I bought a bunch of silver coins ten years ago, put them in a safe deposit box, and basically forgot about them. They are bulky and heavy to move. If I move overseas, I don’t know where I would store them.
I sold off my little stash of gold coins 3 years ago to rid myself of the debt I had assumed for Joe’s hospitalization in Panama. Grateful I had them for this moment. Grateful to be debt-free.
I'll not reveal my position, but I'm not worried about this week's dramatic moves. I hold it as a last-ditch hedge. And if you don't hold it, you don't own it. The moves in ETFs proves the rule.
Really grounded take — especially the idea of silver as a “Secondary Haven.” That framing explains the emotional whiplash a lot of new investors just experienced.
The volatility lesson is probably the most valuable part here: havens aren’t meant to be traded like memes. They’re meant to absorb macro risk, not amplify it. What we just saw was speculation overpowering fundamentals.
Appreciate you emphasizing valuation and patience over mania. For many people, this month was their first real encounter with cycles, bubbles, and nerves — painful, but necessary education.
Long term, I agree: silver earning a larger place in portfolios depends on it maturing past these speculative spikes. Until then, position sizing + expectations matter more than predictions.
This is almost comical, because two years ago an Über driver spent our whole trip telling us about investing in silver. He was obsessed with it. At the end of the ride, he pulled out his phone and showed us photos of his silver collection, and influencer-esque videos of his silver ingots. I always meant to look into whether this guy was on to something (or just a random kook), especially since Trump started doing his best to wreck the US economy, but I think this article answers all my questions, so thanks for writing this!
I bought iShares SLV silver trust. A small percentage (0.5%). Yes, silver is volatile and a very different kind of beast. However, it is absolutely essential for electronic components and technology so it's value should remain on the high end.
Also, by finding real value in your writings for the last 10 years, and finding the nerve to convert IRA to "self-directed IRA" I am personally comfortable with diversifying my portfolio, primarily with mutual funds (non-US), a mix of tech (US), gold shares (largest share right now) or gold mining, followed up with Pharma mutual and Technology Mutual, and then a mix of non-US market funds (Pacific Rim, emerging Asia, Overseas, China Region, International Emerging Markets, etc.), Utilities Mutual, Defense and Aerospace Mutual, and very tiny bits of Rare Earths Mutual, and Crypto Digital Payments (not Bitcoin itself, but the systems that run it).
My annualized return was 22% in 2025, versus 15-17% for Dow and S&P 500.
My wife and I are fortunate to both have good pensions and social security incomes in our retirement. My combined IRA and investment accounts are below average but not needed.
I've also used my IRAs (3, now down to one) to pay off $50,000 in student loans for our two children and our SIL. Three children who don't need the money when we're deceased, they need it NOW!
I like your idea with regards to "Civilizational-Preserving Allocations" and using Microsoft Co-Pilot to model investment suggestions which is all further tunable to my personal risk level. What do you think?
Sorry, but i live in the real world, and 90% silver pre-1965 American coins have gained 100% over the past year, including the speculative crash (good riddance), but the point all of you are missing is that these coins are real money, so I can buy food when the crash comes and my coins have accrued in value 5800%. Buying American has always been the best policy.
I bought a bunch of silver coins ten years ago, put them in a safe deposit box, and basically forgot about them. They are bulky and heavy to move. If I move overseas, I don’t know where I would store them.
I sold off my little stash of gold coins 3 years ago to rid myself of the debt I had assumed for Joe’s hospitalization in Panama. Grateful I had them for this moment. Grateful to be debt-free.
I'll not reveal my position, but I'm not worried about this week's dramatic moves. I hold it as a last-ditch hedge. And if you don't hold it, you don't own it. The moves in ETFs proves the rule.
Really grounded take — especially the idea of silver as a “Secondary Haven.” That framing explains the emotional whiplash a lot of new investors just experienced.
The volatility lesson is probably the most valuable part here: havens aren’t meant to be traded like memes. They’re meant to absorb macro risk, not amplify it. What we just saw was speculation overpowering fundamentals.
Appreciate you emphasizing valuation and patience over mania. For many people, this month was their first real encounter with cycles, bubbles, and nerves — painful, but necessary education.
Long term, I agree: silver earning a larger place in portfolios depends on it maturing past these speculative spikes. Until then, position sizing + expectations matter more than predictions.
Thanks for the clarity, Umair.
This is almost comical, because two years ago an Über driver spent our whole trip telling us about investing in silver. He was obsessed with it. At the end of the ride, he pulled out his phone and showed us photos of his silver collection, and influencer-esque videos of his silver ingots. I always meant to look into whether this guy was on to something (or just a random kook), especially since Trump started doing his best to wreck the US economy, but I think this article answers all my questions, so thanks for writing this!
I bought iShares SLV silver trust. A small percentage (0.5%). Yes, silver is volatile and a very different kind of beast. However, it is absolutely essential for electronic components and technology so it's value should remain on the high end.
Also, by finding real value in your writings for the last 10 years, and finding the nerve to convert IRA to "self-directed IRA" I am personally comfortable with diversifying my portfolio, primarily with mutual funds (non-US), a mix of tech (US), gold shares (largest share right now) or gold mining, followed up with Pharma mutual and Technology Mutual, and then a mix of non-US market funds (Pacific Rim, emerging Asia, Overseas, China Region, International Emerging Markets, etc.), Utilities Mutual, Defense and Aerospace Mutual, and very tiny bits of Rare Earths Mutual, and Crypto Digital Payments (not Bitcoin itself, but the systems that run it).
My annualized return was 22% in 2025, versus 15-17% for Dow and S&P 500.
My wife and I are fortunate to both have good pensions and social security incomes in our retirement. My combined IRA and investment accounts are below average but not needed.
I've also used my IRAs (3, now down to one) to pay off $50,000 in student loans for our two children and our SIL. Three children who don't need the money when we're deceased, they need it NOW!
I like your idea with regards to "Civilizational-Preserving Allocations" and using Microsoft Co-Pilot to model investment suggestions which is all further tunable to my personal risk level. What do you think?
https://copilot.microsoft.com/shares/rgsGGU59L52GHTES5vgvS/
Sorry, but i live in the real world, and 90% silver pre-1965 American coins have gained 100% over the past year, including the speculative crash (good riddance), but the point all of you are missing is that these coins are real money, so I can buy food when the crash comes and my coins have accrued in value 5800%. Buying American has always been the best policy.