The Currency That Can’t Be Printed

PETER SCHIFF, renowned Financial Commentator, best selling author and Global Strategist had this to say recently about the signs that are showing up that all but shout from the roof tops that ‘YOU NEED TO TAKE NOTE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING WORLDWIDE AND REALISE THE RAMMIFICATIONS FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILIES IF YOU DO NOT TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT!”

I have worked on Wall Street my entire life, and one thing I’ve learned is that large institutional investors, like pension funds and endowments, rarely veer from the herd. They manage too much of other people’s money to stick their necks out alone – if their investments go bad, at least they can point to everyone else who fared just as poorly.

For this reason, these funds are often lagging in their perception of crucial market changes – changes such as a doomed currency. While many of us are buying precious metals to hedge against the collapse of the dollar, gold and silver have been taboo investments on Wall Street for years. Fund managers are taught that gold is a “barbarous relic” – much better to stick with government bonds and blue-chip stocks. That’s what everyone else is doing.

But there are early signs that the herd is changing direction.

THE CURRENCY THAT CAN’T BE PRINTED

In a remarkably under-reported story, the University of Texas’ endowment fund – the second largest in the country, after Harvard’s – added about half of a billion dollars worth of gold to its portfolio just this month, on top of the half-billion it purchased several months prior.

The university’s endowment now owns a staggering 6,643 bars of bullion (664,300 ounces), which have already appreciated by over $40 million since mid-April when the bars were delivered to a dedicated HSBC-owned vault in New York City. Not a bad start.

Kyle Bass, the well-known Hayman Capital hedge fund manager and UT endowment board member, advised the university on the purchase. He stated his reasoning plainly: “Central banks are printing more money than they ever have, so what’s the value of money in terms of purchases of goods and services? I look at gold as just another currency that they can’t print any more of.”

Apparently, the university agrees that sitting on a pile of fiat paper is an act of faith not befitting a prudent and enlightened institution.

AN INSTITUTIONAL AWAKENING

The purchase is certainly causing a few heads to turn.

Now that a major endowment has taken this step, other fund managers are going to be emboldened to follow through on their gut instincts. These are smart guys, after all; they are aware that although their funds may be posting nominal gains, they are losing much more in purchasing power. I’m sure many have privately bought precious metals, but now they have cover to do so professionally.

Perhaps the most interesting part of UT’s billion-dollar repudiation of Fed Chairman Bernanke and his printing press, however, is that the fund demanded physical delivery of the bullion. While more commonplace in Europe, this is truly unprecedented for a stateside institution.

The delivery of physical bullion has at least two important implications. The first is that UT perceives gold to be a long-term strategy for wealth preservation, as opposed to a short-term speculation. The second is that UT must be somewhat concerned about the stability of financial markets in general, so it wants to own physical gold safely stored in a vault, as opposed to owning paper claims, shares of gold funds, or other instruments with counterparty risk.

HUGE RAMIFICATIONS

I have long recommended that investors hold at least 5-10% of their portfolios in physical precious metals. UT’s $1 billion position represents roughly 5% of its $20 billion endowment, so they have reached my minimum recommendation – but likely have more buying to do.

As endowment after endowment decides to sell billions of Bernanke’s dollars and diversify into gold, what might this do to the gold price? If these colossal funds start getting the idea that holding 5% of their portfolio in gold is more conservative and intelligent than holding the current average of 1%, what will this mean for gold demand? The answer is obvious and the ramifications huge.

ONE SMALL STEP FOR INSTITUTIONS, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR GOLD

If US university endowments were to increase their gold positions from the current average of 1% to an average of 5% of their portfolios, it would equal $20 billion, or roughly 400 metric tons of gold at today’s spot price. This is significantly more than the entire yearly gold production of China, the world’s largest producer.

Beyond endowments, private foundations in the US, with 2010 assets totaling nearly $600b, would similarly require nearly 600 metric tons of gold if they sought to hold 5% of their assets in the metal – almost twice China’s yearly production.

And again, these are just US endowments and foundations; there’s a whole world of demand beyond the borders – and we can’t forget sovereign wealth funds (SFWs).

The largest SWF in the world, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, has assets worth over $600b alone. The second and third largest funds, Norway and Saudi Arabia, together constitute roughly a trillion dollars in assets.

GETTING IN BEFORE THE HERD

The point here is simple: the total investable funds around the world are immense relative to the size of the gold market. It’s not hard to perceive what a simple move from 1% to 5% of the average institutional portfolio would do to the price of gold, and this why the University of Texas’ bullion delivery is so important – it’s a vivid indication that such a move is now taking place.

Gold remains widely neglected among the big-money players, but it’s clear that they’re beginning to come to terms with the US dollar’s terrible prospects. After all, while fund managers don’t want to veer from the herd, they also don’t want to follow the herd off a cliff.
The University of Texas, with its billion-dollar stash of physical gold, is one institution that has finally seen the cliff. The physical delivery of this purchase exemplifies the severity of the threat that UT’s endowment board perceives.

The average investor should recognize that there is little time left to purchase precious metals before substantial new demand drives the price of gold higher. A very small percentage change in large institutional investment is all that’s required for massive gold price increases.

I believe we are on the cusp of a smart-money gold rush. It will drive gold to a record in real terms, even before retail investors join in. Though you may have missed the last decade of gains, there is still a chance to buy in before the stampede.

‘Good As Gold’!

The past few months have lent to me a great deal of time to ponder on such things as generosity, tolerance and patience.  The past four months or so we have been living with my mother and sister in laws and families largely due to a set of unforseen and unexpected events that put a hold on our plans of travelling this year,  the result of these being us having to stay in NZ a bit longer to attend to these things and living off the generosity, tolerance and patience of these people.

I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and as we have been given the gift of time for the moment I guess now is the time to try and figure out why these events took place and for what?

My first thought is ‘slow down’…The first bump in the road was Jasons arthritis results being not great, then my back gave out and has taken quite a while to heal…in my experience, anytime your body acts up is a warning signal to slow down and take notice.   Also the world economy is in dire straights…I don’t think I would have taken the time to really listen to the signs had I still been going at the pace I was doing before we left home.

We get so entrenched,  physically and mentally and emotionally, in our everyday lives, our own little corner of the world, trying to keep up with the Joneses or at least the gossip, trying to pay the bills and keep the family/community/church/friends happy and all the while trying to build some semblance of a life…do we forget to keep an eye on what the rest of the world is up to or just can’t be assed?  Maybe we don’t have time or the challenges we face closer to home seem much more important?

I watched a movie called ‘The Road’ the other day.  It was about a father and son in post apocolyptic America trying to survive in a barren/canabalistic, distrusting and very disturbing world.  Not a nice movie by any means but a thought provoking one.  Is our ignorance as a collective race of people really killing the only thing we all have, our physical World?

With fiat currency devaluing daily, hyperinflation about to skyrocket, wars becoming more frequent and violent, mother nature warning us rather urgently to TAKE NOTICE!  When the chips are down who can you really turn to for aid??

In my opinion, the first action to take is to be as self prepared as possible….Be as fit and healthy as you can, smoking and drinking will only slow you and your brain down, and remember you are what you eat…learn to monitor what you take in from the Media, be smart about what you watch and always ask yourself if it can affect you personally…protect yourself financially, don’t have all your eggs in one basket and make sure some of your assets are in GOLD/SILVER bullion, the time is fast coming when paper money will be a thing of the past…This one may sound weird but don’t take it lightly, start storing canned goods and non perishables, the time is coming when you will need them…and lastly learn to protect yourself, physically and mentally and know who your true friends are.

I am not a doom and gloom person but I do believe in being real and prepared. The world has much to share with us and I so want my children and grandchildren and their children and grandchildren to enjoy it as much as/if not more than us. All it will take is for us to be more aware :o)

HOW TO RAISE FUNDS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY CAUSE

Is your Community Group, your Church, your child’s School, Sports Team or Scout/Guide Group Struggling with Fund Raising?

Are you finding the traditional avenues are just not working as well as you need them to?

The time of having to buy/sell cookies, chocolate bars, run sausage sizzles (wiener roasts), raffles etc is wearing thin….these affairs usually end up involving a lot of people, time, expense and is a one-time event that you have to repeat time and time again to raise enough funds ( I am talking from experience!). Imagine having fund raising capabilities that effectively take the pressure off parents and groups so they can use their time more effectively and stop struggling with what can most times be a difficult, stressful and time consuming fund raising effort.

Maybe you could consider this innovative alternative – a KB Gold savings account.

What is KB Gold, and how does it work? And how can a savings account help with raising funds?
It’s a 100% fee-free KB Gold savings account with KB Edelmetall AG, a German financial institution, that has been helping their customers across Europe protect their wealth since 1994, and is currently in the process of expanding world-wide. KB Edelmetall AG is 100% debt free, owns their own gold mines, refinery, mint and global distribution systems.
In these trying economic times, a KB Gold savings account is the perfect vehicle to convert depreciating paper fiat currency into appreciating currency (gold and silver) in an affordable way. KB Gold cards are already accepted and approved for use in 194 countries world-wide. This is fast becoming the most popular long term fundraising opportunity on the planet. Gold and silver are known as a store of value and today, it’s becoming more and more like a free insurance policy.

Does your Bank pay you every time you refer them a new customer, and that customer deposits funds to their account? No, probably not. Yet this is EXACTLY what KB Gold does.
0.5 Gram 999.9 Kinebar Grade Gold, authenticated and hologramed for security.

KB Gold offers a product everybody needs, making fund raising simple and automatic.
It’s as easy as opening an account, and giving people your fundraising referral link, so they can go online and create their own account to buy gold and silver. Everyone who has a customer account will receive their own referral link, so they can share the opportunity with their own friends and family, all the while raising funds for your organization.
As these new customers fund their accounts and exchange their paper money for gold and silver, KB Gold rewards YOU for introducing them by paying you a premium, ongoing for as long as they remain account holders with KB Gold. This premium is available to you to withdraw in cash, or you can exchange it for gold and/or silver and watch it appreciate as your fund grows, and gold and silver values rise. A very lucrative compensation plan is part of the package.
Fundraising can be done very easily and be very worthwhile. KB Gold is recognized around the world by consumer groups for integrity, this is because there are no costs, fees, or obligations whatsoever and there has never been one complaint concerning product. Swiss certification standards have always been met and this means the highest of standards.
So you can see how introducing everyday people to the KB Gold gold-backed savings plan can exponentially help raise funds for your cause, every time someone shares the opportunity with someone else or someone exchanges currency into gold and silver.
KB Gold really looks after everything, accounts are free to everyone and all accounts are managed online in your own KB Gold site. Customers have full control of their accounts and preferred accounts receive discounts on buying and selling back to KB Gold.
This is really the opportunity most fundraising groups have been looking for. Right time, right place, right product.
KB Gold Customers have the opportunity to make one-time conversions, or regular affordable contributions into their gold backed savings plan, starting as low as US $65.00 dollars monthly. KB Gold offers 999.9 Swiss certified Kinebar gold in units as small as 0.5 grams, legal tender and accepted as real money in 194 countries so far around the world. KB Gold has no competitors. Your Gold and Silver purchases can be stored free of charge in the Swiss repository vault in St Gotthard Massif (same vault used by Swiss government) or shipped to your door. Free shipping is offered on US$4,500.00 conversions, including savings plans that reach this level.
Check it out and feel free to contact me for more information: KB Gold and Silver or email me at leanne.opthoog@gmail.com.
If you happen to know any groups that are dependent on fund-raising I kindly ask that you forward the link to this web page to them. There is no downside with this type of fund raising, everyone is a winner.

The Friends Game

In exploring the world of social media over the past few months I have discovered a few interesting things. Some people are freaks! But seriously, why bother to contact someone if you are not going to make the effort to have an actual conversation? I have had three different people from different countries attempt to talk to me live via facebook and my space in the past two weeks that started the conversation with ‘hi’, followed by two or three word answers to some questions I asked with no apparent interest in expanding the conversation. I stopped trying to instigate decent banter pretty quickly, shouldn’t have to try that hard, especially when you didn’t start it in the first place!
Then there are those that try to thrust whatever product they are into at the time at you before even saying hello!
I am an entrepreneur, I am in the business of making money online, but correct me if I am wrong: If someone moved in next door to you in your neighbourhood and the first thing they did was come over and try to sell you a new car before even introducing themselves would you not turn and run? That kind of ‘in your face’ marketing is not attractive and does not say great things about your character. I prefer to build relationships with people based on the pure ‘want to meet and get to know new people’ philosophy. If interest in my business is generated through those relationships then great! I will already know something about these people and be able to make an informed decision on whether I want to work with them or not. If no interest comes from those relationships then no problem! I have met some great people and made new friends so it is win win all round!
Social Media, to me, is just that, ‘social’. If you are shy and are not sure what to say then have a good think about it before contacting someone you don’t know already and perhaps write some topics down that you could talk about. Ask questions that will generate more than one word answers: Where do you live? What kinds of things can you do in your area? What are you interested in? Do you have any hobbies? What is your line of work? Do you have a family? Pets?
Another idea is to go into the persons profile that you wish to get to know a bit better and see for yourself what they are interested in. Find something you have in common and use that to start the conversation.
One of my favourite sayings ever I learned from one of my past mentors is quite appropriate here….”If it is not necessary to say, then it is necessary not to say it”. A little bit of effort goes a long way!

Onwards and Upwards

43 days ago we set off on our new life adventure, to explore the world!…..we are still in Hamilton, New Zealand. Things have been a little rocky to start but I am still smiling and very much looking forward to the next leg of our journey. A quick update…Jason has suffered from arthritis for the past 10 years or so (started when he was 29) and in the last 6 months things have become progressively worse. Just before we left he had visited a specialist and had a few more tests done but we had not received the results yet, we got them the other day and they are not good….osteo arthritis through most of his joints, mainly hips, hands and sholders and spina bifida at the base of his spine. So we have delayed leaving New Zealand a little while we sort the best form of action for him. I am amazed at how positive he is even though I know he is terrified of the thought of possibly becoming a cripple very early in life. We have committed to ourselves to find the best possible natural solution to this and in the meantime we will have the time of our lives this year!

We are staying with Jasons little sister and her husband in Hamilton and their father also resides there. Tony has a wonderful green thumb and has grown his own produce and done his own pickling/bottling for as long as Jason and Suzie and I can remember and this year is no different except he has decided that I could do with a bit of practical experience (having not done much pickling) and I am charged with ‘doing’ the gherkins this year. I have been lucky enough to have gorged myself with Tonys gherkins in past years and I have never found equal (my mum comes pretty close) and if I had realised how easy they were to do I would have made the effort myself long ago. Another recipe that has peaked my interest comes from Jasons little sister Suzie (who got it from Tony :o). We have been eating alot of watermelon lately as it is quite prolific at the moment and cheap and she has a recipe that uses the ‘white’ of the rind. Check out both recipes on the recipe page here and let me know what you think…..

The Fabulous North

Well, we are finally on our way! We left our house and home on Wednesday the 22nd December at 4 pm in the afternoon with our car loaded to the hilt plus two cats and the three of us and started on our 27.5 hour marathon drive to Totara North to spend Christmas and New Year with Jason’s family.

I have to say that they (child and cats) did very well…we all did really…somebody forgot to tell me that cats moult something wicked when stressed though and I am sure we gained another cat just in fur along the way! But, no messes or spews (apart from Jesse who made us stop twenty minutes from end destination because the windy roads were a bit too much for him :o), and we made great time!

Christmas and New Year were spent in great company with the usual trappings (alcohol and nibbles) and after a relatively quiet couple of weeks (Jesse developed a nasty cough) we are getting out and about and doing some serious beach time. The scenery here is amazing along with the bird life and insect life which is great as it is giving Jason ideas for Jesses impending home schooling work.

Heading over to Hamilton/Paeroa/Coromandel shortly to catch up with more whanau and I am studying the art of video recording so hope to have some footage on here soon :o) Wish me luck!

School Camp

We went on school camp last week and it was such fun! I remember the excitement of my own school camps like it was yesterday :o) Knowing all my friends, classmates, the boy I liked, would all be in the same place together for five whole days doing almost everything together was almost too much!

This time was a little different in that Jason and I are adults and it was our 12 year old sons camp we went on, but it didn’t take away from the excitement I felt…not sure if it was for me or him, probably both :o)

It was a real camp too. 21 kids, 12 adults, 14 tents in one clearing. Awesome! Girls down one end, parents and teachers in the middle, boys at the other end…mean eh? There were five cooking groups with the kids in charge, us parents were only allowed to ‘guide’. Kids did all the cooking and washing up, it was fantastic!

Tuesday morning started with a loud 6am wakeup call from the principal, a run down to the wharf then a jump into the sea! ( There was no way I was doing that!) Only happened twice, thank God, don’t think he would have survived the week otherwise :o)

Then came the activities. Kayaking, abseiling, outdoor living skills, safety, high ropes, flying fox, archery and coasteering. The kids had an absolute ball and everyone of them stepped out of their comfort zones and stretched themselves to achieve new goals everyday…..even the parents surprised themselves :o)

In the little downtime the kids had it was really neat to see them all rally together to play cricket or donkey or whatever took their fancy at the time.

Thursday night saw the ‘Master Chef Mince Creations’ Competition. Each group had chosen a recipe they wanted to do and were judged on ingredient knowledge, teamwork, taste, creativity and presentation. I am proud to say Jesses team won the big prize by excelling in all areas. Him and Cody stood by their creation in chefs uniforms and really played the part when the judges came to them.

The instructors entertained us continuously throughout our stay but really had us in stitches at the campfire on wednesday night but what really amazed us was the kids concert after dinner on Thursday. The kids had all put together some skits but as the evening wore on they just began feeding off each others encouragement and excitement and the ideas and jokes flowed freely. It was absolutely hilarious and a great way to finish the camp.

Friday morning was a bit slow and sad as no-one wanted to go home but after we had packed and cleaned up we had time for some beach and boat fun complete with dolphins and seals!!

All three boys that were with us fell asleep on the way home…..excellent trip…..if you are ever looking for a place to camp
I recommend Wainui YMCA Camping grounds and cabins, turn off before you reach Akoroa, Mid Canterbury, New Zealand….you wont be disappointed.

34 Days Until Blastoff!!

My family and I are going travelling for a year in 2011. To supplement this journey I wanted to have something I could do while we were travelling and after researching many things I settled on Online Marketing. This bought up a few challenges…
• I knew very little about the internet and how to use it
• I had heard lots of stories about people spending huge amounts of money on learning how to Market online and advertising and still not getting anywhere
• I didn’t know where to look to find the information I needed to know and if I found something how would I know if it was legitimate?
• How much time would it take?
• How would I generate traffic/monitor leads?
• What would I say!
I have to say I was feeling a little apprehensive. I did not have a lot of money to invest and wanted to make sure that I was spending it wisely and getting value for money. Needless to say I spent a few days and nights with these things on my mind. I confess to thinking “wouldn’t it be great if I could find a system that could teach me everything I needed to know about internet marketing in one place!” The power of attraction and the mind is astounding!
Two days later I saw a wee ad while’surfing around’ that caught my attention and I was introduced to a complete Marketing System that teaches you everything from setting up a website and managing leads to writing articles and blogging, social media, press releases, copy writing, Search Engine Optimization, pay per click etc etc, the list goes on. (I didn’t even know what half of those terms meant before!) Even more than the basics of what I needed to know I have also discovered a very unique community of givers that I am constantly learning from and being inspired by. The support I have while on this journey is amazing!
Here are some things I learned along the way:
1) Research is a valuable tool and when done diligently will always give you a clearer and bigger picture…always do your due diligence and research the company and the people, and the companies and people associated with your company and people, that you are thinking about doing business with…it may save you thousands of dollars and hours. Knowing that the company you have chosen is one of good repute and that the people who run it do so with integrity and commitment to their members will help you start your journey feeling safe and ready.
2) When you are happy with your choice, commit to it (if it feels good, do it!). Having a ‘do it until’ attitude means you are half way to succeeding already.
3) Get to work and do your best to be focused. Allowing distractions in is the biggest and most common killer of result producing work.
4) Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It is widely known that to have more you must become more and there are many books out there that will help to get you on your way to learning the skills and becoming the person you want to be, and what better way is there than to learn from those that have already done it and succeeded!
5) Commit to paper your dreams and goals. Become very familiar with the things you want to achieve, have and do. Affirm this daily, several times if you want, until your dreams eventually become your reality.
6) The internet is indeed a very large entity to become involved with and can quite quickly overwhelm you if you are not used to it. Have a plan everyday of what you want to achieve and stick to it and you will surely move you and your business forward. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
So in addition to learning how to develop a business on the internet I have received exceptional value for my money and even made my investment back by sharing this system with others. I have widened my knowledge base of the internet and marketing hugely and made a heap of new friends all in the space of a few months. I am looking forward to learning a lot more while travelling, about the world wide web and other worldly things:o)
Helpful Things
The Power of Focus, Jack Canfield Carbon Copy Pro http://livelongandprospernow.comhttp://www.YouTube.com http://www.yahoo.com http://www.google.com
Live Long and Prosper! Leanne Opthoog Entrepreneur Extraordinaire
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leanne_Opthoog

The Countdown Is On!!

51 days to go before we set off on the next stage of our Journey Of Life.   I am sooooo excited!!!

This year has been one of bitter and sweet.  We have gone through the motions of life, dealing with everyday challenges as they come along, fending off the negative and trying to surround ourselves with positivity.  This can be very difficult at times, to see the wood for the trees, but what won’t kill you will surely make you stronger?

In embarking on this trip we are foregoing the ‘normal’ lifestyle, the safeness of traditionalism…..I see the fear in peoples eyes when we talk of what we want to accomplish…..we have chosen instead a life of uncertainty, of adventure, a life that many would love to embark upon but few do…..because of fear.  For us this adventure is a journey of discovery.  We want to rediscover ourselves as a family, as individuals, without the confines of what we have always thought we should do or what was expected of us.  Friends and family and work mates always mean well but in the end who are we really living our lives for? We know there are so many different ways to live life and we would like to experience as many of those as we can and in doing so expand our horizons exponentionally.  With knowledge comes more choice and with choice anything is possible!

So the time is drawing near…I feel within myself a new fire igniting.  My dreams are becoming more vivid. Gone are the constraints of normalism and instead are sprouting wings of expectation.  I can’t wait to share with Jason and Jesse this amazing life and also with you!  Look out for the next update :o)

Some Secrets To Great Copy Writing

We all want attention…All 1.5 billion of us who are using the internet at any given time.  So the question is how do we attract attention more than the guy next to us?  In my quest for answers to this question I discovered a few key points:

1) Identify your market then hang out where they shop. If you are selling lemons the car market may not be the best place to look for prospects.

2) Keyword research is essential (use google keyword search). Give your audience what they are looking for.

3) Entice them…your headline should pull them in…dress your keywords up

4) Now you have their attention, you have to keep it!  Give them the promised info…but not all of it (Give value, inspire, entertain and build trust)

5) Now tell them where to get more….

6) Keep it all simple, don’t try to convince, concentrate on giving your prospects what they want and focus on giving this to the people who want what you want. Be relevant and to the point throughout.

7) Be descriptive but not over the top, less is more.

8) When writing Articles or Ezines think about your angle. Enter the conversation that is already going on inside your prospects head!

9) Spend more time on editing and formatting than on writing.

10) Use what inspires you…it makes the best stories.

11) And wherever possible use the AIDA Formula

• A = Attention
• I  = Interest
• D = Desire
• A = Action

12) Always try and ask a question…96% of people will try and answer in their heads before they realize what they are doing!

RESOURCES

The Copywriters Handbook                 Robert Bly

Hypnotic Writing                 Joe Vitale

The Ultimate Sales Letter                 Dan Kennedy

Outrageous Advertising that is Outrageously  Effective          Bill Glazer

Happy writing :o)