I know the economy is bad but ……

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Geo said:
Maybe the only commodity that has kept up with inflation is gold. It was $1821 in October 23 and now it's at $2468.
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I’m not a huge fan of precious metals. I have some but not much. A lot of folks think when the end is here and we are a post apocalyptic world, metals will be the rule again. F- that. I don’t wanna be here for that. And if I am, the .22 round is gold.🫤
Real estate is good if you can ride and wait the interest rates or buy outright and sit. If you are a handyman; apt/home rentals are good (in the right state-and right person- Ie young professionals).
Most important this is to never buy anything you can’t afford, especially on credit. Forever beholden to a monthly payment. Always making a deal to get something else, like a guitar, a 2C+, a cab, or whatever, then finding yourself shortchanged on a monthly payment but having that greenback filled 4x12. 😏.
I’m personally not that smart BUT over the years I have fucked enough shit up to figure out what not to do. I am the old man in the corner saying; I wouldn’t do that if I were you.
 
alund said:
I’m not a huge fan of precious metals. I have some but not much. A lot of folks think when the end is here and we are a post apocalyptic world, metals will be the rule again. F- that. I don’t wanna be here for that. And if I am, the .22 round is gold.🫤
Real estate is good if you can ride and wait the interest rates or buy outright and sit. If you are a handyman; apt/home rentals are good (in the right state-and right person- Ie young professionals).
Most important this is to never buy anything you can’t afford, especially on credit. Forever beholden to a monthly payment. Always making a deal to get something else, like a guitar, a 2C+, a cab, or whatever, then finding yourself shortchanged on a monthly payment but having that greenback filled 4x12. 😏.
I’m personally not that smart BUT over the years I have fucked enough shit up to figure out what not to do. I am the old man in the corner saying; I wouldn’t do that if I were you.
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Only guns, ammo and canned food will rule the apocalyptic world
 
alund said:
I’m not a huge fan of precious metals. I have some but not much. A lot of folks think when the end is here and we are a post apocalyptic world, metals will be the rule again. F- that. I don’t wanna be here for that. And if I am, the .22 round is gold.🫤
Real estate is good if you can ride and wait the interest rates or buy outright and sit. If you are a handyman; apt/home rentals are good (in the right state-and right person- Ie young professionals).
Most important this is to never buy anything you can’t afford, especially on credit. Forever beholden to a monthly payment. Always making a deal to get something else, like a guitar, a 2C+, a cab, or whatever, then finding yourself shortchanged on a monthly payment but having that greenback filled 4x12. 😏.
I’m personally not that smart BUT over the years I have fucked enough shit up to figure out what not to do. I am the old man in the corner saying; I wouldn’t do that if I were you.
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The problem with real estate and owning land is the gobernment ability to screw you. What if they decide to triple your real estate tax, then what? I would def say own your own home outright but not sure I like investing in real estate. Too many variables.

This gobernment (the fed really) are printing money and buying the debt at a rate of 1 trillion every 3 months, and that just to cover the interest on the debt they are creating. It's snowballing, we don't have much time before they have to print a trillion a month, week or day.

There will be some kind of reset. Whats that going to look like? I have no idea but I do know that other countries are dropping their holdings in the dollar and buying gold. .So, are the central banks and politicians.

Young people will not suffer as much as the older population. The people that have worked hard their whole lives to save for retirement will get screwed. And the rich? Probably already know what the plan are and prepared accordingly.

So, if you have cash in the bank, money in the stock market or some kind of retirement fund, you have to know when to bail.
 
alund said:
I’m not a huge fan of precious metals. I have some but not much. A lot of folks think when the end is here and we are a post apocalyptic world, metals will be the rule again. F- that. I don’t wanna be here for that. And if I am, the .22 round is gold.🫤
Real estate is good if you can ride and wait the interest rates or buy outright and sit. If you are a handyman; apt/home rentals are good (in the right state-and right person- Ie young professionals).
Most important this is to never buy anything you can’t afford, especially on credit. Forever beholden to a monthly payment. Always making a deal to get something else, like a guitar, a 2C+, a cab, or whatever, then finding yourself shortchanged on a monthly payment but having that greenback filled 4x12. 😏.
I’m personally not that smart BUT over the years I have fucked enough shit up to figure out what not to do. I am the old man in the corner saying; I wouldn’t do that if I were you.
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I have some gold and silver, but brass and lead are my precious metal focus.

One number I track is my change in market value (monthly, annual, 5-year running) for each of my accounts. My goal is to have an average monthly amount higher than my basic income needed during retirement, which I met a few years ago; i.e., I can retire now.

Also transitioning a small % of my savings to income generation, that provides monthly income, which will take another 1-2 years to complete.

I plan to work another 1-2 years, and get my sailboat before I retire.

My retirement challenge is to keep my tax bracket as low as possible, while doing Roth conversions before coerced RMDs start, and I find myself in a high (highest) tax bracket paying way too much to the government.
 
As far as the economy is concerned, I run my own business and I serve individual clients - not business clients. So I have an admittedly limited barometer for how actual people in my city are feeling about liquidity and availability of $$. This year has been a struggle. Coming out of the pandemic, if I got a prospective client in the conference room, I was hired - mostly on credit cards. Nowadays, my 'close' rate can't be 50%. Lots of folks politely thank me for the consultation, say they will think it over, and I never hear from them again. Only to find out in the weeks that followed, they have hired someone who I know for a fact charges 60-75% what I do.

On paper, it looks like I do pretty darned well, but overhead is a fascinating study. I've been at it 24+ years and in theory it always seems like the cost to run the office for a year ought to be relatively 'fixed' - such that last dollars earned in a really good year 'should' feel like straight profit. But my overhead virtually always factors out at 50 cents on the dollar - and that's before I pay tax on what I pay myself - before I start paying the overhead at home. So the margin between feeling pretty comfortable and wondering how I'm gonna pay all the bills at the office and at home is a very narrow margin.

My very humble advice to anyone younger than me - save more and spend less. I've had a lot of cool shit along the way, and I don't dwell on second guessing myself - but when I think of how just a few extra dollars saved 10 - 15 - 20 years ago could be working today... well, I'm not to proud to label it a missed opportunity.
 
Things aren’t moving because people are in denial that the value of amps and guitars are both going down. I saw a shop owner the other day tell a guy questioning what his guitar is worth that it’s worth 8k, and the guy noted the last several had sold for 4k. The shop owner said if someone wants it bad enough they’ll pay that and you’re a fool to take less. Lol okay, that guys going to sit on that forever, and that’s why your shop isn’t selling shit.
 
Bram576 said:
Things aren’t moving because people are in denial that the value of amps and guitars are both going down. I saw a shop owner the other day tell a guy questioning what his guitar is worth that it’s worth 8k, and the guy noted the last several had sold for 4k. The shop owner said if someone wants it bad enough they’ll pay that and you’re a fool to take less. Lol okay, that guys going to sit on that forever, and that’s why your shop isn’t selling shit.
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This is the attitude I get with most CL/FBM/Reverb sales as well.
 
After losing half my wealth in divorce, and paying my ex-wife alimony and child support (4.5 more years to go), I've been living below my means except for my hobbies (music gear and sailing), got a better job, investing more, so my finances have been improving since my divorce.

In my case, it wasn't "cheaper to keep her"!

Added bonus, I need much less money in retirement for only me vs being married.

Also, have freedom to do what I want when I want, like sailing the keys, Bahamas, and Caribbean part of each year during retirement!
 
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alund said:
I’m not a huge fan of precious metals. I have some but not much. A lot of folks think when the end is here and we are a post apocalyptic world, metals will be the rule again. F- that. I don’t wanna be here for that. And if I am, the .22 round is gold.🫤
Real estate is good if you can ride and wait the interest rates or buy outright and sit. If you are a handyman; apt/home rentals are good (in the right state-and right person- Ie young professionals).
Most important this is to never buy anything you can’t afford, especially on credit. Forever beholden to a monthly payment. Always making a deal to get something else, like a guitar, a 2C+, a cab, or whatever, then finding yourself shortchanged on a monthly payment but having that greenback filled 4x12. 😏.
I’m personally not that smart BUT over the years I have fucked enough shit up to figure out what not to do. I am the old man in the corner saying; I wouldn’t do that if I were you.
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If the world ends I’m just coming to you lol
 
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ners said:
This is the attitude I get with most CL/FBM/Reverb sales as well.
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Yeah it’s ridiculous man. People posting mark iiis for over 3k, used beat to shit Jackson custom shops for 4k. It’s over lol. That’s why your listing is sitting forever.
 
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I should have bought gold a few years ago when my brain told me too. My non-divorceable wife didn't understand that thought process. Now she does!
 
Techdeth said:
Weirdly I just watched a documentary on REM
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I saw them and U2 in chapel Hill NC back in about 81? Ish. I was 7th grade I think. Maybe 82 for “apple chill”. Fucking street bands. I was unimpressed. Until a year later when I actually found out who they were. War just came out. 🫤. I guess I was listening to Rupert Holmes at the time…
 
alund said:
I saw them and U2 in chapel Hill NC back in about 81? Ish. I was 7th grade I think. Maybe 82 for “apple chill”. Fucking street bands. I was unimpressed. Until a year later when I actually found out who they were. War just came out. 🫤. I guess I was listening to Rupert Holmes at the time…
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Wow
 
Bram576 said:
Things aren’t moving because people are in denial that the value of amps and guitars are both going down. I saw a shop owner the other day tell a guy questioning what his guitar is worth that it’s worth 8k, and the guy noted the last several had sold for 4k. The shop owner said if someone wants it bad enough they’ll pay that and you’re a fool to take less. Lol okay, that guys going to sit on that forever, and that’s why your shop isn’t selling shit.
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I have witnessed this more and more recently. People who drastically overpaid for an amp/guitar/pedal and now get pissed when they realize they are totally under water on their "investment". I said it during covid when gear skyrocketed...buy it if you really want it and plan to keep it...but don't get mad later down the line when you realize you overpaid.
 
japetus said:
I have witnessed this more and more recently. People who drastically overpaid for an amp/guitar/pedal and now get pissed when they realize they are totally under water on their "investment". I said it during covid when gear skyrocketed...buy it if you really want it and plan to keep it...but don't get mad later down the line when you realize you overpaid.
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It’s gear. It shouldn’t be treated as an investment. It’s a hobby.
 
Bram576 said:
It’s gear. It shouldn’t be treated as an investment. It’s a hobby.
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I don't know art, I don't know jewelry but I do know a Les Paul Custom in 1979 new sold for $750. I wish I bought 10 of them.
 
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