Regent Peak Pulse: Craig's Call to Action, "Bullion Ownership"

January Regent Peak Pulse: Bullion Ownership

Regent Peak Pulse: Craig's Call to Action, "Bullion Ownership"

January 28, 2026 Craig Robson, CFP®, CIMA®, CDFA®

Throughout over 30 years of advising clients, I've never been asked more frequently about owning bullion, specifically gold and silver. The obvious reason? Last year gold returned 63% and silver a staggering 144%! [1] The less obvious question is why, and I don't believe they increased for the same reasons.

From a gold perspective, governments globally continue spending significantly more than their tax revenues, which devalues currency and fuels inflation. Add in unfunded entitlements exceeding 100% of GDP in the US and over 400% in France and Germany [2], and you see why investors and institutions are buying gold as a hedge against declining purchasing power. As an aside, if you can handle increased volatility, Bitcoin may offer many of the same benefits with lower friction and storage costs, plus a fixed supply.

Silver's surge reflects more positive drivers: industrial and technological demand. Think semiconductors, circuit boards, smartphone components, high-performance cabling, and water purification systems. Use cases continue hitting record levels alongside consumer demand, driving prices higher.

One final point: over the past 54 years, gold's compounded growth was 8.19% versus 11.52% for the S&P 500. Gold was also about 10 points more volatile. [3] The takeaway? It's prudent to own some bullion as a diversifier and hedge, yet historically, public equities have delivered greater returns with less risk.

Switching gears... this year started strong with US GDP for Q3 2025 at 4.4% [4] and year-over-year inflation at 2.6% [5], both beating expectations. I'm watching next month to see if our officials can avoid another shutdown as last Octobers budget extension expires on January 31st. If so, we'll have lots of positive momentum in early 2026. That's a wrap for another Regent Peak Pulse. I'll see you in February.

This is not a recommendation nor an offer to sell (or solicitation of an offer to buy) securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction.