#1. Commencement of the “Greater Depression”

 100% accurate...even though it took until late summer for the stock market to enter "Panic/Crash" mode. According to the "experts," the real estate crash had little to do with eternal US prosperity and was caused by conniving, greedy derivative brokers (whom Alan Greenie constantly lauded as 'creative financiers). And then, when the derivative crisis took down the first banks and insurers, ex-banker/Sec. Treasurer and Fed Prez Ben (not related to the 'penny saved, penny earned' Ben), assured us that the near trillion bailout money would restore liquidity back into the markets and we could spend our way back into Nirvana. Of course, this bailout encompassed less than 10% of the outstanding derivatives, but that was never brought up in the course of conversation with the American Public who, quite naturally, are the last to know-- far behind the too-big-to-fail bankers, the I'll-say-anything-for-a-vote politicians and get-out-of-town bonus-laden CEO's. Suddenly, from assurances that "there is no recession," we were hit with the "Big-D" word (and that doesn't mean the song-oldie, 'I'm from Big D a-l-l-a-s).

#2. Default of the Dollar

 0% accurate...Did anybody predict--even those who foresaw the crash coming--that once banks and hedge funds crashed and trillions would be needed to be printed for bailouts, that the dollar would be the recipient for such plundering? Suddenly, rather than a planned dissolution of the dollar in order to avert paying back.defaulting debt, our US planners realized that by taking down the rest of the world with us, the dollar would not stink up the garbage. But make no mistake. The dollar is just as precarious as the stock market, the banking system, the politicians who were and are now in office. Not even our twin wars could distract the gullible public long enough to ignore depreciation in their homes, 401 K's and IRA's. My error was in thinking that the crash would be one of gradualism, erosion of the markets--not that the world would run to a bankrupt dollar for a "safe haven." This haven is about as safe as a bird's nest in the middle of a volcano!

#3. Gold Enters Cycle 2

 0% accurate...Even in 1929, there was time to exit. People lined up at their flavorite banks and gradually we witnessed a run on the banks. There was no "gradual" here. We woke up one morning and the world's financial system had frozen. Rather than recognizing the insanity behind fiat currencies, like the maniac who can't stop shooting in the mall, the world governments threw even more fetid bubbled currencies atop the junk heap. Instead of embracing gold, the safe haven of last resort, gold was liquidated in lieu of dollars. And once gold broke through her technical support lines, her action paralleled that of the stock markets: LIQUIDATE! Eventually, those holding gold will be rewarded, but that is no solace for what is now occurring. Who wants to watch their gold portfolios sink with the broad markets? And aside from the technical forces which may take us through 680 and 480, until the dollar ultimately crashes, we're LOCKED INTO A LOSS AND, PROBABLY, THE MOMENT WE GIVE UP AND LIQUIDATE OUR GOLD AND SILVER POSITIONS, THE PRECIOUS METAL MARKETS WILL DECOUPLE FROM THE STOCK MARKETS AND SOAR INTO THE STRATOSPHERE!

#4. The End of Capitalism (as we know it)

 100% accurate...As far as I know, I am one of the few who hit this nail on the head--and even more than I foresaw, as I foresaw a gradual Nationalism/Socialism--not a massive government bailout. One of Alan Greenie's moments-of-truth was when he admitted he had failed to comprehend how banking CEO's would desert their stockholders by withholding information, filing false reports, pretending that everything was dory-hunky. We are where we are by a failure to regulate (policing the crooks in markets--not nationalizing. Obama will feel compassion for the struggling classes and provided more government support programs, a noble compassionate gesture which will only result in more turmoil and nationalism down the road.

#5. Crime Runs Rampant

 50% accurate...Crime is up so much that law enforcement is failing to report the figures. It used to be everytime a crime was committed in my homestead of Durham, NC, the Paper would compare each murder with the previous records. No more. There is so much crime on all levels that we don't have roon in the jails and let these dirt-bags plea bargain their way back onto the streets (with the help of a court-appointed lawyer at our expense!)...Like my grandpaw uster say, "You ain't seen nothin' yet!" Wait till the US government can't sell their Treasuries anymore and half the public will be forced to steal to survive!

#6. Guns and Butter's Final Fling

 77% accurate...The public finally got the message--after their credit ran out: There are more important priorities than fighting bad-men and ferreting out terrorists thousands of miles away...Had the markets not crashed when they did, the warmongers would have been reelected and we would be force-feeding the military/industrial complex again. Unfortunately, to win, Obama had to take a hard stand on military readiness and defense issues and is committed to continuing the perpetuation of the Empire, though not to the extent of the trigger happy White House.

#7: Realization of the Environment

 44% accurate...One of Obama's campaign pledges was to restore the Infrastructure and cut down on greenhouse gasses. A noble gesture; unfortunately, economic panic will move to the forefront and the environment (as usual) will move to the back of the line. THERE WILL BE NO REAL CHANGE WITH OBAMA. His "advisors" are all out of the same package as his predecessors and will allways feel more secure in maintaining the status-quo. If Obama chooses to adhere to his ingrained principles, he will devolve into an even more despised presidents than the 22% approved Bushman.

#1 A Huge Stock Market Sucker's Rally

 Will the economy hit bottom, start to improve? No...Then why the big "Sucker's Rally?" Because those trillions released into the money supply will, by Obama coercion, find their way into the hands of the populace. Hyper-inflation will produce the illusion that the economy is resurging and an old-fashioned 30's rally will ensue, probably by spring 09. Since it takes a few months for the distribution of money to works its way through the system, markets (including especially metals and commodities) will surge. The question is once double-digit inflation hits, will the party end or will we have another massive bubble party? Of course, the Fed, the Treasury, Congress and the White House will congratulate one another on the marvellous comeback of the century--only this will be only the second quarter of the game and the score will still be 42-24 in favor of the bad guys at halftime--with the the bad guys about ready to pounce on every fumble, intercept every ball and barbarically march into the end zone at will in third quarter. The fourth quarter in 2010/2011 will be akin to a trip to the moon: SLOW-MO, DEAD CRATERS!

#2 Cost of Living Will Barely Budge

 Because the fat cats: i.e. the doctors, the lawyers, the bankers, the educators and the tax collectors will still maintain control and supply-and-demand will dictate that regardless of expense, we will still need medical care, litigation, education and a county and state to live in--all of whom will need more money than ever before! So as Uncle Samta Claus is dropping money out of the sky from his sleigh, don't be lured into thinking this orgy will be bigger than Rome's. Sell your house (for a profit), all your stocks which have rallied, cash in your 401K, for this will be your final parachute for a safe landing!

#3 The Once Powerful Treasury Sec. & Fed Will Be Revealed/Reviled As Impotent

 No longer will they be able to manipulate the economy by protecting the interests of Wall Street, bankers and fellow politicians. The Plunge Protection Team will have about as much power as my alma-mater, Stetson, has in making the Final Four. Remember the days went CNBC followed Greenie's briefcase from the moment he left the cab and walked into the Senate building? And how they quoted, requoted and hung onto his every smattered utterance? He and his cronies have been exposed as Woody Allen pathos characters in lieu of the Ann Rynd Fountainhead geniuses they pretended to be. The world will only yawn and turn to another channel when US government "Experts" proclamate their knowledge.

#4 Be Prepared for Cuts in Infrastructure and Services; Taxes UP not DOWN

 What will happen to local and state governments unable to raise money through the bond markets and defaults by local citizenry? Simple. These complacent bureaucrats will lose their jobs, resulting in crowded classrooms, delays in mail, long lines at DMV's, court dockets behind in months--not days or weeks. And what about law enforcement? With the rise in crime, that may as well be cut, too.

#5 A Return to the "Good-Ole'-Days?"

 When I first moved to a backwoods farm in Virginia back in the 60's Civil Rights Era, I was astonished by my environs. Having been a City-Slicker all my life (and having been told that a picnic by a creek in suburbia was the real outdoors), I had no idea what I was getting in for: limited electricity, no phone, a well (and chain bucket) for water, leaks during rainstorms, having to cut down trees to heat the house, pot-holed/dirt state roads that rarely got scraped or gravelled. Many local neighbors were even worse off: kerosene to light houses, one-room schoolhouses for education, walking or horse/mule to bring back supplies from the country store...Hey, guess what we have to look forward to!

#6 Bank "Holidays"

 As the government is forced to nationalize the banking system and more and more people doubt the US Treasury solvency, there will be an old-fashioned run on banks (possibly not by 2009 but 2010). The conundrum will be whether to accept a depreciating dollar or convert it into gold which may become illegal once again and be confiscated a la FDR (my personal choice is to start buying up silver eagles for spending) . At any rate, have a good "thief-proof" mattress on hand.

#7 World Turmoil

 Doesn't it seem weird, with all the sophisticated military hardware on hand, that there are still pirates around hijacking ships? I am far from a proponent of the NRA, but it may come down to protection akin to the good-ole Continental days when thieves roamed the countryside in search of booty. A backlash on illegal immigrants will be welcomed by irate citizens looking for scapegoats. And...there will be a need for wars, as everyone but the perpetrators of this chaos will be blamed. New Auschwitzes will be conjured up. Ironically, many countries backed by Communist regimes will hold the wealth--via GOLD!

Summation

 Despite my doom and gloom recital, guess what? Before this is all but over, values will return! People will honestly file into churches in search of God...A Man/Woman/Amaphrodite will only be as good as his/her/its word...Creativity, Art, a sense of Wonderment will return...We will start rediscovering ourselves once again. A New Era will be born!

I offer an initial consultation of $25. In this financial times consultation, I review the gamut of your personal financial goals and holdings and recommend a program that will best suit your needs. In addition, I offer (only when you want and need it)—a package of 10 personal finance reviews for an additional $15 per review. By selecting this service, you will receive all monthly Evolving Finance e-mail Alert Letters free.  

For specific personal finance recommendations on preserving and increasing your capital and savings, consider these following options:

Evolving Finance Products and Services

• Receive an Initial Consultation for only $25

• A Package of 12 monthly Personal Reviews, at $15 per review or for $150 yearly....In additon, you will receive all e-mail alerts free!

• Current Issue, Evolving Finance Alert Letter with specific recommendations for $15

Link Here To Review my past 2008 Financial Planning Reviews!

Link Here To Review my past 2007 Financial Planning Reviews!

Link Here To Review my past 2006 Financial Planning Reviews!

Link Here To Review my past 2005 Financial Planning Reviews!

Link Here To Review my past 2004 Financial Planning Reviews!

Link Here To Review my past 2003 Financial Planning Reviews!