The Ultimate Money Guide for Bubbles, Busts, Recession, and Depression

The Ultimate Money Guide for Bubbles, Busts, Recession, and Depression

Released February 2011
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781118011348

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Book description

Updated version of the bestselling book on how to grow and protect wealth in difficult economic times

Having an effective financial plan has always been important; today, it's crucial. In The Ultimate Money Guide for Bubbles, Busts, Recession, and Depression—the updated and revised edition of the bestseller, The Ultimate Depression Survival Guide—author Martin D. Weiss shows readers how to create a safe and effective financial plan for today's unpredictable economic environment.

  • Explains why the U.S. economy continues to slump, and how persistently high unemployment and increasing government spending could lead to a far worse, double-dip recession

  • Details how investors are missing opportunities by failing to look at overseas investments, specifically in Asia and Latin America

  • Reveals what everyone should be doing now to protect their savings, investments, and jobs

The Ultimate Ultimate Money Guide for Bubbles, Busts, Recession, and Depression answers the questions readers have about the new challenges of the "new normal," while also offering strategies to cope with the credit crunch, housing bust, and decline of the U.S. dollar.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. INTRODUCTION
  3. 1. WHY THE TOUGH TIMES ARE JUST BEGINNING!
    1. 1.1. A Permanent Recession?
    2. 1.2. Unprecedented Risks and Weaknesses
    3. 1.3. Massive Government Actions to Forestall the Debt Crisis
  4. 2. THE GOVERNMENT DECLARES WAR ON THE FINANCIAL CRISIS
    1. 2.1. Trashing the Past
      1. 2.1.1. Obstacle 1: Government Debt Too Big and Growing Too Fast
      2. 2.1.2. Obstacle 2: Even Larger Nongovernment Debts
      3. 2.1.3. Obstacle 3: Nobody Wants to Pay the Bill
      4. 2.1.4. Obstacle 4: Sinking Public Support
      5. 2.1.5. The Biggest Obstacle of All: The Government Rescues Themselves
  5. 3. WALL STREET DECEPTIONS, COVER-UPS, AND LIES
    1. 3.1. Ratings Fiasco 1: How Deceptive Ratings Entrapped Nearly Two Million Americans in Failed Insurance—and Why It Could Happen to You!
    2. 3.2. Ratings Fiasco 2: How Wall Street's "Research" Duped Millions of Investors—and Why You Face Similar Dangers Today
    3. 3.3. Ratings Fiasco 3: The Giant Debt Crisis of the Late 2000s
    4. 3.4. Lessons to Learn and Never Forget
  6. 4. HOUSING: HOW TO ESCAPE THE GREATEST BUST OF ALL TIME
    1. 4.1. Powerful Force 1: Debt
    2. 4.2. Powerful Force 2: Investor Mania
    3. 4.3. Powerful Force 3: Government-Bred Monopolies, Corruption, Fraud, and Cover-Ups
    4. 4.4. Powerful Force 4: Consumer Deceptions
      1. 4.4.1. Deception 1: Predatory Lending
      2. 4.4.2. Deception 2: Inflated Appraisals
      3. 4.4.3. Deception 3: Large Balloon Payments
    5. 4.5. Powerful Force 5: Collapse!
      1. 4.5.1. Will the Government Intervene to Support the Housing Market?
    6. 4.6. Important Lessons to Learn Before It's Too Late
  7. 5. COMMON STOCKS: HOW TO AVOID BIG RISKS AND BOOST RETURNS
    1. 5.1. Five Ways to Use Global Stock Markets to Build Wealth
      1. 5.1.1. Five Ways to Use Global Stock Markets to Build Wealth
    2. 5.2. Does the Stock Market Fall in a Straight Line?
    3. 5.3. Warning: Don't Let Your Broker Talk You Out of Doing What's Right for You
      1. 5.3.1. Broker Pitch 1: "Buy More"
      2. 5.3.2. Broker Pitch 2: "Always Invest for the Long Term"
      3. 5.3.3. Broker Pitch 3: "Don't Sell Now! You Can't Afford to Take the Loss"
      4. 5.3.4. Broker Pitch 4: "Don't Sell Now! You Can't Afford to Take the Profit"
      5. 5.3.5. Broker Pitch 5: "Don't Be a Fool"
      6. 5.3.6. Broker Pitch 6: "You're the Only One"
      7. 5.3.7. Broker Pitch 7: "Don't Be Like Them"
      8. 5.3.8. Broker Pitch 8: "Be Responsible!"
  8. 6. HOW SAFE IS YOUR BANK?
    1. 6.1. Dangerous Derivatives
    2. 6.2. What the Heck Is a Systemic Meltdown Anyhow? And Why Is It Possible?
    3. 6.3. Didn't They Bail Out All the Big Banks in Trouble? Why Can't They Continue Doing the Same Thing Forever?
      1. 6.3.1. Reason 1: The Government Is Not Addressing the Underlying Causes
      2. 6.3.2. Reason 2: There Are Many More Banks at Risk
      3. 6.3.3. Reason 3: The Continuing Danger of Bank Runs
      4. 6.3.4. Reason 4: The Government Cannot Control a Panic by Shareholders
      5. 6.3.5. Biggest Reason of All: America's Next Great Recession
    4. 6.4. Can a Banking Shutdown Really Happen in Modern Times?
    5. 6.5. How Would a Banking Shutdown Affect Me?
    6. 6.6. How Can I Avoid These Huge Risks?
  9. 7. HOW TO FIND SAFE INSURANCE COMPANIES
    1. 7.1. The Six Steps to Finding the Strongest Companies
  10. 8. HOW TO SHOP FOR THE BEST LIFE INSURANCE
  11. 9. HOW TO FIND THE BEST ANNUITIES
    1. 9.1. Question 1: What Is an Annuity, Anyhow?
      1. 9.1.1. Immediate Annuities versus Deferred Annuities
      2. 9.1.2. Variable Annuities versus Fixed Annuities
    2. 9.2. Question 2: Do I Really Need an Annuity?
    3. 9.3. Question 3: To Annuitize or Not to Annuitize?
    4. 9.4. Question 4: Can You Give Me an Example of a Typical Immediate Annuity?
    5. 9.5. Question 5: How Can I Make Sure My Insurance Company Doesn't Die before I Do?
    6. 9.6. Question 6: I Know There Are Rip-Offs Out There. But How Do I Avoid Them?
  12. 10. THE SAFEST AND MOST LIQUID PLACE FOR YOUR CASH
    1. 10.1. Four Additional Advantages of Treasury-Only Money Market Funds
    2. 10.2. Why Are Treasury Bills Safer than Bank CDs?
    3. 10.3. Aren't You Ignoring the Government's Own Sinking Finances?
    4. 10.4. How Might I Cash in My Treasuries During a Banking Shutdown?
    5. 10.5. Suppose the Government Devalues the Dollar?
  13. 11. ALL-WEATHER INVESTMENTS FOR THE BEST AND THE WORST OF TIMES
    1. 11.1. The Advantages (and Pitfalls) of Exchange-Traded Funds
    2. 11.2. Protection against Stock Market Declines
    3. 11.3. Protection against Real Estate Declines
  14. 12. HOW TO PROFIT DIRECTLY FROM A MARKET DECLINE
    1. 12.1. Large Profit Potential with Inverse ETFs
  15. 13. HOW TO CONTINUE MAKING MONEY EVEN WITH THE WORST DISASTERS
    1. 13.1. You Never Touch a Single Stock or Bond
    2. 13.2. You Benefit from Unrivaled Liquidity
    3. 13.3. Currencies Are an Entirely Separate Asset Class
    4. 13.4. There's Always at Least One Major Currency Going Up
    5. 13.5. Currencies Tend to Move in Long-Term, Sweeping Trends
    6. 13.6. Inflation versus Deflation in the Currency Market
    7. 13.7. The Most Convenient Vehicle: Currency ETFs
  16. 14. WHEN TO BUY THE BEST BARGAINS OF THE CENTURY
    1. 14.1. How to Recognize the Signs of a Bottom in the U.S. Economy and Financial Markets
      1. 14.1.1. First, Look for the Debt Liquidation
      2. 14.1.2. Second, Look for a Major, Enduring Regime of Austerity by the Federal Government
      3. 14.1.3. Third, Look for a Parallel Capitulation by Wall Street Stock Analysts and Bond Rating Agencies
      4. 14.1.4. Fourth, You Should See Similar Signs of Capitulation among People You Meet on a Daily Basis
      5. 14.1.5. Fifth, Be on the Lookout for a Watershed Event
    2. 14.2. Do Everything You Can to Not Miss This Opportunity
  17. 15. BONDS: YOUR FIRST GREAT INCOME OPPORTUNITY
    1. 15.1. The Interest-Rate Boomerang
    2. 15.2. The Great Buying Opportunity in Highest Quality Long-Term Bonds
  18. 16. DIVIDENDS: YOUR SECOND GREAT INCOME OPPORTUNITY
    1. 16.1. The Power of Dividends
      1. 16.1.1. Advantage 1: Relatively Resistant to Stock Price Declines
      2. 16.1.2. Advantage 2: Rising Yields
      3. 16.1.3. Advantage 3: Strong Evidence of Performance
      4. 16.1.4. Advantage 4: The Potential for High-Powered Total Returns
      5. 16.1.5. Advantage 5: Bargain Prices Can Help Deliver Even Higher Immediate Yields
      6. 16.1.6. Advantage 6: A Lot More Than Just a Promise to Deliver
      7. 16.1.7. Advantage 7: Get Paid While You Wait
      8. 16.1.8. Advantage 8: The Power of Compounding
      9. 16.1.9. Advantage 9: Reinvestment Plans
    2. 16.2. Two Disadvantages of Dividend Stocks
  19. 17. THE GREAT FORK IN THE ROAD: INFLATION OR DEFLATION?
    1. 17.1. In the Next Stage, Which Is Most Likely to Prevail—Deflation or Inflation?
    2. 17.2. What Is Your Best Protection from Inflation?
    3. 17.3. When Will Be the Best Time to Buy More Gold?
    4. 17.4. What Are the Differences between Gold Investing in the 1930s and in the 2000s?
    5. 17.5. Why Can't Governments Just Create Inflation?
    6. 17.6. What about a Global Devaluation of the World's Major Currencies?
    7. 17.7. What about the Possibility of Massive Hyperinflation?
  20. 18. THE DEMISE OF THE DOLLAR?
    1. 18.1. The Next Great Battle
    2. 18.2. Investor Power on Wall Street
    3. 18.3. Investor Power in Washington
    4. 18.4. Investor Power in Washington: A 1980 Case Study
    5. 18.5. Actual Meeting in 1980, Fictional Dialogue
    6. 18.6. The Government's Last Rescue
  21. 19. THE FOUNDATION FOR RECOVERY
    1. 19.1. Phase 1: Acceptance
    2. 19.2. Phase 2: Public Admission
    3. 19.3. Phase 3: Action!
    4. 19.4. Tough Consequences
  22. 20. FUTURE FORTUNES
  23. NOTES
  24. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  25. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Product information

  • Title: The Ultimate Money Guide for Bubbles, Busts, Recession, and Depression
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: February 2011
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781118011348