Whenever the BLS posts their monthly CPI there's always the same response from critics that the index is flawed. That's fine. I think a healthy dose of skepticism regarding government data is perfectly good. So let's take a look at some independent gauges to see where prices are.

The United States is not going to become energy independent because of tight oil. Period. Reports to the contrary are an illusion of U.S. energy independence based on unrealistic assumptions and projections about the long-term potential of oil production from tight formations like the Bakken Shale in North Dakota and the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas. There are several compelling reasons for this [as outlined below]. Words: 575

Silver has had double digit gains in 7 of the last 10 years. In this infographic, we look at the investment properties of silver as well as its chief differences with gold. Highlights include a study on silver correlation, volatility, performance against the US Dollar and money supply, and portfolio diversification.

We have been hearing a lot about escaping the fiscal cliff, but our problem isn’t solved. The fixes to date have been partial and temporary. There are many painful decisions ahead. Based on recent research and my analysis of the situation, civilization is in the early stage of the Crisis phase (state breakdown) and the U.S. will most likely enter a severe recession by the end of 2013. [Below is my rationale.] Words: 2979; Charts: 8

Precious metals have historically been excellent ways to preserve one’s purchasing power over the long term. However, in today’s world, they do not act well as a medium of exchange. To solve this problem Peter Schiff and his teams worldwide have worked out a totally new service: the first Gold and Silver Debit cards that gives bank customers access to their gold and silver holdings.

I believe that silver could go to $60 per troy ounce by the end of 2014....I also believe silver will be the best single investment of this decade. The following article is focused on why I think you should seriously consider having a significant percentage of your investment portfolio in silver. Words: 1600

The "Dogs of the Dow" is a simple and effective strategy that has outperformed the Dow over the last 50 years and generates almost 4% in yield. Here’s how it works. Words: 486

While no one can predict the exact peak, here are five reasons you're better off on the sidelines than in the market.

There are significant challenges to gold prices increasing in 2013. In fact, I believe that gold prices should move down in 2013 because of five strong headwinds, elaborated in this article. Words: 464

The U.S. stock market rally that kicked off the New Year continued last week, and after only two weeks, US stocks are up around 3% for the year. European stocks have posted similar gains and equities in Japan have advanced even further. What’s behind this rally – and more importantly, can it continue? In my view, the rally can be attributed to three factors. Words: 615