The document summarizes the events that led to the 2008 financial crisis. Cheap money policies by the Federal Reserve encouraged risky lending. Mortgage loans were given to high-risk borrowers and new financial instruments spread risk throughout the system. When the housing bubble burst, the crisis spread globally as losses mounted. The document provides tips for surviving the crisis such as reducing debt, investing for the long term in necessities, and staying informed about market conditions.

1. “ Financial Crisis ” “ How did money got into trouble out of nowhere. A financial fairy tale. ”

2. Once upon a time there were 2 sides fighting for the money : 1. The good guys 2.The bad guys The battle for the money and financial domination started somewhere between two streets : The 1 st one was called Wall street The 2 nd one was named The Federal Reserve street

3. Why did a financial and money crisis start? The battle began because the good guys wanted to prevent the bad guys from making more money. No the good guys were not simply good, they were naïve. Bad guys wanted more money because they had seen a movie.

4. “ The movie was called “ Wall Street ” Gecko the hero said a phrase “ Greed is good” So for many years the Federal Reserve Bank chairman, someone named Alan made money very cheap by cutting down the interest rates . So the bankers and major players at Wall Street found out an antidote to cheap money .

5. The antidote was to provide many mortgage loans to people with low or bad financial situation . Soon it became a trend to give many loans with cheap interest rate. But it became even better. The financial engineers created and invented the derivatives based on securitization .

6. So suddenly the bad guys could multiply their exposure to risk The risk was becoming bigger as more loans were granted but as in the Titanic there was a belief that the market is unsinkable. It only goes up . The commissions were great, the bad guys such as bankers and the federal reserve were getting huge bonus each year for many periods. The risk was getting inflated.

7. The new derivatives era was blossoming You could give new loans or money based on other financial instruments There was no proper risk analysis There were only the following money characteristics

8. Money Easy money Cheap money Free money OPM – Other people’s money

9. One day history repeated itself The new money bubble in mortgage sector burst. And something funny and odd happened. Suddenly too many participants found themselves into trouble due to bad exposure to toxic money

10. The new virus called greed hit again We saw a new wave of bankruptcies A credit crisis appearing out of thin air A new financial crisis as money markets are very closely interrelated. The bad guys had won once again.

11. The financial crisis is very serious Countries like Iceland went into solvency Other countries are in trouble Wall street where it all began is frozen .

12. So how to deal with this financial crisis ? What to do now that a credit crisis is top serious? How to survive in this money mess? How to protect and save both money and capital? CASH IS THE KING!

13. Money tip 1 Financial markets show extreme volatility. Many stocks have fallen to very low levels, but how low is low? Predicting the bottom is too difficult . Where are the money gurus now? Stay out of the market for some period. Opportunities always exist in ups and downs.

14. Money tip 2 Cash is always the king. As interest rates will fall further keep trying to reduce debt and repay financial obligations. Many banks will offer deep discounts if you repay earlier their capital .

15. Money tip 3 Avoid all money gurus. We do not know yet how deep and serious is this money crisis . When Wall street was saying buying stocks back in early 2000 we were near the burst of stock bubble especially the Nasdaq bubble .

16. Money tip 4 No-one cares more for your well being than you. In a recession cut down luxurious things like buying exclusive cars that consume too much gas. Oil may have dropped but winter is coming and a possible rise in oil prices is very possible.

17. Money tip 5 When it comes to investing think both short-term and long-term. Mainly long-term now . We all need food, electricity, water, raw materials to survive. We do not need laptops of 2,000 dollars, a 500 dollar laptop will be ok . So sectors that cover basic needs and are defensive such as food and utilities may perform better than others. Diversification is always a golden rule.

18. Money tip 6 Be calm and cool. Behavior finance shows extreme panic at tops and bottoms of financial markets . Some few people with inside information made a lot of money from this crisis . They sold early their stocks. The good guys simply lost money.

19. So watch the market closely Watch the money news Stay connected with reality Be well informed. This crisis will most probably take many time, because so many money was lost . The implications are only now appearing . Be conservative. Risk is good only if you can control it .

20. Finally why do politicians take so much time to find a solution? Politics and money do not go together. Yes Economists and Analysts failed again. But they warned also months ago. Nobody listened . Drastic measures are needed. And effective . No promises, but action. And many should go to prison where money is always free.

21. The money blog The money blog at http://www.themoneyblog.eu The internet business blog at http://www.theinternetbusinessblog.com Stavros Georgiadis , Economist