Posts by Andrew Barrett4

lonehawk5 said:Adding more to my position... long

Gold is sitting at $696.12
Silver is at $32.82

Don't let anyone get in your way, Charles

I'm actually curious, what kind of mobile apps are you running on your phone?

analogharbor44 said:What's even the point of posts like this? 😕 Is this just an ego trip? You trying to flex your trading skills on us?

I actually find these posts pretty useful, mostly because I don't trade this way myself. I always pay attention to them; they give me some insight into how other people approach things, I guess.

Jim Grant: It feels like we’re navigating an era defined by heavy-handed manipulation, doesn't it?

If the link isn't working for some reason, you can catch the video right here: http://www.slimbeleggen.net/blog/1...ens-jim-grant/

I’ve got some land, and I’m slowly adding more to it. A few years back, I took a permaculture course at a local open-access farm. Now, I’m going on my second year of messing around with beekeeping—essentially, I’ve got the degree and a handful of hives to show for it. It’s just a useful hobby, I guess. click

Beyond that, I hold other types of real estate, some private equity, and various securities. There are plenty of folks on this forum, at least in this sub-section, who seem to have a similar setup.

The biggest issue here isn't actually what you said, but rather the fact that you jumped into this conversation with such a heavy bias.

Sorry for the tangent.

Walter Barrett8 said:For those people who seem to think money is the only metric that matters, I’ve got a suggestion: stop chasing the dollar and start investing in what actually drives it. Put that $150 into some actual knowledge instead. It's a better play. $0.00 Nobody can take that away from you. It’s yours for life. You can't lose it once it's settled. And look, if you aren't afraid of putting in the hours, you'll eventually land something—probably something paying better than any dead-end gig you could find without that degree.
Sure, provided you're actually putting in the work to learn. It’s one thing to chase a piece of paper just to check a box, but that's not the same as actually gaining any real knowledge.

?

I did my initial studies back home in the States. After moving here, since finding decent work in a small town was basically impossible, I went after one of those high-demand vocational programs that practically guarantees a job placement. So, I already have two completely different career paths under my belt.

And now you're suggesting that at 38, I should just head right back to a classroom?

Ever heard of being 'overeducated'?
It’s that specific frustration when you have more skills than the market is willing to pay for.

Don't get me wrong, I mostly agree with the idea of investing in oneself. But at some point, that phase of life ends and moves into building.

At this stage of my life, personal growth and development mostly boil down to reading, reflecting, doing some financial planning, and making sure what I've already built doesn't just evaporate.

Walter Barrett8 said:I’d argue there is one: knowledge.

It’s the only thing nobody can strip away from you. It improves your quality of life regardless of how you play it:
- You can liquidate it.
- You can apply it more effectively or pass it on to those who actually value it, which leaves you feeling fulfilled and useful.
- You can exist outside the "system." When you actually understand how things work, you’re never truly helpless—you don't even need the system anymore.
- Through a broader understanding of context, you can finally grasp what's actually happening and wake up. That’s how you actually become a functioning human being and truly live out your potential.

What I was originally getting at is that we shouldn't view gold as just some new bubble or a specific investment class. If the entire global structure has been built over millennia on the idea that a tiny elite holds the wealth because the masses don't, then we are approaching the endgame. For the first time in history, we have the technology—military, financial, religious—to actually bring that game to its conclusion. Since finance is essentially a component of power, gold and silver, as true money, aren't just an "asset class" anymore; they represent the currency of a truly free, new world, assuming we ever reach that stage. If we don't, well, we'll just be left with barcodes and "-2 credits" for every damn mistake we make, and that'll be that...

P.S. You really ought to walk away from all those stocks, bonds, derivatives, and logarithms... it's all just a game designed by the giants. It’s their mechanism for transferring energy—or "wealth"—so it's incredibly naive to think that regular people can consistently thrive within their rules over the long haul.

P.S. You probably ought to just walk away from all those stocks, bonds, derivatives, and logarithms... it feels like a game designed by the elite, a mechanism they built to transfer energy—or "wealth"—so it seems a bit naive to think regular folks can find long-term prosperity within it.

Since knowledge eventually turns back into money anyway, I guess what's your actual point here? What are you suggesting we do with this perspective?

quiettrucker12 said:The part where he mentions gold's purchasing power isn't always constant is interesting. Too bad he didn't dig deeper into what that actually implies. It means gold can get stretched way too high, which eventually triggers a correction. Ultimately, people will dump that "overstretched" gold to jump into undervalued stocks. That’s why those 1:1 or 0.75:1 DJIA-to-gold ratios matter so much. At those levels, it’s just a matter of weeks or months before the spring snaps back the other way. Unless, of course, someone actually believes there won't be any companies or stocks left by 2020.

I guess that’s more or less the gist of it (and it’s not just stocks that are undervalued, for the record). There really is no such thing as an ultimate asset, so Precious Metals aren't exactly 'the silver bullet for all time.' That's just my take, anyway, even if I do hold some.

Still, none of that changes the fact that this uphill climb is probably going to last quite a while longer.

ironstag8 said:Just tell me one thing: where exactly do you see someone like Paul Volcker operating in the US today? And even better, where do you see an economic landscape remotely similar to what we faced back then? Are you seriously suggesting the US is in the same boat it was in the 80s? You have to consider the scale—think about how many players were driving that bull market in the 70s and 80s compared to the actual number of participants moving the needle right now.

Personally, I find it almost impossible to imagine which Fed Chair would actually take those kinds of risks under current conditions. If I recall correctly, they were facing literal threats to their lives back then, and even then, things weren't nearly half as complex as they are today.

Another thing I think people tend to overlook—and maybe this is just me—is how much total digitalization defines our era. It brings a whole set of realities to the table. We're talking everything from digital currency to digital property. I mean, I doubt anyone actually believes someone is sitting in a vault clutching physical ownership papers for, say, an > or some stocks they bought. Not to even mention the actual physical backing of assets. Everything is different now.

😁

It’s not like I just placed all my bets on a single asset class.

I suppose you could argue that by doing this, I might be passing up on some massive gains, but then again, I'm also hedging against a total wipeout. At the end of the day, it feels more like a personal philosophy regarding risk tolerance rather than some definitive market forecast.

As for any moves that turn out to be mistakes along the way—well, I trust that if I stay sharp and keep a close eye on things, I'll be able to cut my losses before they get too ugly.

Look, everyone is entitled to an opinion, but this constant need to tear someone down just because they're heavy into metals (or, conversely, aren't) feels less like a debate and more like pure, mindless trolling.

analogharbor44 said:So the conspiracy theories are alive and well! 😂 Now JPM has twice as many shorts. They're way more vulnerable now🙄

Add the fact that gold is in a massive shortage and there's just no stopping this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk600...layer_embedded

🤦

The sheer volume of news out there is so massive that anyone can find themselves reflected in one of these extremes. Or maybe somewhere in the middle, depending on how you see things.

Personally, I find this constant finger-pointing at others just because they choose to manage their OWN assets differently to be pretty foolish—and honestly, a bit narrow-minded.

Well, there’s some other news floating around if you care: the Keiser Report
JP Morgan is headed for a crash, which means it might be time to go grab some silver
Jamie Diamond is even predicting silver could hit $500

Twitter really is something else, isn't it?

driftingtinker said:Back in the mid-nineties, things went crazy in Albania, and suddenly you had these beat-up boats washing up on the coasts of Italy, packed with Albanians who were looking around like they were searching for their lost Ferraris or some massive villa with a pool. Poor souls spent years glued to Italian satellite TV—every single house back then had a dish—and they naively thought that was just how life worked in Italy. I remember seeing our media outlets gloss over the whole thing, while Baker was basically filled with anecdotes at their expense.

Then, in the middle of the last decade here in America, every TV station and newspaper was flooded with ads telling people that banks were their best friends, suggesting all your life problems could be solved with one swipe of a credit card. You’d see some reality star who got kicked out onto the street by her boyfriend, only to show up the next day in a huge, designer apartment thanks to a three-story bank building... funny how nobody really questioned those setups, even though there isn't much difference between that and those poor guys from the start of the story.

with policies like that, they squeeze America by keeping interest rates high under the guise of "economic uncertainty." They've shown exactly how much of a difference they make with loans in Italy or Canada compared to what they charge us here in America.

I travel through Canada, Austria, and Italy pretty often, and from what I see passing through, everything seems even more depressing than it is here.

Anyway, this didn't just pop up on Broken yesterday; it's kind of interesting how Americans find this hilarious because most of them can totally see themselves in it:
http://cdn-www.cracked.com/articleim...tcardhead5.jpg

And what you mentioned there... I guess they obviously weren't factoring in credit card debt or bank overdrafts when they calculated the total non-performing debt. It’s not like our situation is some isolated incident, either: http://www.economist.com/blogs/freee..._card_defaults

Well, at least we're finally catching up with the rest of the modern world, I suppose. 😂🤣

Timothy Castillo6 said:Not gonna happen. We’re all going to have to recapitalize them eventually once things actually hit the fan.

Exactly.

One for all, and all for one, right?

At peace?

Personally, I don't think we have many true gold bugs in this group, if any at all. Most people here seem to be holding a mixed bag of assets, which makes me wonder why everyone is getting so worked up.

Look, it’s not like the world is going to end tomorrow.

Even if Buffett’s ("..land will outperform gold..", assuming some unfortunate side effects happen along the way) prediction actually plays out, I think I'll still be in a pretty good spot.

Man, these threads... 🤦

dustyheron5 said:Great breakdown, colleague—really solid overview of the current situation. I’m hoping things play out exactly like this, as I find myself in total agreement with your assessment.
I pulled the trigger today and bought ERF at $13.01, just like I mentioned yesterday... so, it's done.
Now, I'll just grab some popcorn and keep a close eye on things.

Smart move on the buy.

I always seem to have issues with the logistics of physical stuff: part of it happens on Saturdays, part on Fridays. During the week, it's just physically impossible for me given my job, traveling internationally, and all the moving parts involved. Plus, I don't really feel comfortable buying or transporting physical goods by myself, nor do I want to have them shipped to my house—I'd rather not be indiscreet and risk someone figuring out my business or, God forbid, causing more trouble than it's worth. I also generally avoid buying through NL because of those ID verification requirements. But, it is what it is.

And, if I may say so somewhat bashfully, this is what I've been eyeing: POT
It’s got a good P/E, decent cash flow, almost zero debt, and a long history of dividends. It’s driven by gas right now, but once that climbs, they’re integrated into the food industry, so I suspect that side will follow suit in a sort of domino effect...

go easy on me...

That might push gold prices even higher.

As far as the banks go: just don't panic...!!! 🤣 🤣
But honestly, people have every reason to panic. When you factor in the exposure to pigs, this whole "gold mismatch" given the current era we’re living in acts as a destabilizing force that I think gets glossed over way too often.

Anthony Evans78 said:Good luck to them. They tried this exact same thing back in the Roaring Twenties, and we all know how that story ended.
It’s the same story with opioids or any other illegal substance—prohibition hasn't exactly done much to stop people from using them, has it?

...and much more than that.

All these gold buyback shops popping up everywhere like mushrooms after a rainstorm are essentially building an 'infrastructure.' This could eventually allow gold to break free from central control and start 'living its own life.' It might slip past manipulation, drive its own market value, and just assert itself as a reserve currency. It wouldn't even matter if it were legal or happening under the table through bans.

If things actually start moving in that direction, I'm not sure what kind of law or force—short of nuclear war—could actually stop that process.

It’s almost like waiting for a hurricane to just roll in and blow right past you

As for a potential economic collapse—something more and more people seem to be sensing lately—we might just be catching the first faint whispers of it. The beginning, the middle, and the end... it all feels pretty impossible to truly grasp.

It feels to me like people aren't even considering that specific scenario.

A few weeks back, I was getting some strange looks at the local real estate office because I expressed interest in buying up any vacant lot sitting right next to my existing properties. It’s just how I look at things. I also find myself surprised when, like today, I see people putting their faith in completely imaginary concepts—things like Linic bonds or some idealized version of a pension plan.

Then again, lately, I keep running into individuals who are essentially prepping—not necessarily "doomers," mind you, but more just people trying to stay ready for whatever comes next—though they probably don't even realize there's a name for what they're doing.

How would this whole scenario actually play out for your average American guy on the street?

Would we be looking at that breaking point where hunger sets in and people just start seizing whatever (empty) land they can get their hands on?