People frequently ask me, ” Should I buy gold and silver ?” The honest answer is, in my opinion: Gold and silver need to be a part of every investor’s collection. Whether or not you believe gold is going to appreciate in the near future or not is a matter for speculators, but smart investors who desire a diversified portfolio may wish to own gold for its defensive qualities. Gold is a fantastic diversifier, and it offers protection against many adverse events in the marketplace, as we will discuss below.
Why must I Buy Gold?
Gold adds another level to a portfolio filled with stocks and bonds. Gold is a totally different asset class than stocks are. Even the ETF that trades like a stock behaves like gold since it is tied to the price of bullion. If compared to the stock market, gold has behaved in a roughly inverse fashion to the stock market since 1971 once the gold standard was abandoned. For traditional buy and hold investors, gold can provide returns in the event the stock market underperforms.
Gold Offers Protection of Value
Gold shields against inflation. Inflation happens when the money supply is increased, causing each unit of currency to be worth less. Then of course prices for goods and services will rise. This will cause the price of gold to increase as well, since it will take more of the dollars (which are each worth less due to inflation) to buy an ounce of gold. The stronger the inflation, the faster gold will rise. Many people keep some gold in their portfolio for just this reason.
Gold Investors are Prepared for Disasters
Considering that the economy of every nation (and the worldwide economy) is based on trust, it can collapse when that trust is eroded. Think about this: the paper that money is printed on is not worth anything. It is worth value because of the trust that people have in the government and the economic system. The moment a country defaults on its debt, the money becomes worthless-it is literally not worth the paper on which it is printed. Gold, however, will always be worth something. In this way, it is currency. many people like to have gold around as a protection against a bank failure, a war, civil unrest, or significant political climate changes or any other catastrophe that might cause a currency decline or failure. Indeed, history shows that when a nation is experiencing war, monetary or governmental uncertainty, or a financial crisis, the demand for gold rises sharply.
Knowing Where to Buy Gold
Acquiring gold has never been easier than it is today. Once you know what you want and how much you want, you can have the precious metals items shipped to your house in as little as a month. There are tons of places to buy gold and silver on the net but depending on what you are looking for, you may be limited to certain companies. I have been buying all my gold and silver through the American Gold Reserve. They are hooked up directly with the mint so they tend to be able to offer extremely competitive pricing. They also allow you to buy smaller quantities, in case you are on a budget so you can build you gold and silver collection a little at a time.