“Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all we really have. It is the very last inch of us, but within that inch, we are free…. An Inch, it is small and it is fragile, but it is the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must never let them take it from us…” – Valerie, V for Vendetta
The S&P closed out Tuesday at $2,152. Gold closed at $1,335 per ounce. Crude Oil closed at $46.80 per barrel, and the 10-year Treasury rate closed at 1.51%. Bitcoin is trading around $660 per BTC today.
Dear Journal,
I’m not exactly sure where this entry is going to go. As regular readers know, I sit down weekly to write about whatever is on my mind.
No script. No filter. No agenda other than the spreading of ideas.
I do try to tie these entries in with one of my books or finance courses for commercial purposes so I can tell wife Rachel that I did some work today, but I am not always successful in that endeavor.
“Let them be creators, not followers. Followers have a certain mentality, and independent creators a quite different mentality. We want creators – people who find solutions by themselves, who have their own conceptions of right and good, and who are capable of independent, righteous action. Followers don’t do that. To get the creator mindset, you have to get out of the way and let them rise to the occasion. Make sense? ” – Phillip Donson, A Lodging of Wayfaring Men
The S&P closed out Thursday at $2,097. Gold closed at $1,362 per ounce. Crude Oil closed at $45.14 per barrel, and the 10-year Treasury rate closed at 1.39%. Bitcoin is trading around $652 per BTC today.
Dear Journal,
Wife Rachel took it upon herself to take me out on a date earlier this week! She had recently discovered a picturesque country inn nestled in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, and she thought it was just the place for me. So we traveled an hour’s worth of winding country roads even deeper into the mountains of Virginia on a misty Tuesday night. Continue reading “Become a Creator”
The S&P closed out Monday at $2,000. Gold closed at $1,330 per ounce. Crude Oil closed at $46.71 per barrel, and the 10-year Treasury rate closed at 1.46%. Bitcoin is trading around $650 per BTC today.
Dear Journal,
There will be no official entry today. Instead, I would like to invite you to subscribe to the Zenconomics Report in time to receive our first official issue. We will be sending out the monthly dispatch on June 30 to members of the Zenconomics Report mailing list.
The Zenconomics Report will cut through all of the noise, clap-trap, hoop-la, misinformation, and propaganda circling the financial markets. The financial media typically analyzes the markets from a binary perspective of “good versus bad”, often with an underlying agenda to push. This does seekers of financial information a major disservice, and it sets them up to crash and burn when the next Black Swan makes its appearance.
The digital age has made information nearly free for everyone with an internet connection, but this created an unforeseen problem. With the flood gates of information open, how do you know what information is good and what information is not so good? Continue reading “The Zenconomics Report June Issue”
“Bitcoin is the beginning of something great: a currency without a government, something necessary and imperative. ” – Nassim Taleb, Author of Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
The S&P closed out Monday at $2,088. Gold closed at $1,271 per ounce. Crude Oil closed at $48.95 per barrel, and the 10-year Treasury rate closed at 1.70%. Bitcoin is trading around $670 per BTC today.
Dear Journal,
Bitcoin flirted with $800 last week before dropping all the way down to $630. Today it is hovering around $670. Such volatility is usually feared by the general public, and it is often cited as one of Bitcoin’s weaknesses. To me, this volatility is a beautiful example of price discovery in one of the freest markets on Earth. Continue reading “Bitcoin and the Crypto Revolution”
“Think about this, Frances: For the past several thousand years of recorded history, humans lived at the edge of starvation, usually in abject poverty, perpetually at risk. But in just the past few centuries, and primarily in only one or two parts of the world, we suddenly develop medical science, cars, telephones, airplanes, refrigeration, central heating, electrical power, computers, and spaceships. Why here? And why now?” – James Farber, A Lodging of Wayfaring Men
The S&P closed out Monday at $2,079. Gold closed at $1,286 per ounce. Crude Oil closed at $48.56 per barrel, and the 10-year Treasury rate closed at 1.61%. Bitcoin is trading around $705 per BTC today.
Dear Journal,
As I mentioned in last week’s entry, wife Rachel and I just celebrated our third wedding anniversary, and this one may have been the best yet. There were no gifts, no fancy dinners, no nights out… Rachel didn’t even get me a card! I was so proud of her!
It reminded me of the Christmas following our engagement a number of years ago. With the wedding looming, we agreed not to give each other gifts for just one Christmas holiday in the interest of saving money.
Believing very strongly in contractual agreements, I followed through diligently on my end of the deal… Rachel did not. I found myself receiving several gifts from her on that Christmas morning, and I didn’t have even the tiniest trinket to offer in return. She was devastated!
“Monetary calculation is not the calculation, and certainly not the measurement, of value. Its basis is the comparison of the more important and the less important. It is an ordering according to rank, an act of grading (Cuhel), and not an act of measuring.” – Ludwig von Mises
The S&P closed out Monday at $2,109. Gold closed at $1,247 per ounce. Crude Oil closed at $49.71 per barrel, and the 10-year Treasury rate closed at 1.72%. Bitcoin is trading around $585 per BTC today.
Dear Journal,
Wife Rachel and I will commemorate our third wedding anniversary tomorrow! When she asked me what I would like to do to celebrate, I naturally suggested that we could do anything in the world she wanted. Her response:
I would kind of like to do something fun, but I would settle for a major house cleaning day…
Does that mean we are officially marriage pro’s?
Moving on… I think this is a fascinating time to be alive. Based on what I know about recorded human history, I doubt there has ever been a more interesting point in time to be a keen observer of civilization. How lucky we are!
As I have reckoned on before, human civilization is currently transitioning from the Industrial Age and into the Information Age. Pre-Internet society was drastically different from post-Internet society, and indeed all of modern civilization has been made dependent upon a functioning Internet. This dynamic will only deepen as all of the Big Data and Internet-of-Things trends continue to play out. Continue reading “Markets and Economic Calculation”
Are you looking for strategies to consistently earn extra income each month without quitting your job or taking on a ton of risk?
In the past, people have used money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and bonds to generate a little extra income while they spent their time on other endeavors. But these tried-and-true strategies for income just aren’t true anymore.
You will be extremely lucky if you can find a money market account paying more than 1% annually, and the highest tiered CD might net you 1.25% or so.
Today, U.S. Treasury bonds are paying less than 2% annually, and one-third of the world’s sovereign bonds are now in negative-yield territory!
Simply put, tying up your capital for such measly returns is a losing proposition…. but that doesn’t mean you don’t have options!
Enter: The Option Game: Safe Income in Any Market
This course is all about how to use options to generate safe monthly income no matter the market conditions. The strategies we will use to generate income with options do not involve speculating or taking on a ton of risk, however. In many cases, these strategies can actually reduce the risk of your overall portfolio.
Now we aren’t talking about day trading. We aren’t talking about chasing little moves in prices. We aren’t talking about cutting losses and trying to hit a big gain once in a while. We are talking about a comprehensive, long-term strategy to generate extra income, month in and month out.
By the way, this extra income will only require 20 minutes or so worth of work each month. That’s it. Again, this is a conservative approach so it does not require aggressive action.
These are the strategies used by hedge fund managers, proprietary Wall Street traders, and even Warren Buffet on occasion. But guess what – generating income with options is as easy as buying stocks normally if you know what you are doing!
Are you ready to learn more about the Option Game strategy? Please join the Option Game webinar on June 7th where we will discuss this topic at length and present a special offer on the course.
The broadcast will begin promptly at 8:00 pm EDT, and it will conclude with an open Q&A session.
This webcast is absolutely free with no obligations. Space is limited so register today to reserve your spot. Here’s the registration link:
There will be on-demand replay of this broadcast available for those who are interested but unable to attend at the designated time slot. All registrants will receive an email once the on-demand replay is ready.
This one-hour long program focuses exclusively on a conservative financial strategy designed to generate hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars every single month.
Why the Option Game:
Are you looking for strategies to consistently earnextra income each month without quitting your job or taking on a ton of risk?
In the past, people have used money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and bonds to generate a little extra income while they spent their time on other endeavors. But these tried-and-true strategies for income just aren’t true anymore.
You will be extremely lucky if you can find a money market account paying more than 1% annually, and the highest tiered CD might net you 1.25% or so.
Today, U.S. Treasury bonds are paying less than 2% annually, and one-third of the world’s sovereign bonds are now in negative-yield territory!
Simply put, tying up your capital for such measly returns is a losing proposition…. but that doesn’t mean you don’t have options!
Enter: The Option Game: Safe Income in Any Market
This course is all about how to use options to generate safe monthly income no matter the market conditions. The strategies we will use to generate income with options do not involve speculating or taking on a ton of risk, however. In many cases, these strategies can actually reduce the risk of your overall portfolio.
Now we aren’t talking about day trading. We aren’t talking about chasing little moves in prices. We aren’t talking about cutting losses and trying to hit a big gain once in a while. We are talking about a comprehensive, long-term strategy to generate extra income, month in and month out.
By the way, this extra income will only require 20 minutes or so worth of work each month. That’s it. Again, this is a conservative approach so it does not require aggressive action.
These are the strategies used by hedge fund managers, proprietary Wall Street traders, and even Warren Buffet on occasion. But guess what – generating income with options is as easy as buying stocks normally if you know what you are doing!
This course will go over all of the fundamentals you need to know before getting started. The course will present live demonstrations to show you exactly how to implement the strategies discussed. The course will present a comprehensive example to show you exactly how you can use the strategies to generate extra income every single month. Finally, the course will go over the risks and good practices you need to know before implementing the Option Game.
To add additional value to this course, the instructor is completely willing to answer any questions you may have as you go through the material.
Now to be clear, this course is not about getting rich quick. It is about generating extra income month in and month out. Over and over again.
The Option Game is not about hitting home runs; it is about hitting for singles and maybe a double every now and then. Thus, this course is best suited for people who are self-disciplined and willing to stick with a simple strategy.
So if you are ready to turbo-charge your monthly income without taking big-risks do not hesitate to enroll in the Option Game today!
Takeaways:
• Internalize the fundamentals of options – what they are, how they work, and what they were designed to do
• Understand the intricacies of call options and put options
• Execute the Covered Call Canter to generate income on high quality stocks without taking on any additional risk
• Execute the Naked Put Promenade to sell “insurance” to traders and get paid to build a portfolio of high quality stocks
• Pair the Covered Call Canter and the Naked Put Promenade to generate safe, consistent income every single month
“Are you for peace? The great test of your devotion to peace is not how many words you utter on its behalf. It’s not even how you propose to deal with people of other countries, though that certainly tells us something. To fully measure your “peacefulness” requires that we examine how you propose to treat people in your own backyard. Do you demand more of what doesn’t belong to you? Do you endorse the use of force to punish people for victimless “crimes”? Do you support politicians who promise to seize the earnings of others to pay for your bailout, your subsidy, your student loan, your child’s education or whatever pet cause or project you think is more important than what your fellow citizens might personally prefer to spend their own money on? Do you believe theft is OK if it’s for a good cause or endorsed by a majority? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then have the courage to admit that peace is not your priority. How can I trust your foreign policy if your domestic policy requires so much to be done at gunpoint?” – Lawrence W. Reed
The S&P closed out Thursday at $2,090. Gold closed at $1,222 per ounce. Crude Oil closed at $49.48 per barrel, and the 10-year Treasury rate closed at 1.82%. Bitcoin is trading around $474 per BTC today.
Dear Journal,
We have spent this past week on North Carolina’s beautiful “Crystal Coast”. As I look around at the rows of beach houses lining the island, I can’t help but imagine what this place looked like back in the early 1700’s when the legendary Blackbeard roamed these islands on the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
What secrets have been covered up by mass-development? How many hidden coves have been forgotten as we marvel over heated swimming pools by the sea with pool tables and mini-bars nearby? What drove commerce on these islands before tourism, seafood restaurants, and ice cream parlors?
Not that I am opposed to development. The market system has created wealth unimaginable by the pirates and fishermen who inhabited these islands three centuries ago. Continue reading “Breaking the Authoritarian Cycle”
“Just like the Internet gave information back to the people, Bitcoin will give financial freedom back to the people. But that’s only the first step… Bitcoin will allow us to shape the world without having to ask for permission. We declare Bitcoin’s independence. Bitcoin is sovereignty. Bitcoin is renaissance. Bitcoin is ours. Bitcoin is.” – Julia Tourianski
The S&P closed out Tuesday at $2,047. Gold closed at $1,280 per ounce. Crude Oil closed at $48.54 per barrel, and the 10-year Treasury rate closed at 1.759%. Bitcoin is trading around $457 per BTC today.
Dear Journal,
Wife Rachel: Honey, look! Madison has a pet caterpillar in this jar! She put leaves and twigs in there so it can eat and turn into a butterfly…
Philosopher Joe: Oh… why does it look like all of the oxygen has been sucked out of the jar?
Wife Rachel: What do you mean…?
Philosopher Joe: Did you punch holes in the top to let air in?
Wife Rachel: Wha… oh crap.
Spring is in full swing here in the mountains of Virginia. The caterpillars are crawling, the butterflies are flying, the wildflowers are blooming, and the all-encompassing green foliage is a bright celebration of new life! Continue reading “The Future of Money”
