The Truth About Crypto and Investing

Andy Snyder|April 12, 2021

Our farm is known for its walnut trees… English walnuts.

The native variety was wiped out a long time ago. A nasty fungus came through.

We think these new trees were planted here to teach us a lesson.

If you know much about trees or tree biology, you may have heard that walnut trees are a bit of a troublemaker. They create a chemical known as juglone. The science books say it’s a defensive mechanism. Poisonous to competitive plants, it keeps the competition from taking root.

Everybody knows it’s true.

The problem is… it’s not.

New science has largely debunked the idea. It says the few studies that looked at walnut trees and juglone were flawed. They used far more of the chemical than found in nature.

Something else is going on.

And so it goes… another truth gets lost in the weeds.

The Truth About Crypto

It’s with that idea we turn to our mailbag. It’s time we once again dig into the stories that abound and slash the vines that choke out the truth.

Crypto seems like a good place to start…

Crypto is a joke. The longtime tried theory of “free banking” will, like the time before, fail. The massive leverage, the unknown, who is running the blockchain and whom will be paid off from the counterparty side are but a few of the clear bubbles in this madness. There is just no one there! This is but one element to the failure of an overbaked market. I know this time is different… until it is not! – Reader E.E.

Ahh… crypto – the most invasive word in all of Wall Street.

On one side of the coin, Jamie Dimon says it’s part of a trend that threatens to massively disrupt the system. On the other side, lots of folks say it stands no chance.

Where’s the truth? What’s science have to say about it all?

Let’s start with the facts.

We reckon that’s where a fella like Dimon builds his foundation.

There are thousands of cryptos out there right now. Some are a joke – literally. Some are a threat to the dollar. But most are not. The very best cryptos, in fact, have nothing to do with “free banking” or digital dollars.

We reckon that’s what has Dimon saying such big things.

Most cryptos – especially the ones we like – are much more like tech-backed penny stocks than currencies. They’re doing new and unique things in new and unique ways. They represent new forms of commerce, new ways of communicating and new ways of sharing data.

To us, the real-world uses are quite clear… and many are already in place.

As Dimon says, they’re quite disruptive – a couple of words that have traditionally been synonymous with making big money.

But what if E.E. is right? What if this is all just part of a big bubble… a big, fat Fed-induced bubble?

It likely is.

Again, there’s a lot of junk out there.

But then again, folks have been saying that about the American economy for decades – generations, even.

Yeah, someday it will fall. Surely.

But should we twiddle in the poorhouse and wait for company just so we can say we told you so?

Of course not.

Readers who have followed our advice on crypto have doubled and tripled their money over and over again in the last few months.

They don’t mind a bit of froth one bit. It makes the money that much easier to make.

Get Smart

Seeee…

Andy, thank you, sir. I have been a subscriber to your Manward Letter for a few years now. I bought lifetime and thought at the time it would be a sweet deal for me. And man oh man you have proved me right. Keep the education of financial freedom at the forefront of all your work and one day we may see America become the country she so richly deserves to be. – Reader J.P.

Education is a big, boring word. But, my, is it important. If we only read the textbooks and thought what we were told to think, boy, would we be in trouble.

We fear we’re heading deeper into an age of complacency… but we’ll keep up the fight and do everything we can.

The truth deserves our sweat.

The norm is not the norm anymore. – Reader W.B.

That’s a pretty profound way of thinking about it. In fact, it’s a bit scary when we bother to really dig deep into the idea.

It’s an idea that trips up a lot of investors.

It’s why we created the Modern Asset Portfolio. It takes the traditional investment strategy that most folks are taught and updates it for the new normal – a world where politics rule, data travels at lightning speed and, most importantly, money is free.

Hey… Quit With the Ads

One more… that has more importance than you may realize.

I want more articles like this, though fewer emails overall. If you’re recommending stocks, bonds, etc., please list them at the top and then give your reasoning for recommending them below. – Reader A.A.

We get emails like this a lot.

Lots of folks want fewer marketing emails. So do we. But – surprise – we get hungry.

Free lunches are hard to come by.

But the bigger idea in this – and the much, much more dangerous idea – is that so many folks simply want the ticker symbol and little else.

We get the idea. But what good does it do?

We argue (loudly) that it adds to the complacency culture. It creates a short-term high that puts your financial freedom in the hands of somebody else.

That’s no good.

We’ve seen it time and time again over the decades. Folks get in, make some money, but get frustrated when they either can’t keep up or can’t do it themselves.

It’s because they failed to understand the “big idea” behind it all.

Making money is on you. We will absolutely give you our very best advice and hard-earned wisdom. We’ll give you all the tickers you want. But we beg you to think along… seek the truth with us… and explore all that’s out there.

When done well – as so many readers will agree – it’s a beautiful thing.

As our lonely walnut trees love to prove… it’s always best to think for yourself.

Be well,

Andy

P.S. Keep the questions and comments coming. Send them to mailbag@manwardpress.com.