Crypto Wallet Maker Trezor Breached, Exposing 13,689 Customers

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Practical preparedness for uncertain times

A friend of mine bought $3,000 in silver rounds after reading that precious metals are "the only real money." I asked him how he'd use them during a power outage. He couldn't answer. I asked if his local grocery store accepts silver. He laughed. Precious metals have a place in financial preparedness. But the place is smaller and more specific than the internet wants you to believe.

Here's what I've got this week.

Precious Metals and Alternative Currency: A Realistic Assessment

We covered barter (Issue 49), financial preparedness (Issue 96), and cash reserves (Issue 75). This week addresses gold, silver, and cryptocurrency as preparedness assets, with the same no-hype approach we apply to everything else.

Cash is still king for short-term disruptions. During a power outage, a winter storm, or a localized emergency, US dollars work. They're universally accepted, require no explanation, and function without electricity. Your first financial prep is a cash reserve in small bills ($200 to $500 in $5s, $10s, and $20s). This covers 90% of realistic disruption scenarios.

Silver has historical precedent as a disruption-era currency. Small silver coins (pre-1965 US dimes and quarters, known as "junk silver") are recognizable, divisible, and have intrinsic value independent of any government. In extended disruptions where currency trust erodes, silver provides a backup store of value. The practical form: pre-1965 US coins, which are 90% silver. They're recognizable, impossible to counterfeit, and available at coin shops for a small premium over spot price.

Gold stores value efficiently (high value per ounce) but is impractical for small transactions. A one-ounce gold coin is worth over $4,000, which is far too much for buying groceries. If you hold gold, it's a wealth preservation tool, not a transaction currency.

Cryptocurrency is a preparedness asset only if you have reliable internet and electricity. In a grid-down or network-down scenario, crypto is inaccessible. It's useful for international transfers, privacy, and inflation hedging during normal times, but it's not a disruption-era currency.

The practical allocation for most households: cash first ($200 to $500 in small bills). If budget allows, a modest amount of junk silver ($100 to $300 worth) as a secondary backup. Gold and crypto only if your financial foundation (emergency fund, insurance, supplies) is already solid.

The critical point: no form of alternative currency replaces physical preparedness. A thousand dollars in silver doesn't help if the stores are empty. The $200 you spend on silver instead of food storage doesn't feed your family. Supplies first. Currency backup second.

Verify your cash reserve is stocked with small bills.

If you don't have $200 in small bills at home, start building it. Break a $100 at the bank into $5s and $10s. This covers immediate transaction needs during any disruption where cards don't work.

National Debt Interest Hits $3.18 Billion a Day While Treasury Spends Billions Defending the Yen

The CBO found the federal government paid $963 billion in net interest between October 2025 and July 2026 — about $3.18 billion a day, up 14% year-over-year on larger debt levels and higher long-term rates. Separately, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed spending $5 to $10 billion to stabilize the Japanese yen, which still slid from 155 back to roughly 159 per dollar after the intervention. Japan holds $1.14 trillion in US Treasuries, the largest foreign stake of any country — a reminder that currency stability isn't guaranteed even for major reserve-holding governments, and a case for keeping some of your own reserve outside any single currency.

Source: Fortune

Selco Begovic's siege experience provides the most credible real-world data on currency during societal disruption. In The Dark Secrets of SHTF Survival, he documents that during the Bosnian siege, official currency became worthless within weeks. What retained value: cigarettes, alcohol, batteries, antibiotics, and gold/silver jewelry. The key insight: the currency that works during a disruption is whatever the person across the table will accept, and that's determined by scarcity and need, not by financial theory.

Selco's practical advice: store trade goods (Issue 49, Issue 155) alongside any precious metals. A silver coin is only valuable if someone wants it. A bottle of antibiotics is valuable to everyone who's sick.

The Dark Secrets of SHTF Survival: about $25 for the paperback, Begovic's ground-level account of what actually held value when official currency collapsed during the Bosnian siege.

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Crypto Wallet Maker Trezor Discloses a Breach Exposing Nearly 14,000 Customers

On August 13, Trezor confirmed a shipping vendor was breached, exposing the names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers of 13,689 customers who ordered a hardware wallet in the 90 days before August 8. The company says its devices and internal systems were untouched — only the vendor's shipment records were compromised.

Trezor is warning customers to expect a wave of phishing attempts. The bigger risk is physical: cryptocurrency holders are increasingly targeted for "wrench attacks," home invasions meant to force a transfer of coins. Researchers logged roughly 52 such attacks worldwide in the first half of 2026, up 33% year-over-year.

If you hold crypto in cold storage, your shipping address is now a known data point. Don't advertise holdings, use a PO box for hardware purchases, and treat any "security update" email as phishing until verified on the company's own site.

Source: BleepingComputer, Bloomberg

Pre-1965 US Silver Coins ($50 Face Value)

I purchased $50 face value in pre-1965 US dimes and quarters (known as "junk silver" or "constitutional silver"). At today's silver price near $65/oz, the melt value is approximately $2,300 to $2,350. I paid a small premium at a local coin shop.

The coins are immediately recognizable as US currency. Anyone who handles money recognizes a quarter. The silver content is verifiable (a magnet test: silver is not magnetic). The denominations are small enough for reasonable transactions ($1 to $5 in face value per transaction). They store in a small cloth bag that weighs about 2.5 pounds. About $2,450 total.

Budget alternative: Cash only. Two hundred dollars in small bills handles any realistic short-term disruption. Silver is a secondary layer, not a primary need.

Overrated: Gold coins for everyday preparedness. At over $4,000 per ounce, gold is a wealth preservation tool, not a transaction currency. You can't buy a tank of gas with a gold coin and expect change. Silver and cash are more practical for actual transactions.

Underrated: Pre-1965 US coinage as the ideal form of precious metal prep. Universally recognizable. Impossible to counterfeit convincingly. Available in small denominations. No assay needed. Your grandmother would recognize a 1962 quarter.

Kitco.com — Real-time precious metals prices and market data.

FRED: Gold and Silver Data — Federal Reserve historical precious metals data.

APMEX.com — Precious metals dealer with educational resources.

The Modern Survival Manual by FerFAL — Real-world currency collapse documentation, about $20 for the paperback.

Wolf Street — Independent financial analysis relevant to currency and economic stability.

Multi-generational household preparedness. When grandparents, parents, and children live under one roof, the preparedness plan serves everyone's needs.

PS: My friend with $3,000 in silver? He now also has $500 in cash, a full pantry, and a water filter. The silver sits in a safe as a last-resort backup. His preparedness is built on supplies first, skills second, and alternative currency third. That order matters.