Gary Christenson – Ninety seven years ago in Tennessee a train wreck killed 101 people. It was shocking, unexpected, and devastating.
In the year 2000 the Tech-Wreck was unexpected, the NASDAQ market crashed, and $Trillions of paper wealth disappeared. Most investors were shocked and their savings were devastated.
The housing market crash/financial crisis/train wreck of 2008 shocked most people, destroyed retirement plans, and caused $Trillions in paper wealth to disappear. Many global economies have not yet recovered.
Few people see the train coming that wrecks their financial lives…
Although everyone knows that markets, such as the NASDAQ in 2000, don’t rally forever, most of us are shocked when the crash occurs. (“No one saw it coming.)
Although everyone should know that real estate prices do not rise forever, in 2006-07 most Americans believed that the real estate bubble would continue inflating. Politicians, realtors, and Wall Street continually reassured homeowners. (“No one saw it coming.”)
Between Denial And Delusion Lies A Thin Zone Of Clarity. In that zone of clarity we realize that train wrecks occur, printing money only increases the wealth of the political and financial elite, our financial leaders have created bubbles in stocks, bonds, and currencies, bubbles always pop, and bubbles do not pop painlessly.
In 2015 most people realize that we can’t get “something for nothing,” but our actions often indicate otherwise. Examples are:
- We are currently struggling in a financial crisis largely caused by leverage and debt. The financial and political elite have assured us they will solve the crisis with more leverage and debt. Denial and delusion!