The Problem Is How We Deal With Problems

We rely on our leaders to take a complex situation with many variables and make the right decision. April 21, 2020 [UNSUBSCRIBE]( | [WEBSITE]( [Altucher Confidential] “We rely on our leaders to take a complex situation with many variables and make the right decision...” [Coronavirus headlines] The Problem Is How We Deal With Problems By James Altucher [>>INCOMING MESSAGE FROM JAMES ALTUCHER<<]( [Please Enable Images](Did you know Coronavirus isn’t what’s driving your stocks up and down like crazy? A while ago I discovered the REAL CAUSE that seems to be driving the markets wildly up and down. [I explain everything in my video—you can click the image below to play it…]( [(Watch my short video now, before it’s taken down TOMORROW MORNING)]( "Wake up, you idiots!" shouted John McAfee, founder of McAfee, the virus software company, and now billionaire–on–the–run as he hops from country to country after being charged with tax evasion. Earlier he told me, "I went to the Bahamas, but then the U.S. tried to get me there… Cuba… the Dominican Republic… and now I can't tell you where I am." And then we were off to the races! I'll skip the part about his tax evasion (podcast out next week or maybe this Thursday. We'll see) and get right into coronavirus. "Everyone listened to the media," he said, "like a bunch of sheep! And who is the biggest beneficiary of this virus? The media! "You used to go to work and commute 9—10 hours a day. Now, everyone sits at home and reads the media that tries to scare you. "‘MILLIONS OF DEATHS!’ they said. We never even got close to those numbers... Sweden, which did zero lock down, was out partying the whole time, and they've hardly had any deaths. I'm over 70… I'm in the most susceptible population; do you think I care? Of course not! There's a 2–in–100,000 chance I die. I'll take those odds any day. Two million people a year die from diarrhea. What are we doing about that?” "But John," I said. And I was about to agree about the media but he kept going. "Your dollar will be worth pennies in two months, trust me." "But what other currency will people put their money in?" He broke out laughing. "Who is going to trust the dollar?" "I don't know! John! Give me something positive here!" He laughed again. "There's nothing positive. You're on a plane that's crashing. What sort of positive news do you want to hear? That the plane will crash more quickly?" He said, "The only way people will value the dollar is if they can use it to BUY goods and services. But you guys aren't producing shit! You've shut down! You think the economy is a light switch?" I kind of wanted to defend everything because I felt like he was accusing me. "OK, but what if we reopen today?!" And I have to put an exclamation point because he got me revved up. "Well," he said, "then there is a slight chance the economy can come back strong. You have to get back right away. Will the media let you? They don't want people going back to work. Who is going to pay the media bills then?" "OK," he said, "I've gotta go." We spoke about his adventures evading the law, coronavirus, guns, the Wild West, the Constitution, N.Y.C., and on and on, but I said, "But I wanted to talk about bitcoin." "Next time," he said and logged off. I get it. I didn't agree with everything he was saying (he's INTENSE). But I get it about the media. And I get it on the constant analysis and reanalysis of every number and then policy changing based on whatever the latest math–driven model is in the media, even though, as I've pointed out here every single day, all of the numbers are clearly off, the assumptions are off, the worst–case scenario is ridiculous, the best–case scenarios are also ridiculous... The media has been scaring us since day one. Summary of headlines I've read since January: - This virus is biological warfare - 140 million people could die - It has a mortality rate of up to 10% AND it's very contagious - Everyone in the world will get it (combined with a high mortality rate). No more banks. No more accountants. No more Wall Street? [Please Enable Images](This new type of Internet could change everything in the coming years… But your chance to profit from it could start in the coming days! [Click here for full details.]( Right now, all over the U.S. (other than N.Y.C. but N.Y.C. has successfully flattened the curve) hospitals are empty when they were supposedly going to be overflowing. Of course, deaths are horrible, but nobody should feel obligated to say that. Of course they are. Nobody questions that. But there are "collateral fatalities" from shutting down the economy: - Domestic abuse / child abuse on the rise (calls in the Bronx about child abuse have gone up 6x) - Depression, mental health is up (Indiana's mental health hotline has gone from 1,000 calls a day pre–virus to 25,000 calls a day) - “Elective procedures" (including certain cancer treatments, heart treatments, etc.) aren't happening, which will cause future deaths that could potentially dwarf this virus. Running a country (every branch) relies on our leaders taking a complex situation with many variables and making the right decision. Variables here were: - Understanding more deeply (deeper than the media) the cost in lives of COVID–19 - Understanding more deeply the cost in lives from shutting down the economy - And understanding more deeply the long–term suffering of 128 million workers and the 100 million family members who depend on them. The average American has $400 in the bank; $1,200 isn't going to help. The average restaurant had 16 days of cash in the bank (before the shutdown). Yes, many loans were approved. But there are 30 million small businesses in the U.S. Even with $700 billion going to small businesses, that averages out to $25,000 per business. I can tell you that won't save most businesses. What are the agendas? What is the media's agenda? What are the agendas of the experts? What are the agendas of Congress and the president? I don't really know. Clearly the economic shutdown is a horrible thing. And clearly anyone dying from the virus is a horrible thing. But what will happen in a second wave, or next year, or the year after, now that this is a part of our lives? How will we react the next time the media tries to scare us? I don't know. Will we react worse? That said: Georgia is opening up part of its economy today. Texas is opening up quickly. And other states will race to open up to not be the last one with zero economy and then blamed by their citizens for opening up too late. I do think John is wrong. I do think if we open up quickly enough that, although all businesses won't survive, many will, and some of our supply chain will move back to the U.S., and the rest of the world will continue buying our goods, services, and dollars. Maybe I'm too optimistic. But in early March I was on my podcast (the episode with Dr. Marty Makary) suggesting that April 15 will be the peak in the US and the number of cases and new deaths would be minimal (but still sad!) and start going down. This came true. I haven't been buying stocks right now because there's still a lot of uncertainty. There's still crazy stuff going on. I can write a whole article no why this oil thing is stupid to worry about and yet, the fact that this oil thing even happened makes me nervous about the insanity of the situation now. So I am not always optimistic. I want to be realistic. But I see how the U.S. is going to reopen and I realize the uncertainty and I do think we’ll come out the other side. The world, at the moment, has nowhere else to put money. But it requires action on our parts. I was accused of being too optimistic when I was on CNBC during the financial crisis. My friend Larry, a hedge fund manager, told me, "Dude, maybe you need to tone it down. Everyone thinks you're an idiot. The market is not going up from here." At the time the S&P 500 was at 700. Now, 2,700. Even my mom called me when I was leaving the CNBC studio one time in 2009 and said, "Maybe you shouldn't smile so much when you are being optimistic." "But why?" I asked her. "Things are going to be great." Sincerely, [James Altucher] James Altucher P.S. While the coronavirus pandemic is certainly scary, it has allowed me time to stay home and focus on finding new opportunities. I accidentally discovered one a while back that I really like, and it’s one of the ways I protect my money and even profit in choppy markets much like the one right now. [Click here to learn more about it.]( This book is exciting for lots of reasons – 177 to be exact. [Please Enable Images](On page 221, you’ll learn how to create an online course — and have a shot at earning $23,500 in 45 minutes. On page 197, I’ll show you how to potentially make $2,000 a weekend, from anywhere in the world. And on page 161, you’ll find 10 businesses you can start from home today! That is just some of the reasons! [All that’s left to do is to learn how to claim your copy today!]( Subsribe To My Podcast [The James Altucher Show]( Add james@jamesaltucher.com to your address book: [Whitelist Us]( [The James Altucher Website]( [Subscribe Via Text]( [Subscribe With YouTube]( [Subscribe On Messenger]( [Subscribe With iTunes]( [Connected on LinkedIn]( Join the conversation! Follow me on social media: [Facebook Group]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Instagram]( Altucher Confidential is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We do not rent or share your email address. By submitting your email address, you consent to Choose Yourself Media delivering daily email issues and advertisements. To end your Altucher Confidential e-mail subscription and associated external offers sent from Altucher Confidential, feel free to [click here](. Please read our [Privacy Statement](. For any further comments or concerns please [contact us here.]( If you are you having trouble receiving your Altucher Confidential subscription, you can ensure its arrival in your mailbox [by whitelisting Altucher Confidential](. © 2020 Choose Yourself Media, LLC. 808 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21202. 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 financial advice. We expressly forbid our writers from having a financial interest in any security they personally recommend to our readers. All of our employees and agents must wait 24 hours after on-line publication or 72 hours after the mailing of a printed-only publication prior to following an initial recommendation. Any investments recommended in this letter should be made only after consulting with your investment advisor and only after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company. EMAIL REFERENCE ID: 430ALCED01