Letter Re: Advice on Investing

HJL,

I’m a long time reader here and understand you are terribly busy, but I have a question about investment. I have a small sum of junk silver that I’m thinking of using to buy the Backwoods Home Magazine Whole Sheebang with. I’d be getting $400 worth of fine homesteading material for $17.20 in junk silver, and I’m just wondering what your thoughts are on this. They say knowledge is power. Thanks – T.Z.

HJL Replies: Only you can make the decision as to whether the trade is worthwhile or not, but here are a few thoughts. Information is power, and if you do not have the information when you need it, you can’t put a price tag on it. That being said, my personal preference would be to spend the $400 cash on the anthology and save the junk silver for when there is no viable cash alternative. By spending the silver, you are trading hard assets for soft. I would also prefer the printed anthology over the digital version. I used to have a complete back issue set of Mother Earth News (back when they still had the Eco-Village). I sold the entire set to get a digital version from the new management in New York and have regretted it ever since.