It's the year 2001. You wait for hours in a bone-crushing line at the local bank, covering your ears to mute the cries of desperation. Finally, you reach your safe deposit box. The sudden silence in the vault is a relief, but not nearly as calming as what you're about to do. You reach into your pocket, pull out the key, and jiggle the lock. It opens. You take out the thin envelope. You've just made your final withdrawal.

Elbowing through the panicked crowd, you leave the bank, envelope securely in your suit pocket. All around you, people are toting suitcases full of cash. At least, you think, today is the last day I'll have to provide for my family with that worthless paper. (Or will you need more suitcases?)

The envelope rests comfortably next to the plane tickets that will take you to Sydney. In Sydney, you'll trade in the contents of that envelope --a special certificate -- for a new start. You're comforted by the knowledge that you hold assets outside the U.S. And the certificate proves it. Safe, hidden wealth. No one knows it's there but you.

Even when the U.S. markets were setting new records daily, you diversified your wealth overseas --privately. You purchased and stored a cache of precious metals in Australia. Today your foresight is rewarded.

Your neighbor didn't have your foresight. Today he's a virtual pauper, bound to the U.S. banking system he thought would protect his hard-earned wealth. You, however, know that within a day, you'll have money in your hand that's worth something. With that stable cornerstone, you'll begin the rebuilding process.

STORING GOLD DOWN UNDER

This hypothetical scene may never happen. But history is rife with perods of hyperinflation, where our purchasing power weakened horrendously. Owning a pot of gold -- even if it's a small pot --is an excellent insurance policy for times like those. But for the same reason we won't put all our money in one stock or in one mutual fund, we should diversify our precious metals overseas.

Through our contacts with the leading mint in Australia, we have discovered a little-known way for members to hold gold and other precious metals overseas, privately. It's called the Perth Mint Certificate Program (PMCP) and it's an excellent way to ensure your wealth securely, discreetly, flexibly and inexpensively.

When you buy precious metals in the PMCP, you get a certificate of ownership. The certificate represents a specific item--the bullion or coins you purchased. The Perth Mint sets aside a certain amount of a specific material for use at your sole and personal discretion. The document simply shows "ounce for ounce" what you own that the Perth Mint is holding for you.

WHEN YOU NEED IT, WHERE YOU NEED IT

The PMCP is an extremely private way to own precious metals. The PMCP is not considered a "foreign bank" or "financial account abroad." Therefore, precious metals stored at the PMCP (in a non-banking depository) are not reportable, even though the program allows you to transfer wealth from one part of the world to another. The PMCP is not considered a monetary instrument, since it is non-negotiable and does not provide a payment of "sum certain" in dollars. Your assets and any related documents are stored offshore (in Perth). You retain the ownership certificates, which are transferable but non-negotiable.

In case of an economic catastrophe, you simply use the documents to request delivery from Perth to any number of major financial centers, such as Zurich, London, or Singapore.

FLEXIBLE WEALTH

Some countries have restrictions on gold ownership, but you may remove your assets from the Perth Mint whenever you wish. When you receive the coins, you can cross country borders without duty (unlike bullion, which is not always duty free). There are no import or export duties on precious metals in Australia. Coins purchased in the PMCP enjoy worldwide recognition - - you can liquidate them in any major financial market (subject to import restrictions).

The program also allows you your choice of gold, silver, platinum and palladium. No other certificate program we've researched offers all four metals. And, you can sell all or part of your holdings--and receive your proceeds--in a variety of currencies: U.S. dollars, Australian dollars, Swiss francs, or other major foreign currencies. All precious metals transactions are completed based on the London p.m. fix.

We've also compared this program by price. The PMCP's products --the highest quality and purity Australian semi-numismatic coins -- come in various sizes, ranging from 1/20 oz. to 1 kilo (gold, platinum and silver are available in the 1 kilo size). The PMCP offers low premiums, low storage charges, and a $50 certificate charge (per transaction). The bigger the transaction, the bigger the savings. Of all the available precious metal buy-and-store programs, we believe the PMCP offers the most inexpensive way to buy precious metals, privately, in a convenient form.

The benefits of this new program so impressed us that we've arranged for Oxford Club members to have an exclusive "first chance" enrollment opportunity. No one else currently offers this program. As a matter of fact, no one even knows about it. We recommend that you hold 5% of your portfolio in gold stocks or bullion. Now there's an easy way to do it and get the benefits of global diversification.

WHY WE OWN GOLD

When political turmoil threatens so-called "stable" governments and economic uncertainty prevails, gold is one asset governments can't inflate by printing more of it (see price history table).

Whether in Bali or Bahrain, your gold is liquid, retaining its value as a store of wealth when the value of paper money decreases daily. During the depression, for example, you could buy a suit of clothes for one ounce of gold. Today, with gold at $350/ounce, you can still buy a good suit of clothes for one ounce of gold. In 1965, you could buy a brand new Ford Mustang for $2000. In 1965, gold was $32/ounce. It cost roughly 57 ounces of gold for a new Mustang. With 57 ounces of gold today (a value of $19,950), you can still buy a new Ford Mustang, and have some cash left over! The simple fact: gold maintains its purchasing power over time.

Even though governments, speculators and others can affect the price in the short term, gold generally remains stable --and it's portable. And, unlike paper, gold is a store of value that is not simultaneously someone else's "IOU."

Look to The Oxford Club portfolio (see table this page) for our recommendations on the best way to own bullion.

For more information on the exclusive Perth Mint Certificate Program, contact Michael Checkan, President, International Financial Consultants, Inc., 1700 Rockville Pike, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20852. Call toll free: 800-831-0007. Fax: 301-881-1936.

Reprinted with permission of The Oxford Club

BACK to Michael's Corner main page