We’re going to mix things up this week for Money Monday with a guest post from Ron Helwig from Shire Silver. I caught up with Ron at Liberty Forum 2012 after he presented on the Agorist panel and he told me about his alternative currency, Shire Silver. See that interview, and his post on growing a better economy with sound money by clicking ahead. And, if you’re interested in submitting a guest post contact us at .

Growing a Better Economy with Sound Money

by Ron Helwig

If you’re reading this, odds are good that you are a fan of sound money. You’d love to start your day buying a freshly brewed cup of wake up juice and paying for it with actual value. You might desire to pay for your bus ride with a couple small strips of silver, or pay your cabbie with a tiny bit of gold. You’d like to see your retirement portfolio being worth so much gold or silver or maybe even bitcoins. You imagine enjoying your restaurant dinner more knowing that the chef appreciates the fact that you trade wealth honestly for his efforts.

But for most people this is just a fantasy. They might dream about some far off future after “it all crashes” or if a particular politician manages to get elected and magically changes the world with the flick of a pen. But they don’t do anything to actually build the world they seek.

Here in New Hampshire, chosen destination of the Free State Project, things are a little different. Activists are slowly but surely working to make the changes they want to see, working on all kinds of different projects. My efforts have been aimed at making sound money transactions an everyday occurrence, with Shire Silver being the vehicle for change. And I’m not alone. Over the past 5 years or so there have been at least a couple dozen activists that have been involved in sound money ventures; many of them with Shire Silver.

Shire Silver cards are a modern form of bullion designed to make using precious metals easy. The silver and gold are embedded in the card, so you don’t need to worry about redeeming a certificate. They fit well in your wallet, being the same size as credit cards, and are easy to handle making everyday trading much more realistic than with traditional bullion.

But FSP participants and local goldbugs aren’t enough to turn the dream into a reality. We need regular folks to accept sound money, even if they don’t care about the moral or political benefits of it. They will probably never get excited holding bullion in their hands, nor will they daydream about how trade feels better when its real wealth being exchanged. They need more mundane reasons to use sound money alternatives to the ubiquitous fiat.

If you want to be able to use Shire Silver, Silver Circles, Silver Dime Cards, Bitcoins, or just plain bullion; you need to help or it won’t happen. Reach out to the store owners that don’t care about the FED but just want to make an honest living. Tell them how it can get more customers into their stores, and better quality customers as well. For currencies like Shire Silver that have discounts, explain how they can improve their margins and the bottom line. Get them signed up on the various sites as accepting these alternatives.

Yes, it will take some work, and there will be a lot of rejection. But the more people do it, the more success there will be; and once we start hitting tipping points in local areas the benefits will become more evident and signups will come much easier. Each person’s small efforts combined together can change the world, and turn the sound money dream into a reality.

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And don’t forget to visit our official website to learn more about the Silver Circle Movie:http://SilverCircleMovie.com