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The dollar rate has been steadily declining since its peak in the year 2000. In ten years, the dollar has lost 85% of its value relative to gold. While this has many people worried about whether they should buy gold, it is also a motivation for people to consider investing in other assets. There are several different asset classes that you can use for your retirement portfolio and one of them is real estate investment trusts (REITs). What makes REITs such an attractive option? They are a relatively untapped market which means there will be less competition within the industry. You can also use REITs to diversify your larger stock market investments.
The gold standard was abandoned (first in the U.S., later worldwide) in the early 20th Century because of both political and monetary reasons. The central bankers realized that any currency(s) that is backed by a precious metal would have an inflationary tendency (because it would be worth more over time than when it was created), especially during a time of wars or recessions. They cannot simply alter the money supply like they can with government debt, which is why there are price floors and ceilings for things like gold and silver that limit how much of these metals can be mined at any given time.
The gold standard was abandoned (first in the U.S., later worldwide) in the early 20th Century because of both political and monetary reasons. The central bankers realized that any currency(s) that is backed by a precious metal would have an inflationary tendency (because it would be worth more over time than when it was created), especially during a time of wars or recessions. They cannot simply alter the money supply like they can with government debt, which is why there are price floors and ceilings for things like gold and silver that limit how much of these metals can be mined at any given time.