The Gold Standard

There is a stable currency guaranteed not to lose value, but it isn’t what you think.

It’s one of the hardest places in the world to get into. It’s a massive building of concrete, granite and steel, surrounded by a high fence. The roof was constructed to be bomb-proof. Its main door weighs 20 tons and is 21 inches thick.

The door has a combination lock, but no one person has the whole combination. It was built to resist torches, drills and explosives. Even approaching it is no easy matter because this super-secure building has a dedicated police force guarding it 24 hours a day.

Not only that, the building is located in the middle of an active U.S. Army base and is surrounded by thousands of guns, tanks and soldiers who know how to use them.

You’ve probably guessed by now that the building is the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky. More than half of the U.S. gold reserve is stored there.

Just how much gold is in there? Literally tons of it. Most is in the form of 27-pound bars, but a substantial number of gold coins retired...