Ask Doc He's one of the most connected men on Wall Street I've ever met...
I first met him about 10 years ago at the Value Investing Congress. Ever since, I've enjoyed following his career. He's made the cover of Kiplinger's... was a regular on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and Fox Business... and in 2000, he predicted the dot-com crash.
That's not all...
In 2016, he entered his first endurance race, the grueling 24-hour World's Toughest Mudder, and did not win... but instead set the all-time record in the 50+ age group by completing 75 miles and nearly 300 obstacles. And then he won the age group again last November.
He's climbed some of the world's highest peaks: the Matterhorn, Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau, Mont Blanc, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and Mt. Kenya.
He founded one of the best-known investing conferences, the Value Investing Congress where we met. It's here that some of the world's greatest investors were his guests, including Julian Robertson, Leon Cooperman, Seth Klarman, Daniel Loeb, Joel Greenblatt, Jim Chanos, Carl Icahn, Larry Robbins, Mohnish Pabrai, Jeffrey Ubben, Bruce Berkowitz, David Einhorn, and Bill Ackman (with whom he's been close friends since college at Harvard).
That's just a taste of his accomplishments. And, honestly, I wish I had a third of his energy.
I'm talking about Whitney Tilson.
On April 17 at 8 p.m. Eastern time, Whitney is airing an on-camera interview where he'll reveal the secret of his strategy... and announce the biggest prediction of his career.
Plus, he'll reveal the name and ticker symbol of the company he says is the No. 1 retirement stock in America that you should own right now. (You'll get this for free, just for tuning in.)
This online event is free to watch, but a reservation is required.
Click here to reserve your spot.
Now let's get into this week's Q&A... It's bound to be a controversial issue. Keep sending your comments, complaints, and questions to [email protected].
Q: I recently had routine blood work. My doctor suggested a low dose of cholesterol lowering drug. My LDL was 116 and HDL was 60. I have no family history of heart disease. I'm not overweight. I've followed my cholesterol numbers for years and it has actually improved a little. I'm 62. I'm confused because I've always believed a total number below 200 was healthy. Would you share your opinion please? – P.J.
A: Solely treating a set of numbers with an overprescribed drug class like statins is an irresponsible – and dangerous – practice. Statins can cause muscle pain and weakness, liver damage, increased blood sugar, and can lead to memory loss.
It makes my blood boil how often doctors go straight to a statin. In my latest issue of Retirement Millionaire, I detailed how inflammation – not cholesterol – was the root cause of heart disease. That's why simply treating cholesterol numbers doesn't work. Doctors need to focus on the whole patient – including lifestyle elements like diet and exercise.
If you haven't already, read my issues on The Cholesterol Myth and Two Lifestyle Tips to Lower Your Cholesterol.
If your doctor doesn't believe in taking these steps before putting you on a statin, it's probably time to get a new doctor.
Q: You're always railing against supplements (like your recent comments on turmeric supplements). I've taken several supplements for years. I'd rather go the natural route than whatever pill a doctor would prescribe. – L.V.
A: The marketing for these pills implies that supplements are medical treatments... but they aren't regulated like medicines. No one's checking the health claims – many of which are pure marketing fiction. And worse, the supplements contain ingredients and substances that are different from what's on the label.
Supplement companies are allowed to "self regulate."
In 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). The act says, "The manufacturer of a dietary supplement or dietary ingredient is responsible for ensuring that the product is safe before it is marketed." This means the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't verify claims made on labels or check the safety of products. So you're unlikely to see a supplement that's FDA-approved.
The FDA only steps in when there are complaints concerning a supplement. But researching a supplement after it has already damaged people's health is too late.
Here's just some of the harm supplements can do...
One of the chemicals found in fish-oil supplements – mercury – causes neurological problems in babies and the elderly.
Vitamin D supplements can cause kidney failure, kidney stones, and painful muscle spasms.
And supplement interactions can be even more dangerous.
St. John's wort makes many drugs less effective. When taken with cancer drug panobinostat, the cancer drug loses 70% of its effectiveness. This is so extreme that it can lead to treatment failure.
If you're taking diuretics, calcium supplements increase your risk of kidney damage.
In most cases, you're far better off dumping your supplements and meeting your nutritional needs with healthy, whole foods – starting with your vegetables.
Q: I use TradeStops. Besides getting tracking on my stocks and alerts, I organize my investments into sub categories (such as the melt-up stocks or retirement trader stocks, etc.) to keep track of which advisers are giving me the best advice. It can do more than I can comprehend. It's a fantastic tool. – J.D.
And...
Q: I'm surprised you didn't recommend TradeStops. You can keep info on all brokerage accounts in one place and can break down your portfolios anyway you want. It will give you breakdowns by asset classifications as well as risk. Actually, I think this is the best service they offer. – M.K.
A: Quite of few of you sent us e-mails about TradeStops. Its founder, Dr. Richard Smith, is a longtime friend of ours.
Richard initially built his website to follow my colleague and True Wealth editor Steve Sjuggerud's trailing-stop loss recommendations. Since then, he's turned it into a place where you can monitor your stops. It allows you to instantly import your own portfolio data from a dozen different brokerage firms... along with portfolios from dozens of different newsletters. Plus a whole lot more...
If you're not already using TradeStops, click here to learn more.
What We're Reading...
- Did you miss it? How the stock market makes millionaires.
- Something different: Americans are borrowing to pay for health care. (Or skipping treatment altogether.)
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
April 5, 2019