages or foreclosed homes etc. Guess what? you now have a price for that so called toxic asset. Now the next one! Opps , that must be to simple a solution!
I made my own rules since I had no knowledge of the stock market and investing. I take all income and split it three ways… cost of living / debt reduction / and investments. We have never had a big income. I did put some extra savings in the stock market, but always diversified in a half a dozen more secure areas such as RSP’s and mutual funds. In the end I find not only am I holding a tidy sum going into retirement, I don’t need to worry about my stocks because the money won’t be needed for years. I can just sit on my assets and ride out the storm. I just continue sticking to my old rules and collecting my dividends from my basket of good companies. I watch for opportunities and find one now and then.
Very small interest return on savings. As a senior retiree I feel we are not being considered. Your comments and recomendations are trusted and appreciated.
I would have to say the biggest obstacle to making money right now is the Federal Government & their insistance on trying to “bail out ” the economy with these stimulus packages that are going to do nothing but make things worse.
Probably the lack of time necessary to get enough “good” information to make the right choices. I would like to see recommendations reflective of the highest quality stocks (preferably dividend paying) and the possibility of selling covered calls against those positions. For bonds, those of the highest quality whether they be corporate or municipal. I’m looking forward to your analysis of my portfolio.
I have been very disappointed at the gold and silver mining stocks. I entered this special contrarian set of stocks in 2003 and got slammed during downturns and have yet to make a profit overall in this sector.
Like Carl (see above) I would like to more about the best long and short best long and short ETF’s?(1x&2x&3x). I also think that market timing is the difficulty with ETFs. I feel that I have had mostly good or mixed results so far with Mike Larson’s ETF Trader service but perhaps you could start yet another ETF Trading service? Just a thought…
I am holding back a bit due to the fact that the political situation is very unstable, as it is taking it’s toll on Wallstreet. I have hedged my portfolio with ETFs and other stocks, etc. I really hope that things will turn around in the future, and we can contuct business as we did before all of this junk started. Talking to my friends, they hold pretty much the same opinion. I think people in general are doing a lot of the same thing. Take care, SRC,
I am looking for a service that offers a successful Bear Market Strategy that costs < $400 to join and does not require you start with tens of thousands of dollars to initially get started like some of your other services, Martin. You are excluding a lot of potential subscribers by only offering these high-end services to the select few.
OK, let’s just get down to brass tacks right now Martin, and acknowledge the fact that there is NO real money in circulation today nor has there been any since FDR stole it from the people who actually earned it. What we are forced to use as money is nothing but fiat currency (and this is true for every nation on this planet) which has no determinable value because it’s printed up with absolutely NOTHING of any value to back it up save our guns, bullets and bombs.
So your question is misleading as it assumes that some phoney bookkeeping entries are real money. You should know this stuff already. So it’s not a matter of “making money”, it’s a matter of being able to swap some bookkeeping entries around in a certain way which makes them appear to multiply. This is why it appears that people have “lost” their wealth or the value of their investments have declined. No one actually lost anything since it was all just the result of some cooked books anyway!! Fiat currencies are created out of thin air, so therefore they have no substance to them. You should already know this as well.
Randy
Martin, This is an excellent tool you have started. I have been reading the comments for about 20 minutes. I didn’t finish all, but found myself becomming quite paralyzed by others and their situations. The prevailing sentiment that shouts above the crowd is helplessness. Though I did not see that comment, the realities and feelings say just that. The fear of impending doom comes to mind. If we dont change our priorities in response to all this diffulculty, we face sinking further into the abyss. I am not without empathy for the folks that have fallen on bad times, I could fill a book on the hard times. It is not the circumstance, but the reaction to it that fulfills a persons’ destiny, and in this case the whole country. The obsticle that I have is the confusion that most of us are facing. Its the ole adage, Can’t see the forest for the trees. The way out is to spend our way out. I certainly do not suggest the government doing that for us. Let the folks that are on hard times receive help from those of us that are ok and well off. Share the wealth, it wont hurt you. Also think about your essentials and start spending a little more. The more we as citizens spend the more we will cause demand. The rest is basic economics. After all that is how it all started. Sharing was our most notable strength as a nation. Greed has and will destroy all of us if we dont help each other and stay positive. I recommend reflecting on the current crises objectively, FORGET HISTORY, because it is about to be written, so write the future today. We as a nation have all these so-called expert talking heads, and not many have painted a clear picture as to the future we face. I call it analysis/paralysis. What are our alternatives? Hyperinflation, with complete financial ruin and economic destruction. Even if you have money what good will it do. Following that episode will be total anarchy. How will we spend our way out of that. My I be so bold as to finish with our Pledge of Allegiance, What it may read in the future. I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stood, one nation under GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I believe this is our #1 obstacle.
It has been my observation over the years that I generally have either money or time, not both at the same time. Lately it seems I have neither!
Actually, I have much for which to be thankful – I am fully self-employed for nearly two years. Income is sufficient, but there is not yet enough extra. The business is encouraging though. I have a bit of funds in the Weiss Treasury Only Fund. In addition I recently opened an account with a stockbroker in order to trade in currency, starting in very carefully in a small way to get a feel for how it all works.
My biggest challenge will be have enough extra funds to do much investing.
Nothing. Your newsletter and these blogs have provided the real insights into what’s really happening. So, following the trend (downward), and only investing in Inverse ETF’s and stocks that are below book value and have a continued income stream even if the economy tanks, I’ve actually been making money.
I breed horses for the jumping sport, but no one wants to pay me what it cost to produce them. Also I live in Chile which is just about the end of the world.
Government intervention. It’s hard to invest in this market. We don’t know what to expect the day after.
Finding the wisdom to understand TIMING and PATIENCE. You and your esteemed team have given us the correct advice time and time again. One day the inverse ETF makes money, the next day its gone when the markets rally thanks to a new government handout. The Banks, Brokers and Large Corporations are screaming for a HANDOUT, the average Jo is just asking for a HAND UP. Wake up Mr Obama, Jo will still be here when the rest of them are gone.
to much volitity and uncertainity in the market for me
I live in SW Australia and fortunately have a perspective of events that is half a day out of phase with US and closely ties with Asia. My question relates to effective means by which We too may participate in protective measures against perceived risks. In other words, this is a GLOBAL mess, the US is a key player, but not the only one. Helpful solutions should also be GLOBAL. Otherwise, an insulated US view, as seems to be the case,might not be necessarily as accurate as one might wish and could miss significant risks factors and/or opportunities.
Cheers, and keep up the good work.
Techniques for trading in a bear market and benefitting from it.
High level of volatility in the current situation. this comes down again to know the tricks of quick trading.
Would like to know when this vicious deflationary spiral of falling prices will end and inflation will prevail so that I can position myself correctly.
Martin,
After losing 40-50% of my life savings I am following your advice by putting what I have left into cash and waiting for your OK to invest again. The only way I can rebuild my portfolio up again is reinvesting. As you suggested wait patiently.
Hi, I’m between a rock and a hard place. I’ve been trying for the past year to get something on the internet going or to find a business I am interested in. All to no avail, only to have my credit cards maxed, lowered my credit score tremendously and don’t know whether I’m coming or going. Help!
ALL OF THE ABOVE !!!!!!
I agree with Nancy J. (wish I had your timing!) Well, you can’t really “time” the market. Case in point: I pulled out of my DOG inverse fund this morning, assuming the market would rise on Geitner’s report…and you saw what happened. This illustrates the biggest obstacle to investing right now: the market,as many have observed in this blog, is whipsawing. I’ve worked hard, married to my computer, successfully recovering most of my losses since October (mostly through inverse ETFs) but will have 95% of my investments in short term Treasuries and cash going forward.
The single detriment to a good income is a lack of design commissions….
Municipal bonds are simple…they don’t earn enormous amounts, but they are safe and steady. In this climate I’m glad that is where my investments are.
when to get in and when to get out
Playing the oil ETF’s DIG and DUG on day trades when I get the courage to enter the market. Oil is coupled with the market and not trading with the commodity fundamentals. It will at some point but the market is very volatile to follow. Holding cash, gold, silver, oil trust and some energy stocks.
I have dabbled in the market and tried to learn how to trade, but have probably lost as much as I’ve earned. I really think the challenges for me now are the same as they have always been. I have very little money to invest or “play” with and I do not have the time it would take to learn how to properly invest and trade.
Hello Mr Weiss,I’m sure glad you asked the #1 thing that’s keeping me from starting my business is I don’t understand what they mean about opt-in pages and blogs and sales letters to drive traffic to my site.I don’t know how to do that could you please help me with this problem.This is a very big problem for me.I want to know all the things these gurus know how to do that makes them five and six figure checks.
I am 85 years old and worry as to where I can keep my small retirement money safe and still earn enough to stay ahead of inflation. My trust in government has evaporated.
My financial advisor’s investing practices over the past couple of years has been deplorable. Consequently, I have been out of the market for the past six months awaiting some resemblance of stability to return. I would be interested in any suggestions you might have.
FEAR! Retired and need to pay bills monthly.
I was going to comment about how much I like your currency trading program and plan to come aboard in the very near future but upon reading the other comments it might be more appropriate to comment on the sorry state of the public school system in America when the average graduate cannot even punctuate or spell properly. Jeez!
Fear of losing even more of what little is left.
Your advice is very helpful in desiding what to do.
This is not the best of times and it certainly is not the worse of times. Our future is in the hands of those who haven’t the faintest idea what is going on now. So how do they know what to do? Of course, they may have one objective – create a socialist government and the hell with the people.
My simple investing style doesn’t make sense anymore and I was hoping to retire after a year. I’ve worked 47 years.
I think the number 1 obstacle is the unpredictable and “”on”-”off” nature of government interventions. Quite honestly, over the past few years, I was getting good at picking winners whether they be stocks or ETF’s or even currency. It is not that difficult to predict the direction and even the likely magnitude of a companies stock if one can just study the company’s fundamentals, the business segment that the company focuses on and the economy (general and specific). But, when government intervention (or the unpredictability of it) has to be a consideration in my thinking, I find that picking the right stocks or even ETF’s (standard or inverse) is too much like going to a casino….predictable logic just flies out the window! Personally, I wish the government would just let the natural impact of the market (eg. capitalism) get the job done. At least then I can better predict a company’s future based on specific company conditions and its management capabilites and limitations.
LWould like to keep what I have without loosing anymore.
No one is telling truth about economical condition of country and financial condition of banking system. This creates lack of confidence. It prevents any investment.
Your service provides clear and honest picture of economy.
Thanks.
It’s tough to watch every single investment I own losing so much value. The uncertainty of employment and business income and the expectation that the worst is yet to come leaves me paralyzed with fear of taking ANY risks… :(
I Sincerely think you may be spending a lot of precious time in reading and answering this blog business .Making money and its obstruction is a very personal business and requires personal attention .i appreiciate your deep concern and effort on your part .People have to understand having a job /running a business / and investments are all totally different fields alltogether and cannot be interchanged .Truly wishing you all the best in your effort. Dr girish v shah
The stock market keeps going down.
Having my business stolen from me, knowing I have a case but not knowing where to turn next, I need a mentor,
Market Volatility makes me very reluctant to invest even though we are told it is the right time to buy stocks at a cheap price. Confidence in the federal govt. plan in all aspects to help the market turn around. Pat
My real problem is lack of trust in the US government and the governments of the world because I think all currencies will eventually fail and we’ll have to establish a new world currency system. Gold may even be the basis for for it. Meanwhile most of my trust is in inverse funds. I’m keeping my investments in Canadian trusts which pay good dividends, and I’m buying a couple of grossly underpriced resource stocks for future growth. But I’m not making any big bets!
The extreme up and down movement of the markets. It’s been very inpredictable over the last couple of months. I don’t disagree that shorting the market is the way to go now – but the rallies of late have been extreme as well. Plus there is always the possility (when you short) that things will in fact rise, something to watch out for. However that doesn’t appear to be the case as the year unfolds.
JH
i only have about $2-3k to invest. most of your recommendations are for higher net worth individuals. i have been told by your staff that all i need to do is cut down the recommended # of stocks and just buy according to my investment capital. i have already thought about that but have found that even if i do cut down the # of recommended stocks i am still only able to buy a handful and therefore cannot make much of an impact on my growth of capital. i would like to see money and markets cater to we individuals who have less to invest and show us how to “get started”. from what i gather about your emails is that you mainly target investors who have medium to high understanding of how the market works where people like me (even though i read your emails and recommendations) are still in the dark. i’m “going through the motions” but not truly understanding what i am supposed to be doing or “looking” for.
loss of confidence on all investment vehicles. markets are so volatile(risky_). recently most hedge funds are placing huge gamble on currencies market which can easily go either diretions(up or down) for few hundred points. cash is king”"”
Severe lack of capital at this time.
In the past 2 “bubbles”, I have lost all gains I have made in previous years through investing. Financial advisors like Baird, Merrill and others have proven to give poor advice.
I do not have trust or condifidence in any professional advice.
I can’t grow savings if the financial system is based in fraud.
Knowing exactly what to do with my husbands retirement income, including a lump sum amount, a 403b, and a retirement account that is in mutual funds right now–and not making money–I might add. My husband was just forced by health issues to retire two years earlier than we had planned. We thought we would have the time to figure things out, but with the early retirement, which includes the loss of those two years, and the way the economy is now–we are just not sure what is the safest place for our money.
getting everything set up offshore first then want to use offshore broker account. Similar to Vernon above, I would love to be used as a test pilot. I’ve subscribed to Jack Crooks currency currents but have yet to utilize the trades because I want to get set up stealth first for other reasons.
But also lack the discipline thus far to put the 500 or 1000 monthly into an account to make money with it….maybe its small but its want i want to try with first…..need plenty of help for sure…
Do you ever foresee my breaking even on lingering ETF’s, such as
DXD
DOG
SRS
RWM
It is seeming more impossible as time goes on. What about the predicted Dow 5500??
The stock market decline and going in no clear direction. Also poor business conditions.
My #1 obstacle to making money right now, in this environment is fear. The three big US banks need to be allowed to fail. GM and Chrysler need to fail. After the big dogs are gone then there will more bones for the rest of us. Too big to fail is a phrase used to make us think that each of us is responsible for them. Socialized risk, privatized profit!
Volatility manipulated by the government is the biggest problem today. You must watch each investment every minute of the day. Otherwise the market moves too fast and can whipsaw your head off!!! The sidelines is about the only way to get a decent nights sleep. Only auto daytrading can make money now.
Probably Fear. Everything that I have invested in has lost money: gold mines, energy stocks, commodities, railroads, various currency CDs.
If I pulled money out of one place, I have no idea of a safe place to put it, other than in cash. My real estate is holding up quite well, but don’t want to expand here until we see how the govt will dress up the bait to buy a piece of their toxic waste.
My # issue is two fold:
First – the 401K choices I have are far from desirable. How do I stop losing my money if I don’t have much of a choice. I’ve lost at least 32% if not more. Should I continue to put money into my 401K and have the company match, or should I discontinue my contributions and put that money elsewhere?
Second – If I can come up with $1000.00, can you help me regain some of the money I’ve lost in my 401K?
to answer the question, having the balls to pull the trigger on the trade. it seems like every time i put on a position it works for a little while and then the floor drops out. like the people above, you dont know what to believe. cramer the other night, showed how if you bought the skf last sept. you’ve lost money. so it’s clearly a short term traders market now. lately i’m trying g. angels approach on buying out of the money options, ie 10 contracts @ .60 cents or less and taking profits of .30 cents or more, short term its a profit of 300 bucks a pop and lately the way they yoyo the market, its not to hard to do. the key is to pick a couple of stocks you’re familiar with and do 3 or 4 trades a week.
I cannot afford to loose what little I have yet I feel I must make money somehow. I have been cut to 16 hrs. per week but I have health insurance and I am partially disabled so I dare not quit. I’d love to have a good dividend check coming in but any source of income that is safe would be wonderful.
My problems are : bad timing and impatience. Timing wise, all my reverse ETFs are losers ! Timing is everything and in this market, difficult to get it right. Impatience: I bought Yen at 100 to the dollar; it fell to 109 and then returned to 100 when I got out. Within weeks , the yen rose to 90 to the dollar. C’est la vie !
I get gridlocked from receiving too many and contradictory recommendations…even from your staff. Inflation vs. deflation…the dollar will zoom up vs. it’s about to crash…emerging markets are ready to soar vs. emerging markets are ready to crash…on and on. I’m dazed and confused.
FEAR! I have lost so much in 2008 that I am shell shocked to make more trades.
Even your sites give conflicting advice, so at the end of the day I feel like I am left on my own to try to preserve the little that I have left.
Knowledge is power which I believe Congress is running on empty, not understanding the implications of these enormous “Bailouts”.
They have tunnel vision and want to conduct politics as usual by adding unnecessary pork to these stimulus packages. The Stimulus or Bailout should be totally void of all pork and focused on the failing economy. Money alone will not fix it.
I refer to the Darwinian theory of survival of the fittest. The government should not be involved in taking over private enterprise (e.g. banks, auto industry, etc.).
Instead of stimulus packages or huge bailouts, the Congress should step aside and let the free market and free enterprise cleanse itself, by allowing failure of those entities too weak to survive, and the strong entities to survive, restructuring and planning to meet the 21st century way to do business, shedding the old way and making way to innovative, having healthy foresight, direction and leadership. Why not have you, Dr. Weiss, T. Boone Pickens, Warren Buffet among others who know the bottom line, to be advisors to the New Administration, rather than relying on the knotheads in Washington to make these tremendous decisions that are doomed from the beginning.
We need to revamp the government as we know it, and give it back the people, by the people, and for the people. Let the Republic be born again.
My #1 obstacle is wanting to invest for income, yet make some gains. It seems for the past month or so, every time I buy with the idea of the stock going up a few cents, it falls right after I buy it to where I do not want to take the loss. I guess I should make up my mind to only go for income and be happy.
1 – Finding good income generating investment vehicles
2 – Frustration with the time it is taking to learn the trading software I am involved with.
My money is tied up in my 401K plan. I am not allowed to take any withdrawals from it. I just turned 55 in January, therefore I can now retire. I hate to give up my job of 22 years, but I feel my financial security demands it. I’ve lost a lot of sleep over this issue. I’m planning to turn in my retirement request within the next week. Is this a smart move? I don’t have any debt, and I’m always been healthy. I’m thankful to a friend who told me about your website because I’m now feeling better about my decision to retire. Thanks!
Martin,
Now you have made me stop and think. I am way too busy working to make a living to actually make any money. My income last year was a little over $200,000, but I put in 12-14 hrs/day to earn it. There must be a better way.
No confidence in congress, seems like they are really lost. We can’t expect much from them. All they want to do is inject pork into any bill that is put forth. They control the government spending which has gone totally out of control. Our country is going down the tube fast. It is pathetic! We will hit the wall soon when China, Japan and the Arabs don’t want to fund our debt. I’m surprised they haven’t already warned us.
Well, I’d say that timing is probably number “ONE”. I don’t always have access to information (computer, etc.).
My job has me working when the world is sleeping and sleeping when the world is awake.
Fear and disgust. Both created by the folks in Washington that are supposed to be looking out for us. When you get a President that picks tax cheats for his cabinet, and when they are exposed and yet confirmed by their peers, it leads me to believe that they are all cheaters.
If the common man or woman were to try to pull off what these phonies have done, they would probably be incarcerated. I’m with Rep. Carter from Texas that said we all should invoke the “Rangel Rule”.
From a personal prospective it’s simply lack of capital and unemployment I rolled my 401K to an IRA; various Mutual Funds and an Annuity. Cash flow would be nice considering the opportunities that exist in the market, as long as I’m selective. I was hoping my options with Mike would have paid greater dividends fueling my cash flow. These monies were allocated to the market. The question is, do I keep my monies with current investments? My broker ensures that my investments are with solid funds and the most experienced money managers.
Government…with the indecision and lack of collaboration of our elected government officials it’s truly scary. I’m also concerned our government are taking the wrong path with the current “SPEND” package. I would prefer tax cuts and a strategy to relieve society as a whole of debt. How can that be accomplish? Should they let the banks fail? Complex issues that I hope we as a people can find some solace and direction from investment groups like Weiss. I’m 50+ and hope to have some security in my later years!!!
What is your #1 obstacle
to making money right now,
in this environment?
answer : it’s you .
mr broker .
when the stock market is up you make money but when the stock market is down it’s not your money ,it’s some body else money.
The government needs to butt out… No direction as long as they are involved… Nothing is safe to invest in today…
risk!!!!!!!!!!!!
there seems very little to buy and hold anymore. all monies i have are in retirement funds and thats it. will run out in about 10 years and that will leave me at 72. have two homes bought and paid for but dont know what they will be worth. running scared. so buy and sell a stock the same day and try to pick up a few bucks here and there.
With our new socialist government in control, who can one trust? The uncertainty of our freedoms is enough to make one decide that why bother to do anything, everything we strive for is probably going to be stolen from us anyway!
My #1 obstacle in making money in my business is that people are becoming more cautious about spending. My #1 obstacle in my personal investments is the radical unpredictability of what the government is going to do next.
There is no place to put my small amount of money that is safe
The number one obstacle is knowing when to get into and out of the market. I don’t want to miss out on potential 10%, 20% or 30% gains that sometimes take place when investors feel good about a potential upside.
Absolutely no trust whatsoever in the government or the market.
I am a senior citizen and after all my years of working as a psychoanalyst i have
a fear of losing all my savings because of allwhat is occurring in the financial world.
I am extremely cautious but still remain anxious about our country’s situtaion, and the leaders who are in charge. I do not expect them to pull us out of this quagmire.
irving handelsman.
martin, one must have taken action in the past year to be able to wait out these next 6 months for the governments and other institutions to show which way they are going to deal with the multitude of problems. There will many opportunities showing by next summer/fall. Any attempts to outguess markets that are drifting will only add to one’s stress level and possibly cause loss of capital which can be used later when clear opportunities arrive.
There is no place to put my small amount of money that is safe with a reasonable return
We have all our money invested in a finished feature length motion picture comedy and are in posession of over 10,000 DVD’s ready to sell in the marketplace – but people are not even buying DVD’s – just look at Wal-Mart that used to have bins and racks full of DVD’s for sale and now – hardly any floor space is devoted to DVD’s let alone music CD’s. People are seemingly hanging on to what little money they do have. The Stimulus package is the biggest boondoggle ever perpetrated on the American People. If we had any suplus money maybe we would be trading options or etf’s but we dont. This economy will stall future film production worldwide so the current glut of films will drop off very soon and when the economy does come back somewhat we will have a finished product to market.
We also will have a finished documentary on Canada’s first auto pioneer ‘The Maxmobile’
within weeks but we are concerned that even broadcasters and foreign markets will tighten their belts accordingly. Our prediction is 2011 before we see any positive signs. Thanks for your analysis of events as they unfold.
Who knows what to do during these times? “THESE ARE THE BEST OF TIMES, THESE ARE THE WORST OF TIMES” —- what is a BABY BOOMER to do? Any suggestions will be appreciated! Regards,Pam
My biggest fear is the fear being demonstrated by the politicians who think they can repair the self inflicted damages to our economy by throwing tax payers money in all directions. For some reason think they can borrow themselves out of debt. It is through their own actions that we are in the foolish legislation that we are in the predictament that we are in. They do not seem to understand the government has no money all the money in the U.S belongs to the people. The best stimulus package that the U.S could have now is ZERO Income Tax for a year. It would be cheaper than the misdirected programs they are proposing now. I am 70 years old and live on Social Security (The biggest Ponzi scheme ever) and interest on what is left of my investments. I have been reluctant to sell all of them because they are still paying dividends that are above what I could get in the interest that would be paid on the sum of them if liquidated. How can the Feds expect the individual investor to invest in the stock market when there is no standards of performance or accountability demanded of corporate America by what is supposed to be the governing agencies of Wall street. Unfortunatly it appears that the surest looking way to make money today is betting that incompetence and failure in corporate America will prevail.
Making money in this environment is not the difficulty. The difficulty is finding the most advantageous vehicle with which to make money. You have already provided a great vehicle in the currency market, therefore, I feel guts or lack thereof is the problem.
I don’t trust or believe our politicians. Who is going to buy all the debt that we are creating? Why does the (unelected) Federal Reserve get to print money out of thin air and then charge the American people interest on it? With the markets reaction to Geithner’s proposal today, I fear that tomorrow will be worse. Fear is rampant.
FEAR!
Underemployment. I live in Elkhart County, the poster child for unemployment. I am lucky to have a part-time waitressing job after losing my career job. Additional savings are out of the question at this time.
Inflation vs. Deflation. Is the massive government spending going to cause gold to skyrocket, or is deflation going to swallow the increased money supply and cause gold to plummet with the stock market?
Just read your newsletter this morning where Klaus Vogt depicted a grim scenario still ahead. With a chance of securities collapsing another 40%, I think I will hold on to my cash a bit longer – I am a buy and hold investor. I like high yield investments with fat dividends but do not neglect growth stocks when the market is on an upswing.
The lack of unbiased and reliable information is my biggest problem. Of course when the government doesn’t have a clue and cannot be trusted to look after the best interests of the country and all the rules are up for grabs, one has to pick the best that make sense and be prepared to move quickly.
I have some term deposit accounts maturing shortly which I don’t want to redeem early as they are paying interest rates that are definately not available now plus they are federal [Aust] government garranteed. Once they mature then I will definately be looking at all investment choices.
Martin I don,t have the knowledge and experiance to navigate this brutal market. Money and markets has that. I am confident that with the team you have put together we will be to understand how to put that to work.
#1 obstacle is not ‘yet’ having enough information to move beyond my minimal trading. There is a part of me that loves the volatility of the market. I’ve adhered to your advice to “go cash” and although I was a little late in the game I’ve managed to increase my cash holdings almost 5 fold. I took some losses in getting out of the funds I was holding but recouped them by having the cash to channel a small selective group of stocks. I would never have moved to protect my investments if it weren’t for you and your staff. My biggest question now is what to invest in “for the future”. Everyone says get ready but no one is articulating where to invest…. unless you buy into a service. Nonetheless, I nible around the information you provide and maintain a full belly… You guys are the best!
My loss of confidence and fear of losing more money. I called on your last program that cost around $2,500 and the person told me that I would have to learn from the material that would be sent. ” WELL ” I was not sure I could handle that so I left it pass. I still need help. Thank You, Paul Yoquelet
do not trust any investment/advice
Lost a bunch when using inverse ETFs and then we had a big rally. Need to know when to stay in and when to bail out. Practice trading without making real trades helps a bunch. One has to have a ‘feel” for the market instead of just jumping in. It would help if recommendations gave some indication of the target amount of movement when the trade is made. I want to learn to use trailing stops once a directional trade is made.
I am a novice at this, and I really don’t understand the language. mairin loftus
Extreme volatility makes it hard to find a good entry point (short or long) and not get stopped out.
Trying to find a good investment where you can make a middle class income.
The huge uncertainty associated with the recent actions by our federal government and the volatility in the market has created significantly to my uneasiness with any approach other than crawling under the US treasuries rock where I have been for almost a year. I do believe however that cash is the correct place to be and that deflation will continue, hence increasing the purchasing power of the cash. My concern is when and how to prepare for the coming reversal and how to recognize it in time to act. For that reason I have avoided CD’s and other cash equivalents that tie up my capital.
No fear! Just do the following:
1.) Read the technicals – both weekly & daily – and invest accordingly
2.) Make income by selling option premium – both spreads and covered
3.) Take profits more quickly than in the past
4.) Always keep portfolio insurance in place
2/10/09 Reading many of the responses to your question, the word FEAR stood out repeatedly. We lack leadership in govenment, wallstreet and trustworthy financial advisors who truly know how to respond to the current market, and problems facing the world now. What is a person trying to honestly make it in the market to do? We have lost much trusting our advisors in recent times. The problem is paranoia! Thanks for your efforts and concern.
Greed! Greed! Greed! Greed of those we have trusted, CEOs & government. Its like the Golden rule, “those who have the gold makes the rules”. It is a terrible shame that our two parties can not work together for the good of the country. In stead of criticizing each other, why can’t they work together to solve these problems. I can not understand how our government officials (both parties) continue to spend our money for all those pork programs, it is just self interest.
All these problems started with the government with their promotion of low mortgages to get low income people into homes. Banks, Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae were all encouraged and instructed to make the low mortgage loans to people who could not afford them. And the banks and credit companies repackaged them and sold them to honest investors. Also, the honesty of our government and the CEOs can not be trusted any longer. As I said earlier, Greed, Greed of the powerful are to blame. They (CEOs & government) broke their fiduciary responsibilities to their clients, customers and country. They need to be held accountable.
I would like to see our government officials get the same benefits (retirement & health) as we do. How can they legislative those outlandish benefits for themselves.
How are we to invest in this type of dishonest environment????
Since God has been taken out of schools and government we have been in a steady moral decline.
Puts, calls, gold, currencies, large cap, small cap…………..forgedaboudit……its all speculation STUPID ( sorry )………..now’s not the time to speculate…..This country peaked in July 1969….MAN WALKS ON MOON…Today ? we cant even build a decent car….we’re experiencing the outcome of a self-indulgent -life -is-easy generation ….whats happening here?…..what happened to hard work, honesty and common sense ?….look at how foolish Obama and Geithner looked today……they arent even on the same chapter…..what a disgrace……….think about preserving capital……..paying down debt and/or converting existing debt to more favorable terms……HK
i am very anxious about our economy because the politicians in charage are incapable of
solving our economic problems. irving
My tourist based photography business has tanked since 2007, I am barely keeping it alive. Got out of mutual funds on your advice about the markets, still have a few Roth IRA’s, but frozen about what to do with them as I just turned 58. My major problem is trying to learn forex (so hard!!!) – saw your great webcast, would love to join the program, but it’s too expensive (even with your generous discount).
I am a Financial Planner. My biggest obstacle is getting a clear and believable message to potential investors to increase my assetts under management. Personally, I just need more capital to place at risk in the currencies.
Fear….We have 99% of our assets in Treasuries. I read of many strategies and occasionally think that one could be successful, but I never follow through.
I can not find any cash !! No credit to risk !!
Fear. I made moves in July to protect myself from what I was informed was coming. Thank God for sound advice at a great time.
I am sitting on my cash pile not wanting to risk IT!
Thought a great deal about your Dad ,and you picking up the torch – it was a great thing. He would have loved this timing being on – time which , as you know , was not the case in many of the projects in the past – the Savings Loan scandal comes to mind. With my best wishes Christopher “Chris” Paterson.
I really don’t think any body knows when we will get out of this recession.
There are to many so called experts who seem to have a sure fire system of how to make money during this downturn.
Seems like the internet is full of experts, looks to me like a old time Medicine Show.Step right up! Buy my elixer and you will be cured of whatever ails you.
America has lost trust in Gov.and every one else that wants a piece of your action……Just trust me!
Everything tied up in real estate. So you might say that i’m cash poor! Love “reading the knowledge” though.
Cash flow.
Having lost quite a bit prior to exiting the downside of the market I’m a great deal more cautious now. I think “buy and hold” is not going to work very well, considering that the market may take another downhill jaunt. I’m focussing upon precious metals and natural resources as I think they will be the market leaders over the next several years. I’m also looking at China stocks.
I was just laid off, January 23rd, 2009. I am looking for work, hopefully I will be able to find something in the next few months. The ability to invest and work with your ideas, lies in this need to earn money. I have an excellent skill set in the Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Process and Controls areas, which should put me back to work shortly, but if you know of anything, your help would be greatly appreciated. Not trying to get off subject, just wanted to show how the slow down in the economy is affecting everyone and put a name with the statistics we see everyday.
My main concern, related to the markets, is that most people do not understand just how low the stock market may tumble over the next few years, possibly under 5000, short term treasury’s/money markets has been an excellent choice in retaining the principal of our retirement accounts. Thank you for the guidance.
Thank you for the opportunity to be more open,
Bob
i would like to know if the price of gold and silver will go up or down.
Sir,
I believe in you, but the economy is so crazy and i’ve lost money in just about everything I have invested. I do appreciate your concern, but I’m retired and I can not afford too many chances in this crazy market.
I thank you and have a nice day.
I do not know whether it is best to invest now (or later) for deflation or inflation. It seems we are having some of both simultaniosly.
the markets have been locked in a trading range … after today … maybe the trend is reestablishing itself to the downside? I have found it difficult to make progress in a trendless market
Martin,at the present time,My main objective is to maintain discipline,focus,and learn all I possibly can,to achieve a calmness with my investing,despite this unsettled market.I have traded options,forex,and used etf investing .i BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE TO USE DIFFERENT VEHICLES,METHODS,TO ENHANCE YOUR CHANCES OF MAINTAINING PRINCIPLE,AND PROFIT,FROM THIS MARKET.We are truly living through historic times,much like the late twenties early 30s.but I believe that the debt,personal and national,is far worse than could be imagined back then.If it wasn’t for the social programs,that we have in place in todays government,I believe the suffering would be much worse than 1929.I agree with you,that all this Government involvement,will iin the long run,be more harmful. Thanks Anthony Muolo
Who to believe…Who is telling the TRUTH?? Evreyone seems to have ulterior motives for there dissertation of what is the right course of action..And there seems to be an immediate need for satisfaction and gratification rather then patience..
The Government–today’s market illustrates what happens when politicians venture where they should not
Knowing the market bottom, knowing the appropriate time to jump back in and where to invest when that point arrives; and lastly, knowing if and when we are heading into the next Great Depression.
A totally failed financial system and the people I feel are the most dangerous people in the USA (perhaps the world) in order Barney Franks, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid.
as with some previous comments–fear. everyone who has a method makes it seem easy and automatic. that does not exist. there is a learning curve. what might be handy is a day-by-day or 1/2 day by 1/2 day indication of what to do. one other comment–you indicate you have answers, and I do believe you, but you do not indicate past performance (and that can be a very limited time frame).
In a word–fear. People are so uncertain about their financial security they choose to do nothing.
I agree exactly with RobertW just above that until the world economies/markets bottom the only way is with inverse/short ETFs which are incredibly volatile – for example SRS (inverse real estate) down 16% the last 2 days and up 17.5% today – a big risk for a 1.5% return.
I considered getting out the rat race and moving everything into index annuities with downward protection but the optional fixed growth rates are based on current interest rates which may be underwater as soon as inflation really kicks, as it surely must. Perhaps better to sit in Short-term Treasuries until you tell us everything’s bottomed???
(Note, I’m also a gold bug but even with GLD up 2% today, GDX down 3%! – the Gold/XAU ratio used to be steady around 4 for years but now has climbed way up at 7.4 despite energy costs for miners tumbling the last 6 months)
Martin,
Thank you and all your knowledgeable associates for the tremendous insight and incredible accuracy in predicting the financial events that have played out over the last several years.
I am very concerned with the government intervention into all aspects of our free market system, and how it will ultimately effect the dollar, gold, foreign currencies and the value of natural resources in the short to midterm. The unintended consequences of obvious trial and error government interaction leaves very little visibility going forward. No one can be sure of what will happen next!
Short term treasuries make a lot of sense for the majority of your keep safe money at the moment, but what use are worthless dollars in the future, and how quickly will the dollar erode once it is obvious that the next stimulus package will ultimately fail too?
Not knowing the answers to these questions is my biggest obstacle to making money in the current market environment. It is hard to focus on what really makes you money, when you are invested in low yielding cash, and hedging all other holdings.
Staying incredibly diversified seems safe, but 20/20 hindsight will provide us with the final answers. Thank you so much for all your help in these turbulent times!
Many thanks,
RT
Dear Dr. Weiss:
Congratulations on your new blog. I am 67, retired, living on social security and a pension. My wife is 64 and a substitute teacher. We have two grown children, one working, one looking for a job. Both live at home. My biggest fear is loosing what’s left of my 401K ( a neighbor calls it a 201K because I’ve lost about half since last summer). I’ve often heard “it takes money to make money.” I want to be aggressive, but I’m afraid in this market, so I’m in very conservative stuff. Is gold the answer? Is energy the answer? Thank you.
The question that one asks is indeed crucial because it sets the ambit of the response.
It signals to the recipient party that a multitude of presumptions might possibly be underpinning the query, although, the words vocalized might appear to be very simplistic (when taken at face value).
Obstacles….preventing me from engaging in seemingly lucrative ventures.
I have made a bit of money over the years, but I have two ground rules which have kept my finances in good stead.
Maintaining diversity in my portfolio (allows me to sleep soundly at night), no matter how lucrative some avenues might be.
Why? Simply because that spreads my risk factors and maximizes the possibility of recovery if the worst comes to worse.
Engaging only in ventures that I have a comprehensive understanding of, or at least a good handle on.
Why? because I was born with an expanded capacity to learn (downside here is that a large portion of my assets is either locked in intellectual property, or already earmarked for trainning purposes, some of which are mandatory in my line of work).
Great idea Martin, I am in Australia so our parameters are a little different to the U.S.A. However I have sold up two houses in recent months and am sitting cashed up basically waiting for the DOW to take this predicted leg down to vicinity 5500. At that point there should be historic bargains on the ASX. In the interim I plan to pick up some ASX gold miner developers, small cap stocks that have sound orebodies to develop a mine. Just now I have picked a small portfolio which I watch and research every day but am procrastinating on ringing the broker, like several other of your contributers who are feeing somewhat battered. I hold a few uranium developers with circa 100 million pound U3O8 orebodies proven. All for now thanks and I hope your blog does well.
The biggest obstacle for me right now is that I haven’t been able to get the funding I need for my new business, so I am without income, which means that I am trying to make the market pay me by day-trading. I am using mostly put options, and occasionally hit on a stock sale but it’s not enough. I know that using the market for income is not good on a regular basis, but sometimes I don’t have a choice. I am talking to investors, but money is tight all over right now.
Ken
I believe everyone who invest must have their personal and unique game plan. We must strongly believe in our own judgment before our financial investment decision is reached. I research, read magazines such as yours, discuss opinions with friends and family, talk to store employees where I make purchases, and have formed a (hopper) of information, facts and news, used to purchase an investment vehicle. I also observe market momentum which is very negative at this time. I mostly have decided to purchase stocks of companies below $9.00 a share in order to limit losses. I will purchase a stock if I believe it is inexpensive and near its bottom. Unfortunately with limited time to do proper research, I have not found a stock to meet my requirements. One company I am interested in, is GE. I think before December if it drops below $9.00 I would consider buying.
WE DON’T HAVE MUCH CASH LEFT AFTER PAYING ALL THE BILLS. INSURANCES (HEALTH, HOUSE, CARS) AND TAXES ARE KILLING US. THEY KEEP GOING UP AND THE INCOME DOES NOT. SHOULD WE TAKE RISK AND INVEST OUR LAST PENNIES?? SCARY!!
1 never invested
2 low in funds.
First of all, thank you so much for the years of publicizing your views and warnings to the public in general. Especially, thank you for the warning to get out of the stock market which we did before we lost what small nest egg we have. Thanks for the warnings of unemployment about to come and the solid information supporting your claims. What is the biggest obstacle to making income in this market? I work as a subcontractor for Boeing who subs to the government so I still have a job. We have been told to get ready for layoffs (30-40%). I don’t have enough $$ to take advantage of your latest idea on currency market income. So, what is the skilled worker to do? My feelings right now are to get ready for the bottom to fall out. We do have a place in a remote location that is free and clear. At this point, it seems to be where we’ll be heading. I think we can survive whatever hits and should be able to make money for skilled labor for whoever needs it.
Fear!!! the market is so volatile I don’t know what to do!!
Dr. Weiss,
I would like to thank you for your long and arduous efforts at educating investors, wannabe investors, and people like myself who are politically knowledgeable and want more good sources of information(LIKE MONEY AND MARKETS)
As the tanking economy and desolate job market where I live(Inland Empire California) I had to live on my small and now almost depleted IRA…my knowleged and your advice…helped..but…I took major hits in addition to living expenses….oh well..my bad….being unemployed with ill and unable to work wife doesnt leave much time to learn the ropes of investment…after thinking smugly I made a minor killing on my investments…just let it sit for awhile….boy was I WRONG..
Your advice is VERY GOOD….other people with more capital and more time PLEASE utilize M & M and Dr. Meyer advice…
Please Dr Meyer you and your team at M & M please try to reiteriate the history and the evil indisiousness of central/franctional/reserve banking…and the collapsing of our countryies legal political and soveriegnty heritage. Try not to condone or avert from it…it is the root of evil in our country and economy…the socialist legality we have today is just a symptom of it..
Anyway…
Thanks again…
Gods Peace to you and yours
Chris Bieber
Lake Elsinore CA
As a freelance illustrator, I depend on income from paying clients. Many of these have become effected by the downturn, and are hunkered down. My income has consequently taken a hit, though not fatally.
btw, Claus Vogt’s article was excellent.
In the box as opposed to out of the box thinking. We need leaps, not hops and certainly not skips.
Volitility of pricing of stocks, lack of confidence in reported financial data of entities, and insecurity about safety of financial institutions where my investments are held.
I have been burned a few times in the last few months with some investment advise, and I have the deer in the headlights syndrome. I”m being a little to cautious. Rather than playing any inverse etf’s, I’ve been trying to hold out for capitulation.
I think one of the biggest problems is the OIL companies at least in Canada as they are raising the price of Gas again even though the price of crude oil is around $40 a barrel which will not help the Auto Companies try to move out of these difficult times. Seems to me as soon as Mr. Bush moved back to Texas the price of Gas has gone way up with no reason for it except that HE is back in the OIL business again
Rick
My number one obstacle to making money right now is access to working capital. I repair distressed homes and beautify neighborhoods and I’m having trouble finding reliable, cost effective capital to work with.
A post” My loss of confidence and fear of losing more money. I called on your last program that cost around $2,500 and the person told me that I would have to learn from the material that would be sent. ” WELL ” I was not sure I could handle that so I left it pass. I still need help. Thank You, Paul Yoquelet”
I agree with the above.
I am 66,I lost 73% of $ saved while teaching 29 yrs. (funds and a few stocks)
I fear I may lose our home,etc.
I need a couple of safe places to put a little bit of money.(under $100.000)
Biggest fear is OBAMA,Socialism, deception,socialized gov’t controled Health care..
I
Buy and Hold Investing vs Trading: Investors that knows when to Trade these markets could have returns of 20-45% In This BEAR market, depending on what they are trading.
BUY and HOLD has not been working now since 2002. The most important thing to do is to learn Technical Charting. The Charts will guide you through each and every trade, it will signal an entry and exit points. It will signal a Bottom reversal , weather a corrective bottom or a tradeable bottom makes No difference. And it will give a SCREAMING top reversal so you can get out of a TRADE with huge profits.
If you learn to use PUTS when Top signals are given , then you can ride the sell off to a bottom reversal signal, which at that time you can buy CALLs and ride it to the top again. Repeating it over and over again. Your average will grow and the profits will keep on coming.
So UP, DOWN, SIDEWAYS, once you master the technical charts, you’ll be able to trade all directions with the GREED, FEAR and UNCERTAINTY of todays markets.
I’m short term swing trader, so my biggest obstacle is the lack of any tradable trend in the market.
Most of my money is tied up in an IRA investment fund. It has lost over 40%. I can’t take it out for income tax liabilities. They have a new commodities fund which I could move the remaining money into. What do you think???
I do own physical gold & silver but the price is has been manipulated for some time & no one seems to be able to correct it.
I seem to be stuck!!
My wife and I are 80 yrs. old. With the great uncertainty of these times. I have no desire to invest in stocks….nor am I inclined to make the effort to learn about “other types” of investing. We have only one gas stock which we have had for about thirty years with divs. on auto invest. We own three investment properties with no mortgages and have about 70k in liquid assets. Up until a few months ago our main stock investments were in GLD, BPH and Natl. Fuel Gas. We are now comforable wth our positions
Re the #1 difficulty investing now: market price distortions from secret bailouts.
When do I invest.I know the market is going to take a hit.I like miners,oil, the big railroads,trying to figure out the right time is the problem.My money is safe and I’m always looking to get out of the dollar and move to another currency because I can feel big problems for the dollar.I’m looking at tips,I think we will have a problem with inflation.The big picture does not look good,patience is key during this time.
The answer to your question is timeframe (short term or long term investment)
Indifferent on which investment (Etf, Currencies, puts/call options in general etc)
Uncertantity about the economy. So ‘m making like a turtle and sticking with safe investiments even if yields are low.
For a year the government has been manufacturing volitility. Every drop to the bottom of a supposed trading range produces a new public relations fiasco from the federal reserve, followed by a note from you saying it will not work, which we all knew from studying their “plan”. Every trip up to the 50 day average is stopped by a treasury admission they were just kidding, or a modification to the latest plan to make doubly sure it won’t work. I am still trying to understand if you advice can give us more short term information. A clue a few weeks in advance of the first payroll report of 1 million jobs lost on non-farm payroll or 1.5 million lost on the household survey would be a real help.
Regards,
Bob
My business is residential rentals, self storage, and other real estate. My biggest problem is regulation, land use permits, zoning issues, unreasonable regulation, etc. I have commercial property that has no legal financially feasible usage, due to local zoning regulations. I have lost so much in my stocks, and other investments, that I will stay in my comfort zone, of middle priced rentals, self storage, and other real estate investments. I have to agree with Pamala above, “These are the best of times, (underpriced real estate for those who can buy) and the worst of times (for those of us invested in banks, retirement accounts, and other stocks)”. My major retirement fund lost 42% last year.
Not following the advise of the Safe Money Report to which I subscribe! Like a fool I bought heavy into call options in February. To date I have lost 85% of my portfolio. I thought that I was smarter than Martin. I have only myself to blame.
Last November, my wife and I were hit by a financial tsunami when a college loan didn’t come through as expected. We’re both attending the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and studying fine art. Its a re-tooling for me, but the first time for her. We’ve gone through a major financial transformation. In 2006, I made around $130,000 trading options, but we needed to pay for school and all of our living expenses out of our total money fund, so things eventually dwindled down to the point where we were living on student loans and credit cards. Since our November melt-down, we’ve been scrambling furiously to get work. We’re both experienced in the field of Developmental Disabilities (I’ve worked both professional and administrative positions), I have a Ph.D. in political science and a lot of experience teaching at college as well as with writing, and now I have accrued five years of experience in sculpting including proficiency in welding (steel, bronze, and aluminum), and metal casting. The problem is, we’re not getting any call-backs from our many applications. My wife is 52, and I’m 64. I’m getting a sinking feeling that we’re getting the brunt of age discrimination. What can we do? We need work!! So right now, our main obstacle to making money in this environment is not having jobs to begin building up an investment fund with.
NO BUYERS
The biggest problem is that the actions of the government and the market’s reaction to them are unpredictable over the short term. Holding for the long term can be disaterous. Investment advice can conflict even within the Weiss group of products, and who has the money to subscribe to all of them?
Confusion!!! This is a crucial time for investors (players), and it is of the utmost importance for the people at” Weiss ” to be on the same page!!
Biggest obstacle to making money? I’ll tell you: Its the “Apocalypse Now” reports I keep getting from Weiss’ MAM reports. Hell, I can’t even crawl out from under the bed to go to work. Well, that’s because all my $$ is in the mattress and I’m terrified It’ll get stolen. Right now I don’t care about making money. I’m just sitting on what I’ve got left. H.
They try to take us in, They make different ways of investing your money to loose, did you know the work BANK comes from (To Bate). Don’t trust anything besides your safe deposit box or better yet your mattress.
The “obstacle” as you word the question is having our retirement savings invested in Oregon Municipal Bonds. This is not a bad thing unless of course Oregon goes down the tubes. All bonds are long term, pay very good interest rates and are guaranteed to be reimbursed at 100% PAR value upon reaching maturity.
The “obstacle” is, like most municipal bonds, prices are down. You would be foolish to sell at a significant discount to obtain funds to invest in something else. We have no debt.
We are certainly open to suggestions.
Thank you
Being a real estate development consultant advising clients on acquision, planning, design and construction, there is simply nothing going on right now. We’ve offered services to banks with their distressed properties and their attitude is they don’t want to know how bad it really is, they might have to write them down. Oh well.
Short and to the point I’d have to say a lack of knowledge, resource, and ability to narrow down which should come first. I recently decided to educate myself and try to read everything you send and if I don’t understand it then I pray osmosis will carry me through until I do.
I’ve always worked in the helping professions of which is not financially lucrative, I’d like to combine my skills and experience to include financial security.
lack of financing for any type of venture is the main problem.
Opportunities will be many in the near future for individual with cash available
Martin,
My obstacle of making money is trying to get the right investment advice at the right time. I can also be a little impatient. I belong to a number of your services and the volatility in stock options and currency options makes my head spin. I am up one day down the next up again down again. When I sell options I always go back to see if I made the right decision and second guess myself. I believe like you that ultimately this market is headed lower and I appreciate your insight. I enjoy listening to your videos and reading your daily commentary. You seem very sincere and I appreciate your expert advice.
Keith Brookhaven, NY
I’m held back by fear. I also struggle with moral issues when it comes to trading currency. What would happen if we all traded ? We could all sit in front of the computer for an hour or two a day, and get rich.
Working capital that I am willing to risk and time. I own my own business and spend 14 hours per day and 7 days a week keeping it afloat.
Hi Martin:
I whish, to have known about your service, early in 2008.
I had a big lost.
Since I read some of your articles in Dec 2009 I started to raise cash.
However I need income and I need to invest it in a secure instruments.
My main obstacle is that I am not a sofisticated investor and until recently I let my wealth, to be managed by why I thought, were professionals but I do not feel experienced, to do it my self.
Regards, Ivan
In this environment, my #1 obstacle to making money right now has been the time and riveted attention that I must spend watching my stock purchases to avoid quick market reversals due to “government” stimulus discussions on CNBC. I have been lucky enough to be able to stay at home and watch my stock streamer on Ameritrade and have actually made some money back as a short term trader. Nearing 60, I would have thought the sweet life would have been spent differently, but if this is what it takes to make me whole again, bring it on.
Not sure the “investment” purchases of good dividend paying stocks (Treasuries and Canadian Trusts) are still going to be there for me in my retirement.
I’ve been reading you for years Martin, your staff and you have been pretty much on the money, in calling today’s dire scene. I’ve been reading the sad comments from some of your readers on your new blog, and it is truly sad times in America. People are very fearful it’s in every one of their messages. As Franklin Roosevelt once said “You have nothing to fear but fear itself” I’m a 74 year old San Franciscan who owned his own small businesses for over 43 years, and lost his whole nest egg in the 90’s over 7 figures in a business I just couldn’t get over the top. Did that detour me in my mid 60’s and felled by prostate cancer, hell no, I said to myself I’ll make it all back. The method I choose was a home business, in a wonderful company that has independent distributorships and pays very well in fact you can earn a 7 figure income to invest like I’m going to in Martin’s recommendations. This business can virtually re-inflate the economy, I can prove it, show how, and following my system can guarantee a 5 figure return in 4 weeks.People just have to stop being fearful, if your boat goes down in the ocean are you just going to go down with it or are you going to fight for your life? Ed Hebert San francisco
My old bank CDs are still paying about 4%, but the ones that come due and roll over pay very little now. Trying to win in these markets as a trader is like trying to out manuever chaos. I don’t have the confidence that I or anyone else can do it. The government is making the markets even more confusing by the way they are throwing money around. I can see how extending the unemployment insurance is good but in at least half of what is being done, I think they don’t know what they are doing.
Need a job.
With information from you and others I’ve not lost money.
I NEED A FEW SAFE INVESTMENTS
Short term treasuries don’t make money.
Long term treasury yields are a little better, but the underlying security will get killed when and if the economy starts to move.
Except for gold which has been very strong, and oil which is probably very near a bottom, there is too great a probability for the general stock markets to take another 20 percent dive to venture into significant ETF holdings.
And I am too risk adverse and short of time to invest in commodities (including currencies) or options to make any significant profits in these types of investments.
So I sit on a stack of T-Bills and a Treasury only money market account waiting for the next direction in markets to assert themselves. “The trend is my friend”, but he is hiding. That is my #1 obstacle.
My #1 obstacle is myself. I don’t like taking chances and being wrong. There is nothing that is for certain anymore.
Like Randy, I am confused by those who say we are going to have even more severe deflation of all assets (even gold and oil) and that we should sell everything at a loss and get into cash, vs those who say the dollar must fall in value causing inflation due to monetization of huge deficits by the government and that we should get into oil and commodities while they are cheap. Either scenario could happen quickly without warning. Therefore, I can’t commit fully to either strategy and am hedging my bets. Even your Money and Markets experts have conflicting opinions. As for investing in currency ETF’s as you propose, that seems extremely risky.
You warned us about banks a long time ago, and you even tried to explain about “derivatives”. Having read your reports made the sudden need of a bailout for banks less unbelievable to me, although I am still confused. The two banks which have my limited funds haven’t folded yet, but I am worried. What do you think of this: A good local credit union surely could not have been involved in all those high-powered risky shenanigans. (Could it?!?) It has been conservative in its lending policies. I am thinking of moving my savings from a bank with national connections to a credit union that is right here in town. –Mary
My partner/wife is afraid of this market, and wants to keep all of our small nestegg in CD’s.
Martin,
My obstacle of making money is trying to get the right investment advice at the right time. I can also be a little impatient. I belong to a number of your services and the volatility in stock options and currency options makes my head spin. I am up one day down the next up again down again. When I sell options I always go back to see if I made the right decision and second guess myself. I believe like you that ultimately this market is headed lower and I appreciate your insight. I enjoy listening to your videos and reading your daily commentary. You seem very sincere and I appreciate your expert advice.
I believe that the biggest obstacle this country has to overcome is the general populous of this country. We had an opportunity back in November to not elect either candidate, but we chose not to go that route. By writing in “none of the above” in the ballot, we could have forced the government to hold another election this time with a viable third party candidate. We might have had a chance to clean out the overall corruption that we now have in Washington. The whole system is geared towards the politcal elite with no regard to the individual investor. I cashed out of all stocks and bonds and bought gold. From here, I am just waiting to see what happens. It ain’t lookin’ to good.
I appreciate your insight to the markets and overall financial condition of this country. I don’t know, however, if I share your optimistic view of the future at this point. Anyway, keep up the good work! You do a great service to the little investor.
difficult to invest until all the derivitives are unwound and on the table. Martin where is your investment money?
My biggest obstacle is decades of indoctrination of the “buy and hold” theory in combination of my deceased fathers advice. I cannot sell a loss soon enough.
Lack of Trust in the financial system
I would prefer to actively invest in currency-ETF’s, even at a small level initially.
not having any free money to invest with
That says it all.
I am sitting in cash at present and am patiently waiting until this market bottoms perhaps in the 500 area and at that time to buy the top quality stocks that have survived, which show the best value and which seem to have the best chance of appreciation and good dividend return.
As I look back over my shoulder I see the ‘Great Society’ doing away with the Prince of the time. Then on to the ‘peanut’ man that now causes salmonella? Then we hit 1995 when the cigar man imposed regualations on top of those before him. banks were forced to make loanes to low income families or fatherless children? A corn blacked mailed and even extorted the lenders & got the left hand to fine the right way to do business. You know like down payments on new cars & soon the left hand turned into hand outs. Do you have a job, can you pay, you really don’t have to make a down, just how much do you want? Those questions were left out. Banks were to round up their no good loans and sell them in disguise to unsuspected buyers. Now here come the Frank fries and Dodes that gave the fred & fanny dance partners the floor to see how the dance went? Now we know and none of the dance instructors will come clean on there stupid dance steps. So it seems that those of you who stayed home, lived with in your means or below, saved, invested for your future are being punished and you now know whom is being rewarded? Don’t buy gold, silver, stocks. buy commidites like aluminum, led & steel, seeds, lots of toilet paper, soap & some tooth paste. Know who your ants are as the grasshopper is at you door. Some of you may say, ahhh paluse?
Does the constituation still apply? I hope so as that was a bit of free speach.
Timing seems to be the biggest problem I face. The direction can be determined using charts and also fundamentals play a significant part as well, but timing is a killer. Since I don’t have the staying power of the Sage of Omaha, I have to be extremely careful.
Hi, ok my problem right now is that I am a 22 year old trying to convince my mother and my older sister that real estate is not the best place to be in right now. I understand that it is not the worst place either and that it isn’t the best time to sell, I mean 2 years ago would have been far better, but in the here and now I do think that now is the best time to sell in the next 10 years or so and that it would be good to diversify a little from real estate. I have been trying to get my mom to sell one or two pieces of property now for over a year and still nothing. I have big plans for other types of investments that are safe and much more liquid then real estate. How do you suggest that I convince my mom and elder sister to trust me and look at it the way I see things? Any help would be amazing, thanks…
I SEEM TO BE BUYING AND SELLING AT THE WRONG TIME.
no moner to play with
Hello Dr. Weiss. This blog idea has me ecstatic!
I subscribed to your newsletter because I sensed that you were trustwothy and that you are a sincere and compassionate man, someone who is truly concerned about our financial condition.
My biggest obstacle to making money is also fear. I have already made dumb moves and now, due to the uncertainty of my family’s economic future, I cannot afford to make any more. I don’t have the money to put at risk and I don’t feel confident The more I read the less I know, so my husband and I keep our savings in CD’s!! I have bought some silver and gold stocks, CEF, which was one good move – the other 10 – well, just plain dumb!
Do you need a good laugh? I bought molybdenum at $1.40, it rose to $12+, I had $8,000+ in profit and didn’t sell because I was of the belief it would continue to go up and I would pull out in a few years down the road. Ditto for my coal and uranium stocks. So you can see I was having more than just a stupid day. I also don’t have the time it would take to really learn this game well. Studying the markets is in your blood. I earn my living through providing basic secretarial skills on a part-time basis to a small local company. I come home, care for my family and I even mow the lawn. This year I am considering starting a vegetable garden.
You are truly walking in your Dad’s shoes – he would be very proud!
Sincerely,
Carol
The biggest problem we have right now is that the economy has wiped out all our extra cash. There is no more money available to make any kind of “growth” investments. It takes money to make money and when it is gone – it’s gone.
Interested in ultra safe, risk free, income producing investment. Playing with currencies, as you have recently suggested, it’s not for me
I’m only investing in my health, now! I might need it in my retirement to support myself!
THE LOW INTEREST RATES FOR THE TRES, BILLS AND TREAS MONEY MARKETS THAT YOU RECOMMEND,,,I MAY BE WRONG BUT HAVE ALL MY CASH IN GOVT GURANTEED REGULAR BANK MONEY MARKETS..THAT WAY I CAN GET AT LEAST 1,000.00 A MONTH IN INTREST WHILE I WAIT YOUR SIGNAL TO START INVESTING AGAIN.
Most everyone’s main problem is PATIENCE. Most can’t wait until the stock,sector and overall stock market all move in one direction. There is also news and Martin A. Armstrongs business cycles. Also people don’t spend the time to know what they are doing. Your most dangerous (loser) with a little knowledge, but put in a few thousand hours over several years and you will see who the real experts are. I believe Martin Weiss to be an expert above all others BAR NONE.
UNCERTAiNTY.Get a lot of financial .letters and have done some dry runs but do not find them very helpful at making money.Often the buy belows are past their due date and it is not posible to get in at price reccomended. I guess I just do not feel enough trust in the advise and as I have lost half of my hard earned cash (In a professionally managed portfolio) and am too old to earn it back, I really have to be very careful …however I also realise that I will have to take some real risks to get that lost $500.000 back!! Alternative is to die in 5 yrs when I run out of $$. I do like your letters but am in canada and most of your picks are U.S….I want to get out of U.S.$ denominated stuff because I think it is going to TANK but have lived thru 2 gold bubbles and am not convinced it is the alternative.. Problem is worlwide so not many “bolt holes” out there . I shall keep reading you and hope to have the courage to act on some of your advice before it is too late (((My take on market…sould have a rally maybe in march…expect a deep dive sometime around April and another 2 years before the pendulum swings back…estimate start to finish about 10 years….I am 80 so may not seeit or even give a damn by then )) Cheers
Martin: I’m comfortable with some risk but this market scares me. I buy inverse ETF’s and they go negative, I buy long ETF’s and they go negative, and my “normal” long positions continue to slowly erode away. I believe the massive government interference in the market is preventing many of the normal self-corrections from happening. Thus, we have insolvent banks, government bonds and housing stocks increasing in price while natural resouce, railroads, and energy firms are loosing value. On a personal level I am have been selling non-dividend stocks and buying MLP’s. After the last couple of weeks, I’m ceasing all investments, keeping what I have, and accumulating cash with the intent to catch the energy rebound when the days of “cheap” oil expire. In the meantime, investment information on sound dividend payers is always welcome.
WHAT DOES AWAITING MODERNIZATION MEAN????
Age. At a certain point in time, when cash is more important than investments, you look at the world differently. You know that you time frame is coming to an end but you don’t know when, so you hoard cash, and something that can be converted easily. You are more concerned about paying the rent and medical bills than you are about investing.
Sorry the trail takes time and events with out comes! That was as moderat as I will be!
If it is to much for you? Don’t ask anymore questions!
My #1 obstacle to making money now is my inability to determine, IN ADVANCE, the political and financial news and the markets’ probable reactions to it. Logic does not always seem to apply.
Charles in San Francisco
I am just a retired federal govt. civil servant who retired in 1985 on a modest pension.
I cannot afford your private newsletters. I bought gold when you said to do it and got into cash on my very modest IRA. I have an economics degree and I really enjoy your writings as very lucid. I just am out of your class of rich millionaire clients. But I try to do the best I can using your advice to stay out of trouble. thank you very much for your very good advice. Bruce
I’ve followed all of your recomendations with buying and selling. I had 50% of cash in tbills but now i am going to put in CD’s making 3%…much better than the tbills.
Hi Martin:
I am a Big Fan and a former Mutual Benefit Life Agent who thought in 1989
that you were daft when you rated MBL as a D, then the 4th Oldest and 15th Largest Insurance Company in America.
The biggest challenge to my making money in these insane markets is the constant
direct intervention in the markets by the PPT, now called President’s Open Market Commitee (on how to Permanently Screw up our formally Free markets). :)
With Trillions of dollars going into the Bank’s Black holes, and Fed blowing up its
Balance Sheet to over $3 Trilliion in 5 months from about $900 Billion in August of 2008, Daily PPT intervention, is it any wonder that the market seems bipolar and the
Best Fund Advisor for all of 2008 only lost 16% + of his Investor’s money.
I do not believe that there is anything even someone with your credentials can do
to get the Govt. out of micro managing the stock market and even directly intervening, even in the Bank Stocks when they were all crashing this past fall.
Keep Up the Good Work and May God Bless us all through this Interesting Time.
Winston P. Hoose, JD
San Francisco
Dear Sir:
I am thinking about buying an oil and gas trust in Canada, but, I’m holding off for the price to drop lower.
Will future oil jump back up quickly or are we settling in to a period that nothing will happen until the global economies turn around somewhat ?
The second question, if we are allowed to do that.
I did buy gold last October and I keep hearing that it will fly off after hitting $940 or come crashing down to below $700, if it doesn’t gain momentum from it’s current price.
Do I buy more and wait it out, rather than wait and do nothing ?
Too low in funds has made me invest a little money in currency trading. Currency trading seems the best bet at the moment to turn a very low investment into a very good prospect with time if…
At the end of the day when investing we must keep in mind that nothing is loss proof.
We must develop a mind able to take the worst and not be ruffled. Once born the biggest risk ever has been taken. Nonetheless with low funds what can I risk getting in a currency trading. Not much really, losing, honest, won’t change my life. Making a substantial profit would. I read M & M newsletters as they are ” in fine ” not just good
economics, financcal analylis but also giving great clues about the politics behind the curtains. You guys at M & M thanks for your work, thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Best to all.
inability to pull the triger when count the most whether buy and/or especially when to sell Cris new york
Thanks to you Martin, I have weathered this current crisis by parking my money in short term treasuries. My principal concern now is the future of the treasury markets. If there is a loss of confidence in the dollar and no one wants to buy our debt, the treasury bubble will likely burst. If that happens what next? Gold!.
Wife and I are 80+ and been through 1 depression – know what they are like and I don’t think we can afford to put any more money that we have in investments into more risk. We’ve got some dbl inverse ETF’s, some GLD/SLV and some china individual stocks we didn’t get out of and mining. We are waiting for the ST treasuries to get up to where they start paying something – THEN maybe we’ll start speculating again with those proceeds. Love all of you down there
I am running out of money even to invest …I retired in 2001 and bought a beer-wine carry-out just before I retired … Then in 2003 I got up Dec.22 and started my daily ritual … The next thing I new I was in the hospital … At first they thought it was a heart attack … I ended up in ICU with doctors scratching their heads … The next day they put me on the floor in a regular room … I talked my nurse into a shower … This was on Christmas day … 20 years to the day my father died … Well that late afternoon and early night I got so sick I thought I was going to die … They took me down to due a cat scan and from there I went straight to O.R. … I had neumonia, the flu and on the 22nd my appendix had ruptured … I quite breathing on the table and when I woke up … I was in the ICU with tubes everywhere a hose down my nose and was on a vent … It took 30 some days but I got out of the hospital … But the nurses had to come to the house twice a day … They had left my incheon open so it would heal from the inside out … Well since then I have had five more operations … So I have been in worst scrapes …. So what do you think of some good cheap stocks that will make a lot of monies … Michael Raley
Having the confidence to know and make an educated investment without second guessing or over analyzing(which is why I subcribed to MAM). Also, although I intuitively know I should start trading currency this year I wonder if I should… since everything seems to be devaluing and I feel I really don’t know enough about the dollar, reserves and trade(which is why I just perchased the money machine)
FEAR!!!!
Not knowing what to invest in. The markets are very unstable.
I am 84 years old and even with professional advice I am reluctant to get in this market
at this time….I may not live long enough to wait it out.
Dear Dr. Weiss,
Thank you for your accurate guidance in these extremely turbulent economic times. I have followed your advisement for about five years and I count myself lucky to have stumbled upon your website more than five years ago.
My number one obstacle to making money is I have a difficult time predicting the direction of the market. For instance, I did not follow your February 6 recommendations to buy EUM, SEF, PSQ and others. My train of thought was to wait for the stimulus package to pass the senate and the stock market would rally, presenting a great buying opportunity. But, as we all know, the treasury secretary ruined that whole plan. I guess this is an indication I don’t have my finger on the pulse close enough and that is the reason I cannot time the market.
I will say, I have made some money. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
i have been educating in the market for the first time in my life and it’s taken me nine months to put it all together. i still believe that keeping up with the times and using the right tools, however more money to put in to forex is what i could use and do not have right now. a sound proof room. a TV and two monitors.
inability to pull the triger when it count the most whether buy and/or especialy when to sell
It is hard to make money with reverse ETFs because they go down faster than they go up. 2x reverse ETFs are even worse.
As an example, say Banking stocks are at 100 and the 2x reverse ETF (SKF) is at 100.
Day 1 Banking stocks go down10% to 90. SKF goes up 20% to 120.
Day 2 Banking stocks go up 10% to 99. SKF goes down 20% to 96.
Day 3 Banking stocks go down 10% to 89.1. SKF goes up 20% to 115.2.
Day 4 Banking stocks go up 10% to 98.01. SKF goes down 20% to 92.16.
Result: Banking stocks have lost 1.99 but the 2x reverse ETF has lost 7.84
Over the long run reverse ETFs lose money.
I do not know where/how to find a broker that I can trust to purchase what you recommend. Or do I use e-trade or some other system. One method of investing I previously used was “buy high, sell low” or as Neville described buying/selling at the wrong time. Now I’m trying to heed your advice and sit on the sidelines invested in government securities until the bottom is reached. Thank you for reaching out to us small investors.
Their are so many so called experts telling us what to do and they can’t even agree among themselves. I have lost a lot of money listening to the advise of EXPERTS!
I get emails everyday wanting me to subscribe and they will make me rich…The way to get my respect is tell me one stock to buy that will make me money before you have your hand out…I need proof before I can trust again!
We have an old saying”Let muddy waters shire” meaning let it sit until it clears when the “dirt” falls to the bottom This we should do with our money.Must not be taken in greedy bankers trying to get their hands on our money. I would love to learn about the currency market later.
For those of us who don’t already have millions, the fear of losing my day job (I am the sole breadwinner for my family with a stay at home mother and two toddlers) is keeping me from doing what I know I should do which is to ditch my current overworked underpaid job and fight the tons of other people out there looking for a job with better hours, so I can spend some free time refining my investment strategies. Is that a run-on sentence…? :-)
Martin; I Have been areader of SafeMoney for years and when you started alerting your readers, I transferred my investment Portfolio to Weiss Capital Management,and along with the investment managers there have been able to hold my own. Thanks to great advice from your magazine and now from the people at Weiss Capital.
MY 2 #1 OBSTACLES ARE SEED MONEY AND GOOD INFORMATION. I READ MANY METALS LETTERS AND DO WHATEVER RESEARCH I CAN BUT DONT SEEM TO EVER PICK THE WINNERS. YOUR TEAM WRITES INTERESTING BLOGS BUT NO HARD ADVISE I HAVE SUBSCRIBED TO YOUR GREAT NEWSLETTER AND ALWAYS PICKED THE WORST OF YOUR RECOS AS I DO WITH MOST EVERYTHING IN LIFE THAT I DO, I SEEM TO HAVE THE SHIDUS TOUCH.
Without the clear details of the federal rescue plan Treasury secretary plan,the Market is up one day and then down the next day,and I can’t make decisions what to buy or sell.
Gauging the likelihood and timeframe for monetary inflation (or hyperinflation). Our government leaders know we cannot meet our future obligations with tax increases alone and have little recourse but to do all they can to inflate. Planning for and profiting in an inflationary environment can best be accomplished through investment in assets with the careful use of debt. Martin and others warn about the risk for rapidly rising interest rates in this current environment. If one takes advantage of today’s low cost of financing with the anticipation that we do indeed experience an extended period of inflation in the next few years, then you’ve made the right choice. (assuming the right asset is chosen) If you’re wrong and we have a prolonged period of deflation, then…you loss with this strategy. I have been grappling with this for a long time now and facing retirement in the next 15 year makes the choice even more critical and stressful for making the right call. There are such strong arguements for both scenarios.
The biggest roadblock for me is setting up and learning how to use an electronic trading account. Yeah, I know, it’s supposed to be easy, but the couple times I started to do it, I got bogged down in stuff that the instructions don’t mention or had some problem and had to call a phone number that’s only answered between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., which is when I’m busy with work. Then I get called away from my computer by my wife, who wants me to “help with the kids homework” (they don’t need “help”, they just need to sit down and do it!). Nothing is ever “simple” when it comes to computers. Murphy’s Law rules!
The most significant obstacle is decoupling from previous investments in such a way as to minimize losses and as a result having sufficient cash available to take advantage of the many opportunities you (and other services) have made me aware of over the past two years. I am balancing closing out debts while simultaneously committing funds to investments that promise significant gains in the months and years to come.
I just met today w/ my bank investor, after converting uncertain long term investments into cash, to buy some very short term 30, 60 or 90 day CDs, until I felt better about any further conservative stocks, as I still have the money in a cash only state, and needed recommendations as where to put it. # 1 Obstacle. Can’t seem to find a safe way to have my money work for me. Our household has gainful income, modest, in good standing mortgage, w/ no credit card debt , w/ monthly obligations using 40% of in-coming income.We still contribute 30 % to treasury fund only money market IRA. We will be also receiving more additional secured income, over and above mentioned steady income. I feel I should take this fortunate opportunity to pay off principle or even become debt free, so that any further income can be saved or re-vested for extra income, but WHERE ???? Tax now or tax later ???? We’ve been very conservative in spending and preparing for our retirement, but still some how feel very uncertain as to how to secure all our hard work and planning. Savings in a bank account only makes the banks extra income, not us.
I have lost so much money in the market that I am afraid to try it again.
Hi Martin,
there is cash to put to work but fear of further losses in this unpredictable market holds me back. The only investment scenario I envision is to buy in if and only if the market tanks substantially further and the mood is visibly panicky. Even then, I will need the courage of my convictions to jump in big and I dont know if I have the stomach. I dont have cash to burn as I m in semiretirement now. The worst of times to begin my retirement transition. The thought of a global meltdown, followed by political unrest is a troubling thought.
Dear Martin,
I will never again invest in the U.S. Market, i.e. Wall Street. I have learned too much ever to trust it again. And that knowledge was far too costly to ignore in the futute. I want my investments out of the U.S., out of the U.S. dollar, and not on the Wall Street exchanges.
So My biggest problem is finding foreign equities on foreign exchanges, denominated in foreign currencies in which to invest. I am finding them but there are losts of obstacles. I stay out of the Dollar and in gold until I find these types of investments.
Time is my biggest obstacle. Time to learn how to invest wisely and time to execute when or if I ever learn will be in short supply. Also, most of my investments are in deferred accounts that I’d prefer not to start collecting from for 10 years. What little time I have, allowed me to read blogs like MR Mortgage and learn about the housing bubble early in 2008 and mailing lists like Money and Markets which reinforced what I learned. I’ve mostly been able to stem the losses in about 75% of my investment accounts by fleeing to safety as M&M recommended last year. But there were still IRAs that took some big hits while I was trying to find time to react. The day job is not conducive to managing investments.
A minor amount of continuing research, also early in 2008, yielded troubling information about off balance sheet derivatives tracked on the OCC website. Latter the global picture became clear too. Deleveraging is going to be ugly. Does anyone really understand that impact?
Travel to Australia four years ago showed me that the housing bubble was not just an issue here in the USA. Most young people there can’t afford houses even in small towns. But I didn’t realize that the bubble would burst starting just a couple years later.
Now, it concerns my that the “company’s” 401k “stable” fund, ie, least risky, is 68% invested in Guaranteed Income Contracts, what they also call Synthetic Wraps. Who has the time to figure out what these are? Sounds like something you get at McDonalds. At least when we complained when 10% were in AIG G.I.C.s, they responded. Unfortunately, now 10% is Bank of America and 10% is JPMorgan Chase GICs. The company needs to offer something that avoids financials altogether. But who has the time to fight that battle?
I passed on the currency trading deal M&M offered because I just don’t have the time to do the training and the money to spend on it.
I am considering pulling back some IRAs from a money manager who has let half of those accounts remain in large and mid cap mutual funds to lose 27% over the last year. This isn’t as bad as some horror stories I’ve heard but not holding steady like the other IRA that I moved to cash and Treasuries.
Now with the folks in Washington who figure that the fastest way to fix a sinking ship is the make the hole bigger, I worry that even the current safe places won’t be safe much longer. I guess in one respect, the bottom will be found faster.
So, the common thread here is time. Maybe the uncertainty of job security will be a blessing to give me the time to learn. For now, remaining employed is my primary goal but at the root of my #1 obstacle.
The absolute biggest obstacle to making money in the market is the constant ranting and hand wringing of the media about how bad things are going to get.
And the newsletter writers who make a good living by scare mongering and predicting economic disaster is just around the corner.
But of course if you buy their newsletter they assure that you’ll be saved from economic ruin, and maybe even get rich while others perish.
They are just one notch above slimy things that crawl out of swamps.
There are many good things going on, companies growing and making money, new jobs being created. But the media isn’t interested in those kind of stories. As they say in the news rooms, “If it bleeds it leads.”
We have an old saying..”.Let muddy waters shire” in other words let the “dirt fall to the botton and do nothing until the waters clear.This I will do. Later I would love to learn about the currency market.
I think my #1 issue is information overload. Too many opinions on what the smartest, safest, or best investment might be. Are we headed to a depression or not. Can you really make good investments (money making) now or is the market too unpredictable for anyone. Weiss groups own advisors have multiple opinions.
Is the currency market our saving grace (M. Weiss scenario). Is it really possible for a bunch of amateurs to get smart enough in a dvd/web based system to reliably make money (vs. accidentally) in the currency markets. I’ve read that 95% of all currency traders lose money. How do the banks make money 95% of the time? I’m eager to learn what you know. Note: You can buy a book from Amazon for $69 that is highly rated that purports to train you in the most sound currency strategies. So is $1700 -$2500 worth it. Are you still proposing that this is the best investment of time and money in the current environment and long into the future? I’m interested in it because I really know nothing about it right now.
If you look at other highly ranked investment information providers (Louis Navalier(optimistic on earnings growth driven stocks) , Motley fool pro ( confident in social networking info edge), changewave, perhaps the original social network edge with their insider network) have they demonstrated really predictive power. Then there’s Prudent speculator (highly ranked), and FundX (highly rank) Again back to information overload. Which path to follow, Who do you believe.
Government intervention! If there really were free markets, one could anticipate what to do. With intermittent government intervention in the equity markets and in some commodity markets, however, it’s precarious to take a position and then find it undermined by government action the following day. Long term I think your predictions are good, but on a day by day basis, it’s hard to take the volatility.
The Obstacle Now and Forever will be our senators and congressmen in Washington DC, City Governments and State Governments. A stable Currency will never happen until Americans decide they’ve had enough. Only the super wealthy can accumulate an estate under current Unconstitutional Laws. Demand the following for starters or be happy as a peon, your every aspect of life controlled by someone else. Without a Stable Currency the average working man will never accumulate enough to live on. Cycled Inflation has run manufacturing out of the U.S. Don’t blame the corporations. When Washington deliberately creates inflation to fool the public, smart people leave the country. It’s interesting the U.S. accepts the trash from everywhere for tax payers to support, while other countries Only Accept emigrants with money.
1. Repeal the 16th Amendment. Gold and Silver Coins only acceptable as legal Tender.
2. Repeal the 17th Amendment and bring back the Republic and stop senators from
spending 45 years in office.
I could write a book on what’s wrong, but people won’t read the books available now.
So, I’ll not waste my time.
I am following your recommendations in the Safe Money Report, Larry Edelson’s Real Wealth and the International ETF service and I get a bit confused or overloaded, particularly when they do contradict. What do you suggest?
Tony
#1 concern – a job! Job seekers, try being a census enumerator. Oregon pay starts at $15.25 per hour, better than nothing. Work your way up – having a federal job is the way to go with today’s environment. Government will only get bigger.
#2 concern – national health care. Look at Bloomberg, Feb 9 article by Betsy McCaughey. As we age, we will be less valuable, it appears.
Thanks to all of you at Safe Money. You keep us very informed.
Low risk USD bank CD’s and short term T-bills pay nothing now, and risk aversion dictates we stay out of equities and commercial paper and real estate and commodities.
So how do we get INCOME in a prolonged deflationary recession like this one ? You may say, as you do, trade the currency markets, there’s always a bull market there. Anyone (including professional traders) who is reasonably honest and experienced will tell you that in short term trades, its difficult to pick the right levels to enter and to exit and thereby come out with a profit. The volatility is just too much right now. And if one goes for the longer term trades (e.g. dollar up, Euro, sterling , AUD down) again the duration and volatility of the bet can only be tolerated by higher risk profile traders with strong stomachs. Just poll the traders – hardly 50% of the trades emerge out with a profit.
I would love to invest and learn how to trade currencies unfortunately at this time money is tight.If you lower your price i think more people would rethink it. With the way the economy is at this time most people just can’t afford it. I would love to quit my day job as a nurse and just trade all day. This way i could be around in the evening for my 4 children.
At 59 my #1 rule is “don’t lose money”. By your guidance, I am overweight in gold and silver (I believe they are posied to go up). Also, I am losing confidence in congress and the white house and believe they will make matters worse, possibly much worse. I don’t have a problem hedging with ETF’s and options but they are a small part of my portfolio.
I just want a way to make the best return on my investment, ,ETF, currencty ,since I have not traded much my broker will not allow me to do options , I don’t want to figure these things out ,just want direct .direction, I can join the 250 club, Thank you, Tim
Need more capital! I’m one of those who has been making money steadily since late July of 08. I even invested the $1200 stimulus I received from the Bush Administration and made money in currency options and the crises opportunity subscriptions. I learned the discipline of managing my investments. Ah yes, I will at least receive $4K from my tax return…that’s going into currency options and some into savings. Go ahead Obama had me another stimulus and you know where that’s going to.Wow, what a concept I actually have some cash in the bank and still saving what I can per month. I have gained such an insight and knowledge with great communication from the Weiss Team. My house in Hawaii, Kauai has been for sale for 3 years at http://www.4900kuard.com. Listed at first at $1.25 Mil, now listed for $879K. If and when it does sell I know exactly where my cash investments will go. I will up the stakes with currency options and other startegies that I have confidence in doing with the Weiss Team. Now doubt! I learned so much from the Weiss group in time I will be signing up with the Money Making Machine. I’m ready to move into the heart of what the Weiss Team is offering. Just need more cash. So we are learning to cut all things in our life style and build a cash reserve. I completely look at money in a way I never known before.
Tried different investments and lost dont know where to go from here future not looking too good but dont want to give up
for me it is fear of the unknown. fear of losing what i have accumulated during my lifetime. At 82+ its a little late for me to start over or risk trying to recoup what i have already and recently lost. I hear a lot of rhetoric like “try this” – Right now my i
investment confidence is rock bottom and it will difficult to risk what little i have left. I do feel optimistic and I am looking for path out of this mess.
As one of the “Baby Boomers” my concern is my future retirement income which seems to be going down not up. Very hard to put money in a market that keeps going down. Also see a trend in the history of this US and the economy. We go down, depression years, then we come back up and then we go down again. Why can’t we learn from prior mistakes?
hi, solid oil stocks have gone even lower than many other good stocks. When do you think oil will go up towards 50 and higher again ? Thank you Martin and collegues, Dieter
Need a job.
With the information from you and others I’ve not lost money.
The guy above mentioned,”My biggest problem is regulation, land use permits, zoning issues, unreasonable regulation, etc.” -excellent!
What USA needs is more freedom not bailouts.
I spend about 4-6 hours each day listening to either Bloomberg or CNBC, which both seem to be overly promoting stock market investments. The only person I respect as one of their guests is Nouriel Roubini, N.Y University Professor. He seems to tell it the way it is. That’s exactly what I like about your organization, you are very straight forward with your ideas and analysis. I don’t know which group, if any, will end up being correct with regard to the future; so, I will have to continue listening to all venues. Fisher Investments has been after me for months to handle and manage my financial investments; but, they seem to be the very extreme on getting into the current stock market. I will continue to pray each day that the Lord guide me in my daily walk and my financial well being. I just thank you for your help and advise with regard to my financial matters. I am currently invested 100% in my company’s cash with interest (GIC) retirement account at nearly 4.5% annually. This has been going on now for nearly 8 years of my retirement. I really think times about up on these GIC’s and I need to get diversified into other investments. I will continue to listen to your ideas and analysis and hopefully someday be bold enough to follow your advice.
Best Regards, Ed
Fear of my own ignorance. Have never invested in the stock market, have no idea of how to do this in a way that will not complicate my life. Also want to be sure that I am investing in ecological, humane entities.
The lack of confidence in the market and I don’t have the knowledge of trading currency.
High Taxes, they are eating me alive, that’s federal, state, property and local…47% ouch!
A blog site of whinners. Please do your research. If someone throws up a wall. Find out how to go over it if you can’t go thru it. Don’t WHINE ABOUT IT. You better wake up cause the freight train is coming. Please study and prepare by mid April. CDS is the reason lending will not start again. If you don’t know what CDS’s are then you are completely lost.
I have a very special problem. The Swedish government is probably soon going to place me in personal bankruptcy. When that happens I will not be able to save any money, and will therefore not be able to make any money by investing. The reason that I am likely to be placed in bankruptcy is that I have to pay roughly 85.000 dollars in tax by March 12 at the latest. A woman that I fell in love with, but who turned out to be a golddigger, took my money and left me with this tax debt. I do not have any liquid assets with which to pay that tax, and my wage is only about is only about 2.000 dollars a month after tax, so I cannot save enough to pay the tax either.
I have stocks in private companies that probably are worth several hundred thousand dollars. But since these stocks are not public, they are not liquid, and I have not yet been able to find a buyer. If anyone out there is interested in buying stocks in private innovation companies, please contact me. I am willing to sell them for a price favorable to the buyer, since I am hard-pressed. I think that my bank, SEB, can arrange things so that the transaction is safe for both of us, even if we do not know each other, and live on different continents. I can of course email information to you about the private companies before you make a decision, so that you know what kind of companies you are buying stocks in.
Dear Money and Markets
Maybe the main obstacle for me is low risk tolerance. I agree that the DJIA may go down to 5500 or lower, but holding large amounts of inverse ETFs while the market flucuates radically causes me to lose sleep. I watched my acount go up or down $20,000/day back in November. I was ahead at one point around 40 grand and then down a few days later by even more. I finaly took a break from the ETFs and felt better. I also lost plenty on gold from listening to Edleson who I believe was irresponsible in urging people to load up on gold because it would go up to $2,000/ounce or more. By loading up on gold, I missed out on the opportunity to make out like a bandit on the inverse ETFs back in Sept. and October. In any event, since my risk tolerance isn’t that great, I’m trying to time the market in the short term. It can be done. I live overseas and some of the market timing people over here are quite accurate.
Just as soon as I get my money back from the theives from ABFS in PA., and Evergreen Homes in Akron, Ohio I my have some money to invest in some more scams on Wallstreet and Washington. And as soon as I can have some confidence in this job market, we recently have been told to give up 9 working days. This is my 11th job. Three of them were at the same company.
1) Confidence in the “advice” given by the politicians that what’s been said is actually what will be done.
2) Confidence in the “advice” given by the business that what’s been said is actually what is really true. (Lehman before the failure, banks before TARP, etc.)
3) Destruction of shareholder net worth without accountability, ramifications, investigation, etc.
WHEN WILL THE FINANCIAL STOCKS WILL BE COMING BACK ?
IT IS MY FEELING BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPENS IN HOUSING. THE FINANCIALS
STOCKS WILL HAVE TO COME BACK.
I AM WATCHING STOCKS LIKE JP MORGAN & BOFA
The number one obstacle for making money right now is my strong sense of wealth preservation. I managed not to loose anything in this downturn, being entirely out of the markets, fully anticipating the downturn. I have been doing some day trading lately using the frequent price swings in stocks, such as BAC, GE, PFE, actually earning a nice little profit.
I got a fair amount of dry powder left for investment when the opportunity presents itself. Your newsletter has been most helpful, together with inputs from many other analysts. Just as your commentator expressed in his column yesterday, using historical PE ratios and expected SP500 earnings, I estimated the market bottom to be around Dow 4000.
Perhaps, you can comment sometimes on my observation that the financial crisis is largely rooted in the Congressional approval of the 401K plans. The very steep rise in the stock market values seem to accurately match up with the 1984 implementation of this plan that basically flooded Wall Street with predictable and guaranteed inflows of huge amounts of monies from the paychecks of ordinary Americans. Such inflows, and the need to spend them, resulted in predictably inflated market values and, in the creation of all these “financial instruments”, basically making the markets into gambling casinos. I sense that unless the average American stops those regular contributions into the markets, the risk of re-inflating the financial bubble will be high.
i would like to be a “fly on the wall”, and know why you want to pick the mind of a philantropist, like myself.
A hint of whom I am,……………..( each person made by God is llike a specific snow-flake in a blinded winter-storm!
…………..and you think you’re confused!
Baaaaaaaaaaah!…………..Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Not enough extra money to invest. Our business has slowed
to a crawl….every penny going towards day to day expenses.
Insurance, utilities, and medical costs are taking the lion’s share.
My #1 obstacle is fear of what comes next and how do I position investments as I get burned even following the best advice (M&M services of course). I am conservative and often sit on the sidelines watching recommendations to see how they play out. I have paid thousands of dollars for the privilege to do this and count it as part of my investing education. Then when I feel I understand what is recommended and decide to get my feet wet I get burned. Watched and studied Options Alert for six months and then when I finally gained confidence to buy the reco’s, four in a row all tank.
My fears are also exacerbated when I get mixed signals from within the same group of services. eg Trades based on a strengthening US$ recommended here vs trades on a weakening US$ there. Buy gold here, short gold there.
I am reasonably intelligent and thought I that if I studied investing hard enough and diligently read quality investing advice such as comes from M&M, I would be able to get ahead. Volatility and unpredictability seems to have stymied me so far but I haven’t given up. I am stubborn and hate to be beaten – but I need help.
I don’t have a lot of money to be taking investment chances with and can’t afford to lose much. I have had significant losses in the past and am wary of trusting overly to new recommendations.
FEAR! I would love to invest in currencies with Jack Crooks but I don’t know if this soon to be 76 year old coward has the stomach to put up a chunk of cash and have nerves of steel to hang in when things start to crash. I previously noted that I would love to have jack trade for me on a fee-for-service basis and create winnings for me while I’m merely a bystander.
My education and business is not in the finnacial market so I’m self taught by reading. I had to choose someone with experience and education with solid reasoning for their advice. I have chosen your group and follow several of your email programs involving eftf, options. currency, etc. I have not been disappointed as of now and have been able to fund my wife’s and my Roth accounts this year with the profits from my trades. I’m still showing gains in my trading account. My biggest obstacle is declining health(pancreatic cancer) but it has not prevented 22 montha of gains.
Getting the timing right as we are in a range. The market just won’t go down in a straight line so the support and resistance are real important in making money in the current market environment.
My biggest impediment to being able to make more profits in this environment is the one we all have to face; not enough hours in a day. So far I have only found one other person that actually takes the work part of trading seriously enough to help shoulder some of the responsibilities and share in the profits. It’s much more difficult to me to work in trading during a 16-17 hour workday than it is to actually do the trading and investing itself.
IF I had any money to invest now, I would buy stocks in gold and silver miners. With the mad money printing that the governments of the world are engaged in, I think that gold and silver prices will go up, and that gold- and silver-related investments will do relatively well, perhaps spectacularly well.
Getting the truth about the companies we are looking at. Just prior to its major crash, Mr. Lewis, CEO of BAC made a public statement that there will be no need to cut the dividend. That was just not true and for some reason I do not believe that he did not know about the conditions at Merrill when that statement was made. Sadly I believed him and bought some shares at $33. Later his company will provide me a tax loss to off set some other gains. There is so much fertilizer out there it is hard to find the real seeds of wisdom that have been planted.
I have seached countless programs, looking for a program that appeared honest. You seem to meet that criteria, however I’m disappointed with the contradictory recos you guys put out. I’ve contacted your service, via email only to be met with a bureacracy that left me feeling like, “I don’t want to do that again.” I’ve narrowed down the credibility in your service to yourself, Jack Crooks, and Mike Larson. At least you seem to be in agreement. I wanted to buy your recent service, but I’ve studied everything I can get my hands on, read thousands of books at the library, bought countless books, and still make the wrong decisions. I don’t trust that spending $2,500 is going to help me make the right decisions. As long as you three, continue to perform, I will follow your advice. I have lots of cash, but I’m more interested now in the “return of my capital, more than the return on my capital.”
The #1 obstacle for me to make money in this market are the extreme counter-currents. Directional influences seem to change every few days. How can you count on a trend when it seems so transitory? Then factor-in the impact of government intervention and you have tremendous instability/volatility. Will deflation continue or will we get a radical turn to inflation? How in the world do you chart a path?
would love to learn more about the currency market so that I could work at this from home
Timing is the obstacle for me. I trust that you are right, that the market will fall to lower levels. But I don’t trust the market. We could still see some long rallies. Contra ETFs will do well in a down market but some seem to decay in value when the rallies continue for long periods of time. So even when the market does decline, they may still lose value. They seem to do best when purchased fresh just before a decline.
Dear Martin,
Thank you for asking for my opinion on your question of the day, regarding “#1 obstacle to making money in today’s enviroment.” I could start by saying: “Protect what funds I have left for investing as a top priority.” The obstacle would be, these dollars sitting idle, will eventually become worthless, should inflation hit with the full force of hyper-inflation thatwill likely happen (from all these trillions of dollars in borrowing) a few yrs (around 4 to 5 yrs) down the road. Instead, I feel that since I am retired, I must keep my investing limited to as much protection of reducing the erosion of funds as a top priority and yet have some income during deflation.
I am doing this by keeping my investing limited to good stable, dividend paying companies that are in the realm of being necessities of living (utilities, pipelines, energy, food & with gold-silver as a sector of inflation insurance only ).
Importantly, the majority of investment stock holdings market prices should be able to spring back eventually to producing total capital gains including dividends, that are greater than what you paid for them, a few yrs earlier (since due to panics. mkt. emotions, good stocks & other good value investments will all be negatively effected.) This will happen due to the necessity nature of these stock products in daily living. It will take considerable patience, which we americans have trouble with. I am projecting a light at the end of the dark tunnel sometime after 2012, so plan on a long holding period. That time period is IF our leaders, will listen to their wiser advisors and truly act on that advice, eventho, doing so may not get them re-elected due to using castor-oil type cures. But these kind of cures will solve the economic crisis.
I might add that I had mailed President Obama, before he took office, a stimilus recommendation to set up a job-creating infrastructure project (like Eisenhower’s interstate hwy. project) of building a nation-wide high speed all-electric bullet train system across all the mainland states in America in 6 to 8 hrs. coast to coast. It will be better than the 75 yr. old electric Eurorail system in Europe. It would provide millions of jobs of at least 10 yrs of great employment, (no tax credits needed). It also would favoriteably help reduce global warming greatly. Freight could also be carried in this way also to eliminate or reduce 50% over the road LD trucking, with trucking being inter-city from freight stations to rural areas and remote areas of the states. It could be built & done if greed & inflated pricing was monitored & very transparent to the public in each area, to keeping the price tag under 750 billion dollars or 1 trillion max. I strongly feel that our country should Let businesses that had stupid leaderships, greed & corruption suffer the markets cleansing activity.
We as a nation will come back stronger and wiser as a result, for our kids & grandkids benefit. We shall see, if Washington will do business as usual or really work to solve this economic crisis at the least cost and greater better resulting conclusion.
Martin, I hope you find my two-bits of advice and opinions enlightening and food for thought & action.
Marvin
Cashed out my 401k on October 10 taking the 20% penalty, having retired at the end of June, 2008.
Until the elected officials have a reasonable and sensible plan, I do not plan to invest in the market. Bailout, Stimulus Plan, Big Spending has to go! Let private enterprise, i.e. banks, auto industry, make it or break it. Darwin’s survival of the fittest should be allowed to run its course, weeding out the weakest and leaving the strongest to carry on.
Main Street America (working or retired tax paying citizens) do not have the option for a bailout because of bad decisions and poor judgement. It is time to stop supporting the knotheads in Washington and being led like sheep to the slaughter.
Politicians, with their personal gains in mind, should not be playing with these huge stakes in people’s lives and private enterprise. When government takes over private enterprise, it leads to socialism and loss of freedom. We, the people, need to take our country back to the principles of a Republic that is of, for and by the people.
Our economy has failed due to lack of oversight and the appetite for greed. No amount of money thrown down a bottomless pit can stablize it. Failure of the greedy institutions should not be propped up. The economy, national and global, needs to be cleansed of the misdeeds and fraudulent decisions made by those in power. Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Harry Paulson and their ilk should be hanged from the highest tree for abusing their power for self-gain. It is disgusting and repugnant to sensibility.
Market is so volatile that hard to see where it will be from opening to the closing time.
I think if politician leave market untouched it will be great. Big Ben or Paulson or recently elected politician comes and try to fix they make more trouble to the market.
Inverse play is also direction less in past few months. Open with big bang and close in negative for few months. So hard it gets to play the market.
Now they have come with 3x inverse play which brought more volatility. May be it is disaster fro market. Smaller player are in big trouble. SO losing the faith in the market as it has manipulated so much.
Distracted by other matters; strayed away from Weiss input 2 years ago. In last half-year, have held on – sold very few stocks & Funds – hoping for the rebound, big losses in investment & IRA Accounts (age 67+). Seem to be paralyzed now; looking for some sound advice after losing +- 50%
I’m pretty much on myown, but you guys are a big,big help. I hope all of your staff read each others reccos, because i’ve noted some seem to disagree at times. The Weiss team should ALL be on the same page. Thanks. John
“FEAR!”
husband just lost job, im still looking 3 children now i have to put out 1400 in health insurance, how do you save. pretty much lost most of our investments.do i gamble or pull the remainder of my 401k and get penalited. right now 12000 is looking like a million to me.
My biggest obstacle is time. My job as a 50-something physician does mean I have current income, some savings and some left over to invest. Since there’s nowhere now to put it that doesn’t require my being highly attentive to buy/sell dates or some brand new skill, it’s just sitting in cash and T-bills. Being whittled away, ultimately, by inflation. I long for the good old days of reasonable returns in CD’s, T-Bills, and savings, and reasonable risk in the market (mutual funds, ETF’s)
My question is simple…….if it’s as easy as your newsletters make it sound, why isn’t aren’t more brokers recommending the same. I’ve got two different guys from large national companies handling my money. Yes, I’ve lost like most others by investing conventionally and staying the long term course. Why would several seasoned financial advisors continue to play down your strategies?
The chief obstacle in this environment for me is distrust of just about everything. I think our banking system and all financials are “shot through with greed and corruption”. The high life style, salaries and bonus of corporate officials is robbing the shareholders. Our government throws money around to get credit for doing something. Meanwhile, credit default swaps show that investors are increasingly loosing faith in the system.
Things will straighten out in the future but not after much suffering of working people and several more years.
It’s hard to make any long term investments when the Treasury Dept and Federal Reserve are so uncertain about how to resolve the current credit/market turmoil. Everybody is speculating where the market bottom will be. If we can’t go long, let’s trade for short term profits until we see some stability. Your advice on entry/exit points is always welcome. Thanks for all your help………………CMR
#1 concern: the greed and something for nothing attitude of Americans and why there is no effort to go after the root cause of the economic crisis!
I took everything out of the stock market in Jan. 2008. Diversing between cash in cash, bonds and credit union.
Hello Martin and crew,
I live in Australia and would like to be able to e mail you for advice etc. Due to the time difference it is not easy to PH.
Keep up the good work.
I think the biggest problem is very high level of confusion, almost insanity. People are expecting instant results from their government. Unfortunately government does not have guts to ask them to be patient. My fear is goverment is going to spend enormous amout of money without proper planning and it is going to back fire. I think common folks like us should be asking our fellow citizens and the government to take a deep breath, as a matter of fact many deep breaths. Government has to realize the money it is about to burn belongs to our great grand children. And we have no right to plunder it.
I have given up on the idea of making more money, if I could keep what I have , would be an achievement. Thanks martin for your leadership.
First of all, I am quite impressed with how savvy you and your team are about all of this. Although I haven’t followed your advice ideally, I’m much better off than I would have been without the information you provided. To answer your question: my biggest obstacle in making money is figuring out which way the tide is flowing. I tend to think more short-term rather than see the big picture. But, having said that, your advice was “right on” and valuable information. I am quite impressed that you have set up this blog for us to communicate with each other. Thanks.
As a short term [hours] currency trader [tax free spreadbetting] here in the UK it has to be the volatility madness that prevails as soon as the US markets open. Most currency pairs behave exactly as the indicators I use [Stochastics 7,2 & RSI 5,2] say they should outside of US market hours but as soon as the US opens forget it – it is like people unhook their brains from the mains supply. The FED or someone makes an announcement about some miniscule thing or statistic that is totally irrelevant in the general scheme of things and the markets fly all over the place and then end up back where they started. There is probably no way to overcome this apart from not trading US market hours which is why I am writing this @ 3am London time!
Aside from currency trading I like to keep my finger on the pulse of “economic life” by subscribing to just 3 services – obviously I subscribe to Safe Money and Money and Markets generally because Martin Weiss et al are totally genuine; also http://www.rickackerman.com and http://www.technicalindicatorindex.com as a combination for picking short term movements. As far as I am concerned you don’t need anything else.
Good luck from London.
Its the terrible uncertainty in the economy and the insane volatility in the market. I am basically a trend investor, and that has served me well for many years. But the current volatility makes it impossible to pick out any trends. I became extremely defensive last year and managed to keep ahead of the market, which of course was a complete disaster. But I need investment income, and the meager yields from money market funds and even CDs do not provide enough. I like your suggestion about using inverse ETFs and have used them with fairly good results. But they also depend on guessing the market’s direction. I would love to find some stable, reasonably safe investment vehicles that provide a return of at least 5%/yr — who wouldn’t? The closest thing I have found is a Ginnie Mae fund. It returned more than 7% last year, is currently yielding almost 5%, and is less volatile than treasuries, but nevertheless is sensitve to interest rates.
#1 obstacle is believing the marketplace is honest and legitimate, which we have now learned is crooked and fixed by the big money. I would buy ETF funds if I felt there was money backing my investment. If everyone owning mutual funds tried to cash in tomorrow, there would not be enough cash to make it happen.
volitility!i know that it can be used in your favor,but there is always risk-the market moves dramatically up and down.i think patience is best right now,there will be a bounce,maybe after some deflating, the dollar will start down,then gold,oil,and maybe a large bounce in select stocks-a term i’ve heard before”keep your powder dry” there will be a time,maybe $20 oil,$600 gold,and stocks cheaper still,time to look at inflation hedges and other currencies,but i think that time will find even fewer people with any money left to take advantage,hold onto what you have now-it will mean much more later.
1. Low interest rates and direction of the economy.
IAs a long time subscriber, I read your, Larry’s and 3 other advisory services hoping to find a common thread among them. Unfortunately, there seems to be a wide divergence of ideas and theories. I have a broad set of investments from ETF’s (countries, gold, oil, miners, double reverse, etc), also there are a few Canadian Oil/Gas Trusts that pay a nice monthly dividend, but have lost share value. I have tried to diversify. In the past, everytime I set a stop, I lost 25% of my investment and then a couple of weeks later, that stock appreciated in value. I can’t afford to lose 25% over and over again… so, as a result, I rode this last volatile market to the bottom/current level.
I learned that to make some money , you have to be nimble, set a goal and try to get out when you have a reasonable profit. Unfortunately with our Fed. govt intervening all the time, it is impossible to make any really rational decisions. I can’t tell you how many times I have placed a buy on a stock (based on the RSI) and cancelled it within the day/week. It’s been a wild ride.
As a retired widow of 15 yrs, I don’t have a partner to discuss things with and sort of go it alone and try to preserve what little money I have stashed away for this time in my life. Friends just put their money with a manager (losing tons), but have a Laisez-Faire attitude and think I’m “crazy” to worry about it.
Luckily I have lots of land and live in an Amish community, so if need be, I can raise food, can, freeze and will make it…. I really feel sorry for people who live in towns and cities in apartments with no way to make or grow anything for themselves. I fear that the National Guard will need to be activated to maintain order and peace when the going gets “really” tough. In my area, thieves are the main problem… however, my brothers Smith and Wesson are available, until it’s not possible to get ammo (haha)… I am understanding that there is a bill in Congress to trace the purchase of amunition. How many of our freedoms will be taken away in the name of National Security is a question that we should all be asking of our new administration. Most folks just stick their heads in the sand and refuse to think about it… too busy watching The Biggest Loser on TV, I presume. However, in fact, I think we are all the big losers… and need to wake up before it is too late.
I know that you do not have a crystal ball and have been correct in your predictions overall and I thank you for that. I know that you are providing the best and most honest service that you can. It must be a heavy weight on your company’s shoulders knowing that folks are counting on you to make correct (in an ever changing climate) predictions and give good advice. Thank you for your direct and honest evaluation to date. God Bless You and Your Family and All the folks who work with you.
Dumb me! I should have left a stop loss for my UYG. Tuesday 2-10-09 just before the great news- stimulus bill, treasury secretary, Bernanke news- I left to buy a pair of shoes. The DOW then was down only 45 but when I got back into my car from the store the DOW was already down 350. Lesson here: Never leave the stove while cooking.
I have been tinkering with investing for 25 years. Never more than $50k total invested in stocks, bonds, CD’s, options, MF,s, and annuities. For several years I had a series 6 license. Over the years, I’ve made and lost about $50k. So, I’ve wasted my time and missed the gain of simple and safe compound interest. I did make $100k as a homeowner that I lost in a divorce settlement. BUT I’VE LEARNED A LOT. So I keep on tinkering and hoping to make money in trading options.
I have lost confidence in Wall Street CEO’S and our National Leaders. Some people have insider information!!!Who can one trust anymore?
What is the #1 obstacle that hs kept me from making money in this market has been my ignorance. I am an old farm boy. Was raised knowing that some years are good, some years are not. Was raised to not borrow money on wants, but was ok to borrow money on needs ($to put out crops, build a new building to raise more hogs in or to milk more cows, not a new TV, not a vacation, etc.). I sold soybeans for $3.03 in the spring (early 1970’s) to cover my college expenses, when delivered in the fall at harvest soybeans were $9.00/ bushel. Lost opportunity cost $6.00+/bushel. But $3.03 was the highest price they had been for years when I contracted. I have seen high & low commodity prices. I am upset that I knew what was coming from your service, & other newsletters I subscribe to, and my own experience. Fear to act was my downfall. I have been in a high % of cash for years. My 403B account is actually up because I went to 100% cash years ago. I should have been short, short, short, from my experience. FEAR TO ACT has been my #1 downfall.
Many ominous predictions of the dollar collapse in the next 9 months to 2 years. don’t know what is safe, even with ETF’s and currency trading options.
I have been saying for some time that theft is the fasting growing industury in the USA and this hit its penicle with the Madoff facisco. Most are aware of the more common forms of theft but there are others. In my mind when a Congressional member votes for a bill because of a promise of a political contributution or one congressional member helps another Congressional member or friend obtain a low interest loan so he will return the favor later I feel these are also thefts. They are not in the best interest of the country or their constuents. I personally feel Barney Franks created the World’s financial problems by aggressively pushing Banks to make sub-prime loans. Ironically the people he most hurt are the people he mistakenly tried to help. The “non-payment of taxes” issue by highly thought of people in DC appears to be more of a rule than an exception. If this is how Congressional business is run then I feel every member of Congress must be considered a thief until proven otherwise including my own state Congressional members (whom I respect) if they approve of these same practices. Its long past time that our Congretional members start acting in the interest of the people that elected them and not for their own selfage needs. This must change for our Country to survive and it will be changed either by ballot box or civil disobediance. So its your choice to decide your path. Personally I choose the ballot box at this time.
Not until the Government truly belongs to the “people” will I return to the Market.
I beleive, that most people try one thing lose a little, try another thing lose a little more, and so on. To be good at anything a person must continue on a path that is not always easy. Look at Jim Rogers and his portfolio, he is and has been taking an absolute beating in his portfolio. Yet he sticks with it, because eventually he will be right. The loans are not going to farmers, they cannot get a loan because of the credit markets, Brazil confiscated fertilizer stocks that are owned by American companies because there were no loans forthcoming for the farmers. This is a serious problem all over the globe. People have to eat, more people are born every day, sooner or later he will be right. We as investors and Americans in general, tend to believe what we see on tv, ie…wealth comes very quickly, there is no pain, and if there is pain, get away from it as soon as you can.
Because I have no funds until 2/17. When that happens I will still need to know how your program works in Australia. I have read with great interest all your emails and find them fascinating. Thank You, Peter
My biggest obstacle is fear! I’m not a day trader because I work and I cannot be tracking stocks while at work. This market seems too choppy for “buy and hold” so I’m sitting in cash waiting it out. Don’t know what else to do. I’m thinking about investing in CEF, gold miners, silver, maybe soybeans. I’m concerned about the direction of the economy and the value of the dollar in the future. I’m also concerned about inflation with all the money being poured into the system now. Thank you for the good guidance helping me get through these trying times!!
The plunge protection team’s manipulation of the markets to protect their fiat currency and create their new world order.
Insecurity of principal
Hi: Martin
My biggest problem is no confidence on our goverment leaders at present,and if you at the alternative it even a bigger problem. Therefore short investing at my age i don”t see anything there, long term with our leaders can be very unpredictable. So to sum it up lots a fear.
Lee
I feel Obama is wrong in knocking Wall Street, of course the greedy ones need to be weeded out, however Wall Street is the heart of America . Why do a few rotten apples always spoil the barell?? We must protect Wall Street and help it come alive with the decent people pulling for us. Wake up and realize New York is our financial capital of the world.
Fear – At age 82 my goal is financial survival. All anyonef can do at this time (including the newsletter pundits) is make a “guess” as to what a winning strategy will be at this time. I have chosen not to play the guessing game. “Guessing” is even a weaker approach to investing than well researched “speculation”. We have to keep in mind that the function of newsletters is first and foremost to make money for the publisher. Selling the sizzle is first and foremost. And there is a lot of diverse sizzle being pedelled these days. For me, I choose to stick with Weiss’s most conservative approach. Hang on to cash and a bit of gold until the smoke and dust clears a bit more.
FEAR
My age, I’ll soon be 85 year s old.
I have a disabled daughter. All of our funds will be going into a mini farm in TN. Then we will be able to invest and soon as she in secure.
THE SHORTS OWN THE MARKET
I am retired.
Fear of losing money in this economical environment holds me back.
I would not be in a position to replace the loss.
Thank you Martin for this blog. I hope you keep this blog going as it’s the complaints
on this blog and their opinion that is so ensuring as to how the herd thinks. Fear and
greed is the name of the game. And if you’re in this business to make money then
you’re there to “pick the pockets” of the next trader or invester. When the door starts
to close…everyone hopes to make it thru the door before it slams shut. Many on
this blog thinks that Forex market is the place to go. Be careful. Unless you have
considerable amount of capital and can afford to lose it…or you know and are well
versed in MONEY MANAGEMENT and know how to LOSE….stay out of it. Now I
mentioned “how to lose”…because you “have to lose in order to win”. Yes…you
can enter the market with very little capital…but you have to have experience in
“scalping”…and most you won’t have the experience. Yes…you can get that
experience by trading in mini and micro lots. You can also try it with so many
“demo’s” out there. Which probably would be the “lure” to get you into the
business. Even if you do well in the “demo”….don’t surprised if you lose in the
real market. You’ll find out…what it would be like hunting a rhino with…hopefully
…a heavy rifle. You’re a good shot. You hit the rhino right in the center of his head.
He is coming….you shoot again right in the center….and he is still coming.
NOW WHO IS IN TROUBLE? You see…the market is like a chicken with false teeth
doing a soft shoe dance. But you got the rooster “who is looking at this chick”
but gargles before he leans against the fence to crow…and then makes his move.
That ‘chick’ ain’t got a chance.
learn to control myself not to be greedy when gain made and not fear when loss appears / apply a stop loss
Dear Martin, Right now I am doing fine with the following portfolio: AEM-CEF-DOG-GG-GLD-RGLD-SLV-SLW (all higher than my purchase price). One loser (HMPR) – small regional bank still in an uptrend by MY 4 WEEK FRIDAY CLOSE METHOD. If it closes below 8.50 I will sell next week. I have been trading for over 40 years and the method I now use (to buy and sell) really works. I base my selections on the Friday close regarding the previous 4 weeks closings. It works with commodities as well as stocks-(really any market) and my biggest gains last year were in the grains (Corn Wheat Soybeans). Wishing you GOOD HEALTH, HAPPY DAYS and FUN NIGHTS. Bob Whiteley
We are seeing a left wing attempt to take over the country. We have a mass media who is, I think, too ignorant to report it. I cannot see that they are so intelligent to understand what is going on.
My problem is not making enough money to invest. I was laidoff on 1-23-09 and will find a job within two weeks, but it wont pay enough to save. I dont know what to do with my 401k, and my two pension funds. Any job that i will get will be a reduction in pay, so i will be lucky to pay my bills.
My broker has invested me in a Pimko etf but it seems a long shot to really making me much with the up front fees I paid. I want to have a good feeling when I put my money back into the market. I can’t afford to spend on a video to educate myself at this time. I am sitting waiting for something to happen. On $ 570,000.00 I barely make $400.00 per month. You tell me.
MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS YOU BEING WRONG AND I LOSE MY BUTT. YOU HAVE TWO DIFFERENT GENTLEMEN, MIKE AND ? WHO IN THE PAST HAVE GIVEN EXACT OPPOSITE ADVICE. MIKE SAYS BUY INVERSE ETF SKF AND THE OTHER GENTLEMAN SAYS TO BUY A REGULAR ETF, DIA. SO IF THE MARKET GOES UP, SKF SUFFERERS AND DIA GOES UP. WHEN THE MARKET DROPS, DIA DROPS AND SKF GOES UP. ALSO YOUR SMART MONEY REPORT GIVES MR. SPECULATOR RECOMMENDATIONS, YOU BUY, BUT THEN THERE IS NO REAL ALERTS AS TO WHAT TO DO IF THOSE INVESTMENTS GO WRONG. INCIDENTALY I ACTUALLY MADE MORE MONEY OFF OF YOUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER THAN MIKE’S ETF PROGRAM. LASTLY, THE PROBLEM WITH MIKE’S ETF’S IS THAT IF YOU ARE USING SCOTTRADE, YOU CANNOT PUT TWO SELL ORDERS ON ONE STO