What are safer investments beyond gold and silver?

[Copper Catcher]

What say you? Can you name any safer investment for protecting your wealth than gold or silver at this moment? Please explain...

1) Food... Maybe? Granted, it seems like when you go to the grocery store the packages are getting smaller or the contents in the packages are at least and you’re paying the same amount or more. All the illusions of magic right before your eyes!

I have to keep reminding myself it is not no much that the prices is increasing as it truly is the value or purchasing power of the dollar dropping like a rock. I am afraid the average guy on the street is clueless to this simple fact as well.

[reddirtcoins]

Guns... They go up in value all of the time.

But really, who knows? Seems like every time you think you're safe, here they are pulling the rug. I for one am getting rid of everything I can. I have no home phone, no cable tv, no netflix.. etc, etc... I always tell my daughter, "They want your money!". I think the trick is how to understand basics. Live like no other, so you can live like no other. I'm even reducing my cable to the lowest package. My smartphone is also about to go. I mean think about it? Go back to the 70's, all we had was a home phone. All of this other "gotta have stuff" didn't exist. That is where all of the investment in wealth has gone. We have too much stuff pulling money out of our bank accounts.

Also put up a garden and see how much money you'll save. You'll be surprised what 3 good raised beds 4x4 will produce.

[Engineer]

Two words: Productive Assets

Silver and gold are stores of wealth, but they don't produce wealth. Reddirt's example of small raised gardens is an excellent example of a productive asset that can not only conserve wealth, but increase it as well.

[TXBullion]

I like income producing assets.... But Im not sure if that's what you mean

[NHsorter]

I like income producing assets.... But Im not sure if that's what you mean

Breast implants are excellent income producing assets for 50% of the population. Unfortunately I fall into the other half that has to be a little more creative.

Producing food is a good hobby, and a good skill to learn. No matter which way the dollar, gold, the economy goes you will probably still be satisfied investing some time and assets into making some food to sell or to consume. I am still in the learning process myself but I have the desire to ramp up operations a little bit. Just got my first birds this morning. I have the skills and equipment to make a lot of maple syrup. Right now I only lack the time to make lots, due to this pesky full time job of mine. I also add fruit/nut trees and other perennials each year.

The right guns and ammo can be a good investment as well. Good call.

I don't see the price of good farmland going down either. Or at least I feel there is a much better chance of it going up rather than down.

DON'T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET!

[Z00]

I invest in food. I like opening a can I bought a year ago and realize that I am eating cheaper then 1 I bought a week ago.

From Grandpappy's list of 1 year storage:

1.Year 2008 Inflation: The total cost of the one-year emergency food supply increased in price by 15.3% or $212 in twelve-months from January 9, 2008 ($1,385) to January 3, 2009 ($1,597).


2.Year 2009 Inflation: The total cost of the one-year emergency food supply increased in price by 6.1% or $97 in twelve-months from January 3, 2009 ($1,597) to January 4, 2010 ($1,694).


3.Year 2010 Deflation: The total cost of the one-year emergency food supply decreased in price by -1.4% or $-23 in twelve-months from January 4, 2010 ($1,694) to January 3, 2011 ($1,671).


4.Year 2011 Inflation: The total cost of the one-year emergency food supply increased in price by 9.3% or $165 in twelve-months from January 3, 2011 ($1,768) to January 2, 2012 ($1,933).


Combined Four Year Inflation: Over the entire four year period beginning on January 9, 2008 and ending on January 2, 2012 the total combined impact of inflation on the One-Year Emergency Food Supply has been 32.6%. In other words, in the United States of America we are paying approximately 33% more for our food every week than we were four years ago.

[theo]

I've been wrestling with this myself. I listen to relatives talk about investing in Walmart, McDonalds, Amazon etc. These are popular companies and sound like sold investments. However, I've come to the conclusion that very few companies will come through the next several years in tact. The business models that have been successful over the last generation are simply not designed to deal with runaway inflation.

Beyond protecting wealth with PMs, investing should be local and personal. Many of those investment options (food, personal protection and gardening) have already been mentioned on this thread. In addition to those, I would recommend investing in personal knowledge/skills as well as developing relationships with like-minded individuals in your community. Afterall commerce is, in essence, a social activity and trust will in short supply if/when things get bad. I also believe completing any critical home repairs/upgrades before they are too expensive may be advisable.

[beauanderos]

Everything is going up in price. Consider the ever-real but as yet non-impact of peak oil on the supply lines. One day it will be felt, and that may come suddenly. Think about going into stores and buying a lifetime supply of consumer goods that are made of plastic (that are considered frivolous now) that you use and would enjoy continuing to use, in the foreseeable future. If nothing bad happens with oil, then you've hedged against hyperinflation. If peak oil manifests itself harshly, then you've built a hoard of barterable tangible items that hedge against potential product extinction. I, for example, have a lifetime supply of Schick Tracer III handles/blades, pen barrels and replacement inserts, and a few other items. Things we take for granted now won't be around forever if most oil is used as gasoline. Everyone should have a year's supply of food and rotate thru consumption of older dates. Now is the time for delayed gratification and stockpiling. Prices are about to increase exponentially, reflecting the recent increases globally of massive quantitative easing. Become your own Costco/walmart and you'll do okay.

I'm not promoting this site, but I liked the picture

[Tourney64]

Hard assets. Paper money is not one. Food, guns, ammo, land, water, gold, and silver. Most important of all your health.

[Rodebaugh]

Get a box trap. They cost about $40 new and provide a steady supply of protein rich neighborhood small game such as opossums, skunks, cats, and coons. Furthermore, Fur from the caught critters can also be fashoned into useful items saving even more money. Imagine how thrifty your heighbors will think you are when they see you kids loading onto the school bus adorned with coonskin caps, skunk britches, and actual hello kitty fur t-shirts. Or when they see how stylish the little lady looks wearing her opposum two piece bikini down at the local swiming hole.

Good question CC......hope you enjoyed the above humor.
There are 3 basic things you can do with money.
-spend it (twizlers and root beer)
-preserve it (comodities and durables)
-grow it (business and investments)

[reddirtcoins]

I forgot to mention chicken... You can sale/barter the eggs... That preserves and grows.
Also to preserve wealth think outside of the box.. We all "might" need a skill that will be needed. That will produce wealth which in turn will preserve. I also tell my daughter all the time that "wealth" is leverage.. You don't spend it but instead use it as a force to make things happen.

[Copper Catcher]

I just got back from the store and even more shocked now that I was before...I swear some of the sizes looked more like it belonged in a Barbie playhouse that in a real kitchen!

It just makes me sick....

[beauanderos]

I just got back from the store and even more shocked now that I was before...I swear some of the sizes looked more like it belonged in a Barbie playhouse that in a real kitchen!

It just makes me sick....

looks like the early symptoms of the next pandemic. The hyperinflation Flu. HPN$↓ strain. Sadly, there is no cure, however a gold and silver based vaccine is available. One can expect mass casualties.

[TXBullion]

Get a box trap. They cost about $40 new and provide a steady supply of protein rich neighborhood small game such as opossums, skunks, cats, and coons. Furthermore, Fur from the caught critters can also be fashoned into useful items saving even more money. Imagine how thrifty your heighbors will think you are when they see you kids loading onto the school bus adorned with coonskin caps, skunk britches, and actual hello kitty fur t-shirts. Or when they see how stylish the little lady looks wearing her opposum two piece bikini down at the local swiming hole.

Good question CC......hope you enjoyed the above humor.
There are 3 basic things you can do with money.
-spend it (twizlers and root beer)
-preserve it (comodities and durables)
-grow it (business and investments)

great doc

[wheeler_dealer]

Good used replacement tires bought inexpensive. Motor oil in quantity preserve $ and barter. Home repair hardware. Toiletries medicines vitamins

[No82s]

I know an old boy who owns a junkyard. Thinks he is going to get rich. Used parts don't ya know. He has a point, but don't know that I want to invest......yet.

[reddirtcoins]

Good article here... right at the end. What I am trying to impress on my daughter all of the time. except don't get rid of.. use pm as leverage.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-pos ... mall-thumb

"Then, in the heat of the deflation, when everyone you know is selling everything they own to simply stay afloat, you buy. Sell your gold and buy. With both hands. Aggressively. Greedily. And if a bank will extend you credit based on your gold holdings, take it and buy with leverage. You will be creating generational wealth."

[Treetop]

Get a box trap. They cost about $40 new and provide a steady supply of protein rich neighborhood small game such as opossums, skunks, cats, and coons. Furthermore, Fur from the caught critters can also be fashoned into useful items saving even more money. Imagine how thrifty your heighbors will think you are when they see you kids loading onto the school bus adorned with coonskin caps, skunk britches, and actual hello kitty fur t-shirts. Or when they see how stylish the little lady looks wearing her opposum two piece bikini down at the local swiming hole.

Good question CC......hope you enjoyed the above humor.
There are 3 basic things you can do with money.
-spend it (twizlers and root beer)
-preserve it (comodities and durables)
-grow it (business and investments)

I was going to say that was great advice until I saw you were joking...

[Cu Later]

twinkies.

[tn-dave]

I've been wrestling with this myself. I listen to relatives talk about investing in Walmart, McDonalds, Amazon etc. These are popular companies and sound like sold investments. However, I've come to the conclusion that very few companies will come through the next several years in tact. The business models that have been successful over the last generation are simply not designed to deal with runaway inflation.

This is one reason I like mutual funds -- Buying stock in a single company scares me but with a mutual fund if a company's stock goes to $0 overnight you would only loose a small % of your overall holdings. Unless they all go to $0 overnight

[reddirtcoins]

twinkies.

I have a special box in my safe just for those!!

[Whinstone]

I would think any metal would be a safe investment right now plus antiques...even though your middle of the road antiques prices are down right now. The high end antiques prices keep going up. I wouldn't throw away anything right now. The junk man has always been around. If I had the money, I would buy, buy, buy everything and everything.Guns, knives and coins are selling well.If anything is not selling well, it dosen't that it won't later.

[DTEJD1997]

That is a good question and something I think about almost every day.

I think that diversification is an important thing.

Understanding of risks & rewards is also of critical importance. Everything has some amount of risk, cash, gold, government bonds, real estate, stocks, etc.

I think that mutual funds are a very poor choice for people who are going to get actively involved in their future & investments.

Real estate MUST cash flow. It is VERY risky though in that it is illiquid and typically has a lot of leverage associated with it. It is also not portable and thus subject to government confiscation/problems.

If you want income, I would suggest buying stock. If you are patient, you can find companies that are debt free, making money, and paying a 6 to 7% dividend. Buying companies that are debt free (or very nearly so) reduces the risk substantially. I would also suggest that there are some good preferred stocks & REITS that offer good income.

From time to time you can also buy good utility stocks that will yield 6 to 7%.

During the height of the credit crisis (2008), my business partner bought preferred stock in a REIT. To make a long story short, he is making a 25% cash yield on his investment through dividends. He also has a capital gain of very close to 300%.

[97guns]

real estate is a hard asset that produces passive income and thats the route i took in 2009 retiring at 39 years old. now all my rents go straight to metal and since 2009 my net worth has almost doubled. just did a quick calculation when i did my taxes and i made 14.6% return on my investment, that works out to $6.84 per hour 24/7/365 days a year last year for sitting on the couch playing with my dingie.

[TXBullion]

[quote="97guns"]real estate is a hard asset that produces passive income and thats the route i took in 2009 retiring at 39 years old. now all my rents go straight to metal and since 2009 my net worth has almost doubled. just did a quick calculation when i did my taxes and i made 14.6% return on my investment, that works out to $6.84 per hour 24/7/365 days a year last year for sitting on the couch playing with my dingie.[/quote]

To say that means you did not do any work involving your properties, oversight, management, going to the store, talking with an ad agency. It is passive to an extent but my guess is you have to allocate some time to your investments.