Average consumer now carries $6,329 in credit card debt. 'People are stretched,' expert says

Tuur · 2025-10-09T20:33:10-0500

HARK! said:
I have worn gold jewelry, in some pretty rough parts of town, for all to see; and I've never been knocked on the head.

Good for you. The person I'm thinking of was known to convert his cash into gold coins, and was murdered by two young men who broke into his cabin to steal it. Left without finding it; it was stuck in the chinking between the logs.

HARK! · 2025-10-09T21:07:42-0500

Tuur said:
Good for you. The person I'm thinking of was known to convert his cash into gold coins, and was murdered by two young men who broke into his cabin to steal it. Left without finding it; it was stuck in the chinking between the logs.

One is more likely to be murdered for their fiat currency.

It's important to be discreet, and to be aware of one's surroundings.

Don't flash cash; and be aware that jugging is on the rise.

Hans Blaster · 2025-10-09T21:42:31-0500

HARK! said:
Central bank purchases have been the main driver of the sharp rise in gold prices, Struyven said. “Central banks are now buying roughly 80 tonnes per month. That is about five times faster than before 2022. Several important Asian and emerging market central banks are still underweight gold and have significant room to increase their reserves,” he explained. He expects central banks to continue buying at a rapid pace for the next three years, pushing gold prices even higher.

Growing expectations of additional US Federal Reserve rate cuts later this year have further supported the safe-haven demand for gold. Prices have also been buoyed by concerns over a possible US government shutdown.

Gold could hit $4,300 per ounce by end of 2026 driven by central bank purchases: Goldman Sachs - CNBC TV18

Central banks are driving gold prices higher, with purchases hitting record levels and supporting a rally that could take the metal above $4,000 per ounce by next year. Analysts say silver could also see gains if investors shift from gold, as geopolitical uncertainty and potential Fed rate cuts...

www.cnbctv18.com

I don't care how much bling the bankers buy.

Tuur · 2025-10-10T06:00:19-0500

HARK! said:
One is more likely to be murdered for their fiat currency.

It's important to be discreet, and to be aware of one's surroundings.

Don't flash cash; and be aware that jugging is on the rise.

People are likely to be murdered for whatever other people want. If people are more likely to be murdered for paper money, it's only because paper money is more common, not because it's fiat currency. Unless someone's flashing it, it doesn't attract that much attention. If someone knows that someone has large sums of money at home, they, too, can become a target.

Gold for purchases is non-existent in the US. You can't walk into a store and pay for things in gold dust. Have never seen a gold coin used for such. The moment you pull it out of your pocket, it will attract attention. If gold was used like paper money, it wouldn't attract as much because seeing purchases made with gold would be common place. Anything unusual attracts attention. If someone has gold and starts spending it, it will attract attention just by the novelty of it.

bèlla · 2025-10-10T09:26:25-0500

Tuur said:
People are likely to be murdered for whatever other people want. If people are more likely to be murdered for paper money, it's only because paper money is more common, not because it's fiat currency. Unless someone's flashing it, it doesn't attract that much attention. If someone knows that someone has large sums of money at home, they, too, can become a target.

Precious metals are touted on social media and prepping channels by enthusiasts and others receiving compensation from the companies they mention. It isn’t a product that’s recommended for most and storage is a concern. The first rule of collapse is mobility not gold. Purchasing a home in remote locations or places less prone to upset is the usual step. It doesn’t matter how much gold you have if you’re living in a place that implodes. Safety is more important.

I posted an article a few weeks ago that confirmed the same. It documented wealthy migration around the globe and their reasons for departure. The economy, political climate, social unrest and taxes were common concerns.

~bella

NxNW · 2025-10-10T10:13:23-0500

HARK! said:
Gold has intrinsic value.

“Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value, zero.” -- Voltaire (1694-1778)

This is a few months later, but it's never too late to refute such an inaccurate and misleading statement. In his 2011 to shareholders, Warren Buffet (starting in page 17) wrote a great explanation of why gold is such a lousy place to put your money:

Gold ... has two significant shortcomings, being neither of much use nor procreative. True, gold has some
industrial and decorative utility, but the demand for these purposes is both limited and incapable of
soaking up new production. Meanwhile, if you own one ounce of gold for an eternity, you will still
own one ounce at its end.

Today the world’s gold stock is about 170,000 metric tons. If all of this gold were melded together, it
would form a cube of about 68 feet per side. (Picture it fitting comfortably within a baseball infield.) At
$1,750 per ounce – gold’s price as I write this – its value would be $9.6 trillion. Call this cube pile A.
Let’s now create a pile B costing an equal amount. For that, we could buy all U.S. cropland (400
million acres with output of about $200 billion annually), plus 16 Exxon Mobils (the world’s most
profitable company, one earning more than $40 billion annually). After these purchases, we would
have about $1 trillion left over for walking-around money (no sense feeling strapped after this buying
binge). Can you imagine an investor with $9.6 trillion selecting pile A over pile B?

A century from now the 400 million acres of farmland will have produced staggering amounts of corn,
wheat, cotton, and other crops – and will continue to produce that valuable bounty, whatever the
currency may be. Exxon Mobil will probably have delivered trillions of dollars in dividends to its
owners and will also hold assets worth many more trillions (and, remember, you get 16 Exxons). The
170,000 tons of gold will be unchanged in size and still incapable of producing anything. You can
fondle the cube, but it will not respond.

Admittedly, when people a century from now are fearful, it’s likely many will still rush to gold. I’m
confident, however, that the $9.6 trillion current valuation of pile A will compound over the century at
a rate far inferior to that achieved by pile B.

---
Gold gets dug out of the ground, then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head.” -Warren Buffett

HARK! · 2025-10-10T12:46:23-0500

Tuur said:
Gold for purchases is non-existent in the US. You can't walk into a store and pay for things in gold dust. Have never seen a gold coin used for such. The moment you pull it out of your pocket, it will attract attention. If gold was used like paper money, it wouldn't attract as much because seeing purchases made with gold would be common place. Anything unusual attracts attention. If someone has gold and starts spending it, it will attract attention just by the novelty of it.

I see shop all over town that say "WE BUY GOLD." (This generally means gold jewelry.)

I've also seen barter deals on Craigslist for gold and silver; but again you generally would buy anything at a store with gold; but you might be able to make a $4000 deal on a used car by offering the dealer an oz if gold.

If one makes that offer; I would suggest that he does it quietly, and not show the gold until the offer is accepted.

Remember when I spoke of discretion?

I wouldn't pull out a stack of forty $100 dollar bills, and go waving them around in public, until I was ready to close the deal either.

That said, if your car dealer won't accept gold; you can take your gold to the "WE BUY GOLD" dealer down the street, and come back with cash.

It would be wise to close that deal before your cash gets inflated away; but gold will appreciate in comparison to inflating fiat currency over time. That is a fact that history has demonstrated since fiat currency was created to steal wealth.

HARK! · 2025-10-10T13:38:25-0500

NxNW said:
Gold ... has two significant shortcomings, being neither of much use nor procreative.

Electronics and Technology

Gold is an excellent conductor of electricity, making it essential in electronics.
It is used in connectors, circuit boards, and various electronic devices.
Gold's resistance to corrosion enhances the longevity of electronic components.

Medical Applications

Gold is used in dentistry for fillings, crowns, and orthodontic appliances due to its biocompatibility.
Certain gold compounds are utilized in medical treatments, including rheumatoid arthritis and tuberculosis.

Aerospace and Space Exploration

Gold is used in spacecraft for its reflective properties, protecting against infrared radiation.
It is also employed in lubricating mechanical parts and in electronic systems within aircraft.

things that gold is used for at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

NxNW said:
True, gold has some
industrial and decorative utility,

Use of gold nanoparticles for cancer treatment

Colloidal gold nanoparticles are increasingly being used to help the delivery of chemotherapy. Their minute size and non-immunogenicity make their molecules ideal for targeted drug delivery systems. Drug molecules and tumor-specific ligands can be attached to the gold nanoparticles to pursue the tumour without redeploying through the body.

Here’s the interesting part for gold supply

With gold’s use in every mobile device, the amount of gold in the world is actually shrinking each day! Each contains about 30p of gold, not a lot right? However, with around a billion mobile phones in global circulation and each one with an average of 2 years lifespan, it soon adds up. With very few phones being recycled, this gold is lost forever.

15 Awesome Uses of Gold [Definitive List] | PhysicalGold.com

You may be surprised by some of the ways gold is used in society today. Which future applications could send demand soaring.

www.physicalgold.com

Atomic gold shield solves quantum chip noise problem without killing speed

Gold coating breakthrough boosts quantum chip stability and scale

A new gold-coating method smooths out microscopic defects in quantum chips, dramatically reducing signal loss and decoherence.

interestingengineering.com

As AI expands at an exponential rate; the demand for gold, silver, and copper , will grow to meet production needs.

NxNW said:
Today the world’s gold stock is about 170,000 metric tons. If all of this gold were melded together, it
would form a cube of about 68 feet per side. (Picture it fitting comfortably within a baseball infield.) At
$1,750 per ounce – gold’s price as I write this – its value would be $9.6 trillion. Call this cube pile A.
Let’s now create a pile B costing an equal amount. For that, we could buy all U.S. cropland (400
million acres with output of about $200 billion annually), plus 16 Exxon Mobils (the world’s most
profitable company, one earning more than $40 billion annually). After these purchases, we would
have about $1 trillion left over for walking-around money (no sense feeling strapped after this buying
binge). Can you imagine an investor with $9.6 trillion selecting pile A over pile B?

A century from now the 400 million acres of farmland will have produced staggering amounts of corn,
wheat, cotton, and other crops – and will continue to produce that valuable bounty, whatever the
currency may be. Exxon Mobil will probably have delivered trillions of dollars in dividends to its
owners and will also hold assets worth many more trillions (and, remember, you get 16 Exxons). The
170,000 tons of gold will be unchanged in size and still incapable of producing anything. You can
fondle the cube, but it will not respond.

Admittedly, when people a century from now are fearful, it’s likely many will still rush to gold. I’m
confident, however, that the $9.6 trillion current valuation of pile A will compound over the century at
a rate far inferior to that achieved by pile B.

Here is where his Keynesian brainwashing come to light.

Gold has intrinsic value, and its' quantity remains relatively fixed. Paper money has very little intrinsic value other than kindling;and its' perceived value is arbitrary. Buffett built a mathematical argument on arbitrary numbers. That was an exercise in folly.

He did however have enough insight to maker a comparison between gold and land, Both are relatively finite.

As they are both finite resources; as the population grows; the competition for those limited resources grows with them.

I would sooner trade land or gold for some arbitrary value associated with a debt note, knowing full well that the debtor will be forced to take out more loans, that he can't pay back, at an ever increasing rate.

NxNW said:
Gold gets dug out of the ground, then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. I

Does Buffet not have anyone guarding his funny money? He pulled his funny money out of the market; because like the bankers who print that trash, he knows that this ponzi scheme is almost up.

“Banking was conceived in iniquity, and born in sin. Bankers own the earth.
Take it away from them, but leave them the power to create money, and with the flick of a pen, they will create enough money to buy it back again.
Take this great power away from them, and all great fortunes like mine will disappear. And, they ought to disappear, for then this would be a better and happier world to live in. But if you want to continue to be the slaves of the bankers, and pay the cost of your own slavery, then let bankers continue to create money, and control credit.”
SIR JOSIAH STAMP PRESIDENT OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND

Hans Blaster · 2025-10-10T13:46:57-0500

HARK! said:
With gold’s use in every mobile device, the amount of gold in the world is actually shrinking each day! Each contains about 30p of gold, not a lot right? However, with around a billion mobile phones in global circulation and each one with an average of 2 years lifespan, it soon adds up. With very few phones being recycled, this gold is lost forever.

The gold still exists and it is still here "in the world". (Your summary does not seem to understand conservation of matter.)

BTW, what's a "p" of gold?

HARK! said:
15 Awesome Uses of Gold [Definitive List] | PhysicalGold.com

You may be surprised by some of the ways gold is used in society today. Which future applications could send demand soaring.

www.physicalgold.com

Atomic gold shield solves quantum chip noise problem without killing speed

Gold coating breakthrough boosts quantum chip stability and scale

A new gold-coating method smooths out microscopic defects in quantum chips, dramatically reducing signal loss and decoherence.

interestingengineering.com

As AI expands at an exponential rate; the demand for gold, silver, and copper , will grow to meet production needs.

AI is a dead end. The craze will crash in a few years.

HARK! said:
Here is where his Keynesian brainwashing come to light.

Gold has intrinsic value, and its' quantity remains relatively fixed.

LOL. It's just a shiny metal with some uses. It's not majik.

Akita Suggagaki · 2025-10-10T13:50:08-0500

The Great Big Beautiful Bill will solve everything…. at least for those who can survive it.

bèlla · 2025-10-10T14:05:59-0500

HARK! said:
I see shop all over town that say "WE BUY GOLD." (This generally means gold jewelry.)

I think you’re referring to pawn shops and they’re notoriously slanted in the shop’s favor.

HARK! said:
I've also seen barter deals on Craigslist for gold and silver; but again you generally would buy anything at a store with gold; but you might be able to make a $4000 deal on a used car by offering the dealer an oz if gold.

You’re meeting a stranger from the internet to barter with gold and silver? Good luck with that.

HARK! said:
If one makes that offer; I would suggest that he does it quietly, and not show the gold until the offer is accepted.

Remember when I spoke of discretion?

I don’t believe I’m reading this.

~bella

HARK! · 2025-10-10T14:26:45-0500

bèlla said:
I think you’re referring to pawn shops and they’re notoriously slanted in the shop’s favor.

No I'm not. I'm talking about those who will buy or sell at spot, plus or minus the premium. I'm not talking about diamond encrusted jewelry. I'm talking about spot metal value.

Again, I'm talking about storing wealth, that you exchanged for your time, which is your life.

If you trade your life for devaluing fiat currency; and use that as a means to store that wealth; your life will be stolen from you.

If you bought a simple silver chain a few years ago; you paid for the metal, and the labor of forming that metal into a chain. Most of the cost was in the metal. Since that time, the value of that metal has tripled fro $16. oz. to $50/oz., when measured in fiat currency. If you sell it to a refinery for scrap; he will give you a few dollars under spot for it. He needs to stay in business.

If the demand is high for silver; he will sometimes pay over spot, and resell it at even a higher premium.

If his offer is ridiculous; find another broker.

bèlla said:
You’re meeting a stranger from the internet to barter with gold and silver? Good luck with that.

How is that different than making a trade with a stranger for cash?

bèlla said:
I don’t believe I’m reading this.

How is that?

bèlla · 2025-10-10T14:40:59-0500

HARK! said:
No I'm not. I'm talking about those who will buy or sell at spot, plus or minus the premium. I'm not talking about diamond encrusted jewelry. I'm talking about spot metal value.

I know what you’re referring to.

HARK! said:
How is that different than making a trade with a stranger for cash?

I make purchases through reputable sources who can shoulder a lawsuit. I don’t buy things from strangers.

HARK! said:
How is that?

This is your prep and that’s fine. But it isn’t a financial strategy the majority should follow. Building more income streams is best. It increases your options and that’s what you want in uncertain times.

~bella

HARK! · 2025-10-10T14:51:42-0500

bèlla said:
I know what you’re referring to.

Then why did you mention pawn shops?

bèlla said:
I make purchases through reputable sources who can shoulder a lawsuit. I don’t buy things from strangers.

I look for bargains. I;m a wise purchaser; and it has worked out well for me. I bought my tractor from a Craigslist ad, as is - where is, for $5K. You can't sue and win in such an agreement.

I put a few hundred dollars into it; and I could easily turn it around and make 5-10K in profit.

bèlla said:
This is your prep and that’s fine. But it isn’t a financial strategy the majority should follow.

If the majority followed the strategy of the reserve bankers; there wouldn't be such a growing wealth disparity.

bèlla · 2025-10-10T15:43:58-0500

HARK! said:
I look for bargains. I;m a wise purchaser; and it has worked out well for me. I bought my tractor from a Craigslist ad, as is - where is, for $5K. You can't sue and win in such an agreement.

Everyone must choose the method that works for them. My time is better spent on making money not saving it. If I needed a tractor and didn’t want to buy it I’d reach out to the brand. I was watching someone a few weeks ago who got an ATV that didn’t cost a thing.

There’s many ways to the goal and from my perspective that’s the wisest approach. He made money off the video + the vehicle + affiliate income. I have no incentive for a bargain if I can make money from the purchase and earn income from the content and reciprocal sales.

HARK! said:
I put a few hundred dollars into it; and I could easily turn it around and make 5-10K in profit.

If the majority followed the strategy of the reserve bankers; there wouldn't be such a growing wealth disparity.

Why would they put their resources in something that doesn’t increase their income? You don’t make money until you sell. And that isn’t the way real wealth is built. You learn to make money faster to funnel more into your investments. As the streams increase you can designate them for specific purposes. Like giving, investments, travel, etc. and my perspective is biblical.

Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, [be diligently active, make thoughtful decisions], for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even [divide it] to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth.

~bella

HARK! · 2025-10-10T17:11:11-0500

bèlla said:
You don’t make money until you sell. And that isn’t the way real wealth is built.

How do you define wealth?

Back in the '70's I read a book on sales. It stated that the vast majority of self made multimillionaires (A million dollars was actually a whole lot of money back then) made their millions in sales; and that the majority of them didn't even have a high school diploma.

That said, gold and silver are real money. You don't have real money in fiat currency.

As gold reserves remain at a relative constant; it is basis for a fair weight and measure of value. With fiat currency, it's like buying from the butcher who has his thumb on the scale

bèlla said:
my perspective is biblical

So is mine.

(CLV) Dt 25:13
You shall not come to have in your purse two diverse stones, a large and a small.

(CLV) Dt 25:14
You shall not come to ›have in your house diverse ephah measures, a large and a small.

(CLV) Dt 25:15
You shall come to have a standard weight equitable and just; you shall come to ›have an ephah equitable and just, that your days may be prolonged on the ground that Yahweh your Elohim is giving to you.

(CLV) Pr 20:23
An abhorrence to Yahweh is a standard weight differing with standard weight, And deceitful scales are not good.

(CLV) Ho 12:7
A trafficker—in his hand are scales of deceit; He loves to exploit:

HARK! · 2025-10-10T17:17:19-0500

bèlla said:
If I needed a tractor and didn’t want to buy it I’d reach out to the brand. I was watching someone a few weeks ago who got an ATV that didn’t cost a thing.

There’s many ways to the goal and from my perspective that’s the wisest approach. He made money off the video + the vehicle + affiliate income. I have no incentive for a bargain if I can make money from the purchase and earn income from the content and reciprocal sales.

That's awesome. It must be a delight to be in that position. Very few are. However, even the poorest of the poor, with very low prospects, can still manage to save up to buy a simple silver chain, thereby storing what little bit of wealth that they can attain.

bèlla · 2025-10-10T18:23:51-0500

HARK! said:
How do you define wealth?

For myself or others? ;-)

In public discourse I’m referencing the accepted definitions for one’s station. High net worth, ultra high net worth and so on. Accredited investors are in that group but that’s more specific and the others are better descriptors.

HARK! said:
Back in the '70's I read a book on sales. It stated that the vast majority of self made multimillionaires (A million dollars was actually a whole lot of money back then) made their millions in sales; and that the majority of them didn't even have a high school diploma.

You don’t need a degree to sell. Just good communication skills, product knowledge and a little charisma. My first job was in telemarketing and I was good. The Discover card was pitched by phone. It’s hard to imagine now but things were different then.

HARK! said:
That said, gold and silver are real money. You don't have real money in fiat currency.

You sound like a salesman.

HARK! said:
That's awesome. It must be a delight to be in that position. Very few are. However, even the poorest of the poor, with very low prospects, can still manage to save up to buy a simple silver chain, thereby storing what little bit of wealth that they can attain.

It’s nothing special and the majority start at go like the rest. The difference between the two is time. If you devote your energy to improving your position you’ll have a harvest. I posted about it earlier. The person who has the compulsion to create a curriculum for themselves is unlikely to be where they were a year from now. That’s how you get ahead.

What's on your mind? Friendship Court edition.

Regular family time? Eating dinner together? No, sorry, that's not the answer. I've already given a hint somewhere in this subforum.

www.christianforums.com

~bella

Average consumer now carries $6,329 in credit card debt. 'People are stretched,' expert says

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Electronics and Technology​

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Aerospace and Space Exploration​

Use of gold nanoparticles for cancer treatment​

Here’s the interesting part for gold supply​

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