“Ron Paul loves gold, which probably won’t come as that much of a surprise to the retired Texas congressman’s acolytes. But how much the firebrand populist and former presidential candidate embraces the yellow metal could strike some as a bit…extreme. Paul’s investment portfolio is dedicated almost solely to hard assets, with 64 percent in gold and silver miners, 21 percent in real estate and 15 percent in cash, according to an analysis from the StreetAuthority blog.  The other 1 percent? An allocation to stocks, but on the short side in a bet against the equity markets.”