Comments on: Your Take: If You Had A Time Machine…

By: jim

jim — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 21:18:20 +0000

That’s a really sweet story and I’d probably do something similar, I was a little tongue and cheek about the Almanac.

So many times I’ve thought about how I would’ve done things differently in the past if I knew now what I did. I don’t even mean history related things, like knowing about past events, but more about how my approach to life is now different, much different, than when I was a teenager.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 17:00:42 +0000

I’d skip the money-making angles. If I had a time machine, I’d go back to 1989, where I’d walk in to Ye Olde Computer Shoppe (and yes, that was the real name of the place) and talk the owner into introducing those two precocious kids he wishes he could hire, to each other.

One of the kids, you see, is me. The other is the girl who would eventually become my wife. Trouble is, we didn’t actually meet until 9 years later, after a lot of heartache for both of us, and after I’d missed my last chance to get to know her father before he died.

It’s difficult for me to even imagine any of the problems that happened to me in the intervening years not being either avoided or mitigated by having met Vanessa at 14 instead of 23. (Actually, this does have financial implications, because a bunch of the things I wouldn’t have done if I’d known her then ended up costing me mucho dinero. But it’s less of a cheat to go back and save yourself money you rightfully earned than to go back and exploit knowledge of market movements, I think.)

By: mbhunter

mbhunter — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:58:25 +0000

OK, got me again … commissions are just higher when I trade these with a broker, you’re right, I don’t need $25k.

Anyway, why does it really matter what I would have invested in? I’m not the one wishing I could go back because I know I can’t. What’s the point? It’s a distraction.

By: jim

jim — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:24:45 +0000

MBH: There are a ton of ETFs out there that short the market, none require $25k… if you truly 100% believed GN and wanted to take advantage, you probably would’ve found these (http://seekingalpha.com/article/31113-inverse-short-market-cap-etfs).

By: mbhunter

mbhunter — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:55:26 +0000

Oh, and Neko, I wouldn’t go too far back in the 1900’s. In 1933 it became illegal in the US to hoard gold.

By: mbhunter

mbhunter — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:09:09 +0000

FCN, you’re right. You would have known GN’s opinion, not the truth. That was sloppy wording on my part.

I didn’t have the means at the time to short the market. There aren’t many funds that short the market, and they have high minimum investments ($25k). I did what I could of his recommendations, and they’ve served me well.

I’ve read his free newsletter for several years, and he knows what he’s talking about. It’s why I subscribed to his site. I gave a good, long, careful look at his thought process before I acted on anything he said.

He’s not the broken clock. He’s one of the few clocks that’s actually working. And he doesn’t change his story like Cramer does.

By: fivecentnickel.com

fivecentnickel.com — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:48:09 +0000

No, MBH, I wouldn’t have known that it was time to short the market. I would’ve known that Gary North was claiming that it was time to short the market. As it turns out, he was right, but… There are all kinds of “experts” that claim all kinds of things all the time. Some are right, others aren’t. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. I’m not necessarily saying that North in particular is a broken clock, but how can one be sure? Did you short the market?

By: kumar

kumar — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:55:05 +0000

I would go back and catch people who did 9/11 terror attacks before they did it.

By: Neko

Neko — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:54:15 +0000

I’d go back to the early 1900’s and load up on gold.

By: Austin

Austin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:56:02 +0000

I know this blog is about financial prosperity but it’s almost Christmas! So if I could I would go to the time when Jesus was crucified and resurrected. I don’t know about anybody else but I think this would be the most meaningful experience. This would definitely impact the foundation for my blueprint to financial prosperity because financial principles flow out of beliefs.

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
(Matthew 16:26-27)

By: mbhunter

mbhunter — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 05:25:36 +0000

FCN: If you had listened to my repeated references to Gary North on my blog and subscribed to his site, you would have known to short the market.

By: fivecentnickel.com

fivecentnickel.com — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:22:12 +0000

I can do one better than Funny About Money… I’d go back a few months and short the market big time.

By: ChristianPF.com

ChristianPF.com — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:22:26 +0000

I think I would follow with Monevator – get some nice berkshire shares for a few bucks, but playing with the dinosaurs would be fun too

By: Monevator

Monevator — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:13:23 +0000

I’d go back and invest in Warren Buffet’s early partnerships.

(Gosh, that’s sad. No dinosaurs? No visiting the Romans? What have I become? )

By: Funny about Money

Funny about Money — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:29:36 +0000

LOL! I’d go back about six or eight months and sell all my stock holdings!