The U.S. holds great power over international monetary transactions via the SWIFT network system given the USD's world reserve currency status...It is entirely possible, however, that China and its closest partners might someday implement their own SWIFT system...The world's players could then choose between the two and, given the resentment that exists worldwide toward the U.S. for the bullying of FATCA, many would likely align with China in their SWIFT system. In doing so it would eliminate their need to comply with FATCA and other draconian U.S. demands [which might well bring about a swift] end to the U.S. dollar as the world's default currency.

Ignore those pundits who are saying PMs are ready to take off. If you apply a little bit of common sense, and you look at these charts, can you draw any other conclusion(s)? Always remember: the markets never lie and here is what they are saying.

It’s hard not to see some disconnect between recent disturbing world news headlines and the market’s quiet advance but this disconnect is rational in the short term, but not necessarily in the long term. Here are 3 rules of thumb for how investors can potentially respond.

As the protracted correction and consolidation in precious metals continues, what better time to brush up on the history of the gold standard to give proper context to gold’s demand today and potential role in a future currency to replace the dollar.

The myRA program, which ostensibly helps people save for retirement (though it offers no benefits over existing options). is the opening shot in the undeclared war on your retirement savings and an eyebrow-raising ruling in the US Tax Court is the second shot. Let me explain.

It is well known that holding uncorrelated asset classes in our investment portfolio gives diversification benefits. In the same sense, diversifying among competing or rival countries or jurisdictions helps to maximize freedom by mitigating political risk. This article discuss the merits, and ease of, diversifying in a country that virtually all have never given a second thought, let alone an initial one.

There is not a shred of evidence that the price of gold is about to embark upon a much higher trajectory. What the market is saying is that nothing in the news is disturbing the bottoming process.

Following Charlie Munger's advice to “develop into a lifelong self-learner through voracious reading; cultivate curiosity and strive to become a little wiser every day” this article presents my recommendation as to what books to read to learn more about financial market history and the basic math skills you need to be a good investor.

Stop lamenting the current price of gold and silver and questioning the validity of owning PMs because without gold and/or silver it will be almost impossible to survive what is to come. No one knows when, but when it does, and it is a historical certainty, are you really going to care what you paid for your gold and silver?

What will the future top prices for physical gold and silver be? Naturally, no one knows for sure but many analysts have developed interesting models and scenarios as to what the future holds and this article reviews 3 such analyses for your consideration.