On Money, Real and Imagined May 7, 2011
Posted by jimintriglia in Investing.add a comment
American Silver Eagle
Like many people, I dd not really understand what the nature of money was, until 1998, when I met Michael J. Kosares, founder of Centennial Precious Metals. Michael suggested I read his book, The ABCs of Gold Investing, as I was interested in preserving the earnings that I had made at the time as an investor in the stock market.
After reading his book, I experienced first-hand (Dot.com stock market crash) how gold preserves wealth over paper-based assets in times of economic hardship. Since that time, I’ve never regarding printed fiat currency in the same light as gold and silver precious metals.
Much has been written in the past few days about the decline in Silver prices, primarily due to the actions of CMR Group Ltd, owners of the Comex commodity futures exchange. One rather lively exchange on the merits of investing in Silver is occurring on the Motley Fool’s website. There are many excellent arguments and perspectives being shared in this particular discussion forum, some of which harken back to what I learned about real and fiat money many years ago from Michael Kosares.
Once such pearl is shared by “kurtabear” who weighed-in on the Motley Fool discussion by opining “… if your mother had given you 4 quarters to buy your school lunch in 1963 and had given your sister a paper $, you could still buy yourself a decent lunch today for the value of your silver money, while your sister would be begging a free glass of water at McDonald’s to help her wash down the small order of fries she could buy with her paper money. For those that want some evidence of this position, see my recent eBay auction of silver coins, which included the 90% silver quarters that kurtabear makes reference to.
Another interesting point was made in passing during the week, along the lines of the impact on the price of Silver that CMR Group had, buy forcing speculative traders out of their Silver positions. One reader noted that perhaps commodity exchanges could do the same as the CMR Group, with respect to increasing the required reserves for speculative traders in the crude oil futures market. If that analogy is on target, that might have a significant impact on the price of Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures. Maybe we would even see a difference in the price of a gallon of gas at the pump 
As for where I stand on this issue, I value real money (gold and silver) and other more tangible assets (real estate), leaving printed paper fiat currency mostly to those that value it. With respect to Uncle Sam’s propensity of running the Treasuries’ printing presses like there is no tomorrow, along with the upcoming decision on whether the U.S. Debt Ceiling should be raised, this is an important time to reflect on ‘real’ assets currently held, as that may be the only thing that matters in the years to come.
Jon Stewart Interview of Mad Money’s Jim Cramer January 16, 2011
Posted by jimintriglia in Investing, Journalism, Stock Market.add a comment
One of the very few times I can recall Jon Stewart being so serious during a guest interview. Though the interview is a bit dated, check out the uncut full interview of Jim Cramer on Jon’s show that I came across recently.
Both Jim and Jon point out things about the recent near-collapse of the U.S. financial system and stock market that most mainstream media outlets would be reluctant to talk about. Maybe that’s why both shows enjoy the ratings that they do.
Investing 101: Getting Started with Stock Market Investing November 21, 2010
Posted by jimintriglia in Education, Investing, Personal Interest, Stock Market.1 comment so far
Over the years, I’ve done well investing in securities and even commodities (gold). Much of this success I owe to being a good student of a handful of wise investors, including my Mom, who has been actively investing in the market for well over fifty years. I learned much from talking with her over the years about investing and the stock market.
I recall first dipping my toe into mutual fund investing back in in early 90′s, after reading Peter Lynch’s Beating the Street. After absorbing the knowledge and wisdom contained in his book, I began investing in mutual funds. I continued reading about investment strategies and continued learning from investors who practiced Lynch’s research and investing strategies. Not surprisingly, I did very well in the years that followed. I avoided violating Rule #1, enjoyed double-digit returns on my investments, and exited the market in 1999 with my investments intact, well before the 2000 dot-com bubble burst.
After being absent as an active investor in the market, I decided it was time to take another look and see if there was any significant money to be made. In need of a bit of a refresher and eager to find a good foundational book on stock market investing, I perused Amazon.com and came upon Jason Kelly’s The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing, 2010 Edition. A five-star rating and 38 custom reviews caught my attention, so I began reading some of the reviews.
The next day, I visited my local Barnes & Noble book store, where I had the opportunity to review many books on the subject of stock market investing. I ended-up choosing Jason’s Kelly’s book, as he is among investment writers that have the ability to clearly and concisely define what can be at times a rather complex subject. His Neatest Little Guide (NLT) to Stock Market Investing is logically organized, so it will serve as a good quick-reference guide once its relegated to my bookshelf. Topics were presented to educate, inform and progress readers to the point of making their first stock purchase, an admirable undertaking for any stock market investing “how-to” book.
I found the NLG an engaging and educational read. I recommend this book for those contemplating investing in the stock market. Be sure to visit Jason Kelly’s blog to learn more about him and read about his perspectives on the market and personal finance.
Have you read Jason Kelly’s NLG to Stock Market Investing? What other books and resources would you recommend that have enabled you to profit from your investments in the market?
