Skousen CAFE: Bizarre Books in My Basement

You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive our free e-letter Skousen Investor Cafe, or you purchased a product or service from its publisher, Eagle Financial Publications. [Skousen's Investor CAFE] [Forecasts & Strategies]( [Fast Money Alert]( [Five Star Trader]( [Home Run Trader]( [TNT Trader]( Bizarre Books in My Basement By Mark Skousen Editor, [Forecasts & Strategies]( 12/28/2023 Sponsored Content [Step Into The Future of AI!]( Mark Cuban believes AI mastery can create the world's first trillionaires. Interested in joining that league? Get your hands on our exclusive report, detailing these potential Top 5 AI Stocks. [Don't miss this! Secure your FREE report!]( The holidays are a good time to read a good book. Nothing heavy, but just light entertainment. Over the years, I’ve collected books with strange and provocative titles. I even have a book entitled “Bizarre Books,” by Russel Ash and Brian Lake. Last August, I wrote a column based on the intriguing title, “The Courage to Be Disliked.” See [Do You Have the Courage to Be Disliked? -- Mark Skousen]( What’s odd about the book is that it is written by two Japanese psychologists who want the reader to conform and not stand out as independent and different. They drew their philosophy from Alfred Adler (1880-1937), a contemporary competitor of Sigmund Freud. They have chapters with titles such as “Desire for recognition makes you unfree”… “You are not the center of the universe”… “Do not rebuke or praise”… And finally, “The courage to be normal.” Americans would never stand out if they followed their philosophy. I recently purchased an old book entitled, “The Danger of Being a Gentleman,” by British socialist Harold Laski, published in 1939. It’s a sadistic critique of the English gentleman class. He warns, “The English gentleman must not concern himself with the sordid business of earning his living. He is allowed to cultivate hobbies, even eccentricities, but he must not practice a vocation… He should be quite unable to speak intelligible French or German… He should know nothing about political economy and less about how foreign countries are governed…” etc., etc. In politics, I have a most intriguing title, “Overpaid, Oversexed, and Over Here,” about the American GI in World War II Britain. A hilarious bit of history. Avoid Boring People One of my favorite titles is by DNA discoverer and Nobel-Prize-winning biologist James D. Watson. It’s a memoir entitled “Avoid Boring People” -- autographed by the genius himself. On its surface, it sounds arrogant, but then you have to ask yourself the question, “Is 'boring' an adjective or a verb?” Ah, there’s the rub. The title is a double entendre. If it’s an adjective, the title is arrogant. But if “boring” is a verb, it could be quite humbling: “Don’t bore people!” It turns out that Watson uses it both ways. [Ph.D. Economist Releases 'Biden Disaster Plan']( The next two years could be “rough for investors.” But this Top 20 Living Economist says three stocks could rise 10X... thanks to Biden’s bungling. [Go here]( for his stunning prediction – in what he's calling The Biden Disaster Plan. Three Books in Row in the Bahamas When my family and I lived in the Bahamas in 1984-86, there were quite a few books left in the rented house when we arrived. Curiously, we found three books right next to each other: “The Joy of Sex,” followed by “Open Marriage” and finally, “Creative Divorce.” An appropriate order, we thought. Another book in my library has created some curiosity. When we had a party at our house, a friend came up to my wife and said, “I find the books in your library rather intriguing.” She pointed specifically to one book that she was afraid to open. The title was “Fun in Bed.” Jo Ann laughed. It was a book about puzzles and games to play when one is sick in bed. Collecting Rare Financial Books With Clever Titles I also like to collect rare financial books. Over the years, I’ve discovered many oddly or humorously titled books. Some of my favorites are: - "I Like the Depression," by Henry Ansley, “Jackass of the Plains,” an autobiography of a well-to-do businessman who was wiped out during the Great Depression and rediscovered his wife, friends, relatives, his dog and the things that really mattered in life. Not surprisingly, I have the first edition because it’s the only edition. - "How to Retire Without Money," by Bob Belmont. It takes the author 318 pages to explain his system. It might go well with another book, "Don’t Die Broke!," by Melvin Jay Swartz. - "How to Live Beyond Your Means," by Margery Wilson, a delightful book on how to accomplish more with your limited means. It’s actually a serious book with several useful suggestions. - "Wiped Out: How I Lost a Fortune in the Stock Market While the Averages Were Making New Highs," by an Anonymous Investor (Simon & Schuster, 1966). A real-life story of a man who entrusted his father’s inheritance to irresponsible brokers and lost everything between 1957 and 1964, when the Dow rose 70%. For my book, “The Maxims of Wall Street,” I wrote a short story that could be a book title: “I Make Money In My Sleep!” It’s actually possible. The secret formula can be found on pp. 185-188 of “the Maxims.” If you don't have a copy, they are available at [www.skousenbooks.com](. [A.I. Is Reshaping Investing: Are You Prepared?]( Traditional investing is out the window – A.I. investing has arrived. This dual-patented generative A.I. can predict market trends 1–3 days in advance. [Join this FREE online A.I. training class to learn more>>Â]( What Economist Deserves to Be the GOAT? This just in: Deciding who is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) is a popular debate in sports. Is it Michael Jordan in basketball? Lionel Messi in fútbol? Muhammed Ali in boxing? Babe Ruth in baseball? (In case you are wondering, the answer is “yes” in each category.) Tyler Cowen and I in Seoul, Korea, in September 2022 Tyler Cowen, professor at George Mason University and co-publisher of the popular Marginal Revolution website, has come up with one of the most clever and entertaining ways to write a history of economic thought by selecting his favorite GOAT in economics. Is it old timers like Adam Smith, Karl Marx or John Maynard Keynes… or newcomers like Milton Friedman? Let the debate begin. Spoiler Alert: I answer this question in my fun review here: [Tyler Cowen’s GOAT (Barely) Misses the BOAT -- MSKOUSEN.COM]( I’m getting favorable responses -- even Tyler Cowen says it’s “excellent.” Upcoming Appearances Orange County AAII Conference, Saturday, January 20, 2024: If you live in Southern California, please join me for my two-hour presentation on the outlook for stocks, commodities and real estate, 9-11 a.m. at the Center of Founder’s Village, 17967 Bushard Street, Fountain Valley, CA, 92708. Jim Woods, my co-editor of [Fast Money Alert]( plans to join me. Parking is free, but there is a $5 charge for attending this event sponsored by the Orange County chapter of the American Association of Individual Investors. For more information, go to the [AAII Orange County Webpage](. To confirm your attendance, email Stephanie at [sdavis388@gmail.com.](mailto:sdavis388@gmail.com) I wish you all a most prosperous happy New Year! Good Investing, AEIOU, [Mark Skousen] Mark Skousen Doti-Spogli Endowed Chair of Free Enterprise, Chapman University [Wikipedia]( [Newsletter and trading services]( [Personal website]( [FreedomFest]( [You Blew It!] My Daughter Does a Back Flip on Ice By Mark Skousen Editor, [Forecasts & Strategies]( Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We celebrated with family and friends at our home in Florida. One of the highlights was watching our daughter, Hayley, perform as a professional ice skater at SeaWorld in Orlando. Watch her do a back flip (rare among female skaters): [Hayley Skousen back flipping in SeaWorld Orlando’s “Winter Wonderland on Ice” (youtube.com)]( If you are in Orlando during the holidays, see her perform at SeaWorld through January 3, 2024. Later this week, Jo Ann and I will be transitioning to our home in California, where we will be teaching at Chapman University in 2024. About Mark Skousen, Ph.D.: [Mark Skousen]Mark Skousen is an investment advisor, professional economist, university professor, author of more than 20 books, and founder of the annual FreedomFest conference. For the past 40+ years, Dr. Skousen has been investment director of the award-winning newsletter, [Forecasts & Strategies](. He also serves as investment director of four trading services: [TNT Trader]( [Five Star Trader]( [Home Run Trader]( and [Fast Money Alert](. About Us: Eagle Financial Publications is located in Washington, D.C. – only a few blocks from the Capitol. Our products have been helping investors build their wealth for several decades. Whether you’re a long-term investor or short-term trader, you’ll find the right strategy for you, including how to earn more steady income to spend now, preserve and grow your capital to enjoy later, and whatever other investment goals you have. Visit Our Websites: - [StockInvestor.com]( - [DividendInvestor.com]( - [DayTradeSPY.com]( - [CoveredCall]( - [MarkSkousen.com]( - [GilderReport.com]( - [BryanPerryInvesting.com]( - [JimWoodsInvesting.com]( - [InvestmentHouse.com]( - [RetirementWatch.com]( - [SeniorResource.com]( - [GenerationalWealthStrategies.com]( - [[YouTube] Visit our YouTube Channel - Eagle Investing Network]( To ensure future delivery of Eagle Financial Publications emails please add financial@info2.eaglefinancialpublications.com to your address book or contact list. View this email in your [web browser](. This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you are subscribed to Dividend Investor Daily. To unsubscribe please click [here](. If you have questions, please send them to [Customer Service](mailto:customerservice@eaglefinancialpublications.com). Legal Disclaimer: Any and all communications from Eagle Products, LLC. employees should not be considered advice on finances. Although our employees may answer your general customer service questions, they are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular investment situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized advice on finances. Eagle Financial Publications - Eagle Products, LLC. - a Salem Communications Holding Company 122 C Street NW, Suite 515 | Washington, D.C. 20001 [Link](