From SL re my “report cards” on Trump in the May 13 and July 4 issues: 

“I really enjoyed your recent tally of Trump’s record and have sent it to a number of people. My friend KR was one. Here is his column, with quite a different take. And here’s what he had to say about your column:

This is utter BS. Trump wants to rule as an authoritarian, he’s made the Supreme Court his accomplice, he is anything but a supporter of democracy abroad, he’s a bully, racist, and antisemite, tariffs make no sense, no country has benefited more from the post WWII economy than we have, he’s lowering taxes for the rich, he’s corrupt, he’s inviting election corruption, too, his policies are killing hundreds of thousands in Africa, he is ruining American universities and undoing the research they do, etc.

TA wants to know what I decided to do with my investment portfolio… 

“In the July 20 issue, you said that you were going to be meeting with Dominick, your financial advisor, to discuss how the mounting federal debt will affect investments. I’m looking forward to hearing what he said – and what you decided to do.

“My advisor seems not to think that it is a problem. I’m retired, and he keeps me in a diversified mix of stocks and bonds. I have added gold, silver, and commodities on my own outside of the managed accounts. My advisor says the model he uses is based on history going back to the Great Depression. I guess the period during WWII was a time of high debt in this country, and we survived. But this time around seems to not end.”

My Response: Glad you asked.

I can’t comment on your particular situation because I don’t know exactly what assets you own. And even if I did, I am not licensed to give (or interested in giving) personal investment advice.

But I do enjoy writing about my own ideas about building wealth – which I consider to be a much more expansive and much more pragmatic topic. And it just so happens that once a year I write a report for my family, friends, and some of my Japanese subscribers that covers all my thoughts and sometimes my decisions about adjusting my asset balance for the following year.

I’m working on that right now, and will include a portion of it in next week’s issue.

You’ll want to take a look at it because, as you know if you know me, when it comes to investing money I’ve worked hard to earn, my number one rule is: Get richer every day. And that means I treat my stock investments differently than most financial advisors and brokers who make a living by speaking/writing about stocks and bonds as if they were the only two wealth-building options.

Re the July 16 issue on Happiness: 

Fron SL: “Hey Mark, Thanks for the tip about Arthur C. Brooks. I just listened to his From Strength to Strength on advice for transitioning from the fluid intelligence period of your life, which lasts a shockingly short time for most professions (except being a historian), to the crystalized intelligence phase, when it’s good to become a mentor, teacher, etc. Many people rage against the ebb of their fluid intelligence phase, but they could save themselves much anguish by being more knowledgeable and accepting of its end and wisely guide themselves towards the next stage, which can be just as fulfilling. Next, I’ll listen to his interview, Conversations with Coleman. I’ll share my feedback.”

From SLT: “I really enjoyed the issue. Your critique of Eat, Pray, Love and your idea about the three ‘enduring pleasures in life’ were especially good.”

Re my assessment of Trump’s record so far in the May 13 and July 4 issues:

“I’ve kept copies of your early ‘report cards’ on Trump to see how your thoughts and predictions turn out. When will you publish an update?” – PF

My Response: You’re not the only one. Other readers have been saying the same thing. And, of course, I’m sure all my friends with TDS have kept copies so they can one day tell me, “I told you so!” (And “I told you so!” will be, admittedly, my motivation in writing all of my upcoming Trump report cards. I’m working on the next one now…)

JS writes to recommend a read and alert us to the dangers and ubiquity of sugar in the American diet:

What Sugar Does to You 

“This data comes from Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM), which provides real-time readings of your blood sugar levels as you eat.

“It doesn’t get any simpler than this – but why does it matter?

“If your blood sugar spikes, you’re igniting inflammation inside your body. Your insides are On Fire!!!

“Too dramatic? But it’s the truth.

“If you don’t care for yourself, at least consider your children and grandchildren. Their health is declining, and the choices you make today impact their future.

“Still too dramatic? But again, it’s the truth.

“Stop falling for the idea that if something is sold in a store, it must be safe – or that government approval guarantees its health benefits.

“The reality? We’ve been misled, and there’s a reason for it. Someone is making a fortune at the expense of our well-being. Now that’s the truth!

“Read this.”

From MM: Have you heard of infinite banking? 

“While on vacation, I met a broker for what’s nicknamed ‘a Rich Man’s Roth’ (a.k.a., infinite banking). I suspect you know all about this?  Would getting into something like this be a future millionaire move? I’d love your opinion.”

My Response: Yes, I know something about infinite banking. In fact, when I was publishing The Wealth Club (from 2000 to 2010), one of my colleagues, a serious student of wealth building, introduced me and my readership to that way of investing.

Infinite banking is a financial strategy that uses whole life insurance to provide a regular, basically guaranteed, ROI on the money you invest, with the added benefit of allowing you to use much of the cash you’ve invested as a personal “bank” to give yourself loans.

I was skeptical of it at first because I had never heard about it. And it seemed odd to me that I wouldn’t have been introduced to it, considering that, by that time, I’d been in the investment publishing world for more than 20 years. So I did some research, including contacting some of the smartest financial analysts I knew, and none of them told me anything about it that turned me off.

The reason I didn’t open an account, therefore, was not because I thought there was anything wrong with infinite banking. Rather, it was because I was quite certain I could earn a good deal more than the guaranteed 5% by putting my money in other assets, which were, IMHO, just as safe.

From TM re new ways to build muscle

“Have you heard of Retatrutide yet? It’s the 3rd GLP iteration (currently in Phase 3 trials). Semaglutide first (single agonist). Then Tirzepatide (dual GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonist). Then the new one Reta (triple GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon agonist).

“You can get it in the gray market at some of the research peptide places. Probably past your comfort level, but I’ve tried it this year and it has really helped. Same food noise reduction but a couple more added things.

“What about TRT (testosterone replacement therapy)? Maybe you mentioned your views in a past post, but this has been a game changer for me. My bloodwork showed my testosterone levels at 160 (basement bottom levels). So I got on a small therapeutic dose.

“I was so against it at first thinking it was cheating. Or only for roid monkey body builders. But so many men are deficient. It has helped me shed fat and add some nice muscle on three days a week of weight training. Not to mention huge cognitive benefits (motivation, drive, ambition, clarity). After six months of clean eating and three days a week working out (three days of cardio), I’m in the best shape of my life.

“The cool thing is you don’t even have to inject it. (That’s a deal breaker for many.) They have HRT cream base you can rub on your balls (what I do). There is even a pill now that bypasses the liver (Kyzatrex) that is just as effective.

“Last tip to pass along: I’ve supplemented with essential amino acid powder. I had no clue but EAAs are basically just pure raw protein in its simplest most broken-down form. (Steak, eggs, chicken, etc., once digested and fully broken down, are EAAs.) So this is just straight protein to your muscles. Fascinating interview with Dr Minkoff here on it all if you haven’t stumbled across these yet.

“With you wanting to double protein from 80 to 160 grams, this would be a super-easy way to help you hit your protein goals.”

A Note to Readers: First of all (and I’m saying this for all the readers out there who don’t know me), when it comes to putting foreign substances in my body, such as swallowing pills or taking shots, my instinct is negative. I grew up feeling, as many people do, that any substance that was not both natural and also familiar to me should be avoided. I was one of those people who wouldn’t take aspirin for a headache.

About 20 years ago, however, I got into the health publishing business. Our publications were anti-drug and pro-natural. Over the ensuing years, I had the chance to read thousands of pages about what is wrong with surgery and drugs, and how you can deal with health problems naturally.

Thanks to that, I’m no longer fearful to take pills, and even the occasional injection – so long as I have done the research and am confident that the treatment is safe and might be effective.

The questions above were sent in by someone I’ve known for many years, someone who used to write for me on health topics (among others), and I know he shares my concerns with safety and legitimate research. So my response to him, which follows, is founded on a high degree of trust and confidence. 

My Response: No, I have not heard of Retatrutide – but considering the success you’ve had with it, I will definitely look into it.

In answer to your second question, I have been taking testosterone in cream form for about 15 years, and I’m glad I got on it. I took it first – and this is not all that uncommon – as a way of combatting the psychotic effects of “male menopause” – i.e., chronic and sometimes severe depression. During a bout of research that I was doing for natural strength enhancement products, I read several studies indicating that it was not only good for retaining lean muscle mass, it was effective in counteracting other old-guy problems, such as sex drive, sperm count, muscle mass, energy levels, and, yes, depression!

I had my blood tested and discovered my testosterone level, which had been in and around 1,000 nanograms since I turned 30, had dropped to 160, which is below even the 300 nanogram minimum level for sedentary men of my age.

I went to a doctor/friend who specialized in male health and, after seeing my results, he recommended that I begin with natural testosterone in cream form. Within one week of taking it, my mood improved considerably – and so, given the other benefits I listed above, I decided to keep taking it. These days, my level ranges between 700 and 800 – not what it once was, but plenty high enough to keep me, from both a mental health and a physical fitness perspective, feeling like and performing as the man I was in my 50s.

Comments, Questions & Recommendations 

Re the July 4 issue: “I cannot tell you how much I loved this.” 

“I waddled thru the opening paragraphs including the poem, which not surprisingly I wasn’t as impressed with as you were… but then came to this piece about your solar panel installer interaction:

“You are doing the right thing,” I said. “Following your passion is what lucky people that get rich say when they are accepting awards. For the rest of us, we must first follow our moral obligations – and the most important of those is to pay for our lives and the lives of those who depend on us.”

He liked that idea. We became friends.

“I cannot tell you how much I loved this. I envisioned this exchange, you telling him this with the same honesty and seriousness that I have seen you direct at others. Honestly, I was a bit choked up at the end.” – CF

A wannabe writer asks for advice

“I’ve followed your career for years and believe you are one of the best writers around. Do you have any advice for a young author who wants to write for a living?” – ME

My Response: Step One, figure out what you mean when you say “write for a living.”

If you are happy earning $72,270 a year (the median salary for writers and authors), you should choose a field to write about that you believe will maintain your interest for a long time. Why a long time? Because, as a rule, writing for a living is a low-paid gig, and getting your yearly comp up to “average” will take several years – at least three and maybe as much as five. Why is that? Because however much natural talent you think you have, the company that hires you knows that it is highly unlikely that you will be writing at the level they want as a beginner. So you have to think long-term. If, for example, you are keen on golf now, you have to think about whether you will be keen on golf 10 years from now and even 30 years from now. Because once you get into a niche, it’s not easy to get out of it. Everything conspires to keep you there, including your knowledge, your skills, and your professional contacts.

If you want to make serious money, you have to research the various subject fields in terms of how much writers typically make and select one with an average income that meets your minimum desire. For example, if you want to make at least $100,000 a year, you should look at the kinds of writing where writers can make that kind of money. Technical writing in the medical field is one. Writing for a public relations company is another.

If you want to make the really big money, you have a binary choice: Become a bestselling novelist or fiction writer or a high-level copywriter.

Once you have a goal in mind, the next step would be to get an entry level job in a competitive environment and spend two to three years writing 12 hours a day to become an expert in your field and a master of the craft of the sort of writing you are doing.

Then, once you have real confidence (i.e., you have proven you are good at your trade), start to step up your compensation by marketing yourself constantly to larger businesses in your field that are happy to pay their writers more than the industry average.

A recommendation from AS: “Hurt,” by Johnny Cash

I didn’t like this song when I first heard it, but when I saw this video of it that AS sent in, it got to me. It’s a heartbreaker.

Recommendations from Readers
Worth Checking Out 

From KM: Robert Reich on Mamdani – “The Corporate Democrat’s Biggest Nightmare”

From SPM: “Good read in The New Yorker about what ChatGPT does to our brains.”

From SL: “Loved your piece on the impact of AI on commercial writing. Here’s a video of Steven Pinker on a related subject.”

From GM: “Loving the blog as usual. I enjoy the breadth of topics but specifically the business section as I’m in my 30s and starting my own company. Wanted to share this – Elon’s latest update on Neuralink (released 6/27). Thought you’d find it unbelievable, scary, inspiring, all sorts of emotions.”

Comments & Contributions

About AI… 

“I agree with your assessment in the June 21  issue about the effect of AI in the information publishing industry. I’m finding that even the newest paid models are very untrustworthy when it comes to health research. For instance, the latest ScholarGPT and ChatGPT builds are constantly providing me with scientific studies that don’t exist.

“With enough nagging, it will eventually stop lying, fess up, and apologize. But its behavior never changes. Then I make excuses for it and keep using it. Classic toxic relationship stuff. In fairness, at the highest paid/premium access levels, you can somewhat train it to avoid doing this. But even then, it’s dicey.

“This issue will likely be resolved within the next year or two at most. But in the meantime, I’ve found that it does a very good job of extrapolating data from (real!) studies that you provide it with. (For instance, quickly calculating something like absolute risk where it wasn’t explicitly provided by the study authors.)” – JZ

“Thanks for getting me interested in AI. I’ve started dipping my toe into it and find it very informative and a time saver. But it will all go back to how good the information is that goes into its use. Just think how easy it might be to rewrite history, if we let it.” – TA

Questions, Comments & Contributions 

“Your business and marketing section is insightful and interesting. At the peak of my business career, I had 500 employees, and I found that 499 of them were conflicted since I signed their paychecks.” – JS

“Thanks for sharing your thoughts about AI! Upskill and innovate or get eaten by the Revolution.” – BK

Questions, Comments & Contributions 

From PW re “Senators Against Smut and the Curious Case of the Johnsons in the May 23  issue: 

“I admire Johnson in spite of political differences. HOWEVER, I think this is one of the best entries I have read in your blog. VERY FUNNY.”

From SH on Copy Logic 

“I recently read Copy Logic and it’s been such a game-changer for my copy editing, so thank you so much! I wasn’t sure how your processes would work out for a freelance copywriter without the benefit of a team around them but it turns out that Claude AI does a great simulation of the CUB test which has really strengthened my copy.

“I enjoyed Copy Logic so much that I featured it on the podcast that I cohost about copywriting and I thought you might like to hear it here.”

From SL re my collection of Mexican modern art:

“Thought you might enjoy these two posts (click here and here) on amate paintings from economist Tyler Cowen and his time discovering/exploring some 30 years ago. I know nothing about the topic but found the story of his process fascinating.”

From JS: What Sugar Does to You

“This data comes from Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM), which provides real-time readings of your blood sugar levels as you eat.

“It doesn’t get any simpler than this – but why does it matter? If your blood sugar spikes, you’re igniting inflammation inside your body. Your insides are On Fire!!!

“Too dramatic? But it’s the truth.

“If you don’t care for yourself, at least consider your children and grandchildren. Their health is declining, and the choices you make today impact their future.

“Still too dramatic? But again, it’s the truth.

“Stop falling for the idea that if something is sold in a store, it must be safe – or that government approval guarantees its health benefits.

“The reality? We’ve been misled, and there’s a reason for it. Someone is making a fortune at the expense of our well-being.

“Now that’s the truth!”

From AS re the May 27  issue: 

“I saw your column today and was excited to read it, especially the Nice story. I noticed your first subject was very long and I was about to embark on reading it when I saw it was about Joe Biden’s senility going back five years. I gave a sigh of relief. I didn’t have to read it!

“When I woke up at 5 am, I watched the news and the news anchor said there was a tweet from Trump last night. According to Trump, Joe Biden was assassinated five years ago and all his appearances were AI generated. Who knew?

“One of my favorite places I ever visited was Nice. For a week we were in a 3rd floor apartment next to the boardwalk facing the Mediterranean Sea. It was so beautiful I couldn’t believe it was real. I shopped for food at the market every day, and right now I wish I had a pastry from one of the concessions.

“We rented bikes and rode to Monte Carlo, a 15-minute ride. When I returned to the States, I told my brother about the trip and asked him, ‘Did you ever ride your bike to another state?’ With pride he said, ‘yes.’ Then I asked, ‘Did you ever ride your bike to another country?’ With an inquisitive look he said, ‘No.’ With pride and joy I said, ‘I have.’”

My Response: About the Trump tweet – I had no idea that he had access to that level of information! But seriously, that’s what I like most about Trump. He is the ultimate troll.

The idea that he can post that and the Legacy Media will pick it up as an “unsubstantiated conspiracy theory” is fantastic. Everyone who understands Trump is laughing at everyone who doesn’t understand what is so blatantly obvious: that Trump is seeing how far he can embarrass the mainstream media and all those who don’t get the joke.

From DF on why I think vaccines are especially subject to corruption 

“You’ve said more than once that vaccines have some kind of special exemption that makes them more susceptible to corruption. I find that hard to believe. Please clarify.”

My Response: In 1986, Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA). It was written and enacted after lots of costly lawsuits were filed against Big Pharma for the DPT vaccine and, as a result, Big Pharma was threatening to discontinue production of the vaccines due to escalating legal costs and liability fears.

To mitigate this, the NCVIA established the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), a no-fault alternative to the traditional legal system for resolving vaccine injury claims. Under this program, individuals alleging injury from certain vaccines must first file a claim with the US Court of Federal Claims, often referred to as the “vaccine court,” before pursuing civil litigation. The VICP is funded by an excise tax on each dose of covered vaccines.

I asked Nigel for details on the NCVIA. Here is what he gave me:

* Liability Protections: Vaccine manufacturers and administrators are shielded from liability for unavoidable adverse events, provided the vaccine was properly prepared and accompanied by appropriate warnings.

* Compensation Limits: The act caps awards for pain and suffering at $250,000 and prohibits punitive damages.

* Advisory Commission: The Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines was established to advise on the implementation of the VICP and recommend changes to the Vaccine Injury Table.

* Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS): The act mandated the creation of VAERS, a national system for monitoring vaccine safety and reporting adverse events.

Since its inception, the VICP has awarded over $4.6 billion in compensation to individuals who have experienced vaccine-related injuries. While the program has been instrumental in maintaining vaccine supply and public confidence, it has also faced criticism regarding the burden of proof required for claimants and the limited scope of compensable injuries.

Re my reports on COVID in the April 11, May 6, and May 27  issues:

“Thanks, Mark. Great research. Some shocking revelations.” – RI

“Mark, you should be commended for such a compelling research effort on the COVID-19 debacle. I always enjoy your newsletter, especially the tidbits that most often motivate me to do more digging on the subject. Keep up the great work – I am a big fan!” – RF

My Response: I am making COVID articles a mainstay because I believe it was the biggest humanitarian crime since the Holocaust. I’ve gotten some negative feedback on this from some people who think I’m overdoing it, but I can’t stop writing about it just because they don’t like it.