Natalie Pace Blogs
Photo of Natalie Pace by Marie Commiskey. Avalon Photography.
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 Image: MetaAI Are We Headed for Another Crypto Winter? Watch my free videoconference on YouTube.com/NataliePace or listen to my podcast on NataliePace.Substack.com. Bitcoin’s high was $126,279.65 on Oct. 6, 2025. On Nov. 29, 2025, the coin was valued at about $91,000. That’s down -28%. Will bitcoin recover and soar even higher, or are we headed into another Crypto Winter? During the last down cycle in 2022, bitcoin sank to $15,683 (on November 9, 2022). So, what is the crypto lover to do to profit and to protect oneself? Buy? Sell? Hold? Here are the things we will cover in this blog. Isn’t it better to just buy and hold? Will crypto go up or down in 2026? How often do Crypto Winters come around? How long do Crypto Winters last? Who does the selling at the high? Is crypto being used as a currency? A buy low, sell high system on autopilot Capital gains taxes Crypto scams And here is more information on each topic Isn’t it better to just buy and hold? The trouble with buying and holding is that Crypto Winters can be very long and frigid. On November 9, 2021, crypto was at $69,000. It dropped to $15,000 by November 2022. Those kinds of losses, more than -75%, have serious consequences. At minimum, your FICO score plunges. When you’re worth $1,000,000, your FICO score and assets to debt might be in tiptop shape. If a year later your wealth has dropped to just $250,000, you might have a great deal more debt than money – and a lot of agents calling to collect. If you have borrowed money based on feeling super rich, whether it’s to purchase a house or sail around the world, banks and credit card companies don’t wait until crypto recovers to demand their payments. This could put us in a real vise, where our debt starts compounding at a rate that could swallow us whole, even if crypto recovers. Finally, perhaps as a result of debt, leverage and the real-world losses that accompany having too much of them, we see mental health challenges in Crypto Winters, with some of them resulting in loss of life. If you bought crypto in 2009, and you held it to today, you’ve made a great deal of money. If you bought it the all-time high and you sell now, you will lose a lot of money. What if there was a way that you could easily invest in the cryptocurrency of your choice, while also capturing gains when it hits an all-time high, and being prompted to buy low when it bottoms out? There is an easy plan that does this. Keep reading. Will crypto go up or down in 2026? If history holds true to form, 2026 will not be a great year for crypto. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the asset will follow the past trends. Here’s why. In 2022, when stocks dropped -19.44%, crypto hit a low as well. The losses were -66% for bitcoin in 2022.  The 2022 Crypto Winter was part of a historical trend that is worth noting. The future doesn’t always look identical to the past, but it often at least rhymes. As I mentioned in my March 24, 2024 Investment of the Year blog (before bitcoin soared 85%), the bitcoin halving trend has happened three times now. So far, we’re holding true to the historic tendency, as you can see in the chart below.  The most recent bitcoin halving event was on April 19, 2024. As has happened in the three prior halving events, the price of bitcoin soared over the next year. The high was on October 6, 2025. However, another part of the cycle is that by the second year the price has plunged into a Crypto Winter. That might indicate that the current rout is not over yet. Again, history doesn’t always repeat itself, which is why it’s better to use a time-proven system for capturing gains at the high and adding more at the low, rather than trying to market time things. How often do Crypto Winters come around? We’ve had Crypto Winters in 2014, 2018 and 2022. How long do Crypto Winters last? The average length of the Crypto Winter is about 2-3 years. Who does the selling at the high? This is the rather heartbreaking thing. While a lot of retail investors subscribe to buy and HODL, Wall Street whales just want to make a buck. So, typically, it’s the big money that is making all the profits by strategically selling high. Sadly, less-experienced traders often end up buying at peak prices before a market downturn – sold in by the hype and headlines, without doing the proper due diligence. This type of behavior is not limited to crypto, which is why our easy pie chart strategy helps with all investments. Is crypto being used as a currency? While some countries and companies will accept cryptocurrency, the use of crypto as a currency is very limited. The point of currency is to have something that’s going to be stable in value from day to day. As you can see in the chart above, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have wild fluctuations in their value. You can’t have a currency that is worth XYZ one month and less than half a few months later. A buy low, sell high system on autopilot After the devastating crypto cliff in 2022, crypto was the best performer of 2023 and 2024 by far, with gains of 167% and 116%, respectively. However, how many people bought bitcoin when it dropped to $15,000 on November 9, 2022? Sometimes people get so fed up with the losses that they sell low. (The cycle of emotions will almost always put us on the wrong side of the trade.) That’s the trouble with not having a system. When bitcoin hits its highs, everybody thinks it’s going to a million, and when it drops to its low, either people don’t have any money to buy low or they don’t have the stomach for it, worried that it will just keep dropping even further. Most people don’t buy low because they can’t. They lose too much in the bear market. Our pie chart strategy with 1-3 times a year rebalancing is very effective in helping retail traders and investors to make sure that they are capturing gains at the high, keeping that money and liquidity, which allows us (and actually prompts us) to buy low. This system takes the emotions out of our plan. If we have a slice of bitcoin and the slice doubles, capture gains and trim it back to where it should be. That increases our wealth and we get to keep the money (and our FICO score). If the asset keeps going up, you can do it again. Conversely, if we’ve captured our gains and bitcoin plunges, the thinner slice is encouraging us to buy low (if we still believe in the investment). Learn more about our time-proven, 21st Century investing system at the New Year New You Financial Freedom Retreat January 17-19, 2026. Email [email protected] to learn more and register now. You can also check out our free web apps, where you can personalize your own pie chart. Just email [email protected] with Free Web Apps in the subject line. Capital gains taxes Crypto can be volatile. Fortunately, there are now ways that we can own bitcoin or ethereum in our tax protected, self-directed retirement account. This could take our capital gains exposure down to nothing. Be careful just searching online or asking AI how to do this. You might end up with the company that paid for prime placement, rather than the most creditworthy one. There are a few very important considerations before we purchase any fund. (I cover this at the Jan. 2026 retreat.) Crypto scams There are some crypto funds that are owned by creditworthy multibillion-dollar financial services companies, and there are crypto funds owned and operated by criminals. There are a great deal of scams in the crypto space. According to the FBI, over $9.3 billion was reported lost to crypto fraud in 2024. Since not everyone reports their losses, the actual amount is likely higher. Bottom Line As I indicated above, if the history of bitcoin halving events is true to form, 2026 will not be a very good year for cryptocurrencies. That is a guarantee. However, rather than trying to pick the exact moment to jump in or out, if we use our pie chart system, then the fluctuations of cryptocurrency can be something that prompts us to capture gains at the high, which increases our wealth and secures it – keeping us warm in Crypto Winters, instead of frozen and desperate. Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Jan. 17-19 2026 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget, invest in hot industries like AI, gold, crypto and more, and how to be in the best seat during our volatile Debt World. Register by Dec. 1, 2025 to receive the best price. Email [email protected] to learn more and register now. If you'd like a life-changing adventure of a lifetime, be our guest at a royal manor house in Cornwall, England, March 12-19, 2027. (With just eight rooms available, this exclusive, private, bucket-list adventure sells out a year in advance!) Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] to learn more. The 2025 Restormel Retreat was a magical and royal experience. Click to learn more. Receive the best price when you register by Cyber Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 for the ONLINE Financial Freedom Retreat Jan. 17-19 2026. Request testimonials at [email protected]. You can also view some on the flyer page of the retreat. Learn how to: * Invest in hot industries, such as cryptocurrency, Nvidia, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, * Save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices * Hedge against a weaker dollar, * Invest and compound your gains, * Green your retirement plan, * Easy and efficacious nest egg strategies, * Get hot and diversified (including in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and crypto), * Evaluate stocks, * Avoid capital gains and financial predators, * Keep an age-appropriate amount safe, and, * Know what's safe in a Debt World. Yes, it's a complete money makeover. Email [email protected] or call 310-430-2397 to learn more and register. Learn the 15+ things you'll master and read testimonials in the flyer on the home page at NataliePace.com. Register with friends and family to receive the best price. "Ten minutes into the first day I was already much smarter about investing than I ever thought I would be in my life and I knew I was in exactly the right place at this retreat. I am amazed at how EASY and FUN it is to make my money work for me and those I love. I think this kind of information should be compulsory in schools. I wish I'd learned this sooner." CM If you’d like an unbiased 2nd opinion on your current wealth plan, email [email protected] for pricing and information.  Click through to the flyer to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register. Register by Nov. 30, 2025 to receive the best price.  Join us for our Restormel Royal Immersive Adventure Retreat. Spring Equinox 2027. Email [email protected] to learn more. Click for testimonials, pricing, hours & details. Register now to receive the best price, the best room and four private, prosperity coaching sessions. There are only 6 rooms available. This retreat includes an all-access pass to all of our online training for a full year for two. Considering the perks, you're receiving a 65% discount to learn the life math that we all should have received in high school, and the room is free! Email [email protected] to learn more. The best rooms at the 2025 retreat were sold out in 2024! Yes, it's a great idea to register and start transforming our lives now!  Natalie Wynne Pace is an Advocate for Sustainability Financial Literacy & Women's Empowerment. Natalie is the bestselling author of The ABCs of Money (6th edition) and The Power of 8 Billion: It's Up to Us, and is the co-creator of the Earth Gratitude Project. She has been ranked as a No. 1 stock picker, above over 835 A-list pundits, by an independent tracking agency (TipsTraders). Her book The ABCs of Money remained at or near the #1 Investing Basics e-book on Amazon for over 3 years (in its vertical), with over 120,000 downloads and a mean 5-star ranking. The 6th edition of The ABCs of Money and the 2nd edition of Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is (2nd edition) are the most recent releases of these books. Follow her on Instagram. Natalie Pace's easy as a pie chart nest egg strategies earned gains in the last two recessions and have outperformed the bull markets in between. That is why her Investor Educational Retreats, books and private coaching are enthusiastically recommended by Nobel Prize winning economist Gary S. Becker, TD AMERITRADE chairman Joe Moglia, Kay Koplovitz and many Main Street investors who have transformed their lives using her Thrive Budget and investing strategies. Click to view a video testimonial from Nilo Bolden. Check out Natalie Pace's Substack podcast on Apple and Spotify. Watch videoconferences and webinars on Youtube. Other Blogs of Interest Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sales & Free Gifts. Will the World Cup Save the Travel Industry? Save Thousands Annually on Health Insurance and Medical Care. The S&P500 Has Doubled Over the Last 5 Years. Which Industries Performed Best? Bank Stress. Loan Fraud. Auto & Airline Bankruptcies. Augurs of a Recession? 2026 Bonds and Fixed Income Without Paper Losses Strategy Will There Be a Santa Rally in 2025? Magnificent 7 Update. On Fire. Expensive. Crypto. Copper. Silver. Gold. More Magnificent than the Magnificent 7. Stablecoins. Should You Invest? Clean Energy. Solar Generation is On Fire. Capture Gains at an All-Time High. Jerome Powell's Big Speech in Jackson Hole. HHS Cuts MRNA Research. Weight Loss Drugs Soar. Summer Sale & Sweepstakes. Will Tariffs Cause Stocks to Sink or Soar? Are You Paying Thousands to Lose Money? Coke & Pepsi Suffer From Poor Fiscal Health. Crypto, Gold, AI, Energy, Healthcare, Real Estate. Which Sector Performed Best in the First Half of 2025. Crypto Goes Mainstream. The Genius Act Becomes Law. Wealth Hacks: Are You Getting Killed in Capital Gains Taxes? Our Super Performing Hots and Value Replacements. Is Your Income Strategy Losing Money? Gold and Silver Soar. Get Safe & Hot in 1 Easy Plan. Home Prices Soften. Is Your City Next? Tesla Vision vs. Waymo LiDAR and Air Taxis. Are Any of Them Safe? Archer Aviation is Chosen to be the Exclusive Air Taxi Service for the 2028 L.A. Olympics. Company of the Year? USA Downgraded. Is U.S. Reserve Currency Status Threatened? Utilities: In the Eye of the Natural Disaster Storms. Aging Mom Doesn't Want to Discuss Dilapidated House. Investors Ask Natalie. Tesla, Tariffs, Chinese Competition and Price Wars. Will Oil Prices Sink or Soar? Executives are Uncertain. Health Savings Accounts. Save Thousands. Get a Tax Credit. Provide for Tomorrow's Healthcare Needs. Restormel Manor House 2025. A Truly Royal and Magical Adventure. 9 Ways to Cut Your Tax Bill in Half and Save Thousands Annually. Berkshire Hathaway. Should I Just Invest in Warren Buffett? Should I Have a Money Manager? 10 Rules of Successful Investing. Quantum Computing. 2025 Investor IQ Test. 2025 Investor IQ Test Answers. Indonesia: Rich in Nickel with Ambitions of Becoming an EV Battery Hub. RoboTaxis. AI. The Magnificent 7. Why Are So Many Safe Investments Losing Money? Canadian, Australian and U.S. Banks. Are Any of Them Safe? Ireland. Rich in Technology, Biotechnology and Agribusiness. Robo Investing and AI. No, They are Not Foolproof. Copper. Peru ETF Outperforms the S&P500. 9 Money Secrets of the Ultra Wealthy. Housing & Budgeting Solutions. Fast Fashion. Fossil Fuels. Plastic Clothing. Atacama Desert Waste Dumps. Fintechs and Brokerages that Fail are Not FDIC-Insured. 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. Answers to the 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. China & Russia Double Their Gold Holdings. Housing. Unaffordable. What Works? Case studies and creative solutions. The Underperforming DJIA, Full of Fossil Fuels and Forever Chemicals. 13 Lifestyle Choices to Reduce Waste, Pollution & CO2 & Save a Boatload of Dough. 11-Point Green Checklist for Schools. 10 Wealth Secrets of Billionaires and Royals. Fiat. Crypto. Gold. BRICS. Real Estate. Alternative Investments. BRICS Currency. Will the Dollar Become Extinct? Is Your FDIC-Insured Cash Really Safe? Money Market Funds, FDIC, SIPC: Are Any of Them Safe? Important Disclaimers Please note: Natalie Pace does not act or operate like a broker. She reports on financial news, and is one of the most trusted sources of financial literacy, education and forensic analysis in the world. Natalie Pace educates and informs individual investors to give investors a competitive edge in their personal decision-making. Any publicly-traded companies, funds or projects mentioned by Natalie Pace are not intended to be buy or sell recommendations. ALWAYS do your research and consult an experienced, reputable financial professional before buying or selling any security, and consider your long-term goals and strategies. Investors should NOT be all in on any asset class or individual stocks. Your retirement plan should reflect an age-appropriate, diversified wealth plan, which has been designed strategically, with the assistance of financial professionals who are familiar with your goals, risk tolerance, tax needs and more. The "trading" portion of your portfolio should be a very small part of your investment strategy, and the amount of money you invest into individual companies should never be greater than your experience, wisdom, knowledge, patience and diversified strategy. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, NataliePace.com does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Opinions constitute our judgment as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument.
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 Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales Give the Gift of Adventure & Other Novel Holiday Gift Ideas Receive Free Gifts and Massive Discounts This Weekend Only! Special Holiday Blog by the Natalie Pace team Our online courses, books, blogs and coaching are time-proven 21st Century strategies that are not found in the mainstream. Learning the life math that we all should have received in high school will transform your life and remove the obstacles that may be standing between you and your dream come true life. Whether you want to double your money in stocks, protect your wealth, reduce debt, thrive (instead of struggling to survive), live a greener life or make prosperity and abundance your daily habit, we have free videocoaching available to you. Just email [email protected] with your 2026 New Year, New You goal and we’ll offer some tips and ideas (some free) to help you achieve it. See below for our… Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales & Free Gifts Complimentary Coaching Receive a 50-minute Private Prosperity Coaching Session (value $400) when you register for our New Year, New You Financial Freedom Retreat between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Email [email protected] or call 310-430-2397 to learn more and register now. Save $200 On the New Year, New You Financial Freedom Retreat Now through Dec. 1, 2025, you’ll save $200 when you register for our Jan. 17-19, 2026, online New Year, New You Financial Freedom Retreat (while also receiving a free coaching session). Bring someone with you and they pay half of the Early Bird price. (Bring a teen or college student with you for $99!) Email [email protected] or call 310-430-2397 to learn more and register now. Most people earn back the cost of the retreat in budget savings alone within a few months. Of course, once you start employing the Rule of 72, and doubling your money every 7-10 years, while protecting your wealth, everything changes. Our time-proven, 21st Century strategies protect wealth, earn income safely (without paper losses), lean into the future and hot industries like AI, teach you how to stay on the right side of crypto and stay warm during the frigid Crypto Winters, while making all of this as easy as a pie chart. https://www.nataliepace.com/retreat202601.html#/  BOGO Coaching Buy one coaching session at full price and receive a 2nd free. Buy three and receive six. (Volunteers: Your prices will be lower.) Email [email protected] or call 310-430-2397 for pricing and information. Many people use our private coaching program for an unbiased 2nd opinion of their wealth plan and to employ our time-proven, 21st Century budgeting, investing and sustainability strategies. 8 Complimentary Private Prosperity Coaching Sessions Receive this special gift from Natalie Pace when you register (in full) for our exclusive Restormel Royal Manorhouse adventure, living for a week on a private royal estate in Cornwall, England. (Available this weekend only.) Should this be the year that you give yourself and your loved ones the gift of a bucket-list adventure that will transform your life forever? There are only six rooms still available. Learn more and read testimonials at the retreat flyer. What wisdom will you drink in by walking in the footsteps of a family who has kept their wealth for centuries? Two community projects were born there from our retreat attendees. This specially curated retreat will transform your life forever.  FREE GIFTS Complimentary Videocoaching Our videocoaching series are designed to assist you in mastering the solutions needed for everyday challenges. There is no purchase necessary. Email [email protected] or call 310-430-2397 to learn more and register now. Below are some of the targeted solutions that you can select from. 21 Days of Prosperity and Abundance training. Our daily mantras and action plan will activate a Healthier, Wealthier, More Sustainable You. This course touches all areas of money – budgeting, investing, career and family – by pointing us in the direction of solutions that will work and away from spiraling in the drama that doesn’t. Budgeting and Adulting Life Hacks. When life doesn’t add up, we need better information and to make brave choices. Most of us are not shopaholics. When we address the big-ticket spending with more-informed solutions and fresh ideas, we can save thousands of dollars annually. This is essential to living financially free. Debt Solutions. When we stop making the debt collector rich, we can start living a richer life and build lasting wealth. Too many think that once they pay off debt, then they’ll start saving and investing. However, becoming debt-free requires a different plan than the one that is keeping us indebted. Only a complete money makeover that includes an effective budgeting and investing plan will achieve this goal. 21 Days of Green. Make sustainability seamless in our daily life by understanding some of the fundamental truths of CO2. Putting plastic all over our bodies (polyester) and food was never a good idea. Did you know that plastic and polyester are petroleum products that are harmful to the environment, animals and humans from their inception at the oil well to their never-ending life as microplastics? Why do Americans, Australians, Canadians and people living in the Middle East have a CO2 footprint that is 3 times (or more) higher than most Europeans? Free Ebooks make great stocking stuffers! Dec. 21, 2025 through Dec. 25, 2025, you will be able to download Natalie Pace’s bestselling ebooks for free (in the U.S.). (For those living outside the U.S., while the Amazon offer might not be free to you, many of our ebook prices are under $5.) Get links to the ebooks below. Go to https://www.NataliePace.com and click on the book cover to be sure that you are receiving the most up-to-date edition. The ABCs of Money (6th edition) Time-Proven 21st Century Strategies for Debt Reduction, Budgeting, Real Estate, Stocks, Bonds, Crypto, Gold and more. The Power of 8 Billion: It’s Up to Us Learn the triple win of greener choices. Save thousands annually. Healthier You, Healthier Budget, Sustainable Planet. The ABCs of Money for College (2nd edition) Get a better degree for up to half the cost. Parents: read this book when your child is born. Teens: here are great tips and resources that you just won’t learn about from most college counselors and those standardized personality tests. Natalie Pace plans to update and publish the 2nd edition before the free ebook gift date of Dec. 21, 2025
BOGO Coaching Sessions These sessions can be used for an unbiased 2nd opinion of your current wealth plan. Learn exactly what you own and what a safer, hotter, and more diversified plan looks like. With stocks at an all-time high, now is the perfect time to do this. Natalie Pace’s analysis comes with color-coded details of all your holdings and easy-to-understand instructions that you can choose to use (or not). You’re the boss of your money. However, are you using blind faith or informed strategies? When you know what you own and what a healthy plan looks like, it’s much easier to make the right choices. You’ll learn what’s toxic, what’s safe, what you have too much of and what you’re missing. Our mission is to provide the news, information, time-proven systems and education to make it easier for you to navigate through all the noise, hullabaloo and traps, in order to live a richer life, protect and grow our wealth, earn money while you sleep and stop making the billionaires rich at our own expense (also good for the planet). Thank You! Your presence in our community means the world to us. The best things in life don’t cost a thing – friends, family, Mother Nature’s many blessings. This year, Natalie is particularly grateful for you because your participation in our community allows her to do what she is most passionate about and what she believes is very important to be bringing to the world. We thank you for helping us to spread the word of just how effective and empowering the Thrive Budget and easy-as-a-pie-chart investing strategies are. We work hard to add a splash of green to Wall Street and transform lives on Main Street. Thank you again for your continued support! The above offers expire at midnight PT on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for? Share with us on social media. FYI: Natalie Pace posts regular money tips on her Instagram Broadcast Channel and on her other social media (links below). See the collage of Natalie Pace's own life journey to financial freedom in some of the pictures below (and in a reel on Instagram.com/NatalieWynnePace.) https://www.instagram.com/nataliewynnepace/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliepace/ https://x.com/NataliePace https://www.facebook.com/TheABCsofMoney/ https://www.tiktok.com/@natalie.wynne.pac https://nataliepace.substack.com/ https://www.youtube.com/nataliepace Praise for The ABCs of Money and Natalie Pace’s work. "The ABCs of Money will teach you how to stop getting buried in debt and start scoring gains for the home team. The more you score, the more you'll win financial freedom and enjoy your life. College students need the information before they get their first credit card. Young adults need it before they buy their first home. Empty nesters can use the information to downsize to a sustainable lifestyle, before they get into trouble." Joe Moglia, former Chairman & CEO, TD AMERITRADE "Thank you, Natalie, for saving my retirement!" Nilo Bolden, executive director at a law firm in Century City, CA “Many people, including educated men and women, often get into trouble when they neglect to follow these simple and fundamental rules.” Professor Gary S. Becker Gary Becker won the 1992 Nobel Prize in economics. “As a young professional, between the knowledge gained through retreats and the experiences from our immersive trip [to Cornwall England], I feel much more aligned with my visions and values than most of my peers.” M “We asked Natalie Pace for a second opinion on our investment portfolio. She researched and reviewed each stock and fund. She then explained to us in plain English how we were positioned in the market and how high our risk exposure was. Her knowledge was so profound that we decided to take her retreat in Arizona. My husband was still quite skeptical, but 20 minutes into the retreat he turned to me and said, ‘Thank you.’ Stocks and investing are no longer rocket science. We are finally able to take control of our money. We give thanks just about every day that we met Natalie. I feel like I live on a different planet. I'm so grateful. Thank you for changing our lives, our peace of mind, our future and our vision of what is possible. We made a tectonic shift with you.” AC & AM "The ABCs of Money is a must-read to help people understand the complicated economics of modern day (and how to protect and grow their wealth), or to go from surviving to thriving. It helped me and numerous members of my non-profit, The New Hollywood, to become empowered, educated bad asses with their financial literacy." Brianna Brown Keen Film and Television Actress Founder and CEO of The New Hollywood Learn the ABCs of Money that we all should have received in high school and college to score As in: life math, investing, budgeting, housing, debt reduction and living a richer life. Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Jan. 17-19 2026 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget, invest in hot industries like AI, gold, crypto and more, and how to be in the best seat during our volatile Debt World. Register by Dec. 1, 2025 to receive the best price. Email [email protected] to learn more and register now. If you'd like a life-changing adventure of a lifetime, be our guest at a royal manor house in Cornwall, England, March 12-19, 2027. (With just eight rooms available, this exclusive, private, bucket-list adventure sells out a year in advance!) Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] to learn more. The 2025 Restormel Retreat was a magical and royal experience. Click to learn more. Receive the best price when you register with friends and family for the ONLINE Financial Freedom Retreat Jan. 17-19 2026. Request testimonials at [email protected]. You can also view some on the flyer page of the retreat. Learn how to: * Invest in hot industries, such as cryptocurrency, Nvidia, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, * Save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices * Hedge against a weaker dollar, * Invest and compound your gains, * Green your retirement plan, * Easy and efficacious nest egg strategies, * Get hot and diversified (including in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and crypto), * Evaluate stocks, * Avoid capital gains and financial predators, * Keep an age-appropriate amount safe, and, * Know what's safe in a Debt World. Yes, it's a complete money makeover. Email [email protected] or call 310-430-2397 to learn more and register. Learn the 15+ things you'll master and read testimonials in the flyer on the home page at NataliePace.com. Register with friends and family to receive the best price. "Ten minutes into the first day I was already much smarter about investing than I ever thought I would be in my life and I knew I was in exactly the right place at this retreat. I am amazed at how EASY and FUN it is to make my money work for me and those I love. I think this kind of information should be compulsory in schools. I wish I'd learned this sooner." CM If you’d like an unbiased 2nd opinion on your current wealth plan, email [email protected] for pricing and information.  Click through to the flyer to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register. Register by Nov. 30, 2025 to receive the best price.  Join us for our Restormel Royal Immersive Adventure Retreat. Spring Equinox 2027. Email [email protected] to learn more. Click for testimonials, pricing, hours & details. Register now to receive the best price, the best room and four private, prosperity coaching sessions. There are only 6 rooms available. This retreat includes an all-access pass to all of our online training for a full year for two. Considering the perks, you're receiving a 65% discount to learn the life math that we all should have received in high school, and the room is free! Email [email protected] to learn more. The best rooms at the 2025 retreat were sold out in 2024! Yes, it's a great idea to register and start transforming our lives now!  Photo by Brian McLernon. Natalie Wynne Pace is an Advocate for Sustainability Financial Literacy & Women's Empowerment. Natalie is the bestselling author of The ABCs of Money (6th edition) and The Power of 8 Billion: It's Up to Us, and is the co-creator of the Earth Gratitude Project. She has been ranked as a No. 1 stock picker, above over 835 A-list pundits, by an independent tracking agency (TipsTraders). Her book The ABCs of Money remained at or near the #1 Investing Basics e-book on Amazon for over 3 years (in its vertical), with over 120,000 downloads and a mean 5-star ranking. The 6th edition of The ABCs of Money and the 2nd edition of Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is (2nd edition) are the most recent releases of these books. Follow her on Instagram. Natalie Pace's easy as a pie chart nest egg strategies earned gains in the last two recessions and have outperformed the bull markets in between. That is why her Investor Educational Retreats, books and private coaching are enthusiastically recommended by Nobel Prize winning economist Gary S. Becker, TD AMERITRADE chairman Joe Moglia, Kay Koplovitz and many Main Street investors who have transformed their lives using her Thrive Budget and investing strategies. Click to view a video testimonial from Nilo Bolden. Check out Natalie Pace's Substack podcast on Apple and Spotify. Watch videoconferences and webinars on Youtube. Other Blogs of Interest Will the World Cup Save the Travel Industry? Save Thousands Annually on Health Insurance and Medical Care. The S&P500 Has Doubled Over the Last 5 Years. Which Industries Performed Best? Bank Stress. Loan Fraud. Auto & Airline Bankruptcies. Augurs of a Recession? 2026 Bonds and Fixed Income Without Paper Losses Strategy Will There Be a Santa Rally in 2025? Magnificent 7 Update. On Fire. Expensive. Crypto. Copper. Silver. Gold. More Magnificent than the Magnificent 7. Stablecoins. Should You Invest? Clean Energy. Solar Generation is On Fire. Capture Gains at an All-Time High. Jerome Powell's Big Speech in Jackson Hole. HHS Cuts MRNA Research. Weight Loss Drugs Soar. Summer Sale & Sweepstakes. Will Tariffs Cause Stocks to Sink or Soar? Are You Paying Thousands to Lose Money? Coke & Pepsi Suffer From Poor Fiscal Health. Crypto, Gold, AI, Energy, Healthcare, Real Estate. Which Sector Performed Best in the First Half of 2025. Crypto Goes Mainstream. The Genius Act Becomes Law. Wealth Hacks: Are You Getting Killed in Capital Gains Taxes? Our Super Performing Hots and Value Replacements. Is Your Income Strategy Losing Money? Gold and Silver Soar. Get Safe & Hot in 1 Easy Plan. Home Prices Soften. Is Your City Next? Tesla Vision vs. Waymo LiDAR and Air Taxis. Are Any of Them Safe? Archer Aviation is Chosen to be the Exclusive Air Taxi Service for the 2028 L.A. Olympics. Company of the Year? USA Downgraded. Is U.S. Reserve Currency Status Threatened? Utilities: In the Eye of the Natural Disaster Storms. Aging Mom Doesn't Want to Discuss Dilapidated House. Investors Ask Natalie. Tesla, Tariffs, Chinese Competition and Price Wars. Will Oil Prices Sink or Soar? Executives are Uncertain. Health Savings Accounts. Save Thousands. Get a Tax Credit. Provide for Tomorrow's Healthcare Needs. Restormel Manor House 2025. A Truly Royal and Magical Adventure. 9 Ways to Cut Your Tax Bill in Half and Save Thousands Annually. Berkshire Hathaway. Should I Just Invest in Warren Buffett? Should I Have a Money Manager? 10 Rules of Successful Investing. Quantum Computing. 2025 Investor IQ Test. 2025 Investor IQ Test Answers. Indonesia: Rich in Nickel with Ambitions of Becoming an EV Battery Hub. RoboTaxis. AI. The Magnificent 7. Why Are So Many Safe Investments Losing Money? Canadian, Australian and U.S. Banks. Are Any of Them Safe? Ireland. Rich in Technology, Biotechnology and Agribusiness. Robo Investing and AI. No, They are Not Foolproof. Copper. Peru ETF Outperforms the S&P500. 9 Money Secrets of the Ultra Wealthy. Housing & Budgeting Solutions. Fast Fashion. Fossil Fuels. Plastic Clothing. Atacama Desert Waste Dumps. Fintechs and Brokerages that Fail are Not FDIC-Insured. 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. Answers to the 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. China & Russia Double Their Gold Holdings. Housing. Unaffordable. What Works? Case studies and creative solutions. The Underperforming DJIA, Full of Fossil Fuels and Forever Chemicals. 13 Lifestyle Choices to Reduce Waste, Pollution & CO2 & Save a Boatload of Dough. 11-Point Green Checklist for Schools. 10 Wealth Secrets of Billionaires and Royals. Fiat. Crypto. Gold. BRICS. Real Estate. Alternative Investments. BRICS Currency. Will the Dollar Become Extinct? Is Your FDIC-Insured Cash Really Safe? Money Market Funds, FDIC, SIPC: Are Any of Them Safe? Important Disclaimers Please note: Natalie Pace does not act or operate like a broker. She reports on financial news, and is one of the most trusted sources of financial literacy, education and forensic analysis in the world. Natalie Pace educates and informs individual investors to give investors a competitive edge in their personal decision-making. Any publicly-traded companies, funds or projects mentioned by Natalie Pace are not intended to be buy or sell recommendations. ALWAYS do your research and consult an experienced, reputable financial professional before buying or selling any security, and consider your long-term goals and strategies. Investors should NOT be all in on any asset class or individual stocks. Your retirement plan should reflect an age-appropriate, diversified wealth plan, which has been designed strategically, with the assistance of financial professionals who are familiar with your goals, risk tolerance, tax needs and more. The "trading" portion of your portfolio should be a very small part of your investment strategy, and the amount of money you invest into individual companies should never be greater than your experience, wisdom, knowledge, patience and diversified strategy. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, NataliePace.com does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Opinions constitute our judgment as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument.  Argentina (Lionel Messi) won the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Photo: Lionel Messi during New England Revolution vs Inter Miami on July 9, 2025. Photo by: Bryan Berlin. Wiki Commons. Used with permission. Will the 2026 World Cup Save the Travel Industry? Tourism Dropped in 2025 in the U.S. Will 2026 Come Roaring Back? International travel to the U.S. is expected to be down by -15% this year compared to the levels seen in 2019 (source: Trade.gov). Starting next year, there are many major events on the horizon that could seduce international guests to American shores again, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, America’s 250th Anniversary (2026), the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, the Rugby World Cups in 2031 and the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2034. However, before you pick your favorite hotel chain, travel app or airline to invest in, including Airbnb, there are a few other considerations, including the big question, “Why are foreigners choosing to forego the U.S.?” Here are the things I’ll cover in this blog. Sonder Holdings. Marriott’s Partner Bites the Dust. Oh Canada! Visa Roadblocks Cyber Monday & Consumer Uncertainty Airlines, Hotels & Booking Sites High Valuations with Slow Growth Tempting Headlines And here is more information on each point. Sonder Holdings. Marriott’s Partner Bites the Dust. On November 14, 2025, Sonder holdings Inc. filed for chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy. The company had been a partner with Marriott. According to Business Insider, Marriott terminated its agreement with Sonder because the company owed Marriott $17.7 million. Since the bookings were made on a Sonder page on the Marriott website, Marriott is now embroiled in helping disgruntled clients recover fees that were prepaid for adventures that are no longer available. So far, investors aren’t concerned. Marriott is still trading at an all-time high, with a 32 price-earnings ratio – quite lofty for a company with only 4% year-over-year revenue growth. However, the challenge could show up in the 4Q earnings report, which should be released in February of 2026. Oh Canada! Canada is the top source of international visitors to the United States, generating $20.5 billion in spending and supporting 140,000 American jobs according to USTravel.org. In the wake of tensions between Canada and the United States over tariffs and the rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state, Canadian politicians launched the Destination Canada and Canada Strong Pass marketing campaigns, encouraging citizens to forego travel to the US and instead explore the destinations at home. That resulted in a gangbuster year for the travel sector in Canada, and in a steep short fall of Canadian visits to the US in 2025. According to Statistics Canada, the drop in visits was 23% year over year. California and Montana have responded with their own welcome passes and love campaigns for Canadians. Will this work, or has Canada fallen out of love with the U.S.? Visa Roadblocks In 2019, 35 million (43%) of international visitors and $120 billion in spending (50%) came from countries where a visa is required to enter the United States. Brazil, India and Mexico are three of the top inbound markets that accounted for nearly 22 million (63%) of these visitors. According to USTravel.org first time visitor visa applicants can wait more than a year for their visas. (This has been the case since 2022.) In 2025, there was a new visa integrity fee of $250 (on top of the regular visa application fees) added to the cost of a visa. Immigration crackdowns have also had a negative impact on worried international travelers. Cyber Monday & Consumer Uncertainty Consumers account for almost 70% of GDP in the United States. Domestic travel makes up about 90% percent of the $1.35 trillion annual U.S, travel revenue. So, economists are going to be closely watching Black Friday and Cyber Monday spending trends to gauge signs of how American consumers feel about spending this holiday season. We are already seeing early signs of economic stress in rising unemployment and rising delinquencies, particularly in student loans and auto loans. According to the New York Federal Reserve Bank’s Consumer Debt and Credit Report for the 3Q of 2025, 14.3% of student loan debt was in serious delinquency (90 days or more delinquent), with 3% of auto loans.  Airlines, Hotels & Booking Sites: Low Yield, Low Credit Quality, Substantial Debt One of the first things you’ll notice if you take a look at the Travel and Airline Stock Report Cards, is that a lot of the companies have very low credit quality, massive debt, and very tepid year over your sales growth to support it. Most of the companies are either junk bonds or at the lowest rung of investment quality. Some of the companies are cash negative. Email [email protected] if you would like to receive these stock report cards. A gangbuster year in travel might help the industry. However, just jumping in on any World Cup related investor fever might put investors on the wrong side of the trade, particularly given the lofty valuations that some hospitality companies are enjoying. High Valuations with Slow Growth Despite the above concerns, a lot of companies are trading at five-year/and or all-time highs, including Las Vegas Sands, Hilton Worldwide, Expedia and Marriott. Price-earnings ratios for most of these companies are very high, particularly considering the slow revenue growth most are experiencing. Even if the travel industry gets a small bump next year with the FIFA World Cup, will this be enough to offset a potentially weaker, domestic travel market, if the economy does not strengthen, and inflation proves to be persistently sticky? Will the high leverage and debt in the industry make more headlines making investors nervous? Tempting Headlines Headlines always make things sound exciting, and it is highly likely that some bloggers are going to latch onto the FIFA World Cup narrative to support an investment in hospitality. (Some companies may even pay influencers to promote this angle.) However, when we wait for the headlines, we’re usually late. Successful investing requires looking at the entire picture of a 100-piece puzzle and buying and selling at favorable prices – more analysis than whether the World Cup will bring an expected recovery of 3.7% growth in international travelers in 2026. Bottom Line When an economy slows down, travel and leisure tend to be one of the first areas where families tighten their budgetary belts. With so much of the United States tourism tied to the U.S. consumer, and a recent downturn in popularity for U.S. destinations from international travelers, betting on hotels and airlines could be a very risky investment. In the short run, Wall Street can be a popularity contest. So, anything can go up just because the headlines are screaming that they are a great idea. However, in the end, it always goes back to good business practices. And sadly, perhaps due to the pandemic hangover, many of the airlines, hotels and booking companies have not fully recovered to their pristine fiscal health. While I might buy a ticket for a World Cup event, I’m unlikely to invest in the hotel I stay at, the online website I book my experience on, or the airline I fly with. Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Jan. 17-19 2026 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget, invest in hot industries like AI, gold, crypto and more, and how to be in the best seat during our volatile Debt World. Register by Nov. 30, 2025 to receive the best price. Email [email protected] to learn more and register now. If you'd like a life-changing adventure of a lifetime, be our guest at a royal manor house in Cornwall, England, March 12-19, 2027. (With just eight rooms available, this exclusive, private, bucket-list adventure sells out a year in advance!) Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] to learn more. The 2025 Restormel Retreat was a magical and royal experience. Click to learn more. Receive the best price when you register with friends and family for the ONLINE Financial Freedom Retreat Jan. 17-19 2026. Request testimonials at [email protected]. You can also view some on the flyer page of the retreat. Learn how to: * Invest in hot industries, such as cryptocurrency, Nvidia, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, * Save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices * Hedge against a weaker dollar, * Invest and compound your gains, * Green your retirement plan, * Easy and efficacious nest egg strategies, * Get hot and diversified (including in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and crypto), * Evaluate stocks, * Avoid capital gains and financial predators, * Keep an age-appropriate amount safe, and, * Know what's safe in a Debt World. Yes, it's a complete money makeover. Email [email protected] or call 310-430-2397 to learn more and register. Learn the 15+ things you'll master and read testimonials in the flyer on the home page at NataliePace.com. Register with friends and family to receive the best price. "Ten minutes into the first day I was already much smarter about investing than I ever thought I would be in my life and I knew I was in exactly the right place at this retreat. I am amazed at how EASY and FUN it is to make my money work for me and those I love. I think this kind of information should be compulsory in schools. I wish I'd learned this sooner." CM If you’d like an unbiased 2nd opinion on your current wealth plan, email [email protected] for pricing and information.  Click through to the flyer to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register. Register by Nov. 30, 2025 to receive the best price.  Join us for our Restormel Royal Immersive Adventure Retreat. Spring Equinox 2027. Email [email protected] to learn more. Click for testimonials, pricing, hours & details. Register now to receive the best price, the best room and four private, prosperity coaching sessions. There are only 6 rooms available. This retreat includes an all-access pass to all of our online training for a full year for two. Considering the perks, you're receiving a 65% discount to learn the life math that we all should have received in high school, and the room is free! Email [email protected] to learn more. The best rooms at the 2025 retreat were sold out in 2024! Yes, it's a great idea to register and start transforming our lives now!  Natalie Pace at the Ritz Carlton in Ireland. Photo by Marie Commiskey. Natalie Wynne Pace is an Advocate for Sustainability Financial Literacy & Women's Empowerment. Natalie is the bestselling author of The ABCs of Money (6th edition) and The Power of 8 Billion: It's Up to Us, and is the co-creator of the Earth Gratitude Project. She has been ranked as a No. 1 stock picker, above over 835 A-list pundits, by an independent tracking agency (TipsTraders). Her book The ABCs of Money remained at or near the #1 Investing Basics e-book on Amazon for over 3 years (in its vertical), with over 120,000 downloads and a mean 5-star ranking. The 6th edition of The ABCs of Money and the 2nd edition of Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is (2nd edition) are the most recent releases of these books. Follow her on Instagram. Natalie Pace's easy as a pie chart nest egg strategies earned gains in the last two recessions and have outperformed the bull markets in between. That is why her Investor Educational Retreats, books and private coaching are enthusiastically recommended by Nobel Prize winning economist Gary S. Becker, TD AMERITRADE chairman Joe Moglia, Kay Koplovitz and many Main Street investors who have transformed their lives using her Thrive Budget and investing strategies. Click to view a video testimonial from Nilo Bolden. Check out Natalie Pace's Substack podcast on Apple and Spotify. Watch videoconferences and webinars on Youtube. Other Blogs of Interest Save Thousands Annually on Health Insurance and Medical Care. The S&P500 Has Doubled Over the Last 5 Years. Bank Stress. Loan Fraud. Auto & Airline Bankruptcies. Augurs of a Recession? 2026 Bonds and Fixed Income Without Paper Losses Strategy Will There Be a Santa Rally in 2025? Magnificent 7 Update. On Fire. Expensive. Crypto. Copper. Silver. Gold. More Magnificent than the Magnificent 7. Stablecoins. Should You Invest? Clean Energy. Solar Generation is On Fire. Capture Gains at an All-Time High. Jerome Powell's Big Speech in Jackson Hole. HHS Cuts MRNA Research. Weight Loss Drugs Soar. Summer Sale & Sweepstakes. Will Tariffs Cause Stocks to Sink or Soar? Are You Paying Thousands to Lose Money? Coke & Pepsi Suffer From Poor Fiscal Health. Crypto, Gold, AI, Energy, Healthcare, Real Estate. Which Sector Performed Best in the First Half of 2025. Crypto Goes Mainstream. The Genius Act Becomes Law. Wealth Hacks: Are You Getting Killed in Capital Gains Taxes? Clean Energy Unplugged. Tesla Sales Slump in 2Q 2025. Our Super Performing Hots and Value Replacements. Is Your Income Strategy Losing Money? Gold and Silver Soar. Get Safe & Hot in 1 Easy Plan. Home Prices Soften. Is Your City Next? Tesla Vision vs. Waymo LiDAR and Air Taxis. Are Any of Them Safe? Archer Aviation is Chosen to be the Exclusive Air Taxi Service for the 2028 L.A. Olympics. Company of the Year? USA Downgraded. Is U.S. Reserve Currency Status Threatened? Utilities: In the Eye of the Natural Disaster Storms. Aging Mom Doesn't Want to Discuss Dilapidated House. Investors Ask Natalie. Tesla, Tariffs, Chinese Competition and Price Wars. 21st Century Recessions Look More Like Depressions. Will Oil Prices Sink or Soar? Executives are Uncertain. Health Savings Accounts. Save Thousands. Get a Tax Credit. Provide for Tomorrow's Healthcare Needs. Restormel Manor House 2025. A Truly Royal and Magical Adventure. 9 Ways to Cut Your Tax Bill in Half and Save Thousands Annually. Berkshire Hathaway. Should I Just Invest in Warren Buffett? Should I Have a Money Manager? Top Dividend/Income Strategies for 2025. 10 Rules of Successful Investing. Quantum Computing. Paper Losses. Another Warning About Long-Term Bonds! 2025 Investor IQ Test. 2025 Investor IQ Test Answers. Indonesia: Rich in Nickel with Ambitions of Becoming an EV Battery Hub. RoboTaxis. AI. The Magnificent 7. Why Are So Many Safe Investments Losing Money? Canadian, Australian and U.S. Banks. Are Any of Them Safe? Ireland. Rich in Technology, Biotechnology and Agribusiness. Robo Investing and AI. No, They are Not Foolproof. Copper. Peru ETF Outperforms the S&P500. 9 Money Secrets of the Ultra Wealthy. Housing & Budgeting Solutions. Arkansas Sues Temu for Data Theft. Fast Fashion. Fossil Fuels. Plastic Clothing. Atacama Desert Waste Dumps. Fintechs and Brokerages that Fail are Not FDIC-Insured. 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. Answers to the 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. China & Russia Double Their Gold Holdings. Housing. Unaffordable. What Works? Case studies and creative solutions. The Underperforming DJIA, Full of Fossil Fuels and Forever Chemicals. 13 Lifestyle Choices to Reduce Waste, Pollution & CO2 & Save a Boatload of Dough. 11-Point Green Checklist for Schools. 10 Wealth Secrets of Billionaires and Royals. Fiat. Crypto. Gold. BRICS. Real Estate. Alternative Investments. BRICS Currency. Will the Dollar Become Extinct? Is Your FDIC-Insured Cash Really Safe? Money Market Funds, FDIC, SIPC: Are Any of Them Safe? Important Disclaimers Please note: Natalie Pace does not act or operate like a broker. She reports on financial news, and is one of the most trusted sources of financial literacy, education and forensic analysis in the world. Natalie Pace educates and informs individual investors to give investors a competitive edge in their personal decision-making. Any publicly-traded companies, funds or projects mentioned by Natalie Pace are not intended to be buy or sell recommendations. ALWAYS do your research and consult an experienced, reputable financial professional before buying or selling any security, and consider your long-term goals and strategies. Investors should NOT be all in on any asset class or individual stocks. Your retirement plan should reflect an age-appropriate, diversified wealth plan, which has been designed strategically, with the assistance of financial professionals who are familiar with your goals, risk tolerance, tax needs and more. The "trading" portion of your portfolio should be a very small part of your investment strategy, and the amount of money you invest into individual companies should never be greater than your experience, wisdom, knowledge, patience and diversified strategy. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, NataliePace.com does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Opinions constitute our judgment as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument.  Image by MetaAI. Save Thousands Annually on Health Insurance and Medical Care. The high cost of health insurance is making headlines again. While inflation has been a major problem since the pandemic, the rising rate of medical care and medical insurance has been a crisis for more than a decade. Health care debt is the biggest reason cited for personal bankruptcy filings, according to many experts. This blog provides resources, tips and strategies to save thousands annually on our healthcare premiums, receive a tax deduction, invest for tax-free capital gains, and all while promoting greater health.  As you can see in the chart above, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the average 40-year-old is spending about $644/month on her health insurance premium cost. That’s $7,728 every year. According to the CDC, $4.9 trillion is spent annually on healthcare (with a projected $5.3 trillion in 2024). 90% of the expenditures are on people with chronic and mental health conditions. At 18% of GDP, the US spends more on healthcare than any other nation in the world, with worse outcomes than other developed world countries. According to multiple sources, the US has the lowest life expectancy, the highest rate of preventable and treatable deaths, the highest infant mortality rate, and the highest, chronic disease burden, combined with an obesity rate that is twice the OECD average. While these facts are startling and horrifying, there are remedies that will promote greater health and strategies that reduce the amount that we must spend on health insurance. Getting more informed about our options can result in a higher FICO score and lasting personal wealth, in addition to longevity. Here are the things I’ll cover in this blog. The High Cost of Health Insurance and Healthcare Health Savings Accounts Nutrient-Dense Food Student Gardens Community Gardens Fast Food, Obesity and Disease And here is more information on each one of these topics. The High Cost of Health Insurance and Healthcare $7,728/year is a lot of money. For families, the cost can be even more. At the same time, if we don’t have health insurance and we end up having to go to the hospital that could bankrupt us. There is a way to lower premium costs, while keeping coverage – with an option that is not advertised very often in the mainstream media – the Health Savings Account (see below). A lot of people are under the impression that their employer pays for their health insurance. It is more common for an employer to sponsor the health insurance program and contribute to it but not pay the entire amount. Most of the time our cost comes out of our paycheck and goes directly to the insurance company. So, it’s very important to check our W-2 statement to see how much we might be spending. Once we have a greater understanding of the bills we’re paying without knowing it, we can start keeping more of that money with more-informed choices. One of the easiest ways to stop making the health insurance company rich at our own expense is to open a health savings account. Health Savings Accounts If we are healthy and spending an arm and a leg on health insurance, purchasing a very high-deductible health insurance plan with a Health Savings Account: * Could save us thousands of dollars every year, * Offers a triple tax advantage (tax-deductible contributions, tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals) * Is the best long-term health care plan – something we can keep into retirement and can will to our heirs. Health savings accounts work alongside a high-deductible health insurance plan to lower the premiums – but to also start building up our own personal wealth, which can be used to cover the higher deductible and out-of-pocket expenses. Many HSA owners save thousands, some even tens of thousands, annually in health insurance premiums. HSAs work better for healthy people who are committed to building up the assets in their HSA. After we have a couple of years’ worth of total out-of-pocket expenses, we might consider investing for growing and compounding our gains. Learn more in the Congress.gov report or email [email protected]. The HSA works best when we treat it as a way to build long-term wealth rather than something we dip into every time we go to the doctor. Another tip is that I like to establish my HSA at a brokerage, where I have more options for investing than might be offered through the employer or the health insurance company. Nutrient-Dense Food Exercising and eating right is a well-known mantra for health. However, eating right also requires understanding the difference between empty calories and nutrient-dense food. As one example, the U.S. recently announced plans to phase out the petroleum-based color dies that are rampant in a lot of the packaged foods, including chips, mac & cheese, sports drinks and candy. According to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development.” There has been a plethora of studies that have shown that regeneratively grown organic food is nutrient-dense, without the toxic chemicals (pesticides, herbicides and other inputs) that are commonly used for growing conventionally. Studies have found links between insecticides and Diabetes 2, obesity and even autism. Some people worry about the higher cost of regeneratively grown organic food. However, if we factor in the amount spent on health insurance and healthcare, investing in food as preventive medicine could be a smart, lucrative strategy. Healthy individuals pay lower premiums for healthcare coverage. Health is the best health insurance. Another way to lower the costs of eating fresh, nutritious produce is to join a community garden. (Good Neighbor Gardens is a nonprofit in San Diego that will do this for you.) If we want to promote health in the next generation, we can start by improving the nutrition in our school lunches. Student Gardens Green Our Planet hosts the largest student-run farmers market in the United States every year in Las Vegas. That organization helps schools to save water by eliminating the carpet of grass and uses crowdfunding to cover the cost of planting student gardens. The Edible Schoolyard, founded by Alice Waters in Berkeley, California, has great garden and composting curriculum for schools. Damers First School in Poundbury, England does all of this and more, using the proceeds of their student gardens, compost and beeswax cling film products to fund their own nature garden and power their school with solar. Around the world, we’re seeing parents, teachers and administrators come together to make learning more fun and meals more nutritious and delicious. (While on a tour of The Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, the tween student tour guide told me her favorite snack was kale pesto.) As Dr. Sherridan Ross, the founder of the Compton Community Garden, is fond of saying, “Kids love eating fresh vegetables that they grow.” Learn more about these success stories in the Eco Kids episode of the Earth Gratitude docuseries at EarthGratitude.org.  Community Gardens Ron Finley quite famously planted his own Garden of Eden in the verge between the sidewalk and the street in South Central LA. Finley, like some urban dwellers, lives in a community rife with fast food joints and dialysis clinics, while a fresh tomato can’t be found for miles. Compton Community Gardens has free gardening classes taught by a master gardener (Dr. Sherridan Ross) and offers garden plots for a small semi-annual fee. The Compton fire department has a few garden beds there. The executive directors harvest a few beds for gleaning and food distribution to individuals in need. Getting master gardening tips from Dr. Sherridan Ross is priceless. Click to check out a few of his tips on the Earth Gratitude Instagram account.  Fast Food, Obesity and Disease Fast food has a lot of empty calories and trans fats. According to the CDC, there is no level of trans fat that is good for us. Fast food has been linked to an increase in cardiovascular disease, Diabetes 2 and obesity. Organically grown and ripened food that is eaten in season tastes better, in addition to being better for us (after we kick the sugar/salt addiction that is common in fast food). The money we think we’re saving by eating on the cheap is costing us in health insurance premiums, poor health, more visits to the doctor, pharmaceuticals, and weight loss jabs. When it comes to our health, it doesn’t pay to be penny wise and pound foolish. Bottom Line Healthy Americans can save thousands annually on health insurance premiums by getting a high-deductible plan with their own health savings account. I only wish more people knew about this. (Gary S. Becker was the one who apprised me of this over two decades ago.) Most of us are aware of the time-proven trope, “Eat right and exercise.” However, how many of us are aware of that eating right is not just about eating our fruits and veggies, but really leaning into regeneratively-grown agriculture, which has so many benefits that outweigh the additional expense. For those of us who can’t afford an extra dime on food, growing our own can be far more affordable than buying conventional food in a grocery store. Kids love learning about science outside in their own garden and writing about it (language arts). Big kids, adults, who save thousands or tens of thousands annually in their budget (by choosing a health savings account with a high deductible health insurance plan and leaning into a lifestyle that supports physical fitness), are going to be leaping for joy at being able to spend thousands each year on something they love a lot more than going to the dentist or the doctor, or watching a significant portion of their paycheck get siphoned over to their health insurance company. One more thing. The high costs of health insurance and medical care are not the only things that are breaking the budget. Unaffordable housing, student loan debt, transportation costs and higher food and gasoline prices are also oppressing many wallets – particularly of anyone under the age of 40. Waiting for our leaders and politicians to fix things hasn’t been working. If we want to exit the rat race and start thriving again, we must get very creative. As a young single mother, I had to live my way into answers for a budget that didn’t add up. Twenty years later, those solutions are still working. I outline them in my book, The ABCs of Money, 6th edition. I also have a complimentary Thrive Budget videocoaching series on https://www.youtube.com/nataliepace. There you’ll find coaching on Debt Reduction, Prosperity & Abundance and How to Live More Sustainably. Email [email protected] for additional information. Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Jan. 17-19 2026 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget, invest in hot industries like AI, gold, crypto and more, and how to be in the best seat during our volatile Debt World. Register by Nov. 30, 2025 to receive the best price. Email [email protected] to learn more and register now. If you'd like a life-changing adventure of a lifetime, be our guest at a royal manor house in Cornwall, England, March 12-19, 2027. (With just eight rooms available, this exclusive, private, bucket-list adventure sells out a year in advance!) Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] to learn more. The 2025 Restormel Retreat was a magical and royal experience. Click to learn more. Receive the best price when you register with friends and family for the ONLINE Financial Freedom Retreat Jan. 17-19 2026. Request testimonials at [email protected]. You can also view some on the flyer page of the retreat. Learn how to: * Invest in hot industries, such as cryptocurrency, Nvidia, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, * Save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices * Hedge against a weaker dollar, * Invest and compound your gains, * Green your retirement plan, * Easy and efficacious nest egg strategies, * Get hot and diversified (including in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and crypto), * Evaluate stocks, * Avoid capital gains and financial predators, * Keep an age-appropriate amount safe, and, * Know what's safe in a Debt World. Yes, it's a complete money makeover. Email [email protected] or call 310-430-2397 to learn more and register. Learn the 15+ things you'll master and read testimonials in the flyer on the home page at NataliePace.com. Register with friends and family to receive the best price. "Ten minutes into the first day I was already much smarter about investing than I ever thought I would be in my life and I knew I was in exactly the right place at this retreat. I am amazed at how EASY and FUN it is to make my money work for me and those I love. I think this kind of information should be compulsory in schools. I wish I'd learned this sooner." CM If you’d like an unbiased 2nd opinion on your current wealth plan, email [email protected] for pricing and information.  Click through to the flyer to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register. Register by Nov. 30, 2025 to receive the best price.  Join us for our Restormel Royal Immersive Adventure Retreat. Spring Equinox 2027. Email [email protected] to learn more. Click for testimonials, pricing, hours & details. Register now to receive the best price, the best room and four private, prosperity coaching sessions. There are only 7 rooms available. This retreat includes an all-access pass to all of our online training for a full year for two. Considering the perks, you're receiving a 65% discount to learn the life math that we all should have received in high school, and the room is free! Email [email protected] to learn more. The best rooms at the 2025 retreat were sold out in 2024! Yes, it's a great idea to register and start transforming our lives now!  Natalie Pace with her son on Good Morning America discussing housing solutions. Natalie Wynne Pace is an Advocate for Sustainability Financial Literacy & Women's Empowerment. Natalie is the bestselling author of The ABCs of Money (6th edition) and The Power of 8 Billion: It's Up to Us, and is the co-creator of the Earth Gratitude Project. She has been ranked as a No. 1 stock picker, above over 835 A-list pundits, by an independent tracking agency (TipsTraders). Her book The ABCs of Money remained at or near the #1 Investing Basics e-book on Amazon for over 3 years (in its vertical), with over 120,000 downloads and a mean 5-star ranking. The 6th edition of The ABCs of Money and the 2nd edition of Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is (2nd edition) are the most recent releases of these books. Follow her on Instagram. Natalie Pace's easy as a pie chart nest egg strategies earned gains in the last two recessions and have outperformed the bull markets in between. That is why her Investor Educational Retreats, books and private coaching are enthusiastically recommended by Nobel Prize winning economist Gary S. Becker, TD AMERITRADE chairman Joe Moglia, Kay Koplovitz and many Main Street investors who have transformed their lives using her Thrive Budget and investing strategies. Click to view a video testimonial from Nilo Bolden. Check out Natalie Pace's Substack podcast on Apple and Spotify. Watch videoconferences and webinars on Youtube. Other Blogs of Interest The S&P500 Has Doubled Over the Last 5 Years. Bank Stress. Loan Fraud. Auto & Airline Bankruptcies. Augurs of a Recession? 2026 Bonds and Fixed Income Without Paper Losses Strategy Will There Be a Santa Rally in 2025? Magnificent 7 Update. On Fire. Expensive. Crypto. Copper. Silver. Gold. More Magnificent than the Magnificent 7. Stablecoins. Should You Invest? Clean Energy. Solar Generation is On Fire. Capture Gains at an All-Time High. Jerome Powell's Big Speech in Jackson Hole. HHS Cuts MRNA Research. Weight Loss Drugs Soar. Summer Sale & Sweepstakes. Will Tariffs Cause Stocks to Sink or Soar? Are You Paying Thousands to Lose Money? Coke & Pepsi Suffer From Poor Fiscal Health. Crypto, Gold, AI, Energy, Healthcare, Real Estate. Which Sector Performed Best in the First Half of 2025. Crypto Goes Mainstream. The Genius Act Becomes Law. Wealth Hacks: Are You Getting Killed in Capital Gains Taxes? Clean Energy Unplugged. Tesla Sales Slump in 2Q 2025. Our Super Performing Hots and Value Replacements. Is Your Income Strategy Losing Money? Gold and Silver Soar. Get Safe & Hot in 1 Easy Plan. Home Prices Soften. Is Your City Next? Tesla Vision vs. Waymo LiDAR and Air Taxis. Are Any of Them Safe? Archer Aviation is Chosen to be the Exclusive Air Taxi Service for the 2028 L.A. Olympics. Company of the Year? USA Downgraded. Is U.S. Reserve Currency Status Threatened? Utilities: In the Eye of the Natural Disaster Storms. Aging Mom Doesn't Want to Discuss Dilapidated House. Investors Ask Natalie. Tesla, Tariffs, Chinese Competition and Price Wars. 21st Century Recessions Look More Like Depressions. Will Oil Prices Sink or Soar? Executives are Uncertain. Health Savings Accounts. Save Thousands. Get a Tax Credit. Provide for Tomorrow's Healthcare Needs. Restormel Manor House 2025. A Truly Royal and Magical Adventure. 9 Ways to Cut Your Tax Bill in Half and Save Thousands Annually. Berkshire Hathaway. Should I Just Invest in Warren Buffett? Should I Have a Money Manager? Top Dividend/Income Strategies for 2025. 10 Rules of Successful Investing. Quantum Computing. Paper Losses. Another Warning About Long-Term Bonds! 2025 Investor IQ Test. 2025 Investor IQ Test Answers. Indonesia: Rich in Nickel with Ambitions of Becoming an EV Battery Hub. RoboTaxis. AI. The Magnificent 7. Why Are So Many Safe Investments Losing Money? Canadian, Australian and U.S. Banks. Are Any of Them Safe? Ireland. Rich in Technology, Biotechnology and Agribusiness. Robo Investing and AI. No, They are Not Foolproof. Copper. Peru ETF Outperforms the S&P500. 9 Money Secrets of the Ultra Wealthy. Housing & Budgeting Solutions. Arkansas Sues Temu for Data Theft. Fast Fashion. Fossil Fuels. Plastic Clothing. Atacama Desert Waste Dumps. Fintechs and Brokerages that Fail are Not FDIC-Insured. 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. Answers to the 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. China & Russia Double Their Gold Holdings. Housing. Unaffordable. What Works? Case studies and creative solutions. The Underperforming DJIA, Full of Fossil Fuels and Forever Chemicals. 13 Lifestyle Choices to Reduce Waste, Pollution & CO2 & Save a Boatload of Dough. 11-Point Green Checklist for Schools. 10 Wealth Secrets of Billionaires and Royals. Fiat. Crypto. Gold. BRICS. Real Estate. Alternative Investments. BRICS Currency. Will the Dollar Become Extinct? Is Your FDIC-Insured Cash Really Safe? Money Market Funds, FDIC, SIPC: Are Any of Them Safe? Important Disclaimers Please note: Natalie Pace does not act or operate like a broker. She reports on financial news, and is one of the most trusted sources of financial literacy, education and forensic analysis in the world. Natalie Pace educates and informs individual investors to give investors a competitive edge in their personal decision-making. Any publicly-traded companies, funds or projects mentioned by Natalie Pace are not intended to be buy or sell recommendations. ALWAYS do your research and consult an experienced, reputable financial professional before buying or selling any security, and consider your long-term goals and strategies. Investors should NOT be all in on any asset class or individual stocks. Your retirement plan should reflect an age-appropriate, diversified wealth plan, which has been designed strategically, with the assistance of financial professionals who are familiar with your goals, risk tolerance, tax needs and more. The "trading" portion of your portfolio should be a very small part of your investment strategy, and the amount of money you invest into individual companies should never be greater than your experience, wisdom, knowledge, patience and diversified strategy. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, NataliePace.com does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Opinions constitute our judgment as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument.  The S&P500 Doubled Over the Last Five Years. How well did your portfolio do? Do you know why you did better or worse than the index? We’re happy to report that our emphasis on the Magnificent 7, artificial intelligence, silver, copper, crypto and international funds has paid off far better than the S&P500, while our fixed-income, safe strategies have been earning a market yield without paper losses. For years. See the chart below for details.  FYI: I’m interviewing Rob McEwen, the Chief Owner and Chairman of McEwen Mining and McEwen Copper and Kelley Wright, the managing director of Investment Quality Trends, a leading Blue Chip newsletter, next week. Email [email protected] for information on how you can join us live, or visit https://www.youtube.com/nataliepace or https://nataliepace.substack.com/ to watch or listen to the interviews in their entirety, once they are published. Below are the things I’ll cover in this blog. Wall Street is On Fire, But in Elite Areas Only Gold and Silver Miners Why Silver Over Gold in 2025? What About 2026? The Magnificent 7 and AI Copper and Peru (not Chile) Value Replacement Funds S&P500, Not DJIA Underweight U.S. Credit Risk Valuations and Volatility Rebalance to Capture Gains And here is more information on each topic. Wall Street is On Fire, But in Elite Areas Only As you can see from the chart above, the S&P500 has doubled over the past five years. Silver & Peru are shining even brighter than the Magnificent 7. If you don’t have large cap growth, technology, safe havens, or artificial intelligence, then your portfolio likely did less than the S&P500 performance and might have lost money. As you can see in the chart below, the Vanguard 2030 Target Date Retirement Fund spent most of the last five years in the red and is still worth less than it was in Nov. 2021. (Let’s talk about better options for your employer-sponsored retirement fund. Email [email protected])  source: MSN.com. (c) Microsoft. Used with permission. The U.S. is experiencing a K-shaped economy, where those at the top are living the rich life and those at the bottom are in serious trouble. Likewise, Wall Street is bifurcated between safe havens, AI, copper and the Magnificent 7, and the distressed or underperforming industries of commercial real estate, health care, energy and consumer staples. Are you aware that over half of the S&P500 is at or near junk bond status, including a lot of banks? Many of the weaker industries are concentrated in U.S.-based income-producing value funds, which is why we have been using value replacement funds (for years) in our sample pie charts. Peru has been our mid cap value replacement choice since October of 2021. Over that 4-year period, the iShares Peru ETF (symbol: EPU) has doubled. Silver, the Magnificent 7, AI and Cybersecurity have been among our hot slice choices. Even clean energy (symbol: ICLN), which many people had thought was out of favor, has gained 52% year to date. Bitcoin was the 2024 Investment of the Year, and has been on fire since 2023, but has had more muted performance in 2025. in fact, if history is true to form, we could hit a Crypto Winter between now and spring of 2026. (Rebalancing 1-3 times a year to capture gains and keep a diversified, age-appropriate portfolio in play is a very important part of our easy pie chart strategy.) Be sure to read my Investment of the Year blog for additional information. Learn more about rebalancing in my Rebalancing IQ Test blog. Now, with stocks at an all-time high, is a great time to rebalance, to capture gains and to make sure that we have exposure to the hottest areas on Wall Street, while underweighting the weakest performers. As importantly, we must know how to avoid paper losses and earn some income safely, while keeping a percentage equal to our age (or more) intact. This is simply the life math that we all should have received in high school, which we aim to make easy and actionable in our work. So, how can you navigate the divergences we’re experiencing in the economy? Getting safe, protected, hot and diversified is much easier than you might think. While a lot of research and analysis goes into the design of our sample pie charts, we do the heavy lifting to make things simple for our retreat attendees and Main Street coaching clients. When we know what to underweight and how to lean into strength, we can enjoy the best that Wall Street has to offer and earn income safely, without the paper losses and underperformance that are commonly seen in managed portfolios and 401Ks. Our wealth will be protected from a recession or from stocks losing value. Gold and Silver Miners Silver had quite a year in 2025, while gold has been in favor since the pandemic. The mining companies, which had been left behind in the precious metals rally, really came roaring forward this year with exponential performance. RING (the iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF) is up 118% in 2025, while the silver miner ETF (symbol: SLVP) is up 122%. Targeted ETFs are a great option if you want to skirt the volatility of owning an individual company. Most Main Street investors don’t have the time or expertise to compete with Wall Street analysts and hedge funds. While First Majestic Silver and McEwen Mining have also doubled in share price this year, individual companies tend to be more volatile. Why Silver Over Gold in 2025? What About 2026? For the past few years, we have been leaning into silver because silver was still trading at a better price, which we assumed would give it more upside potential. With silver hitting a new all-time high, will investors continue to prefer silver to gold? It is possible that will continue to be the case because the price point for silver is so much lower. Anyone who wants to purchase coins might find the more affordable silver coins attractive. One of the reasons that I singled out First Majestic Silver in my June 2025 blog was that they also mint their own coins. They will even customize the coin for their customers (with a minimum order amount). I prefer investing in funds rather than the coins for many reasons. (I outline the reasons in The ABCs of Money, 6th edition.) One of the most important is that if we have our own self-directed retirement account (particularly a Roth IRA), then it’s a great idea to put our highest performing investments, including the gold, silverm Bitcoin or Ethereum funds, within that account to avoid capital gains taxes. There are other advantages too, so I do encourage you to read up on the safe havens in my books and blogs and to learn more at our Financial Freedom Retreat. The Magnificent 7 and AI The performance of the Magnificent 7 has been responsible for Wall Street’s strength over the last five years. Investors from around the world are piling into U.S. AI and technology equities. Additionally, the multi trillion-dollar technology companies are investing in data centers, which is helping to push U.S. GDP above expectations, to an anticipated 2.0% in 2025 (source: IMF). Conservative investors could easily have missed out on the rally because those type of plans typically hold value, not growth. (Even more concerning, there’s a great deal of risk in the conservative investments, where we might be lured in with pie-in-the-sky promises of earning income, while being patted on the shoulder and told not to worry about all those paper losses, which are typically far more problematic than we are being advised.) A diversified plan should include growth, income, protection, and hot industries. The best protection we can have against a stock downturn isn’t market timing or avoiding stocks. It’s having the right amount safe, and potentially overweighting safe, while knowing what is safe in a Debt World where there is a lot of credit and duration risk. We teach this at our Financial Freedom Retreats. The next one is January 17-19, 2026. Register before November 30, 2025, during our early bird pricing period. Copper and Peru (not Chile) Copper, which is essential for a great deal of our energy needs including electric vehicles and power transmission, is enjoying a period of great strength. As you can see in the chart above, Peru, the second largest exporter of copper in the world, has been one of the best performers on Wall Street this year, with gains of 56%. Peru has been our mid value replacement since 2021. In addition to offering higher GDP growth and lower debt to GDP than the U.S., the Peru ETF (symbol: EPU) often has a dividend yield that is double a comparable U.S. mid cap value fund. The current yield is 3.50%. Value Replacement Funds We have been using value replacement funds in our nest egg, for better performance, diversification, sometimes lower risk and often double the yield. The countries that we have been most interested in typically have higher GDP growth with lower debt to GDP than the U.S. The story of the goods they provide the world is also in favor. Peru is one example of this, with general government debt to GDP of 31% (compared to the U.S.’ 121%) and expectations of 2.9% GDP growth in 2025 (compared to 2.0% in the U.S.). We have also been leaning into Australia, Ireland, and Indonesia. Click on the blue highlighted words to read blogs on each of these countries. What’s hot and what’s safe can change every year, as we enter a new phase of the business cycle. So, it is key to do our 1-3 times a year rebalancing and to have a reliable source of analysis to determine which equities and fixed-income products are in favor and which we should underweight, particularly in today’s world with such unprecedented high debt. S&P500, Not DJIA The S&P500 has been outperforming the Dow Jones Industrial Average, as you can see in the chart above. Why is that the case? One of the reasons is that the S&P 500 includes all seven of the Magnificent 7 companies. Another is that the 30-component Dow Jones Industrial Average still has a great deal of the most heavily indebted slow growth companies in it. The index includes Boeing and 3M (a diversified chemical company that has agreed to pay billions in settlements for allegedly polluting water with forever chemicals). If we are only contributing to our employer-based retirement account, we might have very limited options for investing, unless we have a self-directed option. It’s always a good idea to have a personal Roth IRA, in addition to whatever retirement account we have at our employer. With our personal, self-directed plan, we have a lot more freedom of choice in what we invest in. I offer solutions for how all these plans work together (including, potentially, a health savings plan) in my private coaching and also in the Q&A portion of the Financial Freedom Retreat. Underweight U.S. Credit Risk The lowest performing industries on the sector report card at the top of this blog have a few things in common. Most of them are heavily indebted with slow growth. While many of us are aware of the U.S. public debt at $38.1 trillion, few might be informed that the total debt and loans in the United States are an eyepopping $104.1 trillion. These unprecedented levels of debt are more than double what they were before the Great Recession, during the Financial Crisis.  Central banks around the world are trying to manage these indentures and cycle through them in a long and determined way by 1) extending duration on many fixed income products, and 2) lowering interest rates, which makes it easier for these beleaguered companies to keep borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, instead of restructuring. In a normal world without all this financial engineering, a great deal of these companies would have already gone through bankruptcies and debt restructuring, such as happened in the Great Recession and the Dot Com Recession before that. Inflation is the bug in the ointment that is making the RX more complicated. Credit and duration risks lie at the heart of why so many bond funds, bonds, and treasury markets around the world are suffering from paper losses and experiencing liquidity challenges. We’re happy to report that those who are employing our fixed income and safe strategy are not suffering from paper losses and are earning a competitive market yield without the credit and duration risks that are abundant in the fixed-income marketplace. If you’re being offered an investment that is double what the Fed Fund Rate is, you could be sold into a scam or scheme. Ask yourself, “Why would a company want to borrow from me at double what they would pay a bank if they were in good standing?” The higher the dividend, the higher the risk. We covered all of this and more in our Bond and Fixed Income Without Paper Losses Masterclass in mid-October. We also spend one full day on what’s safe at the Financial Freedom Retreat. Receive access to the Bond Masterclass recording when you register for the New Year New You Retreat. (Be sure to ask for your free gift.) Email [email protected] to learn more and register now. Click to learn the 15+ life math strategies that you will master and to read real world testimonials. Valuations and Volatility By many measures, equities are quite elevated. Warren Buffett has often warned investors that when stock prices are this high, they are playing with fire. Indeed, the only time stock prices were higher than they are today (based on the CAPE ratio) was in 2000, before the Dot Com Recession. The NASDAQ Composite Index lost -78% in that recession and took 15 years to recover.  The CAPE Ratio. Professor Robert Shiller. Yale.edu. High valuations increase volatility. In April of this year, when the S&P500 dropped -20%, you could have purchased Nvidia for $87/share. (Today, Nov. 7, 2025, Nvidia closed at $188.15/share.) The Magnificent 7 stocks were the ones that were leading the market down in April. Check out how far they fell in the seven-week period between February 19 and April 8, 2025. (Keeping an age-appropriate plan in place through regular rebalancing and capturing gains is our best protection against a downturn in stocks.)  Yes, the stocks have more than recovered since April, but that is not guaranteed to be the case going forward. Recessions are a normal part of a business cycle. Rebalancing to Capture Gains Rebalancing 1-3 times a year is one of the best ways to manage the volatility. If we’re capturing gains when stocks hit all-time highs, we are keeping that wealth and then have a treasure trove of income-producing capital to buy low, when the markets fall. Most people don’t buy low because they can’t buy low, or because they’re too afraid. At the same time, keeping a percentage equal to our age off the Wall Street rollercoaster, and overweighting more safe if we have good reason to, ensures that our wealth remains intact. This is always an important part of a well-designed plan, but even more so as we get closer to retirement. Having an age-appropriate, diversified plan that protects us from downturns provides us with the confidence and the capital to do what the pros do – to stay on the right side of the trade and keep our estate intact. Bottom Line We are exceedingly happy that so many of our strategies are performing at the top of Wall Street. This is not a happy accident, or luck. We remain vigilant about analyzing what is coming up on the horizon to make sure that we those people who are reading our blogs, listening to our videoconferences and attending our retreats, are informed with easy, actionable strategies that can outperform any market, whether stocks go up or down. Join us! Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Jan. 17-19 2026 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget, invest in hot industries like AI, gold, crypto and more, and how to be in the best seat during our volatile Debt World. Register by Nov. 30, 2025 to receive the best price. Email [email protected] to learn more and register now. If you'd like a life-changing adventure of a lifetime, be our guest at a royal manor house in Cornwall, England, March 12-19, 2027. (With just eight rooms available, this exclusive, private, bucket-list adventure sells out a year in advance!) Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] to learn more. The 2025 Restormel Retreat was a magical and royal experience. Click to learn more. Receive the best price when you register with friends and family for the ONLINE Financial Freedom Retreat Jan. 17-19 2026. Request testimonials at [email protected]. You can also view some on the flyer page of the retreat. Learn how to: * Invest in hot industries, such as cryptocurrency, Nvidia, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, * Save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices * Hedge against a weaker dollar, * Invest and compound your gains, * Green your retirement plan, * Easy and efficacious nest egg strategies, * Get hot and diversified (including in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and crypto), * Evaluate stocks, * Avoid capital gains and financial predators, * Keep an age-appropriate amount safe, and, * Know what's safe in a Debt World. Yes, it's a complete money makeover. Email [email protected] or call 310-430-2397 to learn more and register. Learn the 15+ things you'll master and read testimonials in the flyer on the home page at NataliePace.com. Register with friends and family to receive the best price. "Ten minutes into the first day I was already much smarter about investing than I ever thought I would be in my life and I knew I was in exactly the right place at this retreat. I am amazed at how EASY and FUN it is to make my money work for me and those I love. I think this kind of information should be compulsory in schools. I wish I'd learned this sooner." CM If you’d like an unbiased 2nd opinion on your current wealth plan, email [email protected] for pricing and information.  Click through to the flyer to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register. Register by Nov. 30, 2025 to receive the best price.  Join us for our Restormel Royal Immersive Adventure Retreat. Spring Equinox 2027. Email [email protected] to learn more. Click for testimonials, pricing, hours & details. Register now to receive the best price, the best room and four private, prosperity coaching sessions. There are only 7 rooms available. This retreat includes an all-access pass to all of our online training for a full year for two. Considering the perks, you're receiving a 65% discount to learn the life math that we all should have received in high school, and the room is free! Email [email protected] to learn more. The best rooms at the 2025 retreat were sold out in 2024! Yes, it's a great idea to register and start transforming our lives now!  Natalie Wynne Pace is an Advocate for Sustainability Financial Literacy & Women's Empowerment. Natalie is the bestselling author of The ABCs of Money (6th edition) and The Power of 8 Billion: It's Up to Us, and is the co-creator of the Earth Gratitude Project. She has been ranked as a No. 1 stock picker, above over 835 A-list pundits, by an independent tracking agency (TipsTraders). Her book The ABCs of Money remained at or near the #1 Investing Basics e-book on Amazon for over 3 years (in its vertical), with over 120,000 downloads and a mean 5-star ranking. The 6th edition of The ABCs of Money and the 2nd edition of Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is (2nd edition) are the most recent releases of these books. Follow her on Instagram. Natalie Pace's easy as a pie chart nest egg strategies earned gains in the last two recessions and have outperformed the bull markets in between. That is why her Investor Educational Retreats, books and private coaching are enthusiastically recommended by Nobel Prize winning economist Gary S. Becker, TD AMERITRADE chairman Joe Moglia, Kay Koplovitz and many Main Street investors who have transformed their lives using her Thrive Budget and investing strategies. Click to view a video testimonial from Nilo Bolden. Check out Natalie Pace's Substack podcast on Apple and Spotify. Watch videoconferences and webinars on Youtube. Other Blogs of Interest Bank Stress. Loan Fraud. Auto & Airline Bankruptcies. Augurs of a Recession? 2026 Bonds and Fixed Income Without Paper Losses Strategy Will There Be a Santa Rally in 2025? Magnificent 7 Update. On Fire. Expensive. Crypto. Copper. Silver. Gold. More Magnificent than the Magnificent 7. Stablecoins. Should You Invest? Clean Energy. Solar Generation is On Fire. Capture Gains at an All-Time High. Jerome Powell's Big Speech in Jackson Hole. HHS Cuts MRNA Research. Weight Loss Drugs Soar. Summer Sale & Sweepstakes. Will Tariffs Cause Stocks to Sink or Soar? Are You Paying Thousands to Lose Money? Coke & Pepsi Suffer From Poor Fiscal Health. Crypto, Gold, AI, Energy, Healthcare, Real Estate. Which Sector Performed Best in the First Half of 2025. Crypto Goes Mainstream. The Genius Act Becomes Law. Wealth Hacks: Are You Getting Killed in Capital Gains Taxes? Clean Energy Unplugged. Tesla Sales Slump in 2Q 2025. Our Super Performing Hots and Value Replacements. Is Your Income Strategy Losing Money? Gold and Silver Soar. Get Safe & Hot in 1 Easy Plan. Home Prices Soften. Is Your City Next? Tesla Vision vs. Waymo LiDAR and Air Taxis. Are Any of Them Safe? Archer Aviation is Chosen to be the Exclusive Air Taxi Service for the 2028 L.A. Olympics. Company of the Year? USA Downgraded. Is U.S. Reserve Currency Status Threatened? Utilities: In the Eye of the Natural Disaster Storms. Aging Mom Doesn't Want to Discuss Dilapidated House. Investors Ask Natalie. Tesla, Tariffs, Chinese Competition and Price Wars. 21st Century Recessions Look More Like Depressions. Will Oil Prices Sink or Soar? Executives are Uncertain. Health Savings Accounts. Save Thousands. Get a Tax Credit. Provide for Tomorrow's Healthcare Needs. Restormel Manor House 2025. A Truly Royal and Magical Adventure. 9 Ways to Cut Your Tax Bill in Half and Save Thousands Annually. Berkshire Hathaway. Should I Just Invest in Warren Buffett? Should I Have a Money Manager? Top Dividend/Income Strategies for 2025. 10 Rules of Successful Investing. Quantum Computing. Paper Losses. Another Warning About Long-Term Bonds! 2025 Investor IQ Test. 2025 Investor IQ Test Answers. Indonesia: Rich in Nickel with Ambitions of Becoming an EV Battery Hub. RoboTaxis. AI. The Magnificent 7. Why Are So Many Safe Investments Losing Money? Canadian, Australian and U.S. Banks. Are Any of Them Safe? Ireland. Rich in Technology, Biotechnology and Agribusiness. Robo Investing and AI. No, They are Not Foolproof. Copper. Peru ETF Outperforms the S&P500. 9 Money Secrets of the Ultra Wealthy. Housing & Budgeting Solutions. Arkansas Sues Temu for Data Theft. Fast Fashion. Fossil Fuels. Plastic Clothing. Atacama Desert Waste Dumps. Fintechs and Brokerages that Fail are Not FDIC-Insured. 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. Answers to the 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. China & Russia Double Their Gold Holdings. Housing. Unaffordable. What Works? Case studies and creative solutions. The Underperforming DJIA, Full of Fossil Fuels and Forever Chemicals. 13 Lifestyle Choices to Reduce Waste, Pollution & CO2 & Save a Boatload of Dough. 11-Point Green Checklist for Schools. 10 Wealth Secrets of Billionaires and Royals. Fiat. Crypto. Gold. BRICS. Real Estate. Alternative Investments. BRICS Currency. Will the Dollar Become Extinct? Is Your FDIC-Insured Cash Really Safe? Money Market Funds, FDIC, SIPC: Are Any of Them Safe? Important Disclaimers Please note: Natalie Pace does not act or operate like a broker. She reports on financial news, and is one of the most trusted sources of financial literacy, education and forensic analysis in the world. Natalie Pace educates and informs individual investors to give investors a competitive edge in their personal decision-making. Any publicly-traded companies, funds or projects mentioned by Natalie Pace are not intended to be buy or sell recommendations. ALWAYS do your research and consult an experienced, reputable financial professional before buying or selling any security, and consider your long-term goals and strategies. Investors should NOT be all in on any asset class or individual stocks. Your retirement plan should reflect an age-appropriate, diversified wealth plan, which has been designed strategically, with the assistance of financial professionals who are familiar with your goals, risk tolerance, tax needs and more. The "trading" portion of your portfolio should be a very small part of your investment strategy, and the amount of money you invest into individual companies should never be greater than your experience, wisdom, knowledge, patience and diversified strategy. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. However, NataliePace.com does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Opinions constitute our judgment as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument. |
AuthorNatalie Pace is the co-creator of the Earth Gratitude Project and the author of The Power of 8 Billion: It's Up to Us, The ABCs of Money, The ABCs of Money for College, The Gratitude Game and Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is. She is a repeat guest & speaker on national news shows and stages. She has been ranked the No. 1 stock picker, above over 830 A-list pundits, by an independent tracking agency, and has been saving homes and nest eggs since 1999. Archives
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