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Will Taxes Increase? January 11, 2010

Posted by Jeff Nabers in : Hyperinflation, Money, Uncategorized , 1 comment so far

taxes

I was just listening to a recording of a conference call this morning where a financial planner began his presentation with this premise:

Taxes will be increasing in the future

I haven’t listened to the rest of it because I had to pause it and write this post. I’m sure when I go back this guy will paint a whole picture based on the assumption of taxes increasing in the future.

Really?

Maximum Taxes

Well, first, let’s admit to ourselves that there is a very real, hard maximum taxation point. That’s 100%. A taxpayer cannot pay more in taxes than he has. Beyond that is impossible.

Second, let’s admit that there is effectively a maximum taxation point that is well below 100% of what a taxpayer has. Taxes going beyond this point is improbable. Let me explain…

Whether you may realize this or not, you probably pay 60%, 70% or more of every dollar that has ever been “yours” in taxes. Income taxes, property taxes, sin taxes (on booze), gas taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes, franchise taxes, death taxes, etc. Some of these taxes show up on paper that you can see, and some of these taxes are never declared to you at the point at which you pay them.

Where the Line is Drawn

So with the majority of the money that was ever yours already going to these direct taxes, how much more taxation can you take? Imagine a scenario where we go from systematically losing 70% of our money to losing 90% of our money.

Do you think hundreds of thousands (more…)

Microwavable economic epiphany for the lazy or ADD February 23, 2009

Posted by Jeff Nabers in : Money, Personal Enjoyment, Personal Productivity, Precious Metals, real estate, Self Directed IRA Solo 401k , add a comment

I’ve written several times about what I believe is one of the most important films ever produced: I.O.U.S.A. The film is 80 minutes long and came out in August of 2008. It’s a project of the former Comptroller General of the United States (our government’s chief accountant). He resigned to make this movie to warn our country about the coming financial train wreck of the government.

A few months ago, I linked you to a shorter, free 30 minute version available on YouTube. If you haven’t taken the time to watch the 30 minute or 80 minute version, then here’s the 2 minute, 24 second version;

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGgjU-h_xQw]

^— The hidden track record of U.S. deficits as told by the U.S. government’s chief accountant!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FSoXKapKQs]

^– If you can watch this video and (more…)

Could Obama's Stimulus Really Work? February 20, 2009

Posted by Jeff Nabers in : Health, Money, Personal Enjoyment, Personal Productivity , add a comment

spend_addict

Our economy is 70% consumerism. That means it is mostly based on individuals buying stuff. So the current setup of our economy holds two basic facts:

  1. Individuals buying more stuff than they can afford to buy (based on their income) has a net effect that is good for the economy.
  2. When individuals lower their spending and save and invest money, the net effect is bad for the U.S. economy.

That said, should we even care about “the economy” in its current setup? If individuals were really doing what is good for themselves (saving and investing), it would be terrible for the economy.

So could Obama’s stimulus really work? Absolutely not. Not if you consider “it really working” to mean more than just temporarily. We don’t need a stimulus. We don’t need a boosted economy. We need a changed economy. There are only three ways out of (more…)

3 Reasons why today is the best time in human history for immense personal wealth and freedom October 22, 2008

Posted by Jeff Nabers in : Health, Money, Personal Enjoyment, Personal Productivity, real estate, Self Directed IRA Solo 401k , add a comment

While there are many people finding themselves more fearful than ever, there are others who are more excited than ever. Here’s why…

  1. The rules of safety and courage have changed. Since the industrial revolution, employee-ism has surged. During this time, getting a job to work for somebody else was the safe thing to do. On the other side of the coin the risky, courageous act of working for oneself is what brings riches. As a result, each person has been faced with a choice to pursue either safety or riches. Part of what made employee-ism the safe bet for an individual is the stability of companies as well as what has become the largest store of non-real estate wealth in our country: holdings in the stock market. This year we have seen the rules of the game permanently changed. Our financial system is crashing, and trustworthiness has evaporated from corporate America and the financial services industry. Now working for yourself is no longer the courageous thing to do; it’s the safe thing to do.
  2. Technology has brought immense power to everybody. Personal computers and the internet are now available to just about everyone. This has made some very expensive things become cheap or free. This has made it possible to do things that were previously impossible. There is no longer a need for every transaction to take place in a physical location. Needs and desires are able to be fulfilled online. In many circumstances, the large corporation cannot compete with the one-man shop. Today a person can start and run several businesses for little or no money. Taking something and creating or increasing its value has never been more accessible.
  3. Arbitrage has never been (more…)