• 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Do you invest in gold?

#1
I am 59.  I never bought gold.  I want to buy it as a safe investment.  Any advice on how and is it really safe?
  Reply
#2
I'm not a real gold buyer.  I inherited some from my parents.  I do not view gold as an investment except possibly gold coins which have collector value and become rarer over time thus worth more.  The safety factor is what appeals to me.  Gold ( other precious metals, diamonds, etc ) have a traditional value for troubled times but don't pay you any value as income.
 
All are portable if need be, to leave an area or country quickly with a substantial part of your wealth.
 
Hope this helps
  Reply
#3
Are you thinking the metal, ETF, miner or a combo of options?
  Reply
#4
Safe is relative.
 
If you buy some Gold Eagle coins, they could be stolen. But they are a backup in case the financial system has a melt down etc. From the standpoint of last-resort value, a bag of "junk silver" would probably be better, because you don't want to spend a whole gold coin to buy a pound of rice or beans. If you keep gold coins at home, you don't want to share that info. Somebody tells a friend who tells a friend.... It could attract a very un-safe action.
 
If you buy mining, that tends to be cyclic. And they have been not so good for a good while. But in any case, mines are much more volatile than buying somebody holding the gold for you. If you bought mines today, I can guarantee that you are better off than somebody who bought when people were more excited to buy gold.
 
$gld is the best known ETF that will hold gold for you. It extracts its fee by shares over time representing less gold. They also make money by "lending" gold when the market makes that attractive.
 
Gold will probably be negatively correlated to most stocks. That aspect is good. It evens out your portfolio in a way.
  Reply
#5
I have a small percentage of my portfolio in the physical gold ETF's IAU and SGOL.  I think that is the only "safe" and reasonable way to own gold. The ETF's hold genuine gold and take care of storing it properly and having appropriate security and insurance, plus provide liquidity such that you can buy or sell on the market just like a stock without paying some huge fee to a coin store or trusting a buyer you don't know and mailing coins to them or other such preposterous scenarios. And IAU trades without a fee on Fidelity; SGOL trades without a fee on Schwab.
 
Now on to the "investment" part. Gold isn't what I'd call an investment. I think of it as another kind of cash. I have a portion of my portfolio in green cash, and another portion in yellow cash. Gold is most useful when other investments such as stocks crash, But some people buy and sell it and make some money short term, taking advantage of fluctuations in the value of the American dollar.
 
The good thing is that Gold retains value. While your Sears stock can dwindle to nothing, that has never happened with gold. If gold starts dropping, history says that if you wait, it will head back up in value at some point. Right now the strong US dollar has been keeping down the price of gold precisely because the dollar is used to place a value on gold. Fluctuations thus don't really mean a change in the value of the gold, but a change in the value of the dollar. In any case, if you're going to have say 6% of your portfolio in cash, keeping a third of your cash (2% of your portfolio) in a physical gold ETF is considered prudent, like an insurance policy on the collapse of the dollar. If you buy and hold, it's generally a good idea not to expect any real return, though it holds its value, more or less equivalent to earning interest on a savings account. If however there is a serious drop in the dollar at some point, you'll be glad to have a portion in gold, which will shoot up as the dollars drop.
  Reply
#6
The term "safe" in any investment I can think of is a misnomer.  It does have some noncorrelated properties to stocks and some bonds and  will have value to many in a portfolio as a hedge. It performs well in some environments and not in others just as any other stock or commodity you could buy. The best way to see this in action is to bring up a monthly chart of GLD and for more information overlay SPY and QQQ.  GLD being a gold ETF, and SPY and QQQ being ETF's for the S&P500 and the Nasdaq 100. This way you can define 'safe' in your own terms. 
 
Gold has just had some good technical price action in view of the sell off we have had in the past few days. It has broken above some resistance and on high volume. Does it continue up now? That probably has a lot to do with the dollar, inflation, interest rates, the stock market to an extent, and mostly how people who might buy gold do so - or not - due to this sentiment.
  Reply
#7
Lifeblood welcome to the forum!

The following post has some related comments in case you want to check it out: Got Gold?
  Reply
#8
I only have inherited precious metals, mostly US Gold and silver coins. Amounts to about 1.5% of portfolio, and I view it as a small insurance policy against the worst of times. Some of it had practical value, when gold was high between 2010 and 2013, when sales of bullion coins helped pay for Mom's assisted living. Sold about $30K in that time, which was very helpful.
 
A thing to be cognizant of is that bullion coins are considered by the IRS to be 'collectibles,' like art, and taxable at 28% vs. other capital items taxed at regular capital gains rates.

My advice now? I wouldn't buy any as an investment. But, if you have it already, it is not a bad thing.
  Reply
#9
Gold companies advertise heavily on conservative talk radio and other media outlets. its more of an ideology based on fear of the collapse of the American economy and government.  Glenn Beck, prophet of doom and gloom,  appeals to the right wing crowd and made millions, especially with the company he had ties with called gold-line

All these prophecies were based on runaway government spending and a ballooning government debt .  Of course now that we have Trump, big government has even gotten bigger and the national debt will increase by  1trillion dollars alone this year         
  Reply
#10
If you want the security of gold, bonds can do that.

Yes, the pretty gold or silver coins/bullion are nice to look at and feel, but they can be a losing investment when it comes time to sell. I have several thousands of dollars in various coins and will probably be lucky to see a 50% return. So, I would be certain one has both a selling and buying broker as well as knowing your future fees. I do like the idea of having some coins for the doomsday event and it makes great mementos/gifts to children/grandchildren.

Knowing what I do today, I would probably get some beautiful coin Internet pictures and continue buying stocks/funds/bonds. As far as the doomsday event there may be other equal commodities.
  Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 2 Guest(s)