I'm with you, THBanjoman. I bought all the gold I could afford, while it was still affordable. Now that its price has leaped up, I've been stacking silver as fast as I can. And you're right -- it isn't an "investment." It's a safety net against the possibility that our Monopoly-money paper currency loses its value.

If the currency doesn't collapse (and I hope it doesn't), well, fine. My wife and I will still have our precious metals hoard to see us through any dire emergency, or to pass on to the next generation.

And in the meantime, we sleep better at night.