Written in 2007, How to Invest in Gold and Silver was a short, practical guide produced at a time when precious metals were widely dismissed as relics — and when trust in banks was taken as a given.
Early in the book, I made a statement that ran directly against prevailing opinion:
“Contrary to popular belief, banks do often go bust.”
Within a year, Northern Rock collapsed.
The book emerged from a deep, hands-on engagement with gold and silver that began in 2005, after I realised that much of my investing life had been shaped by mainstream narratives rather than structural reality. It was not written to predict headlines, but to explain why precious metals mattered, how to own them sensibly, and what role they played in preserving value when financial systems become unstable.
The guide focused on:
- the monetary role of gold and silver
- practical methods of ownership
- the difference between price and value
- and why metals sit outside the credit system rather than within it
It also highlighted emerging platforms such as GoldMoney and BullionVault as viable ways for individuals to gain direct exposure — options that were still relatively unknown at the time.
What the book got right was fundamental:
- that precious metals were entering a long-term upward cycle
- that a financial crisis was approaching
- that counterparty risk mattered far more than most investors realised
Where it was less complete — by my own assessment — was in the treatment of mining equities. At the time, my understanding of miners was still forming, and the book reflects that learning curve honestly.
Eighteen years on, the book stands less as a trading manual and more as a marker — evidence of a personal theory about money, risk, and trust that time has overwhelmingly validated.
For that reason, I removed the book from general sale. Much of its content reflects the context of its time, and I did not want a novice investor to encounter it today and base decisions on material that is no longer current.
Instead, I made a complete PDF version freely available online. If it still circulates, it does so as a historical document rather than an instruction manual — which feels like the appropriate place for it now.
It wasn’t written to be timeless.
It became so by accident.
