The Big Reset: War on Gold and the Financial Endgame Paperback – February 15, 2014

Willem Middelkoop may not be a familiar name to Americans, but in his home country the Netherlands he is a renowned financial analyst, commodity fund owner, former journalist and most of all, an outspoken gold bug. He has written multiple books on the financial system as well as (peak) oil, all in dutch, which became bestsellers in his home country.Willem Middelkoop's ‘finest’ hour came when shortly after he published his book “Als de dollar valt” (which gets a surprising translation as “If the dollar collapses”, instead of “When the dollar collapses” which is more in line with its core message), the financial crisis of 2007-2008 hit the world and the Dutch economy went seriously south. Numerous appearances on national television followed, where Willem Middelkoop was invited as the dutch Dr Doom, as he was, like Nouriel Roubini, one of the very few to predict the crisis and thus capable of explaining the world going crazy during those days of deepest financial turmoil.The Big Reset then is his first book in English and he uses the occasion to summarize his earlier books, while providing an very interesting update (more on that later) on the central premise of his work: that all fiat currencies are mortal, the end for the dollar as sole world reserve currency is nigh and there is only 1 form of real money. The latter, you guessed it, is gold. All these changes are coming upon us as part of the ‘Big Reset’.This may hardly be a new insight in today’s world, where the likes of Max Keiser, James Rickards, Marc Faber and others hit the spotlights regularly with their latest views on how the financial world stumbles from the one crisis to the next, but what this book brings to the table is a succinctly written yet complete overview of where it all began and how it will end. In straightforward language, Willem Middelkoop manages to explain how the current financial system, with the dollar at its core, has been created and amended to fit the needs of the greatest nation on earth. People that have followed the writer’s publications over time will be familiar with his highly critical view of how the USA rules the world (some of his more extreme viewpoints are better not repeated here, as they are neither repeated in the book). To American readers, this viewpoint may be refreshing. Some readers will yet note the similarity with the works of say James Rickards, which he quotes to some length in the book. However, and this pure speculation from my end, it feels as if James Rickards is not always telling all he knows, as if he’s keeping lines open to be re-invited by the Pentagon for the next round of Currency War-gaming. Willem Middelkoop shows no such restraints (either way, Willem Middelkoop has been talking about the 'World Championship in Currency Debasing' long before Currency Wars came out).This book 'The Big Reset' is structured as a long Q&A session, which I like a lot as the questions are spot on and similar to the ones you and I are having. Each answer takes little over 1 page, so it's possible to take the information in little bits and pieces, with no need to read the book front to back in linear order. It is also well written, making it an easy and leisury read, with the occasional inclusion of graphs and tables to substantiate the text. At the end of the book an interesting list of all demonetized currencies is provided, along with the cause for the demise. The list is surprisingly long. Finally, a handy list of reference readings is included for anyone willing to dive deeper in the multitude of (financial) subjects discussed throughout the book.So what is the core message from the author? The current financial system is no longer working, debt burdens are unsustainable and a big reset of the entire system is imminent. In fact, it is not just imminent, but actively being orchestrated, with the powers that be working behind the scenes to define the new world order to come out of the ashes of the old. According to Willem Middelkoop, the USA is still very much at the steering wheel. The dollar, thus, will still play a key role in the new system, but this time it will be joined by a basket of other currencies such as the Renminbi, Yen, Euro, Pound along with an important role for IMF’s Special Drawing Rights and, you guessed it again, gold. In a very interesting Chapter 6, Willem Middelkoop makes the compelling case that this new monetary system is concocted in a big deal between the two financial world powers: the US and China. Rumors about gold price manipulation, China’s stockpiling the bullion in vaults in the big Apple, Germany not getting all of its gold back any time soon; odd snippets of financial news all make sense after reading this book...In the end, what does the reader take away from this book? The writer never states it explicitly, but it is written between every line of this book: make sure to own some of that gold. You will be well prepared, when (not if) the upcoming Big Reset takes the markets and your neighbors by surprise.A highly recommended read.

I am a retired UC Berkeley finance professor, and (among other financial system excesses) I have become very concerned about the potential of a serious monetary disruption, going as far back as 2006. The international monetary situation has been a festering problem since 1971 (when Nixon took us off the gold standard), and little to nothing seems to have been done about it. Moreover, our monetary problems are connected to the fiscal deficit, the dollar maintaining global reserve currency status, the Fed, inflation, current account deficits, gold carry trades, and a host of other complex moving parts. There are several scenarios which could play out, and most of these involve a serious decline in American living standards, ranging from just middling-bad to catastrophic, and some of these processes are already well under way (as you no doubt have noticed). So this book could be highly relevant to your economic future.Most of my friends' eyes just glaze over when I try to explain the issues, to the point where I have simply given up. So I was delighted to discover this book, which is highly accessible to the average reader. It contains a minimum of financial jargon; instead, it provides very clear and careful exposition of each area contributing to the overall problem. It is as if the author constructs a large mosaic by building out each important individual subject first, and then assembling these into an otherwise complex composition, so at the end you can stand back and fully comprehend (and accept) the complete picture.Many books on similar subjects are marred by the use of inflammatory rhetoric, unsupported claims, and sweeping generalizations of doom-and-gloom. This book does none of that. Instead, it uses very calm and precise, if simple, language. It supports its claims and assertions with footnotes, and most of these "further-reading" footnote sources were already known to me, and I furthermore can attest to the balance and accuracy of most all of those sources.My only issue with the author is the prescriptive portion of his conclusion, which recommends only the buying of gold and silver. While this step may certainly help, it is not a panacea by any stretch, and I would have preferred that the author either leave this out completely, provide a chapter on the many other methods of increasing your personal resiliency, or just simply point the reader to the many good sources found on the web for same.Now I no longer waste time explaining the coming monetary reset and its significance to friends, I just advise them to buy this book. I've found that people rarely change their minds unless they do the work of learning, by themselves. If they cannot be motivated to do this bit of self education, they will deserve their fate. Buy this book. Much more importantly, read it.

A book that I really wanted to keep reading - and get back to quickly. It seems more like a compilation of writings than one message, which actually lead to in some side observations that I found of big value. For instance he briefly mentioned that Iran, Irag, Libya, and Syria all went off the 'dollar only' policy for oil sales - the same list of countries that the USA made a sales pitch for changing leadership! Being Dutch Middelkoop brings fresh views versus the American media.It is an easy read, quite quick, but substantial. The author is perhaps more of a gold bug and alarmist than many might agree with but he nonetheless provides a logical and level headed look into the near future and a less dollar denominated era. The arguments are sound in general.It has been a while since I had a book I did not want to put down and this was one of those.

This book is a faster read than most on the subject. It does pull in all the current data and thoughts about gold from the headlines with some history along the way. This is a good first book to read about gold and money. The next step is to follow Jim Rickards and his books and his twitter account for more deeper thought on the macro view of what is going on. Being a good beginners book, I do wish every American would read this and then follow/read Jim Rickards. Good Luck in the fourth turning everyone!!!!