Precious metals are a great way to achieve diversification. Gold in particular is very rare and stable in value. Many professionals advise putting around 15% of your money in gold. So here lies the question of how to exactly invest.
Physical gold
It is a good idea to own physical gold since it is a universal currency. It is an investment in the long-term and it could ensure some finances in a case of a crisis or emergency. It is not so much for trading. It could also be a good way to pass from one generation to the next and keep the wealth in the family. After you have purchased a gold bullion you could go after some more risky investments.
Coins and bars
Bullion coins are created to enable investors to keep gold, which will be at a small premium to the spot value of the precious metal in the market. The price of the bullion is directly connected to that of gold.
You could also go for silver and platinum bullions if that is what you preferred. The most widespread option among small investors and the wealthy ones is the one-ounce bullion made out of gold. Purchasing such investment-grade precious metal is tax and stamp-duty free in many countries.
Semi-numismatic and numismatic gold coins
Numismatic or older and rare coins are purchased not only because of the material they are made of. Many value them because of the way they look, how rare they are and what is the history behind them. Their value will go up and down quicker than the one of the gold bullion. The most popular coin is the British gold sovereign one.
Gold certificates
The Perth Mint Certificate Programme is a programme for precious metals which is backed up by the government. By taking advantage of it you could own the gold that is stored in the Perth Mint of Western Australia’s vaults. In this way you don’t really own it, but you have the promise to Perth Mint that you will receive it once you request it. In this way there is no need for shipping, insurance, storage so you manage to cut on many costs. You could allocate the account by paying a fee for fabrication which is small in case someone you like to do so.
Allocated accounts
With allocated gold investors are able to purchase bullions through a broker who will ship it to the individual’s account in a bank. With this option the investor is also the owner of the precious metal. Due diligence should be done on such account providers and it is very important to consider the history and credit rating.
Some of the providers are BullionVault and Gold Money. With them one could buy gold quickly and it could be afterwards sold just as fast. This is one of the safest ways for investing in the precious metal.
Paper gold
One more option is to invest in firms which mine or are in the business of exploration of new deposits of the precious metal. It would be wise to choose a couple of corporations and diversify since this is a riskier investment. In this way you don’t actually own any gold. Using such a strategy you could leverage the investment – borrow and increase your bet. In case the value of the precious metal increases you could win more and vice versa.
Gold exchange-traded funds
Gold exchange-traded funds are such that track the price of gold. The most widespread ones are NYSE:GLD and LSE:GBS. If you would like to purchase them you have to do it via stockbrokers in return for an annual fee.
