Is it smart to invest in gold?
Gold is often considered a good investment for diversification, as it may be less correlated with other assets such as stocks or bonds.
Throughout history, gold has been seen as a special and valuable commodity. Today, owning gold can act as a hedge against inflation and deflation alike, as well as a good portfolio diversifier. As a global store of value, gold can also provide financial cover during geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty.
Con: It doesn't give you passive income or steady returns
Unlike some investments that yield passive income (e.g., rental properties, some stocks and bonds), physical gold doesn't provide passive income, dividends or interest. You will only earn once you sell your gold.
Gold offers a hedge against inflation
Gold is a unique safe haven asset because it acts as an inflation hedge. This is due to gold's historical tendency to climb in value when the dollar falls. So, the precious metal may help you maintain the value in your portfolio during periods of high inflation.
Two Jakarta-based commodity analysts forecast that the price of gold could reach as high as $3,000 per ounce in the next five years. While they remain bullish, they cautioned that many factors could affect the price of gold within this timeframe.
For short-term needs, cash is better due to its unmatched liquidity. For long-term buy-and-hold investments, gold is preferable to protect against inflation and provide portfolio diversification. The ideal solution is to hold both but allocate based on your specific needs and risk tolerance.
It's tempting to think that gold represents an objective, unswayable measure of wealth, particularly given the metal's role as an investment throughout the course of civilization. However, it is not. Gold's value rises and falls just like any other investment.
Most experts recommend limiting your gold investment to 10% or less of your overall portfolio. The range between 1% and 10%, however, will often vary based on your age and overall investor profile.
1 Then, if we only consider the years 2021 and 2022, gold has outperformed stocks as geopolitical uncertainty and inflation increased worldwide. So, over the longer term, stocks seem to outperform gold by about 3-to-1, but over shorter time horizons, gold may win out.
While low risk overall, gold investing still carries some downside risks to consider. Storage, insurance, economic factors, inflation, and political impacts can all influence gold's risk profile.
How to invest in gold for beginners?
How Do Beginners Buy Gold? Mutual funds and ETFs are probably the smartest options for beginners. Each share of these securities represents a fixed amount of gold, and you can easily buy or sell these funds in your brokerage account or retirement account.
The commodity can also protect your portfolio from the stubborn inflation we've seen thus far in 2024 while acting as a diversification tool that could increase your risk-adjusted portfolio returns. So, consider adding gold to your portfolio today while it has the potential to grow in value.
| USD | GOLD |
|---|---|
| 100 USD | 1.39 GOLD |
| 500 USD | 6.93 GOLD |
| 1,000 USD | 13.86 GOLD |
| 10,000 USD | 138.63 GOLD |
As of December 19, 2023, the spot price of gold was $2,024 per ounce. Considering an annual growth rate of 11.2%, an ounce of gold could be worth about $2,251 in one year. In five years, an ounce of gold could be worth about $3,441, provided that the value continues to grow at a rate of 11.2%.
Vijay Marolia, money manager and managing partner at Regal Point Capital, expects the price of gold to be "at least" $3,000 an ounce in 10 years (the price of gold today is around $2,000 an ounce).
Local jewelers and pawn shops provide a quick and straightforward option for selling your gold. They typically offer on-the-spot evaluations and immediate cash payments.
According to historical records, March is the cheapest month for buying gold. Prices continue to be low through the second quarter of the year, and it's a great time to buy. To get a good idea of gold's performance, you can look at its average performance since 1975, when it became legal for purchase again.
Owning physical gold comes as close to eliminating counterparty risk as possible. If it is to be stored, it can be stored in an allocated segregated vault, and if it is stored securely at home then only risk is theft.
Gold is malleable, portable, nontoxic, beautiful and rare. Those qualities have made it an excellent currency over the centuries. But there's another metal with all those properties and more—and it's much more valuable. It's called rhodium, part of the platinum group of metals.
Probably not. Once gold is synthesized at a far lower cost than mining and refining it, it will still have value in all the industries, just at a lower overall price. Investment value falls accordingly.
Who has the cheapest gold in the world?
Hong Kong could be the country with the cheapest gold price in the world. You can walk into a number of banks and purchase gold coins, often with a lower premium compared to other countries.
Gold Coins: Assuming an average premium of 5% to 10% over the spot price, you can purchase around 4.5 to 4.7 troy ounces of gold coins with your $10,000. Gold Bars: With lower premiums, possibly around 2% to 5%, your $10,000 could buy you closer to 4.8 to 4.9 troy ounces of gold in bar form.
Today, there are no specific limits on how much gold a person can own in the U.S. Whether it's bullion, coins, or jewelry, you can buy, own, and possess as much gold as you like. The only restrictions may come from reporting requirements if you simultaneously buy or sell large amounts of gold.
If you want an investment that provides an income stream, stocks are likely the better choice. Note: You might be able to earn dividends from gold stocks or gold ETFs, but these are riskier than investing in physical gold like bars and coins.
