Very Sorry to say I'm right.

But hey, feel free to ignore reality.

I had a back and forth conversation with our financial adviser last week - he’s a good guy, kept referring me to his firms’ advisers and economists and experts.

Their message was “markets always recover, this is just noise, market will go up 5-10% this year due to more tax cuts for corporations, our guys are always right…”

Well…no. My argument is this is a drastically different world today than anyone - including me - could have imagined. Things are about as far from normal as they can get - and this just 7 weeks into Trump 2.0.

I also get some readers will reject my position because they cannot admit reality. That is sad indeed. Not only is it sad, it will force them to deny the very real effects on their business and their customers - which will lead them to make bad business decisions.

Rethink your retirement.

The stock market has plunged 9% since its all time high. If you had a million bucks in stock in your retirement account you just lost $90,000. It wasn’t just in the US…markets in Japan, the EU, South Korea and elsewhere also have been plummeting.

Tech stocks which beforeTrump 2.0 were huge contributors to everyone’s retirement funds have lost a fifth of their value.

Screw the veterans.

The VA is going to slash 90,000 workers - these will mostly be lower level folks, most of which will be veterans, lots who will not be able to get any other job. The open secret at the VA is it employs a LOT of veterans who can’t get work anywhere else due to PTSD, behavioral health issues, substance abuse etc.

The thinking has long been “if we give them a job at the place where we care for them, we’ll be better able to help them recover.”

The Muskovites’ slashing of Federal employment is also destroying the future of tens of thousands of veterans…another open secret is the percentage of veterans who work for the government - 1 in every 6 workers is a veteran - is much higher than those who work in private industry.

So much for respecting our veterans.

Destroying higher education

Medical research is close to a standstill. Billions of dollars have been frozen which will lead to layoffs, the ending of ongoing research into cancer, rare diseases, heart disease and pandemics. Research funds University staff, overhead, physical plants…pretty much everything.

The pullback in Federal funding is forcing Universities to rethink finances - many have frozen hiring, are looking to slash programs and cut departments.

And yes, this will definitely affect college sports.

Damaging American business

Reactive tariffs from countries that just two months ago were our allies, friends, and supporters will hammer American businesses. As I noted a while back, business HATE uncertainty - and Trump’s bizarre on again-off again tariffs are blowing up business plans, investment plans, hiring plans, expansion plans…

In Trump 1.0, his tariffs slashed US manufacturing employment by 2.7%.

Sure steel tariffs may help the steel industry, but in the past they “were responsible for 168,000 fewer jobs per year in steel-using industries (construction, appliance manufacturing, autos, farming and heavy construction machinery)…more jobs than there are in the entire steel sector.”

The regulatory landscape is a mess…just one example - fishing in the northeast is on hold because:

• fishery staff have been cut

• NOAA (weather) services - critical to safety - are absent in some areas, spotty in others.

• fishing limits and regulations - critical to preserve fish stocks and keep the industry afloat - are spotty, may or may not be enforced, and in some cases might disappear.

Bourbon. Farming.

Healthcare

OMFG. RFK Jr just said:

• measles vaccine injuries were more common than known, contrary to extensive research.

• natural immunity to measles, gained through infection, somehow also protected against cancer and heart disease, a claim not supported by research.

• cheered on questionable treatments like cod liver oil, and said that local doctors had achieved “almost miraculous and instantaneous” recoveries with steroids or antibiotics.

Of course this is all bullshit.

What does this mean for you?

You can ignore reality or you can deal with the consequences…