I think even if it goes down for a while longer we are close enough to the bottom that there is a lot of money to be made by the average person. When we sold our small house in Las Vegas five and half years ago we got double what we paid and moved to East Texas so that we would own a larger house with no mortgage. In Las Vegas right now that same house would sell for close to if not less than I paid for it in 1997. There are so many opportunities right now. Almost makes me want to move back to Vegas and by another one. It may take twenty years for that house to double again, but when we sold the prices were so high that the average person couldn't afford to buy.

I am retired, receiving nice pension checks and still working. My house seems to be built of bricks but hyperinflation could undermine it pretty quickly.

I think our economy is made of cement houses. Undeterred strongholds!

With 10% unemployment means 90% employment. Corporations are cashed up and going on an M&A spree, while credit is CHEAP and people are refinancing and leveraging up again.

Things are getting better for sure.

There's no problem with the economic system other than it might be focused on growth a bit too much. It is the greatest wealth machine ever devised. Let people make up their own minds on what they want to do and let them keep much of what they produce - then get out of the way. Unfortunately our political system has built in incentives to get politicians to spend other people's money and it's subtle. It isn't our money today but money in the future and it is being borrowed from other countries. I tell my students that if we went to the local mall and asked shoppers to explain the difference between the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury that probably not 1 in 10 Americans could. We are learning the wrong things in school and it means that we do poorly in the voting booth. For democracy to work citizens have to understand how the economy works - especially as the system gets complicated.

Gold and silver look a little frothy to me, but we are in unique economic times. I don't think sovereign debt has ever been at these levels for so many countries..... and these levels of debt generally lead to one thing.... inflation and a debasement of the currency. We just keep piling more and more govt. debt on the mountains of debt we already have. When currencies go bad, where is there value?

You people are the ones that need mental help. Stop standing on street corners with pictures of Obama with a Hitler mustache and get a real job. Whoever took the time and effort to make this site has a lot more problems than Obama and has a lot of growing up to do themselves.

I think even if it goes down for a while longer we are close enough to the bottom that there is a lot of money to be made by the average person. When we sold our small house in Las Vegas five and half years ago we got double what we paid and moved to East Texas so that we would own a larger house with no mortgage. In Las Vegas right now that same house would sell for close to if not less than I paid for it in 1997. There are so many opportunities right now. Almost makes me want to move back to Vegas and by another one. It may take twenty years for that house to double again, but when we sold the prices were so high that the average person couldn't afford to buy.

I am retired, receiving nice pension checks and still working. My house seems to be built of bricks but hyperinflation could undermine it pretty quickly.

I think our economy is made of cement houses. Undeterred strongholds!

With 10% unemployment means 90% employment. Corporations are cashed up and going on an M&A spree, while credit is CHEAP and people are refinancing and leveraging up again.

Things are getting better for sure.

I love this picture of the classic story "The three little pigs"...

I know your post is deeper than than, and my comment must seem like a child saying "pretty picture"... but it's pretty cool!!! :)

Perhaps I like to so much because it's the one story that I read to both my kids over and over when they were very young...

Rememer, periods of pessimism are usually good times to add to one's holdings of stocks!

I am trying to make sure my house is made of the strong stuff! Sadly I have debt but am working on killing that and creating a career online that will weather storms.

Once I have enough savings to live for 2 years I think I will feel comfy but I may not get there soon enough :(

There's no problem with the economic system other than it might be focused on growth a bit too much. It is the greatest wealth machine ever devised. Let people make up their own minds on what they want to do and let them keep much of what they produce - then get out of the way. Unfortunately our political system has built in incentives to get politicians to spend other people's money and it's subtle. It isn't our money today but money in the future and it is being borrowed from other countries. I tell my students that if we went to the local mall and asked shoppers to explain the difference between the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury that probably not 1 in 10 Americans could. We are learning the wrong things in school and it means that we do poorly in the voting booth. For democracy to work citizens have to understand how the economy works - especially as the system gets complicated.

Gold and silver look a little frothy to me, but we are in unique economic times. I don't think sovereign debt has ever been at these levels for so many countries..... and these levels of debt generally lead to one thing.... inflation and a debasement of the currency. We just keep piling more and more govt. debt on the mountains of debt we already have. When currencies go bad, where is there value?