Kerry Lutz's--Financial Survival Network

Rob Chaney CEO and Director of our new sponsor C21 Investments is bullish on the Cannabis industry's growth. It's no secret that the industry is expanding rapidly and Rob is expecting it to grow from $11 billion per year now to $23 billion in 3 short years. The company is ideally positioned to catch the wave. It's vertically integrated and is currently profitable. It's making strategic acquisitions in the US and has first rate manufacturing capabilities. The management is experienced in the horticultural space and is building first rate branded products. With this kind of potential and market growth, the sky's the limit for C21! It's traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange CSE and it's symbol is CXXI. 

There's a number currencies that are currently dissolving. Argentina, Venezuela, Iran, Pakistan and Russia. The Yuan has been plunging and the dollar has been rising. It's hard to understand the irrationality of it all. But this is what it looks like when the system starts melting down or up. We also take some of your questions about social security, GLD and more. Interesting times for sure!

Economy Grew at 4.1% Rate in Quarter, With Some Asterisks
The Commerce Department released its initial estimate of second-quarter economic growth on Friday, providing the latest snapshot of the American economy.

The Numbers

■ United States gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the second quarter, up from 2.2 percent in the first three months of the year. It was the strongest quarter of growth since 2014.

■ Consumer spending rose 4 percent, but private investment fell slightly.

■ Exports rose 9.3 percent, driven in part by a surge in soybean shipments tied to President Trump’s trade policies.

■ Consumer prices rose at a 1.8 percent annual rate.

The Takeaway

Economic growth surged in the second quarter — but don’t expect the boom to last.

The second-quarter acceleration was widely anticipated by economists, a result of a confluence of events unlikely to recur. Most economists expect growth to slow in the second half of the year.

Still, recent data does suggest that the pace of growth has picked up this year. Some economists think full-year growth in gross domestic product could hit 3 percent in 2018 for the first time in the nearly decade-long recovery.

“The bottom line is that the economy is doing better,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist for the accounting firm Grant Thornton.

Mr. Trump didn’t wait for the numbers to be released to herald rosy news. At an event in Iowa on Thursday, he said he was expecting very strong result, noting predictions that ran to 5 percent or higher.

“We’ll take anything with a four in front,” he said.

John believes that Muller is perhaps on to something with the latest Trump developments. He thinks Muller may be on the trail of some nefarious dealings by Trump. He believes the odds are high that the Democrats will recapture the House although it's unlikely they'll take the Senate. On the subject of intelligence abuses and surveillance of the Trump campaign it's obvious that they've been caught with their pants down. It's developing rapidly. 

When it comes to gold (and silver too) Eric Hadik has had an amazing track over the past several years. He pretty much called the current low point in medal prices. And now he's calling for higher metal prices during Q4 and early Q1. Of course you could argue that it's all seasonal and there's no great insight here, but look at his previous calls and let's see if he's right yet again. 

One might expect that the sheer volume of vitriol, hatred and “resistance” coming from the media, Hollywood elites, establishment Republicans, and various other “never-Trumpers,” would be in response to the most unfit and dangerous President we’ve ever had. You would think we had a President who has exhibited open hostility to our country - who has actively worked to diminish our standing in the world, or who has tried to fundamentally change our country into a globalist, socialist state which would no longer resemble anything our Founders ever intended.

Maybe that hysteria would be warranted if we had a President who sent boatloads of cash to a foreign power that publicly vowed to destroy us with nuclear weapons; or whose administration gave 20% of our uranium to Russia for a quick political payoff.

Such hatred might be justified if we had a President who allowed the leaking of highly-classified information to other countries who are openly hostile to us, like China; or who didn’t bother to lift a finger to save our U.S. Ambassador and three others who were savagely murdered in Libya; or who abused the power of his office to spy on and punish his political opponents. Those might be justifiable reasons for their “righteous” anger and indignation. Our growing prosperity is putting our stable of Never-Trumpers in a tough spot.

FORGET RUSSIAN COLLUSION, THE LEFT IS PLOTTING TO STEAL THE NEXT ELECTION FROM RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE.

With hatred towards Donald Trump and the GOP and an all-time high, the Left is poised to do whatever it takes to take back the House and Senate, block Supreme Court nominations and impeach the president.

In FRAUD, Eggers documents how they will do it—with funding from George Soros and coordination from DNC chairman Tom Perez, our country’s vulnerable election system is about to be subject to an all-out assault of senior citizens, felons, and immigrants.

Buck Joffrey believes that real estate markets are probably near their peak. However, there's still plenty of opportunities for value-adds. Finding undervalued properties that with a minor investment and a little bit of love can appreciate dramatically. As Buck says, "There's never a shortage of poorly managed properties." Your job is to find them or find someone who's expert at finding them. The returns from such investing can be extremely profitable. 

Kitco's Peter Hug joined us for a review of the precious metals markets and why they've been going down. Seasonal factors have helped push it down, but there are geo-political forces at play that could drive it up again at any moment: from North Korea, to Iran, to the trade war with China. It's anyone's guess what shoe will drop and when, but it's probable that something will at some point in the future. 

While we can't read the exact future in the Commitment of Traders Report or COT, there are some interesting tea leaves available for your viewing pleasure. The speculators or specs have just about given up. And most importantly they're almost always wrong. They regularly miss the major movements in the metals markets and John believes that this time will be no different. Couple this with a peaking economy that can't keep growing forever and the result becomes obvious. Now is not the time to give up. 

Bob Hoye, student of economic history par excellent believes that the second coming of gold is still a ways off, but that when it comes and it will, the movement will be shocking. There's still a number of up and down gyrations ahead, but as the economy overheats and bubbles the world over start to pop, buckle your seat and enjoy the flight. 

Andrei Polgar joined us again. He's emphatic about having a plan, although what that plan should be is always the question. It all depends upon your circumstances. None of us know what the future holds. Perhaps some crypto-currency or some gold or silver. It all depends upon your circumstances, where you live and what resources you have. There's no set answer and it's up to all of us to think things out and where we need to be. 

Experts at places such as CNN are telling us that sitting is the new smoking. They advise you to use one of those ridiculous electronic standing desks that costs thousands of dollars. It's a conspiracy between the media and high end office furniture makers to con the public into spending billions on these needless and potentially harmful desks. Standing too long is bad for varicose veins, hurts knees and hips and cause back problems. Think twice before you buy a standing desk, your could put your health at risk. That doesn't mean you should sit like a blob for 8 hours or more per day. Get up regularly, get water, food, move your body. 

This is Part 2 of our reinstitutionalization of the homeless series. There is no other way. Until we wake up, we'll continue to waste billions and live in open sewers around the country. Let's stop thinking about locking up Hillary and start to think about locking up the mentally ill and addicted who cannot live in a free unsupervised environment with out doing great harm to themselves and to society. Remember this is a mental health crisis not an economic one. Some more things there, so as always listen to the end. 

Major US stock markets bounced back with the DJIA up 4.7%, S&P 3.6, NASDAQ 2.2% and Russell 2000 up 1.7% to record levels. Emerging markets were down 3.7%. TSX up 1% and TSX-V was down another -5%. Bitcoin the always volatile digital currency was up 21.5% for the month. Gold was down 2.2% breaking its 200 and Silver was off another 3.7% for the month. Pt down 2% and Pd was also down 2%. Copper was down 6.2%. Energy also got slammed this month, with WTI down 7.4% and Brent off 6.5%. Natgas was off 4.8%. Uranium was up again showing a 13.5% gain after continued producer cutbacks. Currencies saw the Greenback and the Euro flat for the month. Rate on the 10 year T Bond jumped to 2.96% but managed to stay below 3%. The WTI to Gold ratio hit 18%, which could be presaging a move by gold. Till next month!

Sam Broom was a geologist from the Land Down Under and now finds himself living in Sunny Southern California working at Sprott as a broker. If you want to know what the rocks are really saying, Sam's your guy. And he's very bullish on the mining sector. Just take a look at the most recent COT report. And it's been so beaten up there's almost only one way it can go. And that's before we take supply considerations into account. M&A is going to be big this year because the majors need reserves. They've been living off their own diminishing reserves for too long. Now it's time to go out and acquire some. But it ain't that easy. High quality discoveries have been declining for over a generation now and there's no turn-around in site. Look for high quality companies with management who have succeeded again and again. And then buy them cheap, like right now. Take a look at the charts below. 

Lee Schultz is a faithful, long time FSN community member who recently had an epiphany. He realized that we have a number of  things in common.

He's a “recovering attorney” (of the intellectual property variety) and a refugee from the People’s State of New York and Comrade Cuomo. While he fled South, Lee returned to his native Minnesota. While not exactly a low tax state, on the whole his life is immensely better now. He's never looked back.

What prompted Lee to write us was Triple Lutz Report #453. It was like we were watching him. On those occasions when he's a little down (not that often) he watches the numerous YouTube videos on Trump’s unexpected victory on election Night 2106. Whether it was the meltdowns of Hillary supporters, the growing confusion and consternation of the MSM pressitutes over the course of the evening (personal favorite: the The Young Turks highlights), the wildly misguided predictions on a Hillary landslide, or the mocking and ridicule heaped upon Trump when he announced his candidacy, it never fails to bring a smile to his face. Call it schadenfreude or whatever you want, it shows that here is always hope and sometimes justice is served. 

Sally C. Pipes says, "Premiums for health insurance plans on Obamacare's exchanges will rise an average of 15 percent next year, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has blamed President Trump and congressional Republicans for the rate hikes – and for "deliberately sabotaging our health care system." Schumer is half right – Obamacare's insurance markets have indeed been sabotaged. But Schumer and his fellow Democrats are the saboteurs. They're the ones who wove Obamacare's incoherent web of mandates, which are the real reason insurance premiums are soaring."

Dee Carter is  an Investment Advisor Representative with Sound Income Strategies, LLC based out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 
Dee Carter wrote his new book with two groups in mind that need guidance in financial and retirement planning—prospective retirees and financial advisors. The book provides valuable insights and direction for both. Explaining that there is much more to financial and retirement planning than numbers on a sheet of paper, the book questions why advisors are still being trained the same way Dee Carter was back in 1976. The world has changed so much since then, and the industry needs to adapt.

“We were taught that a retiree could only draw a small percentage from their principal each year in order to keep that principal from disappearing over time. Now, we know how clients can guard their principal and still receive a very nice retirement by investing for income rather than growth,” says Dee Carter.

In, It’s Now or Never: How to Enjoy Your Life and Not Let Your Investments Own You!, Dee Carter explains that during his 47 years in financial services, he has seen way too many people that are woefully unprepared for retirement. One of the major reasons for this is that investors are hesitant to sit down with a financial advisor and ask for help. The book shares Dee Carter’s life story and experiences to help readers avoid making the same mistakes Dee has seen over the years. The book shares directives at the end of each chapter to help readers find an advisor that is right for them.
With nearly 50 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industry, Dee K. Carter enjoys bringing stability and reliable income to his retirement-planning clients. Mr. Carter has earned several highly sought-after industry designations including the Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, and Registered Financial Consultant designation earned only by financial professionals with outstanding ethical performance.

It appears that President Trump has prevailed in his trade dispute with the European Union. The goal of zero tariffs appears to be within reach. But is that enough to head off the impending financial disruption? John thinks not. There's just too much debt and not enough productive capacity. It's a prescription for disaster. But you can prepare now. It just takes a little forethought and knowledge. 

Jamie Keech says it's not easy making money in Vancouver resource stocks and he should know. With a degree in mining engineering, he's worked at a number of places around the globe. However, his most valuable and possibly least satisfying experience was working on the permitting process. That's where you really find out the true story. Jamie says that anyone making claims about speedy permitting turnaround deserves added scrutiny. But in spite of the pitfalls, there's great opportunity in this sector, but you need specialized knowledge to avoid the pitfalls. It's a jungle out there, but Jamie believes it is a profitable one for those investors who perservere.

The first wave of Cannabis companies has come and gone. Some are doing okay, others not. Our new sponsor Leviathan Cannabis's CEO Martin Doane believes that he's learned the lessons of that round and is on to the next. Leviathan recently acquired Ontario Pharmacy Pulse RX, which will become the backbone of its medical cannabis distribution network. In addition, they've got a branding division that will help Leviathan and others create lasting major brands in the space. Finally, they're very focused on creating highly automated growing facilities that will continually produce product and achieve the highest productivity rates possible. Martin used to practice law like yours truly. He participated in hundreds of financial transactions and helped take many companies public. And he's been successful at it, selling a company for $100 million in 2011. With the promise of large international markets and Canada's goal to become the major player in legal Cannabis, Leviathan could indeed become a dominant player in the market. 

John Vespian says that more often than not, the desire to achieve ambitious goals immediately and easily is going to prove unrealistic. Important things, such as building your career, investments and personal relationships, demand substantial time and effort.

If you are feeling stressed because of your slow progress, remind yourself that it makes no sense to put pressure on the wrong places. Some things in life take as long as they take. The process of reaching ambitious goals is to be enjoyed day by day, not viewed as a waste of time.

Substantial skills, like learning a foreign language, require months or years of effort. Yet, the investment in effort, time and energy to pursue long-term goals is worth it. In life, you have plenty of time to find your own way. If you think that this is not the case, you may want to check your priorities.

"Some talents are innate, but others can only be acquired through practise," wrote Aristotle in twenty-five centuries ago. "The movement of animals is governed by the law of cause and effect, but the essential characteristic of human beings, rationality, can only be developed by choice." Are you aware of your choices and priorities? Are those rational and well-aligned with each other?

Trump has been president for nearly 18 months, and the effects of his economic program are being felt, bigly. GDP is way way up and so is employment. During the Obama years, GDP growth never got up over 3% and now it's getting close to 5%. But what about trade wars daddy? Well, Andrew believes that deals will be cut no later than October, just in time for the midterm elections. Let's what happens next. It's only money. 

Peter Grandich exited from the precious metals scene 5 years ago. And now he's back. He sees unparalleled value and the ultimate insurance policy. He's pessimistic about the course of the broader market and believes it's all going to come crashing down at some point in the next few years. It's just a matter of when. 

Sean of SGTReport woke up to an ugly reality yesterday. His YouTube channel was taken down with little or no explanation. It's 3 strikes and you're out! He supposedly violated community standards. What he violated these standards is a mystery to us all. This is truly war, a war on free speech. The Stasi Squad with the aid of the SPLC has helped closed him down. But Sean's not taking it lying down. He's fighting back. Tweet YouTube @TeamYouTube and voice your displeasure over this heinous act of censorship. YouTube does this all the time. YouTube is a public utility and a common carrier and need to be treated as such. This is pure evil. They are deleting history altogether. The day will come when they live to regret this action and their campaign against free speech. This is truly a day that will live in infamy!