America the great has 41 million of it's people on food stamps, and 26 million looking for work!

Image by Beverly & Pack via FlickrAmericans everywhere continue to espouse the view that they live in "the greatest country on earth". This is so ingrained in the American psyche that the words are spoken as a matter of fact, without question.  It makes me wonder how the rest of the world views Americans who continue to believe this in the face of a creeping, almost overwhelming sense, that the American century has officially ended.

Obama burned by big bank bonuses!

Image via Wikipedia

There once was a guy named Obama,
who caused quite a financial drama,
when he scolded the banks, their share prices tanked,
and investors went running to Momma!

John Heinzl - The Globe and Mail.

Wow, what a week on Wall Street. The big dogs of gluttony were given a kick in the rear by no less than the President of the United States. Did they derserve it. Yes they did. Do they deserve the financial and regulatory chains that will envelope them over the next few years. Most certainly.

When "banks" like Goldman Sachs use their clients money to buy tankers full of oil, sitting in docks around the world until the price of oil spikes, and when J.P. Morgan owns wind farms in direct competition with some of it's own clients and investors during a green energy revolution, it's time for change. When Goldman Sachs and other big banks drive up food prices in both the developing world and the developed world, it is time for change. When they pay out $160 Billion dollars in executive bonuses in the face of the devastation of the U.S. economy, it's time for change!

What do these companies make? Why they make money, lots and lots of money, and they make "no apologies". Now I know that statement goes to the very heart of capitalism, but at what cost. For each and every member of the United States congress, they have three lobbyists in Washington to look after their interests. For clarity, the American public have one person speaking for them for every "three" people speaking for the banking lobby, and that doesn't even address the tie in with actual Government bodies that were meant to regulate these behemoths and did not.

Maybe President Obama should consider financial advisers who "are not" the alumni of Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. Just maybe, an outsiders point of view might bring clarity to a bungled regulatory regime. After a full year of "back burner" status while the health care debate took center stage, the economy is finally and decisively, in Obama's sights.

So where does this leave the small investor trying to find sense from the current fiasco? Technology, green energy and resource companies. Companies that actually make things that will make the world a better place and that will make life easier, and the environment cleaner. Companies where they still "make things" as well as make money. Buying such companies on the current dips could boost your Retirefund tremendously over the coming year.

Don't cry for the big banks. They always find a way to wriggle free. Watch for that to happen over the coming months.

Also see: Seeking Alpha

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Dilly Dollar Daze in the USA - What's next?

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The American dollar has taken a hit against every major currency this year, and there may be more pain (or gain depending on your view) to come. From the Euro to the Yen, the greenback has taken a beating. Even the Canadian dollar and the Australian dollar have gained 25% or more on the greenback this year. $500 bucks ain't what it used to be.

Back in January, $500 usd would buy approx $625 Canadian or $375 Euros. Today that same $500 buys only $535 Canadian or $333 Euro. As Americans continue to travel abroad, they are painfully reminded of their reduced (and still reducing) purchasing power. As 2010 progresses, I believe that the non traveling U.S. public will become very aware of their reducing wealth as denominated in the greenback. Smart Americans are in this stock rally or invested in gold and other commodities, or both. Better stores of value are sought in the market every day and this trend will continue, albeit with some hiccups, as 2010 becomes even more of a watershed year for the giant U.S. economy.

The Elephant in the room is the giant and growing U.S. Debt which now exceeds $12 Trillion dollars and is growing daily, with no end in sight. It is why the dollar is still declining and will through much of 2010. 30,000 more troops for war in Afghanistan, $1 Trillion over the next 10 years for medicare, bailouts and bombshells and the list goes on, with nothing to stop the bleeding at this point. Here is the daily update on the U.S. deficit clock.

India is buying up Gold for it's foreign reserves. China is following suit. Russia is adding Canadian dollars to it's foreign reserves. Individual investors and investor groups from Beijing to Brazil are stocking up on gold and especially gold stocks. This does not bode well for the greenback, or for the standard of living in the good ole U.S. of A. At over $12 Trillion in debt (and counting) and with two unfunded wars being prosecuted on three fronts, not to mention the health care debacle, both spending cuts and new taxes are the medicine needed to stabilize this sick fiscal patient, before he goes into a coma for the next ten years.

Doctor Obama, it's time for your Uncle Sam to take his medicine and there is no sugar to sweeten the taste. Let's get on with it, before it gets any worse (unless of course, the medicine is hyper inflation over the next three years or so). If that is the diagnosis, then gold will double in the next 12 months.

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Dead people don't need retirement funds!The food we eat and how it impacts our retirement!

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What are we eating? How does food impact our retirement, our Retirefund , our health care?

Why do we blindly accept that the major food companies, of which only a handful supply 70% of our food, are looking after our better interest? There is strong evidence they are not, and you should be paying attention so that your health doesn't suffer and you are free to enjoy your retirement in the best of health.

40 years ago, almost 20% of our paychecks went to buying food and only 5% went to health care. Today those numbers are reversed as we spend about 9% on food and 20% on health care. Very soon health care (if left unchanged) will cost 50% of our income. Fast food, food additives, growth hormones in food, have added significantly to the overall poor health of the population and Obesity, cancer, heart disease and other health problems are a direct result.

Emmy winning director, Robert Kenner , has recently produced a documentary exploring the food we eat called Food Inc. and it is an excellent expose on this subject. It also resembles in part, a horror film as he documents how chickens we buy from our supermarkets grow in windowless coops in 6 weeks grow so big so fast, they actually fall over as their legs cannot support their weight by the time they are harvested. Now, if you take that chicken, slather it with flour and spices and deep fry it in fat (Lard, which is mostly saturated and trans fat), you get what passes for food in our daily diets. Add to that some potatoes, grown with anti pesticides built in through trans generation experimentation, and deep fry those in the same fat, as a side dish. Then drink one full cup of pure, granulated sugar (which has absolutely "no" food value but lots of calories or "empty calories") dissolved into a flavored drink, and you have the typical North American meal. A meal that actually "exceeds" the total calories an adult male should have daily, and believe me, they are not good calories. I have not even mentioned the amount of salt in such a meal, that's before you shake raw salt on it.

Why would you pay so much attention to your Retirefund if this is the type of food you eat daily? Eating such foods daily will ensure you don't get to enjoy your retirement at all, that's if you make it to retirement. Why? I'm glad you asked. Obesity, Diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke, to name just the big five reasons. In a nutshell, dead people don't need retirement funds!

During this recession, there has been a marked increase in people growing their own vegetables in back yard gardens, even raising their own, "free range" chickens. Now I know that, if you live in a city, this may not be possible, however such products can be found in your grocery store if you look for them.

Certainly, there are companies producing such food and this niche market is growing fast, so look for one of these companies that may fit your retirefund. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you for it, as well as your wallet. Sadly, many refuse to change their diets and refuse to exercise. Your retirefund can actually benefit from this. Look for companies utilizing good science, that are tackling the obesity epidemic, heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. Small companies with great science are the best as they are either destined to grow substantially, or be taken over by one of the industry giants.

Now, for your own health benefit, here is a great resource site where you can get great advice for free, on keeping a healthy diet, without doing the Hollywood shuffle. Go to the Canada Food Guide now.

Get healthy, stay healthy, exercise, eat right, love, laugh and enjoy your life and your retirement. After all, you deserve nothing less.

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