Happy belated holidays, folks, and best wishes for a prosperous and drama-controlled New Year! My rotator cuff surgery is healing quite nicely, and I am back at the keyboard. This current Chairman’s Communiqué is the first installment in a new report I’m writing called Surviving the New Depression – An Investor’s Guide to Prosperity, which will be included in your January statements. Cheers!
The Road Ahead
The economic collapse of the late 2000s has made for one of the most challenging – and promising – investment landscapes in modern history. It will surely present once-in-a-lifetime catastrophes – and opportunities. No matter how well your finances have traveled to this point in history, the opinions you form to illuminate the decisions you must make going forward will make all the difference. Some will decide mostly right and prosper, even build vast wealth. Others’ decisions – the vast majority – will be less fortunate, and will drive them to – even beyond – the brink of poverty.
For those in the latter rank, this could not occur at a worse time in U.S. history: our country’s population, aging, and living far longer than all but science fiction writers had predicted, was already poised to drain our collective resources to the breaking point via Medicare and Social Security; this new collapse will change things for most retirees in fundamental and heartbreaking ways. The long-anticipated (but little-spoken of) pre-collapse answer to this problem was higher taxes. The deathwatch-fragility of the current environment makes this solution problematic, for at least several years, and probably many more. If taxes are raised too soon (as many of us expect), and are prematurely focused on “fat cat” investors and businesses – the engines of prosperity – (also predicted) the quagmire will deepen.
However this goes, carefully charting the safe paths to wealth has never, in most of our lifetimes, been a more painstaking proposition. The lessons of the past offer only partial guidance, and if rote-fully applied, offer near-certain doom. Hopefully the information and intuitive surmise we provide here will help you more deftly leap from rock to slimy rock, and to safely pass over this rising torrent of perilous uncertainty.
Welcome to the Mad Max road to financial security in the early 21st Century.
Our Economic-Indicators Forecast
Let’s begin with my humble predictions for the economic matrix. Of course, all are most uncertain, and the farther out, the more unsure.
Having said all that, we at Camarda forge ahead confident in our ability to face whatever Fate may throw at us, and secure in the knowledge that fear is our enemy, while hope, hard work and persistence will get us through the roughest times. May peace be with you all.
Important Information – Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment strategy or product made reference to directly or indirectly in the communique will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), or be suitable for your portfolio. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or position. Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this communique serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Camarda Financial Advisors, Inc. (“Camarda”).
Clients are reminded to contact Camarda if there are any changes in your financial situation or investment objectives, or if you wish to impose, add or modify any reasonable restrictions to our investment management services. A copy of our current written disclosure statement discussing our advisory services and fees continues to remain available for your review upon request. To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issues discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with a professional advisor of his/her choosing.