If you’re working as hard as ever but can no longer make ends meet, don’t feel badly.  You’re not doing anything wrong and lots of people are exactly in the same boat.  High inflation and taxes are to blame, and they’re taking a toll in ways that are obvious and in others less obvious.   

For most of us, important elections, baseball and football games, and major boxing matches are incidental to our lives; even if we follow them, we focus most of our attention on more pressing things.  Gambling addicts are cut from a different cloth.  Events like these are exceptionally exciting, and sometimes dominate their lives, their thinking, and even their finances.  Like other addictions, this one is expensive, difficult to break, and destructive.

Why is gold rallying?  Maybe the word “finally” should be added to this question, because it’s been a long time since the metal generated any excitement.  Even gold bugs would have to acknowledge the industry has been dull.