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As the world falls further into economic crisis and political
instability, precious metals accumulation among the general public has seen
an unprecedented rise. Hoards that include precious metals, guns, and other
physical assets are growing across America, as those with a feeling of unease
about the government’s ability to mitigate the problems facing our
nation look to secure some of their wealth in non-paper holdings before the
bottom falls out of our financial system.
The distrust with the system in general extends not to just financial
markets or the Federal Reserve, but the very banks that are supposed to be
responsible for holding our wealth securely. The prospect of cascading bank
failures and Great Depression style runs, openly
discussed in recent comments by
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke himself, is motivating more and more people to take
their personal wealth preparedness plans to the next level.
At one time, securing your assets at your local bank branch seemed
like a good idea. But we can no longer consider traditional safe deposit
boxes as safe. This has has been demonstrated
recently in England with the seizure
or thousands of supposedly secure boxes,
as well as California, where local governments have already seized assets of
box holders under the pretense of unclaimed property (even though it is
perfectly clear who the owners are in many cases):
These days, thieves, failing banks and government safe deposit box
seizure aren’t the only concerns. Americans are also increasingly
concerned by the possibility of a repeat of FDR’s gold confiscation
initiative, and in many cases, gun
confiscation as we saw during the Hurricane
Katrina debacle. The point is, that in the very
middle of a crisis where you may need your precious metals, guns or other
“tools” the most, is exactly when government may move to remove
those from your possession.
With that in mind, what should a precious metals investor (or anyone
looking to keep important assets out of sight) do? According to
Ben Steverman, you
might want to seriously consider the oldest trick in the book:
If you’re looking for a safe place to put your investments, Chad
Venzke has a suggestion: Dig a hole in the ground
four feet deep, pack gold and silver in a piece of plastic PVC pipe, seal it,
and bury it.
The 30-year-old central Wisconsin resident trusts no one but himself to store and protect his gold and silver—not
banks, not investment funds, and certainly not the government. It’s
precisely because of this suspicion of institutions that he invests in those
metals to begin with. In case of emergency, “you always want to have
your precious metals within arms reach,” he
says.
When hiding bulkier assets underground, you may need to disassemble
them and include water-proofing to prevent damage. Items like guns,
ammunition, a radio, and even reserve emergency food rations could be
considered as essential shovel-and-hole gear for a crisis that may require a
bit more care than coinage.
There are, of course, some dangers with this method, so be forewarned:
For those storing gold and silver in or around their home, the most
immediate danger isn’t a crisis or a dip in metal prices. It’s
theft. The FBI, which tallies the theft of precious metals and jewelry in one
category, says $1.6 billion was stolen in 2010, up 51 percent from 2005. Just
4.2 percent of the lost loot was recovered last year.
Metal detectors are a big worry. Basic detectors can find metal on the
surface or in the first 12 inches to 14 inches below ground, depending on
soil conditions…
And of course, you’ll want to keep mum about your new
investments and how they’re being stored, because loose lips will pose
a threat to not just your gold hoard, but your life as well. If thieves get
wind of your investments, they may show up not with a metal detector, but
armaments, putting your entire family at risk.
In addition to the traditional method of digging a hole or a home
safe, Bill Rounds of How to Vanish offers a couple of other home-hiding tips for precious metals or
other assets:
- Hiding
In Plain Sight:
“Hiding in plain sight is a great way to throw off anyone who
might be looking for your valuable documents or items. One of the most
popular ways to hide valuables is using a book safe. They are easy
and fun to make,” says Rounds. He
continues, “maybe you can convert a box
of Corn Flakes into a safe and stick it in your pantry, make a few hollow
Christmas decorations and stuff them full of your precious coins and a
copy of your will and stick them in the huge box with all of the other
Christmas decorations. You
can really use your imagination on this
one.”
- Hidden
Wall Compartment: “Most homes are built with
wood framing and drywall. This leaves a space about 15 inches wide and 4
inches deep and a few feet high between between
wall studs and drywall. Poke a hole in the wall big enough to put your
fire proof and water proof container with your priceless artwork and
gold nuggets in between the walls.” Rounds says
this is a fairly easy task to accomplish, “Most people have the
skills to follow a simple do-it-yourself book on how to fix the hole in
the drywall. A patch kit, some plaster and paint will cost you very
little. Just remember that you can’t take these things in and out
of the wall without breaking a new hole.” A similar hidden wall
compartment method is demonstrated as a way to hide guns and ammunition
in James Rawles’ most recent book Survivors.
A former
burglar recommends a couple of techniques that may
come in handy if you are stashing some of your wealth at home. Based on the
idea that a burglar wants to get in and out of your house as fast as
possible, the idea of leaving some cash, perhaps even some precious metals
coinage (not the expensive stuff, of course) in a “hidden” but
typical spot may work in your favor. In this case, you could even utilize a
“dummy” safe — one that is secure and even bolted down, but
can be removed with a bit of work with a crow bar or other tool. The burglar
may find value in what you’ve ‘left for him’ and leave the
really well hidden stuff behind, thinking he’s stolen everything there
is.
Like Bill Rounds, he also recommends the hidden in plain sight strategy,
with a little twist:
His number one recommendation for money was in toys in a young
child’s room. As he explained, young children don’t have money,
they have an abundance of toys and most parents don’t trust a child
around money. Therefore, parents will rarely hide money there. In addition,
when money is hidden, it is usually hidden away neatly and securely — a
child’s room is rarely a neat place making it an unlikely place for
money to be hidden. Plus with all the stuff in a child’s room, it is
not someplace that a burglar can search quickly and get out.
Those who look to precious metals as a safe haven will obviously shy
away from traditional storage methods. As such, you’ll need to take
care and be meticulous when hiding these and other assets in or around your
home. Nothing can be secured with 100% reliability, but if you get creative
you can certainly increase your chances
Written by Mac Slavo, www.shtfplan.com, originally published here
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