FAQ About the Blog

Q: Do You Use the Blog as a source of any kind of income?

A: No,except for Google ads. The blog is intended to be a free resource to the public. I do allow Google ads to run on the blog (they generate about $5 per month :-).  I do not have any kind of financial affiliation with any sites or experts I link to on the blog. I am not paid to write the blog posts. In February 2019, I added a donation button, but have not received any significant donations thus far and don't expect to in the future. I did run this one article that includes referral links since I wanted to discuss the incentives offered by credit cards in comparison to using Bitcoin for routine purchase payments.

This blog is intended for educational purposes and not for any kind of financial advice. Now and then, some articles here do contain links to entities that do offer financial advice or investments. I do this as a courtesy to the entity or individual for providing educational information for readers here. Without this kind of expert input, I cannot offer as much quality information to readers. I will add that the experts I feature do not ask me to promote their products or services if they offer any (many do not). Sometimes when I do interviews, the answers may include links back to the entity involved. I am happy to include those given that the expert has kindly given their time and expertise for the benefit of readers here.

Q: Do you pay to advertise the blog?

A: No. Since it does not generate any significant income (less than $200 total from Google ads for the life of the blog), I can't afford to pay to advertise it. I rely on word of mouth of readers who tell other people about it. Sometimes people like Jim Rickards will link to a blog article here on twitter and that generates a lot of interest. Also, other sites on the internet sometimes publish articles written here which also helps out. Jim has had kind words to say about the blog on his twitter feed as well as linking to articles now and then. Willem Middelkoop as well here.

Q: Are you the economist Lawrence White (or Larry White) from George Mason University?

A: No. I became aware that some might be confused that I am that Larry White. I apologize for anyone who might have thought that. That Larry White is a true expert with an extensive background in economics. I am not. I write this blog from the perspective of a non expert attempting to learn about these issues and encourage the average person to think about them. I did have the priviledge of having a brief email exchange with Dr. White while working on this article to feature his ideas on the gold standard.

Q: What is your background?

A: I graduated with an accounting degree from Texas Tech University in 1978. I have spent my entire professional career working as an accountant for private oil and gas producing companies in the Dallas, Texas area. In the past few years I curtailed my work schedule a little because my Father needed some time and attention in his elder years. He passed on in December 2013. My daughter has graduated from college now so I have some free time to work on this blog (at least for now). 

Q: How broad is the readership for the blog?

A: I can't answer that exactly, but I can say that the blog has had over 800,000 visits during its lifespan. My Blogger.com stats indicate people from over 150 different nations around the world have visited. I get emails from readers that let me know some very well known people do read the blog. I have allowed some leading experts and officials cited here to review blog articles before publication to improve accuracy so I know they read those blog articles. Some have told me this blog provides a good public service and is needed. 
  
In addition, some of the articles on the blog have been published on other sites and viewed by many more thousands of people there. I don't mind any site using articles from the blog. I do ask that they not change the original text in the articles. And if they link back to the blog here, that is appreciated. But my primary goal is to get the best quality information I can to the public at no cost to them. The more people who know about the blog, the better I can do that. All help along those lines is greatly appreciated.

Q: How do you select the sources and experts featured on the blog?

A: I actually devote a lot of time and thought to that. This blog is attempting to attract the interest of the average person who probably is not going to think much about monetary system change or how it might impact their life. That's understandable since the topic can be confusing and complex at times. My goal is to try and use sources most people know and recognize and a select group of experts who have strong credentials. I can't expect someone to listen to "unknown sources" or put a lot of weight on my opinions because I am just an average person myself. There are many other good sources and experts out there beside those I feature, but I try to carefully choose those that I think most people can relate to and will recognize. At its best, this blog serves as a marketplace of ideas where readers can compare alternative credible views on the future of the monetary system with respect given to a variety of credible views. The marketplace of ideas page linked just above is the result of a lot of time and effort to research various proposals and obtain direct quotes from the experts involved with the proposals for readers here. I don't know of another resource like this available on the internet. Also, it has been a privilege for me to meet (by email) the experts who have provided input for articles here. They have been beyond kind and helpful.


Q: Do you think the world is going to suffer through a global crisis or collapse?

A: I don't know. And I wouldn't really expect most people to care what I think. That is why I try to use credible news sources and experts for all the articles I post on the blog. And why I track forecasts over time. The bottom line for all of us is what actually happens. The blog tries to introduce readers to the some of the most likely possible future scenarios based on the best information we can find. After that, we leave it up to readers to draw their own conclusions.

Q: How will the blog help me if you are not an expert?

A: The blog can help you by saving you time. After following this topic now for over 10 years I do know many good information sources that talk about this topic. I review those and pick out what I think are the best so readers don't have to. In addition, all readers are welcome to send in questions if there is an issue I missed that they are interested in. Think of it kind of like an executive summary for readers that hopefully saves them time and keeps important issues in front of them. Also, as noted above, this blog can serve readers by presenting a variety of credible views for them to consider all in one place with respect given to all views. Another way the blog can be helpful is as a resource for those new to these kinds of issues. The page links in the upper right hand corner of the blog will always be available. The list of IMF and BIS warnings and the marketplace of ideas for monetary system change are designed to reach people new to these ideas. The Blockchain/Bitcoin article was written by one of the leading payment systems experts in the world who also reads this blog. Other leading experts in the world have contributed direct quotes for some articles on the blog.

Q: How long will you keep doing the blog?

A: As long as I have the free time to work on it. The blog is provided free by Google Blogger so it does not cost me any money. Just some time which I am glad to donate if the information helps people. I get emails saying it does, so I will keep doing it as long as I can. I will add that doing the research for the blog helps me stay better informed as well. Updated note 7-23-18: I plan to discontinue regular blog articles in the fall of 2018, but will leave the blog online and will write an article now and then if something significant warrants attention or if an expert contacts me with something that may be of interest to readers. I will also update the marketplace of ideas page if any expert provides me quality information related to monetary system change that I can include on that page. 


Q: How can I contact you with a question or comment?

A: Just send it to this email address:         lonestarwhitehouse@gmail.com