Modern Problems, Modern Solutions

Sometimes you just need to throw out the old way of doing things and think outside the box. April 07, 2022 [Turn on your images.]( Modern Problems, Modern Solutions The modern market has brought with it a whole host of unprecedented challenges…but that also means unprecedented opportunities. Sometimes you just need to throw out the old way of doing things and think outside the box. Love them or hate them, the Millennial Generation definitely has a unique outlook on the world. But even if you find yourself hating avocado toast and skinny jeans, this growing trend amongst Millennials preparing for retirement might be worth looking into. Maybe they FINALLY got something right! In the EV industry, Tesla is still the best game in town, and Elon Musk is the undisputed champion. But when it comes to solving the biggest problem facing the EV market, it seems the world’s richest man completely missed this ingenious idea, and now Tesla’s Chinese competitor is about to make a major leap forward. And finally, Volkswagen, “the people’s car,” might not hold that title for much longer. Company executives are adopting a “less is more” approach for the brand going forward…and that might spell disaster for all the diehard VW fans out there. [Turn Your Images On] --------------------------------------------------------------- [Turn Your Images On] [The Key To The Millennial Retirement Plan]( Shawn Ambrosino Admit it: if you were born in 1980 or before, you’ve ragged on both Millennials and Gen Z more than once. I’m guilty of it. I’m a Gen Xer born in 1973–and I’ve lived the life of a typical Gen Xer too. Like all of those of my generation, I was a latchkey kid due to both my parents working, and it helped make me independent, self-reliant, sarcastic, and cool-headed. I rarely panic about anything and I know how to take care of myself. Gen X was probably the last generation that was taught the value of earning what you wanted…and by comparison, Millennials and Gen Z are spoiled beyond belief. My niece and nephew weren’t allowed to cut their own food with a sharp knife until they were in the 8th grade. It was embarrassing…but more for me to watch. Not so much for them. Back in my childhood, I was home alone at the age of 6! After school, I got off the bus, walked home alone, made myself a snack, did my homework if I had any, and then I was out the door again to play until my parents got home and dinner was done. Those born before 1981 grew up different…and it shows in every aspect of our lives. I think about these kinds of things as I get closer and closer to 50–and I finally understand why the generations before us were so concerned with the direction we were headed and just who exactly was going to be in charge. Cut From A Different Cloth My generation has flaws too, though. I know many that have really not prepared for their golden years, some with very little to no savings, others with no retirement plan whatsoever. Now, while I never plan on retiring, I do have a healthy savings account, a robust 401K, and both a stock and cryptocurrency portfolio. But from what I hear, I’m one of the few. Sure, my firefighter and law enforcement friends have a nice little pension socked away, but Gen Xers outside of public service have little to nothing and will likely have to depend on Social Security to survive. However, that’s something that many Millennials won’t have to deal with, because shockingly that generation is already preparing for retirement. They’re not relying on pensions, 401K, savings, or social security, either. They’ve got another ace up their sleeves that can carry them through their later years. [In a recent survey by Investopedia]( 4,000 people from across four generations (Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z) were asked about their financial know-how, habits, worries, and retirement plans, and the survey found that more Millennials own cryptocurrencies than own stocks. (Some 38% own crypto, just ahead of the 37% who own stocks.) 28% of millennials say they are planning to rely on their cryptocurrencies to support them in retirement. This was more than any other generation, including Gen Z. That’s sort of shocking, isn’t it? Many people look at cryptos in the same way they look at stocks. Sure, they’re great for some supplemental income, but not many people outside of the pros on Wall Street plan on living off their investments. But Millennials sure do… In fact, more Millennials told the survey they were planning to rely on cryptocurrencies in retirement than said they were planning to rely on their savings–most likely because they’re looking at their crypto investments AS savings. Of course, it should surprise NOBODY that this generation plans to retire earlier than the two before it. Where Baby Boomers retired at 68 and Gen Xers plan to retire at 64, Millennials plan on retiring by age 61. The Big Takeaway But what does that tell you? I can tell you what I glean from it: the Millennial generation is going to put even MORE money into cryptos going forward. What we’re seeing now–roughly $2 trillion tied up in cryptocurrencies–is just a drop in the bucket. For those that think that cryptocurrencies are a fad or are already over, think again. The TRUE nature of cryptos is just starting to reveal itself. We’re just starting to scratch the surface. Pay attention, folks. This is the direction we’re headed…and Millennials figured it out first. Guess they’re not all bad. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Turn Your Images On]( [Don’t Buy Another Stock Until You Watch This…]( In his newest video briefing, Paul Mampilly breaks down the [three stocks]( set to dominate the next decade. Just one could return 3,900% in the next five years. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Turn Your Images On] [EV Game Changer: Why Didn’t Elon Think Of This?!]( by Shawn Ambrosino How often have we heard the adage “thinking outside of the box”? What it suggests is that most people tend to think within a conventional space, a space where all ideas make logical sense, and that OUTSIDE that box lie all the unconventional approaches to conventional problems. The thought processes “outside the box” may appear illogical…but that doesn’t mean they’re impractical. I’m not an inside or outside of the box thinker… I’m just a “good idea” guy. I tend to get good ideas on a grand scale, and I wind up needing help bringing those ideas to fruition. But I digress, back to box thinking." The truth is, if you want to reach success, you have to have the ability to think both in and out of the box–or at least have access to those who can. You need conventional thinking if you want your idea to work. It’s the meat and potatoes. However, if you want to set your idea apart from the rest of the crowd in your niche, sector, or industry, get some folks from outside the box too. That’s the crème brûlée. Is Musk TOO Conventional A Thinker? Elon Musk, for all intents and purposes, is an outside-the-box thinker. Forget creating the EV market. Just take a look at his other ventures: Not A Flamethrower, The Boring Company, and SpaceX, to name a few. Talk about outside of the box. These things just seem like the whimsies of a child on a grander scale: setting things on fire, digging holes, and sending things into the sky. Hardly the pastimes of the richest man on the planet. However, Musk has not only made these projects happen but he’s also made them a success. But there’s ONE massive oversight in all this, something major that Musk overlooked when building Tesla into such a success. You’d have expected him to think of something this simple–but he didn’t. It’s an idea so basic and yet so outside the box that you can’t help but wonder how Musk didn’t come up with the idea first. One of the up-and-coming EV companies right now is [Chinese-based Nio (NIO)]( which is sitting at around $22.50 per share right now but has a Wall Street price target of about $47. And while we’re not here to talk about their ability to return profits, I think that’s a very important point to know. Nio has figured out a huge solution to one of the biggest problems with EVs: charge speed. An Outside-The-Box Solution To A Big Problem Right now, it takes most electric cars HOURS for a full charge. At some of Tesla’s fastest supercharging stations, you can get 150 miles of charge in about 20 mins. That’s a problem, as these charges limit how far you can go in a given day. However, Nio has figured out a solution to this: battery swapping. While Nio still offers drivers the ability to simply plug their carts in like other EV companies, drivers can also pull into a “swap station” where the battery pack will be unscrewed and replaced with a fully-charged one. This is absolutely brilliant because battery swapping addresses one of the biggest EV concerns: range. In fact, these swapping stations are a moneymaker for Nio already. They have 866 battery swapping stations scattered throughout China, with more than 7.6 million battery swaps so far under their belts. This is perfect, and for Americans who value convenience over all, this would be a GREAT way to get more Americans to adopt EVs. Again, why didn’t Elon think of this?! But it gets even better for Nio, as the company is in talks to license its battery swapping technology to other EV makers in Europe. Not only could this mean hyper-adoption of EVs in the region, but it also means that European electric cars could have the Nio’s battery pack powering vehicles of different makes. This is huge, and it’s definitely a way to make EVs more viable and attractive to Western markets. It’s a game-changer for sure. Now, all we need to do is get the American companies on board with this Chinese tech. And stranger things have happened! --------------------------------------------------------------- [Turn Your Images On]( [Explosive Video from Trump Confidant (Must Watch)]( This must-see video just went viral big time! [Click now to see more...]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Turn Your Images On] [Volkswagen’s Solution To The Chip Shortage]( by Shawn Ambrosino I’ve never seen the appeal of Volkswagens (VWAGY). Honesty, I’ve just never really appreciated the brand’s cars, especially the Beetle. Hopefully, neither my mother nor my grandmother reads this, because both of them LOVED their VW Bugs with a passion. To this day, my grandmother STILL brings up the fact that my grandfather traded in her VW without consulting with her. However, since the 1960s, VWs have become popular in the United States, and there are MILLIONS of people who will be more than happy to tell you why. There’s just something about that car that elicits emotions from some people, and you can’t convince them that there are better cars out there. These people are fiercely loyal to the brand and nothing will convince them that a better car exists. I had an ex-girlfriend who ONLY drove VWs. She had had four cars by the age of 22, each and every one of them a Volkswagen. In fact, I recently saw her in a picture on Facebook posing with her current car…and would you care to guess which kind it was? If you guessed VW, give yourself a gold star. Good to see some things never change. Big Changes Coming For VW There is a problem on the horizon for VW fanatics, though. VWs may soon be going for a premium price compared to Porsche and Audi, the company’s other brands. Original VWs are about to become significantly rarer, as the company has plans that will rock their devoted fans to the core. Volkswagen just announced that it will be dumping DOZENS of models by 2030 in a plan to actually sell FEWER cars so the company can concentrate on producing more profitable, premium vehicles. That’s right…Volkswagen, literally the “people’s car,” will be turning its nose up at its traditional best sellers in order to rake in all of those luxury and sports brand dollars. CFO Arno Antlitz said, “The key target is not growth. We are [more focused] on quality and on margins, rather than on volume and market share.” Antlitz went on to reveal that VW plans to reduce its line-up of 100 models across several brands by 60% over the next eight years. That’s a LOT…but the pandemic and all the issues that have come along because of it has forced a lot of companies to take a good hard look at themselves and figure out if and how they’re going to survive. How VW Plans To THRIVE Supply chain issues were bad, but the severe microchip shortage made it even worse, forcing carmakers to cut production last year, even in the face of surging demand. This allowed brands such as Mercedes and BMW to profit big by providing an opportunity for astronomical price hikes. Car companies are charging more for their cars…and they’re getting it. This strategy has helped VW too because as the company prioritized its premium brands, Audi and Porsche, they’ve been able to rack up more than $20 billion in profits. Antlitz went on to say, “We have [a significantly] lower fixed-cost base, so we are less dependent on volume and less dependent on growth.” He then pointed out the fact that VW had managed to reduce fixed costs of more than $43 billion by 10% over the last three years, a number that is already ahead of schedule. This has been reflected in Volkswagen’s share price, which has been up over 20% since 2019. [However, that being said, VW is still scoring a “neutral” on the StockPower Rating system](. [Turn Your Images On] [(Click here to view larger image.)]( So, what do you think? Do you believe it’s a smart move for VW to get rid of some of its iconic models? Will this be best for their bottom line? Or will it come back to bite them in the butt? Time will tell… However, if you’re a VW driver, you may want to savor your ride, as it may be the last time you’re able to buy your favorite car… And that sure is an enttäuschung. --------------------------------------------------------------- For more quality content like this, and to learn more about the Money Moves team and the Green Zone Rating System, [CLICK HERE]( Privacy Policy The Money & Markets, P.O. Box 8378, Delray Beach, FL 33482. To ensure that you receive future issues of Money & Markets, please add info@mb.moneyandmarkets.com to your address book or [whitelist]( within your spam settings. For customer service questions or issues, please contact us for assistance. The mailbox associated with this email address is not monitored, so please do not reply. Your feedback is very important to us so if you would like to contact us with a question or comment, please click here: [( Legal Notice: This work is based on what we've learned as financial journalists. 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