That’s the question governments and markets are wrestling with when it comes to Vladimir Putin and his plans for Ukraine, says Mike Larson, editor of Safe Money Report.
Last Friday, markets tanked after the US warned that Russia could invade its neighbor “at any time.” Then on Tuesday, markets rallied after Russia suggested 10,000 of the estimated 130,000 troops deployed near Ukraine would return to their barracks.
I won’t pretend to have the answer to this question. No one does except for Putin himself.
But Dr. Martin Weiss delved into many of the complex geopolitical and other factors that are coming into play a couple days ago. And from an investor standpoint, my advice regardless of the answer is quite simple...
Continue to stick with a “Safe Money” approach to investing!
What do I mean by that? Focus even more intently on quality. On safety. On resiliency.
Look, I’m not trying to be glib here. I don’t want to downplay the very real—and tragic—costs of war. I hope that a peaceful resolution can be found.
But even before Putin adopted his aggressive posture in eastern Europe...
We were already facing a more forceful Federal Reserve.
We were already witnessing the yield curve flattening dramatically.
We were already seeing money rotate from more aggressive, risky growth stocks to more defensive, lower-risk value stocks.
And we were already seeing the markets start to struggle. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) was recently down more than 7% year-to-date, while the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was showing a loss of just over 12%. Most of those losses pre-date Putin’s saber-rattling.
Layer war risk on top of that and what do you get? An environment where investing without a Safe Money bent is flat-out dangerous!
Now, if you’ve been following my work, you know a key component of that approach is focusing on income. Investment strategies and products that deliver handsome payouts.
That’s incredibly important these days because interest rates still remain at rock-bottom levels and inflation is devouring your nest egg day in and day out.
A steady income stream can help you fight back! It can help you grow your wealth consistently, steadily, and substantially over time. It can cushion downside moves. Plus, it can give you the cash you need to deploy after markets slump...or to put to any other use you see fit.
Bottom line? Putin may be the only one with the answer to the invasion question. But I’m confident you’ll have the answer to the question of what to do as an investor regardless...if you follow these recommendations.
