We never had extra cash to purchase gold or silver. We had to use most of our retirement savings for a life-threatening medical situation for one of our children (after we retired) and haven't (and won't) be able to build it back better (or at all actually).
Sucks, but we can make it - not including debt payments.
If the current system persists and bank collapsed happens, you can be assured of becoming a part owner in the bad bank with whatever percent of money that was yours is deemed lost.
Whatever small amount they allow you to keep will be in your new account with the good bank.
--ala Cypress.
Or if the bank collapse happens to be a windfall for you (ie your fixed interest mortgage loan is now chump change to pay off), you can be assured that the banks and government will claw back this windfall benefit from you and make you pay your fair share of the loan debt because the banks risk is always deferred to the depositors and is not allowed to be realized losses for the bank owners.
-ala Argentina.
This is what they did in Ireland too, vulture funds (mostly based in New York, any guesses what tribe), bought all the bank “debt” for pennies, then pressed for the full amount.
It was institutional theft with a more than complicit civil service who only wanted their pay and pensions protected.
All swept under the rug now.
You seem to think the former banking system will continue. It won't.
You are right, eventually it will change. There will be a painful intermediate period ( during the collapse) where the change has not happened yet. Later the change happens and at that point it is anyone's guess what happens with deposits and or debts.