The must read book for every business owner and concerned citizen
by Patrick Valtin, August 4, 2010
As some of you may know, starting about this time last year and rolling into early 2010, my good friend John Truman Wolfe wrote a series of articles about the financial crisis: what actually caused it, who was behind it, and why.
He later added some additional articles, including a chapter that sets out solutions for both individuals and governments, and published the book as an e-book. He was shortly thereafter approached by a publisher, Roberts & Ross (www.robertsrosspublishing.com), about publishing paperback and hard copy editions of the book.
I am delighted to say that this has now occurred and Crisis by Design, The Untold Story of the Global Financial Coup, is now available in e-book, paperback or hardback at (www.crisisbydesign.net).
As you can imagine, the publication of the book was met with major media attention. A few weeks ago, John did a three hour interview on Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. As a result of the interview, book sales soared.
This was followed last week, by a live, in studio interview on Fox television in New York. It was a short interview, but by the time he had returned to his hotel, Crisis by Design, had made Amazon Best Seller lists in two categories (Finance and Freedom/ Liberty).
Make no mistake, this crisis was a crisis by design. It is continuing “as we speak” and there will be more to say about it. But if you what to know what really occurred and why, read Crisis by Design.
I personally think you will find the knowledge in this book empowering.
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Finally, a book that reveals the Root Causes of the Worldwide Economic Crash, why it happened, where it is headed and what you can do about it
– by Patrick Valtin, June 1, 2010.
With the publication of John Truman Wolfe’s original article “The Financial Crisis: A Look Behind the Wizard’s Curtain”, the public demand for a more comprehensive exposé on who’s “pulling the strings,” “where the bodies are buried,” and “what can be done about it” was overwhelming.
John Truman Wolfe has opened the door to scary truth: a global financial coup has really occurred right under our noses.
As the former Chairman of the Department of History at John F. Kennedy University and as a senior credit officer for two California banks: one in the San Francisco Bay Area, the other in Beverly Hills, John Truman Wolfe has been no stranger to the world of international finance. He is also the co-founder of a Los Angeles based business management company, where, as a registered investment advisor, he oversaw the financial and investment matters of some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Visit his website and see how plain evidence had been hidden from the public on this issue. And find out what to expect in the next few years! http://www.behindthewizardscurtain.com/
ENERGY: Where are prices going and how will they affect
our lives in the next few years?
- by Patrick Valtin
I recently received this interesting article from “THE GREEN CHIP REVIEW” . On the “prediction” for the next decade of Energy. It is a good overview of what will change – or not in the un-ending race for energy sources, from oil to natural gas to coal and uranium.
Following Chris Nelder of the Green Chip Review, the various sources of energy are likely to show the same instability as they did in 2009:
Oil
Oil will probably spend 2010 rangebound between $60 and $75, but could fall lower if the deflationary recession persists.
Coal
Coal seems to be poised for a long-term bull market. As oil, and then natural gas decline, the world will fall back on it as the cheapest hydrocarbon of last resort in the next decade. It will be the fallback feedstock for liquid fuels for cars, trucks, and airplanes, plastics, and industrial chemicals.
Natural Gas
The next decade outlook for natural gas is the most uncertain of all. The current glut in North America owing to the shale gas boom could be resolved in one of two ways: It will either continue through the decade, if long-term production rates are sustained at high levels, or it will crash around 2013-2014 if production falls rapidly after the initial burst of output.
Uranium
As a spate of recent news reports have recognized, the global uranium supply is running low. We’ve nearly worked through the stockpile of uranium from retired nuclear weapons, and the quality and availability of fresh ores to mine is falling. Nelder believes light water reactors will continue to dominate the nuclear sector, which means another decade of high demand for uranium.
Agriculture
At this point, Nelder consider that there is no reason to be bearish about agriculture. Fertilizer and grains will be hot throughout the decade as we try to feed the world’s growing population and combat the decline of oil with biofuels.
The added pressure will only exacerbate the problems inherent in commercial agriculture, accelerating the boom in organic and local food production.
Water
Water will be one of the biggest investment areas – and socially speaking, one of the biggest pressure points – of the next decade, due to climate change and simple population overshoot.
To view the whole article click here.
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LOOKING FOR LEADERS? – by Patrick Valtin
Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes? He’s now 82 years old and has a new book, ‘Where Have All The Leaders Gone?’.
A good thing to remind ourselves of the need to be led by worthy people who truly care for people and their country. I like Lee Iacocca’s style and mostly his honesty and genuine vision of what the heck is going in the USA.
Not a new book but things seem to have worsen since Lee wrote it!
About his book, Lee Iacocca Says:
‘Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage with this so called president? We should be screaming bloody murder! We’ve got a gang of tax cheating clueless leftists trying to steer our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even run a ridiculous cash-for-clunkers program without losing $26 billion of the taxpayers’ money, much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, ‘trust me the economy is getting better..’
Better? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned, ‘Titanic’. I’ll give you a sound bite: ‘Throw all the Democrats out along with Obama!’
You might think I’m getting senile, that I’ve gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore..
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs.. While we’re fiddling in Afghanistan , Iran is completing their nuclear bombs and missiles and nobody seems to know what to do. And the liberal press is waving ‘pom-poms’ instead of asking hard questions. That’s not the promise of the ‘ America ‘ my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I’ve had enough. How about you?
I’ll go a step further. You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged. This is a fight I’m ready and willing to have. The Biggest ‘C’ is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C’s of leadership, with crisis being the first.)
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It’s easy to sit there with thumb up your butt and talk theory. Or send someone else’s kids off to war when you’ve never seen a battlefield yourself. It’s another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here’s where we stand.
We’re immersed in a bloody war now with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. But our soldiers are dying daily. We’re running the biggest deficit in the history of the world, and it’s getting worse every day! We’ve lost the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are going to skyrock again, and nobody in power has a lucid plan to open drilling to solve the problem. This country has the largest oil reserves in the WORLD, and we cannot drill for it because the politicians have been bought by the flea-hugging environmentalists. Our schools are in a complete disaster because of the teachers union. Our borders are like sieves and they want to give all illegals amnesty and free healthcare. The middle class is being squeezed to death every day.
These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you’ve got to ask: ‘Where have all the leaders gone?’ Where are the curious, creative communicators?
Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
We’ve spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Everyone’s hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping the government will make it better for them. Now, that’s just crazy.. Deal with life.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing.
Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when ‘The Big Three’ referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, look what Obama did about it!
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care
problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the Chicago gangsters in Congress. We didn’t elect you to turn this country into a losing European Socialist state. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on NBC or CNN news will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don’t you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I’m not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I’m trying to light a fire. I’m speaking out because I have hope – I believe in America . In my lifetime, I’ve had the privilege of living through some of America ’s greatest moments. I’ve also experienced some of our worst crises: The ‘Great Depression,’ ‘World War II,’ the ‘Korean War,’ the ‘Kennedy Assassination,’ the ‘Vietnam War,’ the 1970’s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years since 9/11.
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REVEALING: More oil in West USA than in the whole Middle East! – by Patrick Valtin
3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota
and Montana’s Bakken Formation-25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate
- 8-times as much oil as Saudi Arabia
- 18-times as much oil as Iraq
- 21-times as much oil as Kuwait
- 22-times as much oil as Iran
- 500-times as much oil as Yemen
About 6 months ago, a news program on oil was interviewing one of the Forbes Bros. The host said to Forbes, “I am going to ask you a direct question and I would like a direct answer; how much oil does the U.S. have in the ground?”
Forbes did not miss a beat, he said, “more than all the Middle East put together.”
The U. S. Geological Service issued a report in April 2008 that only scientists and oil men knew was coming, but man was it big. It was a revised report (hadn’t been updated since 1995) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota, western South Dakota, and extreme eastern Montana ….. check THIS out:
The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay, and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable… at $107 a barrel, we’re looking at a resource base worth more than $5..3 trillion.
“When I first briefed legislators on this, you could practically see their jaws hit the floor. They had no idea..” says Terry Johnson, the Montana Legislature’s financial analyst.
“This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years,” reports The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It’s a formation known as the Williston Basin, but is more commonly referred to as the ‘Bakken.’
It stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota and into Canada.
For years, U. S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end. Even the ‘Big Oil’ companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago. However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken’s massive reserves….. and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL! That’s enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 2041 years straight.
And if THAT didn’t throw you on the floor, then this next one should – because it’s from 2006!
U. S. Oil Discovery- Largest Reserve in the World
Stansberry Report Online – 4/20/2006
Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its extraction. In three and a half years of high oil prices none has been extracted. With this motherload of oil why are we still fighting over off-shore drilling?
They reported this stunning news: We have more oil inside our borders, than all the other proven reserves on earth.
HOW can this BE? HOW can we NOT BE extracting this? Because the environmentalists and others have blocked all efforts to help America become independent of foreign oil! Again, we are letting a small group of people dictate our lives and our economy…..WHY?
James Bartis, lead researcher with the study says we’ve got more oil in this very compact area than the entire Middle East -more than 2 TRILLION barrels untapped. That’s more than all the proven oil reserves of crude oil in the world today, reports The Denver Post. Don’t think ‘OPEC’ will drop its price – even with this find? Think again! It’s all about the competitive marketplace, – it has to.
Think OPEC just might be funding the environmentalists? Got your attention yet?
Now, while you’re thinking about it, do this:
Pass this along. If you don’t take a little time to do this, then you should stifle yourself the next time you complain about gas prices – by doing NOTHING, you forfeit your right to complain.
Click here and see for yourself the whole report from USGS – US Geological Survey. Or visit
http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911
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CRISIS BUSTER TIPS for business owners and sales professionals
by Patrick Valtin, March 7, 2009
Patrick Valtin recently wrote an article for the Tamapa Bay Informer magazine.
The subject was: how to deal with the crisis as a professional salesperson or a business owner.
Here is the article:
CRISIS BUSTER TIPS
For Business owners and sales professionals – by Patrick V. Valtin
How to negotiate your way through rough times if your life depends on selling something – Part One
1. DISAGREE
“Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.” – Mahatma Gandhi
You will find that people who continue to do well during challenging times are not luckier or stronger or even smarter. They are mostly more persistent and they refuse to lose. In other words, they disagree. The best examples are patients who were affected by some “incurable” cancer and yet recovered – against all medical expectations. The only common denominator that could be found in these people was exactly that: they disagreed with giving up!
You can make your own future and you can win the battles of life to the degree that you have the guts to disagree. So remember this principle: When trouble arises, it is just a test of your ability and willingness to make things go right. Just disagree!
2. IGNORE THE BAD NEWS
“The news media are, for the most part, the bringers of bad news… and it’s not entirely the media’s fault. Bad news gets higher ratings and sells more papers than good news.” – Peter McWilliams, author of “Life 101”
We are being overwhelmed by bad news everyday. The merchants of chaos are making money by scaring the hell out of us. Don’t fall into the trap! Bad news brings bad news. One smart way to end the crisis for yourself is to focus on GOOD news. When was the last time you got some?
Try this: Once a day, Google those exact words, “good news”, and find some. Good news will pump up your morale and thus your willingness to fight. Commit yourself to the following principle (or therapy): “Good news once a day will keep the trouble away!”
3. SHARE THE GOOD NEWS
“To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.” – Abraham Lincoln
You know what your customers are mainly lacking? It is not money . . . it is confidence in the future. If you want your customers to buy from you now, you must first help them improve their confidence in their ability to make things go right.
So, make this a golden rule: every time you talk to a prospect or a customer, start by giving them some good news on any subject. Get them to recognize you as a source of good news and you will be surprised at the results! And also share good news with everybody who might affect your life. Sharing good news is the next best therapy for staying upbeat and willing to fight!
4. BE YOUR CUSTOMERS’ BEST ADVISER
“One customer, well taken care of, could be more valuable than $10,000 worth of advertising.” – Jim Rohn, author of “7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness”
You have knowledge about your customers’ business that is very valuable. Giving good advice which can help them solve some of their problems will make you stronger and will make your customer even more confident that you are not just interested in them for their money but you truly and genuinely care for them!
The caring factor is the most important one in selling. Ask yourself what you can do to increase your customers’ confidence and do something about it every day. When you care, you earn the most precious gift you can from a worthy customer: Trust! In times of difficulties, one must abide more than ever by the following principle: In order to receive one must be willing to give!
5. EXPAND YOUR HORIZON
“When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.” – John F. Kennedy
You have an unlimited source of power. Some call it “brain power”. Others call it “inner power”. I call it “creative power.” In times of crisis and economic unrest, most people introvert into their own problems. They tend to forget that challenging times always bring forth the best ideas and technologies. So start putting more attention on opportunities until you create some. Use your “creative power” to discover new solutions to your customers’ problems; to propose new services; to sell new products and/or to sell new ideas to people around you.
Creativity is the ultimate solution to challenges. Think of solutions, whatever you are facing. No one can resolve a problem by being stuck in the problem. Follow this great principle: Get out of the mental box and expand your horizon.
6. INVEST IN THE MOST PROFITABLE ASSET: YOU
“When a person is competent, nothing can shake his pride. The world can yell. But it doesn’t shake him.” – L. Ron Hubbard
Do you want 1,000% return on your investment? Well, invest in yourself. Build yourself up; find a way to be more competent and more knowledgeable – about your job, your business and even about life! There is no stronger feeling than the feeling of competence. You can’t count on anyone else to help you beat challenging times, but developing more skills will develop your certainty and your confidence.
So many people have wasted their money in “promising” financial investments. They forgot that the only guaranteed investment they can ever make is in themselves. You can’t lose by increasing your ability to do what you are doing for a living. Rough times offer the best opportunity to augment your qualifications and become stronger. Your customers will always appreciate your expertise in some field that can help them. This principle will be your best ally!
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How To Lead Your Business or Yourself Through and Out of The Economic Crisis!
Patrick V. Valtin is an international sales & Marketing consultant and 
management coach. He has trained over 75,000 people in more than 25 countries. He recently was lecturing in Athens, invited by AMT Management.
You want to survive and be able to experience expansion, while everybody else believes this is the worst economic crisis – and is set to last for the rest of their life? Follow the 3 rules below:
RULE NUMBER ONE:
IF YOU KNOW YOUR HISTORY, YOU HAVE NO REASON FOR WORRY! The current economic crisis is “just” a repetition of the past. Don’t you remember “Black Monday? It refers to Monday, October 19, 1987, when stock markets around the world crashed. The Black Monday decline was the largest one-day percentage decline in stock market history. But all world stock markets rallied in less than 1.5 year.
Then, nobody has forgotten the 1991-1992 world crisis, right after the Iraq war: huge peaks in oil prices, a steep decline in the commercial real estate market and a credit crisis (featuring the infamous savings and loan collapses of the late 1980s). This crisis ended in 1994 and world stock markets hit top values in less than 2 years.
And of course, 2001-2002 is just in our back. The attacks had a significant economic impact on the United States and world markets. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), and NASDAQ did not open on September 11 and remained closed until September 17. When the stock markets reopened, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) stock market index fell 684 points, or 7.1%, to 8921, a record-setting one-day point decline. By the end of the week, the DJIA had fallen 1,369.7 points (14.3%), its largest one-week point drop in history.
But recovery came faster than expected, world stock market hitting again unparallel top levels within less than 2 years and continued to climb until 6-7 months ago.
So the morale of the story? Crises always bring recoveries and these come faster than many dare hope. I have personally lived and survived through 6 crises in 50 years. I have grown stronger and smarter out of each of them. And so have you, I am sure!
RULE NUMBER TWO:
IGNORE the bad news. Do not read or listen to the bad news in the papers, radio or TV. I am sorry to say, but listening to these bad news, gossips and rumors will not do you any good.
You will find out that the mass media are specialized in scaring you to death. When you understand that, 
you want to get access only to “good news” media. And there are some! Good news brings good news. Insist on getting good news at least once a day! And also put your attention on giving your friends, your employees or your colleagues good news at least once a day.
I once advised a customer who did not know what to send out for promotion. He was concerned that his customers were complaining about his bi-weekly email newsletter. I told him “well, double it. Send them good news…” He took it by the letter and started to send his 20,000 customer base some success stories or good news from happy customers, on a weekly basis. Nobody ever complained about that – and he “miraculously” started to make more money!
So: spread good news around, in life and in business. Suggest people around you to do the same. Surround yourself of people who are good news – and you will soon see a big difference in the business… and in life. I like to live with the following principle: “One good news a day keeps the trouble away!”
RULE NUMBER THREE:
GO NUTS on your promotional actions. Increase your reach to your market. This means, literally: increase your communications to your mailing list. Are you sending 1,000 promo pieces per week? Start sending 3,000 of them. Spend less money on quality and more money on quantity. During tough times, most people and businesses tend to introvert and reduce their reach out to the society or to their market. Don’t do that, as it is a fatal mistake!
You may have to double or triple your promotional actions. So what? If you were stopping your marketing and promotional efforts what would happen to your business? It would die… well, what will happen to it if you multiply your promotional actions? It will grow.
So here is the tip. Find out what was your best promotional action, ever! Which promo was giving you big business? Do it again!!! It does not matter if it was one or 5 years ago. Find out what promo was successful and do it again BUT IN HIGHER QUANTITIES. Find the money to multiply your reach out to your market. Sure, you should economize; spend less money on less valuable actions. But your business will grow to the extent that you are (still) existent in the eyes of customers. Promotion is the last thing you want to reduce. Triple or even more what you have ever been effectively promoting!
Conclusion: do what most people don’t. Go against the flow. Do what Warren Edward Buffett recently suggested in a CNN interview: “When people are greedy I am worried. When people are worried I am greedy”! I always like to take advice from people who proved to be right! Warren was ranked by Forbes as the richest man in the world during the first half of 2008, with an estimated net worth of $62.0 billion. In his recent interview he laughed when the reporter told him why he was not worried about the current world crisis. His response: “I got rich also because I learned to disagree with the bad news…”
By Patrick Valtin.