the_reaper

Odds Favor Shorting Paper Gold

Interesting, but you can say the same of any ETF or mutual fund. You didn't mention the trouble involved in actually owning physical gold, or even the problem of using it in any doomsday scenario.

Personally, for doomsday, I invest in lead. It's portable, converts easily, and if I have enough lead, I can get all the gold and food I need.

A Small Year for iStar Financial

This article shows that anyone can get published on the internet. A 70% dividend sucked you in? Not only are you a poor writer, but you don't know anything about investing? Have you ever heard of 'research', or 'due diligence'?

Here's a tip (the only kind of research you use, apparently): Put your money in a CD. You'll get 5% for 5 years. Let those of us who know do the investing.

(By the way, I'm long in SFI, and several other high-yield stocks. While I'm down in SFI for the past several months, diversification has my portfolio yielding well over 8%, even in the downturn. If you're looking for a speculative play, look at CYRV.)