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Our Fire - A warm fuzzy feeling what about 2013?
*CHUMP - Fool, loser, muppet, victim of THE.FuTuRe, loner, weirdo, odd, strange, picked on.

*WINNER - Happy, healthy and challenged.

THE.FuTuRe: "Hey CoNTeNDeR you CHUMP, Did 2013 work out as you planned it? Of course it did not. Why did you even try? You know I have lots of unpredictable surprises for you so don't try to hide. Come out of the woodwork and GetInTheRingWithMe!"

CoNTeNDeR: "You fight dirty! Sure I am up for it just like every year. Our TRiBe has a plan for you.... we know you will mess some of it up just look at some of last years silliness. Some people WON"

Everyone has his/her own agenda. The rich want to stay rich, the poor want to get ahead, the politicians want to stay in power, the greens want to save the planet.... Every butterfly flap of a wing could cause a hurricane.

There is no knowing what THE.FuTuRe holds, let alone the complexities of an individual in a specific place at a specific time - ain't it great!

Rich and lose it all, poor and win the lottery, a survivalist without a match, a capitalist going long in a bear market, the gift of a new borne child.

Today a brief look at 2013 which will have a follow up post on what, if anything, THE.TRiBe has learnt from it.

Unique, unfathomable, awesome 2013

Well, what a year 2013 was, just like THE.PaST. Unpredictable. Perhaps more unpredictable than ever.

Great gains in US stocks with modest gains in the UK and Europe. Why amazing well company earnings are not exactly up 28% like the stock market. I wish I could have a business that gains 28% a year.

Energy did ok - if you were invested in the US shale oil boom. As for how long the drilling of vast acres of the US will yield results is another question? Be pessimistic for 2020 or oil forever see SRSrocco.com for some analysis.

Defensive stocks in the UK were on a blinder at the start of the year and lost out to risk on stocks later. Twitter, Facebook, Bitcoin get on the free money gravy train of the cyber economy. dot.com boom and prosperity is coming back.

In the mean time we thought staying at home on the computer was a safe place to be. Yet this year we are told we are being watched and they have software to turn on your web camera to see what you are up to. Orwellian indeed.

Rising house prices and stock markets are beginning to drive Affluenza instincts. Debt based consumption is again fueling the economies of the west. People believe in the premise of inflation and increasing wages in THE.FuTuRe. They might just get what they want. Why didn't THE.TRiBe speculate on London real estate? the only way is up... until it goes down?

What about the rIse of quantitative easing for ever. Is this the real cause for stocks and houses levitating to all time highs? Sure earnings will go up when you do not have to pay any interest on your corporate debt.

What's more, after the central banks have bought the government bonds, they give the interest back to the government??!!*** Holy cow Batman. Why? How? Normal? Allowed? Just business as usual move on....

What happens when the CB's stop buying government bonds. They are already at very low interest rates? Who wants to buy something where the yield historically has one way to go up hence the value of the bond goes down?

Will bonds be dumped as their value drops just like gold this year? Does this money start to chase other assets quickly, faster and faster paying more and more for the asset. Will commodity inputs spike stoking the flames of inflation? OR will they loose control into the death grips of a deflationary collapse - who wants that on their watch in government - the WHOLE financial system wiped out. Too Big to Fail! PERHAPS Goldilocks arrives, yes the sheeple get fleeced by shadow inflation - common do you really believe the inflation statistics - debt slowly drops as a percentage of GDP and the economy powers ahead.

One to ponder: why is the oil price so high? We know that low energy costs will be a boon for the west. Why are we extracting oil that needs to be sold at $90 plus to be economic is this a roadblock just ahead?

All too odd indeed and hard to fathom but the ball is in the central bank architects hands until someone takes it away. Then they will go crying, cup in hand, or more likely pointing fingers at the government to actually do something. How about taxing and spending less while investing in THE.FuTuRE more?

Invest in THE.FuTuRe how absurd he is a right nasty piece of work - live for THE.NoW spend, spend, spend we can always print MOAR!

Paddy and Murphy on a train. Murphy says to Paddy "Look at that forest" Paddy Replies "Where I can't see it there are loads of trees in the way"

Wise words indeed when you consider what QE has been sold as and actually is?

In the UK let's invent our own sub prime housing market. That turned out well in the US didn't it? Keep the game a foot, Sherlock - you did not die. just pulled off a great escape. Can the UK government through the Great British "two up two down", damp and rotting terraced inflate the house price trick is another matter.  

Based on THE.PaST this is a wonderful conclusion and perhaps the right one. Who argues with THE.FuTuRe and the GReaT.GaMe and hundreds of years of prosperity. Perhaps this move has some way to go yet?

Climate change what climate change is it me or is there some really weird weather happening. We have had the most powerful typhoon ever, storm after storm hitting the UK because of a shift in the jet stream south. This is becoming a yearly occurrence.... And now the US a winter wonderland if you like -50C temperatures that is! Don't worry about it move on nothing to talk about unless you are British. That damn wet weather, it will be sunny for sure in the summer - time to buy another convertible car. Strange choices.

In the east they are accumulating precious metals as the price is crushed - are they the chumps? Only THE.TiMe will tell? THE.TRiBeS time line for a return on PM's is warning roll on 2014.

THE.TRiBE need to get with the BiG.GaMe. Central banks have the housing market, stock market and bond market backs covered but for how long? Can we not join in? The plan it seems to us is stealth inflation to reduce government debt burdens by robbing the common man of his savings and destroying the purchasing power of his labour. But inflation is good right?
"We learn from failure, not from success!" – Bram Stoker, Dracula

"Smart people learn from their mistakes. But the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others." – Brandon Mull, Fablehaven
Why not check out David Collums' year in review, it is excellent! - CLICK HERE FOR THE TEXT AND GRAPHS and here is an interview:
 

Next up a recap of 2013 challenges and learning's.

Peace, prosperity and happiness for 2014! Bring it on.
 
THE.CONTENDER

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Are you planning for financial independence and wondering what to do with it. If so is any of the content on this blog of use to you? I would appreciate any comments you have. All the best C

Welcome to FISH !
You have come here looking for answers. How to get out of debt? How to save and invest? How to retire early and how you want to live in retirement.

Well this is the right place for you as out tribe has been through all of these steps. We no longer work for a corporate employer and have saved enough to retire early. How we did this is shared here on this site for you.

Our little tribe found out these secrets to financial independence in our late 20’s. Since then we have taken early retirement, in our late 30's, in just 7 years. We now live in the South West of France with our two young children.

Along the way I decided to share everything I learnt. My articles and tips on aggressive saving and compound investing are there to help you meet your financial goals fast. I discuss ways to help you decide what you want by building a life plan. This helps to work out how to get where you want to be whilst avoiding the pitfalls along the way.

My expertise was built up working in blue chip corporate jobs, extensive reading and putting it into practice. I have condensed this knowledge into simple strategies to help you meet your goals and not those of the bank or the place you work.

There are free planning tools on this site that help you make a life plan. A plan for your future. The tools calculate how to reach your financial goals in a timeline that suits you. The tools help set out your life goals, make them happen and how to exceed them.

There are tips on how to simplifying your life to remove day to day headaches. These include ways to pay off debt fast buy eliminating wasteful spending habits. How to reduce your monthly bills through choices that actually improve your health and wellbeing. Identifying things you don’t need that sap your time and wallet.

There are little sustainability projects to reduce your dependence on shops and utilities whilst saving money to spend on things you want.

All of these little steps will show you how save 50%+ of your salary so you can meet your goal whatever it is. This huge saving rate can be compounded for very early retirement. I am sure you will find something here for you.

Darren Lee (A.K.A the Contender as in my blog)

 
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