It’s How Many Oz. of Gold You Should Own Not What % of Your Portfolio It Should Be – Here’s Why (+11K Views)

The comments above & below are edited ([ ]) and abridged (…) excerpts from the original article written by Monty Pelerin (EconomicNoise.com)

The question and the answer reflect the uncertainty of the period in which it is asked. In prior decades, people assumed (mistakenly) that the dollar was an honest and stable currency. It wasn’t. Since the formation of the Federal Reserve in 1913, the dollar has lost 97% of its purchasing power. Generally this loss was persistent and gradual with the exception of a few instances.

Today, people increasingly understand the risks in holding dollars and dollar-denominated assets. Central banks around the world are engaged in outright counterfeiting (printing of new money) at rates never before seen or imagined. While the masses may not understand the causes and solutions to the economic malaise, they are beginning to understand that printing more money has not solved any problems (and has created new ones). Printing more will only cheapen existing money even further. As the possibility of a currency collapse increases, people seek ways to protect themselves.

As money ceases to perform its role as a store of value, other assets are sought. The popularity and value of these other assets is inversely related to the level of confidence in fiat currency. As confidence sinks, the value of alternative stores of value increase. These considerations explain the revival of interest in gold, silver and other “hard” assets, but they do not provide an answer to how much of one’s assets should be committed to inflation protection.

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The Standard 10 – 20% Non-Answer

Wealth and savings represent deferred consumption. For most of us, wealth represents a nest egg which will be turned into consumption in later years when income stops or is insufficient to support our lifestyle. People establish retirement plans to prepare for this time.

Retirement plans are based on a set of assumptions. These assumptions typically deal with time to retirement, current savings, planned additional savings and the returns expected from these savings. The calculations are simple, although the ability to achieve the necessary levels is not.

Here is the fallacy in most retirement planning programs. Implicit in most is the assumption of an honest dollar, i.e., a dollar that will reasonably retain its purchasing power. Many retirees discover too late the fallacy in this assumption. They meet their objectives, retire and then learn that the depreciating value of the currency is cheating them from the retirement they earned and expected. Their sacrifice and savings to meet all their goals still falls short of the retirement they expected.

What if your savings is adequate enough to sustain you through the latter periods of your life only if the purchasing power of the dollar remains where it is today or if it does not depreciate at a rate faster than you assumed it would? This is the problem that everyone confronts when they deal with dishonest money. You never know whether you have enough to retire or even whether you will be able to retire. You[r] determinations [are] based on today’s dollar, but you have no idea what tomorrow’s dollar will be worth. Without this knowledge, the concept of planning loses meaning.

Financial advisers suggest 10 – 20% as a means of protection against the ravages of inflation. These percentages acknowledge the risks of inflation, although [they] are in no way tied to your situation or alternative scenarios for inflation. They are simple rules of thumb, the equivalent of a financial adviser acknowledging inflation but little more.

Obviously, this range cannot be the same for the marginally secure and the incredibly wealthy. This rule of thumb is not an answer as much as it is a cop-out. It is the financial planner’s CYA plug, acknowledging that inflation will be a factor but unable to provide a meaningful estimate of what it will be.

If you believe that extremely high inflation is coming, perhaps you should have most of your assets in precious metals. If you believe that inflation is not likely, then perhaps 10% or some smaller percentage is appropriate. In the event of either of these outcomes, you are going to be wrong with the 10 – 20% holding. If high inflation does not occur, then presumably you have incurred an opportunity cost equal to the amount that could have been earned in more traditional assets…

In the event that high inflation does occur, 10 – 20% of your portfolio will be protected in terms of its purchasing power while the remainder presumably loses purchasing power. The only way that 10 – 20% can be justified is as a guess-hedge against not knowing what is coming.

There is no way to take away the uncertainty associated with the future, but there is a different way to look at how much gold or silver might be appropriate for protection. Jeff Clark deals with this topic in a recent interview with Chris Martenson [in which he] suggests that gold by weight, rather than gold by dollar amount, is the appropriate way to make your decision.

“You want to focus on how many ounces you own, not necessarily looking at whether the price is $5 higher today than it was yesterday. How many ounces do you own? That is really the question you want to ask yourself, so you can focus on how much you are really going to need, and the amount really comes down to this.

For me, I am probably going to use some of this gold if we get high inflation. How are you going to protect your standard of living if we get… 10% or 15% inflation? Remember it was 14% in 1980, so the odds of us getting high inflation are realistic. So if [you, too, are] going to use that gold to…[maintain your] standard of living, you are going to need about two thirds of an ounce of gold for every thousand dollars of monthly expenses….so if inflation lasts a couple years, well, you are going to need 15 ounces of gold for every thousand dollars of monthly expenses. That is a good guideline to think about and if your expenses are more per month, you are going to need more gold than that. If inflation lasts longer than two years, you are going to need more than that…[When] you sell some gold and silver, you are going to get U.S. dollars or Canadian dollars with it and you can use the increase in the gold and silver price to offset the increase in the goods and services you are buying.

That is the way to view it, to look at how you are going to use it and so the focus again comes back to how many ounces do you own so if you do not have any, you need to obviously start buying.”

Perhaps investment advisers do not deal in this fashion with their clients in order not to discourage them. Better to save for retirement than to throw up your hands and say it is hopeless.

Editor’s Note:

Related Articles from the munKNEE Vault:

1. James Turk: Why Gold is Preferred to National Currencies

Some say that the gold price rises and falls, but they are grabbing the wrong end of the stick. It is the purchasing power of national currencies that rise and fall. Here is an analogy to make this point clear. When standing in a boat and looking at the shore, it is the boat (currencies) – and not the land (gold) – that is bobbing up and down. [Let me explain the value of gold further.]

2. Gold: What Does a “Troy” Ounce or “18/24 Karat” Gold Really Mean?

You have no doubt read countless articles on the price of gold costing “x dollars per ounce” and possibly own a gold ring or some other piece of  gold jewellery but do you really understand exactly what you are buying? What’s the difference between 1 troy ounce of gold and 1 (regular) ounce? What’s the difference between 18 and 10 karat gold? Let me explain.

3. Take Note: Gold and Silver are NOT an Investment!

4. If You Don’t Think Gold IS a ‘Safe Haven’ Then You Don’t Know the Meaning of the Term!

5. Why, Pray Tell, Would I Want to Own Gold??