Does Anyone Realize How Little Influence We Have?

[beauanderos]

I got to thinking about this the other day. They say only one percent of the population is invested in precious metals. Think about that for a moment. Say there are only ten percent of the population who are rational, critical thinkers, who could afford to invest in silver and gold (alot of ifs there, but maybe not too far off the mark). If, after years of watching silver and gold make their, for the most part, stealth move, only one percent are holding precious metals now (and how many of those have physical ownership, as opposed to paper accounts?)... then what will it take to bring more fresh blood into the body? Do you realize how little influence we have on our circle of acquaintances? Most think we are nuts. I would surmise that the impact we have on those who observe US is very little... and I would no more than one percent of those who watch US will protect themselves in the same fashion.

[silverflake]

Since reading Ted Butler in 2002, I had been spending every spare cent on silver and I tried to tell as many people as I could in my 'little circle' of the world. Of the dozens of friends and family members I told, only 3 people listened to me. Two of them are friends I keep in touch with on a weekly basis. They bought early and are quite happy though one of them keeps wondering if he should now sell. One other friend I had told to buy gold in 1999. I ended up moving out of state, didn't know if he had bought any or not. A couple years ago a package arrives for me in the mail. I open it up and find a box of my favorite cigars (Macunudo Prince Phillip) from the friend I told to buy gold in 1999. In the cigar package is a thank you note. Turns out he bought a number of St. Gaudens $20 gold pieces in 1999 (he wouldn't tell me how many. He was a retired physician.). He was thanking me because at the time of mailing the cigars, gold had pierced $1000/ounce. I could use another box of cigars.

When the public decides to get in...to the moon.

Keep stacking.

[BamaJoe]

Good thoughts, but I would take it further. Of that one percent how many actually physically hold their pm's? I'm not really considering those that have Grandma's old ring or that box of a dozen silver dollars that Grandpa saved, but those that actually bought pm's for the purpose of investment or insurance and physically hold them. Off hand I would say 1/10th of that one percent, or 0.1 percent of the population.

At some point the dam will break and whether it is people losing faith in paper currency or waking up one day and realizing that their paper pm's are just that, paper, the rush to physical will occur.

[SoFa]

I have no interest in influencing anyone regarding their finances.

[68Camaro]

I have no interest in influencing anyone regarding their finances.

And I respect that...

[beauanderos]

I have no interest in influencing anyone regarding their finances.

Which is basically the point that I have reached, after several futile years of attempting to convince others they need to protect themselves, it's frustrating to watch them do nothing as gold and silver rise. I got tired of "preaching the good word" ... and from now on their on there own.

[neilgin1]

thats a really good thesis you pose Raymundo.

IF, you posit to friends, what you see, or give them sound advice, on sound currency, most wont listen. You know that.

and when the rubber meets the road, meaning there are no other means of SOUND wealth storage, PM's, a person just coming to the party, will find the door barred, the shelves bare.

and ESPECIALLY when its your inner circle..."he's paranoid"....."oh there he goes again"...sure you've heard that before.

Bama brings up an interesting question, "how many actually HOLD"?...admit to nothing. in the city, i used to be a PM "evangelist". But up here, where the population density is 7 people a sq mile and the county seat has 3500 souls, i say nothing, and walk around in ten dollar sneakers.

i read two things this morning that chilled my blood a bit, here's the first, its the conclusion to an article i'll link:

"We are literally witnessing the collapse of our entire entire borrow-and-consume paradigm, the aftereffects of which will not be pretty, complete with hyperinflationary depression, riots, starvation and bloodshed."
( http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/e ... e_04272012 )

now one could say, "oh just more palaber from the doomer cult"...and they'd have a point, because i've noticed in the prepper/doomer world a mindset akin to a dope addict....they "seek" out their drug, they revel in it, it becomes their WHOLE IDENTITY, and LIFE.

its a fine line to toe, a high wire act. How to be AWARE and yet maintain some form of elain, dash, and keep a grin and winsome attitude about yourself.

the article itself, we've read all the stats, it was the "starvation and bloodshed" ending that gave me pause, because as you pondered, so few are prepared, physically, but more mentally prepared. How do you tell a people who never known 3rd world type of want, "you're going to starve"?...when all that debit card is good for, is to scrap lichen off a rock so as to thicken nettle soup.

How will they act? well lets take a look:

Mall of America 26 Dec 2011...rough footage, bedlam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcxohwK1 ... re=related

here's a 15 minute(if you can bear it) "Black Friday 2011" compilation of what a post dollar world might look like in the urban centers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEb18fkA ... re=related

(the TRULY DISTURBING thing about the above comp, is these people's bellies are FULL....imagine, when they're not.)

there are many many more of these truly soul crushing displays, of what we've become, and i would wager, that within these crazed crowds, personal PM ownership comes in at 0.0000000000001%...maybe, but what about GUN ownership, that might be a tad higher percentage, which is why when a top flight film director like Danny Boyle made the film "28 Days Later", you have to ask, does life imitate art? (or is it the other way around?)

but the most sinister thing i read and saw this morning was watching CNBC anchor Erin Burnett gleefully posing the question to Navy Post Grad school Prof. Jon Lipow, "What if we BANNED cash"?" the video on this page is a MUST WATCH, its sinister, and chilling in the total implication of what they say, and HOW they say it.

http://sgtreport.com/2012/04/cfr-member ... nned-cash/

so, in between the witless mobs and the vile PTB, here am i, "stuck in the middle with you".

[SoFa]

I have no interest in influencing anyone regarding their finances.

Which is basically the point that I have reached, after several futile years of attempting to convince others they need to protect themselves, it's frustrating to watch them do nothing as gold and silver rise. I got tired of "preaching the good word" ... and from now on their on there own.

I don't try to convince anyone because I'm not really an expert. And it's generally not a good idea to advertise the fact that you own precious metals anyways.

[68Camaro]

I've had to be very cautious, for all the reasons above. But I haven't been completely quiet. In the right circumstances there can be a place to open up a bit and test the waters. In so doing I have not only gotten my younger daughter on board, but found another kindred spirit in a co-worker who - after some round-about conversations before I fully opened up the curtain - turned out to have been WANTING advice and jumped in with both feet, and soon may well pass me by.

[Copper Catcher]

At first I thought about making a new post because I did not want this comment to get lost. But I have decided to share this here and hopefully someone can shed more light on this and give me a few facts or their opinion.

I'm not surprised that we have so very little influence.....However please help me sort this out.

I have read various places that 80% or maybe 90% of the people who invest in the stock market LOSE money. Yet all the media and some might say financial porn tell everyone that the best way to save for your future is to be invested in the stock market. Likewise I have read that after the last crash 40% of the people vowed to never invest in the stock market again!

Computers are doing high frequency trading at the nanosecond rate so who knows how much of the volume is real and how much is made up fluff.

So I ask myself if 80% lose money but still keep putting money in the stock market isn't that the definition of insanity i.e. doing the same thing and expecting different results? What say you?

[beauanderos]

At first I thought about making a new post because I did not want this comment to get lost. But I have decided to share this here and hopefully someone can shed more light on this and give me a few facts or their opinion.

I'm not surprised that we have so very little influence.....However please help me sort this out.

I have read various places that 80% or maybe 90% of the people who invest in the stock market LOSE money. Yet all the media and some might say financial porn tell everyone that the best way to save for your future is to be invested in the stock market. Likewise I have read that after the last crash 40% of the people vowed to never invest in the stock market again!

Computers are doing high frequency trading at the nanosecond rate so who knows how much of the volume is real and how much is made up fluff.

So I ask myself if 80% lose money but still keep putting money in the stock market isn't that the definition of insanity i.e. doing the same thing and expecting different results? What say you?

Interesting angle to consider. I would have to guess that ease of entering the stock market via discount brokerage houses encourages most people to play (vs ignorance of how to acquire precious metals from reputable sources for fair prices). Anyone can open up an online trading account for no more than $1000... and then they're off to the races. When their friends tell them about the killing they just made on XXX stock, it creates envy and covetousness to find their own ten-bagger. NO ONE ever brags about their losses, so it's a one way street aided and abetted by Wall Street. On the other hand, MSM is continuously playing up the perils of precious metals ownership... the home invasions, the "after the coin show" dealer rip-offs, the Goldline sleaze bait and switch boiler room operatives. It's no wonder only 1% are invested in the metals, I'll bet there's only five or ten percent that truly understand the fundamentals, and likely a majority of those keep telling themselves "yeah, that's a good inflation hedge, someday I need to do that"... but will they ever get off their butts and stop procrastinating? Most likely no. Maybe that group is where the next 1% will come from, but everyone is hard-pressed by the economy to find any discretionary income. My prediction? The 1% will SHRINK... before it grows larger. There's lots of "strong hands" around that, due to circumstances, are finding out they are weaker than they thought and have to begin dishoarding just to pay bills and survive. I think a contraction (assisted by the perception created by the bullion banksters without fathers) is ongoing in the pool of PM holders in the last few years... at least as far as the cadre of "under a $100 a month dollar cost averagers" goes.

[agmoose]

I enjoy these threads. I did influence 1 person I work with (my boss). He had inherited some silver and gold and was planning to just sell it off (had already sold some) but now he is stacking, searching pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters......lol. He involved his two kids too. Has them collecting as well, after he took them to Colletorama in Lakeland and they got some free stuff.

But - yeah, overall, not that large a percentage of the population is in the know. I don't have a massive stack, but I add each payday as I can. I prep to an extent, have my own garden, can some stuff, have some food & water as well as lead on hand. Heck, I live in a Hurricane state, it would be stupid to not have some supplies on hand. (Including some fiat in case the ATMs are down).

Keep the discussion going guys, I don't have alot of expertise or wisdom to add, but I do enjoy the various viewpoints.

[My2Cents]

It's interesting to think that less than 1% own PMs.... but look at it this way.... If you have any substantial stack, it could be US that then becomes the top 1% when the economy collapses.

[beauanderos]

It's interesting to think that less than 1% own PMs.... but look at it this way.... If you have any substantial stack, it could be US that then becomes the top 1% when the economy collapses.

There is no "could" about it. It is a certainty that those with substantial amounts of precious metals socked away when the revaluation of them eventually occurs, will be among the top tier of the then wealthy. At that point, no one will be willing to part with even small amounts of silver or gold for ANY amount of dollars. This is a point in your life when you need to consider every purchase of nonessentials and think long and hard about the opportunity cost that is involved. That is... how many purchases a week are you making that are frivolous... for the mere amount of $2.20? Would you so easily make that same purchase if you understood that, in a relatively short span of time, that silver dime you could have bought instead would have increased in value one hundred times??? Is that Starbucks really worth $4400?

[agmoose]

It's interesting to think that less than 1% own PMs.... but look at it this way.... If you have any substantial stack, it could be US that then becomes the top 1% when the economy collapses.

There is no "could" about it. It is a certainty that those with substantial amounts of precious metals socked away when the revaluation of them eventually occurs, will be among the top tier of the then wealthy. At that point, no one will be willing to part with even small amounts of silver or gold for ANY amount of dollars. This is a point in your life when you need to consider every purchase of nonessentials and think long and hard about the opportunity cost that is involved. That is... how many purchases a week are you making that are frivolous... for the mere amount of $2.20? Would you so easily make that same purchase if you understood that, in a relatively short span of time, that silver dime you could have bought instead would have increased in value one hundred times??? Is that Starbucks really worth $4400?

Precisely. I keep a couple of silver dimes in my ashtray (I know........the horror! ) and when I'm tempted to stop at McD's or Dunkin - I rub those together & I think of buying a couple more dimes instead. Not a bad weight management program either!

[rexmerdinus]

Only one percent? Does that mean we're the so-called 1%?

...Hmm...I was about to type some snide remark about how I don't feel very rich, but now that I think about it, I guess I do have it pretty good. In addition to a good job, nice house, and a small horde of PM's, I've got a lovely wife who is about two weeks away from giving birth to my first child. Yeah, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I'm the king of the world!

[Chief]

Only one percent? Does that mean we're the so-called 1%?
...Hmm...I was about to type some snide remark about how I don't feel very rich, but now that I think about it, I guess I do have it pretty good. In addition to a good job, nice house, and a small horde of PM's, I've got a lovely wife who is about two weeks away from giving birth to my first child. Yeah, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I'm the king of the world!

Congrats!

[SilverDragon72]

Only one percent? Does that mean we're the so-called 1%?

...Hmm...I was about to type some snide remark about how I don't feel very rich, but now that I think about it, I guess I do have it pretty good. In addition to a good job, nice house, and a small horde of PM's, I've got a lovely wife who is about two weeks away from giving birth to my first child. Yeah, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I'm the king of the world!

We could be the new 1 percent? Quick, let's start protesting against ourselves!!!

[beauanderos]

Only one percent? Does that mean we're the so-called 1%?

...Hmm...I was about to type some snide remark about how I don't feel very rich, but now that I think about it, I guess I do have it pretty good. In addition to a good job, nice house, and a small horde of PM's, I've got a lovely wife who is about two weeks away from giving birth to my first child. Yeah, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I'm the king of the world!

We could be the new 1 percent? Quick, let's start protesting against ourselves!!!

You think you're joking... and your jibe IS funny ... BUT... in a few years when we're sitting pretty after an exponential price rise... and the gov't decides it wants to get it's grimy little hands on our hoards... you can be sure there will be protests against "hoarders" and those who hold precious metals in their physical state will be demonized as extremists... with radical outlooks (and guns)... and you know where that leads. We could be designated tear a wrists.

[deacon]

It's interesting to think that less than 1% own PMs.... but look at it this way.... If you have any substantial stack, it could be US that then becomes the top 1% when the economy collapses.

There is no "could" about it. It is a certainty that those with substantial amounts of precious metals socked away when the revaluation of them eventually occurs, will be among the top tier of the then wealthy. At that point, no one will be willing to part with even small amounts of silver or gold for ANY amount of dollars. This is a point in your life when you need to consider every purchase of nonessentials and think long and hard about the opportunity cost that is involved. That is... how many purchases a week are you making that are frivolous... for the mere amount of $2.20? Would you so easily make that same purchase if you understood that, in a relatively short span of time, that silver dime you could have bought instead would have increased in value one hundred times??? Is that Starbucks really worth $4400?

Precisely. I keep a couple of silver dimes in my ashtray (I know........the horror! ) and when I'm tempted to stop at McD's or Dunkin - I rub those together & I think of buying a couple more dimes instead. Not a bad weight management program either!

I've been thinking of cutting down on frivolous expenses. I definitely waste a lot of money on eating out and such.

4.4k from a silver dime would be a 2000% return. That seems awful high.

[Hawkeye]

Only one percent? Does that mean we're the so-called 1%?

...Hmm...I was about to type some snide remark about how I don't feel very rich, but now that I think about it, I guess I do have it pretty good. In addition to a good job, nice house, and a small horde of PM's, I've got a lovely wife who is about two weeks away from giving birth to my first child. Yeah, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I'm the king of the world!

We could be the new 1 percent? Quick, let's start protesting against ourselves!!!

You think you're joking... and your jibe IS funny ... BUT... in a few years when we're sitting pretty after an exponential price rise... and the gov't decides it wants to get it's grimy little hands on our hoards... you can be sure there will be protests against "hoarders" and those who hold precious metals in their physical state will be demonized as extremists... with radical outlooks (and guns)... and you know where that leads. We could be designated tear a wrists.

You paint what I fear is a frighteningly accurate picture.

[beauanderos]

I was implying a hundred fold increase from $4.40 (I don't even know if you can buy anything that cheap from Starbucks), but you're right, my math was off. My bad. Typing while I was at work. However, if you study various episodes of hyperinflation throughout history (and we WILL have hyperinflation, at some point) then you'll see that such exponential increases are far from rare, they seem to be the rule, rather than the exception. Just saying all the stuff most of us waste money on could add up to a significant amount someday... so those who advocate delayed gratification will someday get to party till the cows come home.

[justj2k78]

I keep it quiet. Here, I'm free to talk. At home, my wife knows all, my mother knows I've been "collecting" silver. My wife knows to keep her mouth shut, and my mother doesn't know enough to be of danger to my stash. I wouldn't feel comfortable influencing others on finances, PM or otherwise, but even if I did, doing so would give away details of my finances that I'm not willing to share. I'm a man-nurse with a mediocre house and a 2000 Grand-Am. I'm not the droid you are looking for.

[IdahoCopper]

Only one percent? Does that mean we're the so-called 1%?

...Hmm...I was about to type some snide remark about how I don't feel very rich, but now that I think about it, I guess I do have it pretty good. In addition to a good job, nice house, and a small horde of PM's, I've got a lovely wife who is about two weeks away from giving birth to my first child. Yeah, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I'm the king of the world!

We could be the new 1 percent? Quick, let's start protesting against ourselves!!!

You think you're joking... and your jibe IS funny ... BUT... in a few years when we're sitting pretty after an exponential price rise... and the gov't decides it wants to get it's grimy little hands on our hoards... you can be sure there will be protests against "hoarders" and those who hold precious metals in their physical state will be demonized as extremists... with radical outlooks (and guns)... and you know where that leads. We could be designated tear a wrists.

One branch of my exit strategy includes a passport. So should yours. Think of 1930's Germany, and emulating the more perceptive Jews in Europe. Albert Einstein was one of them.

[pmbug]

Occupy Real Cent. We are the 1%.