January, 2018 | Moneytruths

Teetering on the brink?

Tuesday, 30th January 2018

Teetering on the brink?

Are you chronically broke?

It’s a more common condition than you might believe according to the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) thinktank….

A recent study conducted by the RSA concluded that 70% of Britain’s working population suffers from it….

This 70% can be broken down into two smaller groups – the 40% who said their finances were ‘permanently precarious’ and the 30% who said they were ‘not managing to get by’….

One step from disaster….

The RSA study also reveals that 32% of British workers have less than £500 plugged away for a rainy day….

And that 41% have less than £1000 hidden under the mattress….

Almost 30% are concerned about the levels of debt they are currently shouldering….

And 43% of workers report that they don’t have anyone in their household on who they can depend to support them through a period of financial hardship….

Taken together, the figures serve to paint a grim picture of a society in which millions of people are one unexpected event away from financial disaster….

A broken boiler…. a knackered gearbox…. the need for some complex dental work…. It seems these or other potentially expensive scenarios could tip millions into a financial situation they are not funded to handle….… Click here to read more

Prepare for distress and revulsion….

Tuesday, 23rd January 2018

Prepare for distress and revulsion….

These things tend to begin with some new technological breakthrough or development that promises to change the world and the way we live….

Back in the early- to mid- 1990s, it was the Internet that promised to revolutionize life as we knew it….

And, of course it did….

The Internet, or the World Wide Web, has fundamentally and irreversibly changed the way we source information, access services, communicate and shop (among other things).

Themarketgoescrazy.com….

The Internet also succeeded in creating an investment bubble and inspiring a lot of crazy behavior….

A lot of so-called ‘mom and pop’ investors (along with big financial institutions) lost a lot of money investing in early-doors ‘Internet’ businesses that were often little more than an idea – and sometimes not a very good one….

Many such businesses raised hundreds of millions via Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) despite never having produced a penny’s worth of income or even a coherent business plan….

Some didn’t even have a product or service to go to market with – just a pocketful of dreams and stardust….

It didn’t seem to matter at the time though. Investors were falling over themselves to get into the market.… Click here to read more

Dumb always gets punished in the end….

Tuesday 16th January 2018

Dumb always gets punished in the end….

Dumb is not like Aussie flu….

Dumb doesn’t just debilitate its victim for a spell before losing its power and disappearing. Dumb is a chronic condition that endures and recurs and resurfaces time and again….

Dumb can’t be treated with hot lemon and honey or a course of anti-biotics. You can’t sleep it off or sweat it out….

Dumb is not something that can be cured. It can only be punished….

And right now, many investors are setting themselves up for punishment because they have fallen victim to the latest outbreak of the ‘dumb’ virus….

Recognize the signs….

There are four symptoms to look out for with the current strain….

One: slavish devotion to the fad of the day….

Two: deep-seated anxiety based on the fear of missing out….

Three: a reckless determination to act without proper due diligence….

Four: the wrong-headed belief that positive results are guaranteed….

These symptoms combine dangerously to blind the victim to good sense….

They bring about a delirium that renders the sufferer irrational and encourages him to behave foolishly and against his own best interests….

The current outbreak is particularly virulent. We see this from the peculiar signs and strange behaviors playing out around us….… Click here to read more