Happy Tax Day!

Happy Tax Day fellow Tax Payers. As you file and pay your taxes, or if you are one of the lucky few that receive a refund, do not forget about inflation. The recent “fake” CPI numbers came in very hot last week at over 3%, which is well above the target inflation rate of 2%. Never forget – inflation is HIDDEN tax that is used by the Federal Government. Milton Friedman said that inflation is a “monetary phenomenon,” but all inflation really is Government Spending. The Federal Government continues to fund their deficits by issuing more and more deficit borrowing, which results in more and more inflation. All the technological advances over the past 100 years should be deflationary, but the printing presses are on and running!

So, how do you protect yourself? This is not financial advice, but Atlas Valuation invests specifically in tangible assets, such as Real Estate and Gold. If you cannot touch it, you do not own it. Even parking your money in a savings bank or CD comes with risks. Did you know that you are giving a loan to the bank when you hand them your money? And that is only insured up to a certain amount, which the Federal Reserve does not have enough reserves to cover all deposits. You have probably heard of Bail-Outs, but have you heard of Bail-Ins? This is when your financial institution does not have enough cash for their depositors, and converts your deposit into Stock. Aka, the bank fails and they give you worthless stock. You think you own your stocks, mutuals, and ETFs? Guess again, you only have an entitlement right to your securities. Google it if you think we are wrong.

So, Happy Tax Day! Please be careful and plan ahead for any unforeseen event. And don’t forget to pay Big Brother.