Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
These days, at Costco, it seems like you can get whatever you need for the Zombie Apocalypse. A savvy shopper can purchase anything from a massive bulk pack of toilet paper they can barely fit into the trunk of their car to solid gold bars.
I’ve long written about the importance of putting some of your savings into precious metals, and for ages, it seems to have been a secret kept close to the vest in prepping circles and for the extremely wealthy. But now, even Costco has caught the gold bug, and shoppers are responding fast, leaving the bars sold out within hours of being listed.
In a quarterly earnings call last week, Costco chief financial officer Richard Galanti told investors that the bars have been flying off the shelves, reported CNBC, saying, “I’ve gotten a couple of calls that people have seen online that we’ve been selling 1 ounce gold bars. Yes, but when we load them on the site, they’re typically gone within a few hours, and we limit two per member.”
And it certainly makes sense to buy gold (or silver) because the banking system is so volatile it really cannot be trusted. I don’t believe for a second that our system as it is right now will last much longer. Sure, there’ll be a new system to replace it, but you can darn well bet that WE will not be the ones who benefit from it. In fact, I strongly suspect that the new system will be CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies) and all the surveillance and control those entail.
Why are so many people buying gold?
According to the experts, it’s all about a feeling of uncertainty. And given the abnormal circumstances the United States finds itself in, that’s the most normal response in the world.
Jonathan Rose, CEO of precious metal broker Genesis Gold Group, says that recent bank failures, inflation and individuals’ concerns about the U.S. dollar, for example, can cause some to start looking for alternative places to park their money.
“If someone’s going out to buy gold, that means they think that there’s some type of instability at the structural level of the market and/or the government itself,” added David Wagner III, head of markets and equities at Aptus Capital Advisors.
Not all advisors love the idea of investing in metals. First of all, the value is something that can change rapidly. When you buy gold or silver, you should go into it knowing this fact.
But this can actually be to your benefit. According to USA Today:
The value of precious metals has been on the up and up for the past five years, with gold rising from roughly $1,200 an ounce in 2019 to $1,825 as of Tuesday, according to CNBC market exchange data. It spiked at $2,026 an ounce in April of this year.
So if you bought gold five years ago, you made a heck of an investment.
Of course, the value can also go down and that’s why you should never invest more in gold and silver than you can afford to hold onto. The price will eventually go back up.
Buy now before the price goes up again.
Of course, that does depend on making your purchases before gold reaches a peak price. You want to get your metals before the price skyrockets.
And luckily, you don’t have to wait for it to be back in stock at Costco. You can hit up my friends at ITM Trading and schedule a free strategy session to see if this is a layer of financial preparedness you wish to add to your current plan. Then you’re able to ask questions of professionals who have your best interests at heart. Education is a huge part of what they do, so I definitely advise taking advantage of a free, no-obligation call.
What causes the price of gold and silver to go up? Basically, everything happening in the world right now. A huge part of the value of gold is psychological expectations and fears about the economy. But more practically, Money.com lists the following as reasons you can see this safe haven explode in value:
- The current value of the US Dollar
- A demand for gold
- A demand for gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
- Demand for industrial applications
- Interest rates
- Geopolitical factors
- The cost of gold production
Gold is also more highly sought during times of inflation as people look for a way to maintain the value of their savings. According to the same article, gold is considered to be the epitome of a safe-haven investment because when everything else goes down, gold goes up.
A safe-haven investment is an investment that has no correlation or a negative correlation with other markets. For example, gold is often seen as a safe haven because it tends to move in opposition to stocks and bonds, thereby serving as a hedge against losses in those asset classes.
So if you are expecting bad economic times ahead, the sooner you invest in gold, the lower the current price will be, and the better off you will be in the long run.
When should you NOT buy gold?
If you aren’t prepped with physical items, gold may not be the right investment for you. Precious metals aren’t really something to use during the SHTF. They’re something to hold onto throughout it so that when eventually, society reemerges, you have something of value for starting over, paying for repairs or taxes, and not being totally without assets.
As I’ve written before, you should layer your financial preparedness with:
- A financial foundation: This is simply the act of good financial common sense: paying off debt, having an emergency fund, and controlling your budget.
- Tangible essentials: This is where prepping comes into play – the next layer is having essential supplies like food and other preps, learning skills, buying tools, taking care of medical and dental problems
- Financial assets: Only after you have the first two layers in place should you tackle the bigger picture. If you’re in good shape, this may be the time to purchase things like precious metals. This is not money to spend – it’s a unit of storage for the wealth you have accumulated, whatever that may be.
If you don’t have the first two layers in place, it’s fine to make some small precious metals purchases, but you save the large investments for later, once you have these things under control.
The debt bubble is bursting.
People are barely holding on financially. In the first half of this year, consumer bankruptcies were up 17% over the year before. Total household debt has reached a dizzying $17.06 trillion, and credit card debt is a trillion of that. Delinquencies and defaults are also climbing. Why?
“The increase in delinquencies and defaults is symptomatic of the tough decisions that these households are having to make right now — whether to pay their credit card bills, their rent or buy groceries,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics.
If it’s a choice between a credit card payment and your child going hungry, what would you do? I would buy the groceries, too. And also, I believe part of the reason that debt is so sky high is that people have been using credit cards to pay for essentials like gas and groceries because as rents, inflation, and interest rates keep moving into the stratosphere, there’s just no money left.
I hate to sound depressing, but our economic future does not look good.
Whatever your plan is to protect yourself financially, you need to stop waiting and enact it. Every day you wait, you’ll get less future bang for your current-day buck.
What are your thoughts?
What do you think about the Costco gold sales? Do you think it’s a sign that non-preppers are catching on to what lies ahead for us? Do you believe we are about to see a massive economic disaster? Or do you think we’re already in the throes of the worst part?
Let’s discuss the economy in the comments section.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
I read that article the other day too, but the list prices weren’t any better than most other places selling bars so kinda confused why they would sell out so quick. Ideas?
I’m only guessing, but it’s probably a combo of convenience and familiarity. People who are new to this type of economic realizations probably haven’t gone out seeking better prices or specialty locations. They see it offered by a place they already trust, they know it will get mailed to them posthaste, and it’s easy.
I agree with you Daisy.
COSTCO has a much higher visibility than some other PMs dealers you directed me to.
Too bad Commie Costco would reap benefits of the gold purchases. I’d seek out another seller.
Are you thinking of COSCO or Costco?
They are two different entities.
The first is owned by China.
Same for the second. Costco. They are not a conservative company.
@Jennifo:
183. Costco
Original Headquarters: San Diego, California Purchased By: N/A Country: U.S.A.
Costco is the place to go if you want to buy in bulk. Headquartered in Issaquah, Washington, the bulk retailer was founded by Jeffrey Brotman and James Sinegal in 1983. It trades publicly on NASDAQ, and it brings in $226.95 billion a year in revenue. Its operating income is around $7.7 billion, and its members total 118.9 million.
Costco might have a strong American history, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an international company. It has 839 warehouses around the world, with several-hundred in places like Canada, Mexico, the UK, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australia, France, China, Iceland, Sweden, and New Zealand.
TO SAMMY: I was thinking that very thing. Plus we can’t EAT gold. IF food is in short supply or gone, then gold can’t buy it and gold is nothing that we can eat. We’ll need food and water most of all…
Thanks for that. I was half joking. Aren’t most big box somewhat owned by China?!
Maybe it’s my grudge I have toward Costco because of they were Nazis during convid. I was yelled at from an employee from 50 ft away amongst a store full of people to put my mask over my nose as she reported me to security over her walkie then proceeded to follow us around the store continuing to report to security until we left the store. I may hold a grudge lol.
Costco is headquartered near Seattle and is very liberal.
While I understand the argument and reasons for getting gold, I am just not sure how having gold would work once the SHTF. Unless you have kruegerrands, I am not sure how it would work in the marketplace. How do you “make change” when buying a candy bar with gold? Not being smart aleky, just asking.
Gold is not used for money during the SHTF. (Aside from extreme circumstances, like bribery.) It’s used to protect your savings until things get better. Silver has more barter uses than gold but still is better put aside as a store of wealth.
Junk silver coins can be quite useful in the early stages of a collapse and also as a stable system begins to re-emerge.
Small denominations, and easily verified value make them useful.
Junk silver is questionable in it’s use for me. It’s been almost 60 years since silver coins have been replaced with silver colored coins. People that are aware that pre ’64 coins are 90% silver are dying off. In the early stage of the collapse, will there be an internet so the 30 year old you’re trying to purchase something from can verify the 90% info? This of course will be after they probably look at you with a wtf face asking you why are you handing me a few worthless coins.
The chance you will be trading with someone that is a prepper, a stacker, or a coin collector, and knows the 90% info, is unlikely. Exactly for this reason a few years back I traded my coin dealer all my 90% for more easily recognizable and understood, bu eagles. There are also fractional silver rounds out there from quality mints.
I will admit, 90% when I started stashing metals was sweet due to the lower cost over spot than coins or rounds.
Didn’t you just go through all of this with the post by Selco about bartering? It explains bartering with precious metal, including junk jewelry.
I always maintained that you can’t eat gold/silver, however, I have begun buying silver rounds….I already have most preps, and only have my mortgage which I’m paying down as quickly as I can, so I started buying P.M., as I CAN see SOME benefit of having it.
Again, I agree with Daisy on that.
From what I have heard, in South America they have been known to cut the gold bars into smaller chunks, then use those pieces to buy to everyday goods.
A 1 oz bar cut into 1/10 oz pieces, each piece has the value of about a week or twos worth of groceries.
Or you just could buy 1/10oz gold coins in the first place and avoid cutting.
They also sell 1/4, 1/2oz gold coins.
Also 1 gram, 5g, 10g, etc. can easily be found. 28g = 1oz.
There is the Valcambi CombiBar, which is available in various weights that is constructed to be divisible, 100gm, 50gm, 1oz, and 20gm weights. They also have similar bars in silver and other precious metals. It is made in Switzerland but available from most reputable precious metal sources.
Contrary to what most believe, gold does much better in a deflation than inflation, it is a hedge against loss of faith in the central government and if preserved, will act as a stepping stone between chaos and a new beginning that certainly will occur here in the near future. Junk silver ie pre 1965 US coins would fit the bill for everyday use as it were, but in the beginning of chaos barter would likely be the first alternative available to most. Personally I would recommend US coins only as they are recognizable to most who are not brain dead. Bars have an issue about authentication to detect counterfeits much like that of rounds as well. As most here know, the essentials will be more important, ie food, water, ammunition (easily divisible btw), medications etc. Possessing a quality skill set matters greatly as well, to barter services for your needs. The demon lurking around the corner is CBDC, central bank digital currencies, that as electronic entries, can be manipulated by government to direct payments, deny them or to delete them at will. They give government complete control of your assets and how you wish to use them, and you have no recourse whatsoever. It is part and parcel of the coming attempt of a NWO, build back better crowd, global warming nonsense crowd. You will own nothing and be happy to be poor and miserable if you do not toe the line or even if you do because the powers that be don’t give a shit about you and I. Its all about power.
Kugerrands is the only one that does not show on the coin “50 Dollars” or “100 Pounds”, “100 Euro” i.e. the perceived “value” of the coin when it comes to real bartering.. why else would they print this on all of them? the Boers were clever when South Africa was a noble country and the gold standard was honoured.. the richest country in the world then, now look at it.. the only coin not to show the fake value – buy Kruger or bars, not any other coin unless you want $ 50 for your $1800 1 oz coin in any future..
I, too, wondered about that. Some say shave it off, others (the PM company I buy from) says buy cheaper ’rounds’ (NOT legal tender by US gvt, but will barter…) in small amounts: 1/4, 1/2 etc. I buy silver as you can use it for more than bartering. I buy the smaller units in order to barter….also, silver is MUCH easier on my budget than gold, which is beyond my ability on a fixed income. I also put down the price I paid at the time.
Walmart is now also selling gold and silver coins and bars.
I think that when people get scared they make bad economic choices. But the problem like FDR once said, is that people have nothing to worry about but fear itself. The economy is okay. Could be better but it could be worse. The media banks on fear to sell airtime. And the more they project fear, the more money they make. And thats all media, not just MSN. People seem to think that a recession is coming or even some think its here really don’t understand recessions. Recessions are hiccups. They happen to readjust the market. The price of something gets too high and bam, the market readjusts. Sometimes this effects other businesses and sometimes it doesn’t. Depressions are when it happens to a lot of businesses at once. Most recessions don’t really effect anyone outside of the circle of that particular business. Life goes on for the rest of us.
But the price of everything is up! Of course its up. There is a world wide inflation problem. The US economy is a global economy. A drought in Brazil effects the US livestock industry. A war in Ukraine effects the US farming industry. But US consumers still want their prices to be lower than times past. It’s unrealistic. Its like how currently there are 1.9 jobs for every unemployed worker. Why? Are they just being lazy as some newscasters say (No), no it’s because a lot of people decided to retire or cut back their hours because of Covid. The US has a worker shortage. They have been forecasting this for years. Less workers mean higher prices. It means competition and higher pay. And our biggest source of potential workers are demonized from coming to the US because they “will take our jobs “. So we can have higher prices or more workers.
Well said. And too many potential already-US-citizen workers are not well educated and/or can’t handle physical labor. Also meaning most are not marriage material.
I’d have to agree about the unable to handle or desire physical labor. We always taught our kids, find a need & fill it. Service is not always glamorous or pays well. Which is wrong. Not everyone should go to college nor need to. Breaking a sweat never killed anyone.
Honestly I think the high schools are to blame pushing everyone to enroll in college to get degrees of which most never use. Kids today can’t balance a checkbook let alone possess basic home skills, conflict resolution or simple math without using their phones.
I put of the blame on parents, particularly mothers of boys. Watched too many moms overnight shipping the latest video game to their boys in college. Showing up to clean their sons rooms and do their laundry (no idea how far they drove). Calling them in the morning to wake them up and even worse yet, calling their professors to complain when junior didn’t bother to do the work (aka failed tests/didn’t turn in homework).
Watched a former in-law make weanies of her sons. Heaven forbid they’d play outside – instead stuck them in front of the TV/video games. If outside, she’d have to watch them which cut into her phone time (land line, not cell).
Too many people have kids for the wrong reason. Raising a child to be a productive member of society is a lot-of-hard-work.
Higher education no longer means what it once did.
Has not in years.
Colleges have been infected with non-tolerant far left ideologies that are actively hostile to any kind of thought out side of their own to the point of violence.
They also use graduation requirements to force students to take DEI classes that have nothing to do with anything. I know as my own daughter was forced to pay to take a DEI indoctrination class.
We have seen how some colleges are removing requirements, lowering standards, even eliminating grades to combat . . . something.
As a result, we have a much dumber society. Where feelings outweigh facts, like 2+2=4. History is being re-written to make it more . . . safe, for these snowflakes else they melt in the onslaught of reality.
“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”
We have produced a generation of simps. Soft and squishy. Unable to interact with the real world.
I have a good friend who is a teacher in her mid-50s. When she was in school, between classes, the halls was full of chatter as students went to their next classes talking with each other.
Now, nearly silent as they go about with their heads down, staring into their smartphones. The most sound is of shuffling feet.
Another friend who has spent the last 10 years over seas went to a local bar. There was no one under the age of 40 there. She asked a friend where are the young people? Answer: They are at home on their computers, IM/texting their friends.
The Free Press interviewed a gentleman who said he gave up on dating. Why? It was too hard. Too many expectations. It was easier for him to have a virtual relationship with a fellow gamer (female type) he has never met than a real one. And to a degree it is not his fault. There is a real thing going around about the “6-s.” You have to be at least 6 foot tall, make $6 figures a year and have 6 inches down there. My friend also said there were women who expected the guy to pay for a date. That included getting her nails done, her hair done, if she needed a Uber to get to and from the date. And, of course, the meal.
One could say, NOT marriage material on either side.
That is our future society.
I literally laughed outloud. I agree with you 100%.
Semper Fi
DEI is a fact of life. In any profession, there are not enough of us white folks to fill the jobs. Much less enough competent and/or hard working white folks. Gonna be a long, hard life for those who can’t deal with someone who does not have the same color skin and/or different (or no) religion.
It is not working with someone of a different skin color is the problem.
It is DEI is discriminatory against people based off their skin color. We saw it in the recent Supreme Court ruling where Harvard University was using discrimination against a group of people for another group of people based off their skin color.
DEI also lowers standards in favor of one group of people over others based on their skin color. DEI promotes the race to the bottom of excellence.
DEI also is anti-womens rights. DEI favors a biological male to compete in women’s sports, denying biological females awards, medals even scholarships. DEI promotes violence against women as was seen when former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines attempted to speak for women’s rights and was assaulted. DEI policies in Loudon public school lead to the rape of a young girl. Then the people responsible for passing those policies tried to cover up the rape.
A Maryland public school tried to force DEI policies on the students and circumvent the “op-out policy,” when they felt too many students were “opting-out.” Students and parents form a coalition comprised of a Christian group, a Muslim group, and a Mormon group coming together to sue the school against their DEI policies.
In Deeborn MI, the city council voted unanimously to not fly the pride flag on any government building.
It is going to be a long hard life for those who think forcing DEI on others is a good idea.
LOL.. in no way shape or form is DEI discriminatory – quite the opposite. Spin it as you may but diversity, equity, and inclusion is what it is. If you don’t understand any of the three words, check your dictionary unless you think it too is now “woke”.
Loudoun County sexual assault victim files $30 million lawsuit against school board
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/loudoun-sexual-assault-victim-30-million-lawsuit-school-board
Dont be surprised when the day comes that us normal people stand up to you and say,
“No more.”
When the cost of gasoline has tripled and the cost of rent has more than doubled but wages haven’t gone up anywhere near that, then I’d say the average person where I live would strongly disagree with your assessment.
As a self-employed mother of 5, I believe I have value is saying there is another way than formal higher education. A 4 year degree is not necessary to be ‘successful’. I think many on here would attest to their working hard without going to a post high school 4 year indoctrination. Working hard (whether it be more than 1 job or 2 or 3), being tenacious, keeping spending within your means is the key to keeping afloat. Aside of course of some unforeseeable crisis or situation.
I never said it was easy. I said I don’t agree with the blanket statement that to be ‘successful’ (whatever that means), is to have a formal education (which of course includes a boat load of debt). I don’t recall Biden forgiving the working class’ debt or health care costs?
Why are there so many vacant blue collar positions available with no workers if my point is disagreeable? Because the degreed super smarts will never stoop to our blue collar level. They seem to think they are above us.
The problem is the gap between the jobs being offered and the number of qualified canidates. Most of these openings are in specific sectors, like tech or green energy, with specialized training or qualifications required.
This is a scam the government plays to pretend there are “jobs available’, there are, but generally not ones the average joe can do, that and no business wants to train anyone to fill these jobs.
BTW, no illegal immigrant with a 9th grade education and a language barrier, is going to fill those jobs.
Most of the current batch of illegal Immigrants are here for the handouts, not to get work. They don’t want the farm labor or construction jobs, either.
According the last few Home Household Surveys more people are taking second even third jobs to make ends meet.
More people who should be retiring have re-entered the job market as they are seeing their savings get depleted from either their 401ks not doing well, inflation or both.
Inflation is hammering the average American, or the 90% and lower to include the middle class.
61% of Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck up from 59% a year ago. That also would include those making six figures in high cost of living areas like CA or NYC. Big reason why there is a mass exodus to better places to live. That crime thing might have something to do with it.
Savings rate has hit lows compared to the 2007 crisis.
Credit card debt has surpassed the $1t dollar mark, a historic first time.
39% of Americans are planning on spending less this holiday season.
Inflation is an invisible tax, that is costing Americans on average $7k a year. We see it everyday at the fuel pump, at the check out line.
More Americans are skipping meals.
I read a “life hack,” of ordering off the kids menu to cut costs.
More people using discount stores for their food as even Wal-Mart has become too expensive.
Year over year for food costs is up 5.8%. Dinning out for those who can afford it, up 7%.
So, no, the economy is not doing okay. These are real hard facts that people are seeing everyday.
Anyone who thinks our economy is OKAY is not seeing what’s going on. They are NOT paying attention and are obviously asleep at the wheel… The economy is TERRIBLE, Prices everywhere are over-inflated and officially it seems GREED has taken over everywhere… The Dollar Tree and discount places are the ONLY places that lots of people can even afford to shop these days… Dining out is terrible. One piece of fish and 1 medium size baked potato is $14.49 in a mom-and-pop place in the place where I live in the mountains of North Carolina…YES, Walmart has been slowly rising their prices for the past 2 years now… Buying food in the grocery stores is “sticker-shock”… Some people can’t see the forest for the trees, others are wide awake… In these times we are supposed to be WATCHING, ALERT, AWAKE AND AWARE of the signs of the times…
Those whom do not see it are either ignorant of the situation or willingly so.
As Daisy has said, get yourself into a good place financially.
The wife and I are there.
We do not do it often, preferring to cook at home, but we got the craving for Chinese carry out. We have a menu for the local place here at home and ordered off it. As most places do, they use their current menu as a ordering form and then attach it to your order.
Or old menu on the side of the fridge had the old prices.
What a shock to see the difference between the old one and the new one with our order.
Something that was $11.95 was now $15.95 and 1/3 smaller!
These are the kind of things the willfully ignorant, ignore. They do not think about those in the lower socio-economic scale and how they have to cope with this kind of inflation.
They have a very, “Let them eat cake!” attitude.
Uh last I looked we weren’t in the Great Depression II. Either get educated in a field that pays a living wage and/or learn a skill in a field that earns a living wage. No sympathy for those with *maybe* a high school education thinking society owes them. K-12 schools spend way too much time trying to deal with kids whose parents are, I’ll be nice, not doing his/her/their jobs. Kids who don’t get enough to eat which is I applaud free lunch (and breakfast in some areas). The military can’t fight on an empty stomach nor can kids who are hungry. Or tired/homeless for that matter.
We may have not met the official definition of a recession or depression (yet), but to a lot of Americans it already feels like they are in one.
Half of GenZ still lives with their parents and 3 out of 4 are still dependent on their parents for some kind of financial aid.
A recent survey by middle and upper management found GenZ were the worst employees. On average they got fired within the first 6 days.
Funny, it is the leftist progressives with useless DEI degrees who think they are entitled to six figure jobs, dont have to work and still get paid for it.
Be more specific dude – while they may live with their parents, it may be by choice not cuz they “have to”. How many Gen Z do you work with – rhetorical question as I know it is zero. You fired within the first six days is pure bull shit regardless of “source”. I work with Gen Z. And come on, there are no DEI degrees – you’re drinking the kool-aid. I’m beginning to think you never served in the military.
Totally agree with 1stMarineJarHead! We are already here and it will only get worse. If you are involved in the stock market you better pay close attention to what is going on because what is being put out by the media is not the true situation. Businesses have borrowed too much these past few years while interest rates were so low, now it is time to pay the piper and most don’t have the money to do so. Hold on to your hats folks because we are in for a hell of a crash and one big ride in the next 12-36 months.
Historian Victor Davis Hanson has noted that the next one to two years could be some of the most concerning since the Great Depression.
Some of things that concerns him is Federal spending, inflation, how poorly the average American is doing with things like savings, month to month, year over year spending, military readiness and more.
There are a lot of things going on globally and domestically that we very well could wake up one day and it is SHTF.
The reasons the US has a labor shortage is multi fold: Biden is paying workers to stay home. Your liberal bias of illegals taking US jobs that would cause lower prices is absurd. This Administration changes economic data routinely so as not to reflect 2 consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, which in the past indicated recession. Fear is not make-believe media BS. Real fear is not being able to pay your mortgage & losing your home, or enough money to buy groceries, lack of medical insurance when your sick so you can’t go to the hospital, losing your job and all hope. American deserves better. PS: A recession is when your neighbor loses their your job. A depression is when you lose yours!
Two Murders—and the Cost of Luxury Beliefs
https://www.thefp.com/p/two-murdersand-the-cost-of-luxury
Is this not part of the problem we have in todays society?
A small group of affluent part of society whom thinks they know better than those who live the real life of reality, try to tell those not so affluent what is best for them.
A few years ago residents of Oakland CA held a pro-police rally. What did they want? Safe streets, safe communities, safe schools.
A contingent of anti-police or antifa counter protesters showed up.
Funny part is, those who were pro-police, were actual residents of Oakland. And they were black.
The counter protesters, antifa types, not residents of Oakland, drove in from another zip-code, and very, very, white.
To say the least, things got heated between the groups.
If it were not for the police presence, the pro-police vs anti-police . . . the soy, white boy group would of gotten their butts beat.
BTW, this would also be the same area where the NAACP wanted a state of emergency declared for the residents of the area as crime has skyrocketed a few months ago.
I do not worry myself very much about what name or names that get applied to what is currently going on and looks like will continue occur in the near to mid-future. The distant future, hopefully will be when things have improved. Though I am not counting on that.
Anyway, no matter the label that is applied to the financial situations that are occurring (often with totally conflicting historical definitions all at the same time) I scan the reports, but for the last ten, possibly twenty years, it has not made me change any of my thoughts about securing what asset value I still have and any I gain that does not go directly into maintaining health and life. I hit a very high, very hard, concrete and brick wall when I turned 50-years old. That was when my health went from ‘not that bad’ to ‘I just almost died of a heart attack’ and then continued to worsen with additional diagnoses as time went by.
I am now at the point where I might die any given day, yet I am still ambulatory, with a walker or a pair of canes. I still camp with one of the prep groups with which I am affiliated. I still do my own shopping, online as well as local. While I have lost much of my quality of life I have not given up on myself and my ability to continue to live. Including living through a series of disasters (a few of which I have already lived through and intend to live through the next version of each one) and intend to live through the disasters to come. Naturally occurring; human caused; politically created; terrorist executed; physical events; financial events; and everything between and extended on both sides.
I can only do so much, so if I am at ground zero of an asteroid impact I will die. So would Bill Gates and Tom Cruise and even George Soros, with all their millions and billions (and possibly trillions) of dollars and various facilities they have built to protect themselves and those they consider important to future society.
They have their money, which if it was wisely used, will probably survive most things. That does not mean they will survive all things, primarily due to their personalities, which drive them to take actions that many people that they have helped survive will not tolerate, despite the help.
It is a matter of approach, planning, execution of the plans, the ability to help others see that what you are suggesting (not commanding or ordering) is in their best interest and killing you and taking over is not. A very large amount of good luck (I quit saying ‘luck’ as without that ‘good’ in front of it the work by itself can be very, very bad) and a history of being cool, calm, and collected during times when things that happened to you that other people saw how you handled them successfully and know in their hearts that they would not have done it that well. Better to cooperate with you than try to take over.
So, back on topic and off the rant.
Precious metals. My policy, even when I cannot afford them or have had to sell some to pay medical bills is the same as it has been for the last 30 years and for the same reasons. To conserve at least some of my asset wealth. Almost anything can be taken away for one, be it them running you off your property, stealing you crops and stock animals, taking your vehicles, confiscating electronically stored monetary assets and many others that one might have.
And, of course, if they know you have physical precious metals in hand, they will try to take them, but if they are not actually ‘physically in hand’ in ways that would allow them to find them, or you have vulnerablilities that would allow them to force you to tell them where they are, they will take them from you.
If you have things set up so they do not really know you have any, even if they suspect you do, and you use several (not just one or two) of the methods that can successfully prevent discovery and recovery of the items, then, when it comes the time when those PMs will become useful devices to use the assets you have protected to start rebuilding your life and business (the old one or a new one) and by doing so help other survivors also begin to help in the recovery of the nation. At least your local part of it.
How did/do I do it? Pretty simple, actually. Whenever I can I purchase, on a cash ticket from a local dealer that charges the smallest premiums I have ever run across, so my name is not on that purchase document, the item(s) I want and can afford at the time. Now, when I have had to sell back to him to get money to pay doctor bills, I do have to have my name and one finger print (thumb, I think) for him to legally buy the PM, no matter what it is. State, county, and city laws I think. Anyway, even by having to do it that way is a good arrangement for when his records are seized and the authorities see that I have sold precious metals there is no record of me buying them, so it be made to look like the metals were bough long ago and I have been selling them away, with no indication of how much I might still have from that long ago acquisition.
What I acquire is a mix of pre-1965 circulated US Mint 90% silver dimes and quarters, common date US Mint Silver Eagles, and common date US Mint 1/10 ounce Gold Eagles.
That way I will be able to purchase, without losses from having to give a large denomination coin and not get back any form of change. At least down to very small purchases.
I have a couple of coin books that I replace regularly with new ones so I can show anyone that does not know what they have and are not sure what I have the particulars. With a scale that they can test for accuracy, and a good micrometer to measure diameters and thicknesses, they can verify authenticity. A medium-high power magnifing glass with good lighting to check worn coins or those with small printing. (which is all of them for me now with my eyes the way they are)
And, as in the case of American half-dollars the books will show that the half-dollar they have is not one of the 90% silver ones but a 40% silver one. Or one without any silver at all. Or it might even be one of the numismatic ones that have even more silver in them. People really loved JFK, I tell you.
Anyway, I plan to hold onto everything I still have (not much).
If I ever get a movie deal for one of my books then hopefully I can pay off my medical bills and start building up the preps I have been using on a daily basis to simply eat. And maybe replace the $40k worth of prepping supplies and tools that were stolen from my rental storage room.
I have to eat and I have to see the doctors (yep, plural. Very plural). And take the many (some very expensive) medications that keep me functional, and in a couple of cases, alive. Without doing those things first, I will not live to long enough to even try to survive any type of disaster or event. Still, every spare dollar goes into necessary preps, including the occasional silver coin. Perhaps a 1/10-ounce gold coin if I have a really good month of royalties from my book sales.
I know this has been as much rant, and a rambling one at that, but the things that have happened to me, and what I learned during my formative years and into my teens, then twenties, and especially thirties and onward brought me to the realization that this path was the only one that I could take that would possibly get me through small events all the way up to the apocalypse. And for the PMs, beyond the apocalypse.
Just my very long winded and rambling opinion.
Just wanted to say I’ve enjoyed your writing for many years. All the best to you.
A lot of wisdom in there Jerry. Thank you for sharing your “long winded and rambling opinion.”.
when the world starts over have gold to pay “taxes” WTF
If you look at history, tons of landowners lost everything in the South when they were unable to pay property taxes to the new government.
The author stated that the value of gold can go down. In reality the value of gold and silver never change, they are money and always hold value. It is the purchasing power of the dollar that fluctuates. So what is money? The dollar bill in your wallet in writing tells you it is an I.O.U.. Money should be a store of value. Ask yourself if the dollars in your savings account are retaining their value.
The spots on iheart/talk radio are pushing all to sell their dollars for gold..
Ezekiel 7:19
“They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.”
King James Version (KJV)
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Ezekiel-7-19/
Gold can be corrupted as much as any currency –Barnhardt
All Central Bank money printing is therefore USURIOUS because, as we discussed above, it is simply the leveraging of the lives of the people, both present AND future, who comprise the sovereign entity that backs the money of said nationstate. In other words: YOU and your descendants for multiple generations hence.
https://youtu.be/jCs1FNCuzF4
This, and nothing less than this, has been, is, and will continue to be the explicit goal of the oligarchy that has already overthrown the former United States. This is part and parcel of the Cloward Piven Strategy. And it is all happening RIGHT NOW, and given the ignorance and cowardice of the broad populace will not be stopped excluding supernatural intervention, of which we are utterly undeserving.
https://www.barnhardt.biz/2019/08/14/toldya-negative-interest-rates-highway-to-a-cashless-statist-hell/
I like the idea of fractional silver and gold for ease of barter – should that ever become a need- though would generally prefer to barter actual goods or services, and like Daisy says, use precious metals as a way to preserve savings. However I would like to remind anyone who needs this information, watch out for the markup on smaller bars/rounds. It’s usually higher than heavier weights, somewhat like paying more per unit for a smaller package of food. Just something to consider.
Regarding the Costco gold, I really wasn’t impressed by their prices. They were slightly more expensive than my favorite precious metals dealer, Apmex, and had a limit of two – if you could even get anything.
Finally, regarding the conversation below, DEI can be quite negative if a company values “diversity, equity and inclusion” more than actual skill at a job. This does happen. When a candidate gets bonus points on a job skills test or interview simply because of their ethnicity, for example, it’s in effect saying “this person must be disandvantaged (perhaps even inferior) so they need extra help.” A better way to do things is to pick people based on skill and ability, independent of other factors. I don’t care what the ethinicity or orientation of my coworker, or even my doctor, is. I want the best person for the job.