Silver Survivalism

Anyone involved in silver, it seems to me, needs to understand why others have been buying silver these past several years. Silver is a hedge against the inflation tax (or negative real interest rates- meaning the loss of purchasing power for paper cash), and silver is an item for barter that has stood the test of time. In other words, it is real money that can’t be diluted or conjured out of thin air. Physical silver is monetary insurance. It goes right along with the supplies of water, or food, or fuel, or other necessities that people like me who live in earthquake zones are supposed to have, but often never have enough of. Buying silver does not mean you think the world is going to end. It simply means that you have sized up certain risks around you, and are taking some small steps to try to prudently manage your savings, and possibly give yourself peace of mind when you sleep at night.

And peace of mind may be the most valuable commodity of all these days, after yet another revelation that our financial system leaves a lot to be desired (one more great understatement for the year). What has disturbed my never-too-deep sleep now? Well probably something that has troubled some of my fellow worry warts out there: the MF Global fiasco...more