How Getting Your Hands on Gold Isn’t Actually Difficult

All that glitters may not be gold, but one thing’s true and that’s that gold is a consistently returning investment asset renowned for being ‘safe’ in times of investment market turbulence.  Governments sit on it, economies are built on it, many people wear it, but if you want to actually turn your savings into pure gold, how difficult is it?

In a word, (or two!), it isn’t – in this article we’ll show you how getting your hands on gold isn’t actually that difficult.  You can try panning for it, digging up buried treasure, or you can consider the following five ways of getting your hands on gold so that you’re potentially protected from the ebb and flow of stock market fortunes.

For many people the thought of trading in gold seems so far fetched at best and confusing as well, but in all honesty, it doesn’t have to be like that.  If you’re an expat perhaps living in a country with a less than stable economy, or you just want to diversify and hold some of your assets in a tangible commodity such as gold, here are a handful of ways to go about acquiring the shiny stuff.

1)  Buy Bullion

There are dealers out there from whom and through whom you can buy and sell gold bullion – we don’t mean those seriously heavyweight bars of gold you see in films like the Italian Job, we mean small bars and bullion coins too.  You need to look at the rate you’re charged for small transactions as it is not always favourable – these dealers prefer dealing in bulk with big buyers.  So do be careful that you’re getting a favourable price when you buy and sell.

2)  Collect Coins

You’re looking for rare coins – but if you’re not into collecting coins you’re unlikely to know what you’re looking for so do be careful.  Speak to an expert collector and glean as much information as you can about which coins are worth the money, which ones hold their value, and which ones are overbought and sold so that you avoid buying rubbish.

3)  Trade Trinkets

Chuck out the tatty jewellery you bought from the high street fashion store and insist on gold, pure gold, and nothing but gold – but bear in mind that, depending on where you buy your gold from, you could well be paying a massive mark-up.  I.e., whatever you pay is well above the value of the gold in the particular piece you acquire.  So, look at designer pieces that will hold their marked-up value, look at classic and vintage pieces and again, speak to expert collectors about what re-sells well.  But even if you decide you’ve bought badly, at least you can still wear and appreciate your jewellery and trinkets!

4)  Obtain it Online

You can now trade in gold online with the likes of BullionVault – these guys allow you to trade in gold held in secure vaults in the likes of London and Switzerland.  The fees are low, the returns are potentially high (if you know what you’re doing) and the gold is held in your name not in trust.

5)  Enter the ETFs

ETFs are Exchange Traded Funds – they are funds that track the price of gold and are quite an easy way for an investor to gain exposure to gold.  You can access these funds through a stockbroker and you can even hold them within an Isa – fees are charged but they are often lower than when it comes to managed funds.

So, have a think about the method that perhaps suits you best, and then do some research online to make sure you know what you’re getting in to…alternatively, buy a metal detector and get out there and start digging!