Stockpile Gold for a Collapse

One theme that runs through Retirement Watch is that the right financial moves often are counterintuitive. Actions that seem logical and that many people think they should do often aren’t best for them. Consider the notion of buy and accumulating gold as insurance against an economic apocalypse. This often is one of the top recommendations of those giving advice for such a situation. But when carefully analyzed, I don’t think the idea is a good one. Here’s an article from The Atlantic explaining in some detail why stockpiling gold wouldn’t be a good idea. The arguments can be summarized in something someone once said to me. If the world’s falling apart and you carry a bar of gold into a store to buy some break, the cost of the bread is going to be a bar of gold. The store’s not going to make change from a bar of gold. If you’re going to stockpile, then stockpile things that are durable and that you and others will be able to use or eat.