$3,000 Gold Price Forecast from Merrill Lynch/BOA

I still have never owned a "smartphone"

 

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Ditto. Or a cell phone.

I could never think of a valid reason for buying one. Up to the point when they became a thing, I had survived just fine. Still do.

It took me many years to justify a computer, and only reluctantly did so because govt. and business dealings became absolutely past the annoying threshold if I did not have one.

I am still not a fan, although it has elevated to the level of a necessary tool in my tool box.

 

I do love my 70" HD TV! Also, I find my computer helpfull. Esp. logging on too auctions/ sites like sixbid
Cheap cell phone is probably a necessity, esp. when on the road, or work. Just in case of emergency.

 

NO JOBS don't need a phone you both have the old rotary dial phones?

 

I work, dawn to dusk, seven days a wk. for 8+ months. I DO NOT need a smartphone. I do carry a basic cell phone, just in case of emergency. Truck breakdown....
Just normal wall home phone is fine. I can listen to my clients messages when I get home in evening
I see my competition, staff sitting on tailgate goofing off on phone. The loss of productivity from smartphone addiction is scary.

 

we all should be so lucky...LOL

 

I certainly understand, and the emergency aspect when on the road or at work, has, in my view, and witnessing the use of same by others that are driving or at work, caused accidents/emergencies to occur.

Observe persons driving and using their phone. Does anyone feel comfortable?

Or, you are a construction employee on the 7th-16th floor, and steel beams are being set, and the Bolthead guiding the Jib or Monkey direction gets a call on the cellphone and....or a rodbuster installing #8s gets a call and forgets to tie them off, or a carpenter erecting house trusses answers his phone and....

all these events have occurred when I was on deck, and OSHA injury reports are in the hundreds. OK, the wife is having a baby. And?

Or the School calls about your child. And?

There have always been emergencies, and the cellphone wasn't around.

The word 'emergency" has morphed into a sales reason for buying one.

I consider cellphones/smartphones as more dangerous and injurious to common sense, in many situations, not to mention heart rate increases and panic attacks.

 

Agree, and yes my Princess is fine.

 

YEP!

 

"We all' don't spend every waking (and non-waking' moment) obsessed with buying gold or bitcoin or bragging about it.

The majority of "We all" are productive.

 

Truth to tell, I take a certain satisfaction of hand-grenade tossing the thread and changing the gold blahblah, if only temporary.

IyamwhoIyam. It doesn't take much to please me.

 

Me either. I hate phones to begin with. I've still got a dumb flip cell phone because A) it's convenient and useful B) I'm not paying upwards to 1000 dollars for the latest and greatest I phone or Android. Mine even takes photos (although not great ones) C) Landlines are dinosaurs and very expensive. The only reason I would consider a smart phone is if they stop making laptops and wi-fi.

 

I had to replace my old phone a few weeks ago. I went to my local xfinity store and got the cheapest Android phone they had - a $200 Motorola model. It is almost 10x more powerful than the 7 years old phone it replaced. You don't have to spend a lot these days for a vanity item or status symbol. The cheapest phone in the store these days is a very useful tool. YMMV.

 

I had an android about 15 years ago, I kept it a week. It was horrible. I got rid of it. I'm sure things have improved but back in those days they were charging big time for data usage. Most stuff is unlimited today, I just got a really bad taste in my mouth because of that and a completely dysfunctional phone.

 

Meant to circle back to this earlier. What's your definition of the difference between "speculation" and "investment"?

 

I don't put as much in in speculations as I do investments. probably not the right or the answer you're looking for though.

 

Boinking is speculation.

Marriage is an investment.

 

No one really knows what the market is going to do on any given day, so most investments are a speculation and your just hoping you make the right choice...LOL

 

Only true investment (not for me personally) are rare
coins. Most have appreciated 1000X in past 100 years.

 

My take: an investment is something that provides dependable growth or income, whether over the short or long term. ("I'm going to lock up this money in this investment, counting on it to produce a return.") Think real estate that provides a rent stream, or equities that provide dividends or long-term, responsibly-managed growth.

A speculation is something where you're betting against other people on the future value of something. ("I know this is going to the moon, I'm going to buy it before everybody else catches on, then sell it and make a fortune.") Think meme stocks, crypto, PMs when there's a rush on.

The border is very fuzzy, very hard to bring into focus, and maybe hard to want to bring into focus. There isn't a lot of value in arguing over it, IMO.