SECURITY YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE AND TOUCH
For centuries, people have turned to hard assets like property to build wealth and guard against predatory individuals and governments.
Unlike cash or digital balances, property is tangible, slow to change hands, and highly useful — it can be lived on, farmed, rented, or improved. This combination of utility, tangibility, and legal recognition makes property one of the most resilient and reliable stores of wealth, enduring threats that would quickly undermine money, shares, or even precious metals. Compare it to cash, which loses value over time, property tends to hold or increase in value. Rent, land appreciation, and limited supply make real estate one of the strongest hedges against inflation.
This is all due to the irresponsible management of the money supply. Governments have painted themselves into a corner and need to continually keep borrowing money, which is the root cause of inflation.
Keeping wealth purely in a bank account carries risks. While banks may feel “safe,” they are ultimately controlled by governments and financial institutions.
In times of crisis, accounts can be frozen, withdrawals restricted, or funds seized under new policies. We saw this dramatically in 2022 when the Canadian government ordered banks to freeze the accounts of ordinary truckers during the convoy protests — everyday people were suddenly cut off from their own money.
Closer to home, Australians also face quiet but constant surveillance, with banks required to report even modest amounts of interest earned on savings directly to the ATO. Your wealth in the bank isn’t as private or secure as many assume.
On top of that, thieves and cybercriminals are increasingly finding ways to access and drain digital bank accounts. Even share portfolios are not immune. Just recently, a number of Australian Super funds suffered serious cyber hacking attacks. While investing in businesses can be profitable, stock trading platforms and brokerage accounts can also fall victim to hackers or fraudsters, leaving investors exposed.
And unlike a tangible block of land or a house you can physically inspect and control, shares are just numbers on a screen , they are still vulnerable to both fraud and market manipulation.
Some investors look to precious metals like gold and silver, which for thousands of years have been trusted stores of value. They are portable, universally recognised, and can’t be printed out of thin air like paper money.
The obvious risk is that some thug will break in and steal them from you or your custodian.
To add to this, new risks have emerged. Sophisticated counterfeit bullion and coins — often produced in China — are flooding global markets, tricking investors with convincing fakes. Unless you know exactly who you’re buying from, the “safe” hedge of gold and silver can become just another way to be defrauded.
When it comes to property, Australia does, however, enjoy one major advantage: a long tradition of common law that has historically favoured property rights. While these rights are being eroded, they remain stronger here than in many parts of the world, where predatory governments can seize property almost at will.
Australians, for now at least, have some protection against outright confiscation — but we are not immune. Councils, for instance, can still seize homes or farmland over something as simple as unpaid rates.
Many would argue that such actions amount to legalised theft. Yet, Australia’s institutions still have limitations and checks that make property ownership here relatively safe.
For many, property is considered the “real” store of wealth. It is often the average family’s major asset and can even be relied upon to help in retirement.
Land and buildings cannot simply vanish overnight, be erased by a cyberattack, or restricted by a government freeze in the same way that money in a digital account can. You can live on it, rent it out, improve it, and pass it down to the next generation. It is tangible, functional, and historically reliable — qualities that make it a cornerstone of wealth protection.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of property, consider joining a local investment education group, or get in contact with the Chitchat Newspaper which can point you to the right people to have a chat with.
Written by John E Middleclass
Chitchat Newspaper. September 2025.