Why Smart People Stay Broke - Erik Weir #6354

Kerry Lutz and Erik Weir explore why intelligence alone doesn't lead to financial success — and why many smart, high-earning people still struggle with money. Erik shares his personal journey, from overcoming a childhood brain injury and stutter to developing a resilience-driven mindset that shaped his views on wealth, discipline, and long-term thinking. They break down core financial principles too many people were never taught, including compound interest, deferred consumption, and the dangers of living beyond your means. Kerry and Erik discuss how poor financial literacy traps families in cycles of debt, why relying on inheritances is a mistake, and how even top earners — including professional athletes — often sabotage their own futures. The conversation also dives into real-world opportunities, from real estate realities in Florida to niche business ideas like high-end housing for pilots. They touch on entrepreneurship, wealth concentration in places like Silicon Valley, and the power of networking with the right people. The episode closes with a clear takeaway: financial freedom isn't about being smarter — it's about avoiding the hidden traps that keep wealth out of reach. Find Erik here: https://erikweir.com Find Kerry here :https://khlfsn.substack.com and here: https://inflation.cafe    Kerry's New Book "The Armstrong Economic Code: The 5 Truths Investors Must Never Forget" is out now on Amazon!  Get your copy here:   https://a.co/d/bvYbZOz  "The World According to Martin Armstrong – Conversations with the Master Forecaster" is a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. . Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4kuC5p5

Silver just detonated. Kerry Lutz and Craig Hemke break down the explosive move that vaulted silver from the mid-$30s to almost $62, and why this breakout finally looks real. They get into the momentum shift, short covering, and the holiday-trading setup that let prices rip while the pros were off the desk. This market is waking up. They dig into historical patterns, gold/silver ratios, and why the fourth quarter into early January is primed for upside. Craig explains the Black Friday surge, the liquidity gap, and how managed money chased the rally higher. The risks — and the opportunity. From broken suppression efforts to shaky unallocated accounts, they lay out why dips are getting bought, why shorts are trapped, and why physical ownership matters more than ever. If silver's truly breaking its cage, this may be the opening move. Find Craig here: https://www.tfmetalsreport.com Find Kerry here :https://khlfsn.substack.com and here: https://inflation.cafe    Kerry's New Book "The Armstrong Economic Code: The 5 Truths Investors Must Never Forget" is out now on Amazon!  Get your copy here:   https://a.co/d/bvYbZOz  "The World According to Martin Armstrong – Conversations with the Master Forecaster" is a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. . Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4kuC5p5

A fast, high-clarity breakdown of the Caribbean chessboard — and why Venezuela, Cuba, and Panama now sit at the center of a global power reset. Kerry Lutz maps out how Venezuela becomes the spark, Cuba the real prize, and Panama the strategic pivot point as China quietly expands influence and the U.S. recalibrates policy ahead of a new commodity supercycle. Kerry walks through how shifting alliances, failing media narratives, and a narrowing geopolitical window are setting up dramatic moves in energy, metals, and trade routes. From Trump's emerging doctrine to emergency oil stabilization, this briefing lays out why crude may calm while gold, silver, and copper prepare for their next surge. You'll hear why Cuba's vulnerability matters more than headlines suggest, how the Panama Canal factors into long-term U.S.–China friction, and where asymmetric opportunities may emerge — including overlooked plays in distressed Cuban debt. A sharp, 6-minute macro briefing for investors watching the next big shift in geopolitics, energy, and hard assets. Find Kerry here :https://khlfsn.substack.com and here: https://inflation.cafe    Kerry's New Book "The Armstrong Economic Code: The 5 Truths Investors Must Never Forget" is out now on Amazon!  Get your copy here:   https://a.co/d/bvYbZOz  "The World According to Martin Armstrong – Conversations with the Master Forecaster" is a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. . Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4kuC5p5

This was the week the 60-year silver suppression regime finally cracked. What started with low-liquidity chaos on Black Friday turned into a full-blown breakout on Cyber Monday, marking the first commercial signal failure in more than a decade — and the price action shows it. Silver ripped from the low $50s toward $60 in hours, sell walls vanished, algorithms froze, and shorts began to lose control as physical demand overwhelmed the paper market. Behind the scenes, industrial buyers have been quietly panic-stocking while capital drains out of public assets ahead of the 2026 ECM turn. And the people closest to the market? They've been loading up on physical silver for six months, anticipating this exact moment — the break between reality and the paper illusion. In this episode, Kerry explains why Black Friday acted like nitroglycerin under the suppression system, why Monday's surge confirms a structural failure, and how the physical market has already decoupled from paper pricing. He digs into Armstrong's ECM target for March 14, 2026, the three potential price paths from $90 to as high as $600 in extreme conditions, and why purchasing power can explode even in inflationary periods. This isn't just a rally — it's an escape event. The lid is off, the pressure is rising, and for the first time in decades, silver is trading like a free asset again.

Kerry Lutz connects with Michael Pento to uncover the three massive bubbles threatening the U.S. economy—credit, real estate, and stocks. Pento criticizes government strategies like tariffs and stimulus checks for failing to tackle inflation and debt, highlights the gap between corporate earnings and everyday Americans' reality, and warns of severe market overvaluation. He dives into private equity growth, rising defaults, and shadow banking, and offers a defensive investment approach with cash, short-term bonds, and gold to protect against potential market shocks. Find Michael here: http://www.pentoport.com/ Find Kerry here :https://khlfsn.substack.com and here: https://inflation.cafe    Kerry's New Book "The Armstrong Economic Code: The 5 Truths Investors Must Never Forget" is out now on Amazon!  Get your copy here:   https://a.co/d/bvYbZOz  "The World According to Martin Armstrong – Conversations with the Master Forecaster" is a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. . Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4kuC5p5

Kerry dives in with Dudley Baker on gold, silver, and the hidden forces moving the metals market. Prices have dipped, but Baker warns the bigger trend is far from over — smaller miners are lagging, but history shows metals often roar back after pullbacks. He breaks down stock warrants, why expiration and exercise prices matter, and highlights explosive opportunities in mining and rare earths. With 750–800 companies in their database, savvy investors can uncover hidden winners before the crowd catches on. Tech stocks are slipping, markets are shaky, and uncertainty is rising — Baker says diversification isn't optional, it's survival. The next few months could hand investors major gains, but only if they're ready. Find Dudley here: https://commonstockwarrants.com/ Find Kerry here :https://khlfsn.substack.com and here: https://inflation.cafe    Kerry's New Book "The Armstrong Economic Code: The 5 Truths Investors Must Never Forget" is out now on Amazon!  Get your copy here:   https://a.co/d/bvYbZOz  "The World According to Martin Armstrong – Conversations with the Master Forecaster" is a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. . Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4kuC5p5

Kerry Lutz and Dennis Tubbergen break down the 2023 devaluation of fiat currencies, the rise of gold as a central bank favorite, and the growing interest in alternative and commodity-backed currencies. They examine the $38 trillion U.S. debt, Treasury bond concerns, housing struggles, and lessons from historical hyperinflation, while exploring safe-haven investments like gold, silver, and Bitcoin. Finally, they look at how AI is shaking up the stock and job markets, from potential bubbles to major corporate layoffs. Find Dennis here: https://dennistubbergen.com Find Kerry here :https://khlfsn.substack.com and here: https://inflation.cafe    Kerry's New Book "The Armstrong Economic Code: The 5 Truths Investors Must Never Forget" is out now on Amazon!  Get your copy here:   https://a.co/d/bvYbZOz  "The World According to Martin Armstrong – Conversations with the Master Forecaster" is a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. . Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4kuC5p5

The conversation frames the government shutdown as a sign of deepening dysfunction and expanding surveillance that threatens personal freedoms, leading into a broader discussion on crisis preparedness, global tensions, and even relocating to places like Puerto Rico for tax advantages and strategic safety despite natural-disaster risks. Kerry and Lobo also break down the strength in gold and silver—steady bullion, rising mining stocks, and silver pushing toward a firmer price base—while warning against buying at peaks and pointing to opportunities where fundamentals are stronger than current prices. They close by examining global power shifts, from China's naval rise to de-globalization and de-dollarization, arguing that market turbulence ahead could offer the best openings for disciplined investors. Find Lobo here: https://independentspeculator.com Find Kerry here :https://khlfsn.substack.com and here: https://inflation.cafe    Kerry's New Book "The Armstrong Economic Code: The 5 Truths Investors Must Never Forget" is out now on Amazon!  Get your copy here:   https://a.co/d/bvYbZOz  "The World According to Martin Armstrong – Conversations with the Master Forecaster" is a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. . Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4kuC5p5

Kerry Lutz and Jeremy Barnett reveal why AI hype is dying—and why execution now rules. Jeremy breaks down how solving real problems, staying authentic, and leading with results is what investors actually reward, and he shares how acquiring Atomic Reach during COVID created a strong product-market fit and built a community of 11,000 investors. Highlighting the value of due diligence and the credibility of Reg A+ structures, the takeaway is clear: real relationships, real execution, and real results are what move the needle today. Find Jeremy here:  https://www.radintel.ai Find Kerry here :https://khlfsn.substack.com and here: https://inflation.cafe    Kerry's New Book "The Armstrong Economic Code: The 5 Truths Investors Must Never Forget" is out now on Amazon!  Get your copy here:   https://a.co/d/bvYbZOz  "The World According to Martin Armstrong – Conversations with the Master Forecaster" is a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. . Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4kuC5p5

Kerry Lutz and Jacob Ward explore the profound ways AI is shaping our decisions, behaviors, and work. From the influence of social media trends on children to the automation of jobs across the economy, they examine how algorithms subtly steer both personal choices and societal outcomes. The conversation delves into cognitive liberty, the challenges of regulating AI, and the ethical questions surrounding its growing power — offering listeners a clear, credible look at the forces quietly reshaping our world. Find Jacob here: https://www.jacobward.com Find Kerry here :https://khlfsn.substack.com and here: https://inflation.cafe    Kerry's New Book "The World According to Martin Armstrong – Conversations with the Master Forecaster" is now a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. . Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4kuC5p5