Is gold investing a scam?

https://lemmy.world/post/39915366

Is gold investing a scam? - Lemmy.World

I know people out there who have invested a lot in gold under the belief that in the event of like complete societal collapse or hyperinflation, they could use it for purchasing. I have the hunch it’s a scam, but I haven’t learned enough monetary theory, business, or economics to understand why.

Complete societal collapse, hard to say what, beyond the basics, would be useful as a medium of barter.

But, in a society facing major issues, e.g., hyper inflation, or say, a US government default, yeah, gold is a pretty decent hedge bet.

The traditional safe haven has been government debt but that’s been seen as an increasingly risky bet where you could lose a lot of money to inflation or worse, government default/intervention.

So, while not ideal, gold at least seems a better bet than most other “safe” places to put one’s money.

Yeah, it really depends on the nature of the societal collapse.

I can imagine situations in which being able to press a gold necklace into the right palm might get you out of a tricky situation.

On the other hand it’s hard to imagine a situation where a horde of gold bullion in your safe at home would be very helpful.

I remember reading an article interviewing a man who lived through the early aughts Argentine Great Depression and he said the best horde of value was cheap diamond rings. You could trade one for a handgun, a couple of bags of groceries, even a motorcycle. He said they were even better than krugerrands. Something about how people trusted someone whose trading a family ring more then some profiteer.