U.S. Debt is expected to be $75,000 per capita by 2022.
Archive for the ‘Biblical Economics & Money’ Category
Who has the biggest debt issue?
Sunday, February 26th, 2012Make yourself ready for when I call
Friday, February 24th, 2012Everyday is a day of preparation for your calling. You can use the time to prepare or you can simply consume it on your ego. The choice is yours. Our gifts are like magnets and they draw resources to us needed for them to develop and operate. Astute parents will observe those gifts in their children and encourage their development. Other parents will simply live their life through their children without regard for the unique gifts given to each.
Throughout Scripture we are given examples of preparation for the calling. Joseph, the son of Jacob, was an example. At seventeen, he was given a glimpse of his calling. In his immaturity he boasted among his brethren. Do you think that was the first time he boasted? I would suggest his personality had already irritated his brothers and this was simply the latest example of his youthful arrogance. He was already a good looking teenager and probably favored by Jacob. The next 13 years of his life would be spent preparing him for his call. What day would he finally ascend to his calling?
When he had been thrown into the pit, how do you think he felt about his calling then? When he had been sold to the Midianites for twenty pieces of silver, how did this prepare him? Joseph’s story is full of setbacks and hardships and each was designed to prepare him to be Zaphnath-Paaneah, Treasurer of the Glorious Rest. To be the treasurer of the known world, you must be fully prepared to steward over such a great trust. Was Joseph ready at the age of seventeen? Obviously not. It was needful for him to be severely tested and have all of those character flaws removed from him. In his particular case, he had to be thrown into a foreign prison without any contact with his family. He had to forsaken by his loved ones. He had to be falsely accused without recourse. Most of all, he had to be able to genuinely forgive. Joseph had to learn and walk in unconditional love to become treasurer. Yes, it was important for Joseph to have other qualities as well. We call those gifts. To be a treasurer you need to understand mathematics, accounting, value of assets, etc. However to be treasurer for a kingdom, the most important requirement you need is Love, all others qualities are secondary. Love insures that your actions will be directed toward the people you serve, not consumed on “self”. You will be loyal to your calling because you are willing to give your life for your brethren.
Over the last four decades, I have encountered many people who were convinced they had a financial calling. Often, it was their ego speaking and hoping that if they confessed it enough their confession would come to pass. Faith comes by hearing the Word of Our Heavenly Father. If HE didn’t speak it to you, don’t expect it to come to pass. The call to treasurer is not really a glamorous call. Yes, there is momentary situations of excitement. When I was twenty-one I was completing my college degree and had begun working part-time at the largest bank in the state. Over the Christmas holidays I worked extra hours in Commercial Receiving where the bank vault was located. One of my duties was to count the vault cash. It contained over $5 million in cash. This was 1972 when $5 million was a lot of money. I was initially excited about being around so much money. After about the fifth time of counting the vault, it became simply stacks of paper.
About ten years ago, I found myself sitting in an office in Geneva Switzerland working on a cash deal of $275 million. Myself and two other gentlemen had been given the opportunity to invest the cash into certain investments not offered to the public. In this arena greed is at its zenith. Once it was found that the people we were dealing with might remove any roadblocks with extreme prejudice, I suddenly realized that the calling of treasurer was not as glamorous or exciting as I had pictured. The higher the stakes, the more exposure to personal risks. Unless Our Heavenly Father calls you, you do not want to walk among the wolves. This is why it is so important to stay in your calling and don’t try to assume someone else’s. As you prepare each day to walk in your calling, Our Heavenly Father will protect you from certain disaster just as HE did for me.
No matter what day your calling begins, you should treat every day as a day of preparation. If you do nothing else, Love somebody!
Comparing Gold in 1980
Sunday, February 19th, 2012The following video provides an interesting comparison of the 1980 setting of gold investment versus today’s environment. Though I am not familiar with the creators of this video nor do I endorse their website, they provide some interesting, concise statistics:
Men will continue the quest to control countries by controlling the medium of exchange. Our Heavenly Father says in Haggai 2: 8 The silver [is] mine, and the gold [is] mine, saith the LORD of hosts. Maybe that is why men don’t want to use these metals as the global medium of exchange. Any attempt to manipulate would be met with judgment.
Disclosure and Disclaimer Statement: Neither the information nor the opinions expressed should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any stock, currency or commodity. Investors are recommended to obtain the advice of a qualified investment advisor before entering into any transactions. The author has neither been paid nor received any other inducement to write this article or include this video.
Global Demand for $USD
Thursday, February 16th, 2012What do the Russians and Chinese see that our mainstream media (MSM) isn’t telling us?
See: http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1420.aspx
Thanks to Maverick for alerting me of these graphs!
Greece by the numbers
Thursday, February 16th, 2012On Sunday, Greece was voting on the European bailout. There were about 18,000 demonstrators, 5,000 police with tear gas, and 10 major buildings set on fire. The European Union-assigned Greek Prime Minister (not voted in by Greeks) said, “"Vandalism, violence and destruction have no place in a democratic country and won’t be tolerated." I guess his definition of a democracy varies from my understanding. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17007761
“This behavior will not be tolerated”, said Prime Minister Lucas Papademos. The country is in the midst of breaking down and the living standards are collapsing into a deflationary death spiral. The annual rate of decline of the Greek GDP is 7%. It is getting ugly! A revolution is now on the horizon. It now appears that timing is the issue.
Haircuts ahead at the casino
Wednesday, February 15th, 2012Greek bonds are expected to settle at a 30% loss forcing bondholders to take a “haircut”. This will create volatility in the gold market as it challenges the currency market. Gold is 100% liquid and has no liability of man tied to it. The ratings agencies are pounding the Eurobanks and countries. Spain, Italy, and Portugal will demand the same favorable terms and those banks who own the bonds will immediately become illiquid. The central banks will attempt to re-liquify those banks with additional quantitative easing.
Once again as history shows us, gold is heading towards a monetary system to replace the current fiat system. Producing gold companies will act as utilities as they pay dividends from the majority of its profits to shareholders. History repeatedly shows that good money, honest money, forces out bad money. Between now and 2015 gold will return to the full valuation as the de facto reserve currency for trade settlement. In my opinion, $4,500 per ounce is the minimum level to balance the current economic conditions. $40,000 is worst case. Who is this guy writing this blog?
I expect dramatic volatility ahead as the end of the current fiat monetary system once again gives way to a righteous system based on a standard of exchange that cannot be tampered with. The current house of cards will not be able to withstand a major earthquake in the economic arena. Absolute trust in Our Heavenly Father will be required to weather this transition.
August 5th, 2011
Thursday, February 9th, 2012This was just too good not to share. What really happened in the stock market on August 5, 2011 when the US was downgraded to AA+, when everything literally broke, who is intervening constantly in the stock market, and why are they doing so via various HFT (High Frequency Trading) intermediary mechanisms? Take note of date in lower left hand corner.
Overtaken by Illusion
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012The gaming industry is in the business of perpetuating illusion. Illusion by itself isn’t bad. It can be a precursor to individual reality. When you have a dream of a life’s work it is in the illusionary stage. As it moves from illusion to reality, fruit is produced. Illusion that moves you away from reality is ultimately destructive. This escape from reality satisfies the cravings of the ego and results in an addiction. There is a temporary euphoria associated with an addiction that temporarily wipes away the harsh reality the individual is in the midst of.
There is no place to hide in the financial economy and it is dangerous out there. Inflation is running rampant even though the official numbers would tell us otherwise. The risk of hyperinflation is increasing with every attempt to improve the economy through quantitative easing. Services such as healthcare and college education cannot be imported and their costs are going up substantially above the stated inflation numbers. How long will some of the currencies be any good is anybody’s guess.
Automation and technology may be connecting us in theory but are disconnecting our relationships. How many people do you see in a restaurant sitting across from another who has his or her head down. No, they are not praying, they are either texting, playing a game, or surfing the net. They have chosen technology over their interpersonal relationships. They are losing the art of listening. The ego gets tweaked every time you get a call or text when in a crowd. Body language is an important aspect of communication that gets lost when using technology to communicate.
The mainstream media(MSM) has been promoting the disconnect from reality as well. We are told how good it is in the job market and that the recovery is showing signs of notable improvement. But if you look at the statistics in an apples to apples comparison, people are hurting. The following chart compares the reality against the illusion:
The consumer is still tapped out and more baby boomers are figuring out they don’t need all the trappings that were once necessary. There are 242 million working age Americans. Only 142 million Americans are working. The labor force participation rate and employment to population ratio are at 30 year lows. Corporations are hoarding cash rather than beginning any notable expansion plans.
Those Americans who saved their money for retirement and were counting on interest income to augment their retirement check got thrown under the bus by the Fed:
What happened to the 5% savings rate? Mr. Bernanke has assured us that the above graph will continue its near zero march for another eighteen months. You weren’t counting on interest on you bank CD’s or savings accounts were you? With a true inflation rate of about 10%, your dollar is losing about 7-8% per year. At this rate in twelve years you won’t have any value left in that savings account. LORD come quickly!
I look forward to a Great Awakening of mankind that will sweep away the refuge of lies. We will require the anointing of the Holy Spirit to cleanse the earth of the illusions that have propagated themselves around the globe. Love will overtake the world in this great awakening!
A Micro Perspective of a Macro Problem
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
MUX
Friday, February 3rd, 2012In these days of manipulative economic practices I felt like sharing a positive story of hope and expectation. As my friends are aware, I focus heavily on economics and financial investments. In the gold & silver arena there are many stocks that have done well over the years. Behind those stocks are visionaries who understand both mining and business and their track record supports their beliefs. Rob McEwen is one such visionary. He is the CEO of McEwen Mining Inc. and the stock symbol is MUX. See his biography: http://www.robmcewen.com/biography/
Rob is the largest shareholder of MUX and takes no salary. I call that commitment. His goal for MUX is for the company to be listed on the S&P 500 by the year 2015. For this to occur, the company must grow to about 7 times its current size. The current share price is $5.80 so at the current number of shares outstanding, a $40 price would satisfy the growth requirement.
You can see his presentation at: http://www.mcewenmining.com/Theme/McEwen/files/doc_presentations/mcewen20120120_2.pdf He outlines his strategy for achieving his target.
It must be obvious to the reader that I am invested in MUX. Rob’s integrity and business prowess sent Goldcorp into the stratosphere and I will be cheering him on as he applies the same principles to McEwen Mining. As I have mentioned in the past, I prefer to take possession of my stock certificates or at least have them directly registered with the stock transfer agent.
Disclosure and Disclaimer Statement: The author has personal investments in gold, silver, uranium and base metal mining shares. Potential investors in this stock are encouraged to conduct their own further diligent research. Neither the information nor the opinions expressed should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any stock, currency or commodity. Investors are recommended to obtain the advice of a qualified investment advisor before entering into any transactions. The author has neither been paid nor received any other inducement to write this article.