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Dan Ariely: Why Humans Are Hard-Wired to Make Irrational Decisions Around Money

Looking back at the carnage created by the bursting of the credit bubble, it’s natural to scratch your head and ask How did we ever let that happen? Behavioral economics exists to answer questions like this.

Chris sat down with Dan Ariely, gallivanting behavioral-economics-researcher-extraordinaire, who is breathing new life into this previously obscure field of study. The resulting interview is full of fresh, non-intuitive insights and shines light on how the human brain is often hard-wired for irrational action when it comes to money.

Iceland – The Model the Bankers Would Like to Forget

PREVIEW

by Chris Martenson

As the 2008 banking crisis unfolded, a lot of secret decisions were made that essentially boiled down to this: The bankers did not want to absorb the losses that resulted from their decisions. The name of the game was who is going to eat the losses? And the early target, as always, was taxpayers.

Iceland – The Model the Bankers Would Like to Forget

PREVIEW by Chris Martenson

Is Gold at a Turning Point?

by Adam Taggart

There's no way to sugarcoat the dismal performance of the precious metals in recent months. But a revisitation of the reasons for owning them reveals no cracks in the underlying thesis for doing so.

In fact, there are a number of new compelling developments arguing that the long heartbreak for gold and silver holders will soon be over.

Is Gold at a Turning Point?

by Adam Taggart

There's no way to sugarcoat the dismal performance of the precious metals in recent months. But a revisitation of the reasons for owning them reveals no cracks in the underlying thesis for doing so.

In fact, there are a number of new compelling developments arguing that the long heartbreak for gold and silver holders will soon be over.

Ron Paul: Rejecting Authoritarian Government Is Our Greatest Priority

by Chris Martenson

Dr Ron Paul has long been a leading voice for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, sound money, civil liberty, and non-interventionist foreign policies.

His last term in the U.S. House of Representatives ended earlier this year, so we caught up with the former Congressman to get his latest perspective on how successfully our national leadership is dealing with America’s economic challenges.

Ron Paul: Rejecting Authoritarian Government Is Our Greatest Priority

by Chris Martenson

Dr Ron Paul has long been a leading voice for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, sound money, civil liberty, and non-interventionist foreign policies.

Four Signs That We’re Back in Dangerous Bubble Territory

by Chris Martenson

As the global equity and bond markets grind ever higher, abundant signs exist that we are once again living through an asset bubble – or rather a whole series of bubbles in a variety of markets. This makes this period quite interesting, but also quite dangerous.

With equity and bond markets at or near all-time record highs, with all financial assets consistently shrugging off bad – or worse – news as the riskiest of assets continue to find consistent upward bids, we find ourselves in familiar and bubbly territory.

Four Signs That We’re Back in Dangerous Bubble Territory

by Chris Martenson

Rep. Ken Ivory & Dan Griffiths: Creating a Financial Emergency Plan for States

by Chris Martenson

In a country where insolvent states increasingly compete for Federal funds, Utah is bucking the trend. And in the process, it’s showing the type of leadership this nation will need more of to deal with its national economic plight.

A recent slew of new legislation has been passed – collectively known as the Financial Ready Utah (FRU) initiative – to assess the state’s greatest financial vulnerabilities and to identify the most promising programs for addressing them at the state, community, and household levels. As a result of its earthquake-prone geology, Utah has developed a robust statewide disaster-response system. The FRU initiative prudently asks: Shouldn’t we also have a financial-earthquake preparedness program in case of another 2008-style (or worse) economic shock, which the math indicates is more than likely?

Rep. Ken Ivory & Dan Griffiths: Creating a Financial Emergency Plan for States

by Chris Martenson

Charting Gold

by charleshughsmith

Few investment/finance topics spark as many strong emotions as gold, for its adherents and detractors are equally committed to their views, and equally unlikely to switch camps.

Adherents view gold as the only real money in a world of constant currency debasements, while detractors don’t see gold as an investment, as it lacks a yield and price-earnings ratio.

Charting Gold

by charleshughsmith

Few investment/finance topics spark as many strong emotions as gold, for its adherents and detractors are equally committed to their views, and equally unlikely to switch camps.

Adherents view gold as the only real money in a world of constant currency debasements, while detractors don’t see gold as an investment, as it lacks a yield and price-earnings ratio.

We’ve Dug a Pretty Damn Big Hole for Ourselves

by JHK

The diminishing returns of technology are insidious, and they are ever with us. By this I mean the slow erosion of the quality of life, despite the impression that technological wonders only make our lives better.

We’ve Dug a Pretty Damn Big Hole for Ourselves

by JHK

Unintended Consequences Are Increasing World Demand for Gold

by Chris Martenson

With the financial experts claiming, some gleefully, that gold has "lost its safe haven status" in the aftermath of its biggest tumble in 30 years, many commentators thought (hoped?) that the dramatic price drop would steer people away from gold ownership. To my eyes, the past week has all the earmarks of a high-gloss propaganda campaign complete with well placed anti-gold stories in the media and the careful use of language aimed at sowing doubt about gold's ability to be a store of wealth.

But for those who consider gold a store of value, the recent gold slam is a gift: an invitation to purchase more sound money with fewer units of paper currency. In other words, a sweet deal. Gold and silver on sale and the world is taking advantage.