In its April 2008 issue, Kiplinger personal finance magazine writes:

"A few months ago, Chris Hinners, a computer-network engineer, decided that the spate of negative headlines about the economy required drastic action. He switched all the money in his 401(k) plan to stuff he figures will hold its value 'if the American economy goes the way of the British Empire.'

He put nearly one-third of his $100,000 balance into a money-market fund and one-fourth in Merk Hard Currency (symbol MERKX), a fund designed to benefit from a weakening dollar. He invested the rest in a gold fund, Canadian and global growth funds, an energy fund, and [a mutual fund] that has a big weighting in energy and materials stocks.

Chris, who is 50, single and lives in Austin, Tex., is directing new contributions to the money fund. During the stock market's recent setback, only the gold and currency funds held up, although most of Chris's picks have steadied since the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. But Chris expects inflation to accelerate and U.S. stocks to tank again. ..."