As much as I like to argue that you need to be hard-nosed and practical whenever you sink your hard earned money into precious metals, I realize that most people really invest in gold because a) it's traditional to do so, and b) gold is pretty when the light hits it just right. Those aren't bad reasons, really. They're based [...]
When it comes to the merits of gold vs. silver, I have to admit that I'm a real fan of silver. I love its luster, its clear bell tone when struck, and the fact that it's so mutable and versatile, right down to being an excellent electrical conductor. The thing is, gold has most of that and more. It doesn’t [...]
Lately, my thoughts have turned to the danger of gold investment scams. While I've been fortunate in my dealings, I personally know a few people who've fallen for grifters, and there are some doozies in the literature...like the person who paid $5,000 for a polished brass ingot in a Walmart parking lot in 2009. Events like that are rare, but [...]
In Part I of this article, I laid out the basics of gold investing, discussing the good and bad points of gold ETFs, stocks, and physical bullion. I prefer the latter for a number of reasons, not least the ease of access to your gold, and the fact that gold bullion can't lose its value in an instant like "paper [...]
As we swing deeper into the high-tech boom, it makes more sense than ever to invest...
When it comes to the merits of gold vs. silver, I have to admit that I'm a real fan...
Lately, my thoughts have turned to the danger of gold investment scams. Given the...
In Part I of this article, I laid out the basics of gold investing, discussing the...
As much as I like to argue that you need to be hard-nosed and practical whenever you sink your hard earned money into precious metals, I realize that most people really invest in gold because a) it's traditional to do so, and b) gold is pretty when the light hits it just right. Those aren't bad reasons, really. They're based [...]
When it comes to the merits of gold vs. silver, I have to admit that I'm a real fan of silver. I love its luster, its clear bell tone when struck, and the fact that it's so mutable and versatile, right down to being an excellent electrical conductor. The thing is, gold has most of that and more. It doesn’t [...]
Lately, my thoughts have turned to the danger of gold investment scams. While I've been fortunate in my dealings, I personally know a few people who've fallen for grifters, and there are some doozies in the literature...like the person who paid $5,000 for a polished brass ingot in a Walmart parking lot in 2009. Events like that are rare, but [...]
In Part I of this article, I laid out the basics of gold investing, discussing the good and bad points of gold ETFs, stocks, and physical bullion. I prefer the latter for a number of reasons, not least the ease of access to your gold, and the fact that gold bullion can't lose its value in an instant like "paper [...]
One of the best things about gold investing is that it's relatively simple, compared to most other forms of investment. You mostly don't need to worry about short sells, dividends, residuals, proxies, and all the other financial esoterica that tends to cause ulcers -- unless you really want to. Even better, gold tends to be wildly profitable. There's no guarantee [...]
When most of us think of gold bullion bars, we envision the plain rectangular bars most often traded by gold dealers, or perhaps the larger ingots or London good delivery bars that governments and banks prefer. They're the standards, because they take up a minimum of room and are easily stored. But other cultures think a bit differently from us [...]
Outside the U.S. and Europe, investing in gold jewelry is a popular method of stocking up on everyone's favorite precious metal -- which would seem to recommend the practice. However, it presents some difficulties for the Western investor, so let's take a closer look at the prospect. The Pros Gold jewelry does have its positive points from an investment perspective, [...]
As far as precious metals go, most investors tend to stick to gold and silver. There are many good reasons for this, not least that they're the most popular of rare metals, and the most easily available for the average investor. Platinum also attracts attention, and palladium gets an occasional nibble. But these aren't the only rare and valuable metals [...]
If you're new to gold investing, you might be forgiven for thinking that "Canadian Maple Leafs" refers to a certain popular hockey team from north of the border. If, however, you've spent any time in the field, you'll know instantly that this term refers to Canada's sublime answer to the South African Krugerrand. Now, notice that I didn’t say that [...]
You've got to admit, the very thought of gold nuggets stirs a sense of excitement in many people. Nuggets represent gold in its rawest, most elemental form, utterly unshaped by human hands, created by geological processes that took tens of thousands or millions of years. Better yet, sometimes you can literally find them lying on the ground! Those facts add [...]
