Futureproofing: PM Me

I am in possession of one ounce of 99.9% pure silver. The coin is an American Silver Eagle, purchased to commemorate the birth of my son (technically the coin is his, hence my reluctance to use the word "own" in the opening sentence). It's big. It's beautiful. It makes a clinking sound unlike any US coin since the early '60s.

It also has a face value of one US dollar, but don't be fooled. A silver dollar is worth more than $1.00. Because of the silver content, a silver dollar is worth at least $19.34 as of this writing. Factor in variables like year of production, etc and the value will increase.

You may be asking why. The answer is simple: Silver, and even more so, gold, is money, and has been for 5000 years. The paper in your wallet is currency, issued by a government, reliant on the stability of and peoples' faith in said government. It wasn't always this way. Coins have been free of silver since the mid-1960s, Nixon took the US dollar off the gold standard in 1971. Silver and gold have been money/store of value since the dawn of civilization, and interest is climbing as social and fiscal problems mount (I'm looking at you, $20 trillion national debt). The monetary policy of the last few decades has been an anomaly, one many predict will end with a currency crisis. One common hedge against such a calamity is precious metals.

Prior to Nixon's action, gold had a fixed value of $35/ounce. Today, an ounce of gold will set you back $1329.00. During the darkest days of the most recent financial crisis, gold hit $2000/ounce, leading many of the newly-unemployed to take up prospecting. Increasing digits on a Federal Reserve spreadsheet doesn't inspire such action. Gold does.

In closing, consider precious metals as a low-maintenance store of value with potential to rise. Do your own research, draw your own conclusions, and if it seems feasible, start stacking.

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