Many of us have a penchant for handling our own affairs, for going our own way in financial matters. Dickson Buchanan of Monetary Metals has learnt the hard way, and he has distilled his hindsight into three key lessons.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/three-lessons-for-the-diy-investor/.

So many people have gotten rich in the early years of cryptocurrencies, but are the returns all realized? Why are cryptocurrencies worth your time, and why do they command market value? They do not pay interest or dividends, so Adam Dubove of Members Only, based in Buenos Aires, explains how to engage in a buy-and-hold approach.

Show notes: http://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/the-fundamental-value-of-cryptocurrencies/.

With price-to-earnings ratios so high and interest rates so low, there is a compelling case for entering alternative investments, but where does one start?

Donald Chambers literally designed the course for CAIA, the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association. He holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and he is professor emeritus at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/alternative-investments-101/

As much as many of us want to believe in the efficient-market hypothesis — that all information is embedded in the price — turmoil and the business cycle continue to challenge the notion of rational markets. The question then is, how does one know when there is a market bubble and, perhaps more important, when it will pop?

Daniel Lacalle of Spain, now based in the United Kingdom, is a prolific author and commentator on economics and finance. Also a certified international investment analyst, he joins us to explain the key traits of a bubble and the distinction between a correction and the popping of a bubble.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/how-to-spot-a-bubble/.

"Civic education is designed to create herds of obedient voters," Max Borders writes. He contends that politics is a zero- or negative-sum game, and he is out to promote an alternative: a form of creative destruction that dislodges the status quo. He calls it subversive innovation.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/criticize-by-creating-the-subversive-mindset/.

Is bitcoin the new gold? Chris Blasi responds with an emphatic no. A 30-year veteran of the financial industry, with a particular focus on precious metals, he shares his concerns regarding the interest in cryptocurrencies. Although he does not want to rule them out as viable technologies, his strong contention is that they are distinct from precious metals and should be treated as such.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/what-you-dont-know-about-crypto/

While many people love traveling and exploring new places, moving to another country as an expat can be a giant leap. It is a way for globetrotters to take their wanderlust to new levels, and to find new financial and personal opportunities.

Rachel Jensen, originally from New York, has done it more than once. Finally settled in Belize, she explains why.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/the-case-for-belize/.

Where are the customers' yachts? The title of a legendary book in finance points to the inefficiency of financial markets and the way they often benefit the administrators more than the investors. Olav Dirkmaat wasn't about to accept that status quo, so he started a new online stock market, based in the Netherlands.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/start-your-own-stock-market/.

So many of us are on the outside of the financial industry, and its jargon, mathematics, and regulations may seem beyond reach. Bill Reese, a finance professor with the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University, weighs the merits of trade experience and formal education, and then offers recommendations for personal-finance reading as well.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/paths-to-a-financial-education/.

Venezuela has already shown the world the recipe for hyperinflation. Now she offers the petro, a state-sanctioned cryptocurrency, but that is not all. Given a cash crunch, the nation has run out of printed currency, and a local "comuna" (a Chavista gang) has started its own private currency to bridge the gap — el panal (honeycomb) — and to bridge the gap they are backing it with, you guessed it, the same bolívares in hyperinflation. No, this is not made up. You have to laugh to keep from crying.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/the-most-insane-currency-you-never-heard-of/.