Safe Haven

The En Primeur for 2009 as Rath suggested is a good idea. I keep getting emails from Berry Bros on just how spankingly good it's supposed to be in relation to 2001 and 2005 so a case of a good Margaux or Pauillac might be worth a few bob in a while.

I go with land too. I keep buying farmland off my neighbour who is a farmer on the premise that as population increases in this country, land premiums for brownfield will go up as more new development is required and planning permission restrictions relax to cater for housing needs.

Also mineral extraction (gravel) on farm land is quite lucrative but a bit of a ball ache to get permission on although it's money for old rope once all the permissions/environmentals are agreed as the miners like Summerleaze take care of all that.
 
It ALMOST makes sense to not save but to run up debt - put 100K down on a 400k flat in London. This way, any currency depreciation/inflation would be my friend, not my enemy...

Shurely I can't be the only one with these concerns here....

and when said flat depreciates by 25% over the lifetime of this hybrid Condem govt...?:eek:

You should have been buying Swissys for the past two years at least...never too late IMHO..You're clever enough to figure out where the rest of the scared (clever) money is offski...and let's not forget that the BoE/MPC has started its verbals today regarding the imminent rise in UK interest rates, totally out of step with the USofA...

IMO Gideon and Call Me Dave have a pathological and ideology based hatred of Obama..
 
I go with land too. I keep buying farmland off my neighbour who is a farmer on the premise that as population increases in this country, land premiums for brownfield will go up as more new development is required and planning permission restrictions relax to cater for housing needs.
Yo robster,
If the land butts up to a development boundary - you might just get lucky, otherwise it's a highly speculative and very long term play. If you want to get into that game, you're better off looking for infill plots (just like trading gaps - but applied to property), or large plots in residential areas that could accommodate more property. And if you want someone to handle the planners on your behalf, mrs. timsk is a pro' with twenty years experience and is very good, although I confess that I'm an incy wincy bit biased!
:LOL:
Tim.
 
wouldnt buy wine, bubble territory
 

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That's very handy to know Tim. You're right, it is a very, very long term view and highly, highly speculative. Currently the land serves the purpose of allowing the kids to run around and damage themselves and for me to shoot some rabbits for the pot from time to time. Is Mrs Timsk a land agent or some such professional?
 
.................And if you want someone to handle the planners on your behalf, mrs. timsk is a pro' with twenty years experience and is very good, although I confess that I'm an incy wincy bit biased!....................

Tim.

Heaven to Bettsy!!!! Surely not drumming up clients, Timmy my dear chap :LOL:

Yeah, I know, just proud of the boss :cheesy:

jon
 
Thanks for the tips this far, although I don't think we've hit a home run yet.

Premium bonds are interesting EXCEPT they are a currency equivalent and currency depreciation is my major concern now. Mind you - they are backed by the govt - which is my other concern.
Farm Land in Illinois - well, I'd just get my pants pulled down on that deal for sure.

It ALMOST makes sense to not save but to run up debt - put 100K down on a 400k flat in London. This way, any currency depreciation/inflation would be my friend, not my enemy...

Shurely I can't be the only one with these concerns here....


If you could afford to put 100k down on a flat, you could afford to put 30k into the maximum premium bond holding, and still have capital left to diversify into other things. If the day comes when premium bonds are worthless, then a lot of other financial instruments will be also. Land and property may also be at risk at that point.

Other than that, agricultural land seems like a great thing to own, if you have the spare capital. Not in Illinois though, unless you live in Illinois. Somewhere close at hand where you can go and enjoy it. If you can't think of anything to do with it, you might be able to rent it out to a smallholder; or grow a wood or forest(**); or put it down to pasture; or just give it over to the flora and fauna.

(**ever read the book: "The Man who grew Trees"? (Originally in French). He grew them on other people's land though :) ).
 
@roth

You mean the index or an actual case of a good bordeaux from a class 1-5 house?

Or both? Interested to note why you think en primeur would be bad for what was a good growing year in france.
 
That's very handy to know Tim. You're right, it is a very, very long term view and highly, highly speculative. Currently the land serves the purpose of allowing the kids to run around and damage themselves and for me to shoot some rabbits for the pot from time to time. Is Mrs Timsk a land agent or some such professional?
That sounds good, although I was worried for a second there; I thought you were about to say you sent your kids into the field so you could take pot shots at them! Re. mrs. timsk - she's a Chartered Town Planning Consultant. I know, I know, how did a posh bird like her end up with a waster like me? It's a question she asks herself daily I'm sure.
:cheesy:
 
That sounds good, although I was worried for a second there; I thought you were about to say you sent your kids into the field so you could take pot shots at them! Re. mrs. timsk - she's a Chartered Town Planning Consultant. I know, I know, how did a posh bird like her end up with a waster like me? It's a question she asks herself daily I'm sure.
:cheesy:

It's because she saw the artist in you ;)
 
@roth

You mean the index or an actual case of a good bordeaux from a class 1-5 house?

Or both? Interested to note why you think en primeur would be bad for what was a good growing year in france.

well the general price of wine is to high and may well come crashing down.

had a lovely 1990 lafite on friday night :smart:
 
Heaven to Bettsy!!!! Surely not drumming up clients, Timmy my dear chap :LOL:

Yeah, I know, just proud of the boss :cheesy:

jon

................ I know, I know, how did a posh bird like her end up with a waster like me? It's a question she asks herself daily I'm sure................
:cheesy:


see? i knew it :D
 
At least she didn't marry him for his money :)
. . . but did I marry her for hers?
By the way, just in case anyone was wondering, she's trying desperately to get out of planning - it's doing her head in - so she doesn't want any more clients! She had to submit a bat survey with a planning application for a new build on a vacant plot of land the other day. Yep - you read that right. Mind boggling isn't it! The local authority point blank refused to accept the application without the survey, which cost something like £300 would you believe.
Tim.
 
Suppose I'd better add something constructive - my opinion, anyway - to the debate :)

You seem to be a tad concerned about doomsday, DT. If it ever arrived there'd be no safe haven so it seems a pretty fruitless task to seek it out.

Dollar becoming worthless? Well if US goes belly up we all do, so why not just hold on to your pot and keep it in dollars or Government Bonds.

jon
 
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