Hard money is characterized by its scarcity and difficulty of production. Examples of hard money often include Gold, Silver, and other precious metals. In contrast, soft money is more easily produced and less scarce, often controlled by governments that can increase its supply through monetary policy. This leads to a higher risk of inflation and devaluation as we have seen with the USD.

Bitcoin is the ultimate hard money. Proof of Work makes producing more Bitcoin difficult due to the energy costs involved in mining. Unlike Gold and Silver, with increasing total supplies year over year, the total supply of Bitcoin is capped at 21 Million coins. The global supply of gold grows annually at a rate of 1-2%, giving it a "half-life" of around 50 years before the supply has doubled. Bitcoins "half-life" is infinity.