This short video - on the sustainability of government spending - should be watched by everyone, including those not yet old enough to vote. It should be shown in every high school and college classroom.

History clearly shows that when it comes to currencies black swans do happen as the average lifespan of a currency is just 27 years. As such, investors should study currency history and, as part of a smart portfolio, they should protect their hard earned wealth and savings in a defensive fashion. The infographic below documents the history of currency in 10 different countries of significance.

The Web is crawling with technical analysis (TA)...[and,] given its popularity, [begs the questions as to whether or not there] really is something to it. [Based on our research,] the short answer is no, not really, at least not in developed markets like the US or the UK... Furthermore, most of the popular TA indicators that are bandied around are nonsense jargon and should be ignored as useless noise. [Let us explain our position.] Words: 2143

The debate over deflation/inflation continues as some of our most astute economic observers take sides. Frankly, I think that both sides are missing part of the picture. The debate concentrates on the after shocks of inflation/deflation: prices instead of the money supply and the demand for it. Words: 721

Bollinger bands are one of the most popular and widely used technical indicators. They can help you find excellent entry and exit points and, as such, many successful trading strategies are based on just Bollinger bands and a few complementary indicators. Below are a number of such trading strategies.

Many have speculated that the U.S. government could once again turn to gold confiscation/nationalization if it became desperate enough. These fears are not unfounded given the abysmal financial situation of the U.S. government that only continues to get worse, coupled with a total lack of political will to cut spending but would the U.S. government really turn to a 1933-style grab again? I would argue that they wouldn’t, but that doesn’t mean the threat to your gold has diminished. Quite the opposite. [This articles identifies what they might well do.]

Stock analysts use many different words to describe their ratings...[and] this article explains what the different ratings mean and how you can use them to make better investing decisions.

Many will cheer as the world makes a rapid transition to a cashless society, but I will not. I believe that a truly cashless system would open the door for great evil, and I don’t want any part of it. What about you?

Global wealth will be totally decimated in the next 4-8 years. It doesn’t matter if you are very rich or “just own a house” with some equity left. Most of it will come down in value by 75-95% in the next few years as the debt and asset bubbles implode.

No matter which gold miner you buy, you are going to expose yourself to some risk. Further complicating the issue, the least risky companies are nearly always overvalued on a purely quantitative basis. However, there are 6 ways that an investor can mitigate the risk associated with investment in mining stocks and they are outlined in this article.