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Date: 2024-08-16 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00020712

Finance
Gaslighting (PRESENTED BY STANSBERRY RESEARCH)

A Former Goldman Sachs banker, MBA, and medical doctor asks: Are You Ready for FINANCIAL LOCKDOWN?

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess
Original article:
PRESENTED BY STANSBERRY RESEARCH background A Former Goldman Sachs banker, MBA, and medical doctor asks: Are You Ready for FINANCIAL LOCKDOWN? Today you must make one of the most important financial decisions of your lifetime – I strongly recommend these 4 steps now “Investors are woefully unprepared for what may be a once-in-a-generation shift in the market” – The Wall Street Journal scroll down Hi, my name is Dr. David Eifrig Jr. I’m a medical doctor and former Goldman Sachs banker. Today I want to share with you an important story from American history. I’m hoping it will serve as a “wake up call,” and open your eyes to a critical decision you must make today – a decision that will affect you, your family, and your money, probably for the rest of your lifetime. This story is about a soldier named Rick Rescorla – and how he could play a huge role in your financial future, starting today. You see, it was a clear fall day, not too many years ago when Rick Rescorla (a U.S. Army veteran) went to work on Wall Street, just as he had done for many years. The night before, a cold front swept through Manhattan, producing thunderstorms, and a bright, cloudless, sunny day to follow. As a soldier, Rick Rescorla served in Vietnam where he earned a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and also a Purple Heart. When he returned home, Rescorla landed a job as head of security for Morgan Stanley. And as you’ll soon see… in many ways, Rick Rescorla was the best investment Morgan Stanley ever made. His insights and ideas transformed the future of the company… but probably not in the way you might imagine. On the job for more than a decade, Rescorla was a visionary leader who was not afraid to take action, even as others were lulled into complacency. Each year, for example, Rescorla put thousands of Morgan Stanley employees through rigorous drills on what to do in the event of a crisis. Of course, what Rescorla did was highly unusual on Wall Street. But he did it because he knew that in any crisis, no one would come to rescue him or his fellow workers. Rick Rescorla knew they must learn to take care of themselves and each other. The same is true for all of us today – although we are becoming a society that is extremely dependent on the government. But no matter what the government leads you to believe with their stimulus checks and spending programs – only you can protect yourself and your family over the next few years. Now Rick, remember, was a soldier, but he worked with investment bankers with big egos. Many of these folks didn’t appreciate Rescorla’s “drills”… which took time away from deal-making and trading. As one executive reports:
'[Rescorla] was very serious about making sure everyone came out to the drills. We used to say, ‘Well, it’s the sergeant doing the drills again.’ It was kind of repetitive. There were times when I just sat in my office and the fire marshal would come by and say, ‘No, you gotta go.’'
You might be able to guess what happened next… One day, all of Rescorla’s drills became incredibly important… It was an early fall morning when Rescorla heard an explosion while sitting at his desk. He looked out his window and saw the building next door burning. Then, an official came over the public address (PA) system, explaining how there was no reason to panic – how everyone should remain seated. But Rescorla knew better. And because he’d spent hundreds of hours training employees to ignore the “official” advice on the PA system, Morgan Stanley colleagues followed Rescorla’s orders. With his bullhorn, walkie-talkie, and cellphone in hand… Rick Rescorla systematically moved Morgan Stanley employees to exit the building via the stairwells. That day, more than 2,000 employees, (plus 250 visitors), followed the former soldier’s plan. But then, the situation got worse. As Rescorla was directing thousands down the stairwell from the 44th floor, a second explosion rang out. But this one was a lot closer. The second explosion occurred in Rescorla’s building, about 40 floors above his head. It shook the entire building and sent dozens of Morgan Stanley employees to the ground. It was September 11, 2001. World Trade Center Tower 1 had been hit by a commercial airplane at 8:46 a.m. Just 17 minutes later, at 9:03 a.m., terrorist hijackers flew a second plane into Tower 2, where Rescorla was trying to evacuate Morgan Stanley’s 2,000-plus employees. But Rescorla didn’t panic, even after the second explosion. Instead, he grabbed his bullhorn and spoke clearly and calmly. He said: “Stop. Be still. Be silent. Everything is going to be OK. Remember, you’re Americans.” Rescorla did this because he understood how people’s brains work in a crisis. He understood that… Most people are prone to waste extraordinary amounts of time in a phase of Denial and Procrastination, before ever taking action. So Rescorla repeated his orders, again and again. He even sang songs from his childhood to prevent Morgan Stanley employees from slipping back into the Denial and Procrastination phase. Rescorla knew that even in a crisis as obvious, urgent, and deadly as the attacks on the World Trade Center, most people freeze because our brains attempt to convince us that, “This is nothing out of the ordinary.” In other words: In every type of crisis… people move much too slowly. Get this… According to the 2005 National Institute of Standards and Technology studies, the average Trade Center survivor waited six minutes before heading downstairs. Some waited 45 minutes. Despite fire, smoke, the smell of jet fuel, and swaying buildings, an estimated 1,000 people took time to shut down their computers. Others made phone calls and gathered up belongings. But because of Rick Rescorla and his training, most Morgan Stanley employees were able to push through the denial phase quickly and spring into action. Morgan Stanley was the biggest tenant in Tower 2, occupying 22 floors. Incredibly, all but 13 of the company’s 2,700 employees made it out alive that day. Unfortunately, Rick Rescorla was not one of them. After escorting thousands of employees to safety, Rescorla learned there were still a few folks left behind. So he turned around… went back in, and was never seen again. Tower 2 soon collapsed. I’ve told you Rick Rescorla’s story today for one simple reason… Because he is a true American hero we can all learn from – especially right now. You see, in America today, while our physical lives may not yet be in danger, we have definitely entered a new and different type of crisis. This crisis is silent – and invisible to most people too. And so today, I’m at the start of spending millions to publish this message. Think of it as a final wake-up call… And a final chance to see something really important, which you haven’t yet recognized. Things are about to get really strange in America – yet most will have no idea what is happening. Your money, your retirement, your future… everything is at stake. The incredible thing is, most Americans today have no idea how this looming crisis will change our lives. That’s primarily because, while the signs are piling up all around us, we haven’t seen anything like this in roughly 50 years. So most Americans are stuck right now in the phase we all go through in a crisis: Despite fire, smoke, the smell of jet fuel, and swaying buildings, an estimated 1,000 people took time to shut down their computers. Others made phone calls and gathered up belongings. But because of Rick Rescorla and his training, most Morgan Stanley employees were able to push through the denial phase quickly and spring into action. Morgan Stanley was the biggest tenant in Tower 2, occupying 22 floors. Incredibly, all but 13 of the company’s 2,700 employees made it out alive that day. Unfortunately, Rick Rescorla was not one of them. After escorting thousands of employees to safety, Rescorla learned there were still a few folks left behind. So he turned around… went back in, and was never seen again. Tower 2 soon collapsed. I’ve told you Rick Rescorla’s story today for one simple reason… Because he is a true American hero we can all learn from – especially right now. You see, in America today, while our physical lives may not yet be in danger, we have definitely entered a new and different type of crisis. This crisis is silent – and invisible to most people too. And so today, I’m at the start of spending millions to publish this message. Think of it as a final wake-up call… And a final chance to see something really important, which you haven’t yet recognized. Things are about to get really strange in America – yet most will have no idea what is happening. Your money, your retirement, your future… everything is at stake. The incredible thing is, most Americans today have no idea how this looming crisis will change our lives. That’s primarily because, while the signs are piling up all around us, we haven’t seen anything like this in roughly 50 years. So most Americans are stuck right now in the phase we all go through in a crisis: Denial and Procrastination. Most Americans have watched what’s taken place in our country and around the globe over the past two years… And most are still going about life, business, investing, and retirement planning… as if nothing unusual has happened to our financial system. Today, I’m hoping to change that. I want to outline, as simply, plainly, and clearly as I can, what has happened in recent months, and what is inevitably coming next. You know, there’s a famous quote about history… It says there are “decades where nothing happens… and weeks where decades happen.” Well… in America, we’ve had multiple weeks of radical changes that will transform our country for decades. And I’ve put together this analysis to show you how and why things are about to get A LOT stranger in America, what’s coming next, and the specific steps you should take right now. Today, in my own humble way, I want to do for you what Rick Rescorla did for thousands of Morgan Stanley employees – I want to break you out of the “denial and procrastination” phase. I want to spur you to action. I’ll outline everything you need to know right here, including a four-step plan, which should help you protect and grow your wealth, and perhaps even sleep better at night. I believe what’s coming next will be confusing and disastrous for millions… but it doesn’t have to be that way for you. So, first, let me start with the most obvious problem… Why Is EVERYTHING Getting So Expensive? I’m sure you’ve noticed that prices for almost everything are absolutely soaring… while at the same time we are running out of… well… practically everything from computer chips to appliances to building supplies. Maybe you’ve heard the stories of crazy bidding wars for houses… Like a simple three-bedroom house in Covina, California, selling for $650k, which had 126 showings and 50 offers in four days. One bid was even $100k over the asking price. Or how in the most desirable parts of Texas, real estate agents now bring in food trucks and coffee vendors, to make the lines more bearable at open houses. This scenario is playing out all over the country, from Portland to Cleveland… New Jersey to Denver. Vacation rentals are going through the roof as well. As hard as this is to imagine, a home in the Hamptons just rented for the summer… for a whopping $2 million, according to CNBC. Rental prices across the board are up 100% or more. In resort towns nationwide, rentals are completely booked. And the more you dig into the numbers, you see soaring prices and shortages for practically everything we need and value in our society. Oil prices are up more than 200% in the past year. Lumber prices are up 300% since 2020 and are at all-time highs. Paper prices are up 40%. Copper prices are at an all-time high. Car prices are sky-high too… The average price of a new car skyrocketed above $40,000 for the first time earlier this year, and the average price of a used car now tops $20,000? Have you tried renting a car recently – it’s crazy. In Maui, for example, the cheapest price for a recent car rental was $722 a day for a Toyota Camry. In Honolulu, convertibles cost $1,000… not for the week, per day! CNN reports that in Orlando recently, rental cars cost $300 a day. Prices for food, health care, commodities, shipping, electricity… it’s all rocketing higher and higher. Most Americans don’t realize shipping rates are as much as 50% higher than a year ago. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports the average cost for employer-based family health coverage is now a whopping $21,342 per year! Yes, there many reasons for the soaring prices of all these things… The economy is returning to normal… people want to live in bigger houses… the supply chain is a mess… there’s pent up demand, etc., etc… But you have to understand what’s REALLY happening here to have any chance of protecting and growing your money in the years to come. So I want to say this as plainly and simply as I can: It’s doesn’t matter how the White House, the U.S. Treasury, or the Federal Reserve are creating new money and new credit… It doesn’t matter what tricks they are using… or how they spin it… America is about to experience one of the greatest inflationary periods in our nation’s history. And make no mistake about it: Inflation will push millions of Americans down… out of the middle class... out of private retirement... out of private health care... and out of a decent life based on independence and privacy... into a collectivist nightmare I call: FINANCIAL LOCKDOWN. This is what happens when people are trapped by their own collapsing currency and their own deeply indebted government. I know you probably think this sounds outlandish. You probably think “this is all just temporary.” Most Americans, I’m sure, are feeling pretty good. Home values are sky-high. So are stocks. Your brokerage account may have never looked better. But here’s the truth no politician will bother sharing: Prices for all of these goods and services… prices for stocks and houses and art are NOT going up the way you think they are. The truth is, prices are not going up – it’s the value of our money going down. This is what ALWAYS happens at the start of a period of massive inflation and a collapsing currency. Economists call it the “Money Illusion.” It’s what happens when people start to measure their wealth in simple numeric terms… instead of real terms – in other words, what your money can buy. This is what happens when people don’t take into account money printing, increased debt, and inflation, and wrongly believe a dollar today is worth the same as it was last year – even after the Fed has pumped trillions and trillions of new dollars into the system. Think of anything significant you’ve bought recently… a washing machine or refrigerator… tires… furniture… it’s all soaring in price – and that’s if you can find it because supply shortages are rampant. Inflation causes huge economic distortions, which is one of the reasons why, as Bloomberg recently reported, we are “suddenly running low on everything.” And while you may have more money in your bank or stock account, it’s definitely not worth anything close to what it was just a year or so ago. I estimate 90%-plus of the American public is falling for the Money Illusion today… most folks are in complete denial about what is REALLY happening in our financial system. But when you look back at financial history, you realize this is nothing new… Massive inflations are always incredibly confusing to the general public. Look at Germany’s Weimar Republic in the early 1900s, for example… the most famous case of inflation and currency collapse – followed by Financial Lockdown – in history. Over a period of about 10 years, the German mark eventually became worth 1 million-millionth of its former self. Look at this incredible chart… 1919-1923 chart And while to outsiders it was obvious Germany was destroying its currency, locals simply held on, in a state of confusion and denial. As a German woman told Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Pearl Buck: “We used to say, ‘The dollar is going up again,’ while in reality, the dollar remained stable but our mark was falling. But… we could hardly say our mark was falling since in figures it was constantly going up - and so were the prices - and this was much more visible than the realization that the value of our money was going down … It all seemed just madness, and it made the people mad.” Economic historian Adam Ferguson explained why in his book When Money Dies: “It was the natural reaction of most Germans, or Austrians, or Hungarians--indeed, as for any victims of inflation--to assume not so much that their money was falling in value as that the goods which it bought were becoming more expensive in absolute terms.” And this is exactly what’s happening in America right now. Unfortunately, the sad truth is most Americans will do the exact same thing Germans, Hungarians, and Austrians did with their soon-to-be-worthless currencies, even after they’d been devalued for the umpteenth time: They will cling to their increasingly worthless money. As one German woman said of this era: 'When prices soared 25% in a bakery in a single day, “the baker didn’t know how it happened… his customers didn’t know… it had something to do with the dollar, somehow to do with the stock exchange—and somehow, maybe, to do with the Jews.' You see, the Money Illusion inevitably creates a frenzy… encouraging massive gambling, hoarding, and speculation… as everyone attempts to keep up with the “get rich quick” stories reported in the press. I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about in our country today… Americans Gone Wild… When people see prices rising… and hear stories about how everyone around them is getting rich, no one is quite sure what is happening or why… but they instinctively know holding cash is not the answer… So they become reckless… and the velocity of speculation skyrockets. Look back at the famous early-20th century inflations in Germany, Hungary, and Austria, for example, and you find extraordinary stock market manias. As one Austrian reported at the time: “Speculation on the stock exchange has spread to all ranks of the population and shares rise like air balloons to limitless heights…” Back then, Austrian stocks soared 400% in a single year! The destruction of the money in Germany in the 1920s caused extraordinary stock speculation. As the British Consul-General, stationed in Germany at the time, wrote: “All classes of the population have for months been speculating with a fine disregard for common sense.” It sure sounds like what’s going on in America today, doesn’t it? Americans are pouring money into the markets and other wild speculations in record numbers… Did you know Americans opened more than 10 million new brokerage accounts last year? That was a new record. And these folks aren't buying indexes or dividend stocks. They're wildly speculating – just as the citizens of Germany, Hungary, and Austria did a century ago. For example, more than half a trillion dollars worth of stock options were traded on a single day earlier this year. That's the highest single day on record in U.S. history! The same is true for highly speculative penny stocks. We saw an incredible 1.9 trillion transactions in over-the-counter markets – where many penny stocks trade – earlier this year. That's a 2,000% increase versus the previous year! Also, an astounding 28% of all American adults bought GameStop or other “viral stocks” earlier this year, according to a Yahoo Finance-Harris poll. The median investment was just $150… and 43% of these folks said they had just signed up to get a brokerage account in the last month. We’ve never seen this level of wild speculation in our lifetimes. In yet another sign of the speculative frenzy taking place, a flood of new companies are going public… We saw a total of 480 new IPOs in 2020 alone… the highest amount since 1999. And this year has been even crazier. Celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal, Serena Williams, and Colin Kaepernick have all formed their own businesses to take private companies public. At 503 IPOs through June, we've already beaten 2020 levels. Number of US IPOs This is the exact type of behavior you should expect when the money supply expands to unprecedented levels. It’s all hard to fathom, I know. But it's the reality we're living in right now. As one investment fund manager told the Wall Street Journal about new startup firms: “I’ve never seen it this frenzied. It’s lightning-fast rounds with a lot of cash.” And that brings me to another critical sign of massive inflation and monetary devaluation: currency speculation. Most people don’t know this, but it’s estimated that in Germany in the 1920s, more than a million citizens were involved in currency speculation, mainly through what were known as Winkelbankiers… back-street operators who made a living selling foreign currencies. Sure sounds a lot like today, doesn’t it… with Americans piling into cryptocurrencies at unprecedented numbers? The figures are just extraordinary: While many cryptocurrencies have soared thousands of percent in recent years… the total money in Bitcoin recently hit $1 trillion… and the total cryptocurrency market recently hit $2 trillion. As currency historian Jack Weatherford says, “In such times of runaway inflation, currency speculation becomes a major business for virtually the entire adult community.” Again: That’s exactly where we are in America today. In fact, today the cryptocurrency market (just the cryptocurrencies themselves, not related businesses) recently hit a level that was worth more than the market value of Walmart, Home Depot, Disney, Exxon Mobil, Netflix, Nike, McDonald’s, and Goldman Sachs… combined! Again – whether you like it or not… and whether you agree with it or not… this is today’s reality. The things people are gambling and speculating on just get crazier by the day…
  • A piece of digital artwork by a virtually unknown artist known as Beeple sold for a whopping $69.3 million.
  • Regular folks are spending thousands and sometimes millions on “ownership rights” to certain videoclips, called NFTs. Anybody can watch these clips, any time they want, by the way… and the owner doesn’t get a penny when they are viewed. Still, people are paying enormous sums just to say they “own” them. (One quick example – a short clip on an animated flying cat with a Pop-Tart body sold for roughly $580,000.)
  • Sales of “collectible” sneakers are up 100% from a year ago – and the luxury auction house Sotheby’s just sold a 2008 used pair of Kanye West’s Nike sneakers for a world-record $1.8 million. But wait… it gets even crazier…
  • The person who bought the sneakers is a former NFL football player who is turning the used sneakers into a “security,” regulated by the SEC. Soon, anyone who wants to be a part-owner can do so by paying $15 a share.
  • CEO Gerome Sapp says the pair of sneakers will basically become their own “mini company.”
Does this sound normal to you? Does this sound like a population that trusts the value of their currency? It sure doesn’t sound “normal” to me. Think about it: many Americans today would rather own a share of a celebrity’s used sneakers than U.S. dollars. Most are in a state of complete denial about the fact that something has fundamentally changed in our markets and with our money. Most people simply don’t recognize or understand what’s going on. And the truth is, it’s not their fault. Most Americans have never experienced this type of inflationary environment – nearly half the U.S. population was born AFTER 1981. They don’t understand how the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve are purposefully devaluing our money in a way we’ve never seen before. You know, it’s funny how history works… Today, because we consider ourselves “modern” and “sophisticated”… we scoff at tales of wild speculation throughout past inflationary and manic periods. We laugh at 1920s Germans who needed wheelbarrows of money to buy a loaf of bread. We say to ourselves… “That could never happen here.” We scoff at the Tulip Bulb mania of the Netherlands in the mid-1600s when the Dutch became enraptured by tulip bulbs that produced striped and speckled flowers. During this time, tulip bulbs changed hands for the equivalent of a skilled craftsman’s annual salary… some sold for the equivalent price of a nice house! But think about it… Is what happened in Germany or the Dutch tulip bulb craze any different than people betting on used sneakers, digital art, or video clips right now? And in a fascinating and ironic twist, some wealthy Americans have begun frenzied speculation in plant life too… just like the Dutch hundreds of years ago. Have you heard of this? The Wall Street Journal reports wealthy people are now paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to transport huge old trees (called “trophy trees”) to new properties. They hire “tree brokers,” who find the perfect trophy tree, then make unsolicited offers to current owners. Sometimes these trees are so old and big they have to be sliced in half vertically, and essentially “sewn” back together with steel aircraft cable, ratchet straps, and bolts in their new home. Basketball legend Michael Jordan, for example, lost a recent bidding war on a Trophy Oak tree, in a deal that went for well over $100,000. As investor and entrepreneur Howard Lindzon said recently, “the money has nowhere to go, so it’s doing stupid things.” Now are you starting to see why I sent you this warning? Now do you see why I’m saying we have entered a new era? All around us… the value of our money is collapsing, while prices for everyday goods are soaring… and supplies are running out… Over the past year, in addition to oil prices skyrocketing more than 200%... and lumber soaring 300%, copper and corn prices are up more than 80%, silver and sugar prices are each up around 60%... cotton and platinum are both up more than 50%... the list just goes on and on. I know I’ve thrown a lot of numbers at you here. So if you want to see the original sources for these figures, please check out our Details and Disclosures link at the bottom of this page. But to me, and I hope to you, any way you look at these numbers, the conclusion is clear: Something radical is transforming our financial system, although few people realize it. We are at the beginning of a complete transformation of our financial system. We are at the beginning of a New Inflationary Era. OK… but so what? Who cares, right? Why does it really matter if prices are skyrocketing? If we are all getting richer, what’s the big deal? Well, let me show you… The 1960s and 1970s are a good case study… What Happened 50 Years Ago is About to Happen Again From 1961 through 1965, annual U.S. inflation averaged just 1.28%. Back then, Americans felt good. People were “getting richer” (thanks to the Money Illusion) as stocks and real estate prices rose. Then in 1965, President Lyndon Johnson began massive spending and took on huge budget deficits for the Vietnam war and his “Great Society” benefits… which included, Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, urban renewal, environmental issues, new immigration policies, and more. It sure sounds a lot like the new programs being proposed today, doesn’t it? Back then, just like today, inflation was gradual at first… It climbed to 3% in 1966 and 2.8% in 1967. And in large part because of the Money Illusion, people continued to feel richer and richer as the S&P 500 stock index hit an all-time high in late in 1968. Then things began to spin out of control… Inflation hit 5.97% in 1970. By 1974, inflation hit more than 11%, and the stock market had lost 35% of its value. Inflation finally peaked at 13.5% in 1980. inflation In one incredible five-year stretch from 1977 to 1981, cumulative inflation was over 50%... in other words the value of your savings was essentially cut by one-third. Even so… U.S. citizens during this period made the same analytical mistake Germans, Austrians, and Hungarians made in the 1920s. Americans’ initial perception was prices were going up – but what was really happening was just the opposite: our currency was collapsing. As currency expert Jim Rickards says, “Higher prices are the symptom, not the cause, of currency collapse.” Few Americans today recall how the dollar nearly ceased to function as the world’s reserve currency back in 1978. In fact, that year, the U.S. Treasury was forced to issue government bonds denominated in Swiss francs. Think about that – Foreign creditors no longer trusted the U.S. dollar as a store of value, so we had to promise repayment in another country’s currency! The point here is that inflation always gains substantial momentum before the general public notices, and before politicians act – and that’s exactly what’s happening right now in America. The last time we saw serious inflation, it was not until 1974 – nine years into the inflationary cycle – that it became a big political issue and prominent public policy concern. And even the “best” and supposedly “safest” companies in America were collapsing… Did you know, for example, that after peaking in 1972, the share price of the essentially hottest tech company in the world at the time, IBM, fell 57% and did not get back to even for nine years? IBM Other iconic businesses collapsed as well – Coca Cola fell nearly 70% and General Electric fell almost 60% and both took nine years just to get back to even. Coca ColaGeneral Electric The entire two stock index fell nearly 60% in less than a years. NASDAQ What so many fail to realize is this: inflation causes huge distortions in the economy. At the same time stocks were falling, prices were skyrocketing – meat, for example, soared more than 150% between 1973 and 1979… gasoline prices soared more than 225% between 1970 and 1980… while average airfare prices went up more than three-fold over the same period. What will happen to you if your portfolio falls in half or more – can you wait nine years for it to recover… while at the same time prices are soaring? The point is simple: many, many people are going to get A LOT poorer in the years to come. Look at this incredible chart… 25 Years later- Inflation It would take until 1993 – 25 YEARS LATER – until the S&P 500 reached a level that, after adjusting for inflation, exceeded its high from 1968. Millions of Americans lost a fortune in stocks… their savings were worth just a fraction of their previous values… prices were soaring… and still… very few actually understood what was REALLY going on. Now do you see why I’m saying the decisions you make with your money right now will affect your finances for many years to come? Meanwhile, it’s only years later that the average person wakes up and realizes all along, the savvy bankers and investors were fully aware of what was going on, who captured all the wealth… while everyday citizens are left behind with devalued stocks, savings, pensions, life insurances, and more. And that’s the entire point of my message today… I want YOU to be one of the savvy few who captures the money to be made. I want you to avoid being one of the folks who simply stands by and does nothing… bewildered at how your wealth, assets, savings, retirement plans, insurance policies, and purchasing power plummet in the years to come. This lag in perception is the essence of problems caused by the Money Illusion. And again: I believe this is where 90% of the investment public are mentally at right now – they are in complete denial that something radical has changed in our currency, our financial system, and in our economy. They have NO IDEA it’s even happening, much less what to do about it. Meanwhile, inflation is starting to wreak havoc on our economy and the markets – just look at the shortages… soaring prices… lengthened delivery times… huge pay increases businesses must offer to keep valuable employees… and hoarding of critical supplies. The government is already talking about price controls… the amount of money people are borrowing to buy stocks (leverage) has hit an all-time high… there are incredible shortages for basic goods (like cars and appliances) while high-end goods like Rolex watches are now impossible to find. These distortions are now affecting trade, investments, insurance policies, stocks, retirement savings, commodity prices, asset bubbles, interest rates – society as a whole! And it’s all just getting started…. Spike in Margin Debt But let’s get to the critical point… What’s coming next? The $15 Trillion Question I can give you the full history of everything the Fed has done wrong over the last 12 years... creating trillions and trillions in money out of thin air... doling out trillions more in what I would classify as “corrupt” loans to corporations (like GE), and to what I consider corrupt unions, like the “bailout” of General Motors. I can tell you how the Fed printed a trillion dollars in just two days last March… the $500 billion plan to buy municipal bonds… or the $700 billion to buy loans made by the U.S. Treasury and mortgage-backed securities (what they call “Quantitative easing”)… or the Fed’s $2.3 trillion program designed to help banks, businesses, and corporate bonds. I can tell you about how we’ve already injected $11 trillion new dollars into the system since the start of last year… and how there might be another $4 trillion to come in the next few months. That would mean a total $15 TRILLION in just over a single year! But you really don't need to know much or understand the intricate details of these plans. All you need to know is this... Inflation and currency devaluation is not a threat… it’s the government policy from this point forward! What matters isn’t how this has all happened... what matters is what these policies will inevitably lead to... You see, sooner than most people think, inflation will push millions of Americans down… out of the middle class... out of private retirement and private health care... and out of a decent life based on independence and privacy... into a collectivist nightmare I call: FINANCIAL LOCKDOWN Going forward, everything you do will be governed... everything will be controlled more and more by the state. More welfare and eventually Universal Basic Income. Medicare for all. “Free” college. More debt… and more debt forgiveness for a select group of individuals and corporations. More “income security” handouts. We’ll see price controls. Much higher taxes. More and more Americans not actually working. As legendary investor Felix Zulauf said in a recent interview: The government’s share of economy has gone from 22% before lockdown to upper 30% today. As a point of reference, the government is about 50% of the economy in the EU–that’s where we are headed in America. We are moving to a more government-planned economy – and that has huge implications for you and your money. As we move forward, shortages for everything will continue and will only escalate. More government weakens everything and pushes us more into debt. We are rapidly accelerating this new phase now. Of course, politicians love it. They will have more say and more power. Look at President Biden’s two big new spending bills in the works, totaling more than $4 trillion, according to the New York Times. Meanwhile, all of us will be drowning in a monetary system which only empowers bankers, speculators, AND a government leviathan that can’t survive without more debt and inflation. You’ll be lucky to be able to afford your own doctor. Your own retirement home. Your children’s college. I believe we’ll have an extraordinary retirement crisis… as money, funds, and programs retirees are counting on today (such as IRAs, 401(k)s, insurance policies, annuities, pension plans, etc.), all collapse in REAL value. Remember, prices soared 50% over a short period of time during our last inflationary era – I expect it could be even worse this time. I predict the next REALLY BIG bailout could be state pension funds across America – who will need a handout of at least $3 to $10 trillion to pay retirees for promises they’ve already made. And meanwhile, the government will continue to do everything they can to lock you into our collapsing currency. During Germany’s and Austria’s great inflations, for example, there were laws against hoarding certain commodities like food and fuel… and laws forbidding the ownership of foreign currencies. Our government will eventually implement similar types of restrictions, taxes, fees, and more – but if you wait to see what the government does, it will be too late. Billionaire Ray Dalio says the government will soon outlaw Bitcoin. Is he right? I don’t know, but nothing is beyond the government’s reach in Financial Lockdown. Going forward, it will all continue to escalate. Even the extremely conservative billionaire Warren Buffett has said, “They [the government] will come after corporations. They will come after individuals… They’re going to have to raise a lot of money.” One question I always get is: why can’t the government just stop inflation as it continues to get worse? And the answer is simple… First, because there’s simply no one on the Federal level willing to do what Paul Volcker did in 1981 when he jacked up the federal funds rate to 22.36%. While Volcker’s move was absolutely right in the long term (it set us up for two decades of prosperity), it was extremely painful and controversial in the short term. The 1981-1982 recession was the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Unemployment hit nearly 11% and Volcker was vilified… Back then, a Tennessee trade publication published a “Wanted” poster of Volcker accusing the Fed of “premeditated and cold-blooded murder of millions of small businesses.” And check this out: a car commercial for a 1980s Ford Mustang pitched a “low” 19% APR interest rate. Can you imagine what this type of loan rate would do to real estate and car purchases in the years to come? The sad truth is, Americans are no longer willing to suffer any short-term economic pain. So there will be huge calls for even more bailouts, more debt and stimulus, which will only make the problem worse. Plus, our federal government already pays a billion dollars a day in interest for the money we’ve borrowed, so pushing interest rates higher could essentially bankrupt the entire nation. According to legendary investor Stanley Druckenmiller, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that if 10-year rates go to 4.9% (which is their “normalized” projection), the government would have to spend about 30% of its money just to pay the interest on our loans every single year! And so, make no mistake... I believe these inflationary changes and Financial Lockdown are now unstoppable... and could potentially destroy everything that remains uniquely American in our country. Including your independence, your liberty, and your dignity. Eventually – as legendary investor Stanley Druckenmiller said on a CNBC interview – 'investors and nations around the world could abandon the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency.' Druckenmiller says this will happen in the next 15 years – and if he’s right, we’re going to see massive changes in the years leading up to this huge event… perhaps the biggest economic shift in our lifetimes. I don’t know if Druckenmiller is right, but there’s no question in my mind massive changes are coming to our society and our financial system. The crazy part is, despite all the evidence I’ve shown you, most Americans are still in the “denial and procrastination” trap that snares the general population at the start of any new inflation. In part that’s because many of our supposed “experts,” including Fed Chairman Powell, are saying recent price increases are just “transitory.” That’s a fancy economists’ word for “not permanent,” and it’s what “experts” often say at the beginning of inflationary cycles. The truth is, all inflationary periods are “transitory,” but can you afford to see your stocks fall and not recover their REAL value for a decade or possibly longer? Can you afford to see the REAL value of your retirement plans and pensions cut by 33% at a time when you really need the money most? Look, let’s be clear: the Fed does not exist to protect you and your money. The Fed is there to protect banks and the government. So they’ll say things to convince you why inflation is not a problem… just as they did during America’s last big inflationary era, years ago… At a Federal Reserve meeting back in January 1968, one member talked about how, “there are three main developments that could conceivably moderate the inflationary impetus of the economy in the months ahead.” Then in 1970, Fed members discussed how, “the recent success in arresting the inflationary psychology of investors had been a year or so coming.” Of course, inflation soon hit 11% in a single year. Look, I know there is no guarantee I’m right about what’s unfolding in our economy and that what I’m predicting will come true. Maybe things will go back to “normal”… maybe you really can print a trillion new dollars in just two days and not affect the financial system – but I strongly doubt it. Of course, I’m not the only one saying these things. Warren Buffett said at his recent annual meeting: “We're seeing very substantial inflation… I mean, we're raising prices. People are raising prices to us. And it's being accepted… The costs are just up, up, up… it's almost a buying frenzy... there's more inflation going on than -- quite a bit more inflation going on than people would have anticipated.” Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller says his main investment thesis right now is that inflation will be much higher than the “experts” think. He says: “My overriding theme is inflation relative to what the policymakers think. Basically the play is inflation.” Billionaire Paul Tudor Jones has said: 'We are witnessing the Great Monetary Inflation - an unprecedented expansion of every form of money unlike anything the developed world has ever seen.” “The idea that inflation is transitory, to me ... that one just doesn’t work the way I see the world.' And billionaire investor Bill Ackman, when asked recently about inflation said: “It’s not temporary. First of all, it’s hard to roll back wages once you roll them up.” So, let’s get to the critical part: what can we do to prepare? Here are the steps I strongly recommend… STEP #1: THE NEW ERA PLAYBOOK Yes, there are many similarities between the inflation unfolding today and what happened in America during the 1970s. Back then, the U.S. dollar lost a third of its value in just a few years… the Nasdaq stock index fell nearly 60% in less than two years. But the truth is, while there are similarities between the 1970s inflation, there are huge differences too. For starters, there is simply no one on the Federal level willing to do what Paul Volcker did in 1981 when he jacked up the federal funds rate to 22%. Another huge difference is back in the 1960s to 1970s our budget deficits were tiny… peaking at 2.8%. Today our total debts will likely be more than 100% of the GDP before the end of this year. So pushing interest rates higher could essentially bankrupt the nation. The point is, the inflationary script for the next few years in America will look quite different than it has in the past. That’s why we’ve just published perhaps the most valuable report in my firm’s history. It’s called: The New Era Playbook. You’ll learn which assets are most likely to fall dramatically in value over the next few years as well as which stocks, bonds, and other investments to avoid. Plus so much more, including: Why this Era is likely to transform our politics and will likely result in the rise of a new political party. 10 widely held stocks you should sell now – you DO NOT want to own these companies as inflation escalates. How to preserve and grow your cash savings – while others are decimated as the dollar continues to fall. This simple savings vehicle could be a lifesaver in the years to come. The most reliable ways to gain massive amounts of income – which has the potential to soar in value even as inflation rises. We’ll show you the only way to REALLY protect the money you have in the bank. We could see a serious bank run in the not-too-distant future, with millions trying to get as much money as possible OUT of the system. You’ll learn one of our favorite secrets for multiplying the value of your retirement savings by 300%... without touching the stock market or any typical type of investment. This secret can literally transform your retirement, yet I meet very few who are aware of it. You’ll see the full timeline on how we believe this new inflationary era is most likely to play out. We’ll show you a clever move you can make with your insurance policies that could also transform your finances in the years to come. We’ll even show you three assets you (legally) do not have to report to the IRS or any other branch of the government. This could prove extremely beneficial during the Financial Lockdown to come. In short, we’ll show you our FULL PLAYBOOK on exactly how we think this inflationary era will all play out… and all the steps you’ll want to take along the way to protect and grow your wealth. There’s simply nothing else like the Playbook available in the investment world that I’m aware of. And that brings me to… STEP #2: The Perfect Inflation-Era Portfolio Simply put, most investors have no idea how to structure their investment portfolio for the next few years. I want to show you a portfolio we’ve constructed that should help you do very well as this new Era of Inflation takes hold. My team and I have done a ton of research on this. For example, we’ve found one portfolio which, over the long term, has performed about five times better than the S&P 500 stock market index, and about seven times better than the traditional portfolio most financial planners recommend (60% stocks and 40% bonds). I’ll show a specific portfolio to buy today – the exact stocks and other investments to own. I’ll show you which ones to avoid. And I’ll show you how to put it all together into a rock-solid portfolio that will help you weather this period that will be so difficult for so many. Some people are going to make a fortune in the years to come. Some are going to experience enormous loses. Remember, the entire Nasdaq dropped 60% in less than two years during our last inflationary era. What happens if your portfolio falls in half or more – and takes 25 years to cover on an inflation adjusted basis? The Perfect Inflation-Era Portfolio will help ensure you’re positioned properly. Here’s the next move I strongly suggest you make: STEP #3: THE 100% STOCK BOOST This step is a little bit different – but it can literally change your investment future. Rather than showing you exactly what to buy and sell, this report and special website explains our proven strategy for maximizing the gains on every investment you make. I strongly recommend you do NOT make a single investment in the years to come without using this approach. Most people I meet are clueless about how to enter and exit their positions. But our firm has spent more than $10 million building, improving, and maintaining a one-of-a-kind web-based software algorithm system over the years, which can track your investments, and let you know exactly how to maximize the returns on each one. Believe me, this is a game changer. And everything you need to know is in our Special Report called: The 100% Investment Boost. You’ll also get full access to our website and system, where you’ll learn the best way to maximize the gains on any position you now hold… or any investment you make in the years to come. The three resources I’ve just told you about… The New Era Playbook… The Perfect Inflation-Proof Portfolio… and The 100% Investment Boost, will quickly bring you up to speed on the important steps I strongly recommend you take right now. And these are the first three things I’ll send when you start a no-risk trial subscription to my flagship investment research service, called: Retirement Millionaire. What is Retirement Millionaire, exactly? It’s my team’s thorough research for anyone looking to live a wealthy retirement, now or in the future. To help me produce this work, I’ve hired a Chartered Financial Analyst, an MBA analyst from Morgan Stanley, a Certified Financial Planner, and a slew of other researchers and money experts. Just like when I worked at Goldman Sachs and other top Wall Street banks, surrounding myself with a team of really smart analysts allows me to produce research that has absolutely crushed the returns of the overall market over the past decade. For starters, some of our biggest winners in our current recommended portfolio include gains of: 236%, 276%, 898%, 413%, 322%, 195%, and 413%. In fact, if you look at the average return among all of our current open, recommended positions, it’s a staggering 121%. Longer term, the numbers are just as remarkable… Over the past five years, the average annualized return from EVERY recommendation we’ve made is more than double the stock market average (as measured by the S&P 500 stock index) over the same period. I challenge you to find another research group in America that has produced gains like this over the long term. Normally, access to my team’s work (we publish 12 investment recommendation reports each year – one per month), costs $199 per year. Even at that price, it’s a steal, compared to the millions of dollars we put into our research each year, and the returns we’ve been able to help our customers have access to. But today you can try our work totally risk free, and at a huge discount to the normal price. Before I give you the specifics, however, there’s one more very important step I want to tell you about... STEP #4: The Only Asset With NO Down Years Since 1992? (It’s UP 2,010%) Few Americans know this, but there are two assets we’ve studied over the past decade, which have proven to be among the best ways to protect and grow your wealth, even in the worst type of monetary crisis. I believe it’s critical you learn about these assets right now – and the best ways to buy them. During World War II, for example, when millions of families lost their entire life savings through inflation and government seizure, one of the assets I’m going to tell you about enabled some families to not just survive, but also protect, preserve, and grow their money. That’s why at my firm we call it: “The Most Valuable Asset in a Time of Crisis.” Take a look... Most Valuable Asset in a Time of Crisis The numbers are just incredible… This asset is up over 2,010% over the long term since 1992, without a single down year. I repeat – it has NEVER had a down year since 1992… that’s 29 straight years of positive returns! This should be on the front page of every financial newspaper in America… but very few Americans know anything about it. I’ll tell you everything you need to know and the best possible ways to invest. Now of course, all investments carry risk, even this one. So please, do not spend more than you are willing to lose on this or any investment for that matter. In this report, I’ll also tell you about another asset that offers you a powerful way to profit during a currency crisis – yet it has absolutely nothing to do with gold or bitcoin. I first recommended folks begin buying this asset back in 2009 – I even showed how to possibly get it at your local bank. In the past year, for example, the price is up more than 62%... but in a currency crisis like the one that’s coming in America in the years to come, this asset could soar as much as 10 times higher. I strongly recommend you make at least a small purchase today. My team’s new report, called The Two Most Valuable Assets In a Time of Crisis, explains everything you need to know about both of these assets… including how to buy them and get the best possible deal. And remember, I’ll send you everything I’ve mentioned here as soon as you start a no-risk, trial subscription to Retirement Millionaire. To recap, here’s everything you’ll get as part of this introductory offer: New Era Playbook #1. First, you’ll receive The New Era Playbook. There’s no better resource in America for understanding the major asset inflation now underway… and the rising inflation of the next few years. Some assets are going to suffer, big time. Others will skyrocket in value. The wealth gap will get wider than ever before. But you can potentially grow and protect your wealth in the years to come. This step-by-step guide is likely to be the most valuable resource you’ll have over the next few years. The Perfect Inflation-Era Portfolio #2. Second, you’ll get a copy of my team’s latest Research Report called: The Perfect Inflation-Era Portfolio. In every inflationary era, some investors are able to grow their wealth in extraordinary ways… while others suffer enormous losses. This thorough report explains everything you need to know, including which stocks and other investments to buy, which to sell, and how to allocate what we believe is the perfect portfolio right now. 100% Stock Boost #3. Third, you’ll get a copy of our report called, The 100% Stock Boost. We’ve spent $10 million-plus over the past decade building the perfect software database system that will allow you to track and maximize your gains. You’ll get full access – all you need is Internet access, and you will never again have to wonder about the best moment to buy or sell your investments to maximize your gains. The Two Most Valuable Assets In a Time of Crisis #4. Fourth, you’ll get a copy of our Special Report called: The Two Most Valuable Assets In a Time of Crisis. I want to show you the full story on two assets likely to grow in value in a big way over the next few years. There’s a very good chance you’ve never owned either of these assets before, but this step-by-step guide explains everything you need to know. Retirement Millionaire #5. Of course, you’ll also get our next 12 monthly investment recommendations and best retirement ideas in our monthly research called: Retirement Millionaire. Each new report will be delivered to you on the second Wednesday of each month, just after the markets close. Retirement Secrets #6. And here’s something I haven’t even mentioned yet: you’ll also get full, subscribers-only access to my Retirement Millionaire Library. This includes instant access to dozens of reports and books we’ve published. Here’s just one quick example: our 651-page volume called Retirement Secrets contains hundreds of ideas for how to radically improve your retirement, such as: a secret way to sell your life insurance policy for $100,000 or more (page 191)… four ways to save dramatically on prescription drugs (page 283)… a new way to earn 12% to 15% on your savings, without touching stocks or bonds (page 111)… and much more. And just to be clear: everything here comes with a full 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not happy for any reason, simply let us know and you’ll receive a full refund for your subscription. Best of all, you can access all of this work – every single thing I’ve described here, totally risk free, and at a 75% discount off the normal rate. Remember, the regular price is $199. But today, you’ll pay as little as $49. Offer Bundle Why so cheap? It’s simple… We are on a dangerous path in America. Our government has put us all on a terrible path to currency devaluation and a new era of inflation. I believe with 100% certainty that my independent financial research firm, called Stansberry Research, which was founded more than 20 years ago, can do a better job of helping you than anyone else on the planet. We’ve been in this business for two decades, and we now have more than 90,000 customers who have benefitted from our work in such a dramatic way that they’ve decided to become “lifetime” subscribers. Today we have many imitators – but no other business I know of can come anywhere close to matching our level of customer commitment. And I think that’s the best endorsement any business can get. I know my firm’s work can help you – and the truth is, the more people who understand what’s happening in America, the better for us all. That’s why I want to send you this valuable collection of Special Reports… plus the next year of our Retirement Millionaire research, for as little as just $49. There’s simply no better deal in the investment world – where you’ll find research of this caliber at such a bargain-basement price. And you have the next 30 days to examine everything. Simply call my Maryland office if you’re not happy and get a full refund. With this information in hand, you’ll be among the few who understand exactly what’s happening in our financial system – and the critical steps you must take. You know, I started on Wall Street nearly 40 years ago, and I’ve been able to repeatedly take advantage of the biggest shifts in our economy… I was there in the 1980s when the Federal Reserve jacked up interest rates to unprecedented levels. I locked in roughly 14% a year… for the next 30 years! I was at the cutting edge of Biotech in the 2000s and helped start a company called Mirus Bio Corporation. We were eventually bought out by Roche for $123 million. When I started my research firm, I told readers to buy great companies like Microsoft after the last big stock crash more than a decade ago. Today, folks who followed my recommendation would be up more than 800%. I was there in 2017, pounding the table on the housing shortage, explaining why prices were headed much higher. Anyone who bought a home in a decent area would, at my urging, have done incredibly well. And now, there’s a terrifying new trend that will radically change our country over the next few years. I’ve made it easy and ridiculously cheap for you to learn about the coming inflation and looming financial lockdown, and how it will affect you, your money, and your retirement. Sadly, this is all going to tear our country apart over the next few years… On one side, there will be those who understand what’s happening, who take the necessary steps. These folks will continue to get richer and richer. On the other side… well… unfortunately, that’s most Americans… who won’t understand what’s going on… and will cling to a collapsing currency and get trapped by the lockdown, while falling further and further behind. In only a few years, the wealth gap in America will grow even bigger – much bigger – than it is today. What will happen to the world then? To our country then? I don’t know exactly, but my best advice is simple: Make sure you are on the right side of this trend. Today I’ve made it very easy for you to take the first necessary steps. You’ll pay as little as $49 to receive everything I’ve described here. And if you don’t agree with me that this is the absolute best deal in the financial world, simply let my Maryland-based customer service team know in the first 30 days, and they’ll refund your payment. If you care at all about your financial future, this information is critical. We are living in a very dangerous financial time. And the biggest risk right now is doing nothing. Don’t get stuck in the “Denial and Procrastination” phase. Don’t rely on the government to save you. For yourself and your family, get the facts. It will cost as little as $49. Learn how to take advantage of this trend so you are not left behind. Click the “Order Now”’ button below, which will take you to a Secure Order form. There, you can review the details of this special offer once more before submitting your order. You’ll get access to all of our critical Research Reports – everything I’ve described here – in a matter of minutes. Offer Bundle Thank you, sig Dr. David Eifrig Jr., M.D., MBA July 2021 Legal Notices: Here is our Disclosures and Details page. DISCLOSURES ABOUT OUR BUSINESS contains critical information that will help you use our work appropriately and give you a far better understanding of how our business works - both the benefits it might offer you and the inevitable limitations of our products. Although this is not a part of our 'Disclosures and Details' page, you can view our company's privacy policy here. © 2021 Stansberry Research
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