While it is unclear what impact the next few interest rate hikes will have on the real economy the long term impact is a different story. A more active Fed may have an enormous impact on how investors build portfolios, a development we contemplate in this article.

This site is devoted to enlightening oneself regarding the economy, the markets and investment options to strengthen one's financial wellbeing. That being said, occasionally I think a meaningful site should share other ways to improve one's life to make it the absolute best it can possibly be - and this is one such article.

Increasing stock market prices are largely driven by an increasing rate of monetary inflation BUT monetary inflation growth has now been either flat or declining for the last three years, depending on what time frame one looks at. Conclusion: Earnings, and ultimately valuations, must fall as an ever-expanding rate of monetary inflation is unsustainable and as interest rates cannot forever be kept artificially low.

...Whenever a country (or countries) creates debt that is beyond the level that they can ever repay, an economic collapse is a near-certainty. Today, many jurisdictions, particularly, the US, EU, UK, Canada, etc. have created debt that is far beyond anything the world has ever seen. This assures us that the corresponding collapse will be of epic proportions.

Don't miss the `forest` for the `trees` when looking for a clear trend in gold prices and market activity. Here are some of those `trees` to consider - and which have some analysts predicting gold prices per ounce as high as $10,000 (Jim Rickards) to $12,000 (James Turk).

The outcome of the upcoming presidential election can impact the markets and this article outlines investor sentiment and what many investment managers are doing in preparation for the election results.

The S&P 500, Treasury Bonds, and the U.S. Dollar Index look like candidates for the Great Collapse while gold, silver, and their stocks look like candidates for the Grand Ascension. This article explains why that is the case with supporting charts.

The greatest risk in the market cannot even be found "in the market." Instead, our greatest risk is an internal one that resides in our hearts and minds, knowing when to buy and sell, when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. Today, we'll look at those internal risks and how they affect your investing.

Monitoring how Beijing is managing China's slowdown, and whether it will be able to rebalance its growth, are highly important as weakness in China will weigh on U.S. stocks. Given the ongoing structural reforms, government policies and global economic conditions, certain sectors within China have surfaced as winners while some are surprisingly becoming losers, which provide long-term investing opportunities. This article identifies the sectors that are winning, losing and remaining neutral.

The Federal Reserve has decided to leave its target interest rate unchanged at a range of 0.25% - 0.5% while suggesting that a hike later in the year was very likely. This article presents the differing points of view of two former Fed officials as to whether it was the right call or not.