Economic reasons to invest in fine wine.

[JimHow]

Was reading this article in today's NYT, it seems like you BWE financial guys are right about investing your cash into your cellar....

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/10/opin ... money.html

[JimHow]

Come on, AKR..
Elizabeth Holmes....

You gotta pick one, or an asteroid is gonna hit the earth, I'm not gonna hold it against you...

Federal prison jump suit, or

Gucci dressware.

[Chateau Vin]

Jump suit I say, on some of the charges...

[Nicklasss]

Yes and no. People 1st. Wine 0

Think about that.

[Racer Chris]

I think that writer, Peter Coy, may have grown up in the same town as I did. I remember the name, and he looks slightly familiar.

[jal]

Was reading this article in today's NYT, it seems like you BWE financial guys are right about investing your cash into your cellar....

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/10/opin ... money.html

I am confused. The article is about the viability of the current and perhaps future means of exchange, be it cash, credit card payments, or crypto currencies backed by who knows what. What is the connection to the value of wine as an appreciating asset?

Instinctively, I would argue that wine vs financial assets or hard assets (real estate, art, stamp collection, etc...) is not really the homerun it is painted to be but maybe more study is warranted and I'm too lazy for studies.

About Elizabeth Holmes, it seems strange that she always wanted to appear as a strong, independent executive and yet her defense is that she was a victim, vulnerable and easily manipulated by her former boyfriend. I find this a little disingenuous, but then again how would I know which scenario was a façade, the strong executive or the manipulated one? Let the jury decide.

[JimHow]

After reading that article I was wondering whether I should start buying out the stocks of tulips or Tide or cases of Pichon Lalande.
To me the question is not whether we are facing dystopia, but when, and whether it will happen in our lifetime.
If so, is it safer to invest in Bitcoin or Bordeaux?

[marcs]

If you are facing a real dystopian civilizational collapse scenario you don’t want to invest in anything material, you want to try to strengthen your community bonds with others and find a good place to live.

This is weird, but I’ve often thought the best move if civilization was going to collapse would be to convert to Mormonism, they are structured to keep going in such a scenario. But none of us could do that, we’d have to give up alcohol lol

[marcs]

But the question on wine is whether it is a good financial investment relative to other opportunities. Unless you are very lucky and knowledgeable and nail the small fraction of wines that truly soar in price, the answer is no.

[JimHow]

I was gonna say I can’t wait to see what happens when Governor Perdue doesn’t certify the election results in Georgia in 2024 but I don’t think it’s going to be an issue, I think Herr Trump is going to win fair and square. I love the Bannon plan to bring in the patriot storm troopers after he wins. Wow this is gonna be a wild place. We should form our own BWE crypto currency, health insurance plan, welfare safety net, militia defense, etc.

[DavidG]

I was feeling pretty pessimistic, thinking that for large chunks of the world's population, including the US, we are already there. That we get the government we deserve, and we deserve no better than Trump. Then I had my coffee.

Jim, want to go double or nothing on our 2020 election bet? This time on whether Trump accumulates enough electoral college votes to be elected US President in 2024?

[JimHow]

You're on, David, but a clarification, are you talking about electoral college votes actually certified, are you talking about who is actually sworn in, etc. I think DJT is going to get the most votes anyway, but I also think there's a scenario where the Democrat gets more but the election, this time, is successfully stolen by the corrupt state legislatures and Republican state election officials, governors, etc.

[DavidG]

Oooh, good question! Lots of possibilities…

How about whether Trump is sworn in as President in 2025?

[JimHow]

Yes that would be the easiest way to do it.
One more clarification though: Are you talking about a swearing in on the Capitol steps, or at the location of the alternate government?
How about: Whether DJT takes over occupation of the White House in 2025.

[DavidG]

By "takes over occupation of the White House," do you mean according to the current US Constitution or as an occupying force?

[JimHow]

Lol… This is a real quandary isn’t it?
To whose US constitution are you referring?
I reluctantly suggest that we defer to SCOTUS?

[Racer Chris]

I don't think DJT is going to get away with what he did this time, let alone another one a few years from now.
Did you see the Powerpoint presentation the Committee has that was circulating the white house? It appears to be prima facie evidence of a conspiracy to commit sedition.

But to the subject at hand, my strategy is to invest in tools and the knowledge to use them - tools with which I can be useful to those who wield power in the post-apocalyptic world.

[DavidG]

How about this:

If Trump is "legally" sworn in in January 2025 you win. Even if it occurs as a result of actions taken by sitting state or federal lawmakers or jurists to alter what appear to be the results on election night.

If any other person is “legally” sworn in in January 2025, I win.

If either of us can reasonably contend that the result was not "legal" under current (as of November 2024) Constitutional, Federal, and State law, the bet is off.

[JimHow]

Ok… it’s a deal.
I do believe Trumpster is gonna win it outright anyway.
I think he’s gonna take the Florida of the North Wisconsin, plus Georgia and Arizona. How many of those Democratic governors in WI, MI, and PA are up for re-election in ‘22?

[DavidG]

I vacillate between Chris' perspective and the sense that tribalism and polarization are getting worse, with Trump better positioned to take advantage of it. Then again, 3 years is a long time. Anything could happen. Trump could fail to get the nomination, as unlikely as it seems now. He could even die.

[JimHow]

Did you read Peggy Noonan on the Veep today.
Unfortunately I think she has it about right.

[DavidG]

Just did. Some valid criticism. But it’s Picky Peggy Noonan so maybe a bit exaggerated?

[marcs]

Ok… it’s a deal.
I do believe Trumpster is gonna win it outright anyway.
I think he’s gonna take the Florida of the North Wisconsin, plus Georgia and Arizona. How many of those Democratic governors in WI, MI, and PA are up for re-election in ‘22?

Dems saving democracy by becoming so unpopular Trump takes a legitimate majority of the vote

[AKR]

Come on, AKR..
Elizabeth Holmes....

You gotta pick one, or an asteroid is gonna hit the earth, I'm not gonna hold it against you...

Federal prison jump suit, or

Gucci dressware.

One of my former roommates / ski buddies was her Chief Engineer. She ruined his life. I hope that psycho gets put away for a long time, but who knows. It seems like complex fraud cases are difficult for a lay jury to understand. David Boies seems to have gotten off lighter than I what I think he deserved here too.

============

Governments tend to dislike cash economies as they are much harder to tax, and tend to have more other illegal activity. One reason why governments rarely are enthused about gold standards and convertibility (into the barbarous relic) as well.

[DavidG]

Ok… it’s a deal.
I do believe Trumpster is gonna win it outright anyway.
I think he’s gonna take the Florida of the North Wisconsin, plus Georgia and Arizona. How many of those Democratic governors in WI, MI, and PA are up for re-election in ‘22?

Dems saving democracy by becoming so unpopular Trump takes a legitimate majority of the vote

Lots of factors in play contributing to that lack of popularity. "Trump"eting of the most progressive D's agenda by the right and a fair amount of mainstream media as if it was actually the agenda being pursued by Biden and by D leadership in Congress, poor communication and tactics by Ds.

If you keep enough minorities from voting it becomes easier to take a "legitimate " majority of the vote.

And if you don’t take a legitimate majority, you’ve got your "die-hard base… still plotting out in the open." https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/ ... activists/