Bullion,Stocks & Bonds, Scripophily

One of the top political topics of 2009 was the health care reform plan which is still being worked on by Congress. Because of the vociferous debate about the plan, US citizens have probably become much more knowledgeable about the amount of debt that the US government owes. A great deal of that debt is held by countries such as China and that fact too has captured the public’s attention.

But, there is another type of debt that isn’t talked about as frequently. I am referring to what is called unfunded liabilities. In essence, the US government has made promises to pay monies today and in the future to it’s citizens. We are talking about Social Security and Medicare.

The government raises funds for these expenditures from various taxes and then uses the money to fund the program. These programs are considered unfunded liabilities because, projecting out in the future, the revenues from the taxes will not be able to fund the projected expenditures. The numbers are actually quite staggering. The Social Security unfunded liability is projected to be 17.5 trillion dollars.

The Medicare unfunded liability is actually projected to be much higher. Medicare actually has parts A, B, and D, Part A funds hospital care. Part B funds Medical visits, and part D funds prescription drugs. The part A unfunded liability is estimated at 36 trillion dollars, part B at 37 trillion dollars, and part D at 15 trillion dollars.

The total amount of the unfunded liability comes out to just over 100 trillion dollars, or approximately $33, 000 for every man, woman, and child in the country. And since the private net worth of all Americans together is estimated at just over $50 trillion dollars by the Federal Reserve, you can see the problem.

The reason that many are concerned is that the only 2 ways to rectify the situation is either to markedly raise taxes or cut the promised benefits. Since, most analysts feel that it is politically very difficult to cut promised benefits, most foresee significant tax raises in the future. There are some analysts who are much more sanguine about the problem arguing that there are so many assumptions built into these analyses that they could be significantly inaccurate.

Ricardo Smith is a financial journalist with an interest in international economics and macro investment trends. He is particularly interested in the latest opinions of the world’s most successful investors.

His latest website provides Gold Bullion Bar information as well as information on Krugerrand Gold Coins

So how About Selling Gold Jewelry Tips – Tips to Get the Most Money For Your Gold

When I first started looking for selling gold jewelry tips, I came across a lot of confusing information, and quite frankly, I found a lot of garbage out there. My goal is to help you identify the resources that will help you get the most money for your gold jewelry if you are deciding to sell your jewelry for extra cash during these very difficult economic times. These are not tips to help you get the most money if you are looking to pawn your precious items. These tips will help you navigate some of the different options that you have when looking for the best place to sell your gold.

Tip Number 1

Think twice before selling your unwanted gold to pawn shops. Why, because this type of gold buyer is simply a middle-man that is making a profit off of your gold. The pawn shop will make the lowest offer possible for your gold so his profits will be maximized when the gold is resold to a refinery. I have absolutely nothing against pawn shops. Finding great buys in local pawn shops has been a hobby of mine for many years. If you want to find a great used home theater system, bicycle or lawnmower, go to a pawn shop and I am most certain that you will find a great buy for items like these. But if you are wanting to sell your gold and actually make a real profit, consider other options before selling your gold items to a pawn shop.

Tip Number 2

Hesitate before you run to your local jeweler to sell your unwanted gold. If you have a very nice piece of gold jewelry that is well made and has a lot of value as being a crafted piece of precious metal, then a jewelry store may be your best option. But if you have broken gold earrings or unwanted various gold items, local jewelry stores simply have no real interest in re-selling those types items. They may be willing to buy your scrap gold, but they are just not going to offer you very much money.

Tip Number 3

Think about finding an online gold buyer. If you have not heard of this type of gold buyer, let me fill you in on how they work. Typically you will navigate to their website where you will enter your information to receive a free mailing kit so you can send them your unwanted gold by mail. The different online gold buyers call it different things and describe it in different ways, but they basically offer the same service. Their overheads are low and many of them actually don’t advertise a whole lot. Since their advertising costs and other overheads are low, they typically offer a higher cash payout for your gold than pawn shops or jewelry stores. Yep, it’s as simple as that.

Now here is a little secret that you may not be aware of. Many of these online gold buyers are also refineries. This means you can cut out the middle man and maximize your profits. Cash for Gold Review offers insight and takes a closer look at the so called top online gold buyer. Visit http://cashforgold-review.com to find out how to sell your gold refinery direct and get the most cash for your gold.

Bond Bubble 2011 – Your Best Bond Fund Investment Strategy

Just in case Chicken Little is right and there is a bond bubble that deflates in 2011, what’s your best bond fund investment strategy in regard to these income funds, which you probably own or are considering? If this so-called bond bubble bursts, even the best bond fund of yesteryear could make you feel like the sky is falling if you don’t have a sound investment strategy in place to deal with it. Here are some investment ideas for average investors.

The best investment strategy is everything if bonds unravel in 2011 or beyond and you are a typical investor in mutual funds in an IRA, 401k, or other account. That’s because most people steered clear of riskier investments like stock funds after the financial crisis. Many invested in the best bond fund they could find – one that paid the most interest. Well, yesterday’s best income fund is today’s fund to avoid if interest rates go up, so here’s your best investment strategy going forward.

Cut back on bond funds (also called INCOME funds) in general in 2011. Bond prices are high by historical standards and could go into a freefall if investors start selling these securities and the shares of the mutual funds that invest in them. That’s what happens when a bubble deflates – prices (value) fall. Your best investment strategy for the money you free up: high-quality equity-income (stock) funds that pay dividends of 2% to 3%, and money market funds. Many income funds pay less than 3% in dividends. Money funds should earn increasingly higher interest income as bond fund prices fall and interest rates go up.

The best investment strategy for the money you keep in bond funds: go with short-term and intermediate-term funds equally and avoid long-term funds. The latter will get clobbered when the bond bubble deflates and investor selling accelerates. Don’t go with the highest or best quality funds that invest heavily in U.S. Treasury bonds and notes. These pay less interest because they are backed by the government. But they are in the same boat as other income funds if the bond bubble deflates and interest rates rise. Go with high to medium quality funds for the extra interest income.

Keeping the cost of investing low will be a major part of the best bond fund investment strategy for 2011 and beyond. You’re not trying to get rich in an income fund. You are trying to get higher interest income at a moderate level of risk. Why pay sales charges and high expenses? That’s like riding in a leaky boat, and only takes money out of your account. Invest cheap with bond INDEX funds from either of the two largest fund companies in America: Vanguard and Fidelity. They offer broad diversification and very low yearly expenses, with NO SALES CHARGES to buy or sell.

If you are willing to be proactive in 2011 and beyond, here’s a technique to add to make our best bond fund investment strategy even better. You’ve got a pool of money in your money market fund and some in an intermediate-term income fund. Tell your fund company to automatically move the same amount of money each month, from the money fund to buy shares in the income fund, so that in about three years you will have equal amounts in both. The advantage of this investment strategy: if the bond bubble deflates in 2011 and for a couple more years, you will be buying more and more bond fund shares as the fund price falls. This is called dollar cost averaging and it spreads out your risk. Plus, it lowers your average cost per share.

Your best bond fund investment strategy for 2011 and beyond: cut your general exposure to income funds; go with shorter-term quality (not the highest) funds, lower costs with index funds, and dollar cost average back into intermediate-term funds. The bond bubble may or may not deflate significantly. If it does millions of average investors will take it on the chin and wonder what happened. With the best investment strategy, you shouldn’t be one of them.

Author James Leitz teaches investment basics, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, investing and how to invest in his investing guide for beginners called INVEST INFORMED. Put Jim’s 40 years of investing experience to work for you and learn how to invest at http://www.investinformed.com today.

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Now that you have taken the time to read this post, take the time and read my many other posts, am sure you will find what you need.