2025’s ETF Gold Rush: Bitcoin, Gold & Silver Soar—But Paper Promises Fall Short

Wall Street’s latest love affair with crypto and precious metals hits a wall—turns out, ETFs don’t magically create vaults of bullion or satoshis.

The Paper Paradox

Investors are piling into Bitcoin, gold, and silver ETFs like never before, but the fine print reveals a dirty secret: many funds still rely on IOUs instead of physical assets. Guess some things never change—even in the 'decentralized' future.

Crypto’s Institutional Tightrope

While Bitcoin ETFs now hold over $50B in assets, purists sneer at the irony: a trustless asset now depends on BlackRock’s spreadsheets. Meanwhile, gold ETFs flirt with all-time highs… assuming the metal exists somewhere.

The Silver Lining

Retail traders finally get 'exposure' without learning self-custody—because nothing screams financial revolution like outsourcing security to Wall Street’s middlemen.

Wake-up call: ETFs democratize access but centralize risk. And as 2008 taught us—when paper trails vanish, so do your returns.

• Bitcoin, gold, and silver have surged over 28% in 2025 as investors seek safety in real assets.
• Despite massive ETF inflows, Robert Kiyosaki stresses owning physical metals and self-custodied Bitcoin.
• Ethereum and Bitcoin ETFs see record-breaking momentum, with BlackRock and Fidelity leading inflow charts.

Popular financial expert and author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, raised again the paper asset vs. tangible ownership argument with his caution to investors who are too reliant on ETFs, or Exchange-Traded Funds, for their finances.

On his X account, Kiyosaki once made a sweeping statement comparing investing in ETFs to having “a picture of a gun for self-defense,” citing that paper assertions on possessions WOULD be of no help in instances of a systemic breakdown or a fiscal collapse.

BEWARE of PAPER

I realize ETFs make investing easier for the average investor….so I do recommend ETFs for the average investor. Yet I extend these words of caution:

For the average investor I recommend:

Gold ETFs
Silver ETFs
Bitcoin ETFs

Yet an ETF is like having a picture…

Whilst he agreed with the convenience and accessibility of ETFs, particularly for newbies, he promoted real security with ownership of tangible or self-custodied assets.

“An ETF is like having a picture of a gun for self-defense,” Kiyosaki wrote. “Know the difference between paper and real assets.”

Though not opposed to ETFs as such, Kiyosaki did stress having a feel for when to own paper and when to own the real thing. For mass-market investors, he still advocates investing in ETFs for gold, silver, and Bitcoin. However, his go-to strategy is still direct ownership: physical Gold and silver, and legitimate, self-owned Bitcoin.

Bitcoin and Gold Surge as Real Assets Dominate 2025

As macroeconomic uncertainty gains pace and panic about systemic risk grows, Kiyosaki’s argument finds sympathetic ears. His call for ownership of “real assets” comes as Bitcoin and gold have gone up more than 28% in 2025, making them go-to choices for investors who are adopting non-traditional investing.

Gold ETFs still lead with $170 billion+ in assets as of April. Silver ETFs have been leading gold this year with more than a 30% increase, with UTI Silver ETF leading with a 32.84% rise. Gold ETFs have also seen strong gains with 29% year-to-date returns, with fears of rising inflation, supplies, and geopolitical events.

Despite Kiyosaki’s skepticism about paper ownership, you can’t help but notice the increase in demand for crypto ETFs. Since their launch in 2024, bitcoin ETFs have been a popular entry point among both retail and institutional investors. Just yesterday, net inflows of $226.7 million were witnessed for U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, of which $32.5 million were from BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust alone.

The ethereum ETFs are gaining traction. They saw inflows of $231.2 million yesterday, with Fidelity grabbing a staggering $210.1 million in ETH purchases. BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) recently emerged as the quickest Ethereum ETF to amass $10 billion in assets after achieving that milestone in a mere 10 days, registering as the third fastest-growing ETF in United States history.

Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs Reshape Finance

As of July 24, spot Ethereum ETPs attracted $8.88 billion in collective inflows. Bitcoin, however, still leads with a staggering $54.69 billion in cumulative inflows, according to SoSoValue.

The ETF Store President, Nate Geraci, highlighted industry shifts this way: “Bitcoin and Ethereum Spot ETFs have revolutionized conventional finance’s attitude towards digital currencies entirely. We’ve seen a humongous reallocation into crypto for the past 18 months!”

Put aside your personal feelings for btc/eth…

These spot ETFs have absolutely dominated the industry narrative over last yr & a half.

Btc ETFs shattered nearly every ETF launch record.

Eth ETFs among most successful new launches over past yr.

Forcing tradfi to pay attention.

The surge in demand shows a broadening insight into cryptocurrencies and precious metals as insurance against fiat money devaluation, inflation, and global uncertainty, in alignment with Kiyosaki’s ideology for a very long time.