A number of readers have asked about Financial Planners.  Do I know any good ones…and so on.

This morning, we look at the problem of finding a good one and we give you some ideas to kick around during your search.

Ultimately, though, the problem is that any kind of financial “planner” can only be as good as their vision of the future.  While that has worked in the past, like the old disclaimer says: “Past performance is no assurance of future....”

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This being the weekend of shopping craziness, we look at how the looming battle between online retailers and conventional shopping mall operators could burst into anti-trust actions in 2017.

Not only that, but as it happens, one of the major implosions of the Greater Depression will be the loss of assets formerly held as shares in real estate partnerships and corporations that invest in conventional retailing.  That in turn will collapse pensions like nobody’s business.

The Returns line is looking pretty dicey, to say the least.

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A couple of points on  whether we should do away with Interest tops this morning’s discussion in our Focus section.

No, not as in Sharia law.  As in simply eliminate all the financial shenanigans that seem to accompany the game of charging “interest.”  Might change business cycles, too…

After that, I suppose the chart comparing time-to-inauguration of Herbert Hoover and Donald Trump’s time to the Oath would be the second most interesting thing.

That and our Model which is…well…we’ll get to that, too.

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There are two terrible problems for the new administration to deal with (other than faithless Electors and Oregon insanity which we will get to in a moment):  One is the trade problem and the other is the rate problem.

What we will focus on is propagation speed of economic change.  It isn’t like driving a Ferrari.  Or a Porsche, or a (insert personal fast car list).

No, it’s more like driving an oil tanker.  You put the helm  over then go grab a sandwich and come back in 15-minutes to see how the course change is going.

But first a few headlines as we get out the ViseGrips and pinch ourselves remembering this is still the same planet we were on 20 years ago.

Although it sure doesn’t seem like it, does it?

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This morning we have to look at a pile of data, including more of the historical analogs between the presidency of Herbert Hoover and the election this past week of Donald Trump.

So bean up (or light up) and into the data, if you please.

We have two date ranges for the all-time market high in 2017 to discuss.

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Most mornings we focus on a particular aspect of Life, the Economy, Prepping and Survivalist thinking, or just Out There on topics like the Art of Futuring.

This morning, however, I’m going to walk you through a high-risk trade that SHOULD return us a juicy 6% gain in just three days.

Definitely in  the “Do Not Try This at Home” category, it falls into the category of looking over a mad man’s shoulder as he expects to book gains of better than 10% in just six weeks of trading.

Assuming the U.S. Market drops 2% today.

Along the way, many pointers on trading technique with the idea of helping you make some money, as well.

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Other than email proclivities, nonsensical personal attacks based on sex, and all the other crap that goes into this election cycle, there is a fascinating difference between candidates in Tuesday’s election when it comes to immigration.

This morning we look into some of the mechanics of demography, model out some futures, and propose a startling answer that believe me, you won’t like if you’re over 50.

Think of this as a late Halloween report…

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Right up front:  This morning’s report may not be of much interest if you don’t actively manage your own finances.

On the other hand, if you do, you will see insides what goes on in my head during an active trading day like we had yesterday and which seems likely to follow through into this morning ahead of this afternoon’s Fed announcement.

Is it politics?  No, this is more the technical expression of a lot of major trends and how this week ends will give us a lot of insight into which way the next year could be lining up.

So bean up and let’s dig in, shall we?

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Our pick-up on the public discussion of market action in Friday’s UrbanSurvival column will have to wait because of massively more important events in the Hillary Clinton saga.  And yes, markets are likely to follow through on the downside Monday.

This morning, I will show you why there’s reason to suspect that Hillary’s case being re-opened by the FBI Friday may actually, in a strange way, be tied to the recent Dyn hack attack a week ago, and how a take-down of the West may actually be threatened if another Clinton makes it to the Oval Office.

Oh, and we’ll explain how “early voting” is always a very, very bad idea.

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We focus on two major economic exercises (in futility) around here.  One is making money in the stock market with our rather unorthodox approach.  The other is a bit of futuring based on understanding the consequences of contemporary economic data.

This morning we are pleased to report some major harmony is evolving between these two approaches.  And, as I’ll show you this morning, when things line up this well, we can evolve a pretty good vision of the future based on economic expectations.

While we will have to await secular developments to fill in the necessary voids, the future is, using this approach, already on rails for 2017.  End of the world? 

This is really a kind of “part 1” because this weekend we might make some future projections based on behaviors of “fifth waves.”  For this morning, let’s just “ride the rails” a bit.

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Regardless of age, with luck you will have to face the two toughest questions of retirement:  When to actually retire and then how to find the “right” place to live.

Thanks to a Florida reader, this week we look at the problem as an email exchange with the reader where we kick around some of the ways to approach the decisions.

Coffee on…

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Want something to worry about – I mean other than the big “Hillary Out” in the Enquirer (on news stands today)?

We do a lot of modeling and test-fitting of bits of news – then let the mind wander to see what might be on the horizon.

This morning we offer a shockingly comprehensive “piece-fit” of how the Russians could effectively turn the U.S.A. into a third world country without firing a single shot over our territory.  What’s more, the attack scenario would also have a high level of “plausible deniability.”

Top off the cup, but you might want to make it decaf for this one.

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Eventually, this concept will have to emerge from the lab and into the light of economic day.

But this morning we lay out an interesting treatise on how the Fed revealed in Janet Yellen’s Friday speed that they are “perception limited” by conventional economics.

Long article this morning, so three cups may be needed.

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