One story by classic novel writer Charles Dickens starts out, "It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times." Although it was more than a century ago that he wrote his famous Tale of Two Cities, we can identify with it today. Amer ica has one of the highest standards of living in the world, yet these are troubling times for a great many of her citizens. Multitudes have lost faith in the stock markets, and have lost bundles of cash in them as well. Even the concept of a long-term job is no longer viable.

In the midst of the uncertainties and trials of plunging aspirations and dying dreams, many are looking for a way out. Some turn to welfare, others to relatives and friends, and still more to credit cards. They all have benefits, and each has its own set of drawbacks, including damage to self esteem and getting caught in a cycle of debt.

Relatively few are turning to pawn shops. These are often willing to buy household items and appliances, an acceptable option particularly if one's house has been foreclosed. An advantage of pawn shops is that they usually can give money without delay. Pawn shops also can arrange payday loans.

Informed people avoid such places, however. The business model of a pawn shop consists in part of offering only up to 20 percent of value for goods. So, does it make sense to do business there? Who would buy a house and expect to sell it again for 20 cents on the dollar? Payday loans are equally unconscionable. Sky-high interest rates bludgeon the borrower into even more desperation and calamity.

In addition, many pawn shops are located in high crime, low-income parts of the city. This is where the money is for them, because the clientele is normally underprepar
ed education-wise. The customers in such neighborhoods may not be able to match wits with clever pawn brokers. Some people there are downright desperate, and will gladly take a loss just to pay the rent. But for you to go to such ares may not be so wise, because on top of all the other risks, you may be exposed to physical harm from thugs.

Enter the heroes of financial history: gold, silver and platinum. While the value of many household items has decreased, the price of the three precious metals has virtually gone through the roof. When times get hard, these metals almost always rise in value, because people want to deal with things that have have historically been trusted.

If you are a woman or are associated with one, most probably there is a jewelry box, too. And most jewelry boxes contain some dated or broken jewelry. Some of it just does not appeal any more. Consider that these unwanted items may represent significant sums of cash. Moreover, consider that women most always have friends with the same type of old and broken jewelry situation.

That should help you to understand the importance of knowing about the current rage of gold parties. The gold party, as a concept, is a wonderful way to create wealth for yourself and others. It consists of just a couple of requirements, like a well-lit room, and a table. Oh, and some other people who would like to go home richer than they were before!

In a nutshell, a representative from a gold party firm, like Aurum Strategies, LLC, will arrive with scales and the current price of precious metals. A large commission of 10% is usually paid to the hostess, which could be you. Then, when you become a representative, you will also receive income from other gold parties that you assist. I see this as a game in which everybody wins. And that's how we can turn the worst of times into the best of times.