Verification Over Trust: The Four Pillars

The Operational Principle When someone says "how do you know your gold is real,"

answer: I tested it. When they say "how do you know your bank balance is

real," watch them pause. Verification is the only trust that matters.

Everything else—promises, certificates, ledger entries—requires faith in institutions. Physics requires

only measurement. The Trust Hierarchy Rita's Four Pillars imply a trust hierarchy—from assets requiring

maximum trust (maximum risk) to assets requiring no trust (minimum risk): Asset Type

Trust Required CBDC (programmable money) Total — they control everything

Bank deposits High — fractional reserve, bail-in risk Gold ETF (GLD,