Dear IDE Reader,

The letter you are about to read is of the utmost urgency.

At this moment a storm of the century is raging in the financial markets. Wealth is being destroyed on an unprecedented scale. I don't have to tell you this. The signs are all around you.

But what you might not know is that the remedy is going to make the problem worse. In fact, it will make things a LOT worse.

I know the last thing you want to hear is more bad news. But this information is too important to ignore.

It is at a time like this when the words of American revolutionary leader Patrick Henry seem exceptionally wise:

"We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth. For my part, I am willing to know the whole truth – to know the worst – and to provide for it."

In this brief letter, I will share with you the painful truth… the worst of it. But I will also share with you some very good news, as well as advice that will help you to prosper and thrive in the coming years… no matter what comes our way.

Before I go on, I want you to know that this is about a LOT more than how to safely make a fortune in the gold bull market.

The hidden knowledge and opportunities I will unveil for you are positively vital to your financial well-being and your personal way of life.

But for now, let's start with GOLD…

A Bull Market for the Ages is About to Explode

All major bull markets go through three distinct stages… and this is particularly true of bull markets in gold.

The first is the “stealth” phase. This is when the bull market is flying under the radar and most investors are unaware it has even started.

The next stage is characterized by “disbelief.” The upward slope is easy to see on the charts… but most investors don't believe the trend will continue.

This is also when there are a parade of conflicting “experts” on television and a host of “sensible” reasons why the bull market should not continue. During this stage, the investing public is frozen with uncertainty.

This stage of the bull market can carry on for years, and it is often marked by deep corrections and long periods of consolidation. But eventually, the breakout occurs and the third stage begins.

The final stage of a major bull market is characterized by “mania”.

This is when the rise becomes so steep and the bull market so popular that the public becomes fixated. All the doubters agree and the masses clamor to get their share of the profits. Investors who wouldn't buy when prices were cheap fall over themselves to get involved.

The third stage of a major bull market can turn everyday investors into instant millionaires.

Right now, GOLD is in the midst of a MAJOR bull market. The third stage is just ahead and the gains for today's investors will be extraordinary.

There is No Rush Like a Gold Rush!

Currently gold is in the “disbelief” stage of its bull market. It has pulled back sharply after hitting new all-time highs and many investors believe the precious metals have run their course.

To believe this would be a VERY costly mistake.

During the last gold bull market, the price of gold fell 48%... right before it rose to more than $800 an ounce… a 2,079% increase from the previous low!

If today's bull market plays out the same way, it would take gold to more than $5,500 an ounce.

But today's bull market will be MUCH bigger, much longer lasting and far more profitable for those who are prepared. This time around, we will also face a growing currency crisis and the looming bankruptcy of the United States government.

In the latest chapter of the financial crisis, we have seen an unprecedented rise in the dollar as over-leveraged money fled from risk and poured into U.S. Treasuries. The dollar rally has been one of the strongest trends in the market. But it will also be profoundly temporary.

In the coming months, as it becomes abundantly clear that there is a deliberate policy to debase the dollar, you are going to witness a flight (make that a mad rush) to REAL money – to the ultimate rock of financial safety – GOLD.

Institutions will diversify more heavily into gold. Investors will up their stakes. And when the masses catch on (and they will) the price of gold will soar. The third stage of this bull market could send gold to unthinkable levels…

$5,000 gold? Absolutely!

$20,000 gold? I will show you how it could easily happen.

But first…

Are You Prepared for a Tidal Wave of Paper Dollars?

If you want to see what "debasing the dollar" looks like, consider the chart below, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. What it shows is that the monetary base is increasing at an unprecedented rate.

Or consider these numbers:

• It took 75 years for the Federal Reserve's balance sheet to reach $100 billion

• It took ten more years for it to get to $500 billion

• It took eight more years for it to reach $1 trillion

• It took only three weeks for it to reach $2 trillion

And now, Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President, Richard Fisher recently confirmed that the Fed's balance sheet “may expand to $3 trillion by year's end…”

But it is not just the size of these figures that is troubling, it is their make up. A little over a year ago, almost 100% of the Fed's balance sheet was held in U.S. Treasuries. Today, nearly HALF of the Fed's “assets” would be properly labeled “junk”.

Fisher also confirmed that the Federal Reserve is now engaged in “quantitative easing” . Get ready to hear this term more often. It's going to be the financial media's new buzzword. I won't go into the details, but here's the bottom line:

Instead of simply lowering interest rates, the Central Bank has now admitted that they are firing up the printing presses and scrambling helicopters to the air to drop money directly into the economy.

“Deflation” might be the word of the day. But as surely as night follows day, all of this paper money pouring into the market will show up as inflation… and probably hyper-inflation.

If you thought the dot-com mania was crazy, wait until you see a global gold rush as the dash for lifeboats begins and gold lust spreads to the worldwide public.

But you MUST take action TODAY, and here's why…

There Are ALREADY Shortages of Gold and Silver

Even after a seven year bull market (or seven years of a declining dollar… take your pick), the general public has still not invested in gold. Just ask a random sample of 10 people if they own ANY gold as an investment, including gold mining stocks.

Most will answer no.

But even WITHOUT appreciable demand from the general public, there are ALREADY widespread shortages and extended wait times for delivery of physical gold and silver bullion.

Bullion dealers around the world have been cleared of inventory. The mints have suspended sales of certain products. And buyers from here to India are paying a significant premium over the spot price, just to get their hands on the real thing.

Think about that for a minute… the general public hasn't even entered the picture… and supplies of the physical metal are already drying up.

In relative terms, gold is a VERY small market. At today's prices, all the gold mined in history is valued at only $3.5 trillion.ⁱ

When you compare that to the roughly $125 trillion in financial assets, it's clear that just a tiny fraction of the world's capital chasing gold would send it to the moon.

And no matter how high the price goes, the supply cannot be rapidly increased. Large deposits are hard to find and it takes years to bring a large mine into production. In fact, even in the face of record demand, gold production is actually falling.

For these reasons and many more, there will eventually be a GOLD BUYING PANIC . And the initial ascent could begin any day.

One of the most important financial decisions you can make is to secure PHYSICAL possession of gold and silver today!