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Howard Katz

Riding the Commodity Pendulum for Retirement

by Michael Myers on September 29, 2009

Howard Katz describes how and why investing in stocks, real estate, and gold can provide a real yield for retirement. He also provides a historical review of retirement income and economics. Excepts below.

Link: Gold Dip Below $1,000 and NO Retirement, by Howard Katz

The first thing to learn about retirement is that it is a fairly new idea in the scheme of things.  Prior to 1785-86, there was no retirement.  Everybody worked until they died (unless they were rich, in which case they did not work at all).

Retirement was invented in 1785-86 by Noah Webster, who is best known for being the author of the first American dictionary.  Webster, then a young man, took a trip through the 13 newly independent states in 1785-86.  He talked to state legislators and other influential people, and he convinced them to legalize interest.  (This was only done in the northern states; the South waited until after the Civil War.)  The following year the British philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, wrote a paper entitled, “In Defense of Usury [Interest],” and interest was legalized in Britain shortly thereafter. [click to continue…]

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