We’ve been using 4.82% as a minimum upside projection, but it’s time to shift the target to the 5.09% Hidden Pivot shown in the chart (see inset). The erratic ascent of long-term rates has been making headlines lately, but Rick’s Picks subscribers have been expecting them to hit 5% for nearly a year. The crazed bull market has acted as though it doesn’t care, but it soon will—or rather, must—demonstrating its concern with a stunning decline. Nothing spells big trouble for the U.S. economy like 7% mortgage rates that coincide with the highest home prices in history. The Ten-Year Note hasn’t been at 5% since the Great Financial Crash of 2008-09. Although the crash itself caused rates to recede quickly to 4%, we may not be so “lucky” this time. If you haven’t done so already, time is growing short to secure your assets—and your household—against a catastrophic  event that will rebuke financial excesses that have been piling up over decades.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          .