“Our task is to look at the world and see it whole.” ~E. F. Schumacher
By Catherine and the Solari Report Team
Our theme for 2014 was “Break Away.”
In our Annual Wrap Up for 2013 in January, we introduced the shift in resources from Global 2.0 to Global 3.0 to help you focus on the areas of the economy that are growing.
Throughout 2014, we explored this shift and its impact on global geopolitics and the financial markets:
- In our 1st Quarter Wrap Up, we focused on the rise of the global consumer as the explosion of smart phones and Internet access in Asia shifted the dominant consumer market eastward and digital systems reorganized retail distribution throughout the G-7 nations.
- In our 2nd Quarter Wrap Up, we looked at the fraying of the Global 2.0 Institutions.
- In our 3rd Quarter Wrap Up, we defined the areas of Global 3.0 equity investment .
With each Wrap Up, we published a “Comic Book” – with graphs, charts and pictures to help distill events and financial market performance into an informative and interesting presentation.
For your listening pleasure over the New Year holiday, we are republishing the Solari Report Wrap Ups – both audios and comic books from 2014. If you have not yet had a chance to digest them, there is no better background for our Annual Wrap Up of 2014 on January 8th.
Happy New Year!
Dear Catherine,
We are hoping that in your 2014 wrap-up, you would more specifically explain something you said in the last wrap-up.
In the 3rd quarter wrap-up, you mentioned that you hear from baby boomers about how difficult some of the current changes have been to date. You commented that they haven’t seen anything yet, and that we need to buckle our seat belts for what’s to come. Can you elaborate more on this – precisely what do you thing is unfolding/coming?
We always appreciate your insights, reports and wrap-ups!
Happy New Year!
Jf:
Great question!
Will do – although I find that the specifics and outlook are very different for each person depending on their assets and income.
Several books I recommend on this topic include Howe and Strauss, the Fourth Turning,
See our Solari Report interview with Howe: http://solari.com/blog/how-the-youngest-generations-will-contribute-with-neil-howe-february-21/
and Jo Kline Cebuhar’s description of the health care crunch in her book on Health Care Proxies.
http://solari.com/blog/jo-kline-cebuhar-on-health-care-proxies/
Some of the key variables include:
1. Will Social Security or other national retirement arrangements deliver?
2. Will Social Security benefits be debased by a falling dollar or other currency of denomination?
3. Will corporate, federal and state and local pension funds deliver?
4. Will pension Fund benefits be debased by a falling dollar or other currency of denomiation?
5. Will the return on personal assets continue to be lowered by low interest rates, compromise of property right and other forms of financial repression.
6. Will the slow burn sneaky inflation in expenses continue?
7. Will people who are 65 and older enjoy part time or full time employment opportunities?
8. Will local communities organize to support crosscutting efforts to reduce the expense and improve the resiliency of quality food, water and energy?
9. Will alternative health care be allowed to flourish?
10. How will the traditional health care system be managed and allocate resources?
11. How will the younger generations respond to supporting the older generations?
12. What will happen to life expectancy between now and 2050?
13. What technology will be applied to impact fundamental economics?
14. How will real estate, equities and other risk assets perform?
So the ecosystem on this is complex – I find it pays to have a general understanding of all the flows to ensure that your personal strategies are grounded/sensible.
More in the Wrap Up.
Catherine