Frank Talk Just Turned 10 Years Old

Ten years ago, U.S. Global Investors embarked on an experiment in digital communications.

Let me set the stage. It was April 2007, when the financial crisis was not yet a blip in the capital markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was holding steady above 13,000, while gold averaged $680 an ounce. The gross national debt stood at a little over $11 trillion. The very first iPhone wouldn’t be available for at least another two months. Facebook, then only three years old, had about 20 million active users, versus 2 billion today.

How times have changed.

My vision then was to author a blog that would speak directly to investors on topics ranging from behavioral finance to gold investing to government policy. Blogging had been around for a few years already, but no one I knew of had applied it to the mutual fund business. It was uncharted territory, fraught with all sorts of obstacles and other “unknown unknowns” such as regulatory compliance concerns and time constraints.

Like all risky propositions, success was not guaranteed.

Nevertheless, we forged ahead, and Frank Talk was born. Since then, this labor of love has attracted thousands of readers from all over the world and is regularly republished in a number of major financial news sources. It’s also been the recipient of several awards.

Today I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all my readers, from those who’ve been around since the very beginning (I know you’re out there!) to those who just stumbled on the blog last week. During my travels, it’s always humbling to meet loyal Frank Talk readers who generously compliment its quality of research, compelling visuals and balanced approach. Such readers truly make all the hard work that goes into producing Frank Talk worth it.

In celebration of Frank Talk’s 10th anniversary, the U.S. Global marketing team put together a video, embedded below, highlighting 10 facts you might not know about the blog. I invite you to enjoy it, share it widely—and stick around for the next 10 years. Cheers!

All opinions expressed and data provided are subject to change without notice. Some of these opinions may not be appropriate to every investor.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted average of 30 blue chip stocks that are generally leaders in their industry.

Holdings may change daily. Holdings are reported as of the most recent quarter-end. None of the securities mentioned in the article were held by any accounts managed by U.S. Global Investors as of 3/31/2017.

U.S. Global Investors, Inc. is an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). This does not mean that we are sponsored, recommended, or approved by the SEC, or that our abilities or qualifications in any respect have been passed upon by the SEC or any officer of the SEC.

This commentary should not be considered a solicitation or offering of any investment product.

Certain materials in this commentary may contain dated information. The information provided was current at the time of publication.

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