Ask Doc I had a great time last night taking your questions about the Stansberry Portfolio Solutions product.
My partners, Porter Stansberry and Steve Sjuggerud, and I were honored by your interest in this new approach to investing newsletters. To be honest, we had no idea if it would succeed or not. (We still don't.)
Some folks in our company are afraid that if everyone subscribes to this "do it for you" portfolio product, then they won't buy anything else!
Other folks are worried about the high price point of the products that the Stansberry Portfolio Solutions subscribers are getting at way lower costs... I saw one estimate that showed for just one payment of a few thousand dollars, you could receive for life what would otherwise cost about $10,000 in just the first year. And nearly $40,000 over five years. (That's our Income Portfolio.)
Of course, our Alliance Partners receive all this research complimentary with their commitment with our company.
The Solutions portfolios are a big change from our usual way of doing things. And our lifetime-only offer isn't one we're making lightly. We know that many of you will jump at the chance to save money in the next several years... and get a lot more for it.
That's our hope. This product is how we can ensure we are best serving your interests. That we're putting it all together for you... across our wide ranges of expertise... into one simple, allocated portfolio that can hopefully survive anything the market throws at you.
With that in mind, I wasn't surprised that our No. 1 question that we got last week was:
Will we replay the webinar for folks who had a prior commitment last night?
Absolutely. For Paul, Craig, Robert, and several other readers who asked: We've uploaded our full presentation right here.
As always, if the Portfolio Solutions strategy isn't for you, no problem. But it is worth watching our presentation to get all three of our perspectives and "big calls" for 2017.
Now, let's get to some more questions you had for me last night that I couldn't answer... plus some on our issues of Retirement Millionaire Daily last week.
And write me at [email protected] if there's a question that I missed.
Q: When the outside temperature is below 40 degrees, should my heat pump be in the emergency mode or heat pump mode? I have a seller of heat pumps that tells me to leave the heat pump in the heat pump mode. I have a repair person that says use the emergency mode. – Bill
A: Only manually switch to "emergency mode" in an emergency... when your heat pump isn't working to heat your house.
This mode can also be labeled on some thermostats as "auxiliary heat." It's generally less efficient at heating your home, making it more expensive. But it does have the advantage of continuing to work in cold temperatures...
Many times, your heat pump system will automatically switch to auxiliary heat when the temperature drops below a set point, say 35-40 degrees. That's working as it's intended – as a backup. But when you manually set it to "emergency mode," it keeps running in that more expensive backup mode, even when the temperature outside rises again.
And make sure that you plug up drafts and lower your thermostat... According the U.S. Department of Energy, drafts can account for up to 30% of your home's energy use. You can fix that problem with a tube of sealant caulk for about $5. And you might also look at a "smart" thermostat. I just detailed how to save 12% on your energy bill in my February issue of Retirement Millionaire. Subscribers can click here to read it. (Not a subscriber? Click here for a risk-free trial.)
Q: Almost by accident, I "discovered" a method [for falling asleep] that has worked very well for me almost every time... I went to the local public library and took out a book on CD. That night when I woke up at 2 AM and could not get back to sleep, I put the CD on the player, got back into bed, closed my eyes and bingo; it worked like a charm. Within about 15 minutes I was fast asleep. Ever since then I have used this method to induce myself to sleep when nothing else seems to work. – Alliance member Don W.
A: Great tip, Don. That's also a good method of getting screens (like smartphones and TVs) out of your bedroom, too.
About two years ago, I had started reading on a backlit tablet in bed... I found that I was having a harder time sleeping, and that I kept getting sick. Usually, I get through cold and flu seasons unscathed. Once I identified the problem – that my tablet was emitting blue light – the fix was easy...
Blue light is just one color of light that electronics like laptops and tablets give off. But it's the one that's the most disruptive to circadian rhythms. Think of the circadian rhythm like a clock that signals our bodies the optimal time to do things, like falling asleep and waking up. Blue light also stops the release of melatonin – the hormone that makes you sleepy.
To give your brain time to get ready to sleep, shut off your electronics an hour before bed. Keep the lights dim and the room cool. And try white noise (or an audiobook if that works for you).
Q: Did I read a study that reported that the combined use of Benadryl and alcohol can cause erectile dysfunction? – A.B.
A: Hi A.B., thanks for asking. We couldn't locate a study that focused on both of these factors, but I want to be very clear: both alcohol use and antihistamines like Benadryl can cause ED.
Alcohol, although it may increase desire, contributes to erectile dysfunction. The evidence points to alcohol's behavior as a depressant on the central nervous system. Similarly, antihistamines have ED as a side effect. Combining the two increases your chances of having ED problems.
Most important, you should use caution when combining the two... and not just because of ED. You see, mixing alcohol with an antihistamine increases your drowsiness, impairs your attention, and can even lead to drinking too much. You can read more when you look them up on a drug interaction checker like the ones we've recommended (try this one at Drugs.com).
Incidentally, the American Family Physician journal has an insightful paper on the many causes for ED. It's worth the read. Find it here.
Q: I now live in an over-55 active retirement community. Residents have a newsletter and ask for input of articles and info to include each month. Can I send in the address for your email newsletter to the publishers? – Carol S.
A: Absolutely Carol, I encourage people to share issues with their friends and family. Feel free to forward on the issues or send folks to our website – retirementmillionairedaily.com.
But if you want to reuse or republish our issues in any way, please e-mail the team at [email protected]. Our usual policy is to say yes and request that you link back to our original article and add a link to http://healthandwealthbulletin.com/signup/, where folks can subscribe. Thanks for writing in, Carol.
What We're Reading...
- Try these tips for beating insomnia even in the winter... especially make sure your heat isn't up too high when you go to sleep. It'll help you sleep better, and save you money.
- Something different: Happy Friday the 13th! Here's the origin of the superstition.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Retirement Millionaire Daily Research Team
Baltimore, Maryland
January 13, 2017