The Secure Act and How It Will Impact Your IRAs

In today’s uncertain financial landscape, protecting and diversifying your portfolio has never been more urgent. The latest economic indicators are flashing warning signs that a downturn could be on the horizon, leaving many investors exposed to the volatility of dollar-denominated “paper” assets like stocks, bonds, and cash.

Why wait to act? Here’s what we know:

Economic Pessimism is Rising: A recent survey from the Fed shows weaker job growth and a slowing economy. More Americans are locked into jobs they may not be satisfied with because hiring is more and more stagnant. Growing pessimism among leading economists and financial experts is partly fueled by a widening trade deficit and lower productivity in the US. Sluggish growth, inflationary pressures, and other factors indicate potential market corrections could be on the horizon.
Market Volatility is Increasing: Today’s markets anticipate and then react to more and more bad news. Uncertainty surrounding Federal Reserve policies, rising debt levels, and geopolitical tensions is leading to greater instability in global markets, with many pointing to an almost inevitable downturn.
Inflation is Eroding Wealth: As inflation persists, the purchasing power of your dollar-denominated assets is diminishing, putting your financial future at risk. In spite of optimistic economic indicators from the ivory towers, Americans are still grasping at pennies when shopping for basic necessities.

What can you do to safeguard your wealth?

It’s time to consider moving a portion of your portfolio out of “paper” assets and into hard assets like gold and silver. Precious metals have been a trusted store of value for centuries, acting as a hedge against inflation, economic uncertainty, and market volatility.

Here’s why you should act now:

Diversify Your Portfolio: Gold and silver can reduce your exposure to dollar depreciation and market downturns, offering greater stability in times of crisis.
Inflation Hedge: Historically, precious metals retain their value and even appreciate during inflationary periods, protecting your purchasing power.
Global Demand is Increasing: As more investors flock to safe-haven assets, demand for gold and silver is surging. Acting now ensures you lock in today’s prices before they rise further.

Your Next Steps
Don’t wait for the markets to dictate your financial future. Protect yourself by diversifying into gold and silver now.

Kamala Harris recently introduced her policy goals for her administration, should she win in November. And it should be taken deadly seriously. The polls right now show we have about a 50/50 chance of President Harris come January 2025.

One of the most shocking planks in her platform is the tax on UNREALIZED capital gains – a potential game-changer for capital accumulation and financial stability in this country.
As it stands now, you pay taxes on the profit of a stock or real estate when you realize those gains, or sell. Meaning, you have the cash in hand to fork over to the IRS.

But what happens if you are taxed based on the imaginary, presumed value BEFORE you sell – when you have no intention or desire to sell? You are taxed simply for the privilege of continuing to own that asset. And who determines the value of a thing before it is sold? And how? Prices are determined by what a buyer is willing to pay and what a seller is willing to accept. For an unrealized gains calculation, there is no buyer or seller.

And what if you don’t have the cash on hand to pay those taxes?

Say you bought a house last year for $400,000 and today it might appraise for $450,000. Without even selling, depending on how the tax code is structured, you could potentially be on the hook for capital gains taxes on $50,000 – that you don’t have cash to cover! What if you renovated and its worth $500,000? What a disincentive for capital improvements!

Many people might be FORCED to sell under those circumstances. And then, where do they live? What can they afford to buy with what’s left? Not another $500,000 property… They just got a major lifestyle downgrade, courtesy of Uncle Sam. Or Aunt Kamala as the case may be.

Don’t think it can happen? The Democrat donor class is certainly hoping this gets scrapped. They actually have the most to lose from this policy. But they are hopeful, and not switching course on donations and support. They are still shelling out millions to get her elected, expecting to NOT be on the menu if she does.

Is she really just kidding about all this?

Be careful.

Remember what they said initially about student loan forgiveness. The left said not to worry about that – they don’t have the constitutional authority to do that. It’s not a realistic policy to pursue. The Supreme Court has agreed – multiple times – that it is unconstitutional. And yet, the Biden Administration has attempted to do it multiple times. The latest court battle has been waged by the Attorney General of Missouri, Andrew Bailey and several other states to halt the third and latest attempt to cancel student loan debt.

And remember what they said about vaccine mandates once upon a time. Before the Biden Administration barged ahead with mandates, they used pressure and incentives and denied mandates were in the cards. Then the Biden Administration ended up doing whatever it wanted, and only the agonizingly slow and costly legal process has been able to slow them down. Sometimes it appears they are stopped, yet they forge ahead anyway in spite of losing in court.
What then should we do about this insanely destructive idea about taxing unrealized gains?

And don’t fall for the line that it will only affect the very wealthy. History should teach us that when the IRS is given the tools to go after the “wealthy” it is only a matter of time until the definition of wealthy includes YOU.

A tax on unrealized gains is a naked attempt to open the door to eventually divorcing you from your property through confiscatory taxes. It may not be structured that way today in proposals, but these things have a way of creeping down into the middle class and causing economic chaos.
If you want to move some of your net worth out of this destructive and toxic system, precious metals remain a popular choice for many reasons. If you would like more information on how gold and silver can help, please call us. We would love to discuss your situation with you and answer any questions you may have for us.

Donald Trump rarely talks about his one big fear should he win in November.​
Back in January he mentioned it to The Hill and its CHILLING.

Trump feels the stock market is on edge and a crash is coming. Not that he WANTS a crash, but if it happens, the worst possible time would be during his second term, giving him a Herbert Hoover scenario.

Black Friday and the start of the Great Depression happened just a few months into Hoover’s term, marring his legacy and impeding his goals as president.

Trump is afraid the same may happen to him – due to Biden’s disastrous economic policies.

And the worst thing is there isn’t anything Trump can do to prevent it, but it could seriously derail his agenda.

For that reason, Trump think it would be better for Biden’s crash to happen on Biden’s watch – SOONER rather than later. And time is running short.

Of course, we may already be in a recession. A new survey shows that a majority of American farmers and agricultural economists believe we are on the verge of a recession or already in one. Farmers know what’s up with the economy.

Economists who specialize in agriculture are keenly aware of these early economic indicators as they wade through commodity prices like corn and wheat every day.  Some quotes from agriculture economists –

“Farm incomes are down. Ag manufacturers are laying people off. Suppliers for those manufacturers are laying people off. What are the bright spots? Cattle, depending on the segment? Trade with Mexico? After that, the list gets pretty thin.”

“I do think the U.S. ag economy is in a recession. The projection for 2023 and 2024 farm incomes in real dollars are the two largest declines in history. Costs exceed prices for most commodities. And the outlook doesn’t provide indication of improvement soon.”
Chillingly:

“I think we’ll enter into a recession after the election.”
If that prediction comes true, even a Trump win could be a long term loss for sound economic policies.

Are you ready for all economic possibilities on the horizon?