Gold is simply a hedge against inflation (retainer of wealth as you point out). I have it as 20% of my portfolio, with most of the rest in equities. This leaves me with enough to get by with in case the stock market crashes (in which case being poor will be among the least of our problems). Nobody is going to get rich speculating in gold.
There is a Noble medal element much more rare than Gold that draws my attention. It is Rhenium (#75) . It was the last stable element to be discovered. Even though it is very dense like Gold its ability to maintain high tensile strength at high temperatures means that jet engine blades can be up to 25% Rhenium. I figure nobody is ever going to go broke betting on war.
Yep, and if you want the stuff, just buy the stuff - CEF if you don’t want to hold or pay to store
You are correct sir. Again, people like the author, cherry pick dates, etc. to undergird their agenda. I bought a brand new, std. equipped Honda Civic in 1978 for $3800. Gold averaged roughly $200 an oz.that year. That car would have been equivalent to almost 19 oz. of gold. Today that would be equivalent to about $38,000. A basic Civic now is about $24,000. If I cherry picked that data, gold has far, far outpaced inflation. See how it works?