Crash Proof

[KatonahMike]

Has anyone read Crash Proof? This was a pretty sobering read, and considering that it was written in 2006 (released in early 2007), it was pretty chilling- esp. when he writes "if" the government has to step in and bail out Fannie Mae, what the resulting consequences could be.

Definitely a sobering book, and much of it rings true to my ears, but some of it seems like a blatant sales pitch for the author's firm, and much of it reads like conspiracy theory.

Still... it really has me thinking about buying gold, foreign stocks, etc. If I decide to do so, I'd prefer to know if there alternatives to the author's own investment firm. I don't think Scottrade offers the ability to trade on foreign exchanges, and the author is very down on mutual funds and pink sheets. I'm not sure what the latter really are, but it sounds like they result in bad pricing for the individual investor.

In any event, just curious what others thought of this book.