Tomorrow...?

well cts you need to consider how to get out of it, so I wouldn't bury it. just don't tell anyone you have it, and hide it in a very inconspicuous place in small batches...like put a roll under your trash bag in the can and one in your desktop computer, etc. etc.

And that saved your...

I left the stock market in 1999. If I'd sat on my portfolio until today, it would be worth a third of what it was in 1999. At least I didn't have any Enrons in the mix (ie: all of my 1999 holdings would still have some value).

I have a quick, potentially stupid question: Where are people selling their silver or planning on selling their silver to maximize profits? For instance, say one buys $50K worth of silver, in a year it is worth, say $100K. Where does one go to actually "make" the $50K profit? I personally have about 10 bucks in silver, but I know local dealers wont pay spot obviously and then with ebay, on a large tens-of-thousands like transaction, there would be heft fees from both ebay AND paypal. I figure people would to other people buying silver, like on Craigslist? Just curious. thanks!

A safety deposit box should be a pretty safe place to store small volumes of highly valued items. I don't know how all banks set up their SD box systems but my local credit union issues two and only two keys for each box. The bank keeps one and the customer keeps the other. Both are required to open the box. If I lose my key, the bank will have to call in a locksmith to drill out the old lock and install a new one because they have no way to open it without my key. Because of this, losing a key can be a spendy proposition. This is very secure, though, because no CU employee can open my SD box without my key.

One caveat is that different states have different laws that pertain to the SD box of a deceased person. In some states, once a person dies, their SD box is sealed and it can't be opened by anyone until a court appoints a trustee to open the box with a policeman and a bank officer present. The contents are examined, and only then can the court appointed trustee take anything from the box. They do have to sign a receipt for the item(s) removed from the box, which the bank keeps and sends a copy of to the local superior court. All this can be complicated but ensures the safety of the estate's assets. In other states, anyone named on the account can open the SD box IF they have a key and proper ID. Sometimes, the presentation of an official death certificate is required, sometimes not. Other rules are in force in other places, so be sure to question your bank, S&L, or CU for the laws that pertain in your jurisdiction before putting a lot of valuable stuff into a SD box. You want to make sure that in the event of your death, your family can open the box easily and quickly to recover the contents and that they will not be tied up for months or even years in a probate court proceeding.

Neither do I. I hope that I did not give the impression that I was thinking that. Whether or not to be in the market is a personal choice that has to be made in light of a person's particular situation. There certainly is not any 1-size-fits-all in this.



No, it isn't. It's a lot more violent, turbulent, and difficult to maneuver around in, no question. Still, it IS possible to invest in it AND make money doing it. It definitely is not easy and there is no doubt of that at all.



While that may not be enough anymore, it is certainly the place to start. When I invest, I look for strong companies with good balance sheets, great products, and a history of producing above average returns and dividends. From that pool of candidates, things get more interesting as the best ones are then picked for investing. I always have a stop loss order in place on any stock I buy and an exit strategy as well. If I get stopped out, so be it. At least I don't have a lot of potential for major losses in a market meltdown.



Better yet... knowing that the financial companies were up to their eye-balls in activities of dubious value, I refused to buy any of them... no banks, no insurance companies, no brokerages, etc. Clearly, they are not playing by the rules of free market capitalism; cronyism is a lot closer to their activities. For this same reason, I refuse to deal with any bank. My CU does the job just fine.



Yes... we did. Because ownership is where the money is, not in working for someone else. Had I not invested in the stock market, I would still be working a job. While that has some appeal, it doesn't have near enough for me to wish that I hadn't invested.



If true, that would indeed be unfortunate. Still, that would be their choice and they are most welcome to it. I also made a choice, albeit a different one. It is the right choice for me but may well not be right for someone else. I readily admit that.



Right... and both of those factors make me even more interested in successful investing and the growth of my personal wealth.



Indeed they do, which is why I own shares of mutual funds that invest in both Asia and Latin America.



Indeed we have and while past performance is not a guarantee it does indicate what investments are reasonably good most of the time. Terrible past performance often indicates a high probability of a continuation of that same bad performance. Exceptions abound, of course, so anyone who wants to invest needs to use their heads, gather lots of solid info, protect themselves with stop loss orders, and diversify their holdings. Successful investing is not an easy thing to do. But it IS possible to do it and do it well... even in today's crummy market.

You know, I'm not sure why exactly. I think I just like the idea of a more rugged coin, but it's not like I'm going to be handling them. Anyway, as I go along i'll probably pick up a few buffalos, and maybe some maples, too.