>Best time is buy gold in say 1970
1975. In 1970 (even 1974), it was still illegal for Americans to own gold bullion (there may have been a loophole for jewelry, but then you would pay a premium for the craftsmanship). Governments just can't confine themselves to providing a few public goods. They always turn into micromanaging control freaks.
>and you would be earning billions of dollars.
You would barely crack a billion dollars (in 2019 dollars) if you had invested about 30 million dollars (in 1975 dollars) in 1975. I suspect you might get a similar return on investment if you buy silver today and hold it for the same length of time--44 years. Maybe sooner if the world goes whole hog on photovoltaic cells.
