Gold Investment Beginner’s Guide

Since time, gold’s popularity as an asset to trust against any sort of trouble from economic upheaval to war, inflation, and so much more has been unrivaled. 

Even now, everyone sees investment in gold as a good choice. Now, there are so many ways to invest in gold that everyone is turning to it. You can even add this precious metal to your individual retirement account with zero qualms. Visit https://goldco.com/precious-metals-ira/gold-ira/ to learn more about gold individual retirement accounts. 

If you are all new to this investment choice, then we believe that you would want to know all there is to know about it. This article is a great place for you to begin your search. Consider this read your first course to get properly enlightened about this investment path. As we will be discussing everything you need to know about how to make a gold investment. 

Ways to Invest In Gold

You can invest in this precious metal in so many different ways. Knowing more about each method will help you figure out which will be the best fit for you. Hence, below we will be discussing these methods individually. 

1. Physical Gold

If before now you were only used to trading bonds and stocks online, then this option may be a bit challenging for you. If you choose this option, then you need to know that the dealers you will be working with will be different from the traditional brokerages you are used to. 

This is the option that is available if your investment is to be done with an IRA. Also, you may decide to store it yourself, except it is an IRA because, with IRAs, you can’t keep the asset by yourself. If you choose to store it yourself, then you would need to ensure that you have a proper means of storing the asset. You can read this to learn more about hiding this asset in unusual places.

We however advise that you use a high-end storage facility as this is more secured and you can sleep better at night. But, you would have to pay a storage fee, you would also have to get insurance for it. 

When it comes to physical gold investments, there are 3 options available to you: 

• Bullion
• Coins
• Jewelry

Bullion

Bullion is the first thing people think about when investing in this precious metal is discussed. We can’t blame them because bullion is big and shiny. However, investing in bullion can be quite expensive given the price of the asset.

When you want to invest with this option, you need to be sure that your dealer is as reputable as they come. You also need to ensure storage and insurance are properly taken care of. Also, you have to be conversant with the asset’s price. 

This will help you know when to buy since most dealers’ prices are often based on spot prices. 

Coins

Most of the time, buying coins from pawn shops or local collectors may be cheaper. However, we advise that you also use a licensed and reputable dealer in this case as well as it is the safer choice. 

Some dealers also sell damaged/worn coins and blanks. 

Jewelry

The risk attached to this option is a lot more than that attached to the others already listed. This is because sometimes ascertaining the asset’s authenticity might be an issue. When the asset isn’t authentic, the resell value will drastically drop. However, you can avoid this pitfall by ensuring you only buy from reputable dealers. Also, ensure to get enough documentation. 

2. Mutual Funds and ETFs

This option offers investors the stability this asset offers as well as more liquidity which physical gold investment doesn’t offer. There are several types of funds to choose from. Some are managed passively in that they simply track the trends in the industry or bullion price with options or futures. 

Some are managed actively by expert investors; these are there to beat passively managed funds returns. As such, their expense ratios are relatively higher. 

You are not buying physical gold when you choose this option. Rather, you are buying documentation that is backed by mining companies’ equity or debt or futures for physical gold. Meaning, their value may not exactly align with the physical asset’s market price. Hence, their performance may not be like that of bullion. 

3. Options and Futures

This alternative is perhaps the riskiest when it comes to gold investments. It is more speculative and as such investment security isn’t assured. Options and futures are derivatives. What this means is that their value depends on an underlying asset’s price. 

Futures contracts simply put are agreements to either purchase or sell securities on a particular date for a particular price. The set price or date will not be changed despite the market’s current conditions. Meanwhile, options are agreements that offer you an option of either buying or selling securities if it gets to a particular price before or on a particular date. 

If you choose this option, then you would need to get an account on an online platform that gives these alternatives. You may need to sign some forms stating that you are aware of the risks attached to this investment plan. 

Once the account is set up, then you can start to buy or sell directly on the site. Most of the time, the platform will charge a given commission for every futures and options you trade depending on the contracts you sell or buy. 

4. Gold Miners’ Stock

Companies that refine, trade, and mine gold often have stocks that people can invest in. This proposition is a lot more straightforward than investing in bullion or any other physical form of the asset. Since you would simply be buying stocks, you can make use of a brokerage account. Visit https://www.investopedia.com/ to learn how to open a brokerage account. 

While these stocks correlate with the price of the asset, the company’s current expenses and profitability will also have some influence on the stock’s value. What this means is that the risks associated with gold mining companies’ stocks are similar to that of any other type of company stock. 

Hence, single stocks might not be a great choice as they are bound to experience some volatility. The security that comes with diversified funds may also not be provided. 

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed four ways in which you can own gold investment and hope that with these, you can now take your first step into this interesting and potentially rewarding investment opportunity.

Disclaimer: This article contains sponsored marketing content. It is intended for promotional purposes and should not be considered as an endorsement or recommendation by our website. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and exercise their own judgment before making any decisions based on the information provided in this article.