Thursday, October 21, 2010

confessions of a greedy old bastard

    Damn, I bought 1000 shares of GDXJ on Friday and now I'm down about $3,000.00.  Oh well, It will come back.
      You know, it's easier to be a GOB (greedy old bastard) than to raise good kids and have a successful marraige. that being said, YOU may be a GOB if you do the following:
       1.  Started out being a greedy young bastard (GYB)
       2.  think more about money than you think about sex
       3.   Making $1000 or more on a stock trade IS better than sex
       4.   drive a 10 year old car ( or older)
       5.  hate debt
       6.  have taxes as your biggest expense (maybe health insurance too)
       7.  spend too much time watching CNBC
       8.   Scream at the tv "SHUT UP LARRY "    (Kudlow that is)
       9.  save the maximum amount in your 401K , IRA,  and company stock purchase plans.
      10.  keep looking for more ways to save money
OK, There you have it. If you have any of these symptoms, you may be a GOB. There are more symptoms, but that will do for now. Remember, It's not what you make; it's what you save-no matter how much you earn.  A man is rich in porportion to what he can live without.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

what to do now

    I just watched another piece on TV about "foreclosuregate" and don't know how to protect my assets if/when this becomes a crisis.  Are we really heading for a collapse?  Are the banks insolvent?  Is the dollar doomed? 
     Jim Cramer says diversify, but what good is that if the stock market crashes and takes all sectors with it. I feel deep down that gold, silver and energy will fair well over the long term, but maybe a correction is over-due now, and all will be cheaper in the weeks ahead. 
      I know I'm a greedy old bastard, but I started driving a truck 39 years ago for 2 dollars per hour. I've saved every payday , and now or soon, those saved dollars may turn into dimes in terms of purchasing power. I must admit I was scared into saving. In 1980 I got laid off and although it only lasted 2 weeks, I thought I'd be poor again.  My grandmother  gave me a book she read called Crisis Investing by Douglas Casey.  He presented a senario of a "Greater Depression" in our future. It scared the shit out of me!
    I hope there are readers who can contribute to this blog with ideas to help all of us survive the financial mess I believe is ahead of us. More later