Fill your brain with some goodness and read some of these recommended articles on debt, investing, health, time management, and other interesting tidbits to give you a leg up in life.
Simplify your life. Find your truth. Work towards your goals.
Debt
- Many people believe that the entire economy is “fine” or “doing well” and that the good times are going to keep going. What they aren’t paying attention to is the debt levels. This past cycle of economic growth has been on the back of record level of debts. There are limits to playing the debt game. You can only borrow so much before the minimum payments even become a problem. Then you are screwed because you have already spent the money and it’s time to pay it back (plus interest). Debt just pulls consumption forward. It ends up being an economic illusion especially if it was spent on discretionary crap. Investors should be following the debt trail. This is an outstanding summary of the consumer debt issues that will be acting as a brake against our own domestic economy – https://realinvestmentadvice.com/yes-you-should-be-concerned-with-consumer-debt/
Investments/Valuations
- Very few people will dig into the details or look under the hood on investments. They take the media at face value which often just promotes the bologna being passed out by major Wall Street firms. This isn’t surprising as the world is getting more complicated and the shenanigans on accounting tricks becomes harder to spot. Here is an excellent example of how mainstream media and Wall Street are fooling investors on the current valuations of small cap stocks – http://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-the-shocking-truth-about-the-russell-2000s-pe-ratio-2017-08-18
- One of the best summaries on current extreme market valuations, why ignorant investors piling into index funds and robo-advisors are really unwitting speculators and how predictable it is that markets have such a high probability of negative returns in the coming years. The big money is going to be made by avoiding the meltdown, and then buying quality assets at much cheaper prices as people can’t take the losses and sell – http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stock-valuations-havent-been-this-extreme-since-1929-and-2000-2017-08-22
- An interesting look at REIT valuations and future expectations from the sector. Another example of, “past returns don’t necessarily equate to future returns.” We’ll see soon enough how this story plays itself out. – http://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-what-will-make-real-estate-investing-great-again-2017-08-28 http://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-what-will-make-real-estate-investing-great-again-2017-08-28
Health
- 3 Reasons to avoid GMOs if you have an autoimmune disease (or if you just care about your own body) From Amy Myers MD one of the leading functional medical doctors in the United States – https://www.amymyersmd.com/2017/08/3-reasons-to-avoid-gmos-if-you-have-an-autoimmune-disease/
- One third of Americans are headed for diabetes. They don’t need new drugs, they need better nutrition and exercise – One third of Americans are headed for diabetes, and most don’t even know it – https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/31/type-2-diabetes-may-hit-84-million-americans-and-they-dont-know-it.html
Other Tidbits
- Super tips on basic cooking and understanding how and why flavors come together while preparing meals. Also an interesting new way to cook your scrambled eggs that is amazing – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-29/you-are-making-scrambled-eggs-all-wrong
- I like commercial real estate as an investment and try to learn new things about the sector. This is a fascinating look at Kushner and Co on the politics, use of debt, and investment strategies that will be interesting as things unfold over the next 24 months. It doesn’t matter who you are, when you overpay for any asset, your future returns are diminished. Throw on debt and leverage and it is a recipe for disaster – https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-kushners-china-deal-flop-was-part-of-much-bigger-hunt-for-cash/
- Businesses always seem to scream for “less regulation” concluding that capitalism alone will cure all ills. But things don’t always go that smooth, regardless of ideology. A great article on the counter-argument to no regulations, code, planning in the city of Houston and then suffering the aftermath of a major natural disaster – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-31/a-hard-rain-and-a-hard-lesson-for-houston
- An interesting look at flood insurance and government policy gone crazy – Check out this article from USA TODAY: Dear Texas, how many times do we have to rebuild the same house? (You’re next Florida) – https://usat.ly/2evmaM1