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No problem Ray, you're welcome. Remember tomorrow is Windows update day.

Some news that is very appropriate. All year long financial advisors and brokers of many stripes all started to predict the end of the Bull market going from may be the end of the bull market to is the beginning of the end of the bull market. Excerpt: "It’s All Over! It was just 10 short months ago when the definitive statements started rolling out. Despite an established 36-year track record and a long history of denying the prior proclamations of some of the most celebrated investors in the world including that guy from Nebraska that so many like to reference, many in the investment world were not simply suggesting that the bond bull market might be over by using qualifiers such as may, potentially, or likely, they were emphatically proclaiming that this time was it with words like definitely, and “people are going to start to lose money in bonds”, and “the Great Rotation out of bonds and into stocks is underway”. Except none of these things were true then and they are still not true today. So what happened that had so many investors thinking that the end of the more than three decade bull market had finally arrived? A near doubling of the 10-Year U.S. Treasury yield from the lows of 1.33% in July 2016 to a high of 2.60% less than six months later that included an 81 basis point jump in yields over the course of 27 business days from early November to mid December last year. A notable move indeed. But the end of a bull market it certainly was not. Alive And Well A number of lessons can be learned from the bold declarations about bonds (BND) late last year that apply not only to bonds (AGG) but also can be translated across all asset classes. It Takes Time First, an established bull market does not come to an end overnight. Instead, it is a process that takes time to play out. But isn’t a six-month period that includes a dramatic rise over the course of about a month certainly much longer than overnight!? In the case today’s bond bull market, absolutely not. For the longer a bull market is established, the longer the bull market topping process typically plays itself out. And at 36 years and counting, this is a bull market of epic proportions that may take a few years of topping and backfilling before it finally meets its demise. Seek Confirmation Before Declaration Second, confirmation is needed before we can flippantly declare that a bull market is over. Sure, 10-Year Treasury (IEF) yields doubled in the second half of last year. But this doubling took place from a historic bottom at 1.37% that was below the long-term trading range for 10-Year Treasury yields dating back to the early 1980s. Thus, what took place late last year was not the end of a bull market but instead was a move by an asset class that had gotten overextended to the upside and subsequently mean reverted back toward the top end of its multi-year trading channel." There are 10 more pages with charts in that article here: https://seekingalpha.com/article/4105715-bull-market?uprof=82&isDirectRoadblock=false

I am just finished with my bank and insurance company which both are from the same company. They suggested I increase my security. In addition to my ID and password, then the pin, and then a security question, they will now cybertext me with a six digit additional random password generated with each transaction and they send it to me in text. Thankfully we are simple folks and all our credit cards, bank accounts, and checking savings accounts are all with them. So we both enabled three factor cyber text security and I feel confidant that draining our accounts will be difficult. I am going to enroll in the free Identity theft protection offered by Equifax. That and the additional security we just instituted for our accounts should be all we need.

Probably not. They have mine from signing up for mine. Does that invalidate the need to check, see, and take advantage of the free monitoring they are providing. I did my free credit reports earlier this year so I will likely have to pay for them. Sheesh folks don't kill the messenger especially when I provided a link to the source I was using. Here is the latest since I did see someone arguing about the clkause regarding lawsuits etc. A Progress Update for Consumers September 8, 2017 We understand that some consumers are experiencing difficulties getting the answers and support they need through our website and call center. Ramping up the website and call center to handle the anticipated volume is ongoing and we are focused on making improvements as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this process has created. Thus far today, we’ve made the following adjustments: 1) You Can Determine Your Status Immediately Some consumers who visited the website soon after its launch failed to receive confirmation clarifying whether or not they were potentially impacted. That issue is now resolved, and we encourage those consumers to revisit the site to receive a response that clarifies their status. 2) No Waiver Of Rights For This Cyber Security Incident In response to consumer inquiries, we have made it clear that the arbitration clause and class action waiver included in the Equifax and TrustedID Premier terms of use does not apply to this cybersecurity incident. 3) Expanded Our Call Center We have tripled our call center team to over 2000 agents and continue to add agents. Our goal is to make this process as convenient and consistent as possible. We will continue to identify steps to improve this process. And we will continue as well to listen to your comments and suggestions.

Blues, The initial reports said they they got our email addresses, and of course if you have done a free annual credit report or gotten protection before, those passwords for each credit reporting agency are also stolen. I am a techie and have been doing computers and repairs since the early 80s both on the job in the USAF and after I retired. It has been my experience that many people have one or at most two passwords, and none of them admit that online. It is also known that 6.07% of the users worldwide are still running XP. Those running currently supported versions Windows OS do not do their applications updates for many reasons some of which are bootleg versions of applications, Windows, or both. Secunia just found that 12% of Windows users do not update other applications. So add that 12% to the 6% that do not update windows, and adding in the 6.01% who still use XP, you have a whopping 24 - 25% of unpatched machines out there. These are, in my experience, the people who use only one or two passwords, and who will be most at risk from the Equifax breach. https://betanews.com/2016/08/11/patched-windows-machines/ http://news.softpedia.com/news/windows-7-still-king-of-the-desktop-despite-windows-10-creators-update-launch-517582.shtml#sgal_0 I have a friend who still has a computer repair storefront and his clientele want no large fees for leaving their data intact and recover from an infection or recalcitrant system. They pay 60 bucks to have it factory restored. Over and over. I won't do that. This breach included the complete credit files for the sections breached. If you believe your email address is sacrosanct do a search on yourself and then pay for the full info and you will be amazed. Add to that your credit report data and things can get sticky fast. If you read differently please include links to your good source. I always do. Excerpt: "If you're not worried about the Equifax hack, you should be. The hackers made off with the most crucial tools that identity thieves need to impersonate you. The worst-case scenario is a very real threat to millions of Americans. If the stolen information from Equifax gets into the wrong hands, experts say data thieves can open bank accounts, lines of credit, new credit cards and even drivers' licenses in your name. They can saddle you with speeding tickets, steal your tax refund, swipe your Social Security check and prevent you from getting prescription drugs. Recovering from identity theft could take months or even years. And no one is responsible for cleaning up your own mess but you. What the hackers stole Equifax estimates that the hack impacts 143 million Americans. The thieves stole names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and a yet-to-be-determined number of driver's license numbers. The hackers also made off with 209,000 credit card numbers and 182,000 documents containing personally identifying information. What thieves can do with that information The data stolen in the Equifax hack is extremely valuable to cyberthieves. All that information packaged together sells for upwards of $30 per identity on online black markets, according to Mark Nunnikhoven, head of cloud research for cybersecurity firm Trend Micro. "That's the foundational identification information for U.S. consumers," said Nunnikhoven. "It's enough to allow cyberthieves to take over you online." If a cybercriminal maxed out a credit card in your name, you'll have a very difficult time passing a credit check. Good luck getting a new cell phone, a student loan, a car or a mortgage. If a data thief took out a prescription using your identity, that goes on your medical record. That could seriously screw up your ability to get treatment at a hospital or from your pharmacy, particularly if the fraudster obtained medicine that counteracts with yours." Source: http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/11/technology/equifax-identity-theft/index.html

Take action now! About half the USA population has had their passwords, social security numbers all personal data breached at Equifax, one of the three major credit credit reporting companies. Included in the breach are credit card numbers and Social Security numbers emails, passwords, everything! Excerpt: "Hackers stole a treasure trove of financial data from a top credit-reporting company, potentially exposing the personal information of roughly half the US population. Equifax said Thursday that thieves stole customer names, Social Security numbers, birthdates and addresses in a hack that stretched from mid-May and July. The data taken affected as many as 143 million people. The number of affected people is roughly half of the US population of 323 million. The number reported by Equifax doesn't include victims from around the world. "This is clearly a disappointing event and one that strikes at the heart of who we are and what we do," Equifax CEO Rick Smith said in a video released Thursday. In a separate statement, Equifax said it is working with law enforcement on an investigation. The breach, which was particularly potent because one company held such a large amount of sensitive information, is among the largest in US history and the biggest known leak of 2017. Yahoo lost data on roughly a record 1 billion accounts in 2013, the web portal said last year. You can check if your data was leaked at Equifax's website. Here's a step-by-step on how to find out if you were affected by the Equifax hack." If the link above did not work click here: https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/

Yep Rich, For 80 year olds it might not make much difference, but at 65 l think I'll get to 2037and see the start unless they crack the gene therapy for the now found aging gene. Technology is going to change things soon for all of us.

All your previous examples were when little was known about solar, wind, let alone BEVs, let alone installed and working. Did you read any of the links provided? If so, which did you disagree with and why? I know, when all you have is a hammer, all you see are nails. We are no longer limited to just ICE age engines. In a few years good riddance. The ICE (Internal Combustion Engines ) age was in full swing, and no alternatives existed when your examples occurred. The ICE age is over. What part of the fact that Germany, France, India, China, and most recently the UK, and most of the rest of the world, are making gas and diesel engines illegal from 2030-2050 is unclear? As far as that information and acting on it not good for investing, I still get a lot of wishing they'd listened to me in 2010 when Tesla shares were under $23.00 a share. This thread pretty much covers that. And now the model 3 is being delivered to the first reservation holders. Only the US ducked out of the Paris accords and many US states are doing them anyway. I think mixing up politics with investing is the sure way to lose money.

The entire basis of energy and investing is about to come to a head and when it hits here will change big accounts to broke if they are not ready. The scoffers are the ones that will get the worst of it because they have been so nasty about the new tech and renewables they will see any admission of climate vchange being man exacerbated as ruining their credibility. I am talking big investor advising firms, not present company. But here it comes big time. The head of Dutch Shell just announced that they see the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) age ending by 2040. He also announced they are planning for lower and lower prices as demand drops and to use their position in Nat Gas to help their transition to renewables. Excellent article, here is an excerpt of several paragraphs that may cause you to read the whole thing. Excerpts: “In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Ben Van Beurden, the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, said his company had changed its mindset to a “lower forever” price of oil. Perhaps the most significant thing about his new position is that it refers to a change in “mindset,” rather than mere adoption of a new business plan. Van Beurden clearly believes that Shell has to be prepared for a depressed price of oil, and consequently of the oil industry, from which it never recovers. Notably, Van Beurden also added that his next major purchase would be an electric car. Other competitors include technologies that are almost certain to lead us to abandon fossil fuels altogether. These range from walking and biking to using solar and wind power to provide energy for transportation and heating. They include alternatives, such as biofuels and synthetic fuels. They also include efficiency. At the other end of the spectrum are those organizations whose leadership has asserted that their companies will not be affected by changes in the field of energy. Exxon’s former CEO Rex Tillerson, who is currently the U.S. Secretary of State, told his shareholders at the annual meeting in 2016 that they did not need to worry; no assets would be stranded. The shareholders found out within months that he was wrong on assets of over two billion barrels of oil. We live in changing times. Traditional technologies are already close to obsolete. Solar power, with battery backup to keep things running at night, is already delivering electricity at prices that out-compete combined cycle natural gas. The problem with denial is that it will catch up with you, if you indulge in it too long. And this is not true just of companies, but of those who work in the interests of passing technologies. Most famously, the official position of the U.S. federal government is that climate change and pollution are not problems. Our executive branch has a lesson to learn, and if it does not learn it before things get worse, it will have to deal with the political consequences. For some of our political leaders, “sustainability” seems to be a dirty word. They might do well to consider the implications of that view. A stubbornly held marriage between a political party and a program of denial can only end with the demise of both. And as oil passes away, renewable power will replace it. As renewable power rises, with prices expected to continue falling, natural gas will also almost certainly join oil in a terminal decline. In short, the oil industry has to be prepared for a final phase of continued negative growth. And though some companies are attempting to switch to natural gas, because they are familiar with that, they will have to be ready for continued negative growth in that industry, too.” The rest of the article is here: https://cleantechnica.com/2017/07/28/royal-dutch-shell-new-mindset/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+%28CleanTechnica%29 Then for those wanting more: https://cleantechnica.com/2017/07/11/new-study-suggests-headed-warmest-climate-half-billion-years/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+(CleanTechnica) This next link links to another 20 or so articles just click on each topic: https://cleantechnica.com/70-80-99-9-100-renewables-study-central/ These facts for any sane investor shows a clear path to avoid, denial or not.

Barb, Thanks for the reminder. I have to see about when my SH has to start withdrawing her 401k. I avoided them because I wanted total discretion to keep them earning or cash in at my discretion and yes that cost a bit in tax but not all that much. I will look into treasuries etc too. Thanks.

We are selling our combined 10 acres of properties and homes with solar here that are paid off with clear titles before another housing bubble bursts. Then buy when the crash happens in Colorado. We can live in a small A-frame or geodesic dome or foam snowball house. They are hard to sell and can be had cheap as a temporary deal. I am actually taking another look at missile silos but not truly seriously. We bought scads of shares of four USAA funds from 2007-2008 while they were at rock bottom. Great time to buy and I had 100% of my high compensation position then as discretionary. We live fine off my retirement alone with all paid off and now with SS for us both taken at 62 we are also generating even more discretionary funds. I am trying to come up with what I want to do with my Tesla shares. Keep them after they rise steadily to 2020, or sell now. I have had my ten bagger. I now need to see to preserving it all. I may cash in early if I find an interesting scenario. I don't like hard currencies at their current prices, and islands with self sustaining energy are not happening. We'll see.

I hear ya Jim, we sure could. But we have his books, and his quotes, and our own honor that was burnished by his thoughts and others until we emerged as a recognizable entity in our own mind, and earned our self respect. Huah Jim.

So true Pat.

Great post Ron, and the link with charts and videos reinforce my position. We'll see if we all are right. I hope everyone has the returns I have gotten when I took my money off the table and a small profit, and now am seeing more than $300k in that one holding of mine. I bought one share at $300 because I had 999 shares and it is so much easier to do the math for 1000.

" I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do." Robert A. Heinlein

X2! Huah Pieere!

The world will be ICE free by 2030. there is lots of room for investment in the batteries and the suppliers of the Lithium and Sulfur, and all of the systems it takes to refine them to raw material for batteries. Tesla may not have all of the BEV market, perhaps not even a majority of share. But 40% of all sales globally is a nice chunk. But they may end up a major battery supplier in addition to using the latest in their storage arrays. BEVs is about a lot more than just the finished vehicle. As well there are opportunities in emerging VR hard and software. And a zillion next big things. Once you find out the next big thing is too late.

Rich and Sylvia just sent me these two articles on where we are currently on a stable Lithium Sulfur battery. I believe Musk will switch to any superior chemistry and this may be it. I believe Lithium will be the mainstay battery but not Li-Ion chemistry, instead Lithium Sulfur. Lighter and with greater density. Little niggling stability issues are being solved as we type: "Scientists have created a thin composite film that gives lithium–sulfur cells exceptional durability" http://bit.ly/2toCyiX and "Berkeley Lab researchers’ surprising discovery is a major advance for low-cost, high-energy batteries" http://bit.ly/2sros37 Lithium is a good bet. Thanks Rich!

It's another all time high. This is one of the longest, if not the longest, bull market in my memory. We are killing it. Model 3 is about to hit the streets, electric semi 18 Wheeler tractor coming soon, preview in September. Then the model Y. Gigafactory is online, and Solar roof tiles for Solar City. His other company, Space X is about to launch a Falcon heavy rocket in the September- December time frame. Already routinely landing the rocket from orbital launches and reusing them. It's still privately held so I'm watching that from the investment persective too. They are rapidly ramping up full autonomous driving and should be first in advantage winners. We'll see in the next two years.

Tesla closed at $380 today and this article says it will soon break through $400 and many expect it to go to $1000 a share. From "The Street" "Tesla is more like Amazon and Netflix than you think" : https://www.thestreet.com/story/14177976/1/tesla-isn-t-being-valued-like-an-automaker-but-instead-like-amazon-and-netflix-explains-jim-cramer.html?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO&yptr=yahoo From Investor Place: "Why Tesla Inc (TSLA) Stock Will Race to $400" http://investorplace.com/2017/06/why-tesla-inc-tsla-stock-will-race-to-400/#.WUHgIilOmbg From "Market Realist" "Analysts’ Views on Tesla Stock as the Price Rally Continues" "According to data compiled by Reuters as of June 13, 2017, about 29.0% of analysts covering Tesla (TSLA) have given the stock a “buy” recommendation. About 43.0% have recommended a “hold,” while 28.0% have suggested a “sell.” These stock recommendations are based on the consensus of 21 Wall Street analysts currently covering Tesla" http://marketrealist.com/2017/06/analysts-views-on-tesla-stock-as-the-price-rally-continues/?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=feed&yptr=yahoo 1 minute 28 second Video from Yahoo Finance claiming Tesla may well go to $1000.00! Tesla could rally to $1,000 https://finance.yahoo.com/video/todays-charts-tesla-could-rally-153157826.html And now it begins. And I have the number of shares I wanted for it.

Tesla hit $360 after hours today! crazy!

If any of you liked Bruno Mars Funk you up song, and can view Videos, this is absolutely great! Tesla was 2 bucks and change shy of closing at $350 today!

Remo, Nothing wrong with having fun on a three or four day weekend, If we all take a few minutes time out of the day at 3 PM, and remember them. Rich, Thanks for that imagery, nice pics too! Serious storms just went through and damage was done south of us. I'll try and get a pic with my original 13 states flag on the left of Old Glory with 50. Had to take them down before the storm. IT was just some rain and lightning here, but softball size hail about 50 miles south. Hope all are well. I am usually alone here when 3 pm rolls around. But I still crank up taps on my Bose SoundLink III Bluetooth speaker, and render a hand salute, to cash my reality check.

YW Pieere. Good for you WeBe!