The Doctor Is In: Why Owning Gold & Silver Can Improve Your Mental Health

Not many people in the gold community know this about me, but before becoming a gold and mining analyst I worked as a counselor for many years.

It was rewarding work, as I’m sure those of you in the helping professions might concur. My business did well, so I suppose I was relatively good at it, too.

I attributed my success to one factor in particular over the others. It’s a secret I carried throughout my career that more often than not led to a successful outcome.

And that secret, I believe, applies to us gold and silver investors, too. Stay with me for a minute and see if you might view gold similarly…

Beyond Optimism

There are lots of things that contribute to a healthy state of mind, but in my prior field there was one element that, once instilled in my client, I knew we had a great shot of being successful.

That attribute was hope.

My specialty was vocational rehabilitation. The clients I worked with were permanently disabled, physically or mentally. They had been beaten down, their futures irrevocably altered. You could see it on their faces.

But once we identified something they could do vocationally, hope set in. And that changed everything for them.

It was more than just being optimistic or putting on a brave face. The one thing these clients were really good at they could no longer do—but once they realized they had new opportunities true hope set in. And it made all the difference.

What does this have to do with gold and silver?

In my humble opinion, gold can promote mental health because it gives us financial hope. Because it provides greater overall financial well-being and resilience. Because it can give you hope for a stronger financial future for you and your family.

It’s a result of what gold stands for and what it can do…

Gold’s Resiliency = Personal Resiliency

As our readers know, gold and silver are essentially an insurance policy against man-induced calamities and crises.

Having insurance is important, of course, but in the current environment we find ourselves that importance has soared. It’s sort of like buying fire insurance not just because it’s a good idea but because you live in a high-risk fire zone and a wildfire just broke out. Well, that’s your investment portfolio right now. It’s housed in tornado alley and every day there are nothing but tornado warnings.

Since gold is one of the few assets that can insure you in extreme crises, one can approach their financial future with a greater degree of confidence than if they had no gold. Stocks and property and even US Treasuries cannot do this to the degree gold can.

Internalizing this understanding can increase hope and reduce fear. That’s far superior for one’s mental health than the person left wondering or worrying or relying solely upon some man-made investment. A warrior going into battle is much more confident carrying a shield and a spear, as opposed to just a spear.

Gold gives us greater faith in our ability to financially withstand whatever crisis comes our way, or whatever sudden policy change or geopolitical conflict is thrown at us by politicians, central bankers, and other myopic leaders.

• Gold’s benefits extend beyond our wallet. Because it’s the ultimate financial insurance, it can empower you, and allow you to focus on other things in life, because your portfolio contains a proven asset with a 5,000-year history.

Think I’m stretching things a little too much? Let me ask it this way… imagine gold and silver didn’t exist. With everything you know, how would you feel if they weren’t available as a financial option? That the only “investments” available to you were paper products, fiat currency, land, and consumable commodities? Mankind might come up with other alternatives, but our financial stability is clearly improved by having gold and silver.

How Does That Make You Feel?

That title is a punch line these days, but it was counseling 101 when I was in my Master’s program back in the ‘80s.

But it can still be a valid question. So I’ll ask it.

How does it make you feel when you know gold and silver… 

• Are real, hold-in-your-hand money, in a world of paper money and political promises?
• Have no counterparty risk, when almost all other investments do?
• Will always have value, no matter what happens? That you can pass that value onto your heirs when you die?
• Can’t be hacked or erased? Especially when you know your brokerage account, bank account and credit card can be?
• Cannot go bankrupt or broke? That they will never default? 
• Can travel with you wherever you go in the world?
• Are uncontaminated by the greed to produce stronger earnings or a bigger dividend? 
• Have survived virtually every kind of crisis mankind has encountered? That if you think some kind of upheaval is coming gold and silver will offer you a definable level of protection against it?
• Are timeless? That even though their price fluctuates they have been around as money for literally thousands of years?

Where else can I get all these advantages in one investment? This is why gold is more than just an investment. This realization gives me some assurances. It’s a big reason why Mike Maloney sleeps better.

In my view, owning gold allows me to be more confident about my financial future than if I had no gold. If that confidence were based on faulty assurances, one could easily be blindsided. I have less of that concern with gold, and thus have a healthier outlook than the guy I see on CNBC touting the latest stock or some politician trying to assure me everything is fine.

Gold is Wealth

The bottom line for me is that gold is pure money, the only kind that can’t be debased, devalued, or destroyed.

That makes gold financial “reality” for me. Especially when I look around the world and see fake money, greedy traders, self-serving politicians, rudderless central bankers, and political division.

This all allows me to feel more grounded about the three F’s: my finances, future, and family. It gives me stability, hope, and comfort.

In my opinion, gold is mental health, because it’s real in a world where most other things are paper, promises, or pledges.

How does the gold and silver you own make you feel? If you don’t have an amount sufficient enough to withstand what the world could throw at you and your family over the next few years, just remember that you have to buy your insurance before the fire starts.

(Follow Jeff on Twitter @TheGoldAdvisor)