RIP Jeffrey Van Son...
As you know, I write the Friday Digest personally... as I have for the last six years. Likewise, I've written almost every word of my newsletter, Stansberry's Investment Advisory, each month since August 1999.
Unlike newspapers, magazines... or even brokerage reports... our newsletters are personal. They're written almost exclusively by the same author – usually over long periods of time. I've always believed this process is valuable and important, as both the subscribers and the writers tend to grow together. Longtime readers of my work have seen my investment strategies and interests change and mature over the years. After all, I was only 23 years old when I began writing my first investment newsletter. I wonder how many readers of Welt Research's Latin American Index are still reading my work today?
I'm reminiscing a bit this morning because I'm on the way to a funeral in Winter Park, Florida, where I grew up. The first great love of my life – my high school sweetheart and lifetime best friend – recently lost her husband to a degenerative brain disease. It's the first time one of my close friends has died of an illness associated with age.
It's hard for me to get my head around what's happened. Three years ago, this man stood on my back patio, healthy and strong as an ox. He was smart, talented, handsome, successful, and kind. I'd been to his bachelor party. I'd been in his wedding. He was so alive. Our kids played together. They have twin boys and a baby girl. We talked about our kids... our marriages... the things our families would do together in the years ahead. Six months later, it was hard for Jeff to have conversations at all. And now, he's gone. Poof.
I'm not good with death. I haven't been able to talk to my friend on the phone yet about Jeff. We text... which is easier because the grief isn't as overwhelming in 160-character messages. Bite-sized grief isn't as hard to swallow. On the other hand, thinking about seeing her tomorrow leaves me sobbing. It was the same way five years ago when I lost another lifetime friend, Rey Rivera.
My strategy in life is simple: I make up for a profound lack of talent by refusing to quit. That's enabled me to accomplish almost every goal I've set for myself – from winning a high school state championship in water polo (when I joined the team I had to play goalie because I could barely swim)... to achieving academic goals (I must be one of the few people with dyslexia to pursue a career as a writer)... to building relationships (my wife broke up with me six times)... to building this business (early in my career, Bill Bonner, who is now my business partner, called me "hopeless").
It's amazing what you can accomplish if you simply refuse to quit. But death takes what it wants. It doesn't negotiate or offer a second chance. And trying harder sometimes seems to make it worse. I can't accept these things. They violate my belief... that my force of will can overcome any obstacle. When faced with the reality, the finality, the immutability of death... I go to pieces.
That's what's on my mind today – the incredible beauty and grace of a lifelong friendship. The tremendous character, dedication, and selfless love my friend displayed in caring for her dying husband. And the terror I feel thinking about death – its permanence and the reality of how little control we have over our own destinies.
I know... this has nothing to do with investing. Nothing at all. But as I explained... these are personal journals, too. We are all growing. We are all learning. This weekend, I'm going to try my hardest to put my fears and grief aside... to do everything I can to be present and coherent for my dear friend. I know my wife will help me. And as usual, if I just refuse to give up, I'll make it work.
Now... back to the gritty and selfish world of money-grubbing. Ah... I feel much more comfortable already...
Our editor in chief, Brian Hunt, sent me an urgent message...
Brian has a passion for trading. He's convinced trading options on extremely high-quality, blue-chip stocks is the best way for most of our readers to make money in the markets right now – especially for folks who are retired and are struggling to find ways to generate safe income.
These aren't the risky kind of option trades you might have tried in the past. They're the opposite. Rather than trying to make huge money with these trades... the goal is to try to "scalp" a few percentage points – 5% or 10% over two or three months – on the back of extremely safe stocks. As I'm sure you realize... adding that kind of income over the course of a year will really add up.
I've written a lot about these techniques in the past. I even launched my own options advisory a few years ago, the Put Strategy Report, when the financial crisis of 2008/2009 made the premiums on options so rich subscribers could make around 50% on every recommendation... Again, we were making safe plays on the backs of super-high-quality stocks, like the iconic jewelry retailer Tiffany's.
I'd never seen easier money in my entire life as I did in the options market from October 2008 through about the next year. From time to time these kinds of exceptional opportunities still pop up... but they never last long.
Now... Brian just sent me a note asking me to "pound the table" on this morning's DailyWealth Trader. It is, apparently, the best and safest opportunity they've uncovered in a long time.
Said Mr. Hunt: "This morning's DailyWealth Trader issue is about generating a safe 20% annualized income stream with covered calls on a blue-chip company. We recommend people get in this position RIGHT NOW."
I have to admit that Brian is a better trader than I am... by a wide margin. Nevertheless, even I can see the obvious merits of this trade. I'd like you to check it out, too. It's a safe way to make almost 5% on your money by the end of the summer.
I get it... for most investors, the idea of making nickels (5%) and dimes (10%) isn't enticing. But if you feel that way, you're missing the boat. The market essentially gives away deals like these. You don't really have to work that hard or take any big risks. You just have to be willing to lean over and pick them up.
I'm sure that 90% of our audience will never figure this out. They'll keep swinging for the fences, trying to make 30%-50% gains in a single stock, rather than just picking up a nickel or a dime every three or four months, while taking almost no risk.
On the other hand, a few of our readers will try it. And their financial futures will be changed forever. Making money with options isn't about adding risk to your portfolio. It's about taking risk away. Making money with options isn't about landing the one big trade. It's about making dozens of small trades every year and compounding the returns.
In the past, a lot of subscribers would admit that our approach makes sense... and they'd claim they wanted to try it. But they'd shy off, saying that our subscription fees were far too expensive. Or even after reading about our trade recommendations, they'd complain that it was too complicated – too hard to learn.
We've tried our best to remedy both of these issues with our newest publication, DailyWealth Trader. First, it costs less per day than the price of a cheap cup of coffee. We charge all of $49 per month. There's no big upfront charge, either. It's just $49. Really. That's $1.61 per day.
Next... I've twisted some arms today to make sure you also get access to the best tutorial we've ever made on safe options trading. These videos feature our own Dr. David Eifrig, who learned his strategies as an elite trader at Goldman Sachs. It's fair to say few people in the world know more about trading options than Doc.
In these videos, he'll teach you exactly how to execute these types of trades – step by step. We've sold these tutorials in the past for $99. But I've arranged for you to get them for free, along with ALL our other educational videos, if you sign up right now for DailyWealth Trader.
To view them after you sign up, all you have to do is log onto the website and click on the "Resources" link at the top of the page. There, you'll find a link to the "Training Center," which has ALL of Dr. Eifrig's educational videos (and all of Jeff Clark's, too). This information alone is worth 10 times more than the $49 you'll pay. Think about it... for less than you're spending on coffee, you can learn how to generate 20%-plus returns a year, without doing anything that requires taking a big risk.
As with everything we offer... I simply want to encourage anyone even slightly interested to try safe options trading with DailyWealth Trader. Start with a small amount of money. Make a few of the trades. I know once you try it, you'll be hooked. As Brian says time and time again, "With interest rates near zero, our subscribers need our help to generate income safely. Using options for income is exactly what they should be doing."
No, we don't "pound the table" on individual trades very often. There's a huge downside for us if we happen to get it wrong on these particular trade opportunities. First, if we get it wrong, we look like fools. Second, you'll never trust us again... and we'll lose you as a customer. That's why we don't do this often. But this situation is a "high conviction" idea. I personally believe it's one of the best trades we've recommended so far. I sincerely hope you'll check it out.
To sign up for DailyWealth Trader (without watching a long video) and get access to details on the trade I described and Dr. Eifrig's education videos, click here. (You'll also get immediate access to several valuable reports describing our favorite option-trading strategies.)
First, I'm off to Rum Cay in the Bahamas next week for four days of fishing in search of giant blue marlin. Yes, I know, items like this tend to infuriate the members of our audience who believe there's nobility in poverty. I've been poor. They're wrong.
Besides... how better to escape from all of the unpleasant emotions I'll face this weekend than by jumping on a plane and meeting my boat in one of the most beautiful places in the world for several days of fishing and diving? Aaron Brabham (my radio show co-host) is coming with me, so we're sure to have some fishing stories to share in next week's show.
If you've been to Rum Cay, please drop us a line (feedback@stansberryresearch.com) with your suggestions for our rigs and fishing strategy. Likewise, we'll probably also hit San Salvador and Conception (both nearby islands in the southern Bahamas). If you've been to these places, please reach out and give me some tips.
Also, I'll be posting pictures and videos of our trip next week to drum up business for my boat, Two Suns. (You can check out the first blue marlin we caught here.) If you'd like a once-in-a lifetime vacation with a truly friendly crew on the most successful fishing boat in the Bahamas... there's only once choice, Two Suns. A weeklong charter out of Miami costs $25,000 and includes everything you need: fuel, crew, food, booze, tackle, and bait. Contact my captain, Steve Hubbard, for more information: captain.stevehubb@gmail.com.
Finally... Several subscribers sent us a link to the following video. They claimed it was among the funniest thing they'd ever seen about economics. It's two comedians from Australia discussing quantitative easing. Not many of these videos are worth watching... but this one is, plus it's short at a little more than two minutes.
In the mailbag... an accusation of sour grapes. It's refreshing. We haven't gotten any hate-laced messages in a long time. I suppose if you mock your critics long enough, many of them give up. That's too bad. We miss the invective. It's always the highlight of our day. As always... send your feedback to feedback@stansberryresearch.com.
"Your mob reference for those us who have been smart enough to buy treasuries over the past few years sounded like a guy who is lamenting being on the wrong side of the trade – yields dropping again today as the market continues to buy up all the dollars and t-bills it can get its hands on – your mob reference sounded like sour grapes but I can understand that given you have TLT as a short – the day will come when you will be vindicated and rates will rise quickly – I expect that to occur sometime after the election" – Paid up subscriber Mike
Porter comment: There's no doubt we've been on the wrong side of the trade... for years. But that's often the way it works with your best, highest-conviction ideas. In the short term, the market is a popularity contest: the mob rules. But in the long term, the market is a weighing machine. Sooner or later, those Treasury bonds are going to collapse, just as the paper obligations of every bankrupt government in history have done.
You might think it's sour grapes when we call the fools who buy those notes the "mob." But it's not really. I'd pat you on the back for making a great trade – a trade I've gotten wrong so far. There are lots of ways to make money in the markets. You found one. Congrats. As for me, I don't think it makes much sense to take a helicopter out to the Titanic, just so you can hear the band for an hour and get some free drinks.
"Last week my wife and my youngest daughter took a trip to Wyoming to stay at a ranch and just relax. One good thing about WDDG is that it is part of relax. But I wanted to thank all of you for enriching my life and especially my family's. Today I bought Austrialia dollars as recommended. I have been watching it for a bit. Thanks to you all I have made 20% on Walmart and so much more. The statement "$49 well spent" is significant understatement. Thanks to every one of you." – Paid up subscriber Jeff S.
Porter comment: Given what we charge for most of our products... we're constantly amazed by how difficult it is to get people to merely try our strategies. See above for our current "no-brainer" offer.
Regards,
Porter Stansberry
Winter Park, Florida
July 6, 2012
RIP Jeffrey Van Son... How to make up for a profound lack of talent... An urgent opportunity in DailyWealth Trader... Taking a risk by 'pounding the table'... Free drinks on the Titanic... Off to Rum Cay...