PROTECTION AND WEALTH BUILDING STRATEGIES 219worth it in terms of numismatic value. Stick with new or rela-
tively uncirculated Eagles or Buffalos.
Prices are usually at the daily market price for 1 ounce of
gold plus a premium, which can range from 4–8%, depending
on the dealer. Storage should be with a reliable, insured, non-
bank vault near your home or in a home safe. The best security
is not to let anyone know you have the coins in the first place.
■ Monster Box
If you haven’t already, I recommend buying a “Monster Box”
issued by the U.S. Mint. You can buy them through reputable
precious metals dealers. A Monster Box is a sealed container of
500 1-ounce pure silver American Silver Eagle coins. The box
is colored “Treasury green.”
You should not break the seal on the box unless you ac-
tually need the coins for transactions. The price varies with
the market, but one box would be about $8,000 plus a small
commission based on the current price of silver.
This is not only a good store of wealth, but the coins will
prove useful for shopping and smaller transactions in the event
the power grid and banking systems break down in a future
financial crisis or natural disaster. You can store the Monster
Box in a reputable nonbank vault or in a home safe — just
don’t let anyone know you have it.
■ Emerging Markets
Some investors wonder if they should put their money into
emerging markets.
Go back to the spring of 2013 when Bernanke first mentioned
the “T word” — tapering. He implied that the Federal Reserve
would reduce their long-term asset purchases and perhaps get
on a path to taking the program all the way to zero. What hap-