Natalie Pace Blogs
Photo of Natalie Pace by Marie Commiskey. Avalon Photography.
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 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.
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 Bank Stress. Loan Fraud. Airline and Auto Bankruptcies. Augurs of a Recession? “I probably shouldn’t say this, but when you see one cockroach, there are probably more. And so we should—everyone should be forewarned on this one,” Jamie Dimon, CEO and chairman, JPMorgan, 3Q earnings call on Oct. 15, 2025 In the above quote, Jamie Dimon was answering an analyst’s question on non-depository financial institutions and the bankruptcies of the auto companies Tricolor and First Brands. As proof of the cockroach theory, on the same day, Zions Bank reported a $50 million charge-off for commercial real estate loans the bank made where the CRE borrower has been accused of misrepresentations, contractual defaults and other irregularities (fraud). Verijet and Spirit Airlines also declared bankruptcy over the last few months. Are these signs of stress that are at odds with Wall Street ringing in new highs every day? Is it time to take a more defensive position? Email [email protected] if you’d like updated Auto, Airlines. Fintech and Bank Stock Report Cards. Here are the topics we will cover in this blog. Auto Industry Airline Industry Elevated Consumer Debt Buy Now, Pay Later The Kids’ Menu Bank and NDFI Debt & Leverage Recession Warnings? And here is more information on each point. Auto Industry The auto and airlines industries are often the canary in a coal mine before a contraction. When Main Street finds its wallet bare and cuts back on spending, Wall Street takes a hit. Why? Because the US economy is driven about 70% by consumer spending. The auto industry is expecting far fewer sales in 2026, perhaps -5% lower than 2025. This isn’t tragic. However, due to fierce competition, particularly from EV makers (especially Chinese), many companies are absorbing the components inflation and White House tariffs instead of passing these expenses onto the buyer. Higher costs will reduce the net profit of automakers, taking some of them from single-digit profitability into a cash negative position. According to a press release from S&P Global on 10.15.2025, “Among major automakers, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. (GM) continue to face the highest exposure to incremental costs from supply chain shifts due to tariffs and delayed EV profitability; Tesla Inc. benefits from vertical integration but contends with slowing global demand and margin compression.” As I mentioned in my Magnificent 7 blog (Tesla is one of the Magnificent 7), Tesla’s net profit might be $4-5 billion this year, down from $15 billion in 2023. Should a company with less than $5 billion in earnings be worth $1.5 trillion – more than the top 4 automakers combined (Toyota, GM, Ford & BYD)? The recent spate of bankruptcies by auto parts, suppliers and auto dealers reveals a fundamental weakness in a great deal of publicly-traded companies, particularly those founded more than 25 years ago. Over half of the S&P 500 is at or near junk bond status. There is elevated credit risk in the auto industry. All the companies in the Auto Dealers Stock Report Card are below investment grade. The three major US auto makers, Ford, General Motors and Tesla, are all at the lowest rung of investment grade. Ford Motor Company was a junk bond in 2023 and has a negative outlook. Bankruptcies ripple beyond the insurance companies, banks and other non-depository financial institutions (private equity, hedge funds) who loan the troubled companies money. A downgrade would cause financial harm to both stockholders and bondholders. Stock investors almost always lose all their money when a company declares bankruptcy, even if the company continues operating. Elevated debt is a major problem that will affect any industry and corporation that is heavily leveraged. The first sectors to be affected will be those that are losing revenue year over year and are unable to keep up their dividends and loan payments or to meet the terms of their bonds. This is partially why the airline industry is another harbinger of a weakening economy. Airline Industry Airline CEOs have to specialize in restructuring debt because that industry goes through tough times in every recession. Most of the airlines are junk bonds, with the exception of Delta and Southwest, which are both rated BBB (the lowest rung of investment grade). Profitability for airlines can be in the low single digits or negative, as it is for JetBlue. Revenue is slowing down, which puts the C-suite in a pickle, trying to keep up with all their debt obligations. Only Delta and Southwest pay a dividend. However, if either company receives a credit downgrade, or, even before that happens, if the cash becomes squeezed, the company will cut their dividend and the share price will gap down overnight. The dividend cut or other event often happens before the credit is downgraded. One example of a company defying the odds of a downgrade is Boeing, which is still one of the Dow components. Even though Boeing has been a poster child for poorly run operations and cut its dividend on March 20, 2020, the company is still rated investment grade (barely), with a BBB- credit rating, and a negative outlook. Elevated Consumer Debt Consumer debt is much higher than it was before the great recession. We’ve also seen a major uptick in student loan delinquencies – to 12.88% – which sinks FICO scores and makes it less possible for those affected to buy a new house or car. Auto loan debt delinquencies are still low, at 2.93%. However, the rate is ticking up.  Source: New York Federal Reserve Bank. Buy Now, Pay Later Bye now pay later loans have created a shadow debt system that might be flying under the radar of credit scores. In a Lending Tree survey, 41% of BNPL borrowers paid late in the past year, a spike over last year’s rate of 34%. 23% reported having three or more active loans at a time and 25% are using the loans for groceries (1/3 of GenZ BNPL borrowers). Not surprisingly, the personal savings rate is lower today than it has been since 1960 (with the exception of 2005, after the Dot Com Recession). What is the personal savings rate? It is what is left over after you pay all of your bills (including debt payments).  The Kids’ Menu This is more anecdotal, than scientific. However, it makes the numbers come to life. Over the last week I have witnessed two separate examples of adults ordering off the kids’ menu because they couldn’t afford the adult prices. This is saying a lot about how squeezed many Americans are (particularly GenZ). There has been a lot of research about how the wealthiest consumers are the ones who are keeping spending alive these days. According to Mark Zandi, the chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, the delinquency rate on subprime loans jumped to 8.3% in September. This is only 15.3% of bank debt, but is likely much more for the BNPL fintechs like Affirm, Klarna, Paypal and Square, and Sofi Bank. This is one of the reasons why investors and depositors need to understand what’s safe in today’s Debt World. Read my 2026 Dividend and Income Strategies blog for details. As long as stocks are high, wealthy Americans might continue to keep consumer spending alive. However, we have seen that when share prices are elevated and bankruptcies and delinquencies start becoming more frequent, stock prices can fall far and fast. Remember that our best protection against a bear market isn’t selling everything and trying to market time. The best protection against a correction in stocks is having an age-appropriate, properly diversified plan. Do you know how protected you are currently? Are you suffering from paper losses or feel constrained by the limited options you have in your employer-sponsored retirement plan? There are solutions. Email [email protected] to learn more. Bank and NDFI Debt & Leverage Many people aren’t aware that a lot of our banks, insurance companies and fintechs have low credit ratings. Additionally, insurance companies and fintechs (including Paypal, Cash App, Gemini, stablecoins and more) are not FDIC-insured. Check out the credit ratings of many U.S., Australian and Canadian banks listed below.  This is one of the reasons why it is a bad idea to have uninsured deposits at any bank. It’s also one of the biggest reasons why annuities and money market funds are not great bets. They are not FDIC-insured but are only backed by the company that’s offering them. MMFs and annuities can also lose value in a variety of different ways. During recessions, we have seen money market funds that break the buck and have to be bailed out, and insurance companies that were overleveraged and had to be rescued. AIG would not be in business if we hadn’t done the TARP bailout in 2008. That would mean that over 50 million Americans with annuity and insurance products would’ve lost the majority of what they thought they had coming to them. So, why is the broker/salesman pushing their products? Could it be for the commissions? Annuities often pay 6-9% commission for the sale. Recession Warnings? Economists are predicting the economy to slow down to 1.6% in 2025 and 1.8% in 2026. (We’ll get fresh numbers at the Dec. 10, 2025, FOMC meeting.) However, economists are terrible at predicting recessions. If you wait for the headlines, you’ll be late. By the time Main Street gets the memo of the recession, the Wall Street whales have been taking profits for 6+ months, plunging prices by 35% or more. Again, having an age-appropriate, properly diversified plan that we rebalance 1-3 times a year is always important. If you haven’t rebalanced recently, now that stocks are at all-time highs is a great time to do so. Bottom Line We are starting to see signs of the unfortunate events that typically spark a bear market and/or a recession. Remember, it’s never a crash. Rather something startling will happen causing the market to drop significantly. After the initial shock, investors get complacent, until the next crisis occurs, pushing stocks down further. By the time the recession is declared stocks could have lost 40-45%. We might be closer to the bottom. Many investors sell low, or have to spend most of the recovery hoping to earn back losses, enduring an extended period of hard times after such a significant loss to their net worth. This is something that seasoned investors haven’t experienced since 2009, and younger investors have never experienced. That is because we printed up $5 trillion to avert a recession during the pandemic, due to the economists and Central bankers worrying about having a depression. The powers that be never desire to have a recession on their watch. However, if the 2025 bankruptcies and defaults continue into the new year, if those cockroaches that Jamie Dimon referred to do start coming out of the woodwork, we will see Wall Street react negatively. Again, we want to be ahead of the headlines – to fix the roof while the sun is still shining (and stocks are at all-time highs). 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 Halloween (10.31.2025) to receive the best price and a complimentary, private prosperity coaching session (value $400). 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 Halloween, Oct. 31, 2025 to Receive the best price and a complimentary, private prosperity coaching session (value $400).  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 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.  Top Dividend (Income) Strategies for 2026 Everyone wants to earn income. However, with interest rates getting cut, so goes our dividend. C.D.’s are being called. Yield is going down. Where does the investor turn for the safe side of their wealth plan? Crypto, gold and the Magnificent 7 have offered explosive share price gains over the last three years. However, these investments come with a great deal of volatility, with few or no dividends. As just one example, we could have purchased Nvidia at $94/share on April 8, 2025, when the S&P500 was down -20% from the Feb. 2025 highs. In 2022, when the S&P500 lost -19.44%, many of the Magnificent 7 companies were down by half or more. This has a lot to do with expensive share prices. The companies are the new blue chips. However, should a company that might only earn $5 billion in net income in 2025 be worth $1.46 trillion (Tesla)?  It’s always important to have a percentage equal to our age safe from the Wall Street roller-coaster – invested in assets that can offer an income without risking our principal. However, has the word “income” become bait for risky investments that lose a chunk of our money almost the instant we purchase them? Are you worried that we’re living in a Debt World, unsure of what the consequences might be? Are you tempted or seduced by the idea of earning a 10% yield? What are paper losses? Does it all wash out in the end, since yields rise when share prices fall, or is that just another sales pitch? FYI: We just hosted our annual Fixed Income and Bonds Without Paper Losses Masterclass. Receive access to the recording (value $695) when you register for our New Year New You Financial Freedom Retreat by Halloween (10.31.2025), or purchase a 12-month all-access pass, good for 3-4 retreats and 3-4 master classes in 2026. You’ll also receive the best price and a complimentary 50-minute private, prosperity coaching session. Email [email protected] to learn more and register now. Here are the topics we’ll discuss in this blog. Corporate Bonds Treasury Bills Certificates of Deposit High-Yield Savings Accounts Money Market Funds FDIC-Insured Cash at a Brokerage or Fintech Stablecoins Gold Crypto Here are more tips to keep in mind The Rising Yield, Sinking Stock Myth No Blind Faith: Read the Fine Print Keep the Terms Short and the Creditworthiness High Never Reach for Yield Underweight Bond Funds and Money Market Funds Rolling Maturity Dates & FDIC Limits And here is more information on each item. Corporate Bonds The mantra for all fixed-income products is: Keep the terms short and the creditworthiness high. (The additional tips listed below are also key.) Investing in a short-term corporate bond issued by a company with a AAA or AA credit rating in the secondary market could be one alternative to consider, particularly when our C.D.s are called in. With two more 25-basis point cuts expected in 2025 and one in 2026, banks will continue offering below-market interest rates, or calling in the C.D.s that we thought we had locked in. In our masterclass, we found a 5-year Microsoft (AAA) bond, due 9.30.2030, that was offering a yield to maturity rate of 3.7%. As you can see in the Fixed Income Offering graph below (from 10.17.2025), that is a competitive short-term yield.  Data from 10.17.2025. With interest rates expected to be cut to the 3.50-3.75% range in 2025 and 3.25-3.50% range in 2026 (3.0% longer run), high-rated, short-term corporate bonds in the secondary market are one way to lock in a competitive income, while mitigating risk. Treasury Bills Are you being told to just buy Treasury bills when you Certificate of Deposit gets called? Are you aware that there have been liquidity issues in the T-Bill marketplace, or that long-term government bonds lost -26% in 2022 and another -6.415 in 2024? Long-term government bonds were some of the worst performing assets in 2022. So, this offers us a stark reminder that we should not put all our money in Treasury bills, particularly mid and long-term. In September 2022, investors were spooked about the level of debt in the U.K., causing a crisis in their gilts (treasuries). Almost overnight, pension funds were on the brink of collapse (much like the 5 U.S. banks that failed in March of 2023). The Central Bank stepped in for the rescue (in both scenarios). In addition to keeping the terms short and the creditworthiness high, diversify across fixed-income products, rather than putting all of our eggs in T-bills. Certificates of Deposit Many, but not all, C.D.s offer FDIC insurance, adding a level of security. Some C.D.s are not FDIC-insured, so we always want to read the fine print and know what the terms are. With the 2025 interest rate cuts, C.D.s are getting called in. With more cuts expected, trying to lock in a short-term, market-yielding C.D. will continue to be an exercise in futility. What’s hot and what’s safe change every year, which is why it is important to get updated on the areas of opportunity, as well as be forewarned about the money pits, on a regular basis. Our next Financial Freedom Retreat is Jan. 17-19, 2026, ONLINE. Register by Halloween and receive the best price and a complimentary, private prosperity coaching session (value $400), and access to the Fixed Income Masterclass of Oct. 18, 2025. High-Yield Savings Accounts “High-Yield” is false advertising. Many companies that offer these products give just a few tenths of a percent more than the market yield. Additionally, we might be taking on more risk than we realize. What are the additional risks? Many high-yield saving accounts are offered by fintechs, stablecoins or brokerages that are not FDIC-insured. We’ll talk more about those financial services companies below. Money Market Funds Money market funds are not FDIC-insured. All funds, including MMFs, can go down in value. As interest rates get cut, the income you earn in the money market fund goes down automatically. Finally, money market funds are vulnerable to investor runs. As such, they often get into trouble in recessions. A lot of MMFs were bailed out in the Great Recession. However, there is no guarantee that they will be rescued in the next one. FDIC-Insured Cash at a Brokerage or Fintech Many fintechs and brokerages have a relationship with a bank and offer FDIC-insured cash through that relationship. However, it is important to remember that only banks are FDIC-insured. If the brokerage, stablecoin or fintech fails, the FDIC insurance does not kick in. As cautionary tales, depositors had their assets frozen and/or a good deal lost money, during the bankruptcies or crises of Blockfi, FTX, Gemini Earn and Voyager Digital in 2022, and the Synapse and Yotta failures in 2024. PayPal, Coinbase, and Cash.App are all fintechs that are not FDIC-insured. It’s always important to read the fine print before you invest in anything – even if the marketing copy offers assurances that put you at ease. (We’ve seen some egregious claims, outlined later in this blog.) Stablecoins Stablecoins are not government insured. They can go down in value. We have seen stablecoins that have outright failed, some due to an implosion of the assets they were backed by and others by hacking events. TerraUSD is one of the most notorious. However, there have been hundreds of de-pegging incidences, not counting the rampant crypto scams. (More than $16 billion was lost to Internet crimes in 2024, up 33% from 2023.) The 2025 Genius Act, which was passed on July 4, 2025, requires a 1-1 reserve in cash, short-term T-bills, REPOs and other named cash equivalents for stablecoins. Yet there are still ways that a stablecoin can run into trouble. Circle’s USDC stablecoin didn’t collapse, but it did break the buck in March of 2023. The coin experienced a liquidity crisis when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed. Why? Circle reportedly had $5 billion in uninsured deposits at the bank. When the FDIC and the Federal Reserve stepped in to guarantee uninsured depositors on March 12, 2023, Circle’s depositors were reassured. Today, the USDC stablecoin is the 2nd most popular, behind Tether’s USDT, with a market capitalization of $16.7 billion. Gold Gold is on fire. However, it is far more volatile than many people realize, and it doesn’t offer dividends. After the highs set in 2011, gold dropped -37% and stayed there until the pandemic. Most of us can’t afford to lose almost 40% of our wealth for a decade. So, I encourage you to read the Gold chapter of The ABCs of Money 6th edition. Because of the volatility, it’s a good idea to put our gold holdings on the “at-risk” side of our diversified wealth plan. I put it as a hot slice or two, which prompts me to capture gains at the high and add more when prices drop (if I believe it will rebound soon). If you would like to personalize your own pie chart using our free web app, email [email protected] with free apps in the subject line. I also offer an unbiased 2nd opinion on your current plan. Email [email protected] for pricing and information. Crypto Crypto, like gold, is thought of as a safe haven. However, the safe side of our wealth plan shouldn’t fluctuate as much as crypto does. In fact, crypto is still a trading platform, not a currency. Currencies are stable and reliable, whereas Bitcoin and other crypto assets experience steep, prolonged periods of devaluation. During the most recent Crypto Winter (2022), Bitcoin lost -67%, dropping from a high of $69,000 in 2021 to a low of under $15,000 in 2022. In early Oct. of 2025, Bitcoin was worth $126,000/coin and then plunged to $109,000 two weeks later – a drop of -13.5%. It is also important to realize that crypto, like gold and other perceived safe havens, don’t pay an income and are not federally insured. By allocating our crypto in the hot slices of the at-risk portion of our wealth plan, we are prompted to buy low and capture gains at the high – putting us on the right side of the trade of this volatile investment. Keep These Tips in Mind The Rising Yield, Sinking Stock Myth Broker-salesman and stock gurus will often tell their clients not to worry about losing money on their fixed-income products because either they will get it all back when it comes to term or the yield will rise, as the share price sinks. However, if the company or fund gets into trouble and must cut its dividend, the share price will experience a gap down overnight that is far more severe than any amount of income can make up for. If a company must declare bankruptcy before the term of its bond is met, the bondholders will get back far less than they had invested. These are only a few ways that the yield doesn’t make up for the loss of principal, which is why we’re encouraging the mantra, “Keep the terms short and the creditworthiness high.” Email [email protected] if you have any questions about this. No Blind Faith: Read the Fine Print In our bond masterclass of Oct. 18, 2025, I shared many examples of how the marketing copy of an investment can be a lie, while the fine print tells a completely different story – one that legally protects the company. One “defensively-positioned” product for “income-focused” individual investors claimed to have a “high-quality” portfolio. The fine print revealed that the managers invest in junk bonds and use leverage which “will magnify the potential for loss.” Once invested, individuals would have a difficult time selling their shares. It's equally important to read the fine print on our brokerage statement to verify that what we’re being told by our money manager matches the data on the statement itself. It is the fine print that is the legal document, not the conversation. There have been many examples of insurance and financial services companies getting fined by the SEC because their salespersons were misrepresenting the terms of the asset in order to secure the sale. I offer an unbiased 2nd opinion on your current plan. Email [email protected] for pricing and information. Now is a great time to know what you own and why, and to make necessary adjustments, while stocks are still close to an all-time high. Keep the Terms Short and the Creditworthiness High There are many reasons why we want to keep the terms short. Here are a few examples that I used in October’s Bond masterclass. What are the odds that Apple will get into trouble in the next two years? (very low) What are the odds that there might be a different smart phone in the next 25 years? (Are you aware that Samsung is the #1 smart phone maker by units and that Huawei replaced Apple as #2 in 2018?) Apple is back to #2 and is loved by its customers. However, remaining on top for decades is more difficult. What are the odds that Boeing or Ford might get into trouble over the next two years? (high) These two companies are rated at the lowest rung of investment grade – BBB- with a negative outlook. Ford was a junk bond before being bumped up to investment grade on Oct. 30, 2023. When a company gets a credit downgrade, the value of the bond goes down (a gap down). It might become illiquid. If the company has to restructure debt through a bankruptcy process, we’re going to lose some (or much) of our principal investment. Keeping the duration short and the creditworthiness high reduces the risk of these scenarios. Never Reach for Yield The higher the dividend, the higher the risk. Why would a company want to give you a 10% annual income, when creditworthy companies can borrow for under 5%? The above example of misleading marketing, where the truth was buried in the fine print, was offering 10.5% annualized… I mean 9.6% if you read the fine print. Why would a broker-salesman want to sell the product to his/her client? Could it be for the fees? (Annuities can pay up to 9% commission.) Keep in mind the saying of Will Rogers, “I’m more concerned with the return of my money than the return on my money.“ Underweight Bond Funds and Money Market Funds Many bond funds (and target date retirement funds) are losing money. Money market fund downsides were already mentioned above. Remember: the safe side of our plan is there to keep our wealth intact.  Source: MSN.com. (c) Microsoft. Used with permission. If you have a 401(k), and bond or MMF funds are the only choices on the safe side, there are a few strategies to consider. One is to contribute only to the employer match in your 401(k), while maxing out your individual retirement accounts, which offers a larger selection of options, including Treasury bills, bonds (not just funds) and C.D.s. Another would be to see if your employer-sponsored plan can be self-directed. If you’ve left the company, you can easily roll old employer-sponsored retirement accounts into an IRA, where you will have far more options on the fixed-income and the equity side. Rolling Maturity Dates & FDIC Limits Have rolling maturity dates, so that you have liquidity and access to your money. This is different from laddering. Also, observe FDIC-insured levels. While the uninsured deposits of Silicon Valley Bank were bailed out in March 2023 when the bank failed, that was a special exemption. There is no guarantee that there will be exceptions made in the future. When times get rough, buying opportunities abound, but only for those who have liquidity (not those caught on the wrong side of the trade). Rolling maturity dates and shorter durations ensure our ability to buy low, when most will not have the resources to take advantage of assets on sale. Bottom Line Getting safe in a Debt World, where the debt to GDP of wealthy nations has not been this high since the Napoleonic wars (with the exception of the pandemic) is tricky. Paper losses are far more problematic than we are being told. It isn’t difficult to earn a competitive income without paper losses, once we clearly understand the terms I’ve outlined above. (Time to learn the life math that we all should have received in high school.) There are many reasons why a financial representative might not be painting a clear picture of the risk vs. reward required for a safe and sober wealth plan. We must be the boss of our money because when times get tough, it is our money at risk. This time around, even the safe side is vulnerable. Since our inception in 1999, we have been offering fixed-income strategies with a competitive market yield and no paper losses. During the 15-year period after the Great Recession, when we weren’t getting paid to take on the risk (0% interest rates), we encouraged people to lean into income-producing real estate. Real estate more than doubled over that period, while offering the best and safest yield. (Not so today, as prices are too high and wipe out the cap rate.) There is always opportunity when we let wisdom, research and time-proven systems be our North Star. 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 Halloween (10.31.2025) to receive the best price and a complimentary, private prosperity coaching session (value $400). 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 Halloween, Oct. 31, 2025 to Receive the best price and a complimentary, private prosperity coaching session (value $400).  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 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.  Will There Be a Santa Rally? Or was the September Rise the Highlight of the Year? Stocks are at an all-time high, making a lot of us feel comfortable, if not complacent, heading into the final quarter of the year. However, Santa Rallies are not guaranteed to be big winners. In 2008 and 2018, Santa put coal in investors’ stockings. Just three years ago, the S&P 500 lost -19.44%. The Magnificent 7 were some of the worst performers of that period, down by -50% or more, with Tesla plunging -67%.  You don’t even have to go back to 2022. In April, Nvidia sank to under $100/share.  Source: MSN.com (c) Microsoft. 2025. Used with permission. What’s causing the volatility on Wall Street? Will stocks just keep ringing in new highs? Can we make an educated guess as to whether 2025 will experience great gains in the last quarter, and what lies on the horizon for 2026? Here are the things we’ll cover in this blog. Average Santa Rally Performance Was There a Santa Rally in 2022? Santa Rallies When Stocks Keep Hitting New Highs (like 1999, 2000 & 2007) Corporate Buybacks Are at an All-Time High December 2018 Bewitching October Trends And here is more on each topic. Average Santa Rally Performance The Santa Rally – the 3-month period of October through December – is a historically strong quarter, featuring almost 9% gains on average over the last five years. The 10-year period is lower, at under 5.5%, largely due to the terrible December performance of 2018. (We’ll discuss this below.) The 20-year period is still positive, but even lower, at less than 4% gains over the quarter, on average. See the chart below for the monthly performance of the S&P500 over the last 5, 10 and 20 years. Of course, the down years get swallowed up in the average, so let’s dive into the details of the last correction in 2022.  Was There a Santa Rally in 2022? 2022 was a down year on Wall Street, when the S&P500 dropped -19.44%. October and November started out strong in 2022, with impressive gains of over 13% in the two-month period. December lost -5.90%. All told, the quarter was a gain of over 7.0%. However, that wasn’t enough to recover the losses of the year. While the Magnificent 7 were some of the worst performers in 2022 (see chart above), they have been on fire since then. The S&P500 has more than doubled over the last five years. 2023 and 2024 were spectacular years on Wall Street, with gains of 24.23% and 23.31% in the S&P500 (not including dividends), respectively. Many target date retirement funds have lost money over that same period. Do you know what you own in your retirement account? The trend keeps moving up, up, up, despite the down years. However, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla remain volatile. In April of this year, you could have purchased Nvidia for under $100/share. Tesla was down -54.6% on March 10th. I’ll discuss how to manage this volatility in the Bottom Line section below. We also teach this in our Financial Freedom Retreat. Santa Rallies When Stocks Keep Hitting New Highs (like 1999, 2000 & 2007) Everyone partied like it was 1999 during that year’s Santa Rally, pushing the S&P500 up almost 14% in the last quarter. However, the index sank -10.14% in 2000. The NASDAQ Composite Index, where the hottest Dot Com stocks were listed, dropped -78% between the highs of March 2000 and the lows of October 2002. In 2000, GDP growth decelerated to 1% by the 4th quarter but was still positive. However, because stocks were overpriced, the whales of Wall Street took their gains off the table. Equities today are almost as elevated as they were in 2000 and are far higher than the Great Recession and the Great Depression, as you can see in the chart below.  CAPE Ratio data provided by Professor Robert Shiller, Nobel Prize winning economist. In 2007, before the Great Recession, stocks hit an all-time high in October before retreating -5.26% in November and December. 2008 was a terrible year on Wall Street. The S&P500 plunged -38.49%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off by -55% between the high of Oct. 2007 and the low of March 2009. The interesting thing about the Great Recession is that debt, leverage and slow growth were all triggers for the global financial crisis. Today debt and leverage are far higher than they were then, as you can see in the chart below.  Even though Wall Street is on fire, the economy is predicted to slow in 2025 to 1.6% GDP growth from last year’s 2.8%. Slow growth is a negative indicator for continued strength in stocks, as are debt, leverage and expensive prices. Despite the rather tepid expectation, we might see another 3rd quarter surprise when the GDP numbers are released on Oct. 30, 2025. GDPNow is projecting that the 3Q 2025 GDP growth could be as high as 3.8%. With the government shutdown still happening, data is not being refreshed. So, it’s anyone’s guess whether the numbers will be that strong. 3.8% GDP growth will excite retail investors. However, the whales will be looking to see what 4Q has in store when determining whether to buy or sell. Corporate Buybacks Are at an All-Time High Corporate buybacks hit a new record in the 1Q of 2025. Apple, Alphabet, Meta, and Nvidia are all engaged in robust share purchases of their own stock, accounting for almost 27% of share repurchases in 2Q of 2025. Apple is the leader by far as you can see in the chart below.  2Q 2025 share repurchases were down a bit from the 1st quarter. However, Howard Silverblatt, the senior index analyst of S&P Dow Jones Indices wrote in an email on Sept. 17, 2025, that “Q3 2025 is expected to spring back to near the record levels.” This is positive for the Spring Rally for two reasons. Buying activity increases share prices, which makes happy investors chase the gains. Secondly, the reduction in share count increases the earnings per share and lowers the price earnings ratio. That makes the stock, even at a higher price, look like a better bargain. These phenomena have had a hand in the September 2025 jump on Wall Street. Companies with a lot of cash (like the multi trillion-dollar technology companies) have considered share repurchases to be a very good strategy over the past decade, which has provided a great deal of support for stocks. However, none of this helped much in April of this year when the tariff scare put buying on hold from investors and corporations alike. While robust share repurchases in Q3 helped to push stocks to ever-increasing all-time highs in September, there is a great deal of uncertainty and concern about an increase in unemployment and persistent/problematic inflation, which creates volatility on Wall Street and reticence in the C-Suite. AI and technology continue to be the bright spots, while retail, real estate and health care continue to struggle. December 2018 December 2018 was the worst December in U.S. stocks since the Great Depression. Stocks dropped -9.2% in one month. One of the catalysts of the drop was a cessation of corporate buybacks from Apple. Apple was concerned about missing their end-of-year revenue forecasts due to fierce competition from Huawei. They ceased their buybacks in December 2018 without notice or warning. Learn more in my Jan. 3, 2019, blog about Huawei knocking Apple to the #3 spot in global smart phone sales. Bewitching October Trends October tends to have gains, as high as 1.79% on average over the last five years. However, it’s known as the bewitching month because when it doesn’t have positive performance, the results can be devastating. October was the beginning of the Great Depression. It also hosted Black Monday 1987. Bottom Line With a slowing economy, trade wars, inflation, high housing costs, increasing unemployment and global tension, there is no guarantee that this year’s Santa Rally will bring investors what we want for Christmas. With stocks at an all-time high, and recent examples of swift and severe plunges, our best protection is to rebalance, capture gains and make sure that we have an age-appropriate, properly diversified plan in place. Typical recessions can take a decade or longer for a full recovery. (It took the NASDAQ Composite Index 15 years to return to the March 2000 highs.) 21st Century recessions have shattered the old trope of Buy and Hope. Economists aren’t predicting a recession this year or next. However, some have pointed out that many states are already experiencing an economic downturn. Mark Zandi, the senior economist at Moody’s Analytics, posted on X on Sept. 29, 2025, writing, “The economy’s performance and near-term prospects remain far from bright. Recession risks… remain uncomfortably high.” Corporate buybacks were strong in the 3rd quarter but can turn on a dime without warning. While it’s possible that stocks can continue to rise with the Santa Rally trend, it’s not a given. It’s better to be ahead of the news than wait until an economic storm has wiped out our gains to think about fixing our financial house. With stocks at an all-time high, now is a great time to make sure that we have an age-appropriate, properly diversified plan in place. The great news is that we can also capture gains at an all-time high, while making sure that we have exposure to the hottest industries and are underweighting the paper losses and underperformance of the sectors that are struggling. Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Oct. 11-13 2025 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget and how to hedge in a volatile Debt World. 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 Oct. 11-13 2025. 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, * 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. You'll even discover how to save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices. 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.  Receive the best price when you register with friends and family. Visit NataliePace.com to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register.  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 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.  Magnificent 7 Update. On Fire. Expensive. Tesla could have an exemplary 3rd Quarter. Nvidia is accused of antitrust by China. Apple has lines out the door again. Meta, Microsoft, Google and Amazon all continue with double-digit year-over-year revenue growth, which is quite a feat for multi-trillion-dollar companies. The good news is already priced in. (However, there is a way to participate in the party.) Email [email protected] if you’d like an updated Magnificent 7 Stock Report Card. Here are the things we’ll cover in this blog. Tesla Nvidia Apple The Fantastic 4 or the Magnificent 7? Sales Growth Valuations The Macro Economy Lessons From April’s -20% Dive And here is more information on each line item. Tesla The U.S. electric vehicle tax credit ends September 30, 2025. While that’s not great for Tesla going forward, Tesla is likely to have a gangbuster 3rd quarter, as everyone rushes to beat the clock. Will the 3rd quarter of 2025 be the first time that the company delivers more than 500,000 vehicles? The all-time high was the 4th quarter of 2024, when Tesla deliveries were 495,570 vehicles. Tesla earned $25.7 billion in revenue that quarter. It is quite possible (probable?) that the 3rd quarter could shatter those records. The company will report their 3Q deliveries on October 2, 2025. This is quite different from Tesla’s 2nd quarter, when deliveries were down -13.5% year over year and revenue dropped -12%. With Wall Street always singing, “What have you done for me lately?” there could be a jump in share price after the deliveries are announced on Thursday. However, there’s more to the story, which complicates our ability to profit. (Buying high is rarely a great idea.) China is the biggest market for EVs in the world, purchasing 11 million of the 17 million EVs sold in 2024. China’s own BYD is now the largest EV seller globally, surpassing Tesla in 2024. We can’t buy BYD cars here in the United States. However, other countries can, including Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Germany, Norway, Australia, Japan, South Korea and countries in the Middle East and Africa. Additionally, due to the plethora of electric vehicle options that are now available, there is a price war going on. Tesla’s net income was $15 billion in 2023. It dropped to $7 billion in 2024. The company has only made $1.58 billion in 2025. This begs the question of whether a company that might only earn $4 billion or less in 2025 should really be worth $1.46 trillion. With a price/earnings ratio of 236, Tesla is one of the most expensive stocks on Wall Street. Nvidia On Sept. 15, 2025, Nvidia was accused of violating anti-monopoly laws by China. While no punishment was mentioned in the statement, the Financial Times reported that Chinese authorities have ordered top tech firms to halt purchases of Nvidia chips and cancel existing orders. Nvidia’s competition in China has intensified with Huawei, Cambricon, Baidu and Alibaba all reportedly making chips that are comparable to Nvidia’s exportable products. (Nvidia has export controls and is not allowed to send its most advanced semiconductors to certain nations, including China.) China accounts for about 6% of Nvidia’s revenue.  A miss on revenue from the region should not significantly impact the next quarterly earnings report. Nvidia could still see $50+ billion in sales with growth of 44.7% year over year. However, investors will get nervous if the situation becomes more tense. Nvidia’s price/earnings ratio is quite lofty, at 50. Nvidia will likely report 3rd quarter earnings the 3rd week of November. Apple The lines were back at Apple last week. The iPhone 17 launch was a success, garnering plenty of gushing reviews. However, since the phone was released on September 19, 2025, we won’t see the bump in revenue until the December quarter earnings are released at the end of January 2026. The September quarter revenue is expected to increase mid to high single digits on a year-over-year basis – nothing mind-blowing, particularly since Apple’s price/earnings ratio is 35 – quite lofty for a company with single-digit revenue growth. However, if the forward outlook is exciting, based upon a jump in sales from iPhone 17, we could see investor interest pushing the share price up. Of course, all of this assumes that the macro economy stays strong. With valuations on all the Magnificent 7 companies, including Apple, high, rising unemployment and sticky inflation, a continued party on Wall Street is not a given. We won’t see the September quarter results until around Halloween (the date that Apple reported results in 2024). The Fantastic 4 or the Magnificent 7? Right now, the Magnificent 7 companies all look spectacular, particularly in product sales. Their share prices are all trading very close to their all-time highs, making investors happy. The strength of these companies is responsible for over 1/3 of the S&P500 performance. All these companies have a treasure trove of cash. After the EV tax credit expires on Sept. 30, 2025, Tesla could experience a marked slowdown. Will U.S. car buyers be as interested in Tesla vehicles once the tax credit expires? Will they shop for more affordable models, or used cars? The U.S. market is responsible for 52.5% of Tesla’s revenue. Additionally, there could continue to be much lower earnings for Tesla, due to the EV price wars. Amazon, Apple and Tesla are at the lower end of revenue growth and profit margins of the Magnificent 7. Apple has elevated debt (with plenty of cash to cover it). Sales Growth It’s extraordinary that the multi-trillion dollar Titans of Silicon Valley are still experiencing impressive year-over-year sales growth. Nvidia is at 56%, Meta 22%, Microsoft 18%, Alphabet 14%, and Amazon at 13%. Email [email protected] if you’d like an updated Magnificent 7 Stock Report Card. Valuations This is the piece of the puzzle that a lot of Main Street investors aren’t getting good information on. Stocks are very expensive. As Liz Ann Sonders, the Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist at Charles Schwab, said in her May 30, 2025 podcast, “I feel sometimes like we're in the midst of a late '90s kind of market, where you remember the tech bubble, and it just kept going and going and going, and nothing seemed to really do anything to it until it stopped.” As a reminder, in the Dot Com Recession, the NASDAQ Composite Index dropped -78% between the high of March 2000 and the low of October 2002. It took 15 years to get back to the highs set in March 2000. The Macro Economy There are many indicators that suggest equities are quite elevated. One area of particular concern is that margin debt has hit a new high. Margin debt is currently at $1.1 trillion according to FINRA. The reason this is a concern is that there are limits to the amount of money one can borrow on margin. When stocks are high and keep rising, it’s not a problem. However, if share prices start falling, investors who have borrowed money will have to deposit more cash to cover the losses or sell stocks (potentially at a loss) to cover the margin. The consequence of very high margin debt is that volatility becomes extreme, and the speed of the plunge can be very pronounced, as panicked sellers are forced to cover their debt. (Brokerages can sell stock to cover the problem, if the account holder doesn’t fix things fast enough.) There are breakers in place to stop a correction from turning into a crash. However, we did see a drop of -20% between February 19 and April 8, 2025. Lessons From April’s -20% Dive Nvidia’s price is currently $178 a share. On April 4, 2025, you could have bought the stock for $94. At $440/share, Tesla is close to its all-time high again. However, the price was only $222 on April 8. Meta dropped -34% between February and April of this year. The Magnificent 7 is truly amazing in terms of revenue growth, profit margins and even the cache of cash that most of these companies have. However, because they are very expensive, whenever there is a market downturn, these companies drag stocks down, dropping far lower than the rest of the S&P500. This also happened in 2022. When the S&P500 dropped -19.44%, Many of the Magnificent 7 stocks were down by 50% or more, including Nvidia.  Bottom Line In our pie chart system, and at our Financial Freedom Retreats, we have the Magnificent 7 represented in the large cap growth fund and in many of the targeted hot industry funds. If you have been overweighting Magnificent 7 (as we are), now is a great time to rebalance and capture gains at an all-time high. We still want to have Magnificent 7 in our portfolio, but in an age-appropriate, diversified, targeted way. The rebalancing helps us to retain our wealth, in case volatility kicks in and prices plunge, as we have seen multiple times over the last five years, with the most recent episode only five months in the rear-view mirror. This keeps us on the right side of the trade. There is a reason why “Buy low, sell high” is an age-old investing aphorism. Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Oct. 11-13 2025 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget and how to hedge in a volatile Debt World. 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 Oct. 11-13 2025. 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, * 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. You'll even discover how to save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices. 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.  Receive the best price when you register with friends and family. Visit NataliePace.com to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register.  Join us for our Restormel Royal Immersive Adventure Retreat. March 2027. Email [email protected] to learn more. Click for testimonials, pricing, hours & details. Register now to receive the best price, the best room and eight private, prosperity coaching sessions. There are only 8 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 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? 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.
Crypto. Copper. Silver. Gold. More Magnificent than the Magnificent 7*. *Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla The headlines are full of Wall Street hitting new highs every day. Gold is also on fire, and Bitcoin remains near its all-time high. However, the headlines don’t really show what is happening behind the scenes, as silver, copper, crypto and gold are far more magnificent than the Magnificent 7 (in that order). This year, silver has been the silent superstar, while copper and Ethereum have soared. Our Ethereum ETF doubled in 4 months (since the April low). Silver and Peru (copper) are the best performers year to date (even better than Bitcoin & Ethereum), with 50% and 45% gains, respectively. Meanwhile, some stocks and funds are worth less today than they were five years ago. So, if you don’t have the right kind of equities in your portfolio, your plan is not hitting record highs with Wall Street. (Target date retirement funds, annuities and bond funds are particularly vulnerable.)  With stocks and safe havens trading near all-time highs, should you buy high, hoping to sell higher? Is there a better strategy? What is the outlook for 2026? As importantly, how can we eliminate the capital gains exposure of crypto currencies? (I’ll be writing a blog about developments in the Magnificent 7 over the next few days.) The VIX (a measure of stock market volatility) is very low, indicating that investors are feeling quite secure about their investments. (Things can change quickly, however. In April, stocks dropped -20% and the VIX tripled almost overnight.) Even with stocks ringing in new highs daily, there is an undertone of uncertainty that is playing into the popularity of the perceived safe havens of crypto, gold and silver. Consumer confidence is very low, as you can see in the University of Michigan report below. (The next one will be released on Sept. 26, 2025.)  Source: University of Michigan. As you can see in the chart, there is a high correlation between low consumer confidence and recessions. (The gray lines represent recessions.) While no economic pullback is forecasted for this year or next, economists are notoriously terrible at predicting recessions. As Liz Ann Sonders, the Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist at Charles Schwab, said in her May 30, 2025 podcast, “I feel sometimes like we're in the midst of a late '90s kind of market, where you remember the tech bubble, and it just kept going and going and going, and nothing seemed to really do anything to it until it stopped.” Natalie’s Note: Between the high of the Nasdaq Composite Index in March of 2000 and the low in October of 2002, the index lost -78% of its value. It took 15 years to crawl back to even. So, let’s dive into the details of the superstars of 2025 (so far). Here are the things we will cover in this blog. Bitcoin Was Our 2024 Investment of the Year Avoiding Capital Gains Taxes Our Ethereum ETF Tripled in 4 Months Peru is a Superstar in 2025 Silver Majestic vs. Gold Value Funds, Target Date Retirement Funds & Bond Funds (Dividends & Income) No Paper Losses on our Fixed Income Strategies Dollar Cost Averaging And here is more information on each point. Bitcoin Was Our 2024 Investment of the Year Bitcoin was our 2024 Investment of the Year. At the time of the publication, Bitcoin was worth $65,770/coin. Today, the coin is at $115,669. However, the performance in 2025 has been more in line with the Magnificent 7 (23.7%), while Ethereum, gold and silver have all posted higher gains. There is a historic precedent that by the 2nd anniversary of a Bitcoin halving, there is a Crypto Winter. That casts a shadow over the outlook, particularly as we get closer to April 2026. I encourage you to read my Bitcoin blog to learn more about halving events and trends. Crypto Winters are long and brutal. A successful strategy captures gains at the high (now), keeping the wealth intact, while still holding a slice of crypto in an age-appropriate, diversified plan. This keeps our wealth growing, instead of having us vulnerable to losses of -50% or more. During Crypto Winters, when many people have lost half or more of their investment, we can buy low, increasing our performance. Better yet, a smart plan will protect our gains from taxes. (Keep reading.) Avoiding Capital Gains Taxes Over the past few years, the SEC has approved Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, making these funds available to our IRAs (Individual Retirement Plans), where capital gains are not taxed. Before the ETFs were available, capital gains could be up to 37% (if they were short-term cap gains). It will be difficult to purchase these assets in most employer-sponsored retirement accounts, unless you have a self-directed option. So, it’s important to have your own IRA (TFSA in Canada), in addition to your 401k or RSP. It’s also wise to purchase funds from a large, creditworthy fund company. Our Ethereum ETF Tripled in 4 Months In our time-proven, age-appropriate, pie chart strategy wealth plan, we encourage Main Street investors to have four hot slices, in addition to six that are diversified by size and style. The iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (symbol: ETHA) is one option for our hot slices. ETHA is currently at $33.57/share. On April 8, 2025, the price was just $11/share. When one slice becomes three slices, it’s a great idea to consider capturing gains on 1-2 slices at the high and keeping that money, while still having a slice in the plan, if you believe the asset will continue to perform well. If you don’t have any hots in your plan, then learn more about dollar cost averaging (below). Check out my Ethereum Videocon and podcast from September 4, 2025.  Peru is a Superstar in 2025 With 45% gains in 2025 so far, the iShares Peru ETF (symbol: EPU) is one of the best performers of the year. Only silver, at 50% gains, has done better. Additionally, the EPU ETF is offering a 4.1% yield – much higher than most U.S.-based dividend funds. Peru’s economy is heavily impacted by copper prices. Currently, copper prices are near an all-time high. Strong demand and constrained supply have forecasts for copper going higher over the next few years, with some analysts predicting a price of $5.10 USD/lb by the end of 2027 and $7 USD/lb by 2030. However, copper’s nickname is Dr. Copper because when the economy slows down, copper prices can plunge. You can see the trend quite clearly in the chart below, when the price dropped by -64% in 2008.  The best protection against a stock downturn and market weakness is to always keep a percentage equal to our age safe, to diversify the at-risk portion into 10 funds and to rebalance 1-3 times a year, to capture gains. With so many of these funds at all-time highs, it’s a great time to do our rebalancing. Email [email protected] if you are interested in my unbiased 2nd opinion, which includes a personalized pie chart plan for you, or if you’d like information on our Oct. 11-13, 2025 Financial Freedom Retreat. Silver Majestic vs. Gold There were many reasons, including a favorable price, why we were leaning into silver more than gold at our Financial Freedom Retreats over the past few years. In 2025, silver has been the silent superstar, with gains of 50%. For most of us, it’s easiest to purchase a Silver Trust ETF, as coins have a markup value, and insuring/protecting coins can add expense, reducing our ROI*. Individual companies carry more risk than the passive investor should take on. *Return on Investment Having said that, in my June 23, 2025, blog on Silver, I mentioned a company that was experiencing revenue growth of 130% year over year, with 94% YOY revenue gains again in the most recent quarter. Silver Majestic (symbol: AG) is up 84% YTD and up 24% since our feature in June. By comparison, the S&P500 is up 12.76% YTD and 10% since June. Here’s what I wrote in that blog: “For those of you who are interested in taking on more risk for a potentially higher reward (Vegas money), I was particularly interested in First Majestic Silver. The company saw revenue jump by 130% in the most recent quarter. They’ve also established First Mint, a 100% owned minting facility, and are selling coins directly to consumers. I’m expecting to buy a few shares after this blog is published.” Value Funds, Target Date Retirement Funds & Bond Funds Vanguard‘s target date retirement 2030 fund (symbol: VTHRX) is worth less today than it was in December 2021. This has a lot to do with the portion of bonds that are in that plan. Many Bonds and bond funds are also losing value, and the “paper losses” explanation that many investors are receiving from their broker/salesman is falsely placating them about something that is a serious problem. The PIMCO total return bond fund (symbol: PTTRX) has lost -20% over the 5-year period, and that is including the 4.55% yield. Many annuities have been offering less than 2% annualized return at a time when the S&P500 has doubled over the last five years. Annuities also lose up to -9% of your principal the minute you purchase them. (They call it a surrender fee.) Value funds in the United States are higher risk than many investors are aware of. Over half of the S&P 500 is at or near junk status, with very elevated levels of debt and leverage. This is largely why the Dow Jones Industrial Average often performs at less than half the speed of the S&P500 and far below the NASDAQ Composite Index. We have been using value replacement funds for years. Most of our selected funds are offering yields that are up to double what the U.S. value funds are offering. One of the funds has a higher credit rating. The countries we have selected have far lower debt to GDP than the U.S. has. I mentioned above that our Peru fund is one of the top performers of the year, in addition to offering a great yield. We’ve been using this fund as our mid cap value replacement fund. No Paper Losses on our Fixed Income Strategies One of the things my private coaching clients are most happy about is that they are earning a market yield without paper losses. It is tricky to achieve this, but not difficult. I’m offering a Fixed Income Without Paper Losses masterclass on Oct. 18, 2025. (Prerequisite: Oct. 11-13, 2025, Financial Freedom Retreat.) Since a 4% yield on $1,000,000 is $40,000, knowing how to earn this safely, without the loss of principal and without being vulnerable to credit or duration risk, is a great way to earn extra money while we sleep. Email [email protected] for pricing and information and to register now. Dollar Cost Averaging If you don’t already own some of these hot industries, and you’re interested in adding them to your portfolio, start with a personalized pie chart so that you know how much you should keep safe and how much should be at risk. Email [email protected] to receive links to our free web apps where you can personalize your pie charts and your Thrive Budget. Then, rather than just buying a whole slice at an all-time high, consider dollar cost averaging into your slice. Having a plan to purchase at regular intervals (strategically designed), helps us to ease into the water rather than just buying high. Those people who say they’re just going to wait for “a crash,” rarely act when the opportunity presents itself. How many of us bought low on April 8, 2025, when stocks had dropped -20% in less than three weeks? Market timing doesn’t work. It typically takes 18-24 months from the top to the bottom. This isn’t a “crash,” but rather a series of unfortunate events (most of which an analyst with a keen eye can see coming, and which we’ve been successful at forewarning our audience about since 1999). The safe side of our plan is what keeps our wealth intact. If you’ve never adopted an age-appropriate, properly diversified wealth plan (or are having blind faith that someone else is doing this for you), then it’s a good idea to join us at our October 11-13, 2025 Financial Freedom Retreat, and learn the life math that we all should have received in high school. Conversely, if you are a busy professional, consider getting an unbiased 2nd opinion from me through my private coaching (which is much less than you are paying for a managed wealth plan). You will receive a blueprint of what a time-proven, 21st Century plan looks like, along with step-by-step instructions of how to implement it. You will also be provided with a color-coded analysis of your current plan, highlighting assets that are vulnerable or losing money, as well as areas of your plan that are doing great. You’re still the boss of your money and you can choose to follow the superior strategy or not. However, it’s difficult to be in charge when we really don’t have a clue what we own or when and how to make changes. Financial wisdom will transform our lives and put us more on the right side of the trade – with less money and less time, and far less worry. "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 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 Bottom Line We can get safe, protected, hot and diversified in one easy plan. (Click to read more details in my blog of the same name.) When stocks and safe havens are at an all-time high, it’s a great idea to capture gains and make sure that our wealth plan is age-appropriate and properly diversified (without paper losses). You can read about this time-proven strategy in my book, The ABCs of Money, 6th edition. You can learn and implement it at my Oct. 11-13, 2025, Financial Freedom Retreat. If you’re a busy professional, consider receiving an unbiased 2nd opinion from me in my private coaching program. Email [email protected] for pricing and information. Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Oct. 11-13 2025 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget and how to hedge in a volatile Debt World. 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 Oct. 11-13 2025. 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, * 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. You'll even discover how to save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices. 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.  Receive the best price when you register with friends and family. Visit NataliePace.com to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register.  Join us for our Restormel Royal Immersive Adventure Retreat. March 2027. Email [email protected] to learn more. Click for testimonials, pricing, hours & details. Register now to receive the best price, the best room and eight private, prosperity coaching sessions. There are only 8 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 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? 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.  Stablecoins and the Companies That Offer Them Stablecoins have exploded on the scene, while the companies that are offering them are launching IPOs. Should you dive in? Are there risks to weigh in the mix? Below are the topics we’ll cover in this blog. Email [email protected] if you’d like a Crypto Stock Report Card. The Most Popular Stablecoins Have Stablecoins Ever Collapsed? What Are the Risks of Stablecoins Now? Investing in Crypto Companies And here is more information on each of these topics. The Most Popular Stablecoins Below are five of the 10 most popular stablecoins by market capitalization. Some offer dividends, some offer rewards, while others offer a recognizable brand that their customers identify with.  Have Stablecoins Ever Collapsed? The most famous collapse of a stablecoin was the Terra UST stablecoin collapse in May of 2022. Terra lost its dollar peg, which was based upon an algorithm rather than backed by U.S. dollars. Another challenge was the unsustainable interest rate of almost 20% that was promised to UST depositors. (Whenever you see an above-market interest rate, there are increased risks involved.) The bankruptcy of Terra’s UST stablecoin and the companion Luna coin wiped out $45 billion in market value. Most depositors and investors lost everything. The Genius Act was written to avert a similar disaster down the road by requiring stablecoin issuers “to hold at least one dollar of permitted reserves for every one dollar of stablecoins issued.” (Click to review an overview of the rules.) Circle’s USDC stablecoin didn’t collapse, but it did break the buck in March of 2023. The coin experienced a liquidity crisis when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed. Why? Circle reportedly had $5 billion in uninsured deposits at the bank. When the FDIC and the Federal Reserve stepped in to guarantee uninsured depositors on March 12, 2023, Circle’s depositors were reassured. Today, the USDC stablecoin is the 2nd most popular, with a market capitalization of $16.7 billion. It’s important to note that the Silicon Valley exception was based upon the “systemic risk exemption,” a special clause that will not be applied to all events or banks, in case of a bank failure. Deposits are only insured up to $250,000 at U.S. banks. The Tether stablecoin lost its dollar peg in May of 2022 but has since recovered. USDT is the most popular stablecoin, with a market cap of $137.3 billion. According to Tether’s website, “Our reports demonstrate that our Reserves are greater than the redemption value of Tether Tokens in circulation on the dates reported.” Likewise, Circle boasts that their cash reserves are 1:1 with the coins in circulation. What Are the Risks of Stablecoins Now? Below are a few risks of holding stablecoins.
Investing in Crypto Companies There has been a wave of new crypto IPOs, including Circle Internet Group (CRCL), Gemini Space Station IPO (GEMI), Strategy Inc. (MSTR), Figure Technology (FIGR) and the upcoming ReserveOne SPAC (MBAV). Circle soared at the IPO on June 6, 2025, rising from $107/share to almost $300/share by June 20, 2025. The share price is currently at $130. Gemini has been as high as $45/share but is currently trading at $33.55. We’ve also seen the epic fraud failure of FTX, which had the support of many celebrities. The CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, was on the cover of Fortune magazine just three months before the FTX collapse. SBF was featured as “the Next Warren Buffett?”  Perhaps the most important considerations are Crypto Winters. We’ve seen a historic trend where crypto prices shoot the moon the year after a Bitcoin halving, only to plunge into a Crypto Winter by the 2nd year anniversary. April 19, 2025, marked the 1-year anniversary of the Bitcoin halving. Will crypto prices continue at all-time highs as we edge closer to April 19, 2026, or will prices plunge as they have two years after the last two halvings? Learn more in my 2024 Investment of the Year blog, when we first reported on this trend, and predicted that Bitcoin could be the best investment of 2024. Bitcoin’s 2023 and 2024 returns (over 2X gains) make the stock market’s impressive gains of over 50% cumulatively over that 2-year period look rather modest.
However, in Crypto Winters, the coins can lose 2/3rds or more of their value. (Stablecoins are supposed to maintain their dollar-peg and value, at least in theory.) Publicly traded crypto companies, including Coinbase, Mara Holdings and even crypto-friendly brokerages such as Robinhood, tend to lose 90% of their value at the Crypto Winter lows.  Bottom Line Be aware of the risks of stablecoins, especially those that offer an above-market interest rate. Stablecoins are not always stable and some carry more risk than is appropriate for the fixed income side of our portfolio, where we aim to preserve principal and our wealth, while earning a safe, reliable income. Investors and depositors can get a comparable, government-backed interest rate with bank Certificates of Deposit. C.D.s are less likely to be targeted by crypto fraudsters. If we're looking for performance, stocks, including Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs (which can be placed in tax-protected retirement accounts), offer superior performance (and more risk). An age-appropriate, diversified plan that we rebalance 1-3 times a year can offer performance and protection. Learn more in my Get Safe & Hot With 1 Easy Plan blog. Crypto coins and stocks are very popular right now but experience extreme volatility and losses during Crypto Winters. The plunges are the result of whales taking profits at the expense of Main Street investors’ tendency to HODL*. *Hold on for Dear Life While holding on during a Crypto Winter has ultimately led to gains, there is no guarantee that will continue to be the case. Additionally, during the 18-36 month period of Crypto Winter losses, when coins are out of favor, cryptophiles can lose half or more of their wealth, while their FICO score plunges. This can make life very difficult and lead to financial and mental health crises. There have been suicides that were attributed to Crypto Winters. Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Oct. 11-13 2025 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget and how to hedge in a volatile Debt World. 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 Oct. 11-13 2025. 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, * 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. You'll even discover how to save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices. 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.  Receive the best price when you register with friends and family. Visit NataliePace.com to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register.  Join us for our Restormel Royal Immersive Adventure Retreat. March 2027. Email [email protected] to learn more. Click for testimonials, pricing, hours & details. Register now to receive the best price, the best room and eight private, prosperity coaching sessions. There are only 8 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 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? 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 Googleplex rooftops and car parks blanketed in solar cells as seen from the Zeppelin NT (with Marissa Mayer pointing out her office window) on our Geek Tour of Silicon Valley. Photo by Steve Jurvetson from Menlo Park, USA. Wiki Commons. Used with permission. The Future Looks Bright for Clean Energy (Though Individual Companies Remain Vulnerable). We need more energy to power AI, quantum and data centers, for the developing world and as the population expands. New power generation projects are overwhelmingly clean energy. Email [email protected] if you’d like an updated EV or Solar Stock Report Card. The U.S. Department of Energy is run by an oil and gas CEO. Tax credits for homeowners and businesses to install solar and wind end Dec. 31, 2025, and EV tax credits expire Sept. 30, 2025. Yet, solar and battery storage are expected to lead new power generation in the U.S. this year, according to the Energy Information Administration. Solar (32.5 GW) represents 52%, followed by battery storage (18.2 GW) at 29%, wind (7.7 GW) with 12% and new natural gas (4.4 GW) at just 7%. A large part of the demand for clean energy is coming from the technology giants, many of whom aim for 100% renewable power in their operations.  Electricity use is being pushed up by AI, data center demand, economic development (Asia, the Middle East and Africa), EVs and the cooling demands of quantum and AI. Bloomberg NEF is predicting the demand for electric power to rise by 75% over the next 25 years, with Asia, the Middle East and Africa accounting for much of the increased demand. Natalie Note: Homeowners! If you live in a sunny state, solar, before the tax credit expires, could be a great idea to offset rising electricity costs. There are more than a few tricks to learn before getting the quote, so be sure to read the chapter “How to Save Thousands on Your Electric Bill,” from The ABCs of Money 6th edition for essential tips. The rapid expansion of solar, wind and EVs in the U.S. is expected to continue, despite political roadblocks. Fossil fuel-based power generation facilities are old, and many require costly upgrades and maintenance. ICE* vehicles are expensive to operate and fuel up, while EVs often resale at higher valuations. According to the Bloomberg NEF 2025 New Energy Report released on April 15, 2025: Renewables and electric vehicles play an expanding role in the Economic Transition Scenario, as ever-lower costs and maturing technologies drive faster adoption. While points of resistance have emerged in recent years, namely higher interest rates, volatile costs and rising trade barriers, these technologies continue to show advantageous and improving economics, which ultimately drive their adoption to unprecedented levels. *ICE: Internal Combustion Engine We sometimes forget that investing is global. While the U.S. has rolled back a lot of its clean energy goals, other countries have been exceeding theirs. For instance, China is the top consumer of EVs, buying 11 million of the 17.1 million total EVs sold in 2024 (source: Rho Motion). (Learn more about the EV Price Wars in my EV Blog.) According to Climate Action Tracker, “China achieved its 1,200 GW wind and solar capacity target six years ahead of schedule, reaching 1,407 GW in 2024.” Despite shattering renewable goals, China receives an overall rating of “highly inefficient,” because 60% of the grid in China is still powered by coal. In the U.S., 60% of the grid is also powered by fossil fuels – mostly natural gas. Renewable sources increased in the U.S. from 13% in 2014 to 21% in 2023, while coal dropped from 40% to 16% over the same period (source: EIA.gov). Here are the things I’ll cover in this blog. China Investing in Individual Companies Widgets AI & Data Centers Consumption of Energy Clean Energy ETFs And here is more information on each point. China China invested $1.9 trillion (USD) in EVs, batteries and solar in 2024, representing 10% of the country’s GDP (source: Climate Action Tracker). As I’ve indicated in prior blogs, the country’s rapid shift to EVs from ICE vehicles is a big reason why oil demand is down, and prices are stuck around $65/barrel – which is below the price that most oil companies can profitably drill a new rig. (Click to read my Oil blog.) At the same time, U.S. investors are not particularly interested in Chinese equities. Many of the Chinese ETFs that soared in 2021 are now trading at prices that are down -50%. Chinese EVs are some of the top sellers in the world (though they are not available in the U.S.). As an example, China’s BYD had $109 billion in sales in 2024. That’s more revenue than Tesla. However, Tesla is worth over $1 trillion and BYD is only worth $142 billion. Former EV darlings Nio and XPeng are trading at discounts of -2/3rds (XPEV) to -90% (Nio). Be careful about investing in Chinese equities. Buyers on Wall Street are scarce for the country’s stock these days. Investing in Individual Companies Investing in individual companies is always risky and particularly in the clean energy field. Many of the clean energy companies are carrying high debt with net losses or low margins. Sunpower went through bankruptcy on August 5, 2024. TPI Composites entered Chapter 11 on August 11, 2025. Most Main Street investors would be better off sticking to funds. I’ll talk about this more below and in my blog, “Get Safe & Hot in One Easy Plan.” If you are willing to take on the high risk of an individual company in the clean energy space, you must get familiar with all of the tools that hedge funds use, in order to have any hope of being on the right side of the trade. (I offer a Stock Masterclass each year.) It’s also a good idea to think of this as your Vegas Money. Widgets There is some impressive revenue growth in some of the companies that provide parts and gadgets, over the companies that manufacture solar panels or wind turbines. American Super Conductor saw revenue growth of 80% year over year in the most recent quarter. Array Technology, Enphase and Shoals Technology each had growth of 42%, 20%, and 12%, respectively. AMSC is trading near its 5-year high. However, Array, Enphase and Shoals are all trading sharply lower from their highs in 2021. Yet, even with that pullback, they still have high valuations. Of all the companies on the Solar Wind Energy Stock Report Card, these four look the most promising. However, the price, debt and valuations would prompt me to put them on a stock shopping list, waiting for a more favorable price, rather than buying high. All three of these companies are part of the iShares Global Clean Energy ETF. Email [email protected] if you’d like an updated Solar Stock Report Card. AI & Data Centers Consumption of Energy Won’t utilities benefit from high demand? The high energy demands of AI, data centers and quantum computing have all the mega technology companies scrambling for energy. However, many of them are also getting smart about it. They are making their chips, factories and even headquarters more energy efficient. Many, including Amazon, Apple, Google (Alphabet), Nvidia and Tesla power their facilities with their own solar and/or have ambitious plans to expand their renewable energy and cut out their reliance on fossil fuel power. Utilities should benefit from the demand expectations down the road. However, many utilities are carrying very high debt and are constrained on how much they can charge. Constellation Energy will benefit from a deal with Microsoft to reopen 3-Mile Island. However, Constellation, like many utilities, is at the lowest rung of investment grade. Additionally, it could take a while to bring more capacity online to sell to these companies. Finally, there is the additional burden that many utility companies have been sued for natural disasters, particularly wildfires. This caused PG&E to declare bankruptcy in 2019. I outline some of the risks of investing in utilities in my Utilities blog, which I encourage you to check out. The simple math would say invest in utilities for buoyancy, income and for the expansion, but there are a lot of other important factors to consider. Clean Energy ETFs Owning a fund helps to reduce the risk. If one company gets into trouble, the others should do well enough to keep the fund viable. The iShare’s global clean energy ETF, symbol ICLN, invests in countries around the world. So, we are getting exposure to various markets and companies that would be difficult to invest in on our own. At this point, the ETF is offering a 1.9% yield. It is trading at a 5-year low because investors have given up on clean energy with the pro-oil/anti-clean energy headlines and the elimination of tax credits. However, when we wait for the headlines to be on fire, we are going to buy high. ICLN is currently trading under $15/share. In January 2021, it was above $33 a share. This is a reminder that we want to have a ‘capture gains’ rebalancing plan for our wealth. Doing that would have ensured that we sold high. Just like we spring clean our home at least once year, we should make sure that our financial home is sparkling, too. That way, we are keeping our money when an industry is in favor (such as clean energy in Jan. 2021) and buying more at a lower price when it isn’t, instead of just riding a Wall Street rollercoaster. Bottom Line The demand for energy is profound and increasing. It will likely cost us more on our electric bills. We will start seeing headlines and being inundated with investment opportunities. However, investing in this sector is complicated due to the overhang of debt, net losses and low margins that many of the utility, solar and wind companies are experiencing. For most of us, we might think about a clean energy ETF, if we want to get exposure to the sector. Remember that buying a fund from a creditworthy company is important. There are a lot of smaller companies that come up with fancy names and marketing strategies to get us to invest in them. However, that could be perilous for investors due to the elevated risk of the fund company itself. (Direxion Funds is an example of the problem.) You can learn more about this in my private coaching or at our Financial Freedom Retreat. Email [email protected] to learn more. Follow me on social media for daily money tips and Main Street analysis updates. X Substack Youtube Email [email protected] to receive links to our free web apps where you can personalize your own sample nest egg pie chart. Let us know if you’re interested in private coaching, an unbiased 2nd opinion or in joining me online for our Oct. 11-13, 2025 Financial Freedom Retreat. Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Oct. 11-13 2025 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget and how to hedge in a volatile Debt World. 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 Oct. 11-13 2025. 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, * 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. You'll even discover how to save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices. 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.  Receive the best price when you register with friends and family. Visit NataliePace.com to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register.  Join us for our Restormel Royal Immersive Adventure Retreat. March 2027. Email [email protected] to learn more. Click for testimonials, pricing, hours & details. Register now to receive the best price, the best room and eight private, prosperity coaching sessions. There are only 8 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 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? 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.  Capture Gains at an All-Time High The S&P 500 just hit another all-time high on Friday, August 22, 2025, after Jerome Powell‘s Jackson Hole speech. While he didn’t explicitly say the FOMC would cut rates at the Sept. 17, 2025 meeting, he indicated that was on the table. Powell said, “With policy in restrictive territory, the baseline outlook and the shifting balance of risks may warrant adjusting our policy stance.” Investors partied like it was 1999, pushing the S&P500 to a new high of 6,481.34. 1999 is an appropriate time to hail back to. As you can see in the chart below, the only time over the past century when stocks have been more expensive than they are today (by the CAPE ratio), was in 1999 before the Dot Com Recession (when the NASDAQ Composite Index plunged 78% before hitting rock bottom). Prices are higher today than they were in the Great Depression (1929).  Source: Prof. Robert Shiller, Yale.edu. Nobel Prize winning economist. We’ve seen swift plunges over the past 5 years that rapidly recovered. However, 21st Century history teaches us that we can’t always print up $5+ trillion to borrow our way out of a downturn. In a note on LinkedIn on August 25, 2025, Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, warned: "Based on my assessment of various data, states making up nearly a third of U.S. GDP are either in or at high risk of recession, another third are just holding steady, and the remaining third are growing. States experiencing recessions are spread across the country, but the broader DC area stands out due to government job cuts. Southern states are generally the strongest, but their growth is slowing. California and New York, which together account for over a fifth of U.S. GDP, are holding their own, and their stability is crucial for the national economy to avoid a downturn." So, should we be thinking about capturing gains at an all-time high? Here are the things that I’ll cover in this blog. Rebalance, Not Market Timing Age-Appropriate and Properly Diversified, Not Buy & Hope Safe 4% Income Without Paper Losses Hot Industries and Countries Are You Paying to Underperform (or Lose Money)? And here is more information on each topic. Rebalance, Not Market Timing Capturing gains at an all-time high does not mean selling everything and moving into cash. Rather, take a look at what we’ve got and make sure that we’re keeping at least a percentage equal to our age safe, and that the at-risk side of our plan is properly diversified. (I’ll talk about the safe side below, too.) We can get a little fancier than that, as we do in our retreats, and lean into the areas that are super performers and underweight the areas that are problematic and not keeping up with Wall Street. Many managed plans are not well-diversified. If we don’t know what we’ve selected for our retirement plan, then now is the time to know. It’s human nature to wait until things are broken and then try to fix them. When it comes to our money that is not a great idea. It took the NASDAQ 15 years to crawl back to the highs of 2000. Buy & Hope was a true disaster in both the Dot Com and the Great Recessions. Market timing rarely works. Trying to jump all in or jump all out is more likely to cost us an arm and a leg than it is to shoot the moon. Our simple pie chart strategy helps us to capture gains when stocks are high, protect ourselves from downturns, and keeps our money safe and liquid, so we can take advantage of buying opportunities when prices drop. It’s important to remember that most people don’t buy low because they can’t. When we lose too much money, we’ve got all kinds of problems, a terrible FICO score, and no extra cash on hand to plug the leaks in our life boat. Age-Appropriate and Properly Diversified, Not Buy & Hope I’ve described what I mean by age-appropriate above. Let’s dive deeper into diversification. Some people think if they have 18 pages of whole things or somebody else’s managing their plan for them, that they are properly diversified. I do a great deal of unbiased 2nd opinions on managed plans, and I have yet to see one that was age-appropriate and properly diversified. Pages of holdings might be the same size and style over and over again. 10 funds that are diversified by size and style, and include hot sectors, helps us to outperform and ensures that we’ve got the companies that are driving the performance, such as the Magnificent 7. Which hot sectors are we leaning into today? We have a number of countries and sectors that we’re interested in, many of which have performed very well over the past few years. Email [email protected] to receive links to our blogs on cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, AI, gold/silver, Australia, Indonesia, Ireland and Peru. If you’re adding something hot and it is trading at an all-time high, it’s important to dollar cost average. By the time everybody thinks it’s hot, the asset is often overpriced (like real estate). When we wait for the headlines, we’re almost always late. When no one wants something, like clean energy funds today, that could be the best buying opportunity. What sector will be important and on fire in 2026 and 2027? Safe 4% Income Without Paper Losses What I’m also discovering in my second opinions is that there are a lot of conservative investors who are being told they’re making 5-7% income, without being told that once you factor in fees and commissions, the return might be 2% or lower. If you’re experiencing paper losses, which many people are, you might even be losing money. That’s not income. I’m very proud to say that the people who have been sticking to our safe strategies over the past decade have good reasons to be very happy. When interest rates were at zero, we pointed out that real estate was a great opportunity. Many people doubled their money. Now that we can earn almost 4% yield without taking on risk, retreat attendees and my private coaching clients are getting that true yield without paper losses, and many times without fees or commissions. (Of course, that is why the broker salesman is not going to be incentivized to sell these products, and why some of the risky assets with paper losses, surrender fees and other potential money pits are sold – for the high commissions that they offer or because the brokerage has a symbiotic relationship with an investment bank.) Are you aware that annuities are one of the few investments where we lose up to 9% the minute we purchase it? (They call it a surrender fee.) Meanwhile, the broker salesman might be earning a 6% commission on the sale. Hot Industries and Countries Let’s dive deeper into hot sectors and countries. Some of the countries we featured include Australia, Peru, Ireland, and Indonesia. Most of those are trading close to all-time highs, with the exception of Indonesia. As I mentioned in my mid-year report blog, Peru was one of the great performers so far this year, with gains of 25.6%. With regard to sectors, we’ve been leaning into the Magnificent 7 since the Great Recession. Silver has also been the top performer in 2025. Bitcoin was our 2024 Investment of the Year. Breakthrough technology, cyber security, medical devices: these are all super performers on Wall Street that we featured as hot potential hot sectors in our Financial Freedom Retreats. Email [email protected] for links to the blogs. Again, if something is trading at an all-time high, you want a dollar cost average into it, with an age-appropriate, pie chart plan as your blueprint. Are You Paying to Underperform (or Lose Money)? Are you paying thousands or even tens of thousands annually to underperform or experience paper losses? If you’re not really reading the fine print and adding things up (which tend to be on a few different pages), you might not know that you’re paying through the nose, not earning the income that you’re being told you’re earning, have losses that are more problematic than the term “paper” implies and underperforming the market. This is likely to be the case if you are a conservative investor. 4% income is not enough to offset major loss of principle, especially when that percentage is often dramatically reduced by fees and expenses. Bottom Line A lot of people think, “My personal advisor is doing great.” This is because we’ve had a market on fire for the past two and a half years. It is no guarantee that our plan is sound. Never confuse a bull market with wisdom. It’s time to be the boss of our money and make sure we know exactly what we own and why. Email [email protected] if you would like a link to our free web app where you can personalize your own sample pie chart. You’ll also need to know the basics of investing so that you can compare what you should have to what you do have. You can start learning by reading The ABCs of Money, 6th edition. If you would like to learn and implement these strategies right away, join us for our online October 11-13, 2025, Financial Freedom Retreat. For people looking for income, we will be hosting a Fixed Income Without Paper Losses Masterclass on Saturday, October 18, 2025. These classes are all online, so there is no travel or lodging costs. We offer a bundling discount for taking both online courses. Email [email protected] to receive links to our free web apps where you can personalize your own sample nest egg pie chart. Let us know if you’re interested in private coaching, an unbiased 2nd opinion or in joining me online for our Oct. 11-13, 2025 Financial Freedom Retreat. Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Oct. 11-13 2025 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget and how to hedge in a volatile Debt World. 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 Oct. 11-13 2025. 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, * 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. You'll even discover how to save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices. 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.  Receive the best price when you register with friends and family. Visit NataliePace.com to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register.  Join us for our Restormel Royal Immersive Adventure Retreat. March 2027. Email [email protected] to learn more. Click for testimonials, pricing, hours & details. Register now to receive the best price, the best room and eight private, prosperity coaching sessions. There are only 8 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 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? 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.  Jerome Powell‘s Big Speech in Jackson Hole. Natalie's Note on 8.22.2025 (after Powell's speech) “With policy in restrictive territory, the baseline outlook and the shifting balance of risks may warrant adjusting our policy stance,” Jerome Powell at Jackson Hole on 8.22.2025. Wall Street celebrates the assumption that there will be a rate cut in Sept. Expectations of a rate cut then are now at 91.5% (source: CME Group). It's important, however, to note that going from 4.25-4.50% to 4.0-4.25% is no magic pill for all of the challenges going on right now, unaffordable housing for Millennials and Gen Z, paper losses for Gen X and Boomers, higher costs for small businesses, etc. The Thrive Budget and our pie chart strategy for investing (including retirement plans, checking/savings, crypto+) are time-proven at protecting wealth in corrections and outperforming the bull markets. Join us for our Financial Freedom Retreat ONLINE Oct. 11-13, 2025. Email [email protected]. Get additional information at the flyer (click to access). On Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, at 10 am ET (7 am PT), Jerome Powell will give a keynote at the Jackson Hole meeting. This is a highly anticipated speech, and the stakes are high. Investors will be watching it. Will he or won’t he signal a rate cut for the September 17, 2025 FOMC meeting? How will that affect stocks on Friday and for the rest of the year? Here are the topics I’ll cover in this blog. Wall Street Thinks There Will be a Cut in September Minutes from the July FOMC Meeting Indicate… Will the S&P500 Sink or Soar on Friday After Powell’s Remarks? Will Stocks End Up or Down in 2025? What Should You Do? And here is more information on each topic. Wall Street Thinks There Will be a Cut in September According to the CME group, there is a 74% probability of a 25-basis point rate cut on September 17, 2025. 26% of futures’ investors believe that the FOMC will pause again and keep rates where they are. The probabilities have been whipsawing a great deal, however. Last week, everyone believed the FOMC would pause. Minutes from the July FOMC Meeting Indicate… According to the minutes from the last meeting, inflation remains a greater concern than unemployment. The word inflation was mentioned 65 times in the minutes compared to employment, which was only mentioned 25 times. According to the minutes, “With regard to the outlook for inflation, participants generally expected inflation to increase in the near term. Participants judged that considerable uncertainty remained about the timing, magnitude, and persistence of the effects of this year's increase in tariffs.” When inflation is a concern, interest rates are higher to try to tame the price increases. Meanwhile, unemployment is still low. The participants expect that the labor market will weaken “around the end of this year.” Once the FOMC gets concerned about layoffs, they will want to cut interest rates to help the economy grow. Clearly, these two scenarios are at odds with one another. When inflation and unemployment rise in tandem, requiring the opposite remedy, the Federal Reserve Board governors must determine which is the bigger bugaboo. During the Volcker Stagflation period, the Fed Fund Rate peaked at 20% (and we’re worried about 4.5%)! As of the June 2025 meeting, when the FOMC released their Summary of Economic Projections, we were expected to get two rate cuts in 2025, taking the Fed Fund Rate down to 3.9%. We’ll get the next SEP forecast on Sept. 17, 2025, along with the news of a pause or a 25 basis point cut. Interest rates have been paused at 4-1/4 to 4-1/2 percent since December of 2024. Will the S&P500 Sink or Soar on Friday After Powell’s Remarks? Jerome Powell has been clear that he wants the Federal Reserve Board to be independent from White House pressure. (He has succumbed to Trump pressure in the past, in the now notorious decision to let inflation get out of control during the pandemic.) However, this time he’s very close to his retirement and may have more of a Devil May Care attitude that allows him to stick to his principals. Powell is notorious for saying that everything is data dependent. He often kicks the ball forward to the meeting, noting that the FOMC participants will review fresh data and make their decision at that time. In other words, investors might be very disappointed with his remarks. If he signals a cut, Wall Street could celebrate. It will be a big surprise (in my view) if Powell signals a rate cut at the September meeting. It seems more likely (IMHO, after 20 years of Fed-Speak) that Powell will be keep his cards close to his chest. The speech comes early in the day. Expect a lot of activity when he’s finished around 10:30 a.m. ET. Will Stocks End Up or Down in 2025? The U.S. economy has been very resilient amidst a great deal of turmoil. A lot of that has to do with investments in AI and the Wall Street trillion-dollar darlings known fondly as the Magnificent 7. However, the good news is already priced in. By many measures, stocks are overvalued. Also, the economy is expected to slow down to 2.1% GDP growth from 2.8% last year. That’s not bad in terms of performance, given all the tariff wars and real battles going on. However, it’s not great considering how lofty valuations are. The reason that economists and analysts use percentages and probabilities instead of sure-fire predictions is that stocks are fueled by investor sentiment. While there have been plenty of reasons for profit taking, investors have been ignoring all kinds of troublesome news, including tariffs, persistent inflation, war, isolationism, slower GDP growth, inflated prices, unsustainable debt, unaffordable housing, and much more. Citi has a target for the S&P500 of 6,600, which they released on August 11, 2025. The S&P500 is currently at 6,370. So, if the index hits its target price, that will be an increase of 3.6% from where it is now. Goldman Sachs warned on August 14, 2025, that there was heightened risk of a stock market correction (-10%). J.P. Morgan analysts, including Jamie Dimon, are in the cautious correction risk camp as well. What Should You Do? Rather than think we can outsmart Wall Street, it’s a good idea to always have an age-appropriate, properly diversified strategy. Using our pie chart system, we can protect our wealth from corrections and stock plunges and profit from the best performers, all while earning a good income on the safe side, without paper losses. It is equally important to know what is safe in a world where over half of the S&P500 companies are at or near junk status. We hear a lot about the $37.2 trillion public debt. However, corporate debt is astronomical as well, at $14 trillion. Consumer debt is also at an all-time high ($18.4 trillion). Student loan delinquencies are elevated at 13%. Credit card delinquencies are also starting to creep up. Since about 70% of the U.S. economy is fueled by consumer spending, these statistics are troubling.  Bottom Line Wall Street is trading near an all-time high, and could go up another 3.6%, if Citi’s forecast is right. On the other hand, since equity prices are very expensive, when investors worry about the future, stocks drop far and fast and the correction scenario (-10%) could materialize. In April, the drop was -19%. Sure, everything recovered. However, that is not always the case. A better strategy is to have a plan that protects our wealth from downturns, with the liquidity to buy on the dip, instead of riding the Wall Street rollercoaster. We also want to make sure that we have a piece of the hot companies (Magnificent 7) which have accounted for most of the gains on Wall Street since 2023. In the meantime, our safe side can earn close to 4%, if we know some very important tricks on how to navigate elevated credit and duration risk. The fixed income side is very tricky, and those paper losses are far more problematic than Main Street is being told. It’s human nature to wait and see and try to fix things when they are broken. When it comes to our money, that’s a bad strategy. Email [email protected] to receive links to our free web apps where you can personalize your own sample nest egg pie chart. Let us know if you’re interested in private coaching, an unbiased 2nd opinion or in joining me online for our Oct. 11-13, 2025 Financial Freedom Retreat. Register now to join us at our online Financial Freedom Retreat Oct. 11-13 2025 where you'll learn how to protect your wealth, save thousands annually in your budget and how to hedge in a volatile Debt World. 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 Oct. 11-13 2025. 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, * 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. You'll even discover how to save thousands annually with smarter big-ticket choices. 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.  Receive the best price when you register with friends and family. Visit NataliePace.com to learn more. Call 310-430-2397 or email [email protected] for pricing, additional information and to register.  Join us for our Restormel Royal Immersive Adventure Retreat. March 2027. Email [email protected] to learn more. Click for testimonials, pricing, hours & details. Register now to receive the best price, the best room and eight private, prosperity coaching sessions. There are only 8 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 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 Gold a Tier 1 HQLA Reserve Currency? Is Your Income Strategy Losing Money? Gold, Silver & Crypto Soar. Stocks Offer 5%. Debt Balloons. Some Foreigners are Selling U.S. Treasuries. 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. Sell in May? Tesla, Tariffs, Chinese Competition and Price Wars. Fun Ways to Celebrate Earth Day April 22nd. Will the Correction Become a Bear Market? 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. Will Insurance Companies & Homeowners Weather the Hurricanes? 9 Money Secrets of the Ultra Wealthy. Housing & Budgeting Solutions. Arkansas Sues Temu for Data Theft. We Must Be the Boss of Our Money. Why? Fast Fashion. Fossil Fuels. Plastic Clothing. Atacama Desert Waste Dumps. Fintechs and Brokerages that Fail are Not FDIC-Insured. 5 Green Tips for Clean Beaches Week. So, You Think You Want to Be a B&B Owner... Retiring Soon? Start Planning Now. 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. Answers to the 2024 Rebalancing IQ Test. 9 Inflation, Budgeting, Debt Reduction and Investing Solutions. China & Russia Double Their Gold Holdings. Uh. Oh. More Bank Trouble. Housing. Unaffordable. What Works? Case studies and creative solutions. The Underperforming DJIA, Full of Fossil Fuels and Forever Chemicals. The Best ROI* (Almost 40%!) & 7 Life Hacks That Save Thousands. 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? Why We Are Underweighting Banks and the Financial Industry. Save Thousands Annually With Smarter Energy Choices 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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