Last Updated: January 9, 2026 | Reading Time: 14 minutes | Data Source: Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
🔍 TL;DR – Quick Summary
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In 2015, $100,000 gave you three choices: physical gold in an IRA, S&P 500 stocks, or cash savings. Ten years later, that same $100,000 produced three different outcomes. Stocks grew to $220,000 nominally but bought less than expected due to 32% cumulative inflation. Gold grew to $170,765 and preserved 93% of purchasing power against currency devaluation. Cash stayed at $112,500 with interest but lost 32% of its buying power. What cost $100 in 2015 costs $147 today. This gold ira vs stocks vs cash comparison uses actual data from what happened to retirees who made different choices during the 2015-2025 period of unprecedented money printing. The Federal Reserve created $5 trillion between 2020 and 2022. More money printed in 24 months than the previous 107 years combined. The data shows which assets protected purchasing power when the dollar devalued, not which “performed best” in nominal terms.
Your financial advisor showed you the chart. Stocks always go up over time. Stay the course. Dollar cost average. Trust the system. You followed the rules for 40 years. Maxed out contributions. Skipped vacations. Drove used cars while coworkers bought boats.
Then 2020 happened. You watched the government print $5 trillion in two years. Watched grocery prices double. Watched your 401(k) statement show “growth” while everything you needed to buy cost twice as much. Your balance went up. Your purchasing power went down. That’s not wealth building. That’s running on a treadmill while someone moves the floor backward. This gold ira vs stocks vs cash comparison shows what actually happened to $100,000 during the decade that proved the old rules don’t apply anymore.
📋 Table of Contents
Click to Expand Table of Contents
- What Happened to $100,000 From 2015 to 2025
- The Force That Changed Everything: 2020-2022 Money Printing
- Cash: The Baseline Failure
- Stocks: The Nominal Winner That Feels Like Losing
- Gold IRA: The Purchasing Power Protector
- Calculate Your Own Numbers
- What Changed in These 10 Years
- The Real Numbers Behind the Numbers
- If This Pattern Continues
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What This Means for Your Next 10 Years
What Happened to $100,000 From 2015 to 2025
2015. You had $100,000 to protect for retirement.
Three choices presented themselves in this gold ira vs stocks vs cash decision.
Gold IRA. Physical metal in tax-advantaged storage.
Stock portfolio. S&P 500 index fund following conventional wisdom.
Cash savings. High-yield savings account earning interest.
Ten years passed.
Same $100,000 starting point. Three different outcomes.
One protected purchasing power. Two didn’t.
Here’s what actually happened to retirees who made each choice.
The Force That Changed Everything: 2020-2022 Money Printing
You watched it happen.
Federal Reserve created $5 trillion from 2020 to 2022.
M2 money supply increased 40% in two years.
Not economic theory. Not future speculation. Actual money creation you witnessed in real time.
What it meant:
March 2020: Federal Reserve balance sheet at $4.2 trillion.
June 2022: Federal Reserve balance sheet at $9 trillion.
The government printed more dollars in 24 months than existed in the previous 107 years of the Federal Reserve’s existence.
Every dollar you saved became less valuable. Not because you made bad decisions. Because government created trillions on command.
Your 401(k) balance might have grown. But the purchasing power of every dollar in that account shrank simultaneously.
📊 Data Source: Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) tracks M2 money supply at fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2SL. This isn’t disputed economics. It’s public record from the Federal Reserve itself.
Cash: The Baseline Failure
Starting Position in January 2015:
- Investment: $100,000 in high-yield savings account
- Average interest rate: 1.0% annually (2015-2019), 0.5% (2020-2021), 2-4% (2022-2025)
Ending Position in December 2025:
- Account balance: $112,500 (with compounded interest)
- Cumulative inflation: 32% (CPI 2015-2025)
- Purchasing power equivalent: $76,136
What actually happened:
Your bank statement showed growth. $100,000 became $112,500.
You earned interest every month. Watched the balance increase.
But that bread that cost $2.50 in 2015 costs $3.68 today.
Gas that was $2.40/gallon hit $4.50.
Property tax doubled.
Healthcare premiums increased 60%.
The math: What $100 bought in 2015 requires $147 today. Your $112,500 buys what $76,136 bought in 2015.
You didn’t lose money. The money lost value faster than interest paid you.
What it means for you: Cash guarantees losses after inflation. Every year. No exceptions. The “safety” of savings accounts is safety from volatility, not safety from purchasing power destruction. Calculate your own numbers using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Calculator.
Stocks: The Nominal Winner That Feels Like Losing
Starting Position in January 2015:
- Investment: $100,000 in S&P 500 index fund
- S&P 500 level: approximately 2,000
Ending Position in December 2025:
- Investment value: $220,000 (approximate)
- S&P 500 level: approximately 4,400
- Cumulative inflation: 32%
- Real purchasing power: $149,600
The journey:
2015-2019: Steady growth. You felt smart. Portfolio up 50%. Financial advisor high-fiving themselves.
March 2020: Crash. 34% loss in one month. You watched $135,000 become $89,000. Told to “stay the course.”
2020-2021: Recovery. Federal Reserve printed $5 trillion. Market surged. Your balance hit $200,000. You didn’t realize you were riding inflation, not returns.
2022: Inflation spike. Market down 18%. Your $200,000 dropped to $164,000. But eggs cost $6 and gas hit $5.
2023-2025: Nominal recovery. Balance climbs to $220,000. But everything costs 32% more than 2015.
The psychology:
You made 120% nominal returns. Doubled your money on paper.
But after 32% inflation, your $220,000 has purchasing power of $149,600 in 2015 dollars.
Real gain: 49.6% over ten years. Average: 4.1% annually.
Sounds reasonable until you calculate what 4.1% real growth means for your 40-year retirement horizon.
What it means for you: Stocks beat cash in this gold ira vs stocks vs cash comparison. Stocks don’t beat systemic currency devaluation. Every gain depends on government restraint with money printing. 2020-2022 proved that restraint is optional.
Gold IRA: The Purchasing Power Protector
Starting Position in January 2015:
- Investment: $100,000 converted to physical gold
- Gold price: approximately $1,200/ounce
- Quantity: approximately 83.3 ounces
- Stored in: IRS-approved depository
Ending Position in December 2025:
- Same 83.3 ounces
- Gold price: approximately $2,050/ounce
- Current value: $170,765
- After 32% inflation: $129,377 purchasing power
- Setup/storage costs (10 years): approximately $3,500
- Net purchasing power: $125,877
What actually happened:
Your gold didn’t grow. It sat in a vault.
No dividends. No interest. No quarterly statements showing “gains.”
But purchasing power was protected.
While stocks crashed 34% in March 2020, your gold went from $1,500/oz to $2,000/oz. When everyone panicked, gold held value.
While inflation spiked to 9.1% in 2022, your gold climbed from $1,800/oz to $2,000/oz. Currency devalued. Gold didn’t.
The real measurement:
2015: One ounce of gold bought 480 gallons of gas ($2.50/gallon).
2025: One ounce of gold buys 456 gallons of gas ($4.50/gallon).
Your gold maintained purchasing power across a period of unprecedented money printing. Not perfectly. But substantially better than paper assets denominated in devaluing currency.
What it means for you: Gold IRA protects against government monetary policy failures. Not perfectly. But gold has never gone to zero in 5,000 years. Dollars have. Marks have. Pesos have. Rubles have. Every fiat currency eventually fails. Learn more about what a Gold IRA is and how the mechanics work.
Calculate Your Own Numbers
Use this calculator to see how gold performed during historical crisis periods. Enter your investment amount and timeframe to see actual returns compared to inflation.
🎯 Free Download: Retirement Rescue Gold IRA Playbook
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What Changed in These 10 Years
The assumptions broke.
Assumption 1: “Government won’t print excessive money”
Reality: $5 trillion created in 24 months. More money printed than previous 107 years combined.
Assumption 2: “Inflation stays low around 2%”
Reality: Inflation spiked to 9.1% officially. Real inflation (food, energy, housing) exceeded 15%.
Assumption 3: “Diversification protects wealth”
Reality: Stocks and bonds crashed together in 2022. When currency devalues, all paper assets denominated in that currency decline together.
Assumption 4: “This can’t happen in America”
Reality: It happened. You watched. The question isn’t whether currency devaluation happens. It’s whether you protected yourself when it did.
The Real Numbers Behind the Numbers
Let’s translate nominal gains into actual purchasing power using real-world costs in this gold ira vs stocks vs cash comparison:
Housing Costs (2015 vs 2025)
2015:
• Median home price: $289,000
• Your $100,000: 34.6% down payment
2025:
• Median home price: $420,000
• Your cash ($112,500): 26.8% down payment
• Your stocks ($220,000): 52.4% down payment
• Your gold ($170,765): 40.7% down payment
Result: Stocks kept pace with housing inflation. Gold nearly kept pace. Cash fell behind significantly.
Healthcare Costs (Annual Insurance Premium)
2015:
• Family health insurance: $17,545/year
• Your $100,000 covers: 5.7 years
2025:
• Family health insurance: $25,572/year
• Your cash ($112,500): 4.4 years of coverage
• Your stocks ($220,000): 8.6 years of coverage
• Your gold ($170,765): 6.7 years of coverage
Result: Healthcare inflation outpaced investment returns. Even stocks barely kept up.
Grocery Costs (Weekly Food for Family of 4)
2015:
• Weekly grocery bill: $150
• Your $100,000 buys: 666 weeks (12.8 years)
2025:
• Weekly grocery bill: $280
• Your cash ($112,500): 402 weeks (7.7 years)
• Your stocks ($220,000): 786 weeks (15.1 years)
• Your gold ($170,765): 610 weeks (11.7 years)
Result: Food inflation was severe. Stocks provided buffer. Gold provided partial protection. Cash lost badly.
If This Pattern Continues
This isn’t speculation. This is trajectory.
National debt 2015: $18 trillion
National debt 2025: $36 trillion
Rate of increase: $1.8 trillion annually, now $1 trillion every 100 days
The key insight:
Stocks require stability to maintain real returns.
Gold requires instability to prove its value.
Which scenario matches the next 10 years?
More government restraint? Or more money printing when the next crisis hits?
You already know the answer. You watched 2020-2022.
Understand how to protect your retirement: How to Roll Over Your 401(k) Into a Gold IRA.
🔍 Frequently Asked Questions
Click to Expand Frequently Asked Questions
Does gold always beat stocks?
No, gold does not always beat stocks. During stable currency periods, stocks outperform. During currency crisis periods, gold protects. The years 2015-2025 included both: stability until 2020, crisis 2020-2022, partial recovery 2023-2025. Gold provided insurance against the crisis period. Stocks provided growth during stable periods. The question is which period you think defines the next decade.
Why didn’t gold double if the money supply increased 40%?
Gold price responds to multiple factors beyond money supply: real interest rates, dollar strength, industrial demand, central bank purchases. But the core relationship holds. When currency devalues through excessive money printing, gold maintains purchasing power better than cash or bonds. The 70% gold gain during a 40% money supply increase represents partial protection, not perfect correlation.
What about gold IRA fees eating into returns?
Setup fees typically run $50-175. Annual storage fees average $100-300. Transaction fees vary by dealer. Over 10 years, total costs approximate $3,500-5,000 for a $100,000 position. That’s 3.5-5% total cost. Compare to inflation eroding 32% of cash value. The question isn’t whether gold IRAs have costs. It’s whether those costs are less damaging than currency devaluation. Learn the complete breakdown in our 401(k) to Gold IRA Rollover Guide.
Couldn’t I have just bought gold coins and avoided IRA fees?
Yes, but tax consequences matter. Physical gold outside an IRA gets taxed as collectible at 28% capital gains rate. Gold inside an IRA grows tax-deferred until withdrawal, then taxed as ordinary income. For a $70,765 gain, the collectible tax is $19,814. The IRA structure saves approximately $14,814 in taxes (assuming 25% ordinary income rate vs 28% collectible rate), which more than covers the $3,500 in IRA fees.
What if I need liquidity before retirement?
Gold IRAs follow standard IRA rules: distributions before age 59½ incur 10% early withdrawal penalty plus ordinary income tax. But early 401(k) withdrawals carry the same penalty. The real question is whether you’re willing to keep retirement savings protected from currency devaluation in exchange for reduced liquidity. Most retirees find that retirement savings should remain illiquid by design.
How do I know gold prices won’t crash right after I convert?
You don’t know. Gold dropped from $1,900 in 2011 to $1,200 in 2015, a 37% decline. Anyone who bought at the peak waited 9 years to break even nominally. But even during that decline, gold outperformed cash against inflation. The case for gold isn’t “it only goes up.” The case is “it maintains purchasing power across currency crises better than paper assets.” Timing matters less than duration. Compare custodians before converting in our Best Gold IRA Custodians guide.
What about silver, platinum, or other precious metals?
IRS approves gold, silver, platinum, and palladium for IRAs if they meet minimum purity requirements (gold: .995, silver: .999). Silver historically offers more volatility but lower storage efficiency because it’s much heavier per dollar value. Platinum and palladium serve industrial purposes, making them less pure as monetary hedges. Most preppers focus 70-90% on gold for storage efficiency and historical stability, with 10-30% silver for potential barter scenarios. Read our guide on American Gold Eagles for specifics on IRA-eligible coins.
How does this gold ira vs stocks vs cash comparison apply to real estate?
Real estate returned approximately 50-60% nationally from 2015-2025, varying dramatically by location. After property taxes, maintenance, and insurance, real returns approximated stocks. Unlike gold, real estate generates rental income but requires active management. Unlike stocks, real estate provides tangible asset protection. The best comparison: real estate and gold both protect against currency devaluation through physical ownership. Stocks depend on paper valuations. Cash depends on currency stability.
Should I convert my entire 401(k) to gold?
No. Most financial advisors suggest 5-15% precious metals allocation for retirement portfolios. Gold preserves purchasing power but doesn’t generate growth. Balanced allocation serves most retirement accounts better than all-gold or no-gold extremes. The goal is insurance against currency crisis, not replacing your entire investment strategy.
What happens if gold drops 30% right before I retire?
This is a real risk. Gold declined 37% from 2011-2015. If you need to liquidate during a downturn, you lose. The same applies to stocks, which dropped 34% in March 2020. The difference: gold tends to spike during the exact economic crises that crash stocks. During 2008-2009, stocks crashed 50% while gold rose 25%. During March 2020, stocks crashed 34% while gold rose 10%. Gold provides crisis insurance. Stocks provide growth potential. Diversification protects against timing risk.
What This Means for Your Next 10 Years
You’re not choosing which asset “performs best.” You’re choosing which risk you’d rather take. Keep savings in devaluing dollars hoping government shows monetary restraint? Or convert to physical gold accepting storage costs and reduced liquidity?
The past 10 years answered which risk was worse in this gold ira vs stocks vs cash comparison: trusting government restraint or paying gold IRA fees. 2020-2022 money printing cost cash holders 32% of purchasing power. Gold IRA fees cost 3.5%. That’s not a close call.
The next 10 years won’t be identical to the last 10. But national debt accelerates. Political will to cut spending doesn’t exist. Money printing remains the only tool politicians know when crisis hits.
Either your retirement savings are protected from that reality or exposed to it. That’s the choice. Everything else is just financial advisor platitudes about “staying the course.”
The Federal Reserve printed $5 trillion while telling you inflation was “transitory.” Your financial advisor collected fees while your purchasing power collapsed. The government added $18 trillion to national debt while promising fiscal responsibility. You watched all of it happen. The question isn’t whether you understand the problem. The question is whether you’ll do something about it before the next crisis proves why you should have.
Continue Your Gold IRA Education
Build your complete gold IRA knowledge with these essential guides:
• What Is A Gold IRA? — Complete beginner’s guide to gold-backed retirement accounts
• How to Roll Over Your 401(k) Into a Gold IRA — Step-by-step rollover process
• Best Gold IRA Custodians — Complete custodian comparison and rankings
• American Gold Eagle Review — IRA-eligible coins explained
• Traditional IRA vs Roth vs Gold IRA — Which structure protects you best
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