Richard Russell: 12 Tips for the New Normal

By Cullen Roche

Few investment legends have weathered more than Richard Russell.  Born in the Great Depression, Russell knows what it’s like to live in hard times.  And in this new normal he has some survival tips.  The following are courtesy of Russell’s Dow Theory Letters:

1 — Be a skinflint. Cut down on your spending. And be very nice to your boss, assuming you still have a job.

2 — Think in terms of NOT losing money. Forget about easy Wall Street profits. There aren’t going to be any easy profits — not without a huge new infusion of borrowed money.

3 — Be sceptical of everything you read. The media is desperate for circulation, and it will slap on the cover of its magazine or newspaper any damn fool statement that it thinks will sell.

4 — Have faith in your gold. As confidence in the whole monetary system slowly fades, the desire for gold will heighten.

5 — Remember, there’s often a large correction prior to the final speculative gold run.

6 — This time there may not be a “final gold rise,” because large interests may just decide never to sell their gold. They’ll keep their gold as a symbol of “eternal wealth” that can’t be destroyed of go bankrupt.

7– Check out carefully the Permanent Portfolio (PRPFX). So far, it has done well and held up well. It’s actually up so far this year, which is extraordinary. YTD return is 7.33%.

8 — Be very cynical about those “fabulous” money-making ads you hear on TV. Money is hard to make these days and risk in just about everything is high.

9 — Cut out expensive discretionary spending. Instead of eating at your favorite local restaurant, eat home and save many bucks. Supermarkets now stock endless “heat up” frozen dinners. Or better still, starting from scratch make your own dinners. Cooking is coming back.

10 — Take the long view. With stock dividends below 2.5%, the odds are that holding stocks “for the long run” is going to be discouraging or a loser.

11 — Money is made in the BUYING. When you buy anything at the right (low) price, the odds are that you’re going to make money through the passage of time.

12 — Wall Street is suffering. When the Street suffers, its natural tendency is to come up with new “ideas.” The ideas are usually risky (i.e., mortgage-backed packages). Be very sceptical of new Wall Street ideas and products.

Source: Dow Theory Letters

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