BEAT DEBT FAST

  Weekly Market Update by PLP Advisors Markets last week were pretty calm.  Stocks and metals both rose ever so slightly, which left the Dow to Gold ratio virtually unchanged. If you’re a new reader, the Dow to Gold ratio takes the value of the Dow in US Dollars and divides it by the price of gold per ounce in US Dollars.  Last week with both stocks and metals markets moving up marginally the Dow to Gold ratio barely moved edging down from 17.03 to 17.01. If you’ve been a long-term reader of “Portfolio Watch” you know that we are predicting a large move downward for the Dow to Gold ratio.  We are ultimately expecting that this ratio will fall from current levels to around 1, which means the Dow and gold will be at parity.  In order for that to occur, stocks will have to fall significantly or gold will have to rise significantly, or both. Stocks falling and gold rising would likely be the outcome if there was a deflationary outcome to th...

Gartman: The oil bear market has turned crude into a ‘worthless’ commodity Crude is tracking for its worst first half in at least 20 years. Gartman, a big commodities player, says a bounce is possible, but there's more pain in store. The downturn "may be a black swan for the oil industry itself, but it's a white swan or the economy in general," he added. CNBC.com 635 SHARES Gartman: Oil is heading 'egregiously' lower   Friday, 23 Jun 2017 | 10:40 AM ET | 02:58 Crude oil has officially entered a bear market, and Commodities king Dennis Gartman told CNBC the pain is far from over. In a recent interview, the editor and founder of The Gartman Letter saidoil conglomerate OPEC was losing the war on oil, especially in light of the ascension of Saudi Arabia's new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Crude oil is down nearly 20 percent in 2017, and is tracking for its ...

Stephen asks if it would be a good idea to take out a loan against a 401(k) to pay off credit card debt. Dave advises against this, and during the conversation he learns that credit card debt isn't the real problem. QUESTION:  Stephen and his wife have about $12,000 in credit card debt, and they owe another $80,000 in student loans. Their kids’ education also runs about $1,000 a month, all on a combined yearly income of $100,000. He calls in to ask Dave if it’s acceptable to take a loan against your 401(k) to clean up the credit card mess. Dave doesn’t like the idea, and he explains why it’s a bad plan. ANSWER:  I don’t recommend that you do that, and here’s why. Your 401(k) should be invested in good mutual funds. When you take the money out in a loan, they pull it out of the mutual funds and you’re paying yourself a five percent interest rate instead of receiving what the mutual funds are paying, which should be 10, 12, 15 percent — whatever the market i...

        Your Portfolio Watch Weekly Update – April 04, 2016 Weekly Market Update by PLP Advisors Once again last week, markets were more mixed with stocks rising slightly and metals markets falling. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose .53% while the Standard and Poor’s 500 advanced .06%.  Gold fell .90% while silver, the more volatile metal fell nearly 3%. The rise in stocks and the decline in metals saw the Dow to Gold ratio rise to more than 17.  As long time readers of “Portfolio Watch” know, we are ultimately expecting this ratio to reach a level of 1. Chart One below is a chart of an exchange traded fund that attempts to track the price performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.  Notice from the two trend lines drawn on this weekly price chart that the Dow is in a strong upward price trend. The shallower uptrend line from the market bottom shows the Dow could correct in price to approximately the 18,000 range and still...

The Truth About The Joneses You know the Joneses. (Or maybe for you it’s the Smiths, or the Millers.) They’re the people who have everything bigger and better than you do. They have nicer cars, fancier wardrobes and even cuter dogs. (Yorkie-Poos, anyone?) But the Joneses may not be who you think they are. They may be up to their eyeballs in debt. Or they may just be on Baby Step 7 (build wealth and give). We’ll say that again: The Joneses are either drowning in payments or deserving of their wealth. So be happy for them or feel sorry for them.  But don’t try to keep up with them! That only leads to discontentment. And you’re done with all that. You’re ready to be happy where you are and to work for what you want.  You’re ready for contentment. Forget Status, Be Happy Contentment is a choice.  It’s having an attitude of joy when everyone else is attempting to buy happiness. And it’s your new state of mind. So who cares if Mrs. Jones...

How to Build Wealth at Any Age Impromptu trips to visit grandkids, adventures to must-see landmarks, and family celebrations hosted at your paid-for home. That’s the kind of retirement many Americans dream about. You don’t have to earn six figures to turn this dream into a reality.  But you do have to live and plan today with that goal in mind. Building wealth starts with proper planning at every stage of your life. Here’s a decade-by-decade look at what you can do to maximize your savings potential. How to Build Wealth in Your 20s You’re a Millennial. What does retirement have to do with you? A lot, actually. Because you have the most to gain when it comes to retirement.  There should be no stopping you when it comes to building wealth because you have the one thing other generations don’t: time. Jesse Haller, certified financial planner and vice president of Compass Financial Group, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, encourages young adults to use their 20s...

About 57 million Americans have no emergency savings The percentage of those lacking an emergency fund is down to 24 percent this year, according Bankrate.com. However, 32 percent of those ages 53 to 62 said they had zero dollars saved, more than any other age group. CNBC.com PLAY VIDEO For many Americans, a single unplanned expense could set them in a tailspin. Worse yet, those who will likely need a rainy-day fund the most are also the least prepared. When broken down by age, young boomers fared the worst: Nearly one-third, or 32 percent, of those ages 53 to 62 said they had zero dollars saved in an emergency fund, compared with 24 percent of all others ages 18 or older, according to a Bankrate.com survey of 1,000 adults conducted this month. (Older  boomers — over age 63 — were much more likely to have something set aside.) Generally, the likelihood of having saved at least six months of expenses increases steadily with age, Bankrate sa...