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Cyber and technology risk in the modern era is another reason to own physical coins and bars in an allocated and segregated manner, in the safest vaults, in the safest jurisdictions in the world.
Jurisdictions are the "safest" until suddenly they are not like the the US between April 4, 1933 and April 5, 1933 (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_6102). Vaults didn't protect you, nothing did. One day many would agree it was among the "safest" for protecting gold wealth, the next day it was not with a stroke of the pen the Constitution was thrown out the window.
Safest like the EU until Cyprus. Or potentially Greece etc.
I don't disagree that having physical assets like gold is part of a good diversification strategy, but they are being disingenuous if they think that one can predict what the "safest" jurisdictions are, or what the safest vaults are.
Then, say you thought Germany was safe in the 1930s and then suddenly it wasn't and you could leave, but not bring any possessions. Then what?