I'm really not convinced by the arguments for gold as an investment. Many proponents seem to suggest that it's the ideal thing to hold post-apocalypse. I've seen a few TV documentaries on that subject such as "The Day After Tomorrow" and "The Walking Dead", and they seem to indicate that the best things to have are a shotgun and a source of food. Bars of gold doesn't feature highly as a "must have". Indeed, I doubt if I would swap my last packet of Cheerios for a piece of the yellow metal. That led me to wonder whether there were a better investment than gold. And, indeed, I think I've found one: baked beans.

In 1932 a 25 oz can of Heinz baked beans cost 13 cents - that's $0.0052/oz.

Today a 13.7 oz can of the same baked beans costs $2.665 - $0.1945/oz.

So, in the space of 83 years the price of canned baked beans has risen more than 37 fold!

Had I invested a mere $26,800 in tinned baked beans in 1932 I'd be a millionaire today!

OK, gold might have performed a little better, having risen 58 times in price over the same period, but you can't eat gold when the zombie apocalypse comes. (Well, perhaps you can, but it'll only make your stools glittery which is a minor benefit when living in a devastated wasteland trying to avoid having one's brains sucked.)

So, my investment advice: sell all your gold and buy Heinz baked beans.

You're sure about Heinz?

You're sure about Heinz?

Warren Buffet has just put $12.25 billion into Heinz and says he'd like to invest more. So yes, Heinz is good. My only concern is that Buffet's investment in Heinz might be because he wants to corner the market in baked beans. Perhaps he knows the zombie apocalypse is coming and wants to make a quick killing.

Source: http://fortune.com/2014/03/01/buffett-wed-like-to-own-more-of-heinz/

".... in the space of 83 years the price of canned baked beans has risen more than 37 fold ..."--

about 4.5% per year is not that great

".... in the space of 83 years the price of canned baked beans has risen more than 37 fold ..."--

about 4.5% per year is not that great

... and I would not want to eat the cans from 1932 either...

The big secret about Heinz is that they aren't the gold standard re baked beans. The best are Branston Baked Beans.

".... in the space of 83 years the price of canned baked beans has risen more than 37 fold ..."--

about 4.5% per year is not that great

Looking at it as an investment compounded annually, it would be nearer 3.7% per annum.

P = C (1 + r) ^t

^{2.65=0.13(1+0.037) ^ 83}

Reading through the forums for several years, you'll find nuggets similar to "gold is the only asset that has increased 10% per year for a decade, and in early-2015, it will be $5000 an ounce! You've been warned! Wait and see!" Gold isn't anywhere near $5000 an ounce, and you'll read that it's due to the fact that China has bought almost all of the gold in the world, and that bankers have manipulated the gold price significantly lower than it should. I read it in Newsmax, and TV - it must be true. How about Apple? That has done pretty well. Berkshire Hathaway? Over the past 50 years, it has had a compounded annual rate of growth of over 19%? That's better than 10%. In any case, it ain't beans.