Rich Checkan, COO of Asset Strategies International | Rule Symposium 2026: Rick Rule interviews
Rule Investment Media May 6, 2026
Summary
A dealer who will not buy metal back at sale time almost certainly overcharged you when you bought it.
Physical gold buyers want both wealth insurance and profit; weight the portfolio toward whichever motive matters most.
Dealer longevity matters: firms that survived decades without customer complaints are less likely to take risks with your money.
Hold metal you can safeguard yourself first; use third-party vaults only beyond that, with full insurance at full market value.
Rick Rule's takeaways
- Top takeaway Rule warns that rising gold and silver prices are drawing scam dealers out, and buyers must separate the good from the bad.
- Only dealers he never received a customer complaint about across 40 years in financial services are allowed on the symposium floor.
- He suspects dealers who refuse buy-backs may also be undercapitalized, and warns some take client funds and disappear.
- He cautions that if a storage facility fails, the client's claim effectively lands with the US bankruptcy court.
Rich Checkan's takeaways
- Top takeaway Checkan's top vetting test: ask a dealer 'When I am ready to sell, will you buy it back?' — a refusal signals you were overcharged at purchase.
- Asset Strategies International acts as commission-free 'private bankers for precious metals,' trading bullion and numismatic coins and arranging storage and IRA accounts.
- He argues every gold buyer wants both wealth insurance and profit, so weight the portfolio toward gold for insurance or silver for profit by the client's dominant goal.
- He advises taking delivery of metal you can safeguard first, then using third-party vaults that carry full insurance at full market value — never fractional coverage.
- Citing a World Gold Council study, he says about 85% of people believe they should own gold but few do, citing confusion over the process and distrust of dealers.