 For more on these and other stories, visit knsiradio.com, which is also where you can sign up for the daily newsletter. I'm Jennifer Leverins, KNSI News. If you had a million dollars in 2009, today it will be worth less than $700,000. That's the effect of out-of-control government spending shrinking your hard-earned dollars, and it's why central banks and savvy investors are buying gold. For thousands of years, gold has withstood war, famine, and economic downturns.