The Shortage, Are You Preparing?

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ZNP

ZNP

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#501
Sep 14, 2020
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#501
BRICS --

Brazil -- the major economic power in South America
Russia
India
China -- the three major economic powers in Asia, by comparison Japan and South Korea are completely overmatched in every way.
South Africa -- the major economic power in Africa.

BRICS represents an alliance of South America, Africa and Asia. They represent at least 75% of the world's population, probably 80%.

 
ZNP

ZNP

Well-known member
#502
Sep 14, 2020
37,483
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#502
 
ZNP

ZNP

Well-known member
#503
Sep 14, 2020
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#503

70,000 independent truckers forced off of California roads. The law says you have to be an employee of the company you are driving for, can't be an independent contractor. There are 70,000 independent truckers in California. Think about what happened to the airline industry with a few pilots and other personnel leaving rather than get vaccinated. 70,000 truck drivers is more than half of all truck drivers in California.
 
ZNP

ZNP

Well-known member
#505
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#505
 
ZNP

ZNP

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#506
 
JohnDB

JohnDB

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Jan 16, 2021
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I have been thinking about getting into machining.
Not necessarily CNC machining but old fashioned machining.

Now a lot of parts are getting to be hard to come by these days. A little part for an old mechanical device can absolutely make it completely worthless if it's broke.
Not to mention that these old gizmos are usually out of date....non-computerized technology and plastic parts just don't work with a lot of them.

How do you make a motor that works hook up to a pump if you don't have a key to connect it with?
Or even a piece of art like a manual clock with gears....

Gears and screws and handles and all kinds of funky looking parts we take for granted until they are gone.

So I've been looking into it. And it looks fairly interesting and fun.
But also really useful. A machinist's lathe and a mill and some other bits and pieces. Lots of various vices and clamps and odds and ends....and if you don't have the tools you need you can make the rest. Which is a function of machining.

Let's face it....Singapore and South America are a long ways away....

Lots of things that can be made....lots and lots.
 
ZNP

ZNP

Well-known member
#509
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Most People do not fully appreciate inflation

I read an article that convinced me that people have no idea what a highway robbery inflation is.

So let's consider a middle aged person, they make $80,000 a year, they got a 5% raise this year and they have a 401k that was worth 200K last November.

True inflation is higher than 5% so their real wages have decreased. However, is that really all that has happened?

1. The value of their 401K has dropped 30%, so instead of 200K it is now worth $140K.

but it's worse

2. 140K has lost 20% of its purchasing power, so that is like losing another 28K.

All told they have lost 88K this year and they only make 80K.

You have been robbed by Nancy and her gang printing money non stop.
 
A

apwall21

Banned
#511
Jul 9, 2022
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ZNP said:
1. The value of their 401K has dropped 30%, so instead of 200K it is now worth $140K.

but it's worse

2. 140K has lost 20% of its purchasing power, so that is like losing another 28K.
Click to expand...
Purchasing power IS inflation. If I'm not mistaken. You don't actually lose the money, it just buys less. Unless you put money in a Bank in some parts of Europe where they actually DO take the money from your bank account.
[post comment]
oh, I get what you're saying. yeah, if they were in stocks, right now the 401k is down. if they can avoid touching it, it should rise again at some point.
 
A

apwall21

Banned
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Jul 9, 2022
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Godsgirl83 said:
I have noticed a few Walmarts doing this more & more the past several years (going back a year or so BEFORE covid was even an issue).....

Walmart shoppers beware with this because SOMETIMES the walmart label is HIGHER than brand names in a regular grocery store.
Click to expand...
But while that may also be true, it's routine for me to find that local store brands are better quality than "national" brands. Possibly because they don't have as much warehousing in between, but more often because the ingredients in "national brands," have to sustain the item through the shipping and warehousing, and so that means more preservatives.
 
ZNP

ZNP

Well-known member
#513
Sep 14, 2020
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apwall21 said:
Purchasing power IS inflation. If I'm not mistaken. You don't actually lose the money, it just buys less. Unless you put money in a Bank in some parts of Europe where they actually DO take the money from your bank account.
[post comment]
oh, I get what you're saying. yeah, if they were in stocks, right now the 401k is down. if they can avoid touching it, it should rise again at some point.
Click to expand...
:LOL::ROFL: famous last words.

Stock advice from the "Do Nothing and Hope for the Best" school of investing.

Why would anyone listen to this advice? If you sell your stocks and bonds you have a taxable event (unless it is a 401k or IRA in which case you don't). So small dips like 5-10% don't make sense for a lot of people to trade in and out of. But 30%, everyone should have sold at the top. Even if you want to buy it back now you have dropped your cost average for the future and the money you saved will easily pay the taxes.
 
ZNP

ZNP

Well-known member
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Sep 14, 2020
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ZNP said:
:LOL::ROFL: famous last words.

Stock advice from the "Do Nothing and Hope for the Best" school of investing.

Why would anyone listen to this advice? If you sell your stocks and bonds you have a taxable event (unless it is a 401k or IRA in which case you don't). So small dips like 5-10% don't make sense for a lot of people to trade in and out of. But 30%, everyone should have sold at the top. Even if you want to buy it back now you have dropped your cost average for the future and the money you saved will easily pay the taxes.
Click to expand...
For Tax Exempt accounts it is a no brainer to sell. I sold all my wife's IRA back in November and told her to keep it in cash.

Now if you go to Steve Bannon's War Room Pandemic podcast, go back to November and December when the market was at the top they told you this would happen. They laid out the data and economic news and political news that showed this was inevitable. Steve Cortez gave you these reports for free!

Why would you continue to listen to idiots who are "do nothing and hope for the best". You listen to people who know what is going to happen, not those who are clueless.

Anyway they are not telling you to buy into this market now, the projection is another ten years of depression. The bottom may come sooner, but their recommendation is gold and silver.
 
A

apwall21

Banned
#515
Jul 9, 2022
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#515
ZNP said:
:LOL::ROFL: famous last words.
"everyone should have sold at the top."
Click to expand...
The best time to sell was yesterday. The best time to buy, also yesterday.
If they have it, and they sell now, they take a 30% loss. What you have done is called 'After the Sale' specifically to insult me, apparently.
You got a time machine, cause if no, bite your tongue on jumping to what I did or didn't say.
 
ZNP

ZNP

Well-known member
#516
Sep 14, 2020
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BTW Bannon also said when Musk came out with his $54 offer on TWTR that there was no way he would pay that amount. You could have taken that advice, sold TWTR (or shorted it if you didn't own it) at $50 a share in April or even May. Now it is about 40% lower at $34 a share and falling like a knife.
 
ZNP

ZNP

Well-known member
#517
Sep 14, 2020
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#517
apwall21 said:
The best time to sell was yesterday. The best time to buy, also yesterday.
If they have it, and they sell now, they take a 30% loss. What you have done is called 'After the Sale' specifically to insult me, apparently.
You got a time machine, cause if no, bite your tongue on jumping to what I did or didn't say.
Click to expand...
No, I sold back in November and it was based on advice from Bannon which you can go back and watch his shows in November.
 
ZNP

ZNP

Well-known member
#518
Sep 14, 2020
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#518
apwall21 said:
The best time to sell was yesterday. The best time to buy, also yesterday.
If they have it, and they sell now, they take a 30% loss. What you have done is called 'After the Sale' specifically to insult me, apparently.
You got a time machine, cause if no, bite your tongue on jumping to what I did or didn't say.
Click to expand...
Take your own advice.
 
ZNP

ZNP

Well-known member
#520
Sep 14, 2020
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#520
Why do we look at data, and charts, and earnings reports if not to spot patterns and predict the future. You think that Buffet did so well investing by throwing darts at a dart board?
 
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