Now a joint publication of the FJMC and MRJ

 Issue #40 -  February 7, 2017

We would like to thank our sponsor RCA, Retirement Corporation of America. They have graciously been our primary sponsor for the last 2 years.

Convention registration opens soon (http://convention.fjmc.org).  Convention will be held in Washington DC. July 18-23rd.  What better place to host a convention.  It will be our most memorable convention ever

HEALTH TIP

“Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.”  - Unknown

Living with Eye Disease

Elliot Feldman, proud member of FJMC, New England Region Executive Vice President, and Managing Director of Visions of Independence (feldydad@verizon.net)

We also want to thank our newest co-editor Dr. Steven Mandel from Lenox Hill hospital in NY.  He and the medical team we created, are responsible for the increased quality and professional information provided in the newsletter.  Richard, Steven, and I are passionate about bringing this information that will help give us all a better life.

A relatively new field is emerging to help people with progressing eye problems. Elliot Feldman, managing director of a low vision independence institute in Boston, Massachusetts gives us some insights.

You just came back from your appointment with an ophthalmologist where you were told some very disappointing news.  The doctor told you that your eye disease has progressed and there is nothing that can be done to restore the vision that you have lost.  You are crushed and wonder how you can live your life.

It is very likely that your ophthalmologist did not tell you that, though you might have lost a great deal of vision, there are many strategies to increase your ability to do your everyday tasks.  This help is called vision rehabilitation.  People can be taught to use more contrast, better lighting and adaptive equipment that can significantly make things easier and increase independence.   The problem is that unless someone is taught to use these strategies, they will attempt to do their daily living skills the way they always did things.  Here is an example.  People who have lost some vision still need to write things down so they can use that information later.  Most people will use a ball point pen and write with very large letters on a white piece of paper.  Vision rehabilitation would teach the person to use a black, medium point felt tip pen to write on a yellow piece of paper.  It is easy to understand why the stroke of a felt tip pen is easier to see than the scrawny, little line of a ball point pen.  Why yellow paper works takes a bit of explanation.  Most people see black on yellow better than black on white.  It is a function of the wavelength of light.  An everyday example of this principle is the signs that road departments use to tell drivers about the approaching schools, playgrounds and elder housing.  Road departments know that those signs are easier to read.  If you think about it, you will remember that the signs are black lettering on a yellow sign.  Using this principle of enhanced contrast, people can write notes, shopping lists and checks with much more ease.  There are scores of other adaptive techniques that people who have lost some vision can learn to increase their ability to do everyday tasks.

There are two places where someone can get vision rehabilitation, state and private agencies.  Private agencies sometime use specially trained occupational therapists to help low vision patients increase their independence.  Each state is different in who provides this kind of help.  To find help in the state where you live, go to AFB.organd look for their Directory of Services which gives all the resources by state.

Feel free to contact me for more information or questions either by email (feldydad@verizon.net) or phone 617-548-4488.

In our new format we have formed a great team of Doctors and Psychologists to give you the best possible healthtips in terms you can understand.  Our new team consists of our new Co-Medical Editor - Dr. Steven Mandel Pediatric Neurologist, Dr. Seth Cohen, Dr. Joel Kurtz, Gastroenterologist; Dr. Mitchell Ross, Cardiologist; Dr. Dale Levy, Thoracic Surgeon; Dr. Gary Katz, Psychologist; Dr. Bob Braitman, Pediatrician; Elliot Feldman, CEO low vision occupational Therapy Clinic; and Elisabeth Mandel, Licensed Marriage and Family therapist.

For questions please email the editors Richard Gray rwgray1@gmail.com, Gary Smith DVM gsmith@fjmc.org, or Dr. Steven Mandel- drmandel1979@aol.com

WEALTH TIP

We would like to thank our sponsor RCA, Retirement Corporation of America. They have graciously been our primary sponsor for the last 2 years.

"You will never make money investing and be financially independent until you learn to save and be patient" -Unknown

What to expect from President Trump in 2017?

This is the second of a two part series.  Last issue discussed what a Trump presidency might do to stocks.  This issue gets down to the nuts and bolts of a 2017 investment script.  We discuss Dr Sjuggerud’s thoughts on what to expect in several asset classes including gold, interest rates, real estate, Japanese Stocks and Chinese Stocks. This Blueprint for 2017 is extracted from information provided by Dr Steve Sjuggerud, a contributor to Stansberry Newsletters.  To me they provide one of the most informative and largest investing ideas in the world. (I subscribe to many newsletters to provide you and myself with the research and trends that are suggested by some of the top investment analysts.)

“Blueprint for Investing in 2017” – as told by Steve Sjuggerud.  Are good times ahead and if so what should we look for?  Steve is one of the editors of one of the most successful groups of newsletters in the world.  The extracts and interpretations below are not all aligned – some may happen sooner, some later and some not at all.  That’s showbiz. 

There is no doubt in my mind that at some point the market will drop significantly.  Why? We have 3 main reasons:

1. Student loan debt has over 1 trillion dollars that will likely not be paid back.
2. Car loan debt of over 2-3 trillion will likely not be paid back.
3. Most of all,corporate debt has serious problems and it is likely that at some point rising interest rates will cause default on trillions of dollars by corporations.

The market is going up now, but not astronomically because people are still nervous from the fall out of 2008.  A Trump presidency should mean enormous potential gains for those in the right place at the right time due to some new trends in the markets.

1. Gold and precious metals - Gold is cheap, hated, and in an uptrend.  Gold and precious metals have been down for years. But with infrastructure being targeted, precious metals like copper, silver, molybdenum, and nickel have a huge upside.
2. Long term interest rates may be a shock to you - they may end the year lower due to competing forces. Trump wants to stimulate the economy, but raising rates would suppress the economy and create an increase in corporate debt costs. Individuals have very few choices – either put money in the bank or buy stocks with their money.  Interest rates are so low now that people are not making money. So depending on the way things work out, the stock market should move higher.
3. Real Estate - is a must for the diversified investor.  In this cycle we should see prices of real estate skyrocket.  Homes in northern Florida are still very inexpensive in good supply and demand is still light. But not for long. In Beijing, London, NYC and other large cities prices are almost out of reach for 80 % of all people to buy.  Much of the real estate in America is still cheap.
4. Japanese Stocks - As Japanese stocks have been down for so long, they are cheap, hated, and in an uptrend.  Also, the yen should go down in price relative to the dollar, making Japanese goods cheaper in other countries. This would lead to increases in Japanese stocks.  Think of the potential of Japanese stocks; their market was almost double 25 years ago.
5. Chinese Stocks - If Trump does what he said, to put a 45 % tariff on Chinese goods, he would plummet the world into depression. It will not happen. Probably well over a trillion dollars will flow into Chinese stocks over the next 5 years. The reason is that last October China became part of the IMF which means their currency will be part of the international currency basket with only 5 countries’ currencies.  As mentioned in an earlier HRW article, this dilutes the importance of the dollar.  China is taking advantage of this and now trading in the Yuan with other countries. Long term this should have a profound effect on America.

I hope you enjoyed this work by Steve Sjuggerud.  This should give you some food for thought for 2017 – good topics to discuss with your friends or financial advisors.  We encourage questions or comments. Please email Richard Gray- richardgray@fjmc.org  or Gary Smith gvet@gmail.com

We hope you enjoyed this Wealth tip. It is a very powerful concept, Since 2009 Dr. Sjuggerud predicted the bull market we are currently in the real estate boom, gold skyrocketing earlier in the year and then its fall. He is predicting stock market boom in the next 1-2 years and then….

Email sent at approximately 11:30 pm, February 7th, 2017
 

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This work is based on current events, interviews, corporate press releases, and what we've learned from several mentioned health and wealth newsletters. It is also based on some personal experiences. It may contain errors and you shouldn't make any investment decision based solely on what you read here. It's your money and your responsibility. FJMC is not making specific recomendations of stocks or bonds just possible ideas that might be considered for research and investing purposes. This information is being provided for informational purposes only.

FJMC - Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs - Involving Jewish Men in Jewish Life.  The FJMC involves Jewish Men in Jewish Life through Leadership   Innovation   Community