Kerry Lutz's--Financial Survival Network

You've probably heard by now how a group of low tech hackers managed to steal at least a billion dollars from banks around the globe, in a very short time period. They did it by sending emails with infected links to banks employees. Once they were in the rest was easy. Paul Oster, noted identity theft expert and credit authority explains that virtually everyone with a dollar in the bank or an active credit card is a sitting duck. The only thing you can do is set up a monitoring service and be prepared. 

Jason Burack has come up with his three most important rules for investing in The New Normal or as we like to call it The New Economy. Unless you've been holed up in a cave in a state of suspended animation like a hibernating monk, you know that things have changed, both in the US and around the world. The rule of law has eroded and we're living in an era of increasing lawlessness. That's why Jason's rules are so important. Here they are. 

 1. Politicians and governments can and will change the rules anytime they want perhaps on a daily basis

 2. Because of rule #1 people should not go "all in" on investing in any one asset class or investing in only one country or company. At least some real diversification is important to protect against known unknowns or unknown unknowns. 

 3. People should focus on creating as many possible income streams as they can from owning different investments and businesses to protect themselves to survive and thrive whatever is coming in the future thanks to the myopic stupidity and rent seeking behavior of parasitical central planners, politicians, bankers, government bureaucrats, etc

Danielle Park says the fear is always worse than the reality. While no country ever wants to default, the reality is that the debt keeps getting larger and has become unsustainable. Greece and the rest of the world have run out of choices, so now it's time to make the ultimate choice and default. Everyone will feel better in the morning. A four month delay isn't going to make any difference in the long run. It's always better to start with a clean slate, just ask any bankrupt debtor once they've pulled the trigger. 

Whatever It Takes Wednesday With Andrew Hoffman:

Greece - So Much to Talk about So Little Time;

FOMC minutes/Yellen Humphrey Hawkins testimony

Plunging PM supply/mining earnings

market rigging!  

                -10 banks probed for gold rigging

                -the new "oil PPT"

horrible economic data

                -existing home sales, Dallas Fed yesterday

                -housing sentiment, new mortgage applications (with barely a move higher from 20-year mortgage rate lows), PPI, Industrial Production, Philly Fed, PMI Manufacturing employment/sentiment last week

                -Macy's poor 4Q earnings, 2015 outlook today (following Deere last week)

                -plunging rig count, record low Baltic Dry Index