Cabo San Lucas
My wife Jane and I on vacation
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| In fact, it's so good, just about every single investor I know of has been talking about this industry for the past 4 months... And The Really Exciting News Is This: You're In A Position Right Now To Get In At The Ground Floor! |
| This is NOT Vitamins, Juices, Energy Bars, Travel Discounts, or Forex... It's not self help nor some type of mentorship program... |
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Showing posts with label Buy Gold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buy Gold. Show all posts
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Debunking Anti-Gold Propaganda By Doug Casey, Chairman, Casey Research
A memo is now circulating that gold is in a bubble and that it's time for the wise investor to sell. To me, that's a ridiculous notion. Certainly a premature one.
As you listen to the current blather from talking heads about where gold is going, keep in mind most of them are just journalists, reporters that are parroting what they heard someone else say. And the "someone else" is usually a political apologist who works for a government. Or a hack economist who works for a bank, the IMF, or a similar institution with an interest in the status quo of the last few generations.
You should treat almost everything you hear about finance or economics in the popular media as no more than entertainment.
So let's take some recent statements, assertions, and opinions that have been promulgated in the media and analyze them. Many impress me as completely uninformed, even stupid. But since they're floating around in the infosphere, I suppose they need to be addressed.
"Gold is expensive."
This objection is worth considering – for any asset. In fact, it's critical. We can determine the price of almost anything fairly easily today, but figuring out its value is as hard as it's ever been. From the founding of the U.S. until 1933, the dollar was defined as 1/20th of an ounce of gold. From 1933 it was redefined as 1/35th of an ounce. After the 1971 dollar devaluation, the official price of the metal was raised to $42.22 – but that official number is meaningless, since nobody buys or sells the metal at that price.
(More importantly, people have gotten into the habit of giving the price of gold in dollars, rather than the value of the dollar in gold. But that's another subject.)
Here's the crux of the argument. Before the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913, a $20 bill was just a receipt for the deposit of one ounce of gold with the Treasury. The U.S. official money supply equated more or less with the amount of gold.
Now, however, dollars are being created by the trillion, and nobody really knows how many more of them are going to be shazammed into existence. It is hard to determine the value of anything when the inch marks on your yardstick keep drifting closer and closer together.
"Gold is risky."
Risk is largely a function of price. And as a general rule, the higher the price, the higher the risk, simply because the supply is likely to go up and the demand to go down – leading to a lower price. So yes, gold is riskier now, at $1,400, than it was at $700 or at $200. But even when it was at $35, there was a well-known financial commentator named Eliot Janeway (I always thought he was a fool and a blowhard) who was crowing that if the U.S. government didn't support it at $35, it would fall to $8.
In any event, risk is relative. Stocks are very risky today. Bonds are ultra risky. Real estate is in an ongoing bear market. And the dollar is on its way to reaching its intrinsic value.
Yes, gold is risky at $1,400. But it is actually less risky than most alternatives.
"High gold prices will bring on huge new production, which will depress its price."
This assertion shows a complete misunderstanding of the nature of the gold market. Gold production is now about 82.6 million ounces per year and has been trending slightly down for the last decade. That's partly because at high prices, miners tend to mine lower-grade ore. And partly because the world has been extensively explored, and most large, high-grade, easily exploited resources have already been put into production.
But new production is trivial relative to the 6 billion ounces now above ground, which only increases by about 1.3% annually. Gold isn't consumed like wheat or even copper. Its supply keeps slowly rising, like wealth in general. What really controls gold's price is the desire of people to hold it, or hold other things – new production is a trivial influence.
That's not to say things can't change. The asteroids have lots of heavy metals, including gold. Space exploration will make them available. Gigantic amounts of gold are dissolved in seawater and will perhaps someday be economically recoverable with biotech. It's now possible to transmute metals, fulfilling the alchemists' dream. Perhaps someday this will be economic for gold. And nanotech may soon allow ultra-low-grade deposits of gold (and every other element) to be recovered profitably. But these things need not concern us as practical matters in the course of this bull market.
"Gold sentiment is at an all-time high."
Although gold prices are at an all-time high in nominal terms, they are still nowhere near their highs in real terms – of about $2,500 (depending on how much credibility you give the government's CPI numbers) – reached in 1980. Gold sentiment is still quite subdued among the public. Most of them barely know it even exists.
Some journalists like to point out that since there are a few (five, perhaps) gold dispensing machines in the world, including one in the U.S., there's a gold mania afoot. That's ridiculous, although it shows a slowly awakening interest among people with assets.
Journalists also point to the numerous ads on late-night TV offering to buy old gold jewelry (generally at around a 50% discount from its metal value) as a sign of a gold bubble. But this is even more ridiculous, since the ads are inducing the unsophisticated, cash-strapped booboisie to sell the metal, not buy it.
You'll know sentiment is at a high when major brokerage firms are hyping newly minted gold products, and Slime Magazine (if it still exists) has a cover showing a golden bull tearing apart the New York Stock Exchange. We're a long way from that point.
***
These are some of the more egregious arguments against gold that are being brought forward today. Most of them are propounded by knaves, fools, or the uninformed.
The bottom line is that gold and its friends are no longer cheap, but they have a long way – in both time and price – to run. Until they're done, I suggest you be right and sit tight.
Good investing,
Doug Casey
As you listen to the current blather from talking heads about where gold is going, keep in mind most of them are just journalists, reporters that are parroting what they heard someone else say. And the "someone else" is usually a political apologist who works for a government. Or a hack economist who works for a bank, the IMF, or a similar institution with an interest in the status quo of the last few generations.
You should treat almost everything you hear about finance or economics in the popular media as no more than entertainment.
So let's take some recent statements, assertions, and opinions that have been promulgated in the media and analyze them. Many impress me as completely uninformed, even stupid. But since they're floating around in the infosphere, I suppose they need to be addressed.
"Gold is expensive."
This objection is worth considering – for any asset. In fact, it's critical. We can determine the price of almost anything fairly easily today, but figuring out its value is as hard as it's ever been. From the founding of the U.S. until 1933, the dollar was defined as 1/20th of an ounce of gold. From 1933 it was redefined as 1/35th of an ounce. After the 1971 dollar devaluation, the official price of the metal was raised to $42.22 – but that official number is meaningless, since nobody buys or sells the metal at that price.
(More importantly, people have gotten into the habit of giving the price of gold in dollars, rather than the value of the dollar in gold. But that's another subject.)
Here's the crux of the argument. Before the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913, a $20 bill was just a receipt for the deposit of one ounce of gold with the Treasury. The U.S. official money supply equated more or less with the amount of gold.
Now, however, dollars are being created by the trillion, and nobody really knows how many more of them are going to be shazammed into existence. It is hard to determine the value of anything when the inch marks on your yardstick keep drifting closer and closer together.
"Gold is risky."
Risk is largely a function of price. And as a general rule, the higher the price, the higher the risk, simply because the supply is likely to go up and the demand to go down – leading to a lower price. So yes, gold is riskier now, at $1,400, than it was at $700 or at $200. But even when it was at $35, there was a well-known financial commentator named Eliot Janeway (I always thought he was a fool and a blowhard) who was crowing that if the U.S. government didn't support it at $35, it would fall to $8.
In any event, risk is relative. Stocks are very risky today. Bonds are ultra risky. Real estate is in an ongoing bear market. And the dollar is on its way to reaching its intrinsic value.
Yes, gold is risky at $1,400. But it is actually less risky than most alternatives.
"High gold prices will bring on huge new production, which will depress its price."
This assertion shows a complete misunderstanding of the nature of the gold market. Gold production is now about 82.6 million ounces per year and has been trending slightly down for the last decade. That's partly because at high prices, miners tend to mine lower-grade ore. And partly because the world has been extensively explored, and most large, high-grade, easily exploited resources have already been put into production.
But new production is trivial relative to the 6 billion ounces now above ground, which only increases by about 1.3% annually. Gold isn't consumed like wheat or even copper. Its supply keeps slowly rising, like wealth in general. What really controls gold's price is the desire of people to hold it, or hold other things – new production is a trivial influence.
That's not to say things can't change. The asteroids have lots of heavy metals, including gold. Space exploration will make them available. Gigantic amounts of gold are dissolved in seawater and will perhaps someday be economically recoverable with biotech. It's now possible to transmute metals, fulfilling the alchemists' dream. Perhaps someday this will be economic for gold. And nanotech may soon allow ultra-low-grade deposits of gold (and every other element) to be recovered profitably. But these things need not concern us as practical matters in the course of this bull market.
"Gold sentiment is at an all-time high."
Although gold prices are at an all-time high in nominal terms, they are still nowhere near their highs in real terms – of about $2,500 (depending on how much credibility you give the government's CPI numbers) – reached in 1980. Gold sentiment is still quite subdued among the public. Most of them barely know it even exists.
Some journalists like to point out that since there are a few (five, perhaps) gold dispensing machines in the world, including one in the U.S., there's a gold mania afoot. That's ridiculous, although it shows a slowly awakening interest among people with assets.
Journalists also point to the numerous ads on late-night TV offering to buy old gold jewelry (generally at around a 50% discount from its metal value) as a sign of a gold bubble. But this is even more ridiculous, since the ads are inducing the unsophisticated, cash-strapped booboisie to sell the metal, not buy it.
You'll know sentiment is at a high when major brokerage firms are hyping newly minted gold products, and Slime Magazine (if it still exists) has a cover showing a golden bull tearing apart the New York Stock Exchange. We're a long way from that point.
***
These are some of the more egregious arguments against gold that are being brought forward today. Most of them are propounded by knaves, fools, or the uninformed.
The bottom line is that gold and its friends are no longer cheap, but they have a long way – in both time and price – to run. Until they're done, I suggest you be right and sit tight.
Good investing,
Doug Casey
Friday, March 18, 2011
All About Coin Collecting: Grade Coins With Ease!
Coin collection is not just about having as many coins as possible. More important than the number of coins is the quality of those coins. This quality is measured by the coins’ grade and the grade is measured using a scale from zero to seventy (seventy being the highest point grade). Doctor William Shelby introduced this point scale in his work “Penny Whimsy”.
Here are the classifications of coins according to grade.
1. “Mint State” Coins
This is equivalent to a value of 60 to 70 in the Shelby’s grade scale. This means that the coin has no blemishes whatsoever. Most of the coins in this category are uncirculated, shiny, new coins, with absolutely no signs of wear.
2. “Almost Uncirculated” Coins
The “Almost Uncirculated” coins have a point grade of 50, 55, or 58.
It is very important to note that in these coins, coin collectors must know the locations of the high points in a particular coin. By checking the difference of the light reflected in the high points to the other parts of the coin, an “Almost Uncirculated” coin is separated from the Mint State coins.
3. “Fine Coins”
These can further be classified as” Extremely Fine” (40, 45), “Very Fine” (20, 25, 30, and 35) or “Fine” (12) depending on the sharpness of the remaining details on the coins. The coins are observed to have wear but the designs are still intact.
For “Extremely Fine” coins, the mint luster is still present.
“Very Fine” coins can be compared to coins which have been used for 1-3 years. Minor features of the coins are already gone.
4. “Good Coins”
These coins can be specifically defined as “Very Good” (12), “Good” and “Almost Good” coins.
The coins in this category are worn out. Only weak designs can be observed since the details of the coins in the high points are nearly smooth.
Full rims must be observed for the “Very Good” coins category.
In the case of “Good” coins, the mint mark and the date must be visible.
On the other hand, “Almost Good” coins are the most worn of coins in this category.
5. “Fair Coins”
The coins are “worn out”, but can still be distinguished as belonging to one of the types of coins - as long as one can identify a coin, it is a “Fair C”.
6. “Basal Coin”
These metals that can be determined to be coins - but the kind of coin are undeterminable.
With the classifications described, it will be very easy to grade coins. Just remember that knowledge of the coins’ grades gives coin collectors advantages!
Charles Hopson
609-706-5503
skype: cphopson
https://www.numisone.com/ils401
Article compliments of skaDoogle
Here are the classifications of coins according to grade.
1. “Mint State” Coins
This is equivalent to a value of 60 to 70 in the Shelby’s grade scale. This means that the coin has no blemishes whatsoever. Most of the coins in this category are uncirculated, shiny, new coins, with absolutely no signs of wear.
2. “Almost Uncirculated” Coins
The “Almost Uncirculated” coins have a point grade of 50, 55, or 58.
It is very important to note that in these coins, coin collectors must know the locations of the high points in a particular coin. By checking the difference of the light reflected in the high points to the other parts of the coin, an “Almost Uncirculated” coin is separated from the Mint State coins.
3. “Fine Coins”
These can further be classified as” Extremely Fine” (40, 45), “Very Fine” (20, 25, 30, and 35) or “Fine” (12) depending on the sharpness of the remaining details on the coins. The coins are observed to have wear but the designs are still intact.
For “Extremely Fine” coins, the mint luster is still present.
“Very Fine” coins can be compared to coins which have been used for 1-3 years. Minor features of the coins are already gone.
4. “Good Coins”
These coins can be specifically defined as “Very Good” (12), “Good” and “Almost Good” coins.
The coins in this category are worn out. Only weak designs can be observed since the details of the coins in the high points are nearly smooth.
Full rims must be observed for the “Very Good” coins category.
In the case of “Good” coins, the mint mark and the date must be visible.
On the other hand, “Almost Good” coins are the most worn of coins in this category.
5. “Fair Coins”
The coins are “worn out”, but can still be distinguished as belonging to one of the types of coins - as long as one can identify a coin, it is a “Fair C”.
6. “Basal Coin”
These metals that can be determined to be coins - but the kind of coin are undeterminable.
With the classifications described, it will be very easy to grade coins. Just remember that knowledge of the coins’ grades gives coin collectors advantages!
Charles Hopson
609-706-5503
skype: cphopson
https://www.numisone.com/ils401
Article compliments of skaDoogle
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Numis Network Review: Are The Numis Coins And Numis Executive Success System Overpriced Posted by Troy on April 14, 2010
Numis Network has taken the direct selling industry by storm over the last few months has three very well respected leaders Ian Cordell, Chris Kent and Jake Kevorkian came together to launch a new category in MLM.
In this article I want to cover two common concerns we have seen coming up over and over again…
Numis Network coins are overpriced, and Numis Network Fast Track Starter Kit is overpriced.
It took close to nine hours of research to see if these concerns were valid or not.
Let’s take a look at the Numis coins. Without a doubt people can find coins for less and for more depending on where they look.
However, one of the largest competitors of Numis Network First Federal is now advertising two of the same coins for more money.
The $5 Gold Eagle is selling on sale at 1st Federal Coin for $299.00 .vs the same $5 Gold Eagle at Shop Numis for $239.95. This is a $60.00 savings at Numis Network and they are paying out a commission.
The second coin is the MS70 $1 Silver Eagle advertised by First Federal Coin Corporation for $149.00, while the same coin is sold at Shop Numis retail for $119.95. This is a $30.00 dollar savings, and again Numis is paying a commission.
Yes, I know the coins can be bought for less at eBay or some other site. But, of course I bet if I wanted to dig a little deeper, I could also find every other product or service solid through a direct selling aka Network Marketing company at a cheaper prices also.
But ask yourself this question – Are you selling your current MLM product or service based on price, or are you selling a life changing business opportunity?
What’s the difference between what you are doing and what Numis Network is doing?
Now before I get into the Numis Executive Success System, I want to give you a taste of what first time Network Marketing distributors are saying about their first experience in the MLM profession.
Ok, now let’s look at the second concern folks have raised on the $495.00 fee charged to join Numis Network at the top level. Is this amount an inflated fee or are the products and services provided within the Numis Fast Track Starter Kit worth the cost?
Well, the reality is, some folks will think this is far to much to pay to join any MLM business, while others will see this are a very small fee for joining a category creating company with a ground floor opportunity.
Here is what I have concluded…
The same kit sells all day long at Shop Numis for $325.00. So if we add in the additional business services provided to the Numis Network distributors, I believe it is a very fair price point. However, I do understand that certain services such as the training videos and the websites may be seen by different people as priceless while others will see them as worthless.
Ok, here is my breakdown.
Aluminum Attache’ Coin Case – Value – $ 65.00 (I found prices from $65 to $79 dollars on the web)
MS70 Silver Eagle – Value – $100.00 (Retail cost is $119.00 on Shop Numis)
Leather Numis Portfolio – Value – $50.00 (I found this same style of portfolio on the net from $50.00 to over $75.00)
Numis 5 Distributors Websites – Value – $125.00 (This is a one time fee, with a monthly fee of $9.95)
Coins Are Cool Training – Value – $125.00 (I priced this at $25 per video and Numis adds one video per month)
Although, I can’t announce it here, Numis will also be adding a very power addition to this Fast Start Kit in the next month or so, which will increase the retail value by at least another $100.00.
So, when you look at the above total fair market value (my subjective deduction) then the total is $465.00. By the way this also includes shipping and handling fees.
Some reading this may feel that since Ian and Chris own IDSTC that Numis must have a special deal and the technology isn’t costing them anything. This is not true. International Direct Selling Technology Corporation is a completely different company, and Numis Network has signed a client agreement just like all other clients of ISDTC.
I called Ian today to ask him what it would cost for the average Network Marketing company would pay for the same type of technology services Numis is paying for from ISDTC, and here is an average cost…
$40K to $50 for the original development costs.
$7.00 per month per distributor
The media costs would depend on how detailed the videos become, but overall Ian Cordell figured by this stage of the development, and size of the company the average client the size of Numis Network will have invested between $140,000 and $150,000 dollars just in technology costs.
So although some will not agree with this article, I can say with complete conviction that if I were collecting coins as a hobby, and found Numis Network, and knew I could turn my hobby into a business for a small upfront cost of $495.00, then hands down I would pay the fee.
Just the first years tax advantages would offset the $495.00 for the Numis Executive Success System.
Living An Epic Adventure,
Troy Dooly
In this article I want to cover two common concerns we have seen coming up over and over again…
Numis Network coins are overpriced, and Numis Network Fast Track Starter Kit is overpriced.
It took close to nine hours of research to see if these concerns were valid or not.
Let’s take a look at the Numis coins. Without a doubt people can find coins for less and for more depending on where they look.
However, one of the largest competitors of Numis Network First Federal is now advertising two of the same coins for more money.
The $5 Gold Eagle is selling on sale at 1st Federal Coin for $299.00 .vs the same $5 Gold Eagle at Shop Numis for $239.95. This is a $60.00 savings at Numis Network and they are paying out a commission.
The second coin is the MS70 $1 Silver Eagle advertised by First Federal Coin Corporation for $149.00, while the same coin is sold at Shop Numis retail for $119.95. This is a $30.00 dollar savings, and again Numis is paying a commission.
Yes, I know the coins can be bought for less at eBay or some other site. But, of course I bet if I wanted to dig a little deeper, I could also find every other product or service solid through a direct selling aka Network Marketing company at a cheaper prices also.
But ask yourself this question – Are you selling your current MLM product or service based on price, or are you selling a life changing business opportunity?
What’s the difference between what you are doing and what Numis Network is doing?
Now before I get into the Numis Executive Success System, I want to give you a taste of what first time Network Marketing distributors are saying about their first experience in the MLM profession.
Ok, now let’s look at the second concern folks have raised on the $495.00 fee charged to join Numis Network at the top level. Is this amount an inflated fee or are the products and services provided within the Numis Fast Track Starter Kit worth the cost?
Well, the reality is, some folks will think this is far to much to pay to join any MLM business, while others will see this are a very small fee for joining a category creating company with a ground floor opportunity.
Here is what I have concluded…
The same kit sells all day long at Shop Numis for $325.00. So if we add in the additional business services provided to the Numis Network distributors, I believe it is a very fair price point. However, I do understand that certain services such as the training videos and the websites may be seen by different people as priceless while others will see them as worthless.
Ok, here is my breakdown.
Aluminum Attache’ Coin Case – Value – $ 65.00 (I found prices from $65 to $79 dollars on the web)
MS70 Silver Eagle – Value – $100.00 (Retail cost is $119.00 on Shop Numis)
Leather Numis Portfolio – Value – $50.00 (I found this same style of portfolio on the net from $50.00 to over $75.00)
Numis 5 Distributors Websites – Value – $125.00 (This is a one time fee, with a monthly fee of $9.95)
Coins Are Cool Training – Value – $125.00 (I priced this at $25 per video and Numis adds one video per month)
Although, I can’t announce it here, Numis will also be adding a very power addition to this Fast Start Kit in the next month or so, which will increase the retail value by at least another $100.00.
So, when you look at the above total fair market value (my subjective deduction) then the total is $465.00. By the way this also includes shipping and handling fees.
Some reading this may feel that since Ian and Chris own IDSTC that Numis must have a special deal and the technology isn’t costing them anything. This is not true. International Direct Selling Technology Corporation is a completely different company, and Numis Network has signed a client agreement just like all other clients of ISDTC.
I called Ian today to ask him what it would cost for the average Network Marketing company would pay for the same type of technology services Numis is paying for from ISDTC, and here is an average cost…
$40K to $50 for the original development costs.
$7.00 per month per distributor
The media costs would depend on how detailed the videos become, but overall Ian Cordell figured by this stage of the development, and size of the company the average client the size of Numis Network will have invested between $140,000 and $150,000 dollars just in technology costs.
So although some will not agree with this article, I can say with complete conviction that if I were collecting coins as a hobby, and found Numis Network, and knew I could turn my hobby into a business for a small upfront cost of $495.00, then hands down I would pay the fee.
Just the first years tax advantages would offset the $495.00 for the Numis Executive Success System.
Living An Epic Adventure,
Troy Dooly
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