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We invest to make money. At the very least, we invest to protect our purchasing power against inflation. (Earning 0.5% in a savings account just doesn't do much.)

And of course, more than anything, we don't want to lose money.

Last night, I aired my first ever Trading Master Class.

Thousands of people watched while I taught real readers – like you – my strategy that is designed to transform any stock into a potential triple-digit winner in a matter of just a few weeks.

The "Bond God" loves to make predictions...

Jeffrey Gundlach, founder of the $120 billion-plus investment firm DoubleLine Capital, is one of Wall Street's biggest winners. Over the past 20 years, he has specialized in fixed-income investments... which earned him the nickname the "Bond God." (He got the name to distinguish him from the equally renowned "Bond King," Bill Gross.)

My passion for teaching is the one thread that ties all my many, varied interests together.

Early on in college, I realized how much I loved taking what I had discovered and teaching it to others. For example, I started sharing my thoughts on wine during group wine tastings... and by my senior year I was teaching ballroom dance classes.

If you weren't careful, you may have read these headlines and jumped to the wrong conclusion...

Energy drinks linked to frightening side effects for your heart – MarketWatch Beware what's in your favorite energy drink – The Business Journal Energy drinks cause heart problems in as little as three hours – CBS

I'm sure many folks immediately thought of cutting caffeine...

I just returned from a whirlwind tour in China...

The incredible nature of the country's boom is impossible to fully comprehend unless you've been there, on the ground. And after my first visit last year, I understood.

Nobody wants to think about the bad times.

The widespread layoffs and job losses and the hopeless look in good employees' eyes. Formerly steady companies going bankrupt, seemingly overnight, because they took on too much debt or expanded too quickly. Huge one-day drops in the market, egged on by a panicking and discredited financial press. And a cold, empty feeling in your stomach as you look at your invested savings... your nest egg that you worked hard for your entire life... cut in half or more.

Most people simply accept that a "bear market" doesn't begin until the market is down 20% or more.

But if you start fiddling with charts and spreadsheets, you'll find that popular definition isn't worth much. After all, is it only 20% from an all-time high? That's not very useful in a period like the one after 2009, when stocks took nearly a decade to reach new highs.

My mind was racing the entire flight. Just how bad had things gotten?

A few months ago, I boarded a Delta Air Lines flight and got lost in a book while waiting for others to board. Within a few minutes, I realized there wasn't much activity around me. I looked up to see the door to the aircraft closing.

We're not celebrating the new all-time highs for the S&P 500.

If you subscribe to my publications, you know that we've enjoyed some great gains this year. And the market's rebound after the December crash has been strong. But it won't continue forever...