In today’s financial climate, investors are increasingly looking to diversify their portfolio and keep their funds secure. Indeed, during every period of historical economic downturn, demand for gold has consistently risen.
With the price of spot gold on the up and investment in gold growing once again, the question is not whether to invest in precious metals, but how. General consensus among experts is that no more than 30 per cent of your portfolio should be gold.
Investment portals explains seven simple ways you can invest in gold:
1. Â Â Â Physical gold (bullion)
Gold remains a finite currency that is used around the world, from India to America, to preserve wealth. Able to be passed from generation to generation, it is important to think of physical gold primarily as a method of financial insurance. Once purchased, you should not trade it. Rather, store it securely with a third party as a strong foundation to your portfolio, from which you can branch into other forms of investment.
2. Â Â Â Coins (Rare coins)
Investment grade gold is exempt from VAT, but gold coins have financial benefits too: coins that are considered legal tender in the UK, such as Sovereigns and Britannia coins, are exempt from Capital Gains Tax. Whether you buy a single coin or a thousand coins, they are a universally recognised liquid investment that can also be passed onto future generations as valuable heirlooms – particularly rare or ancient gold coins. Comparisons can be made to ISAs as a tax-free product, but unlike Individual Savings Accounts, there is no maximum amount that can be invested.
3. Â Â Â Gold certificates
The only government-backed precious metal certificate scheme in the world, gold certificates can be purchased from the Perth Mint. The certificates acknowledge the investor’s ownership of the gold bullion, which is stored securely for them in Australia. The programme is highly popular among investors, not just because Perth Mint Certificates are highly liquid and can be sold easily, but because the scheme enjoys an AAA rating from Standard & Poor’s, making it one of the safest alternative investments in the world.
4. Â Â Â Gold stocks
For investors not keen on owning an actual chunk of gold, stocks provide a way to introduce an element of gold’s value to their portfolio. Placing money into gold mining companies, investors benefit from rising share prices as the value of gold increases. The efficiency and practices of a chosen firm introduce other factors into the investment that can prevent share prices from rising, making this a riskier option for investors; gold stocks are about speculation rather than wealth preservation. Accordingly, returns can be higher and attained at a far faster rate.
5. Â Â Â Precious metal trust funds
If investing directly in a mining company’s shares seems too risky, you can hedge your bets by investing in a collection of companies. Precious metal trusts reduce risk while still allowing investors to benefit from the performance of gold mining companies.
6. Â Â Â Gold futures
Gold futures are at the extreme speculative end of the gold investment spectrum. Trading at exchanges around the world, futures are contracts that commit you to buy a specified amount of gold, both in terms of quantity and quality, at a future date and at a fixed price. Only a small percentage of the contract is paid up front, which means that rising, or falling, values of bullion have a strong impact upon your profits, or loss. If you are prepared to handle the high risk, you can expect high rewards.
Via EPR Network
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