In this part 2 of the Fireside Conversation between our CEO and Chairman, Frank R. Suess, and Natalie Vein, a wide range of topics are discussed including the threat to democracy, inflation, the growing wealth gap, the role gold can and should play in a portfolio, and much, much more!

After having discussed the beginnings of BFI, de-dollarization and the changing principles of investing in part 1 of this Conversation, Frank and Natalie now adjust the focus to other key big picture considerations. (Please note that Frank’s Fireside Conversation was recorded in the summer of 2023, which is why events like the Israel-Hamas war are not mentioned.) In discussing the extreme polarization we are seeing in the US and the West in general, Frank reflects on Switzerland where there is a culture of talking politics, a culture of being able to disagree, but still one where your voice can be heard. Speaking of politics, who would Frank vote for in the upcoming US election?

On the inflation and monetary front, with reference to BFI’s Special Report from earlier in the year, Frank believes inflation will be sticky and the imbalances created by the mountains of debt could certainly lead to a credit crisis. He also feels that “the turbulences we’ll see on the currency front and managed financials front has the potential of really turning sour….there is a serious risk to deterioration of wealth”. From that, for investors today, it’s not just about what you own, but “how” you own it.

Today, we are moving out of the era of financials, to an era of tangibles. At BFI, one tangible we’ve been invested in since 2002 is gold. The importance of gold’s role in a portfolio, combined with the financial situation we saw developing in the mid 2000’s is what ultimately led him into creating BFI Bullion (formerly Global Gold). And finally, in his latest endeavor, aXedras, he’s now taking it one step further, tackling the ‘Know Your Assets’ problems of the world gold industry. Using the distributed ledger technology (DLT), aXedras is building an elegant, self-regulating solution to provide full transparency and actual product integrity in the gold industry.

Enjoy and stay tuned for part three!