Written by: Steven Feldman, CEO Hard Assets Alliance
BREAKING NEWS: European Nations Vote to Suspend U.S. from NATO, Pledge to “Defend Canadian Sovereignty”
Brussels, March 13, 2025 – In an unprecedented diplomatic rupture, European NATO members voted unanimously today to suspend the United States from the alliance, citing “irreconcilable differences in strategic priorities.” In a joint statement that sent shockwaves through global markets, European leaders pledged to “defend Canadian sovereignty against any aggression,” a thinly veiled warning to Washington. Global stock markets plunged on the news, with the dollar experiencing its steepest single-day decline in decades…
If you just felt a chill reading that fictional headline, you’re not alone. Five years ago, such a scenario would have seemed absurd—the stuff of fringe conspiracy theories. Today? It feels uncomfortably possible.
But this letter isn’t about fear-mongering. It’s about something more fundamental: the difference between paranoia and preparation.
The False Dichotomy of Preparation
I was at a dinner party in Manhattan last month, surrounded by successful, educated professionals; the kinds of people who pride themselves on pragmatism and rational thinking. None were our clients, though all knew of my role as CEO. What struck me was the conversation that unfolded organically over dessert: a detailed discussion about which countries offer “golden visas,” which have extended tourist stays, and whether Canada would welcome Americans if things “got too chaotic” here.
These weren’t “preppers” in bunkers. These were business professionals with advanced degrees and healthy financial portfolios.
Yet when I mentioned gold ownership as a financial preparation strategy, I watched their expressions shift. One person actually said, “I’m concerned about the world ending, but I’m not that kind of person.”
What kind of person, exactly? The kind who prepares?
This cognitive dissonance fascinates me. The same people who research escape routes from political instability somehow view owning physical gold as a “step too far”—as if diversifying into history’s most enduring store of value is somehow more extreme than planning to flee the country.
Preparation Without the Label
Let me be clear: I don’t consider myself a “prepper.” I consider myself prepared. There’s a crucial difference.
The prepared individual doesn’t hoard out of fear. They diversify out of wisdom. They don’t anticipate apocalypse; they acknowledge uncertainty. They understand that resilience isn’t paranoia—it’s prudence.
Consider what “preparation” really means in other contexts:
- We buy insurance not because we expect disaster, but because we acknowledge its possibility.
- We diversify stock portfolios not because we expect any specific company to fail, but because we recognize we cannot predict which ones will.
- We save emergency funds not because we anticipate job loss, but because we understand the nature of uncertainty.
Yet somehow, when it comes to owning physical gold, the most enduring form of wealth insurance in human history—rational preparation gets conflated with extremism.
The Rational Case for Gold in Uncertain Times
The world is experiencing a cascade of complex, interconnected changes:
- Global alliances are shifting in unprecedented ways.
- Artificial intelligence is reshaping entire industries overnight.
- Climate change is introducing physical and economic volatility.
- Political polarization is testing institutional frameworks.
These aren’t doomsday scenarios. They’re the front page of today’s newspaper. And in such an environment, preparation isn’t extreme—it’s essential.
Gold serves a unique function in this context. It’s not about betting against progress or society. It’s about acknowledging that transitions create volatility, and volatility creates both risk and opportunity.
Physical gold ownership simply means ensuring that a portion of your wealth exists outside the conventional financial system—a system increasingly vulnerable to both technological disruption and political intervention.
Beyond the Binary
The binary thinking that categorizes people as either “normal investors” or “paranoid preppers” misses the nuanced reality of our complex world. The most sophisticated investors I know—people with access to the best research and advisors money can buy—maintain significant gold positions not out of fear, but out of strategic foresight.
They understand that gold isn’t about predicting disaster; it’s about being positioned for resilience regardless of what comes next.
So, ask yourself: If you’re already contemplating which countries might offer refuge in chaotic times, why wouldn’t you also consider which assets might offer financial refuge during the same turbulence?
The prepared mind doesn’t wait for certainty—it creates options before they’re needed.
At Hard Assets Alliance, we’re proud to serve clients who understand that preparation isn’t paranoia. It’s the hallmark of the prudent, the forward-thinking, and yes, the rational.
Because in a world where European nations could conceivably defend Canada against the United States, is owning some physical gold really the extreme position?
I think not.
