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Exclusive Interview: Protecting Yourself from the Worst of Obamacare
Even its staunchest supporters are beginning to worry it's a "train wreck."
But the truth is there's no fixing it now.
In less than five months, on Oct. 1, the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges will go live online. Soon for millions of Americans, Obamacare will become a reality.
But are you prepared for the changes Obamacare promises to bring? Or are you still completely in the dark?
If you are anything like the majority of Americans, you likely have no idea about the changes your "new healthcare" will bring.
This issue is so important and misunderstood we had our own Frank Marchant interview one of the country's foremost experts on the Affordable Care Act.
Her name is Betsy McCaughey. And unlike the politicians who put this bill together, she has actually read the entire thing-all 10,000-plus pages.
She is the author of the book: Beating Obamacare: Your Handbook for the New Healthcare Law.
In our exclusive interview below you'll learn:
- Why you need to act now-especially if you're middle aged and don't have a doctor.
- How you could be one of the millions about to lose their on-the-job coverage,
- And how to get through the next 18 months without getting clobbered by penalties you didn't know existed.
Of course, there's much more to it than that. In fact, the dangers are likely greater than you realize, so feel free to forward this to anyone you think this information may help.
Also, if you have any questions you'd like Ms. McCaughey to address in a future interview, please leave them in the comments below.
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Don't Bet Against a Surging U.S. Dollar
In the midst of a brewing currency war, Japan's out-of-control monetary policy has caused the yen to fall to an almost five-year low against the U.S. dollar.
With an economy one-third the size of that of the United States, Japan has committed itself to a fiscal program that's almost double the U.S. Federal Reserve's current $85- billion a month stimulus.
Like any other war, this battle of monetary-easing measures won't end well, but fortunately for Americans, it's looking more and more likely that the dollar will emerge victorious.
"Right now, the U.S. dollar is the 'cleanest dirty shirt in the laundry,' so I'd buy it," said Money Morning Capital Waves Strategist Shah Gilani.
The dollar now stands at 101.93 against the yen, the first time it's broken the 100 mark since 2009, and is up 26.6% in the past six months.
Many experts are now predicting the dollar's climb has just begun and some analysts see the dollar hitting 105 yen this summer and possibly 110 by the end of the year.
"The turn in yen has been dramatic and has proven the importance of momentum when a multi-year cycle turns," Nomura currency expert Jens Nordvig wrote in a note to clients. "A similar dynamic could be in store for the dollar. In the scheme of things, the USD REER [Real Effective Exchange Rates] is still trading close to multi-decade lows. Once the turn is evident, we believe momentum could be powerful."
Here's why the U.S. dollar's run is just beginning.
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Buy, Sell or Hold: Is Lennar's Big Move Just a Sign of Another Housing Bubble?
All you have to do is look at a price chart of Lennar Corp (NYSE: LEN) to see the proof that the U.S. housing market is on the mend.
Since January 2012, shares of the Miami, Fl.-based new homebuilder have more than doubled.
In fact, since the industry nearly collapsed six years ago, new-home construction for builders like Lennar is now clearly on an upswing.
According to the March 2013 report from the U.S. Commerce Department, new home construction was on pace for more than one million units for the first time since the gaudy days of June 2008.
Much of this home-buying fervor can be attributed to a few important points:
1. A pent-up demand that has built up over the last six years,
2. Low inventories,
3. And an outrageously low interest rate environment thanks to the Federal Reserve.
The question now is whether or not the "Housing Bubble 2.0" still has legs, making Lennar Corp. a smart new buy with plenty of room to run.
Is Lennar Still a Buy?
Of course, evaluating Lennar on its own merits is a fine exercise in due-diligence.
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Double Your Money in No Time Flat
If you're looking to double your money, the biotech sector is one of the best hunting grounds that you'll find.
So far this year, for instance, the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (NASDAQ: IBB) – an ETF that's a great proxy for the sector – has zoomed 28.2%, more than double the 13.59% SPDR S&P 500 Index ETF (NYSEArca: SPY). The IBB gained 31% last year.
And a lot of individual biotech stocks have actually doubled, tripled or more – the Holy-Grail type of gains that high-tech investors crave.
But there's a problem.
You see, not all biotech stocks are created equal.
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These Gas Tax Hikes Will Make Driving A Lot More Expensive
Americans worried about how rising oil prices might affect prices at the pump are about to get blindsided by looming gas tax hikes that almost guarantee higher gasoline prices.
And it's not just state governments looking to shake down American motorists.
Alarmingly, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called for the U.S. government to increase the current federal gasoline tax of $0.184 per gallon by a whopping $1.40.
In a March 26 speech, IMF Deputy Director David Lipton said the gas tax hike would pay for social programs around the world as well as to save the environment.
"The time has come for subsidy reform and carbon taxation," Lipton said.
This federal gas tax hike, if imposed, would add $14 to a typical 10-gallon fill-up and hundreds of dollars to the annual cost of driving.
Fortunately for U.S. drivers, few in Washington support the IMF proposal.
"Higher gas prices hit those who can least afford it the most as American families are forced to pay a larger percentage of their income on higher energy prices," Rep. Fred Upton, R-MI, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told Fox Business. "Drivers across the country are already struggling to pay up to $4.00 a gallon for gas, and further price increases at the pump could be devastating to low- and middle-class families and disastrous to our economic recovery."
Now if only state legislatures felt the same way…
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Distressed Debt Investing Now a Favorite Move for Hedge Funds
Regulators have demanded that banks stop engaging in so much risky behavior – chiefly, distressed debt investing. And the banks have begun to curtail this type of investing.
But this has led to an unprecedented – though not unpredictable – situation: It seems the hedge funds are picking up the slack.
The distressed debt that banks are leaving behind is getting bought up, in a big way, by credit hedge funds. Fully $108 billion worth of distressed debt investments is being picked up by these groups.
Hedge funds are not as big as the large banks, with assets running "only" into the mid-hundreds of billions. But the more moves they make, the bigger they become.
Hedge funds, money-market funds and REITs – engines of shadow-banking – have exploded recently, in terms of capital and headcount. And top talent – for top dollar – has been leaving companies like Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB) and Barclays Plc (NYSE: BCS) for the greener, riskier pastures of BlueCrest Capital Management and Pine River Capital Management.
Hedge funds are less regulated than banks, because they cater to a savvier investor with different goals than someone who has a run-of-the-mill checking, savings or retirement account. Grandma is not opening up a Christmas Club account for you with the likes of Carl Icahn – yet.
This freer atmosphere makes hedge funds the natural place to turn once you begin to rule out banks. They've become "shadow banks," and they've been getting into some pretty interesting areas.
Their investment in bankruptcy claims and distressed debt is of particular note.
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If this Works, Facebook Stock Could be the "Buy of the Decade"
