Another interesting video and some of my thoughts on investing.....

This video talks about a vision of how America pulls out of our current slide....I find Mark Dow to be well thought out and very bright. (I wish I could look so deeply at the big picture as people like Dow do)

Watch the video and then continue down to some thoughts I have on this, and how I am thinking about the future and my own savings capital.

Well, I also believe the USA will continue our slide and continue to lose our importance in the world. This will result in higher prices because of our slipping dollar and our slipping value to the world.

So what to do.....first, it depends on how we pull ourselves out of what I think of as the 'Occupy X Inequality". I think the Occupy Wall Street  simply want to strip the wealth from anyone who has it and give it to anyone who does not. If this is the way the country decides to go, then the obvious answer is to get out of dodge.....not so much flee the country, but make investments elsewhere where things might be sheltered or hidden from the grabbing claws of those doing the "redistribution"....I hate to think like this, but I also think I have done the right thing over my life in saving, and my gains are in no way "ill-gotten".....so like you would expect anyone to do, I want to keep them.

Having said that, I hope the government tries to try another tack....let's try to "grow" our way out of things.....let's make jobs by giving incentives to business in areas we so badly need.....areas we might be able to lead the world in.

So I am thinking I need to convert my savings to some sort of business....what that is, I am not sure.

Energy is something I think we will all see changes to in the future....I am thinking about some sort of wood pellet business. Perhaps dove-tail that will a recycling gig....but I don't want to get too deep into something I have not fully grocked out.

But the concept is the same.....to make money, one needs to take risk, and to add value. The value I see for the future is to create something....and create a business around that which adds value. (here and abroad...)

Interesting perspective about where the problems lie......

The problems of our economy is an interesting thing to think about. How things have gone bad is not so obvious....the whys anyways. This video describes one opinion.....and then if that is true, this article makes me wonder if we are not in for a world of hurt.

Simple video describing our debt crisis....

Yes, it is a simplified explanation and it skips over all sorts of details and lots of other inputs....but it is good to simplify at times which might help us consider our own future investment options.

Then there is this video, explaining the debt crisis in Europe.....  :-)

Then there is the video on the Crisis of Credit.....explaining the cycle we have when the credit system fails.

Now what am I doing......where have I been!?!??

Well, I suppose I simply slipped away from my computer and perhaps ended up too attached to things like FACEBOOK.

But, I have never left my life of following the investment world, the economy and the employment scene.

I remain employed by the same company.....well, except for it being acquired by Oracle Corporation.....so honestly, things have changed significantly since they bought us, but for the most part, for the better. We are making money and that was tough for us when we were Sun Microsystems.

My investments have changed a bit too....I added a 2nd Financial Advisor and I have taken some of my money under my own wing. No, no...I am not day trading. No, I simply play in a different arena, and a place I can't find an advisor to play in so I do it to broaden my diversification.

Without using money, let me toss out my investments as they sit today.

Financial Advisor #1:

Holds about 45% of my money
Invests in Bond and Equity funds

• 70% Bond Funds
• 20% Equity Funds
• 10% Cash

Financial Advisor #2:

Hold about 20% of my investments
Invests in three different REITs and Annuity of Equities and Bond funds (started as a 50/50 split and I consider the REITS to be my toe into real estate)

Work 401K Fund: (self directed)
Holds about 20% of my investments

• 70% in Bond Funds
• 30% in Equities including maybe 15% in Oracle Stock

My Self-Directed Currency/Commodities Investments:

Holds about 15% of my investments

• 70% of it are in currencies or CD's in other currencies
• 30% of it is in Gold

I hold the following currencies (I mostly consider this CA$H)

• Brazilian Real
• Swiss Franc
• Australian Dollar
• Euro
• Chinese Yuan
• US Dollar

I like this level of diversification as I have it spread across investment people, across asset classes, and across products / markets. Right now my Gold is holding it's own because I made a huge gain on a sum I bought at about $800, but I recently about in at about $1720 as I think world economic issues will get less stable and GOLD might be a harbor for safety....but one never knows because it has been on a ride straight up for a long time.

I feel I have been doing well...but I also feel inflation is low. I worry that inflation is really on the rise, and staying still means losing. Also, I think the future of taxes is uncertain.....let me revise and extend that remark, I think it is more certain that I'd like to think....TAXES for people who have ANY money will go up. They have to, because our country is in debt people w/o money can't exactly pay. (makes me feel STUPID for being a saver at times)