The Secret War on Cash

When the Oracle of Omaha talks, people listen. Not too long ago, Buffett - and other business moguls - sold off shares of companies they own, which should serve as a warning. Now, the investment guru's favorite market gauge - the Buffett Indicator - spells trouble for the financial landscape as it shows stocks are heavily over-valued. The Buffett Indicator takes the combined market capitalization...

A lot has been said about artificial intelligence as a new scientific horizon, as a potential danger and a big business. We will let the politicians and philosophers argue over the first two while we focus on the latter -- the business side. A.I. is seen by some market analysts as a huge boon for investors and companies delving into the advancement of such technology. Others, however, see the new...

We discussed the coming of Central Bank Digital Currencies during previous Secret War on Cash podcasts. They are here now. Will CDBCs become the future of American -- and world -- banking? In 2023, U.S. TreasurySecretary Janet Yellen has in the past called the idea of CDBC's "transformative," but also said our transition to such needs a dominant dollar to keep the digital currency plan stable. Due...

Gold is already going up at a fast pace and experts see the precious metal continuing to soar; but why?  There are quite a few factors already: inflation, a rough stock market, the devaluing of the dollar, global de-dollarization, the rise of the BRICS currency and other geopolitical turmoil are among them. While 2024 looks like a rough year for the U.S. economy as a whole, gold looks solid.  Swis...

South Africa’s BRICS Ambassador  Anil Sooklal  said the days of a US dollar-controlled world will "soon end." That's the attitude and plan from the BRICS alliance, which has been working on its own gold-backed currency to supplant the dollar. De-dollarization has become increasingly popular as an idea in recent years as the U.S. government has been printing money at an astounding rate to cover exc...

Anyone, even the most careful of us, could fall victim to banking fraud; whether it be from outside hackers, scammers or perhaps by one's bank through unsafe or unsound practices. We zero in on some very serious cases on this week's Secret War on Cash, cases that could happen at any bank. Sometimes, banks will take care of situations, reimburse their clients and keep a closer eye on potential brea...

While market forecasters predict a rough year for stocks, the job market and consumer prices, gold has been rising. After hitting record levels in recent days, experts say the precious metal will keep moving forward as gold's Midas touch is back. Where can gold and silver go from here and what kind of economy could facilitate a continued rise? Many investors are exploring ways to catch the gold wa...

President Joe Biden touted his Bidenomics policies during the recent State of the Union address, but while he proclaimed a great economy, reality seems to prove otherwise: Inflation rose again to hit 3.2% in February and consumer prices have gone up over 19% from the implementation of Bidenomics on forward. Combine that with the high national debt, high interest rates and devaluing of currency tha...

It looks like economic forecasters who predicted a rise in gold are right as it hit over $2100 per ounce and a record high. Certainly, the current economic situation, BRICS' aims for a gold-backed currency and the easing-induced inflated market numbers are related to the growth in value, but will this vontinue on for 2024? If so, how high can gold go? wiss America CEO Dean Heskin and Michael Weine...

For a long time, banks were looked at as pillars of stability but now, they are causing many people sleepless nights. Recent collapses of mid-size financial institutions, customer service issues, frozen accounts and lack of access to one's money have plagued the sector and experts predict more woes moving forward. Meantime, the BRICS nations are still hard at work to undermine the dollar, as repor...

No, the economy is not doing well - despite what you might hear in the mainstream media and out of the mouths of many politicians. Debt is high, we have endured a high level of inflation over the past three years, food prices and utility costs are still high and the economic outlook is not exactly bright. The proverbial piper must be paid when the consequences of easing, spending and massive gover...

The worse the U.S. economy gets, the more potential a BRICS currency could take hold. Previously, we discussed how more nations are on board with the alliance's de-dollarization efforts. Now, two of the namesake countries' leaders are taking a deeper look at implementing the potentially historic monetary system. South Africa is looking into cryptocurrencies - at least the more stable ones - while...

The BRICS alliance seems to be gaining more steam as India says 30 nations are now looking to join the alliance and, subsequently, adopt its gold-backed currency. A former general warns the major global financial power shift from this de-dollarization effort could be devastating. Yes, there are dire consequences for the overall U.S. economy and the future of global monetary superiority, but how wi...

As experts go on record predicting a rise in gold valuations for the year, Central Banks have been buying up the precious metal in large numbers. At the same time, companies and investment leaders are selling off stocks at a high rate. This combination is most prominent when signs point to a potential market crash. Will gold rise as a result of these moves? It should be noted Central Banks don't t...

More and more large, midsize and small companies have kept their workforce remote and have therefore been able to move away from urban headquarters; avoiding high costs, property and rent taxes as well as increasing crime problems in cities. But there is a coming dark side: all of this may result in a dangerous commercial real estate collapse, which could be devastating to many large cities. In 20...

The trend of failing banks continues as New York Community Bank collapses and Moody's changes its rating for the longtime financial institution to "junk." This is another in a series of mid-size regional banks to have fallen. Why is this continuing to happen? Have banking executives not learned the lessons of recent failures? Is the industry naturally consolidating? Is your bank next? Swiss Americ...

When we look at the history of gold and silver value advancements, we see a rather interesting pattern: their values have reacted positively in response to rough economic waters and geopolitical events. Looking ahead to 2024, there are several happenings around the world which could cause gold to rise to varying degrees; while some experts say silver growth could out-pace its more coveted cousin i...

Financial powerhouse Saudi Arabia has joined the BRICS alliance. This addition makes the group richer than the G7, with the former rising above a collective $45 Trillion. While the BRICS are working on a gold-backed currency, they also want to dedollarize the global economic landscape; which will come with very serious ramifications both worldwide and in our own wallets. Swiss America CEO Dean Hes...

In a possible foreshadowing of what's to come for our economy in 2024, UPS recently announced they are going to be cutting 12,000 jobs this year. The National ADP Employment Report also reveals job gains are slowing -- something we believe may prove to be a big understatement. The advent of AI is not going to help this problem as companies are expected to replace more workers with artificial intel...

It's being referred to as "The Mother of All Breaches". 26 billion records (yes, 26 BILLION) are involved in this most recent data breach. This is just one more example of how vulnerable we are when it comes to our personal and financial information. This particular perpetration has given hackers a one-stop shop for all sorts of identity and financial data. This should serve as a warning for those...

These days, we are hearing a lot of doublespeak and spin when it comes to inflation numbers and the Federal Interest Rate. While the government tells us 'core inflation' is down and the 'inflation rate' is lower, we all know necessities - utilities and other goods - cost a lot more than they did only a few years ago. The Federal Reserve has tasked itself with fighting the rampant rise in prices, b...

Partisan politics aside, Bidenomics is not working - despite the intent of the Oval Office. We have seen inflation skyrocket, the normalization of high food/gas prices, interest rates spike, the devaluation of the dollar and hyper-spending by the government. Why did the plan to build the economy from the "bottom up" go wrong? How has the fiasco of Bidenomics negatively affected Americans, what is...

Debt is rising and choking American consumers. In some cases, it is due to careless spending, but more people are living on credit cards to purchase necessities - like groceries - as they struggle to make ends meet in a high-inflation environment. The continued rise in consumer debt could have a devastating impact on the overall U.S. economy in 2024. Making matters worse, the higher cost of living...

"Buy Now, Pay Later." That sounds great, but it leads to what's known as "Phantom Debt." These debts are not recorded like many others and there's no concrete way to track them; but they could pose a serious problem in 2024, especially since bankruptcies already rose 18% in 2023. This debt could also come into play as experts predict a rough economic landscape this year. Swiss America CEO Dean Hes...

The economy may be in for a rough ride all around in 2024 as worries over the U.S. employment lanscape loom. A recent Resume Builder survey reveals 38% of companies expect to lay people off. Also, more than half of those same companies anticipate having to cut holiday bonuses or employee perks this year. What will make things even worse is the continued advancement of artificial intelligence rapid...