The mainstream financial media is like a couple of eight-year-olds. We hear arguments from both sides -- corporate earnings are beating records, but at the same time joblessness could jump to 10% again.

Which is it? And how do you plan an investment strategy against such bipolar predictions?

Silver is an interesting precious metal. It protects against inflation like gold. But silver also has a lot of industrial uses. That makes it like copper, which booms during economic recoveries.