[evilgenius]

Well, if it gets that bad gold will come into its own, but you won't be able to get any more gold if you spend the gold you saved up. I wouldn't go aroung spending gold willy nilly in bad times.

Instead consider barter. I don't know your situation but you could study electricity and learn how to generate it from a small water or wind turbine. That could be traded for what you need. You could buy a satellite phone and trade so many minutes on it for what you need. You could buy up a lot of rechargeable batteries and trade them or their use for stuff. You could buy a whole lot of toilet paper. You could buy a whole lot of canned goods. Once the trucks no longer come to the local supermarket it will get sticky. Toilet paper might buy a lot of food. If you live close to the border you could acquire a supply of antibiotics. Mostly I reckon you should know how to do as many things as possible or have access to books that tell you how.

[strider3700]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('warnio', 'I') just got an idea for Americans, who of course don't have any euros to hold to begin with.

What about... "Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities"

This removes the one thing you all fear so much: inflation.
The only risk is that the US government will collapse and thus not pay you back. The only way I see that happening is if the entire world would collapse and then you're screwed anyway.

[drew]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')y gutt feel is the better option is more gold and silver but I'm hounded by the investment mantra "diversify.. diversify... diversify".

[sspade72]

According to Warren Brussee in The Second Great Depression, I Bonds and TIPS are about the same thing--inflation protectors. But with the M3 not being reported and both TIPS and I Bonds dependent on the Consumer Price Index, look what happened to the I Bonds Rates:

Issue Dates Earnings Rates*
MAY 2006 - OCT 2006 2.41%
NOV 2005 - APR 2006 6.73%
MAY 2005 - OCT 2005 6.93%
NOV 2004 - APR 2005 6.73%
MAY 2004 - OCT 2004 6.73%
NOV 2003 - APR 2004 6.83%
MAY 2003 - OCT 2003 6.83%
NOV 2002 - APR 2003 7.35%
MAY 2002 - OCT 2002 7.76%
NOV 2001 - APR 2002 7.76%
MAY 2001 - OCT 2001 8.79%
NOV 2000 - APR 2001 9.20%
MAY 2000 - OCT 2000 9.40%
NOV 1999 - APR 2000 9.20%
MAY 1999 - OCT 1999 9.09%
NOV 1998 - APR 1999 9.09%
SEP 1998 - OCT 1998 9.20%

[evilgenius]

I forgot to mention that in a catalog called Gaiam I saw diesel fuel making stills for sale. That might be a good investment for anybody that lives where trucks could come with supplies if you could refuel the trucks once they got there.

Wouldn't an internet network of places where these stills exist be handy? Unless bad people use it. Security could be figured out I think.

Even though oil will have peaked have several oil changes worth of filters on hand for your car. Also have extra sets of plugs.

Also it might be wise to purchase containers that aren't readily available in your local stores and won't be obtainable once shipping costs go through the roof. You know, big plastic ag size tanks and medium sized containers that can hold fuel. Check out catalogs like Northern Tool for fuel transfer supplies.

Otherwise I wonder if a list of the things that people purchase most at the grocery store can be obtained. I love coffee.

Oh, and stocks in oil holdings outside of the Persian Gulf might run up tremendously if hostilities break out and Iran shuts down the Straits. Watch out for those places where constrictions like the Straits of Malacca figure in ease of shipping to China or America.

[JBinKC]

Racer jace hope everything works out. I also have quite a bit invested in those type of stocks myself and the percentage is higher than it should be but I still can find some value left in the commodity sectors. On the other hand it is much tougher to find value elsewhere.

[spear]

Ive been looking myself and here is something interesting.


http://renewableenergystocks.com/Compan ... k_List.asp