CHISWICK, WEST LONDON – Greetings from my childhood home… It’s time for our Friday mailbag edition, where I answer the latest questions you’ve sent in.
In this week’s edition, an informed reader questions my use of the term the “Great Reset”… others want to know more about our “Income for Life” whole-life insurance policies… and finally, I share the saying that helps me find courage during difficult times.
All this and more below, so let’s get right to it…
Reader comment: I read that you will be visiting your dad in his one-bedroom apartment in New York for six weeks. Six people in a one-bedroom apartment sounds like a pretty tight fit, even for you guys. I bet he will be happy to see you leave after six weeks.
We’ll see. He’s letting us have the bedroom and he’s going to sleep on an air mattress in the living room. For six weeks!
Reader question: I look forward to reading your Postcards. I have been a reader from the beginning. Your recent postcard response to a reader’s question regarding your “Income for Life” for you and your family’s whole-life insurance policies was helpful information.
Per your recommendation, some time ago, I bought the book Becoming Your Own Banker by R. Nelson Nash, regarding his approach to mutual whole-life insurance policies. I am very interested in using your approach. My question is: What is the name of the mutual whole-life insurance company that you use?
That book was an eye-opener. We use two mutual life-insurance companies – American United Life and MassMutual.
Reader question: Whenever I see your photos of England, I’m always surprised that no one is wearing a mask, as the U.K. still has over 30,000 new cases of COVID-19 every day. (It had a 7-day average of 33,498 new cases per day on Sept. 26.) In the photo in Wednesday’s postcard, you and your family are sitting on a British train without masks! I would feel very nervous about taking a train in England without wearing a mask.
Here in Japan, where I live, no one would take a train or bus, or enter a shop or office, or walk along a busy street, without wearing a mask. I don’t want to sound smug, but Japan has a 7-day average of 2,533 new cases per day, which is roughly 1/13th of the number in the U.K. And Japan’s population is roughly double that of the U.K., so the number of new cases per million people per day in Japan is about 1/26th of that in the U.K.
So I’m 100% in favor of wearing masks in public places. Do you and your family ever wear masks? Or are you opposed to them? And how do you feel about hanging out with unmasked people during this pandemic? Best wishes to you all, and stay healthy.
The U.K. dropped its mask rules two months ago, so masks are no longer a legal requirement here, anywhere.
Some people still wear them. Some people don’t wear them ever. And some – like us – wear them sometimes.
I went into central London for a meal and a beer last night. I used the Tube and didn’t wear a mask. I found the streets were lively, the theatre district was lit up, and people were out partying and having a good time. No one was wearing a mask. It looked like London again.
Reader comment: I still enjoy getting your Postcards and following your family and all your activities. Since you are so close to Shakespeare’s home, I would have thought you would have tried to journey there for a history-making event.
We’ll save Shakespeare for next time. You can’t do everything in one trip!
Reader question: Would you please clarify for us your use of the term “Great Reset”? Because there is “The Great Reset” that Boris Johnson, Joe Biden, Prince Charles, the E.U., many bankers, financers, investors, George Soros, the Rothschilds, United Nations, Hague, Klaus Schwab, and many, many, many more have spoken of. It is their depopulation, green, new world order (that Australia’s Health Secretary spoke about very recently). I am hoping to God you are not tied into that.
The Great Reset is a term I use to describe a return to equilibrium in the financial markets… meaning higher interest rates, more savings, harder currencies, balanced budgets and trade accounts, and above all, LESS DEBT.
I’ll stop using it as I don’t want to be confused with that other crowd you mention. Maybe I’ll stick to “Day of Reckoning” instead.
Reader comment: I lost my mum at around the same time as you and I came across your posts while looking for help with writing a eulogy. What you wrote for your mum really struck a chord and helped me a great deal. Thanks so much for sharing that.
I stuck around because I am also a precious metals investor, along with some crypto, and I happen to live within a few miles of your mum’s place in Chiswick. I love the way you write, but I’m interested in how you maintain such a firm belief in your thesis.
I started having the same views in 2008 after the crisis. Then, and ever since, the bubbles have just kept inflating. No matter what anyone says, the day of reckoning is always just around the corner, gold is always just about to take off, etc. I’m comfortable with my investments but have probably missed out on a fortune during these bull years, and I keep thinking that the can will be kicked down the road for many years to come.
I’m sorry to hear about your mother.
About our investment thesis… First of all, I share your fears that they’ll keep kicking the can down the road, and the Day of Reckoning will always be just around the corner.
But whenever I have that thought, I think, “Fear is a liar.” I love that saying. It helps me find courage whenever I’m feeling fear.
Second, we’re not losing money while we wait for the Day of Reckoning.
We may not be making returns as high as some other strategies are making, but we’re doing okay. The open positions at our Tom’s Portfolio advisory are up 49% on average, and it’s not even our turn in the spotlight yet. (Our turn comes when the great speculative bubble pops.)
Finally, conviction comes from knowing and understanding. I’ve been stalking our Dow-to-Gold trade for years – learning, studying, practicing my trading, and accumulating capital.
I don’t think a person can be successful in the stock market without conviction. It’s an underrated quality.
And that’s all for this week! As always, please keep your questions and comments coming at [email protected]. I’ll do my best to answer them in a future Friday mailbag edition.
– Tom Dyson
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