The Aftershock Investor: A Crash Course in Staying Afloat in a Sinking Economy

CHAPTER 1

Bubblequake and Aftershock—A Quick Review of How We Got Here and What’s Next

WHY READ THIS BOOK? BECAUSE WE WERE RIGHT, NOW YOU CAN BE RIGHT, TOO

We are not Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve. We are not economic Nobel Prize winners, like Paul Krugman. We don’t run huge investment firms, such as Goldman Sachs or Merrill Lynch. But they were all wrong, and we were right. That is why this book is worth reading. We don’t have a crystal ball—no one does. But we do have something even more reliable over the long term: the correct macroeconomic view of what is occurring and what’s coming next. Once you have this correct Big Picture too, you can be just as right as we have been. With this book, you and your family and associates will likely have a better chance than most to cover your assets, protect yourself, and perhaps even find profits in the coming Aftershock.

The purpose of this book is to move you closer to that with every page.

Please note: If you have not yet read any of our previous books, the rest of this chapter will serve as your quick executive summary. If you have already read Aftershock, Second Edition, you could just skip ahead to Chapter 2, which offers a brief update since our 2011 book. However, you may want to stay with us here just for the quick review. If nothing else, it will help you hold up your end of the discussion with some people who may still be in the dark about what is really happening.

You Are Not Asleep with the Sheep

Back in 2006, ...