Gold Or Silver - Which is the Best Investment?

It is fall 2008; our economy is shrinking; our personal and business assets are loosing market value across the board; the banking system is going catatonic; and commodities like gold and silver are bouncing around like my truck on a road full of potholes. Earlier in the year the US dollar was declining in value against virtually every other currency and all commodities. While this fall the dollar has strengthened relative to foreign currencies because the problems in our economy are also global problems that are affecting the economies of all industrialized countries. Along with the worldwide banking collapse and strangulation of our economies by high energy prices, we are entering into a significant global recession. Price speculators have been very active all year long in all of the commodity markets, such that prices on all raw materials, including gold and silver, shot up dramatically in the first six months of 2008, while in the past few months speculation is now driving most commodity prices way down. Since gold and silver have been de-monetized for a long time their values only rise and fall with industrial demand, because social demand for them as safe-haven money is still very limited. If our economy goes into a deep recession, the uncertainty of job security, retirement security, and the near certainty of rising inflation, caused by government deficits and Federal Reserve intervention into shoring up failing banks and other private businesses, will cause more people, as well as many businesses, to exchange dollars for gold and silver. Right now there is a preference for gold rather than silver as a security hedge; but for the individual, gold is the wrong metal to own.

Consider that with more than six billion people on earth there simply is not enough gold and silver available to have these precious metals fulfill the role of money for everyone. It is estimated that about 4.4 billion ounces of gold have been mined in historical times and at least 4 billion ounces are still with us as pure bullion, or easily recovered and smelted into pure bullion; this amounts to only two-thirds ounce per person. It is also estimated that about 44 billion ounces of silver have been mined in historical times and about 20 billion ounces of this silver has been consumed in the past and disposed in ways that are not profitable to recover. Approximately 24 billion ounces of silver could be recovered and converted to coins or bullion; this amounts to about four ounces per person. Central banks and governments hold about 800 million ounces of gold and negligible amounts of silver, leaving just over 3 billion ounces of gold and 24 billion ounces of silver in the hands if businesses and individuals; or an approximate ratio of 8 to 1.

If our paper currency fails, causing people to barter with gold and silver for their daily needs and wages, then gold can at most command a value of eight times that of silver. Since the current ratio of value is $750 to $10, or 75 to 1(in the fall of 2008), gold is nearly 10 times higher that it should be relative to silver. This means that silver will appreciate many times over when gold and silver become barter money again. It is less than 50 years since silver was taken out of our US coinage; yet prior to 1964 silver has been in coins going back over 1000 years. While gold has not been barter money since 1934 in the United States, its history as coined money goes back more that 2000 years.

It makes no sense to ask whether gold will go to $10,000 per ounce or $10 per ounce, because it is the US dollar that is changing value. Gold and silver change their value very little with respect to goods and services for which they may be bartered. One hundred and two hundred years ago an ounce of gold would buy a good suit of clothes and an ounce of silver would buy a good meal at a restaurant, and so they will today. Over the years these metals have not strayed very far from this valuation except under severe economic tensions, at which time they typically rise in value rapidly.

Even though gold and silver are in relative short supply and little used as money, the U.S. paper dollar is the wrong barometer of economic stability. Assets and commodities should not be valued in terms of US dollars, but in terms of fixed quantity commodities like gold and silver. The unstable item (dollar) fluctuates in terms of the stable (gold), not vice versa. Reporting it backwards does not make it valid. Worldwide currencies should be exchanged by valuing them to gold and silver, not to the U.S. dollar, or any other currency for that matter.

In the past there have been many government attempts to peg a monetary ratio between gold and silver. It has been ten-to-one, twenty-to-one and even thirty-four-to-one during the depression. Teddy Roosevelt ran for President promising to fix the ratio at sixteen ounces of silver to one ounce of gold. These ratios not only show a historical variance, they also are all showing ratios of silver to gold that are greater than the real amounts of these metals mined and refined. The reason that these metals are not valued in direct relationship with the amounts mined is principally the hoarding of gold by governments, central banks, international banks, and some international corporations. This hoarding of gold is the same as it having never been mined, as far as the markets are concerned. This hoarding of gold tends to skew the ratio of gold available to consumers and investors as compared to the silver available. And it is a valid factor in arriving at a proper price for gold with respect to silver, provided that this hoarded gold remains unavailable for investment or payment in trade. If this hoarded gold came back into the markets as a monetary unit it would un-skew a gold-silver relationship that goes back to the late 1800's. However, if governments decide by law to remove even more gold from private ownership to government ownership, they will do so at their price, similar to the US government action in 1934; and whatever is left in private hands will be too small of a quantity to serve as money. In either case silver would increase in value as compared to gold.

I am not asserting that gold and silver are improperly valued today. But I am asserting that investors who own gold to protect themselves from the calamity of a failed economy and inflating paper currency are investing in the wrong metal, by a factor of at least eight. Our current industrial and jewelry use of these metals would have no relationship to the value they would become as barter-money in a failing US economy. So one cannot compare these metals today and make an investment in holding either of them, based on their current uses and values in our social economy. When gold and silver are re-monetized to act as money in our economies it will not be by government decree, but by the actions of citizens acting to create opportunity and build a new economy.

If a well-to-do person were going to set aside food and other necessities for future consumption in case of economic depression, should they be advised to purchase champagne, caviar, and frozen pastries (gold); or should they perhaps purchase apple juice, sardines, and crackers (silver)? Quantity is more important than show when one is trying to survive. People who invest in gold as insurance against economic depression are not acting in their own best interest; they are simply following their investment counselor's bad advice.

If investors and their counselors really understood gold and silver they would never purchase or recommend the purchase of gold at its current inflated price. If silver is mined at ten ounces for each ounce of gold and is priced correctly at $10.00 per ounce then gold should only be $100.00 per ounce, when we consider their monetary barter value. But if gold is priced correctly at $750.00 per ounce then silver should be $75.00 per ounce. Whichever way the market moves in a panic, silver will appreciate by a larger factor in relationship to gold. Actually, both metals would appreciate with respect to the US dollar, but silver would outpace gold in percentage growth at the point where producers and consumers started preferring gold and silver in exchange for goods and services. Giving investment in silver today considerable value over investment in gold, because of this growth potential.

Besides the ratio of gold to silver issue there is another important aspect of gold usage in tough economic times that must be considered; and that is the usage of gold to purchase food, toiletries, medicines, clothes; etc. If we were to do the Zimbabwe thing and have the US dollar inflating 100 % per week while very few goods are available to purchase; anyone going to a store with a shiny 1-oz gold coin would find that their purchases may only use up 10 to 20 percent of the value of their gold coin and that the store cashier would not give them change in gold or silver (even if the store had gold and silver to make change); the cashier would give them change in paper dollars that would rapidly inflate to nothing if they could not be quickly spent.

This problem would not occur with silver to any great extent because silver is still available from 100 oz bars down to 1 oz coins, and also available as old US coins, right down to silver dimes, permitting shoppers to pay with exact change for the goods they require. In the late 1970's an elderly Dutch gentleman told me how he experienced this very problem when he was sent to Germany in the early 1920's to go to university. The gold coins he received from home, for living expenses, was greatly sought by the shopkeepers, but they had little to sell and he always received change in German Marks (paper) that lost more than half their value in a week. He seldom got full value for his money, because of daily inflation. The same situation could occur here; it certainly has hit many nations in the last few decades, and for some it lasted many years. Silver is by far a superior investment to gold when it is being held as insurance against inflationary times and economic panics.

The companies that mine gold and silver for our industrial and personal consumption should be aware of the potential re-monitization of these metals by consumers and retailers; and what this could mean for their businesses in tough economic times. Recovery from a bout of depression caused by hyperinflation will depend a great deal on having a good supply of gold and silver and a vibrant mining industry to supply the money necessary to grow and expand a new economy and support international trade.

Craig D. Hanks
Eugene, Oregon

This article is taken from a chapter of my book SOCIAL BENCHMARKS. Other excerpts can be viewed at http://beyondfarenough.blogspot.com/

Get the Best Deals on Gold and Silver Coins
Don't Pay Too Much for Gold and Silver Coins

Cleaning your hearing aids

Hearing aids which fit in the ear.

When removing your hearing aid before you go to bed you should carefully wipe down with a soft dry cloth or tissue. You should also spend some time inspecting the part of the hearing aid that fits into the ear canal as it is likely that a accumulation of ear wax may have occurred. If this is the case then you will have to remove the wax. When you purchased the hearing aids you should receive a cleaning tool which can be used to do this which usually takes the form of a wire pick or a brush or you could also use a toothbrush.

Hearing aids which fir behind the ear.

As with the above, the procedure is similar. However, the main difference being that the ear mould which fits into the ear which is usually made of Lucite or silicone which is non-electrical and therefore can be washed in mild soapy water. Before washing it is important to ensure the earpiece is disconnected from the behind the ear section to ensure the electrical part of the hearing aid does not get wet. Dry the ear piece correctly before using and also ensure that the tube is clear of water. Please note that the tube may need to be replaced after a period of time usually 3 to 6 months as the flexibility may be lost.

Things not to do…

1. Wash the hearing aid with solvents or alcohol as this may cause the materials from which the aid is made to break down. You can purchase special cleaning fluids designed to clean hearing aids.

2. Don’t let the electrical part of the hearing aid get wet. Avoid wearing the aid when showering of bathing.

3. Try not to drop the hearing aid, especially on a hard floor as this may cause the hearing aid to break.


BTE Hearing Aid St Louis MO

Marketing you web site - Part 4 - Using newsletters, search engines and the yellow pages

Using Newsletters to market your web site

As I stated before, it can take several times for a potential client to begin to trust you. You also want to keep the clients that you have. Part of your marketing plan will be to stay in touch with your clients. Letting them know what is happening, any sales that you may be holding, or new products/services that you may have. A great way of keeping in touch is with a newsletter.

What is a newsletter? Simply put it is a communication between you and your subscribers. By offering information that the client may find helpful, you are offering a service to them that is of value. Immense value in fact. Your information may save them time and money. Building a trust between you and the client. This trust will turn to sales over time.

So what does it take to get a newsletter off the ground so to speak? Two things: First is to have the clients/customer sign up for the newsletter. This can be a simple email or mailing program. RD Web hosting has a mailing list package that is part of the hosting plan. It is simple yet effective. Click here to see it in action. The second thing is a newsletter. This can be written in any word processing program or in your email software. It doesn't have to be long and complicated.

Let's say for example you have found a new recipe. Something that you think your subscribers would be interested in. You type up the recipe along with an introduction and paste it into your email program or mailing list software. From there you send it to each of your subscribers. Cost? A few minutes of time. No printing or mailing charges required. Oh, by the way, in that little letter you sent to each subscriber, you place a little advertising for your web site or store. Or maybe you have 'sold' some space to a friend or business associate who may have something of interest to your subscribers as well.

Newsletters are a great and inexpensive advertising medium. Just remember to place articles of interest in the newsletter and not all advertising. There is nothing worse than getting mail that is all ads. Over time people will stop reading it if they don't find the information useful.


Using Search engines and marketing your web site

Search Engines (SE) are the mystery of the Internet. So many different types even from the users standpoint. There are over 225,000 search engines and directories on the Internet. How do they work and why should you care?

Basically, a search engine is a database of web pages that contains information about that page such as: where it can be found (URL); what is on it (Keywords); when it was last indexed; and a description (Title) of the web page. When you go to a search engine and type in your request (query) the database engine pulls up the data that matches your request. So a search engine is only as good as the data in it. How do we get that data? Most search engines are copies of the major databases. There are only a few real databases out there. So lets talk general terms. Data can be entered by the owner of the website. This information is then indexed and your site is listed. In the past that is how things worked. But we soon found out that people will do anything to get their website listed at the top of the page where they will be more likely to have the searcher click on their site. The owner of the database needed a better way. So programs where written called spiders to go out on the web and find websites. Then catalog each page of the website and enter that information into the database. Today that process is still going on. However, again the owners of the database have tried to make sure that the website information is correct and have been constantly changing the formula used to determine how a website should be listed based on it keywords, headers, titles, content, alt tags, etc. Some database owners even have people visit the website and make a judgment call. All of this is to insure that when you enter a search phrase into the search engine you receive the type of information you want. If you are happy with the search engine you will continue to use it and the advertisements placed on the search engine will help pay for the site.

Search engine technology is changing daily. To try and cover it here would be a waste of your time as it will be out of date tomorrow. So I have listed a site that does nothing more than follow and report on this technology. It is:
Search Engine Watch

What is important for us as website owners is know how to make sure we are properly listed and learn how to get the best listing on the search engines. So lets see... there are 1440 minutes per day and 225,000 search engines. That means if we spend just 10 minutes per search engine entering in our website information it will only take us1562 days to enter the information. But you should submit your website at least every other month, so you can see that is not going to work. There are all kinds of software and website services that will do this for you. But remember there are really only about 4 major databases that feed all those search engines. Even when your website is listed you may not have a very good placement due to other factors. As I said the database owners are constantly changing the rules. So what can you do?

Start with proper design of your website. Good content that is kept up to date. The spiders will find you over time and your ranking will improve as your use of keywords and content are evaluated. Other things that will help is the linking to your site from others. If you have good information, others will point their website to yours which will help your ranking in the search engines. All in all, this will take months to accomplish. But you want to start making money today!

Another way to get listed on search engines faster and at the top of the rankings is with PPC or Pay Per Click. PPC Search Engines charge you each time a user clicks your listing and goes to your website. In addition, many PPC have made arrangements with other search engines to place the paying website URL at the top of the listing (these are called sponsor sites). What does that mean for you as a website owner? Well, it means lots of traffic to your website that you can sell to over and over again. What will it cost? Hmmm how many secrets to give away in a free book :). Oh well, why not! The cost is dependent on how many other people want to be in the top listing. For example: Overture.com has agreements with Yahoo, MSN, AOL and others that the 3 top bidders for keywords will be listed in the top 3 spots for that keyword on each of these search engines. By the way, as of December 2002 those 3 search engines accounted for over 80 percent of all searches on the web. Think that might be a nice place to have your website listed? Ok, back to the example. Let’s say I sell training, I research the keywords and find out that the top 3 positions go for $1.50, $1.45, $1.00 per click to my website. I have a product that sells for $795 per course. I could bid $1.51 and take the top spot. But remember I will have to pay the PPC for each person that clicks on my link. It can quickly run into the hundreds of dollars. I could also pay $1.01 and take the 3rd position saving me $.50 per click. Not all keywords are that expensive...some are more :). Actually you may find your keywords very inexpensive around 10- 20 cents per click.
PPC also do not care about keywords, titles, headers, content etc. So I can write a more compelling description here that will call to action the searcher to click on my site. BUT, once there I want to do everything I can to get them to leave their email address in exchange for my free product or gift. I do not want them coming back though PPC again. It will cost me more money that way. If I have their email address I can send them my link in other correspondence. We will talk about that later in auto responders.

Here is a list of some of the PPC. Since they drive qualified traffic to your site I would recommend using all of them. You will find your keywords cheaper on the less used sites but that is still traffic that you can sell to.

www.overture.com
www.google.com
www.findwhat.com
www.looksmart.com
www.7search.com

This is a lot of work. I know I have spent hours on Overture alone trying to monitor the website, keywords, and ranking.
I have said before in this course that automation is the key. The more we can automate the more time we have to spend on other things... maybe the family?

Using Yellow pages to market your web site

If you have a local business then you probably already have a business phone number. Most business phone services come with a listing in the local yellow pages. Be sure to list you website address. This is much more powerful form of advertising then just placing your address and phone number. Remember your site can offer specials, gather email or contact information, give away items or gifts to your customers to get them to visit your store, tell the customer so much more than you could afford to do in the phone book itself. Plus many people will bookmark your site and return time and time again once they see all the great information that you have available on the site.

I hope you have found some useful information in this package. I have strived to put together information about most of the different methods you can use to market you business.

Visit Philippine Business Directory an online yellow page in the Philippines.

Hearing Aid Prices - Know the Factors in Determining the Actual Hearing Aid Prices

Several factors contribute to the makeup of hearing aid prices. Other expenses such as medical examination, hearing test, adjustments, technology, batteries, warranty and service are added up to hearing aid prices; these costs are inevitably part of purchasing a hearing device. Nonetheless, you can still canvass for the most affordable dealers, manufacturers and store owners, who will offer you hearing aid prices that are suitable to your needs and your budget.

First in the line is the medical examination. This is a very crucial step, which helps you find out what has caused you to loss your sense of hearing. The process requires the physician to detect if your hearing loss is still curable. There are hearing impairments that can still be treated while some cannot be treated anymore. There are lots of medical insurance programs that cater to the cost of the medical examination; and so, you only need to pay partial expenses.

After the physician has already detected the medical problem in you, the next step is to undergo a hearing test to find out to what extent have you lost your sense of hearing; it will also help in determining the most suitable hearing device for your specific needs.

Trybionicear, which is the very first hearing device solely caters to a little of sound amplification. The technology of hearing devices originated from digital hearing devices. Digital technology- it is when hearing aids' main emphasis is on high-quality sound and amplification, and avoidance of unnecessary noise. The most expensive hearing devices are digital hearing devices. Yet, there are hearing devices manufacturers that only sell them at hearing device prices that best suit their budget.

Upon adding special features like flexible volume level, more advanced microphone and remote control, along with Bluetooth, you must expect that hearing aid prices will also increase.

Lastly, hearing aid prices became fairly expensive because of the warranties and batteries that went with the hearing aid product.

Visit http://www.CheapHearingAid.info For The Best & Inexpensive Hearing Aid!

Hearing Aid Maintenance Repair

Chiropractor For Back Pain

Back pain is something most of us know all too well, lower back, upper back neck and head pain is a wide spread condition in almost every country and across all maturity ages. When people are faced with continues back pain that doctors tell them can not be helped through the use of ordinary medicine, they start looking for a chiropractor to ease their pain.

A chiropractor is not some miracle worker, nor are the chiropractors a part of the alternative medicine scene, far from it, these are highly trained professionals that know everything starts with the spine, and any type of back injury is somehow connected to the spine. Chiropractors use their extensive knowledge of the spine and back to find the source of the problem that is causing the patient back pain.

The understanding of how the back muscles and spine makes the chiropractor the most experienced professionals in this area, particularly when it seems that all hope is gone a chiropractor can reason out what is going on in your back, the muscle effort and the stress that is places on each part of the back can be analyzed and understood, and most importantly – you back pain cause can be solved, and the pain gone.

Chiropractors minimize the back pain and get your spine in balance, and once they have your spine in balance, the main work is to keep you at a controlled state in which you do not suffer from this pain any longer. This maintenance work can be performed by the implication of different and various methods.

In some cases patients are extremely stressed, causing their body to be highly tense and in a condition that is very difficult to treat, although these are definitely not the majority of the back pain population patients, it has been known that some rare cases encounter sever problems.

In these kind of cases it may be better to look for a chiropractor doctor to have them treat the condition. Sometimes the diet we eat can contribute to cramps in the muscles or problems with the joints, the body has a way of understanding that it should avoid using these muscles and compensate for their use. This muscle compensation may result in more back pain, and sometimes this can be solved by a visit to a chiropractor doctor.

This kind of doctor uses a more alternative approach to physical problems, learning from the Chinese and acupuncture techniques, they will use their hands gently to perform the best task to fix the ailment. The Chinese techniques have been used for centuries, and still are very popular today in many different parts of the world, and the Chinese are closely related in their acupuncture and acupressure techniques.

Some chiropractor doctors combine more than one technique or method to solve back pain and back problems, this is very important for the patient that does not have to go to a few different experts to treat the same problem, and knowing that you are in the hands of a chiropractor doctor is reassuring enough for you to let them do the work and solve your back pain.



Chiropractor Manipulation

Chiropractic Service