Category: Personal Finance

In these economic times, we’re living in a land of “scarcity.” But on today’s episode of The Banyan Edge Podcast, our special guest is real estate investment expert Ronan McMahon. He sees incredible opportunity in the land of real estate — especially in South and Central America. Find out more about how he helps subscribers of his newsletter, Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA), find incredible investments…   Tune in below! (Or read a transcript.)   Hot Topics in Today’s Podcast: How Ronan sees “scarcity versus opportunity” in real estate investing. [8:00] The main purpose of RETA, and how it helps[…]

Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and Net Zero 2050… All myths. There’s no way we’re going to have zero carbon emissions in 2050. It’s a pipe dream. But the reality is new projects like the Keystone pipeline could help rein in rising oil and gas prices. So why was canceling it one of the very first things President Joe Biden did on his first day in office? I recently sat down with Diana Furchtgott-Roth to find out. Diana served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the U.S. Department of Transportation. She’s also served in the White House[…]

Back in February, I was at a company retreat with my Money & Markets team along with Banyan Hill. Before you groan, this wasn’t a “mai tais on the beach” kind of retreat. This was a “notepads in a conference room, drain the coffeemaker, bring up the slide deck, get stuff done” kind of retreat. (OK, we did go to Medieval Times, and it was a hoot.) In any case, I spoke at this retreat about the major investment themes on my radar. One or two of them raised eyebrows … which I saw as a good sign. Several of[…]

Banks face existential challenges. That’s partly due to their business model. They take deposits, which can be withdrawn at any time. They use those deposits to make loans that are repaid over years. There’s an obvious mismatch there. If interest rates rise, depositors might want higher rates on their deposits. If the bank won’t pay them, they’ll move their money. That’s a problem because banks don’t keep all the deposits in cash. They use deposits to make loans. The banking system lends out about $3.18 for each dollar they hold in cash. This means banks can cover withdrawals as long[…]

Private jets, personal chauffeurs and a large entourage… That’s the way CEOs of most multibillion companies travel. But not this founder/CEO. He drove a beat-up Ford F-150 pickup truck with a four-speed transmission. The truck also had a few “aftermarket” dents. And his only entourage was his hunting dog Roy. That’s the way Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart stores used to get around. At the time of his death in 1992, Mr. Sam’s net worth was nearly $25 billion… And he still drove his trusty red pickup truck. For Mr. Sam, being frugal wasn’t something he woke up with[…]

You’ve got to see this chart… It shows the largest 100 stocks in the Nasdaq… Mega-cap growth and tech stocks, like META, Apple and Microsoft. [1:40] They are about to break out. The Index is already up 28% from where it was in October 2022. And when big-cap growth stocks take off, the small-caps are soon to follow. All the signs point to a HUGE bull market for these stocks. The driving forces for it are artificial intelligence and robotics automation, and microchip technology. So in today’s video, you’ll find out why this is the biggest trend of the year.[…]

The power of artificial intelligence is only growing. ChatGPT can create art and chart-topping music. It can deepfake and learn how to write entire essays in your voice. It can even take your order in the drive-thru at Wendy’s. This industry is projected to grow to a whopping $51.8 billion by 2028. That’s why Amber Lancaster is joining me on this week’s episode of The Banyan Edge Podcast. We’re chatting about ChatGPT, the present and near future of AI and how it’s already affecting the U.S. economy. And as an added bonus: We’re revealing our top AI and robotics ETF[…]

It’s May. This is a financial newsletter. So I’m more or less contractually obligated to talk to you about one of the most popular and practical-sounding rhymes in finance… “Sell in May and go away.” Per the industry gold standard on seasonality, the Stock Trader’s Almanac, this simple strategy of selling your stocks in May and buying them again in November is a reliable way to both increase returns and reduce your risk going all the way back to 1950. And the data backs that up… January 1.2% February -0.1% March 0.5% April 1.5% May -0.1% June 0.8% July 1.6%[…]

U.S. investors have had plenty to grapple with on the home front this year… Inflation … recession fears … and a banking crisis, to name a few. So I wouldn’t blame anyone for missing a few key developments involving the U.S. dollar … and its coveted status as the world’s reserve currency. Within just the last six months: The UAE began early talks with India to trade non-oil commodities in Indian rupees. China also expressed a desire to move away the dollar for local commodities trade. Brazil and Argentina are, in their presidents’ words, “advancing discussion on a common South[…]

Europeans were ready to celebrate in 1815. Napoleon was defeated and in exile. The continent was finally at peace after 12 years of the Napoleonic Wars. The British were especially excited. Their second war with America, the War of 1812, was also over. The textile industry was booming. But by the end of the year, both Europe and the U.K. were in an economic depression. This downturn isn’t a surprise to economic historians. Economic troubles often follow wars. At least since the time of Napoleon, wars are massive effort. Troops in the field need weapons, ammunition, uniforms, meals and other[…]