But there is hope for America….  I got an email full of “Tea Party” pictures and I thought I would post one just for Mr. Moore!

A friend sent me this email today……

I called my stockbroker today and asked, “What are you buying”?

 His answer: “Canned goods and ammunition”. 

No wait, actually I was thinking of powering my house with solar energy.  But as I was dreaming of going off the electrical grid, I drifted off to a paradise hunting club with solar powered everything.   Since I live in Georgia where its almost to hot to hunt half the season,  I was dreaming of an air conditioned treestand.  An aerial penthouse built for observational comfort while waiting for the perfect moment to showcase my extreme marksmanship…….. hey,  am I still dreaming…..???

OK back to business.

I’m thinking there’s a  couple of ways of investing in solar power. One as a home owner and two as stock market investor.  As a home owner, there are several advantages of solar power. Here are some from Solar Power.org

•Solar power is a renewable resource. This means that we are not in danger of depleting its reserves. Though it may disappear behind clouds momentarily and is unavailable at night, it generally returns in full force.

•Solar power is non-polluting. Unlike oil, solar power usage does not emit any greenhouse gases, nor does the acquisition of it harm ecosystems through spills or dredging. This is probably one of the primary advantages of solar power.

•The energy and heat from the sun is free. Once solar panels or solar thermal collectors are set up, there are no electrical expenses necessary to power them.

•Solar cells require very little maintenance, greatly because there are no moving parts that must be maintained.

•Solar cells can last a lifetime.

•Solar power is incredibly versatile. A variety of inventions may be powered by it, including cars, water heaters, fountains, buildings, and satellites.

•In remote locations, solar power may be a more realistic energy option than running large lengths of electrical wires to connect to a grid.

Solar power as an investment for the home owner, greatly improves the home’s value.  With the current declines in the housing markets, every extra perk you can add will make that sale.  And a cheap or no electric bill makes a house really appealing in a market that’s overloaded with foreclosures.

To get an even better return on your solar power investment (ROI) there are many incentives available from  the Federal, States, local governments, and even electric companies.  They also want you to invest in alterative energy systems.  Currently, the Federal gives a personal tax credit of 30%, up to $2000, of the cost of a solar system.  And 40 states have laws for home owners to sell back electricity to the power companies.  Typically there are at least two or three programs available to people wanting to take advantage of alternative power.

These investment incentives can turn a  high cost investment with a long payback period into an affordable investment that pays for itself in just a few years.

As a market investor all one has to do is research the solar industry to find investment opportunities.  Companies that make the semi-conductors for solar panels are probly the first on the list.  There are ETFs that play the industry as there are also mutual funds centered around green energy.

Solar power is only going to grow from here on out, as long as the sun comes up in the morning.

This post is one of many I plan on doing covering solar power investments.  Next time I’ll post on how a solar power system works and maybe try to figure out how much of a system it would take to go off the grid…..

Or to power my solar powered air conditioner for my treestand/penthouse over looking the food plot…. later.

The web site I was directed to was http://www.power4home.com

It was very intresting to read and I actually wanted to wip out my credit card and order the info package.  But I figure I’ll do some research first.  We have this thing called the internet, I think a guy named Al Gore invented it…..  We can find out everything we ever wanted on the internet.  So its time to start looking for some DIY power…..Solar and wind for the home that I can do myself.

Not only can we power up our own power plants,  we can invest in those companies that make up the alternative energy needs that we need.

So I’ll be looking for not only ways to power my own power, I’ll be looking for opertunities to power up my 401K

I was reading a blog out camping and there was a post about investing in your outdoor gear.   That got me thinking over the weekend while I was trying to get my work shop cleaned up.   I started looking around at my power tools and wondering if I could invest in any of those companies.  Naturally I moved over to my hunting gear.   What products do I use and more importantly, how many other hunters are there, who buy this stuff every year before they head outdoors.

Somewhere on this blog, I think I told yall I own some Smith & Wesson stock along with my dad’s old S&W 38 revolver.  I also own a Ruger 10-22 rifle however I dont own any Ruger stock, but I do watch it along with my S&W.  I own some Rocky boots so I should look them up and see what going on with them maybe.

Over the next week or so, Im going to make a list of stuff I carry on every trip outdoors.  Then I’ll start looking online and see what companies are publicly traded.  

Heres your first symbol to look up  “BOOT“

It’s said that human beings stand out from other species by virtue of our ability to think and plan ahead. While that may be true, most of us also have great trouble thinking about or preparing for the long term in the middle of our daily tasks and toil. Heck, it’s difficult enough to plan something just six months ahead, like a summer vacation. How on earth are we supposed to be able to think about something in the distant future — like retirement?

However, thinking in advance, and acting on those thoughts, are keys to being ready when the future becomes the present. The younger you are, the more distant your retirement — and the greater your ability to compound your returns over time. That paradox can work to your advantage.

In this collection, we try to answer the important questions:

• How much will I need for my retirement in order to live comfortably?
• What are my goals?
• When should I start?
• What should I do?
• How much can I count on from Social Security?
• What costs might I run into once I’ve actually retired?

We all need to ask these questions, but with all our short-term preoccupations, we often wait too long to do so. These 13 Retirement Steps, along with a bevy of tools for running the numbers, can help you cut through the haze and see the realities that will make your golden years truly golden — in fine Foolish fashion. Let’s get started!

Periodic market downturns may result in significant investment losses, particularly within retirement accounts. If you are faced with this situation, you may have to reconsider when, or even if, you can retire.

The effects of a decline

Historically, the stock market has had its ups and downs. How any substantial market change impacts your retirement outlook may depend on how close you are to retirement. If you plan on working and contributing to your retirement savings for many more years, you may have time to recoup losses to your accounts due to poor investment performance. But if you’re closing in on retirement or you’re already there, a dip in your savings may affect how much you can safely withdraw and how long your savings can last.

To demonstrate, assume you and your spouse have $1 million in retirement savings, expect an annual average rate of return of 7%, and estimate that you presently need $100,000 annual retirement income for both of you to live comfortably, of which $30,000 will come from Social Security. Presuming withdrawals increase by 3% each year to offset the effects of inflation, your savings will last about 22 years.

However, a decrease of 14% in the value of your savings in one year shortens the duration of your savings by over 4 years.

What are your options?

If you’re fortunate, even a significant decrease in savings may not impact your retirement income dramatically. You may have other sources of fixed income such as company-sponsored pensions, so you won’t need to rely on your savings to provide much of your income. Or you may be able to offset the effect of diminished savings by spending less — forgoing that planned cruise, putting off buying that new car, or making smaller gifts to children and grandchildren, for example. But if you rely on your savings for most of your retirement income, considerable investment losses of the magnitude recently experienced can require major lifestyle changes. Here are a few ideas to help you cope with the erosion of your retirement savings.

Continue working

You may have to delay the retirement party a little longer. Postponing retirement lets you continue to add to your retirement savings, which can offset losses caused by poor investment performance. Also, working allows you to delay withdrawing from your savings. That could allow more time for your retirement accounts to recover from investment-related losses.

Delay taking Social Security

Social Security may be the only source of fixed income you’ll have in retirement. If you delay applying for benefits until your full retirement age, you can get as much as 30% more in monthly payments compared to taking benefits early. And, for each year you defer benefits past your full retirement age (between 65 and 67, depending on when you were born) to age 70, your benefit is increased by 8%. That could mean an additional $500 or more in your benefit check each month–and that doesn’t include annual cost of living increases.

Consider fixed income investments

Investments such as single premium immediate annuities (SPIAs) provide an income for the rest of your life, or for the combined lives of you and your spouse. However, while the income is dependable (subject to the claims-paying ability of the annuity issuer), you generally don’t have access to the money you paid for the SPIA and you may not be able to change the amount of income payments or their duration once you’ve started.

Red

“Stimulus: Say this for the $787 billion behemoth that Congress voted on Friday — never in our history has a more important vote been cast on legislation with so little scrutiny. Couldn’t they at least read the thing before voting on it? The 1,434-page bill is, in a word, massive. It’s full of details that deserve to be given a close look before anyone votes. … The bill that President Obama called ‘the largest change in domestic policy since the 1930s’ was jammed down Congress’ throat, breaking almost all the promises of bipartisanship and transparency along the way. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vowed to give members of Congress at least 48 hours to look at the historic legislation before them. After all, the bill will spend the equivalent of nearly 9% of our GDP while adding $1.2 trillion to our national debt. Obama vows to ‘create or save’ 3.5 million jobs at a cost of $263,000 per job. Shouldn’t it get even a little bit of scrutiny? Apparently not. … Why the haste? Surely one reason is the bill is stuffed with pork and short of real stimulus. Its authors don’t want the details out. They shouldn’t be surprised, then, when voters bridle at what they’ve been saddled with.” –Investor’s Business Daily

Another email from a friend……

Well dont know where to start but its time to start putting a plan on paper.  What do I really want to happen when I retire?  Where am I going to live?  How much will I have to live on?

I could go on and on with the questions.  So this week, I will be trying to answer some of these questions and posting some links to the places I find some answers and hopefully you can gain a little more knowledge about coming up with a retirement plan.

A guy I communicated with through a hunting web site, is in the financial/retirement planning buisness. He says this:

  I actually don’t start with investing. There are 4 parts to financial planning…Estate planning, business planning, retirement planning and wealth accumulation(investing). Some clients don’t need help in all areas. I typically ask them a whole lot of questions and try to find the most pressing or important issues and deal with them first. I approach the investing aspect of it as well. There has to be a reason to make a particular investment and to me, it needs to coincide with a plan.

 

So now what do I need to do?  Estate planning, whats that?  Well I guess Im going to find out and the next few posting will list what I can come up with.