Guess wrong with bonds and you'll take a bath. Not even Vanguard Money Market funds guarantee that your account value won't loose $$$ or fall below a dollar per share.
Guess wrong with stocks and you'll take a bath.
Guess wrong with a fund manager and you'll take a bath.
That's a given, but you said "**IF** that doesn't happen Gold will be a vastly better investment irrespective of what price point you bought in at." Gold at current prices has a much higher downside risk than many other investments.
Stop guessing and start investing. Wait for prices to turn in your favor instead of chasing the Ace irrespective of what the investment vehicle is.
Those who purchased wisely and proportiontely kept a balanced portfolio.
I've been investing for a long time and I made money during the crash, so I understand how to spread risks. My point is that investing in gold at current prices is a high risk investment and anyone claiming otherwise either doesn't know what they are talking about or they are selling something.
The Food analogy is flawed from my perspective. Investing and being prepared are separate issues.
If you bought Gold at $1800 and ounce and the value falls in half you still have monetary value. If you spent the same $1800 on MRE's and Chicken Little doesn't have his day your loss is 100%.
You forgot the obvious. If the collapse doesn't come say in 20 years, you start eating your food. No lose at all.
Placing 100% of your investment in fiat currency is a recipe for disappointment.
All paper and electronic money is fiat money even if it's backed by gold. You only need to look at history to see that the exchange rate of the dollar went from $20.67 per troy ounce to $35 by law (fiat) in 1934 all while on the gold standard.
