Ask the cats of Venezuela if you can find any...

Yes, the gold is there all (approximately) 147 million ounces. It is impressive, but the real point is what it still teaches in 2026. In 1971 we severed the dollar from gold. Since then the currency has lost roughly 85% of its value. Prices are higher because the money itself is weaker. A family making $50,000 with two kids that has not received a 25% raise in the last five years is falling behind. This is now often called “affordability,” but the the accurate word is inflation. We run annual deficits of two trillion dollars. The Federal Reserve buys about a third of that debt by creating new money. Every new dollar dilutes the value of the dollars already in people’s pockets. Gold does not expand when Congress spends. Paper does. That is the difference.