...With the fiscal cliff on the horizon — more than $600 billion in spending cuts and tax increases coming January 2 — lawyer and certified public accountant Leon LaBrecque predicts in a Bankrate analysis that Americans could face a 17% increase in their 2013 federal income taxes, in addition to increases in state, local and property taxes and, if the nation slips into another recession, they’ll see a significant dent in their portfolios. [That being said, below are some suggestions on how to minimize such an impact by taking some evasive action before the beginning of the new year.] Words: 576

Gold is one of the rarest minerals on earth. To put that into perspective, more sheet metals is pored each hour than the entire amount of gold poured throughout history. That being said, the USCS estimates that silver in the earth's crust will be depleted by 2020 at the current rate of consumption. For more interesting facts about gold and silver check out the infographic below and the links to many other such gems of information.

The movements and potential movements of the yellow precious metal often grab the spotlight, even if there are other assets outperforming it. It is always important for investors to look beyond the major headlines to get a better perspective of the trends impacting the overall commodity world. [This article does just that and also identifies 3 ETFs to possibly take advantage of these trends.] Words: 440

If you believe (as I do) that gold is a solid way to “price” other assets because of its characteristics of being rare and stable in quantity – then the simplest way to profit from this trend is to wait for it to reverse - and when it turns around, sell gold and buy stocks. [Let me explain further.] Words: 431

The biggest danger to our society will be food prices and food costs....Productivity of grains has fallen to 1.2% per year which matches population growth exactly leaving society with no safety margin. [In addition,] there is a coming shortage of two fertilizers which occur exclusively in nature...so once the supply is gone, it’s gone forever - and this can only mean that commodity prices are going higher - much higher. Words: 585

George Soros’ hedge fund, Soros Fund Management LLC, states in its Nov. 14th 13-f filing that, among other major moves related to gold, the fund has added a $9 million call option position on the GDX which means that management of the fund believes that gold mining equities are extremely undervalued on a short term basis and that major money to be made over the next 6-12 months, via a sharp move higher in the GDX. Words: 405

The warnings that the fiscal cliff will cause a recession are delivered as if the government can decide whether or not we have a recession. In fact, the government does not have that power, or we would never have recessions. At the most, the government can influence when, not if, we have a recession. We will most likely undergo a recession when we wean ourselves off the unsustainable deficit spending of the last four years. The choice is not recession or no recession. The choice is recession now or recession later. [Let me explain.] Words: 542

Hedge fund manager Hugh Hendry has stated, "There is no rationale for owning gold mining equities. It is as close as you get to insanity. The risk premium goes up when the gold price goes up." Indeed, the notion that adding gold and other commodities to one's portfolio produces a higher expected return with lower risk failure has failed of late and can be illustrated through the following charts. Words: 808

We are undergoing a Paradigm Shift in the price trend of virtually all commodities – perhaps the most important economic event since the Industrial Revolution. [Let me explain why that is the case.] Words: 765

For those looking at an alternative, or complement to their gold holdings, below we outline 4 silver companies (3 producers, 1 streamer) that currently pay a dividend and, as such, provide some yield during low interest rate times, and provide a hedge against inflation should it arise. Words: 1612