Overseas (Swiss) Investment Account

[Meadbh]

AKA, the "last plane out" account. I would imagine this would be the easiest way, but you generally have to declare any cash or valuables (gold) that you move between borders, so preumably more than one gummint will no that you moved either a wad of folding money or a hunk of gold to a particular place. I suppose you could be a gold smuggler and not report it, or bring a small enough amount of currency that would not meet the reporting threshold (making multiple trips perhaps), but these seem alternately like asking for legal trouble and a PITA.

I know some Argentinians who left the country during the hyperinflationary crisis in that country about 5 years ago. I think they had to liquidate all their savings and trust an intermediary with the cash until they met up in another country. It all sounds very shady. They made it and are doing very well in their new country, but they miss home. Another strategy commonly used in Argentina was to buy gold in the form of rings which could be easily sold for cash, thereby providing a relatively liquid form of gold investment. However, if you buy gold jewellery, the markup is significant.

 

[samclem]

Obviously it wouldn't grow except at normal gold rates, but if the US gov't goes to hell and you need to grab your money and run, I suspect it would have a pretty high value at that point.

If things ever got to that point (most of your other assets significantly devalued, only the gold left) I'd imagine you'd want to conserve every remaining dime. An international plane ticket at that point (so you could go fetch your gold) might seem like a pretty big expense. Plus, you've highlighted yourself (by the travel) and exposed yourself to interrogation/interview/physical search at multiple borders. And, the bank policy/relationship with the US could change at any time (as things recently have in Switzerland), foiling the ability to access your items without notice to US authorities. The alternative (get a shovel, dig it up from a known spot not far from home) seems a lot easier and more likely to succeed.

 

[harley]

I was assuming you'd be wanting to get out, not get your cash and get back home. Taking the last plane out (thanks Brewer, couldn't think of it), and having a bunch of gold in a safe deposit box seems like a much better option than digging some up and trying to make it past the border. Of course, you could do both, like a good Boy Scout.