I have learned about many of the problems of the world like the monetary and banking systems in place. I had some money and wanted to make sure I didn't lose the purchasing power of the money I had if the CAD began losing value in an economic crash I saw looming in the future.
I ended up purchasing some gold and silver in 2015 and 2016.
Was I buying gold and silver for investment to make money?
Or was I buying gold and silver as insurance against the fraud of a monetary and banking system we have?
Personally, a bit of both, since I was hopefully buying it at a low and it would rise in price, meaning I could sell some for a profit if I needed money. But primarily it was to insure my purchasing power. Gold and silver are time tested stores of value. When fiat currency goes down, gold and silver will be going up.
At first I also had the opportunity to get some BTC for $325. I didn't like the unreal, intangible digital currency model, as the banksters and globalists want a cashless society to control all flow of money through banks. Bitcoin was something that could be used for the same purposes. Plus it's electronic only. Gold and silver is physical, and can't be lost in a digital corruption of sorts. Who knows what could happen. If the shit hit the fan, maybe the power infrastructure would fail and no more computers, etc. to get Bitcoin out of.
But hindsight is 20/20 as they say, and Bitcoin is a better investment to say the least, having seen it go above $3000 this year, when in 2015 it was $325 when I first looked into Bitcoin. I ended up getting some Bitcoin at $600, but didn't manage to keep much as digital money seems to carry less responsibility in my case, and I lost it by convincing myself to do trading for altcoins and forex. What a mistake. Hindsight again ;) Speculative, deceptive and manipulative money games are not for me. I'll stick to the grounded work of creating something that others might want -- such as content -- and try to earn that way. Earning money by making something is better that making nothing and just playing money games ;)
But back to the point about gold and silver as an investment. I still have my gold and silver, holding it as insurance. I haven't sold any of it yet when I needed some money, opting instead to sell some BTC. Bitcoin has a certain level of trust for me, but it's new and a volatile, who knows where it could end up and how controlled it can be at some point.
But for now, Bitcoin is the less restricted form of currency there is. Gold and silver is manipulated, most of it is owned by the ultra-rich. The same could happen to Bitcoin as they could easily buy in and own up most of it. Is BTC already being manipulated like gold and silver... probably, but I don't think to the same extent.
Gold and silver is a good insurance against fiat currency fluctuations in the long-term. Compared to crashing fiat bubbles or hyperinflation, getting gold or silver will pan out in the long run as an insurance store of value. I has always survived and retained value over time. One ounce of gold can buy the same raw material now as in the past, adjusted for inflation over time.
For the short-term, it depends when you buy gold and silver if you can use them as a way to invest and make money by reselling it. You can play the ups and down of the market. But using gold and silver as an investment to make money is more risky. Buying and holding precious metals throughout an economic crisis will mean that you retain or gain purchasing power during and after the crisis.
Gold and silver should be worth more than it is right now, according to the reality of the monetary system that is propped up with belief, faith, loyalty and trust from people to keep the fantasy alive. Paper stocks and other market manipulations keep the price from putting down the fiat currencies of the world.
If you have gold and silver, hold onto it. I would say the same for Bitcoin. But if you need money, you need to make a choice. Gold and silver is time tested, while Bitcoin is new and doesn't have a track record like gold or silver. But Bitcoin gives monetary freedom from the control of the current banking system. It could very well be the money of the future, but we don't know how governments and regulations are going to impact it's future.
Cryptocurrencies hold the potential to tear down the old monetary system, unlike gold and silver. Riding Bitcoin or crypto into the future can possibly be the greatest investment to make. And also the greatest insurance as a store of value to retain the purchasing power of fiat currency that will plummet at some point when the music stops and the bubbles pop.
Have you purchased any gold or silver?
Are you using metals or Bitcoin as an investment, or for future insurance protection? Or both?