Buying gold: Answers to the 5 most important questions to ask before buying gold

Buying gold is a good thing but it comes with a lot of risks. Just like any other investment, buying gold can sometimes be profitable but sometimes you may run at a loss. So, ensure you do a lot of research about it before buying it.

In this article, we answered most of the questions you may have about buying gold, and we also listed the advantages and disadvantages of buying gold.

When should you buy gold bars online?

You should  buy  gold  bars  online  when the price is low and sell it when the price increases. His rule applies to gold coins, gold bars, or bullion. If you want to buy gold, it would be good you find out about the kind of gold you intend to buy and keep monitoring the gold market.

Gold performs better when there is a recession in the economy or during inflation. For example, the early 1970s would have been a good year to purchase gold because its value grewm 35 dollars per ounce in 1971 to 180 dollars per ounce in 1974.

People buy physical gold for investment and insurance purposes. People who are bothered about the current economic crisis see their ownership of precious metals as an insurance policy. You will never be broke as long as you have a substantial amount of gold to trade or sell, even during an economic crisis. Buying gold is very easy and storing it too is quite simple.

What type of gold should you buy?

There are different types of gold you can buy. Some of them are:

Gold jewelry

Buying gold jewelry is not a great way of investing your money. It’s quite difficult for you to sell it and make a profit after buying it.

Gold bars and coins

Gold bars are an amount of gold in different shapes that meet the standard purity requirements. A gold coin is any disc or wafer that is produced out of gold. Some of the popular coins to sell and buy are the American Eagle gold bullion coins and the Canadian Maple Leaf. the 24-karat American Eagle bullion coin often sells well within the U.S. The 24-karat American Eagle bullion coin is widely sold in the U.S while the 22-karat Canadian Maple Leaf sells in other countries apart from the U.S. Gold bars, are sometimes called ingots or bullion and people buy them in bulk rather than gold coins.

Gold ETFs

Gold ETFs are another type of gold that you can buy.  Gold ETF is a form of commodity fund and it is a considerably low-cost form of diversifying metal investments. You are free to sell and buy Gold ETFs directly through a brokerage firm and the stock exchange.

Gold mutual funds

For gold mutual funds, different investors bring their money together to buy precious metals. You can invest in gold mutual funds via a commercial bank or any financial institution.

 

Gold mining stocks

For gold mining stocks, different stockholders can own a share of the gold mining process by investing in companies that own mines. Investing in gold mining stocks is very risky, but it has high returns on investment.

Gold futures

Gold futures are simply the price of gold at a predetermined date. Gold futures are contracts that are traded on exchanges. Here, just like gold funds, investors don’t own physical gold, but they are free to sell and buy at their discretion.

What external factors can influence the price of your gold investment?

A spot price is known as the current price of gold and it usually fluctuates. And different things could influence the spot price at any time day. Things like the central bank, war, demand or supply, or the size of the average transaction. Usually, when you buy gold, you will buy it at a percentage that is within five to eight percent above the spot price.

Here are some external factors that can influence the price of your gold investment.

 

Inflation

Inflation is one of the external factors that influence the price of your gold investment because the price of gold is inversely correlated to the value of a dollar. So, when the value of the dollar reduces, the price of gold increases.

Supply and demand

When demand increases, gold prices will increase too. But when supply increases and demand reduces, the price of gold prices reduces too.

 

 

What’s next when you are ready to buy gold?

When you are ready to buy gold, you can visit the websites of any popular gold dealers like SD Bullion or JM Bullion to buy gold bars online. There are also certain banks and jewelry shops that sell physical gold bars and gold coins to people. Look for anyone around you and start from there.

What are the advantages of buying gold?

Gold is a valuable metal that you should invest in. Below are some of the advantages of investing in a gold bar:

High liquidity

Gold is a well-known form of investment. So, there are many platforms where you can easily sell or buy gold. This makes it quite simple for you to convert your investment into cash, that is, it has high liquidity. Highly-liquid investments are good because it allows you to use the money you invested. It is very vital during emergencies when you need a certain amount of money and you don’t have enough money that you set aside for that purpose.

It’s a long-term store of value

The performance of gold performance has been impressive over the years. That is why a lot of people see it as a long-term store of value. You can buy gold and store it so that your children can inherit it from you after your death.

Portfolio diversification

People also buy gold because of the need to diversify their portfolios. When it comes to investment, avoid putting all your eggs in one basket, that is, learn to invest in different things instead of investing all your money in only one precious metal or asset. Diversifying your portfolio will serve as a hedge against potential risks that comes with the fluctuations of market prices.

Investing in gold means you are diversifying your portfolio. You can also invest in mutual funds, bonds, stocks, along with your gold investment.

 

What are the disadvantages of buying gold?

There are certain risks associated with investing in gold. Just like other assets, buying gold also has its disadvantages. Some of them are:

Huge capital

Gold is a precious metal, so you will need a huge capital to be able to invest in it. And you should diversify, so you will need to invest in other assets if you want to get a reasonable amount of returns. So, if you don’t have a large amount of capital, it will be very difficult for you to invest in gold.

Specialized storage and insurance

Finding specialized storage is one of the major challenges that many gold investors face. You cannot just store gold coins or gold bars anywhere, you have to keep them in a safe place.

If you don’t have a home safe, you will need to keep it in a bank’s vault or safe and pay them a fee for allowing you to keep it with them. You will also need to pay to insure your home in case burglars steal it from you.

Conclusion

Buying gold is a very good financial decision. But you need to invest in it wisely because its prices are quite volatile. It will be good you don’t buy gold with more than ten percent of your assets.