Notes From The Field By Simon Black
September 9, 2019 Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico
Here’s Every Reason To Avoid Buying A Gold ETF
Buckle up, this one’s going to be entertaining… because I should have called this note “Why you should always read the fine print.”
This morning I read through the prospectus and annual reports of the most popular Gold ETFs in the world.
First, some background:
ETF stands for ‘exchange-traded fund’. It’s sort of like a mutual fund that’s listed on the stock exchange, meaning investors can buy/sell shares of an ETF just like they would buy/sell shares of Apple, Ford, or (God help us) Netflix.
But unlike Apple, which is an operating business with employees, products, revenue, etc., an ETF is NOT an operating business. It’s a fund that merely pools capital to own assets.
The benefit for investors is that ETFs can be an easy and convenient way to invest in certain assets which would otherwise be difficult to buy.
If someone wants to buy Egyptian stocks, for example-- they could open a brokerage account in Cairo… or buy an Egypt ETF that’s listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
The ETF is a LOT easier for most investors.
But there are also ETFs for gold and silver. And I find this mystifying.
We’re not talking about Egyptian stocks. Gold and silver are easy to buy. You could have Canadian Maple Leaf gold coins delivered to your home with a few mouse clicks.
So gold ETFs provide no added convenience.
Yet there’s an enormous amount of downside.
First off-- it’s important to know that if you buy an ETF, you’re paying for a ton of unnecessary expenses.
The ETF has to pay custodian fees, marketing fees, listing fees to the New York Stock Exchange, audit fees, management fees, etc.
I’m chairman of the Board of Directors for a company that’s listed on a stock exchange, and trust me-- the listing fees are REALLY expensive.
If you own physical gold in your own safe, you wouldn’t have to suffer the cost of paying lawyers, auditors, and investment bankers.
But GLD does. Which means that as a GLD investor, YOU are fundamentally paying those costs.
And remember that ETFs aren’t operating businesses. Apple makes money selling overpriced hardware. But GLD has no products, and hence doesn’t generate any revenue.
To continue reading, please go to the original article at
https://www.sovereignman.com/investing/heres-every-reason-to-avoid-buying-a-gold-etf-25548/
To your freedom & prosperity, Simon Black Founder, SovereignMan.com
Why Are Central Banks Buying So Much Gold in 2026?
Published: 10-05-2026 De-dollarization is the gradual shift by central banks away from holding the US dollar as their dominant reserve asset. In practice, that usually means adding gold and other currencies instead. In 2026, this shift stopped being a theory investors had to take on faith.
Specifically, it is now a documented pattern, visible in the World Gold Council’s own survey data and in the IMF’s own reserve statistics.
BRICS Is Hoarding Gold. Here’s What It Means for Your Portfolio.
Most news coverage of the BRICS gold story gets one thing wrong: it treats this as political drama rather than a portfolio signal.
It asks whether a BRICS currency will succeed. Whether it’ll topple the dollar. Whether the summit announcements are serious or just rhetoric. Those are interesting questions. However, they’re also the wrong ones if you’re trying to protect and grow your savings.
Dollar Dominance Is Fading. Gold and Silver Are Paying Attention
The U.S. dollar and gold have a well-documented inverse relationship — and right now, with gold at $4,690 and silver at historically unprecedented price levels, that relationship is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. The dollar is weakening structurally. Precious metals are the direct beneficiary.
The Fed’s Retreat Exposes the Real Monetary Reset
Miles Harris: 10-15-2026
The landscape of American fiscal policy is undergoing a significant transformation, marked recently by the appointment of Judy Shelton as a counselor at the United States Treasury.
This move signals a potential shift in how the nation views its currency, its debt, and its role in an increasingly digital global economy.
What Backs the US Dollar? Not Gold Not Silver
What Backs the US Dollar?
So what backs the US dollar, if not gold or silver? The answer has been the same since August 15, 1971: nothing physical. The dollar is a fiat currency — from the Latin fiat, meaning “let it be done.” Its value rests on a government declaration that it is legal tender. Beyond that, it rests on trust.
We’re in a “WARTIME ECONOMY” & GOLD Is a National Security Asset | Graham Summers & Michelle Makori
Miles Franklin Media: 10-9-2026
Michelle Makori, President & Editor-in-Chief of Miles Franklin Media, speaks with Graham Summers, President and Chief Market Strategist at Phoenix Capital Research and Macroeconomics Fellow at the Homeland Defense Institute, about why he believes the U.S. is already operating on a wartime economic footing as its economic competition with China reshapes national security, critical minerals, financial markets, and gold.
Historic Gold Rush Reprices Global Debt
Kinesis Money: 10-8-2026
In this week's Live from the Vault, Andrew Maguire details how central banks swapping dollars for physical gold at an unrivalled pace are quietly forcing a repricing of global debt — and why this gold rush marks something far bigger than a market rally.
As the Fed remains the last major institution still sitting on gold valued at a fraction of its true market price, Andrew outlines why he sees this gold rush not as a rally, but as the opening chapter of a fundamental restructuring of the monetary order
Why Did Treasury Just Hire the Architect of the Gold-Backed Bond?
by Phoenix Capital Research Tuesday, Oct 06, 2026 - 8:20
In late September, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent brought Judy Shelton into his office as Counselor to the Secretary. Most of the coverage treated it as a personnel note about a longtime gold advocate. I think the more useful question is a simple one: why would Treasury want her, and why now? Start with the problem Bessent is trying to solve.
Treasury has to sell trillions of dollars in long-term debt to finance a national debt that has passed $40 trillion.
The Ultimate Anchor for the Financial System
Gold Telegraph: 10-4-2026
For decades, U.S. Treasuries were treated like money.
Now they are starting to trade like debt.
Gold has always just been money.
The founding fathers understand that money is good as gold.
Gold and the Fed, Judy Shelton Appointment in Treasury, Six Banks
And We Know: 10-4-2026
The modern financial landscape is undergoing a massive transformation, driven by technological innovation and shifting economic philosophies. As traditional banking systems evolve, individuals and investors are being forced to reevaluate how money works, how transactions are processed, and what the future holds for personal financial autonomy.
Recent discussions from prominent financial commentators highlight a growing tension between centralized digital currency initiatives and timeless principles of sound money, offering a fascinating glimpse into the crossroads where technology meets liberty.
America Is Quietly Building a New Gold & Silver System | Jason Cozens
Miles Franklin Media: 10-1-2026
Andy Schectman, Founder & CEO of Miles Franklin, speaks with Jason Cozens, Founder & CEO of Glint, about the accelerating push to make gold and silver usable as money across the United States.
Cozens says six states have already passed related laws, with another 14 actively working on legislation, as concerns grow around U.S. debt, inflation and the resilience of the financial system.
Judy Shelton Joins The Treasury, Do We Have The Gold? Gold Destroys The Fed,The Golden Age
X22 Report: 10-3-2026
Bessent brings on Judy Shelton to assist in transitioning the country to sound money.
Gold in the end will destroy the Fed.
Judy Shelton has joined the US Treasury Dept. as councilor to the Secretary.
Judy has spent decades thinking deeply about monetary policy, Sound money, gold and the architecture of the global financial system.
Is It A Golden Era For Gold?
JP MORGAN
Gold stands at the crossroads of global uncertainty and enduring resilience. Here, we explore the factors driving the price of gold and consider the important role it plays in portfolio diversification. Gold prices have more than doubled since late 2023, repeatedly hitting all-time highs in a sustained rally. The precious metal outperformed major equity benchmarks in 2025 with an eye-popping 65% return,1 its strongest single year since 1979, then built on those gains in early 2026.
Who Decides What Gold Is Worth? How Gold Prices Are Determined
Catherine Brock Yahoo Personal Finance
The price of gold can be quoted in multiple forms because the precious metal is traded in different ways. The two main gold prices that investors should know about are spot prices and gold futures prices.
The Spot Price
The spot price of gold is the current market price per ounce for physical gold as a raw material, sometimes called spot gold. Gold ETFs that are backed by physical gold assets generally track the gold spot price.
Gold Price Today, Wednesday, September 23, 2026: Gold Holds As Investors Weigh China, Iran Relations
Tim Manni · Wed, September 23, 2026 Gold (GC=F) December futures opened at $4,394.70 per troy ounce on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, up 0.4% from Tuesday's close. Gold moved lower in early trading this morning to $4,352 per troy ounce as of 6:51 a.m. ET.
Gold prices have settled back in the $4,300 range again as investors weigh the latest developments in Iran relations and as President Trump welcomes Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Washington today. This week's U.S.-China summit marks the first time in 11 years the Chinese President has been to Washington, D.C.
Gold’s Investment Case Has Fundamentally Changed, And Rising Yields Are No Longer A Dealbreaker - FTSE Russell’s De
By Neils Christensen (Kitco News) - Rising bond yields are creating a significant headwind for gold, but investors should be careful about applying the precious metal’s traditional relationship with interest rates too rigidly, as structural changes in global demand continue to support elevated prices, according to FTSE Russell.
Bill Holter: Fiat to Fail, US$180,000 Gold Will Look "Laughably Low"
Investing news: 9-21-2026
Bill Holter of BillHolter.com believes gold's next leg higher has already begun, and its ultimate catalyst is the financial markets themselves. "I think price wise, we're early, Time wise, I don't think there's a lot of time left before we see the implosion of fiats.
The inverse of that is an explosion of prices of everything down to a stick of gum or a cup of coffee," he said. Holter also explains how a gold price of US$180,000 per ounce could be "laughably low" in the long term.
What A Fed Rate Hike Could Mean For Gold And Silver Prices
MoneyWatch: Managing Your Money
By Angelica Leicht September 14, 2026 / 1:07 PM EDT / CBS News
Gold and silver investors have had to contend with some sharp price moves so far in 2026. Gold, for example, surpassed $5,500 per ounce early this year, but has since retreated significantly from that record high, with the price of gold sitting closer to $4,275 per ounce as of mid-September.
Silver, on the other hand, has also experienced sizable price swings as investors have responded to shifting expectations for inflation, interest rates and the economy.
Central Banks No Longer Trust Each Other: The Global Rush To Gold | Mark Thornton
Kitco News: 9-18-2026
Mark Thornton called the housing bubble in 2004. For four years, he was told he was wrong. He now says every paper-dollar asset you own is facing a very difficult future, and the AI buildout is the clearest warning sign he has seen since.
In this interview with Jeremy Szafron, the Mises Institute senior fellow and author of The Skyscraper Curse explains why AI data centers are this cycle's record-breaking tower, why the bonds financing them run decades longer than the hardware, who gets stuck with the cost when a tenant stops paying, and why central banks no longer trusting each other is the best sign he has seen for gold.
Insiders Buying Gold - Public is Next | Andy Schectman
Liberty and Finance: 9-16-2026
Andy Schectman warns that tightening global oil supplies could trigger another wave of inflation just as central banks face limited room to respond.
He argues that rising Treasury yields, declining confidence in U.S. debt and increasing gold purchases reflect a broader trend toward what he calls “detreasurization.”
The Currency Reset Is Accelerating And Gold Knows It
Taylor Kenny: 9-11-2026
The currency reset may not happen in one dramatic moment. It could already be happening right in front of us.
Gold is surging—but what if the real story isn’t gold at all? The most important question may not be “How high can gold go?” It may be: What will the dollar be worth when it gets there?
Economic systems undergo natural cycles, but historical patterns reveal a consistent trajectory regarding unbacked paper money.
The U.S. Wants a Much Higher Gold Price | Tom Luongo
Miles Franklin Media: 9-9-2026
Andy Schectman, President and CEO of Miles Franklin Precious Metals, interviews Tom Luongo, financial and geopolitical commentator, market analyst, and publisher of Gold, Goats ’n Guns.
Luongo presents his contrarian thesis that the United States may actively favor a much higher gold price, potentially reaching $20,000, as it restructures the dollar system and addresses its sovereign debt burden.
BREAKING: Gold Can't Be Confiscated In This State Now | Patrick Holland
Liberty and Finance: 9-7-2026
Missouri has enacted a sweeping Constitutional Money Actthat gives gold and silver legal-tender status.
The law also provides protections against state-assisted confiscation, allows employers and employees to agree to compensation in gold and silver, and requires the state to accept certain electronic gold and silver transfers for taxes and services.
China Just Triggered the Biggest Gold and Silver Rally in 50 Years: Luke Groman
Slick Finance: 9-5-2026
The global financial landscape is experiencing a profound transformation, characterized by a steady shift away from traditional dollar-centric foreign exchange reserves.
As nations reevaluate their monetary strategies in an increasingly interconnected yet fractured world, a new global monetary dynamic is taking shape. At the center of this evolution is the enduring appeal of gold, which is rapidly emerging as the preferred neutral reserve asset for sovereign entities seeking stability, security, and independence from legacy financial systems.
Physical Gold vs. Digital Gold: Which Is the Ultimate Safe Haven?
Published: 05-20-2026
Gold is trading at approximately $4,500 per troy ounce as of May 20, 2026 [World Gold Council]. However, the debate about physical gold vs digital gold matters more than most investors realise — because not all of these products are the same thing. Both show up on a brokerage statement with a dollar value attached. But what you actually own — what you hold, what you control, what survives a real crisis — is a very different story. This isn’t a debate about returns. It’s a debate about what “safe haven” actually means.