Kerry Lutz's--Financial Survival Network

Kitco's Peter Hug believes that we're close to seeing precious metals prices rise again. The stock markets appear to be getting closer to their peaks, if they haven't hit them already. It's just a matter of time. As the alternatives run out, gold will become the logical choice. And when it happens, it will happen much more quickly than almost anyone believed possible. So why not plan for the eventuality now?

We're in the midst of an economic expansion that has surprised everyone, including us. While Trump has succeeded beyond anyone's reasonable expectations, there's storm clouds on the horizon. Interest rates are still headed north, potentially leading to slow downs across the economy. The trade war with China is still very much alive. However, we agree that these issues will probably work themselves out and the trend will continue. And most importantly, we are very bullish on Millennials. Even though they appear to be very ignorant at present, life's university of hard knocks is providing them with very valuable lessons that will enable them to succeed in spite of themselves. 

Like any hot and relatively new sector, the cannabis industry can be confusing, with high potential for scams, as the Securities and Exchange Commission has warned, so investors need to know the basics. To start with, there are a handful of large companies that actually touch the marijuana plant — an important distinction — and there are metrics that are unique to the industry that can help investors understand the underlying business.

There are six large public cannabis companies that demand attention: Aphria Inc.APHQF, -4.04% APH, -3.97% , Aurora Cannabis Inc. ACBFF, -3.94% ACB, -2.85% , Cronos Group Inc. CRON, -3.59% CRON, -3.42% , Canopy Growth Corp. CGC, -7.57% WEED, -6.96% , GW Pharmaceuticals PLC GWPH, +1.55% and Tilray Inc.TLRY, -5.23% TLRY, -5.23% . Five are Canadian and trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and on U.S. exchanges or on the over-the-counter market, while one is U.K.-based.

All produce thousands of kilograms of weed each quarter, which is critical, as there are dozens of smaller businesses both public and private that have yet to bring products to market. Some of those are expected to die, and some are expected to thrive.