Conflicts abound in today’s financial world. We are told that we must invest our money for retirement because Social Security won’t be there in a few years. I remember the ads on TV were to invest the maximum allowable into an IRA and have a million in the account.

I have been investing in equities and an occasional bond before most of the talking head experts were out of grade school or a twinkle in their father’s eye. I have gone through Black Tuesday, Dot com, Pandemic and a myriad of Fed rate raises and cuts. I get great ideas from Cramer’s Mad Money, CNBC’s talking heads, business magazines, Bloomberg financial, and stock brokers. I have gotten some great and some disastrous ideas. The point is markets go up and down. Some boom and some bust.

People are saying to sell out of the markets but then, where would one put their money? When interest rates go up, bond prices go down. The interest rate remains the same but when the Fed raised rates in the late 1970s, a twenty-year 1,000 dollar bond was 350 dollars until the rate drops or the bond is recalled.

An example of conflict is when Cramer says to buy particular stocks at today’s prices and then spends ten minutes to say the Fed should hit the country with a one percent hike further reducing stock prices.

One place not to invest is crypto currency. Investing in it is like betting on which Triple Crown ghost horse will win a race. The race is as much fantasy as crypto currency.

Investing is good advice but be aware finances go up and they go down. Not keeping a critical and frequent eye on them is required. Stay involved.