2/20/11: The Coming Wave of Inflation – Profiting When the Levee Breaks
Central banks around the world have been pumping “liquidity” into their respective economies since 2008. In the USA, the Fed has gone through two rounds of “Quantitative Easing” (QE1 and QE2) and has been talking about a third. Meanwhile, the government is piling up debt at a record pace.
What does it all mean? And where is all this “liquidity” going?
Slogging through the headlines in our galoshes:
- Your host and rainmaker, Robert Helms
- Your co-host and chief drip, Russell Gray
Have you ever wondered where the Fed gets the money it uses to purchase government debt or toxic assets? We’ve heard it said they have a magic checkbook – one whose checks NEVER bounce. Hey! We want one of those!
So when the Fed buys stuff in the “open market”, where does the money go? And once it enters the economy, how does it spread around? Will any of it puddle up in real estate?
If you’ve been baffled by all of this, but can see gold, oil, gas, groceries, clothing and your Big Mac and Starbucks all going up, then you already have part of the answer. Maybe those pundits who proclaim no inflation are really all wet?
Tune in to this episode as we explain how the added liquidity created by expansionary monetary policy dams up and then overflows through a series of levee breaks, eventually bringing a wave you can ride. But you need to be on your board and paddling well before the dam flood comes.
Remember: when asset values go up (denominated in dollars), equity happens. If you want it to happen to you, you have to get in while the tide is low, then be lifted by the rising waters. So grab your rubber ducky and let’s get our feet wet.
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8/1/10: Economics, Politics and Real Estate – Interviews from Freedom Fest 2010
If you’re one of those who take The Real Estate Guys™ to the gym, make sure you carbo load first! This one’s a whopper! Our radio audience only got an hour, but the podcast audience gets the whole enchilada. That way whether you like American or Mexican, there’s something for everyone.
A few weeks back, we went to Las Vegas for the 7th Annual Freedom Fest conference. This was our first time and we weren’t sure what to expect. But after our previous interview with event founder, economist Mark Skousen, we thought it would be worthwhile. It turned out even better than we thought!
After being near the epicenter of the financial earthquake which rocked the real estate portfolios of even the most experienced investors, we’ve put a big emphasis on studying economics. Who cares if you’re expert at fixing up properties, managing tenants or putting together syndications if property values are crashing, tenants don’t have jobs, loans aren’t available, and people are too scared to act?
So we started looking for people who saw it coming, put their predictions in writing and got it right for the right reasons. Hindsight’s often 20/20, but seeing the storm coming 
while there’s still time to shutter the windows is better. You might not be able to avoid bad economic weather, but with advance notice at least you can prepare!
We looked at the lineup of speakers at Freedom Fest and decided this would surely be an eye-opening experience. We were especially excited about Peter Schiff, author of Crash Proof 2.0 (a highly recommended read!). Schiff called the crisis for the right reasons – and way ahead of time. We’re happy to say we got a lengthy interview with Mr. Schiff to see what he’s thinking now – which is the feature of our next show.
While we’re boasting about awesome interviews, we also had a chance to talk with billionaire CEO of Forbes Magazine and former Presidential candidate, Steve Forbes. That interview is coming up in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned! The best way to be sure you don’t miss any of our exciting episodes is to subscribe to our podcast via iTunes (shameless plug). 
Today’s episode is about talking to LOTS of people! It was like one of those speed dating sessions. Robert sat at the microphone from early morning to late at night, and Russ rounded up a long line of interesting people to interview.
Featured in this episode of The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show:
- Your host, Robert Helms
- Co-host and cat herder, Russell Gray
And a long parade of very special guests (in order of appearance):
Jeffrey Verdon, Attorney, talks about estate planning and asset protection strategies utilized by wealthy individuals; including off-shore entities and a very interesting technique for funding life insurance.
Dave Fessler, Energy & Infrastructure Expert for the Oxford Club. Dave discusses his views on the future of energy and infrastructure and their impact on jobs and the economy. He also comments on “the paradox of thrift” – how consumer savings is actually fueling the recession. He tells us how long he thinks it’s going to last, and where he believes America’s best chance for job creation are right now.
Bob Bauman, Attorney, Former U.S. Congressman, Founder of The Sovereign Society; shares his thoughts on offshore investment, asset protection, second citizenship and the growing interest many people have in diversifying globally.
Vernon Jacobs, CPA, is an expert in international taxation. Vern tells us what to consider when investing or employing asset protection strategies offshore.
Robert Barnes, Attorney, is part one of two back to back interviews with lawyers from a premier tax and investment fraud law firm that went 3 for 3 (that’s pretty good!) in three of the top four high profile tax cases in the U.S. (you’d recognize the names). Mr. Barnes reveals the worst thing you can do when contacted by the IRS.
Robert Bernhoft, Attorney, is part two of our tax and investment fraud attorney interviews. Mr. Bernhoft describes what you can do to proactively avoid problems with both your investors and regulators; and shares how his firm uses specialized “non-litigation” techniques to recover misappropriated funds without going to court.
Steve Hochberg, Chief Market Analyst for Elliott Wave, works closely with Robert Prechter. Prechter’s 2002 NY Times best seller, Conquer the Crash, accurately predicted the current financial crisis. While everyone is running scared of inflation, Steve says DEFLATION is actually the big near term threat. He believes we are “on the precipice of the greatest stock market decline of our lifetime.”
Patri Friedman, Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of The Seasteading Institute. A city on the sea? Really??? Before you write it off as Looney Tunes, go to their website and look at their management team. These guys are all brilliant. We’re talking Stanford, Harvard, Yale. Wow. Have you heard of Pay Pal? Yeah,the founder is on their board. And why were they at Freedom Fest? Take a listen!
Leon Louw, Executive Director of the Free Market Foundation, all the way from South Africa! Why? To raise money to advance property ownership rights for blacks in South Africa. For what it’s worth, we didn’t see any evidence of racism at Freedom Fest, though it was full of “tea baggers”. Obviously, Leon felt people at the event would be supportive of his cause. From our observations he was right. But this isn’t a political interview. any more than our show is political. We just want to understand what people are thinking and doing, and how it creates or undermines real estate opportunities. Think about the ramifications on demand in a market where a large part of the population, formerly locked out, suddenly has access to buy property. Very interesting stuff.
Terry Coxon, author of Unleash Your IRA, shares a powerful concept for maximizing your Individual Retirement Account. We thought we knew all about this topic, but Terry shares a strategy we hadn’t considered. Now we’re hyped to read his book. With the demise of home equity, and a growing number of people predicting a tough stock market (at best); and lending getting even tighter from financial reform, we think IRA’s and rollover 401k’s are one of the BEST sources of private investment capital. That makes this a topic worth exploring!
Ron Holland, editor of two financial newsletters and 30 year financial industry veteran, has something to say on the topic of IRA’s. And it’s concerning. He shares what he thinks is the greatest threat to your retirement account.
Terry Easton, author of Refounding America and contributor to Human Events. Terry is uber-conservative / Libertarian and has a lot to say on the topics of economics, politics and real estate. We came to hear a lot of opinions and it just so happens that Terry has a lot of opinions. But since they come from a long history of study and involvement, we think they’re worth listening to.
All in all, Freedom Fest was a great experience and we’re very likely to attend next year’s event. We met great people, got valuable insights, and had our paradigms stretched (we’ve been icing them since we got back). Most of all, we see the economy and real estate from a much broader perspective. As we continue to seek out markets, opportunities and product niches to invest in, we are convinced a bigger perspective will pay huge dividends.
Remember – our next two episodes feature our interviews with Peter Schiff and Steve Forbes!
The Real Estate Guys™ Radio Show provides ideas, perspectives and resources to help real estate investors succeed.
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The Great Wealth Transfer is Underway! Which side are YOU on?
Imagine being a passenger boarding the Titanic for its maiden voyage. Today, we all know how that story ended. But what would you have paid to know what was going to happen BEFORE it happened? Or at least while there was still time to save yourself and your loved ones?
The US economy has long been considered unsinkable. When the economic waves of the world get choppy, investors worldwide seek shelter in US bonds. And the US government has been all too happy to sell those bonds and go deeper and deeper into debt. Today, almost daily we hear about record setting deficits and new debt ceilings. It’s easy to be confused and simply tune out. There were people dancing on the deck of the Titanic even as it was sinking. They were too busy having fun.
They say that people who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. If you thought graduation meant no more studying and no more tuition, you might want to think again. It’s been said that in the history of the world, no economy has survived a 98% devaluation of its currency. The US is at 95% today.
What does all this mean? More importantly, what does it mean to you? MOST importantly, what can you DO about it?
We think the first and most important thing a concerned individual can do is get educated. There are great books, podcasts and seminars available. One of our favorite teachers is Robert Kiyosaki and the Rich Dad Company. He’s a guy that takes a lot of criticism, but for our money he tells it like it is better than anyone else that is readily accessible to everyday people. Anyone who threatens the status quo is going to be the target of critics.
We suggest you read his work, listen to his message and ask yourself if it makes sense to you. The key to your success will be your ability and willingness to research, think and act. Most people will keep dancing on the deck. As for us, we’ll be in Scottsdale on April 30th listening to what Robert Kiyosaki, Mike Maloney and Richard Duncan have to say.
Wealth transfers are nothing new. And Robert Kiyosaki thinks a HUGE wealth transfer is imminent if not underway right now. If you are concerned (and you should be), then we encourage you to attend this event also.
For us, it’s a business decision. If we invest the time and money and go to the event, the worst thing that happens is that we spend 3 days hearing that these men have to say and thinking about the subject. Even if we completely disagree, the 3 days of concentrated thought will help us make better decisions. If we pick up just one of two great ideas that we can act upon, we should easily be able to make enough profit to cover the cost of the event. In either case, we’re likely to meet some interesting people – and who knows what opportunities will open up from that? Our guess it will be more profitable than if we stay at home dancing in the deck.
Mike Maloney says this wealth transfer presents one of the GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES in history. We don’t want to to miss it!
We hope to see you in Scottsdale on April 30th. Click here to join us.
Here’s a replay of our radio interview with Mike Maloney on November 18, 2009:
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1/3/10: Happy New Year with Gary Eldred – What Does 2010 Hold?
The easiest thing in the world to do is predict the past. But what about the future? As we enter a brand new decade, what does the future of real estate look like? To find that out, The Real Estate Guys climbed the proverbial technology mountain to connect with a real estate sage – all the way from Dubai!
Sitting on the mountain top for this broadcast:
- Your real estate guru, Robert Helms
- Pillow fluffer and co-guru, Russell Gray
- Trump University faculty member, best selling author, seasoned real estate and renowned consultant, Dr. Gary Eldred, PhD.
Digging through technological challenges, The Real Estate Guys mined some golden nuggets of wisdom from special guest, Gary Eldred who called in all the way from Dubai! As someone who has studied, taught, invested, and consulted on real estate for decades, Dr. Eldred has earned the right to have an opinion. We talk stocks, bonds, gold and real estate. Gary tells us which asset class he believes will outperform all others in the new decade – and why.
Gary also reveals his strategy for hedging against economic uncertainty. He tells us which type of mortgage he prefers right now and why. As one of the most well traveled investors we know, we also were intrigued by Gary’s comments China, India and Africa – and how what’s happening there affects real estate in the US and other parts of the world. Of course, since he was calling from Dubai (where he is currently working) and Dubai’s been top of the financial news recently, we made sure to talk about that too!
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