(Vanity) Looking for Investment Advice

grey_whiskers ^ | 10-10-2010 | grey_whiskers

[grey_whiskers]

Cheers!

[SaxxonWoods]

You are asking people here how to invest your money? I hope you are joking.

[fuzzybutt]

Silver is good as is any precious metal, so is land.

What is really going to be of value will be trade goods like food, ammo etc. But what will be especially valuable will be vice goods like booze & cigarettes.

[grey_whiskers]

It will help me get up to speed quickly in an area fraught with peril.

I've been FReeping long enough to know how bad ideas (except on the computer and Palin-bashing threads) get winnowed out around here.

Cheers!

[gotribe]

Gold, Apple, Asian mutual fund.

[al baby]

Lead

[Revolting cat!]

IBTJ (In Before The Jokers.)

[Kevmo]

If you’re looking to invest in metals, the rare earths are going to skyrocket soon.

Strategic Implications of China’s Consolidation of Rare Earth Industries

10/10/2010 3:32:35 PM PDT · by bruinbirdman · 4 replies
Jamestown Foundation China Brief ^ | 10/8/2010 | Russell Hsiao

The Politics of Rare Earth (For the serious investor thinking of diversifying)

10/03/2010 9:36:13 AM PDT · by WebFocus · 12 replies
An American Perspective from China ^ | 10/03/2010

Here’s What You Need To Know About The Politics Behind Rare Earth Metals

10/03/2010 7:33:27 AM PDT · by george76 · 17 replies
Business Insider ^ | Oct. 3, 2010 | Patrick Chovanec

U.S. House may vote on Rare Earths Act this week

10/02/2010 6:46:57 AM PDT · by epithermal · 33 replies
Mineweb ^ | 27 Sep 2010 | Dorothy Kosich

China Cuts Off Supply Of Rare Earth Metals Hits Pentagon Laser Guided Bombs

09/30/2010 4:40:25 PM PDT · by blam · 27 replies
The Market Oracle ^ | 9-30-2010 | Mike Shedlock

America Will Lose A Trade War With China Because It Desperately Needs Rare Earth Metals

09/29/2010 7:32:57 AM PDT · by blam · 59 replies
The Business Insider ^ | 9-29-2010 | Vincent Fernando, CFA

[WestwardHo]

Stock up on lightbulbs to black market when demand goes up.
We bought silver locally to avoid the shipping cost.
That’s all I know.

[al baby]

I bought An Asian mutual fund and hour later I bought another one

[Keith in Iowa]

Here’s an investment: Incandescent Light Bulbs. You’ll be able to make a mint on the black market for them very soon.

[HangnJudge]

Consider Ishares TIPS
http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/fund/TIP

or buying TIP bonds directly
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/products/prod_tips_glance.htm

[no-to-illegals]

your question was:
Can anyone recommend a good introduction to buying silver for an investment, or a good (close-to-honest, anyway) dealer?

my answer is: No.

[Centurion2000]

They are already up 700%

[kiryandil]

You can pay cash at a gun show. About $2 an ounce premium over spot. The $2-3 is worth the anonymity, you also may have to pay shipping from a dealer.

Spot price:

http://www.kitcosilver.com/

Kitco sells ounce rounds, I think.

http://bullion.nwtmint.com/silver_americaneagle.php

Never bought from these guys, just a reference.

You can also buy bags of junk silver - $20.00 face value is about a troy pound of silver (14 troy ounces).

[Abigail Adams]

http://www.bulliondirect.com/

[kiryandil]

BTW - you might be a little late for investment purposes, but for local barter, who knows?

My advice is worth what it cost you, BTW.

[Reverend Wright]

Putting all your money into one investment is the same as all your eggs into one basket: it is a mistake

caveat: i’m not an investment advisor, however...

here is a basic diversified portfolio made up of etfs:

SPY (S&P 500) fraction of portfolio = 40%
TLT (US treasuries current yield 3.75%) 20%
LQD (high grade corp bonds, yield 5.0%) 20%
HYG (high yield corp bonds, yield 9.0%) 10%
GLD (gold etf) 5%
SLV (silver etf) 5%

this portfolio should stand up to almost any economic outcome: hyperinflation, depression, deflation, stagflation, normal recovery, you name it.

hyperinflation - SPY, GLD, SLV will still be worth something
deflationary depression - TLT, LQD and GLD, SLV will be worth something

and, if we eventually get to a normal economic recovery: you will have big gains in SPY and HYG, and maybe SLV, with LQD standing pat (still yielding 5%) and some losses in TLT, and probably big losses on GLD.

the point is, with a diversified portfolio, the losses in some asset classes are made up for by gains in others. You don’t make as much money as a single asset investor who gets it right, but you don’t get totally wiped out either.

[Yet_Again]

here is a basic diversified portfolio made up of etfs:

SPY (S&P 500) fraction of portfolio = 40%
TLT (US treasuries current yield 3.75%) 20%
LQD (high grade corp bonds, yield 5.0%) 20%
HYG (high yield corp bonds, yield 9.0%) 10%
GLD (gold etf) 5%
SLV (silver etf) 5%

While diversified, such a portfolio will be destroyed if what looms on the horizon comes to pass. Devaluation of the dollar will not magically make stocks rise. US treasuries will be decimated as rates rise. High Yield (ie low grade) corporate bonds will as well. That’s 70% of this portfolio that could be wiped off the face of the earth.

Here’s my defensive portfolio:

33% FXF
66% Gold

It’s done very well so far.

[CynicalBear]

Just remember to factor in the value of the dollar. As the dollar is devalued the market will go up but the total value of the product does not. It just costs more dollars to buy the same product.

Many people today watch the stock market going up but it’s pretty much in proportion tothe dollar going down.