One of the world’s leading geopolitical finance analysts, Jim Rickards has spent decades studying how nations protect their wealth.

And lately, he’s noticed something quietly shifting.

Central banks have been steadily moving away from U.S. Treasury securities and toward gold – doing it in the background, without fanfare, while most investors weren’t paying attention.

Rickards’ explanation is straightforward:

Treasuries aren’t physical. They live on a digital ledger controlled by U.S. depositories – which means they can be frozen, or seized, with a phone call.

The U.S. demonstrated this in 2022, when it threatened to confiscate over $200 billion in Treasury securities held by Russia.

It’s doing it again with Iran.

“The rapid rise in the dollar price of gold since 2022,” Rickards wrote, “corresponds closely to U.S. efforts to confiscate Treasury securities from Russia and Iran.”

The dollar isn’t dying, Rickards is careful to note.

But trust in the architecture around it is eroding. And sovereigns are responding by moving into something no one can freeze…

WorthNet Partner Adviser John Parise has never worked with a central bank.

But he recognizes the logic immediately.

Parise is a principal of Copper Beech Financial Group, a financial planning firm focused on multi-generational wealth strategies for business owner families.

He’s spent more than four decades watching families make a version of the same mistake sovereigns are now correcting – leaving wealth in structures that feel safe… but aren’t protected.

“I tell our clients that gold is not an investment. It’s a steward of wealth,” Parise says. “It’s been around 5,000 years. I don’t watch the price. I’m moving that value to my children and grandchildren.”

He could be describing a trust…

a succession plan…

a coordinated estate structure designed to move assets out of reach of taxes, creditors, and the next policy change out of Washington—

The logic is identical.

Physical beats exposed. Durable beats convenient. The sovereigns Rickards is watching understood this before most investors did – and acted accordingly.

Parise sees the same dynamic play out with families every day…

Some build the structures that protect what they’ve created. Others don’t get around to it.

The question is which side of that ledger your family is on.

WorthNet exists to do one thing: connect self-directed investors with experienced, like-minded financial advisers.

If Rickards’ argument resonates – and if questions about protecting and transferring your family’s wealth have been on your mind – we’d like to introduce you to someone worth talking to.

Click below and take our short questionnaire to get matched with a WorthNet partner adviser.

Because you’re an independent-minded financial newsletter reader, we believe you’ll want to know the honest, no-BS truth about how we work:

WorthNet has a financial relationship with the advisers in our small, curated network – including Copper Beech Financial Group – and may receive compensation in connection with introductions made to the firm. Jim Rickards’ editorial views are his own and are independent of that relationship. Nothing here constitutes personalized investment, tax, legal, or financial planning advice. Our goal is to connect self-directed investors with advisers we’ve carefully selected.

John J. Parise

Founder & Managing Partner of Copper Beech Financial Group

Your Generational Wealth Partner

John J. Parise is a seasoned investment adviser who has helped families optimize their investments for taxes and developed cross-generational plans to preserve wealth for nearly 40 years. His firm, Copper Beech Financial Group (CRD #313156), is a proud member of the WorthNet partner adviser network.

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Last Revised: August 31, 2026