As we muddle through the first half of the year 2009, I have never seen anything like this. Never have I witnessed the fear and panic in investor's eyes like I have in the past few months. I was thinking of spearheading a new organization--maybe calling it something like the Battered Investors Club or BIA, an acronym for Broke Investors Of America. The stock market has become nothing more than a roulette table, and retirement accounts such as 401K plans have separated the hard worker from half to almost all of the savings they have responsibly set aside for their retirement.
Do you believe in the politicians and Antiquitätenhändler Hamburg financial "gurus" that assure us that the hundreds of billions of "stimulus" dollars that are being printed 24/7 and thrown around like confetti are going to fix this financial disaster that we are in? I don't--I think it is going to get worse. Sure, you are going to see the stock market, real estate market, etc., rally for a little bit. The amount of money (read: our taxes, children's , great grandchildren's) that the government is handing out is bound to cause a blip on the screen for a short term, but then--lookout! The long term result of all this may remind one of something that happened in Rome's history.
In the interim, I made the decision that I wanted to take back my money (what was left after they got through with me) and control when and how it was invested. I pulled my money out of my 401K and purchased collectibles. I now have something tangible that I can hold in my hand and admire, It does not have the potential to drop to zero value, I can enjoy looking at it or in many cases using it, and then sell it down the road sometime in the future for a nice profit.
You can start investing in collectibles right away and at any dollar level--whether you have $100.00 or $1,000,000 to invest--there are collectibles for any interest you can think of. Some of the most popular areas of investing in collectibles are coins, stamps, antique furniture, art, rare books, autographs, and even classic automobiles are good investments now.
There are dealers, appraisers, and experts in every field that can help you get started. Attending auctions, antiques and collectibles shows, and online venues such as eBay are good places to do some research and see what you may be interested in.
Many investors start out buying a few collectibles just for the intention of selling at a profit-- without planning on developing an interest in the collectibles markets. With many, this soon changes as they develop a love for buying and selling collectibles and end up making a business and career with collectibles.
I have been involved in the collectibles business for 25 years, and I feel your investment dollar could not be safer at this time. There are no guarantees in life but I know this -- I'll take a signed document by George Washington or Abraham Lincoln over an equal dollar amount of blue chip stocks every time!
As investors, we all have taken some very hard hits over the past year. But it does not have to continue. You can stop the bleeding today in your investment situation. Place your money in tangible collectible investments and go back to sleeping at night!
Hllo Investors! Are you ready for the next round of "financial incoming?" Would you rather open an anthrax laced letter than your 401K statement? Ok, I admit that was a bit extreme - but not by much. All of us investors are feeling like we had to stand in the ring for 6 rounds with Mike Tyson--after he got the news that his alimony payments to his ex-wife were just doubled.
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