Jim Puplava
Encyclopedia
James Joseph "Jim" Puplava, born , is an investment analyst and Internet radio show host born in Gary, Indiana
. He is the founder, president & CEO of the Puplava Financial Services (PFS) Inc. group, and Puplava Securities Inc.. He is also chief author and host for the Financial Sense Newshour. His companies manage $375 million for more than 800 clients (as of December 31, 2007). Puplava's website at financialsense.com was named a "supersite for alternative investing" by The Globe and Mail
, Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper.
n immigrant parents. He grew up in a family of 10 children. His mother didn’t work, his father was a cabinet maker who also accumulated a portfolio of real estate.
Puplava graduated cum laude in History
and Economics
from Arizona State University
. He then went on to graduate summa cum laude with a Master's Degree in Finance
and Accounting from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird).
Puplava is a Certified Financial Planner
; Series 7 and Series 24 with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
(FINRA); and Life, Disability and Variable Insurance
licenses. Puplava has been president of Puplava Financial Services, Inc. (PFS) since 1985. For twelve years, he held a position as Branch Manager for LPL Financial Services, LLC. In 1996, he incorporated the broker/dealer firm, Puplava Securities, Inc. (PSI) and is its president.
He has worked as a financial writer to various publications and acted as a TV business editor. In 1988, Puplava began hosting Financial Sense Talk radio on various radio stations in San Diego. He also oversees the portfolio management team at Puplava Financial Services and Puplava Securities. He gives weekly broadcasts and writes commentary for Financial Sense Online.
Puplava is known as a permabear and peak oil
proponent who foresees a hyperinflation
ary depression
for America before 2015. According to a study that compared his predictions against the performance of the S&P 500 Index over the following 5, 21, 63 and 254 trading days, his market forecasting accuracy during the period 13 February 2002 to 20 October 2005 was 41%. Puplava is a known advocate of precious metals investing (especially silver
and gold
) as an inflation hedge. He has said that the prices of precious metals are manipulated in order to keep them in check. Puplava argued for holding physical metal and not relying solely on mining stocks because while prices trend together, there is some divergence. "When the price of the metal goes up, the mining stocks can go up two or three times faster," Puplava told the Wall Street Journal. Puplava's warnings about coming hyperinflation
are frequently quoted by the Mogambo Guru.
Puplava and the producer of his Financial Sense Newshour webcast, John Loeffler, are both global warming sceptics who believe that the concept is being pushed by governments in order to promote higher taxation and greater governmental controls of our lives (see global warming conspiracy theory
). Puplava believes the planet is cooling
, not warming. He often interviews historian and business consultant Evelyn Browning Garris, who thinks that the current global warming is part of a cycle and is much like the medieval warm period
. Puplava, who is heavily invested in oil and oil-related instruments, has also given sympathetic hearings to Bjørn Lomborg
and Ian Plimer
, both global warming skeptics
. He and Loeffler frequently mention that global warming stopped in 1998, a claim regarded as one of the common global warming myths by climate scientists.
and its consequences for the financial landscape, and was a speaker at the ASPO
conference in 2008. He has interviewed several peak oil proponents on his radio program, including Richard Heinberg
, Matt Simmons, Jim Kunstler, Robert L. Hirsch
and Oxford University's Oliver Inderwildi.
's Nightline program on November 8, 2007, in a segment called "Sign of the Times" with John Donovan.
and the American Stock Exchange
and is engaged in the development and exploration of mineral properties in Mexico
, of which the most advanced project is the Monterde gold/silver property. Puplava was elected to Kimber's Board of Directors in May, 2004. In September 2006, a press release issued by Kimber Resources reported a disagreement. Puplava, by then a director and significant shareholder, stated his intention to start a proxy battle with the objective of replacing a majority of the Board of Directors and current management.
, near San Diego, California
, near their three sons. Puplava is a history buff, an avid reader and loves sailing his J/124 sloop
, Jimmy-J in the San Diego Bay
.
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
. He is the founder, president & CEO of the Puplava Financial Services (PFS) Inc. group, and Puplava Securities Inc.. He is also chief author and host for the Financial Sense Newshour. His companies manage $375 million for more than 800 clients (as of December 31, 2007). Puplava's website at financialsense.com was named a "supersite for alternative investing" by The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper.
Background
Puplava was raised in Arizona by CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n immigrant parents. He grew up in a family of 10 children. His mother didn’t work, his father was a cabinet maker who also accumulated a portfolio of real estate.
Puplava graduated cum laude in History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
. He then went on to graduate summa cum laude with a Master's Degree in Finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
and Accounting from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird).
Puplava is a Certified Financial Planner
Certified Financial Planner
The Certified Financial Planner designation is a professional certification mark for financial planners conferred by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc...
; Series 7 and Series 24 with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
In the United States, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, is a private corporation that acts as a self-regulatory organization . FINRA is the successor to the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. ...
(FINRA); and Life, Disability and Variable Insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
licenses. Puplava has been president of Puplava Financial Services, Inc. (PFS) since 1985. For twelve years, he held a position as Branch Manager for LPL Financial Services, LLC. In 1996, he incorporated the broker/dealer firm, Puplava Securities, Inc. (PSI) and is its president.
He has worked as a financial writer to various publications and acted as a TV business editor. In 1988, Puplava began hosting Financial Sense Talk radio on various radio stations in San Diego. He also oversees the portfolio management team at Puplava Financial Services and Puplava Securities. He gives weekly broadcasts and writes commentary for Financial Sense Online.
Career
Peak oil
Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
proponent who foresees a hyperinflation
Hyperinflation
In economics, hyperinflation is inflation that is very high or out of control. While the real values of the specific economic items generally stay the same in terms of relatively stable foreign currencies, in hyperinflationary conditions the general price level within a specific economy increases...
ary depression
Depression (economics)
In economics, a depression is a sustained, long-term downturn in economic activity in one or more economies. It is a more severe downturn than a recession, which is seen by some economists as part of the modern business cycle....
for America before 2015. According to a study that compared his predictions against the performance of the S&P 500 Index over the following 5, 21, 63 and 254 trading days, his market forecasting accuracy during the period 13 February 2002 to 20 October 2005 was 41%. Puplava is a known advocate of precious metals investing (especially silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
) as an inflation hedge. He has said that the prices of precious metals are manipulated in order to keep them in check. Puplava argued for holding physical metal and not relying solely on mining stocks because while prices trend together, there is some divergence. "When the price of the metal goes up, the mining stocks can go up two or three times faster," Puplava told the Wall Street Journal. Puplava's warnings about coming hyperinflation
Hyperinflation
In economics, hyperinflation is inflation that is very high or out of control. While the real values of the specific economic items generally stay the same in terms of relatively stable foreign currencies, in hyperinflationary conditions the general price level within a specific economy increases...
are frequently quoted by the Mogambo Guru.
Puplava and the producer of his Financial Sense Newshour webcast, John Loeffler, are both global warming sceptics who believe that the concept is being pushed by governments in order to promote higher taxation and greater governmental controls of our lives (see global warming conspiracy theory
Global warming conspiracy theory
Global warming conspiracy theory refers to an allegation that the data with which the theory of anthropogenic global warming is derived has been tampered with, adulterated, achieved through anecdotal means and/or is being misrepresented so as to inaccurately accuse mankind of causing global climate...
). Puplava believes the planet is cooling
Global cooling
Global cooling was a conjecture during the 1970s of imminent cooling of the Earth's surface and atmosphere along with a posited commencement of glaciation...
, not warming. He often interviews historian and business consultant Evelyn Browning Garris, who thinks that the current global warming is part of a cycle and is much like the medieval warm period
Medieval Warm Period
The Medieval Warm Period , Medieval Climate Optimum, or Medieval Climatic Anomaly was a time of warm climate in the North Atlantic region, that may also have been related to other climate events around the world during that time, including in China, New Zealand, and other countries lasting from...
. Puplava, who is heavily invested in oil and oil-related instruments, has also given sympathetic hearings to Bjørn Lomborg
Bjørn Lomborg
Bjørn Lomborg is a Danish author, academic, and environmental writer. He is an adjunct professor at the Copenhagen Business School, director of the Copenhagen Consensus Centre and a former director of the Environmental Assessment Institute in Copenhagen...
and Ian Plimer
Ian Plimer
Ian Rutherford Plimer is an Australian geologist, academic, professor of mining geology at the University of Adelaide, and a director of four mining companies...
, both global warming skeptics
Climate change denial
Climate change denial is a term used to describe organized attempts to downplay, deny or dismiss the scientific consensus on the extent of global warming, its significance, and its connection to human behavior, especially for commercial or ideological reasons...
. He and Loeffler frequently mention that global warming stopped in 1998, a claim regarded as one of the common global warming myths by climate scientists.
Peak oil
Puplava is an expert on the theory of peak oilPeak oil
Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
and its consequences for the financial landscape, and was a speaker at the ASPO
Aspö
Aspö is a small village on the Aspö Island in Väståboland, Finland. Until 2009 it belonged to the municipality of Korpo. Its Finnish-language name is Haapasaari, although this name is seldom used. The village is known for its white limestone church that has a red brick roof. The current church was...
conference in 2008. He has interviewed several peak oil proponents on his radio program, including Richard Heinberg
Richard Heinberg
Richard Heinberg is an American journalist and educator who has written extensively on energy, economic, and ecological issues, including oil depletion. He is the author of ten books...
, Matt Simmons, Jim Kunstler, Robert L. Hirsch
Robert L. Hirsch
Robert L. Hirsch is a former senior energy program adviser for Science Applications International Corporation and is a Senior Energy Advisor at MISI and a consultant in energy, technology, and management. His primary experience is in research, development, and commercial applications...
and Oxford University's Oliver Inderwildi.
TV roles and appearances
In 1991, Puplava was hired to anchor the nightly segment Business Today for KUSI TV. He appeared on ABC NewsABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
's Nightline program on November 8, 2007, in a segment called "Sign of the Times" with John Donovan.
PFS Group
All three of Jim's sons work with him in a professional capacity. His oldest son, Ryan Puplava, is the technical analyst for Puplava Financial Services, the senior trading manager for Puplava Securities, and a contributing writer to Financial Sense online; his second-oldest son, Chris Puplava, is a financial analyst for Puplava Financial Services and a contributing writer to Financial Sense online; and his youngest son Adam became webmaster of Financial Sense online when his wife Mary retired in 2007. Jim, together with nine other staff members—including his three sons—run the three PFS Group companies: Puplava Financial Services, Puplava Securities, and Financial Sense.Kimber Resources proxy battle
Kimber Resources is a Canadian-based company listed on the Toronto Stock ExchangeToronto Stock Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in Canada, the third largest in North America and the seventh largest in the world by market capitalisation. Based in Canada's largest city, Toronto, it is owned by and operated as a subsidiary of the TMX Group for the trading of senior equities...
and the American Stock Exchange
American Stock Exchange
NYSE Amex Equities, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange is an American stock exchange situated in New York. AMEX was a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was known as the New York Curb Exchange. On January 17, 2008, NYSE Euronext announced it would acquire the...
and is engaged in the development and exploration of mineral properties in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, of which the most advanced project is the Monterde gold/silver property. Puplava was elected to Kimber's Board of Directors in May, 2004. In September 2006, a press release issued by Kimber Resources reported a disagreement. Puplava, by then a director and significant shareholder, stated his intention to start a proxy battle with the objective of replacing a majority of the Board of Directors and current management.
Personal life
Puplava and his wife Mary, who also acted as his office manager and webmaster from 1990 to 2007, live in PowayPoway, California
Poway is a city in San Diego County, California. Originally an unincorporated community in San Diego County, Poway officially became a city in December 1980. Even though Poway lies geographically in the middle of San Diego County, most consider its relative location as north county inland...
, near San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, near their three sons. Puplava is a history buff, an avid reader and loves sailing his J/124 sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
, Jimmy-J in the San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port adjacent to San Diego, California. It is 12 mi/19 km long, 1 mi/1.6 km–3 mi/4.8 km wide...
.
Achievements
- 2009 — Selected by Goldline Research, as published in ForbesForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
, as one of the leading wealth managers of Southern CaliforniaSouthern CaliforniaSouthern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
for 2009 - 2008 — Received a "Five Star Wealth Manager" award after being nominated as one of the San Diego area's best wealth managers, as based on nine criteria: customer service, integrity, knowledge/expertise, communication, value for fee charged, meeting of financial objectives, post-sale service, quality of recommendations and overall satisfaction. (As published in the February 2008 issue of San Diego Magazine.)
- 1992 — Puplava was honored as one of America's top ten financial representatives by Registered Representative magazine.
External links
- Financial Sense News Hour, with Jim Puplava
- The PFS Group
- Riders on a Storm — Essay by Jim Puplava published by World Energy Monthly Review
- Video interview — Jim Puplava and Gerald CelenteGerald CelenteGerald Celente is an American trend forecaster, publisher of the Trends Journal, business consultant and author who makes predictions about the global financial markets and other events of historical importance. Celente has described himself as a "political atheist" and "citizen of the world"...