Hidden Secrets of Money

[fiby41]

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 9eJoC8r7Dc

Has anyone watched this?

[2Birds1Stone]

No

[BMF1102]

First thoughts were "seems interesting, but also looks like precious metals sales pitch"
After just now watching first episode.... "still interesting still kinda seems like a sales pitch"

Will I watch the rest of the series..... TBD

[Sclass]

Agree. I’ve watched several of these. It’s like listening to Peter Schiff talk about the future of the economy. Gold for sale.

Reminds me a little of learning about the risks of sexually transmitted disease from the Old Testament in church. There are a lot of interesting stories and information there but there is this underlying motivation to frighten the uninformed. Is there useful information there? Yes. But the view is biased and designed to manipulate the uninformed.

Gold bugs are a depressing lot. They’ve been saying this kind of thing ever since I was a small child (Nixon Admin). And how has it all worked out for them?

One thing I like about the host is the episode where he explains he’s a high functioning dyslexic. He is certainly a brainy type. He claims that’s why he uses his unique infographics to describe central banking and its outcomes. But even those are oversimplified and conveniently leave out the growth of the economy along with his ballooning debts. As I said it’s biased to get you to clamor for his gold products.

Ray Dalio’s info graphics about how the economy works a a bit more balanced because they show a cycle that is more consistent with recent history. The hidden secrets of money always implies Armageddon like Rome.

Fun and informative to watch none the less. Like reading stories of pestilence unleashed by some immoral sexual union in the Old Testament.

[Mister Imperceptible]

Gold bugs are a depressing lot. They’ve been saying this kind of thing ever since I was a small child (Nixon Admin). And how has it all worked out for them?

There are different flavors of goldbugs.

You of course have the Armageddon types that say sell everything and buy gold.

There are others who understand the role it plays as a reserve asset. The world does not have to end for it to be useful. It is a proxy for commodities when one wants to forego the hassle of storing oil drums in their basement, and wants to have a measure of independence from financial assets.

I also think “how has it all worked out for them?” would be answered differently depending on when you ask. 1980 or 2011 would give you a much different answer than 1999 or 2018.

Without watching the above video, I will say that one can get into the gold space using a local coin dealer or online dealer who do not do any kind of doomsday advertising.

Ray Dalio’s info graphics about how the economy works a a bit more balanced because they show a cycle that is more consistent with recent history. The hidden secrets of money always implies Armageddon like Rome.

What irritates me about Dalio is that in that “How the Economic Machine Works” he gives governments and corporations a pass for their short-sightedness as “human nature” in pursuit of short-term gratification/profit, thereby absolving them (and himself) of any moral wrongdoing.

David Holmgren's Future Scenarios.
The entire book is free online here: https://www.futurescenarios.org/

One of the characteristics of a robust, enduring and mature civilization is the capacity to consider the longer term, aim for desirable but achievable futures, but have fall-back strategies and insurance policies to deal with surprise and uncertainty. Given the globalised nature of culture, knowledge and wealth, our industrial civilisation should have been able to devote resources to serious redesign strategies at the technological, infrastructural, organisational, cultural and personal levels which are able to respond to the potentials of all four long term scenarios. Instead we see remarkably short term behaviour and a cavalier disregard of the fate of future generations. While this is often explained as "human nature" of fallible individuals, this explanation should not apply to institutions such as corporations let alone governments. History and systems theory suggest that powerful and long lived human institutions should embody longer term cultural wisdom and capacity.

We can interpret the short sighted nature of information and decision making in our largest organisational structures as one of the many signs of cultural decay, reflecting the fact that our stocks of human capital may be declining just as our stock of natural capital is. Applying the concept of resource depletion to that of social capital in both affluent and poor countries over the last 40 years is more than metaphorical. This depletion suggests these less material forms of wealth may be subject to the same laws of energy and entropy that govern the natural capital of the earth, air and water.

2.2 Human Capital

[Mister Imperceptible]

I think you would appreciate some more sober commentary:

http://www.myrmikan.com/port/

https://www.artemiscm.com/

[steveo73]

Gold bugs are a depressing lot. They’ve been saying this kind of thing ever since I was a small child (Nixon Admin). And how has it all worked out for them?

It hasn't gone too well. They are like the broken clock being right once per day.

[steveo73]

It is a proxy for commodities when one wants to forego the hassle of storing oil drums in their basement, and wants to have a measure of independence from financial assets.

I figure why not buy a commodities index. I get that it is a financial asset but if financial assets become worthless I don't see how gold is going to save the day. We are talking Zombie apocalypse moments.

Maybe the hidden secrets of money is really about a secret way to significantly under-perform.

[Sclass]

It hasn't gone too well. They are like the broken clock being right once per day.

So these rallies come rarely. Realistically we can point to the 80s but even an old timer like me only had $20 to my name back then. I held some GLD notes during the 2011 thing but I watched them double then lose half of their value in short order. At least it was useful for margin while stocks were cheap. Beat cash but seriously I’m watching those notes go back into the black as FANG stocks have raced by.

Too much waiting not enough money getting.

I watched a lot of relatives get their asses handed to them in physical gold back in the 80s. By 1999 they were worn out and dumped their coin collections along with the Bank of England. You had to see the panic as they saw their hard earned dollars evaporate. Then they got the final slap of the coin dealers hitting them with the spreads both in and out. Makes the $25 Schwab commissions of the day look like chump change. Should have bought stocks and believed in the future.

I was cleaning up my parents stuff and I found four Krugerands. My dad grabbed them and handed one to me. He couldn’t tell me how much they’d paid. As I recall they bought them in the early 1980s for $800 or so an ounce. They thought they were getting a good deal as it was falling from its peak. $800 in 1980s $. Sad. I keep that thing to remind me of my prepper parents. It goes right up there with the wheat cache and water cistern I found in mom’s basement. War children, RIP mom.

I joined up here just in time to see some forum members get their asses handed to them too. Caveat emptor.