You’ve probably heard of the social networking site Facebook.  Over the past several years it has grown into one of the most popular sites on the internet.  130+ million people are on Facebook each month ranging from preteens to grandparents. 

Now you can connect with Manarin Investment Counsel on Facebook here. 

We will be posting upcoming seminar dates, an overview of each week’s radio show, new blog posts, key investment and economic topics plus much more.

Do you understand the diffference between investing and speculating?  Watch this video with Roland and Don to find out.

This 1934 cartoon was published by the Chicago Tribune during the FDR administration to  point out that steadily expanding government and a nationalized economy will destroy economic growth.

(Aron Huddleston, Roland Manarin, Ron Paul)

This past weekend Roland and Aron visited Jekyll Island, birthplace of the Federal Reserve System for a conference sponsored by the Mises Institute.  Young and old free market thinkers from all over gathered on this small island off the coast of Georgia to explore the history of the Fed, it’s impact on American public life, as well as what the future may hold for the Fed.

Among the notable speakers was Congressman Ron Paul (pictured above).

Some key notes Roland and Aron brought back include:

• John Maynard Keynes isn’t the only game in town.  The far superior free market “Austrian” economic model is getting more attention today.  The American public is fed up with the borrow and spend attitude of our government and the incredible expansion of Federal Reserve policy.
• Inflation is a hidden tax that destroys purchasing power.  Look at the below Consumer Price Index chart dating back to 1790.  Keep in mind that the Fed has been in existence for the past 96 years. 

• We have actually had prosperous times in our history while experiencing deflation.
• Below is the scene of the crime where the meetings took place in 1910 that led to the Federal Reserve creation.

Photo Credit: Mises Institute

Manarin Investment Counsel advisors Tom Kerins and Tim Bastian share their thoughts on a handful of financial topics.

Wall Street Journal – The White House’s new health-care proposal promises the “largest middle class tax cut for health care in history,” which is a creative way of describing a vast taxpayer-subsidized insurance entitlement.  Naturally, the fine print goes on to describe one of the largest tax increases for health care in history, too.

This new ObamaCare bargain would for the first time apply the 2.9% Medicare payroll tax to “interest, dividends, annuities, royalties and rents, ” so-called passive income that we are told includes capital gains, though the latter wasn’t explicitly mentioned in the proposal.  This antigrowth investment tax would apply to singles earning more than $200,000 and joint filers over $250,000 and comes on top of the Senate’s 0.9-percentage-point increase in payroll tax, which would bring the combined employee-employer share to 3.8%.

The rate hike on investment income would presumably take effect at the same time the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts are due to expire next year, bringing the top rate to 22.9% as the current top capital gains rate would also rise to 20% from 15%.  That’s a 52% jump, and the last time investors were slammed with anything comparable was 1986 when the capital gains rate bounced to 28% from 20% – or a 40% increase – as part of the Reagan tax reform that reduced income tax rate.

Bottom Line:  If this comes to be then the consequence will result in less retirement income for seniors who’ve worked hard to save and invest.

While most economic pundits think we will see a slowdown in consumer spending this year,  signs are pointing that chances are good we will see spending move in the opposite direction.  Here’s why:

(1)  Consumer incomes are rebounding.

(2)  Consumers have reduced their financial obligations.

(3)  The personal saving rate is higher.

(4)  Home building is rising again.

(5)  Autos still selling slower than the scrappage rate.

- From economists Brian Wesbury and Bob Stein in this Research Report.

We’ve just wrapped up the worst performing decade in U.S. stock market perforance history, so what is ahead of us?  Don Davidson and I discuss this plus my thoughts on the real estate market, gold, inflation and your financial safety during retirement.

In this edition of the link roundup members of the the Manarin Investment Counsel team touch on the areas of health, media, the stock market, IRAs and the environment. 

If Economists Could Write the News on Trade Protection  Mark Perry takes a Washington Post article on trade protection and crosses out words and replaces them with sentences to show how an economist would present the article.  Very amusing.

How To Live To Be 100  Fascinating lecture on the world’s longest-lived societies and the common diet and lifestyle habits keeping them active past age 100.

Rethink that Roth  A number of investors are interested in converting their tradional IRAs to Roth accounts but it might not make sense for you.  This is a good overview of some of the issues you should be aware of. 

Weather Channel Founder Debunks the Global Warming Myth  John Coleman makes a case against the global warming alarmist theories. 

Chart of the Day  An interesting comparison of the current stock market rally to major rallies of the past.