CBDCs: How To Protect Your Financial Privacy

David LeBlanc
Jun 20
7 min read

Updated: Jun 22

Hey there real money tribe! I wish you a blessed 🌞 Summer Solstice which for many of us represents the peak of solar energy — the day with the most sunlight. It’s a time when light overcomes darkness, symbolizing illumination, truth being revealed, higher consciousness awakening, and expansion of awareness and divine clarity. I thought it fitting to share my thoughts on a certain topic that hasn't been in the headlines much lately so as to reveal the real truth and help us raise our collectve awareness.

If you’ve been following the evolving financial landscape, you’ve likely heard about CBDCs — Central Bank Digital Currencies. Alongside the buzz about "digital gold" or "asset-backed currencies", it can get pretty confusing to understand what these mean and how they might affect you, your money, privacy, and freedom.

As someone who coaches individuals and couples about building real, tangible wealth through physical precious metals, I want to share my perspective on CBDCs, what’s driving their rise, and why physical precious metals may play an important role in protecting your financial independence, choice and freedom.

OK, So What Are CBDCs?

CBDCs are digital currencies issued and controlled directly by a central bank, like the Bank of Canada or the U.S. Federal Reserve. Unlike cash or your usual bank deposits, CBDCs are:

Fully digital and able to be centrally tracked
Programmable — meaning spending could be restricted by rules or conditions
Traceable — every transaction potentially monitored
Usually not backed by physical assets such as gold
Potentially able to limit how, where, and when you spend your money

While over 100 countries are currently exploring or piloting CBDCs, including Canada, the marketing push is sold as modernizing money and increasing efficiency - simpler and more convenient (often dangerous words when it comes from the mouth of a government). But in my view, there’s way more beneath the marketing façade.

Why Are Governments Moving Toward CBDCs?

Official reasons include improving payments, fighting fraud, and financial inclusion but from where I stand, the bigger picture seems to look more like this:

The current fiat money system is dying — out of control spending and debt, persistent money printing creating more inflation, and untrustworthy politicians creating a decline in trust of our institutions. CBDCs could be a way for governments, through their central banks, to regain control and keep the current fiat system going to thier advantage.

For example, CBDCs can allow governments to direct stimulus spending, limit inflation through controlling spending behaviour, and monitor or even freeze transactions if needed. It’s a powerful tool to steer economic activity — but also a potential risk to financial privacy and autonomy.

Urban Densification and Digital Currency

Here’s where things get more interesting — and a bit concerning. Many Canadian cities, particularly Edmonton, are actively encouraging urban densification — shifting more people into smaller geographic zones with higher-density housing such as condos and rentals. Edmonton’s pilot of the 15-Minute City concept divides the city into zones so residents can meet all daily needs within a short walk or bike ride.While this approach supports sustainability and community, when combined with CBDCs and digital IDs, it could lay the groundwork for unprecedented monitoring and control:

Spending could be geo-restricted to specific zones
Mobility and purchasing habits tracked closely
Limits placed on fuel use or transit tied to carbon quotas

Real-World Examples: A family of four, and grandma and grandpa

Imagine a typical Canadian family of four receiving a $2,000 stimulus by the government via a CBDC digital wallet that:

Must be spent within a specific time period (say 90 days) or it disappears
Is restricted to specific items such as groceries, etc.
Requires spending within their local "zone"
Has every transaction tracked (note: all of our digital transactions such as debit and credit cards are already recorded and classified by type)

Now imagine a senior couple, good 'ol grandma and grandpa, who already struggle with technology such as the TV remote, not even owning a "smart"phone to begin with and now trying to understand and use this new digital wallet — unlike cash, they can’t hold or freely use the money without navigating apps and digital processes.

These scenarios can illustrate how CBDCs could complicate life for many folks and reduce privacy, even while purpoting to help and be more convenient.

So What About Gold-Backed CBDCs?

You may have heard about proposals for gold- or asset-backed CBDCs. On paper, this sounds like a better alternative — combining digital convenience with real tangible value. But even if backed by gold:

These currencies could still remain centrally controlled and programmable
They don’t guarantee privacy or freedom from oversight
You still would likely rely on third parties to manage and redeem your assets

So while gold backing could improve stability and give it value, it doesn’t fully solve the core issues of control and privacy.

Why I Believe Physical Precious Metals Matter More Than Ever

Physical precious metals — gold, silver, and platinum — exist completely outside the digital financial system. They offer something no digital currency can: true ownership, privacy and protection from inflation.

How and when can physical precious metals be useful?

Financial privacy: Because physical metals aren’t digital, they can’t be tracked or frozen. You can transact them with 100% anonymity just like cash. If you want real control and privacy over your spending and wealth, this is invaluable in a world which is becoming less private.
Wealth preservation: Historically, gold and silver have held their value across economic ups and downs, serving as a hedge against inflation and fiat currency debasement. As governments continue to print money to fund thier wild spending, we all need to hold our wealth in something that is inflation-protected.
Bartering and trade: In a future where digital systems might restrict or surveil transactions, or even during power or technical outages, physical metals can serve as a trusted medium of exchange — for essentials or emergency needs.
Legacy and gifting: Metals are tangible assets you can hand down, giving your family a lasting store of value and generational wealth.

Another example: Imagine a scenario where digital payment networks are down, or your CBDC wallet is restricted due to policy changes or technical issues. Having physical silver or gold means you can still transact, purchase necessities, or barter/trade value without relying on digital infrastructure. Physical metals also offer peace of mind — knowing you hold something real and independent of banks or governments. Now doesn't this make you feel better?

What Other Options May Be Available?

While I believe physical precious metals hold a unique place, some people explore additional or complementary options to protect their privacy and wealth. These may include:

Cryptocurrencies: Digital coins like Bitcoin can offer some degree of decentralization outside of the traditional financial system, but I think they still lack privacy and come with volatility, regulatory uncertainty, and reliance on digital networks.
Cash: Physical cash still provides anonymity and direct control, is fully functional during a power or technical outage, but sadly is increasingly discouraged or limited in some areas. Keep cash alive!
Foreign currencies or assets: Holding wealth in other countries or assets can diversify risk, but often requires more knowledge and could carry legal and tax considerations, and may not usable where you live.
Bartering and alternative economies: Local trading systems, community currencies, or barter networks, such as BarterPay of which I support, can provide resilience in disrupted economies but may have limited scale and acceptance.
Real assets: Things like farmland, real estate, or collectibles can preserve value but are less liquid and can require management.

Each option has its trade-offs. For me, physical precious metals strike a balance of tangibility, privacy, availability, portability, baterability, and historical stability that’s hard to beat.

Remember, the System Needs Players — But You Don’t Have To Play Every Game

With everyhing that has happened and is still occuring, it can sometimes feel overwhelming with bouts of helplessness. "What can I do?" "How can I protect my family from these waves of negative change?" One important insight I often share is this:

The digital financial ecosystem — including CBDCs — only functions if enough people participate fully. Like most things in life, a game needs players. If you don't like the game, don't play.

The fewer participants, the less effective the system is. Holding physical metals keeps you partly out of that digital system, giving you a measure of freedom and resilience if the broader system tightens control.

My Final Thoughts

CBDCs, inflation, electrification, and urban control models aren’t just headlines — they’re converging realities and, when you zoom out a little, you can almost start to see the bigger scheme and how the smaller, non-descript puzzle pieces start to fit together.

Inflation acts as a silent tax on your savings and retirement. CBDCs may soon control how and where you spend, electrification (EV cars, heat pumps, etc.) can make us dependent and less self-sufficient and anonymous. All together, they form a potential power grip that can keep the average person, family and even grandma and grandpa stretched, stressed, stuck and poor.

Now, I’m not saying all this will happen — but the policies and infrastructure seem to be heading in this direction that could make it all a possibility/probability. Just in case some or all of this materializes, I believe more than ever that holding physical precious metals — out of the system, in your control, anonymously and preserving your wealth — is one of the smartest things anyone can do - no matter their current financial situation. It may not be flashy, but it’s timeless, private, and resilient.

🙋‍♀️ What's your biiggest takeaway from this article? Share your thoughts below or shoot me an email at preciousmealscoach@proton.me