Two words:
hardware wallet
Really, this can solve a lot of problems
Yes, pen and paper. And its cold too!
Hardware = physical.
Cold = unplugged (powerless).
Create a new wallet in a secure os/computer (can even be done offline). At wallet creation, you write down the seed words in a piece of paper with your own hands. This is the wallet itself, nothing else matters afterwards. But, before turning on the computer (and broadcasting), make sure you copy/print whatever public addresses so you can sends funds to it.
And now you are done. If you did with a live iso, when you turn off the computer the wallet is deleted, this is good, you only need it to exist in the blockchain, and the "keys" to it are within those seed words. So not protect/secure that piece of paper.
And now you have the perfect secure solution that can store unlimited amount of money and be unhackable, as long as you keep that paper secure. You should hide it in a clever place, preferably make another copy and store it in another physical location. You could get fancy and use a bank vault or whatever, even use stenography, mark words in book etc.
The pen defeats the axe (hack)
A hardware wallet in the "common" meaning, the electronic gadget, should NOT be used for storing long term / large sums. A hardware wallet is nice when you want a wallet that doesn't need a pc or phone, and like those, should be restricted for small amounts you expect to use over a day, or maybe over a month. For long term nothing defeats the paper.
Do not forget, this "hardware" wallet also MUST use the very same paper to write down the very same seed words. If you skip it you are simply taking a giant risk of losing access to it permanently. So in the end you are spending money to do the same thing, in addition to extra annoyances like password, 2fa, etc (its just like a software wallet, but in a less insecure OS).
There is a problem with a certain mindset, lets call it "American", in that something "secure" absolutely has to cost money. This is not necessarily true. You'd think the paper is dangerous (because free) while the gadget is not (because expensive), when in reality its the other way around. But here we return to the trust issue. Whom do you trust, yourself? The company that made the gadget?.
Remember what Bitcoin was all about in the first place: Trust. Fiat = trust in your government. Bitcoin = trust in code (you). The "you are your own bank" has bigger implication and responsibility. If you don't trust in you, you can STILL pay others to keep it safe, this is the way full reserve banking works, exactly like a bank safe, just imagine you put your money in the safe and not in the bank account.
