Howard Ruff | |
|---|---|
| Born | Howard Joseph Ruff (1930-12-27)December 27, 1930 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Died | November 12, 2016(2016-11-12) (aged 85) Lehi, Utah, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, author |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 14 |
Howard Joseph Ruff (December 27, 1930 – November 12, 2016) was a financial adviser and writer of the pro-hard money investing newsletterThe Ruff Times. Ruff was the author ofFamine and Survival in America (1974),How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years (1979),Survive and Win in the Inflationary Eighties (1981),Making Money (1984), and other books. He updated and re-released his most successful book, re-titling itHow to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years in the 21st Century (2008).
Ruff advised investors to avoid stocks and bonds and instead to put their portfolios intogold,silver,platinum group metals, and collectibles such as art andnumismatic coins. He also advised his readers tostore a year's supply of food in preparation for hard times. Ruff believed (as of his 1979–1981 writings) that the United States was headed for ahyperinflationaryeconomic depression and that there was a danger that both government and private pension plans were about to collapse.[1]
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ruff hosted a syndicated television show calledRuff House.[2]
During thefinancial crisis of 2007–08, Ruff began appearing onCNBC making economic predictions that were similar to those he had made in the 1970s and 1980s.[3]
Ruff gained a sizable mainstream audience for a while during the late 1970s until about 1981, because those who had been taking his investment advice and buying precious metals saw largecapital gains during that period.The New York Times labeled Howard Ruff "The Prophet of Doom" after his bookHow to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years reached the number #1 seller in 1979. His popularity fell off after the peak in the gold and silverspeculative bubble in 1980.
Ruff raised money to oppose the election ofHillary Clinton to the U.S. Senate in 2000.[4]
Ruff was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[5][6] InHow to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years (1979), he relates that his recommendation of food storage is in accord with a policy ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[7]
Ruff has also been involved in other endeavors such as a vinyl LP record album of his singing.[8]
Ruff has also been cited on various occasions byKiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.
Ruff died from complications of age-related diseases in Lehi, Utah, at the age of 85.[9]
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