Three-Quarters Gone: A Lesson in Scarcity

How Much Gold Is Left To Be Mined?

 

A recent chart showed all the gold ever mined since, well, forever, would form a single, 22-meter cube. The amount left to mine – the stuff that’s currently worth the trouble – is a notably smaller, 15-meter cube.

 

If you’re keeping score, nearly three-quarters of all known, economically-viable gold is already sitting in a vault, on a finger, or in a slightly questionable central bank reserve.

 

Why Does Extreme Scarcity Command a Premium?

 

The market took one look at this terminal scarcity and decided gold was worth $4,000 an ounce this year. When global uncertainty reaches peak absurdity, investors reliably flock to the shiny, inert metal. A classic move.

 

It’s a good reminder that true scarcity – be it a finite metal or an investment opportunity with genuinely asymmetric risk – tends to command a premium.

 

Don't spend too much time worrying about the Earth running out of gold. Spend it worrying about running out of time to implement high-impact strategies – like leveraging your business entity for personal tax savings, or figuring out your entire company stock option package – that actually move the needle.

 

The real value isn't just owning the gold cube; it's finding the things with similarly limited downside and outsized potential that no one else is discussing.

 

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