Disclosure: I have yet to watch the whole doc, but I noted the year it came out— 2012– and as someone who was a homeowner attempting and failing to refinance that very year, the doom and gloom message in the doc became all too clear. The irony is that 2012 marked the beginning of the longest stretch of stock market growth, lowest interest rates, and lowest inflation in US history, despite the aggressive policy of Quantitative Easing which many incorrectly predicted would lead to massive inflation. And as bad as inflation is, deflation is actually worse as it grinds an economy to a halt.
Several reviews have dismissed the doc as one big ad for investing in gold. Sure, you can invest in gold. I do. On a risk adjusted basis, it has actually been one of my best investments. But here’s the thing: what gives gold its value? You can’t eat it, drink it, or use it to keep you warm in the winter. You can’t even use it to buy groceries! If you were selling your car, and a guy offered to pay you in gold bars, would you even know how many gold bars your car is worth, and why? Even gold isn’t a uh… “silver bullet.”
So, the central issue is and always will be: where does wealth/value come from? At its most fundamental, it comes from relative scarcity and desirability. So, invest in things which are relatively scarce and desirable or even better— companies which produce desirable things. It sounds simple, but don’t confuse simple with being easy. The best remedy of all is to develop scarce and desirable skills.