USB
U.S. Bancorp
stock NYSE

Except gold needs to be mined. Mining costs gives it value, as well as historical value. It'll always be worth something.
Everyone knows that a gold coin is worth \*something\*. That knowledge itself allows it to be part of a coinage system or at the very least an item that can be bartered to receive something in exchange.
Serial numbers on a USB stick or \*waves jedi hand\* in the ether, isn't physical. It's only worth something if 1) you can prove that you own it, 2) the seller agrees that it's worth something, 3) you're physically able to conduct the transaction due to wifi/internet/electricity.
You cannot access your wallet due to no internet or no electricity? Worth 0. Buyer doesnt accept magical interweb numbers? Worth 0. That's the problem with BTC/crypto: it requires a certain set of conditions to be worth the value it claims.

You're not overreacting. Typing seed phrases into internet-connected devices is exactly how people get their crypto stolen. Malware specifically targets this.
Safe way to test: buy a second Ledger device, restore your seed phrase onto it while keeping the original untouched. If recovery works and addresses match, your backup is good. Keep both devices, one as primary and one as backup. Cost of another Ledger is nothing compared to losing years of BTC accumulation.
Alternative if you don't want to buy another device: use an air-gapped computer that's never been online. Boot from a clean USB with Tails or similar, restore wallet using Electrum, verify addresses match, then wipe everything. This works but requires more technical comfort.
Never use wallet software on your regular laptop or phone to test seed phrases. "Trusted wallet" doesn't mean shit if your device has keyloggers or clipboard hijackers. Our clients who lost funds all had "trusted" software on "secure" devices.
For the sluggish Ledger, try different USB cables and ports first. Ledger devices failing is rare, usually it's connection issues. Update firmware if you haven't recently.
If you do need to move funds eventually, send a small test amount first to verify the new destination works before moving everything. Standard practice but people skip it and regret it.
The steel plate backup is solid. Physical backups beat digital every time. Just make sure they're stored securely where fire or theft won't get them.
Good instinct not answering DMs. Anyone messaging about this is trying to scam you.

I am experiencing the same problem that just appeared out of nowhere, never had this problem before.
It seems like an issue caused by Phantom (or the Phantom+Ledger combination), since my Ledger device
works perfectly fine with other hot wallets and the fact that I have tried removing the Ledger device
from Phantom and connecting other ledger devices with the same issue remaining.
The only thing I have not tried is removing the Phantom extension and reinstalling it.
Will give it a shot as soon as i find the time, will post.
Using the chat function on Phantom support site got this answer:
"Thank you for reaching out about the issue with your Ledger device. If you're experiencing the need to reconnect your Ledger device for every new transaction, there's a known workaround. After signing a transaction, you may need to unplug and replug the USB cable before signing the next transaction. Unfortunately, this needs to be repeated for every second transaction. A fix for this issue is expected to be released in version 25.44.0. "
Current version IS 25.44.0 !

Except gold needs to be mined. Mining costs gives it value, as well as historical value. It'll always be worth something.
Everyone knows that a gold coin is worth \*something\*. That knowledge itself allows it to be part of a coinage system or at the very least an item that can be bartered to receive something in exchange.
Serial numbers on a USB stick or \*waves jedi hand\* in the ether, isn't physical. It's only worth something if 1) you can prove that you own it, 2) the seller agrees that it's worth something, 3) you're physically able to conduct the transaction due to wifi/internet/electricity.
You cannot access your wallet due to no internet or no electricity? Worth 0. Buyer doesnt accept magical interweb numbers? Worth 0. That's the problem with BTC/crypto: it requires a certain set of conditions to be worth the value it claims.

You're not overreacting. Typing seed phrases into internet-connected devices is exactly how people get their crypto stolen. Malware specifically targets this.
Safe way to test: buy a second Ledger device, restore your seed phrase onto it while keeping the original untouched. If recovery works and addresses match, your backup is good. Keep both devices, one as primary and one as backup. Cost of another Ledger is nothing compared to losing years of BTC accumulation.
Alternative if you don't want to buy another device: use an air-gapped computer that's never been online. Boot from a clean USB with Tails or similar, restore wallet using Electrum, verify addresses match, then wipe everything. This works but requires more technical comfort.
Never use wallet software on your regular laptop or phone to test seed phrases. "Trusted wallet" doesn't mean shit if your device has keyloggers or clipboard hijackers. Our clients who lost funds all had "trusted" software on "secure" devices.
For the sluggish Ledger, try different USB cables and ports first. Ledger devices failing is rare, usually it's connection issues. Update firmware if you haven't recently.
If you do need to move funds eventually, send a small test amount first to verify the new destination works before moving everything. Standard practice but people skip it and regret it.
The steel plate backup is solid. Physical backups beat digital every time. Just make sure they're stored securely where fire or theft won't get them.
Good instinct not answering DMs. Anyone messaging about this is trying to scam you.

I am experiencing the same problem that just appeared out of nowhere, never had this problem before.
It seems like an issue caused by Phantom (or the Phantom+Ledger combination), since my Ledger device
works perfectly fine with other hot wallets and the fact that I have tried removing the Ledger device
from Phantom and connecting other ledger devices with the same issue remaining.
The only thing I have not tried is removing the Phantom extension and reinstalling it.
Will give it a shot as soon as i find the time, will post.
Using the chat function on Phantom support site got this answer:
"Thank you for reaching out about the issue with your Ledger device. If you're experiencing the need to reconnect your Ledger device for every new transaction, there's a known workaround. After signing a transaction, you may need to unplug and replug the USB cable before signing the next transaction. Unfortunately, this needs to be repeated for every second transaction. A fix for this issue is expected to be released in version 25.44.0. "
Current version IS 25.44.0 !

Wanted to share an exercise I thought was interesting, and ask if anyone knows any of these names well?
I screened for **global large-caps paying >4% dividend yield that were either US listed, had US ADRs, or in countries where I can buy local shares**. I ended up with the list below.
From that I picked the ones I found most interesting on a very cursory review (some I know, others I don't). Those are marked with **(X)** for "gets further work".
I built a hypothetical portfolio from the (X)'d names and looked at its behavior in 1/2/2022-10/14/2022 (bear market) and 2/19/2025-4/8/2025 (near-bear). The hypo port has beta 0.30 to SP500, yields 5.13%, in the 2022 bear lost -11% vs SP500 -25% and in 2025 near-bear -10% vs SP500 -19%, which seems fairly consistent with its beta.
***So my question is: do you know/have researched any of these names? Would you suggest I mark with (X) any that I have not?***
**(X)** ANZ-ASX *ANZ Bank* high quality Australian bank.  6.2% yield, amply covered (payout <30%). 
BHP-ASX *BHP* miner/metals trader.  4.0% yield, about 65% payout (div/FCF).  Note miners starting to act well as a group.
CNQ-TSE *Canadian Natural Resources* oil and gas.  5.0% yield, about 55% payout.
ENB-TSE *Enbridge* oil & gas midstream (mostly oil).  5.7% yield, payout consistently >100% (?).
**(X)** 300-HKG *Midea* domestic appliances.  4.8% yield, amply covered (but the ADR only has a 3.6% yield).  Leader in heat pumps, robotic assembly.  Accept low yield for China export exposure?
**(X)** MAERSK.B-CSE *A.P. Maersk* container shipping.  8.6% yield, amply covered (ADR yield 5.2%, but I can buy the local). 
RI-PAR *Pernod-Ricard* alcoholic beverages (spirits).  6.1% yield, 65% payout after 2 yr of down rev/margin.  Looks super cheap unless spirit drinking is done for.
**(X)** TTE-PAR *TotalEnergies* oil major 4.4% yield (same on ADR), 55% payout.  Trades at 9X vs CVX 21X. 
CS-PAR *AXA* property/casualty, life, health insurer.  5.6% yield, payout about 50%.   No growth 9.5X vs CB +10% growth 12X.
SAN-PAR *Sanofi* pharma.  4.6% yield 62% payout. 
DG-PAR *Vinci* energy/infrastructure construction, motorway/transport concessions.  4.0% yield, 44% payout.  14X seems reasonable.
MBG-ETR *Mercedes-Benz* cars and vans (not heavy trucks).  7.5% yield (ADR only 4.8%), 25% payout.   Sentiment bad (China), revisions very -ve. 
BMW-ETR *BMW* cars.  4.8% yield, but FCF negative.  Similar to MBG-ETR.
BAS-ETR *BASF* chemicals.  5.1% yield, div > FCF L2Y.   Stock looks totally based but looks like dividend should be cut.
ALV-ETR *Allianz* insurer 4.2% yield, amply covered.  Nice growth, 13X, more than CB P/E?
DHL-ETR *Deutsche Post* 4.1% yield, 34% payout.  Similar non-growth as UPS, half the margin, same 14X P/E, based out.
HLAG-ETR *Hapag-Lloyd* container shipping.  7.1% yield (5.1% on ADR), 80% payout (also div looks variable?)  Compare to Maersk?
**(X)** ENI-MIL *Eni SpA* integrated oil & gas.  6.4% yield, 70% payout.
**(X)** ISP-MIL *Intesa Sanpaolo* major bank.  6.1% yield (ADR 4.5%), about 50% payout.  Stock very strong, following estimates up, actually mid-range val at 10.5X.
7267-TKS *Honda* cars & motorcycles.   4.7% yield, div > FCF L2Y and debt rising.
SHEL-LON *Shell* oil major.  3.9% yield, 35% payout.  Trades at 11X.  I own TTE and SHEL, like them more than CVX XOM.
INGA-AMS *ING Groep* commercial/retail bank in Europe.  4.7% yield (ADR 3.9%), 62% covered, stock and estimates like ISP-MIL, 11X
EQNR-OSL *Equinor* Norwegian oil & gas (main producer in Europe).  6.4% (4.6% ADR), 85% payout (but >70% govt owned, so probably won’t cut).  Offshore wind minor part of biz.  Stock base-y after big 2022 peak.
ZUNR-SWX *Zurich Insurance* property/casualty, life, ag insurer.  4.9% yield (ADR 4.0%), amply covered.  Growth good (better than CB), 15.5X tho.
DGE-LON *Diageo* alcoholic beverages (mostly spirits).  4.5% yield (same on ADR), payout 90%+.  Like RI-PAR, looks super cheap unless . . . Estimates seem to have stabilized?
BATS-LON *British American Tobacco* cigarettes.  5.5% yield (ADR 5.1%), 60% payout.  Slowly declining sales, margin bounced back from (weird) decline in 2024.
**(X)** RKT-LON *Reckitt Benckiser* Cons staples, OTC drugs, infant formula in UK.  3.5% yield (3.3% ADR - how get through screen), 57% covered.  Stock working . . . went below normal P/E range now just coming back into it.
BP-LON *British Petroleum* oil major.  5.3% yield (5.3% ADR), 50% payout.  Sales declining and margins/FCF hit worse than other majors.  13X.
**(X)** HSBA-LON *HSBC* major bank w/ heavy China exposure (36%) also UK, Europe.  4.6% yield (ADR same), well covered.  Stock has run big, still only 10X, maybe a chicken way to get China exposure?
GSK-LON *Glaxo Smith Kline* pharma.  3.5% yield (3.4% ADR – another sneak-through), about 40% payout.  Estimates steadily rising, only 11X. at bottom of historical P/E range. 
RIO-LON *Rio Tinto* miner.  5.2% yield (5.0% ADR), 100% payout.  Sales/EBIT recent declining, CFO stable, capex up, FCF down.  Debt up w/ $9BN buy of Arcadium Lithium.  Overpaying to diversify from iron?
**(X)** VZ *Verizon* telco.  6.8% yield, 52% payout.  Low (but some) growth in subs and rev, stable margins, <9X. 
T *ATT* telco.  4.4% yield, 50% payout.  Similar to VZ.  Trading 12X vs VZ 9X, why? 
F *Ford* auto.  4.6% yield, 25% payout.  Rev gro picked back up to +9% after 1Q slump to negative.  Margins structurally low.  Debt stable, cash flow improving.  Stock above normal PE range, hardly a defensive.
**(X)** PM *Phillip Morris* cigarettes and smoke-free.  4.5% yield, 80% payout.  Sales gro +HSD (most growth from smoke-free vape/heated tobacco/oral, now 37% mix), margins/FCF fairly stable.  20X.  Big run L1Y.
MO *Altria Group* cigarettes and oral tobacco. 7.3% yield, 66% payout.  Sales flat/slight down (no smoke free), margins/FCF stable.  Like PM without the smoke-free vision, valuation way down, 11X.
CVX *Chevron* oil major.  4.5% yield, 77% payout.  Sales, margins, FCF down, typical for oil group.  Why pay 21X for a global commodity?  US shale is high-cost.  CVX not gassy enough to be a NG play.
**(X)** USB *US Bank* super-regional bank.  4.1% yield, 35% payout.  Loans and assets barely gro, NII gro +2%, somehow net income +MT%.   Valuation midrange, revisions +ve.  Pretty big to get bought but maybe?
TFC *Truist Financial* super-regional bank.  4.4% yield, 68% payout.  Loan and assets gro slightly, NII growth +2%, net income looks flattish.  Valuation midrange, revisions neutral.  Also pretty big to get bought.
CCI *Crown Castle* tower REIT 4.8% yield, >100% payout, debt steadily rising, 9.5X levered!  Sales/EBIT drifting down, cut dividend this year.  Maybe w/ sale of capex-heavy fiber biz, payout <1 and delevers?. 
PSA *Public Storage* self-storage REIT 4.3%, 70% payout. Slight growth in NOI, debt, AFFO.   Property count flat. 
SPG *Simon Property Group* retail mall REIT.  4.8% yield, 77% payout.  NOI has been slowly recovering, ditto FCF and AFFO.  Property count flat. 
PFE *Pfizer* pharma 6.7% yield, >90% payout.  Sales flat to slightly down, margins stable, has been delevered but now bought Metsera for $7-10BN, $18BN/yr patent expiries in 2026-2028.
**(X)** BMY *Bristol-Myers Squibb* 4.9% yield, 30% payout.  Patent expiries are starting (Yervoy 2025, then more 2026-2028).   Not sure about pipeline, but payout is low so worth a look.
UPS *United Parcel Service* 6.7% yield, >100% payout but ex-big 2Q one-time, <100%.  Rev gro -LSD, margins flat/slight up on cost cuts, 1.8X levered, stock set to work on demand recovery, dividend looks iffy.
**(X)** D *Dominion Energy* 4.5% yield, amply covered.  Rev gro has re-accelerated, margins were stable thru 2023 rev slump, risk to big offshore wind project easing (court +ve).  Rare utility paying decent yield.

I tried it in something called a USB port. It wouldn’t accept it so I had to use the credit card anyway. Damned kids.

https://www.tbsnews.net/world/global-economy/ai-frenzy-driving-memory-chip-supply-crisis-1300721?
No paywall.
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/ai-frenzy-is-driving-new-global-supply-chain-crisis-2025-12-03/
“The memory shortage has now graduated from a component-level concern to a macroeconomic risk," said Sanchit Vir Gogia, CEO of Greyhound Research.
Memory shortage could delay AI projects, productivity gains. SK Hynix predicts memory shortage to last through late 2027. Smartphone makers warn of price rises due to soaring memory costs.
An acute global shortage of memory chips is forcing artificial intelligence and consumer-electronics companies to fight for dwindling supplies, as prices soar for the unglamorous but essential components that allow devices to store data.
The squeeze spans almost every type of memory, from flash chips used in USB drives and smartphones to advanced high-bandwidth memory (HBM) that feeds AI chips in data centers. Prices in some segments have more than doubled since February, according to market-research firm TrendForce, drawing in traders betting that the rally has further to run.
The fallout could reach beyond tech. Many economists and executives warn the protracted shortage risks slowing AI-based productivity gains and delaying hundreds of billions of dollars in digital infrastructure. It could also add inflationary pressure just as many economies are trying to tame price rises and navigate US tariffs.
Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta in October asked Micron for open-ended orders, telling the company they will take as much as it can deliver, irrespective of price, according to two people briefed on the talks.
::

Bitcoin is just the much cooler, interesting and more useful asset.
First of all you can actually use Bitcoin as a means of payment. I have sent payments to people in every continent in the world using Bitcoin. With the lightning network I can send $1000 of Bitcoin to a Pakistani dude in 2 seconds. You can't do that with silver. Also many websites accept Bitcoin as a means of payment like nordvpn, porn sites and services like online tutors.
Say the world goes to shit and you need to escape the country? Good luck trying to get past airport security with 30 KG of silver. With Bitcoin I can have all my BTC in a very discreet cold wallet that looks more like a USB stick. In the rare case that airport security confiscates my discreet cold wallet, good luck trying to steal my bitcoin because you need to figure out my 10 digit passcode that I have memorized.
With silver in order to sell it you have to physically walk into a silver store to sell your silver. This is an extremely time consuming and annoying process. Oh and let's say you want to sell your silver on the weekends? Forget about it because silver shops are closed on the weekends!
With Bitcoin you can sell your BTC INSTANTLY for fiat any time or day of the week. Selling $200,000 worth of silver: Painful and time consuming process. Selling 200,000 worth of Bitcoin: About 2 seconds.
With Bitcoin I know the exact amount of Bitcoin that will ever exist: 21,000,000 bitcoins. This number will not change tommorow, next year, next decade or next century.
With silver the supply can always increase due to new found mines.
What is the appeal with stacking silver I am genuinely curious? It just sits in a safe but you can't use it to do anything. With Bitcoin I can actually use it as a means of trade and it's just so much more useful and way more interesting and fun to hold. Also why would I want to own something that costs 5% in premiums just to buy and sell?????

Bitcoin is just the much cooler, interesting and more useful asset.
First of all you can actually use Bitcoin as a means of payment. I have sent payments to people in every continent in the world using Bitcoin. With the lightning network I can send $1000 of Bitcoin to a Pakistani dude in 2 seconds. You can't do that with gold. Also many websites accept Bitcoin as a means of payment like nordvpn, porn sites and services like online tutors.
Say the world goes to shit and you need to escape the country? Good luck trying to get past airport security with 3 KG of gold. With Bitcoin I can have all my BTC in a very discreet cold wallet that looks more like a USB stick. In the rare case that airport security confiscates my discreet cold wallet, good luck trying to steal my bitcoin because you need to figure out my 10 digit passcode that I have memorized.
With gold in order to sell it you have to physically walk into a gold store to sell your gold. This is an extremely time consuming and annoying process. Oh and let's say you want to sell your gold on the weekends? Forget about it because gold shops are closed on the weekends!
With Bitcoin you can sell your BTC INSTANTLY for fiat any time or day of the week. Selling $200,000 worth of gold: Painful and time consuming process. Selling 200,000 worth of Bitcoin: About 2 seconds.
With Bitcoin I know the exact amount of Bitcoin that will ever exist: 21,000,000 bitcoins. This number will not change tommorow, next year, next decade or next century.
With gold the supply can always increase due to new found mines.
What is the appeal with stacking gold I am genuinely curious? It just sits in a safe but you can't use it to do anything. With Bitcoin I can actually use it as a means of trade and it's just so much more useful and way more interesting and fun to hold. Also why would I want to own something that costs 5% in premiums just to buy and sell?????

Hornyscotsdude profile picture
Hornyscotsdude 4 years ago
Best way to view jap porn is to download, edit into individual scenes and save onto USB stick.
Then plug usb into the back of your HD TV, sit back and enjoy the show!
(Best to have a box of hankies standing by!)

I would say buying USB is a good idea for the long term. Trading only 7% up from it's 200 day moving average, below all time highs, 11 p/e, and 4.2% yearly dividend. I would say wait to buy any regional banks until the housing market correction. most of these stocks will be affected and will go down into oblivion, so I would say don't touch that sector. In fact, right now, the only thing valuable is cash. The market correction is going to have everyone losing their shirts. Be the last one laughing on a pile of cash. Just my advice.