Posted on

Gold Investing 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Building a Diversified Portfolio with Precious Metals

Gold Buyers is one of the oldest forms of currency, and it’s still one of the most valuable. From jewelry to coins to bars, gold has a history that spans thousands of years. The value of gold has fluctuated throughout its history, but it always tends to rise over time. In fact, some historians believe that humans have used gold as a form of currency since before recorded history began! Today, we use gold in many ways: as jewelry; for industrial purposes (think medical devices); and even as investments for our future financial security. Gold can be difficult to invest in because its price is so volatile. However, if you do your research and make smart decisions about how much money you want to put into this precious metal—and where you buy it from—gold could prove an extremely profitable investment over time while also protecting your portfolio against major ups-and-downs in global markets like those we’ve seen recently due to Brexit or US elections like 2016/2020 etc…

History of Gold

Gold Bullion has been used as money for thousands of years. In fact, it was one of the first forms of currency ever used by humans. Ancient civilizations like Greece, Rome and China all used gold coins as their main form of currency. In addition to being used as money throughout history, gold has also been a hedge against inflation since it retains its value over time due to its scarcity and resistance to corrosion (which makes it ideal for jewelry).

When you buy gold today you are buying an asset that can be exchanged for goods or services at any time in the future without losing any purchasing power due to inflationary pressures on currencies such as dollars or euros

How to Invest in Gold

If you’re just getting started with gold investing, there are several ways to get involved:

  • Buy physical gold bullion. This is the most common way people invest in precious metals and involves purchasing actual bars or coins from a dealer. The advantage of buying physical gold is that it can be held as an investment or used for jewelry or other purposes. The disadvantage is that it requires storage space (which may not be available) and has high premiums due to its value being based on weight alone (therefore making smaller pieces more expensive).
  • Buy exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that hold physical bullion on your behalf while tracking their price movements closely enough so that they’re pretty much interchangeable with owning the real thing–but without all those pesky security issues! There’s also no concern about storage fees here since everything happens digitally; however, some investors feel less confident about having no control over where their assets are kept when compared against owning them directly through traditional means like buying bars/coins directly from dealers instead of through these types of investment vehicles which essentially act as proxies instead..

Types of Gold Investments

There are three main types of gold investments: coins, bars and bullion.

  • Gold coins are legal tender and can be used as currency. The most common type of coin is the American Eagle, which comes in several different denominations ranging from one ounce to 1/10th ounce. Other popular options include the Canadian Maple Leaf or Australian Kangaroo coin series. These coins have high purity levels (typically at least 99% pure) and are certified by independent third parties like NGC or PCGS so you know what you’re getting when buying them!
  • Gold bars come in several different sizes depending on your needs (and budget). You can buy 1oz or 5oz bars if you want to invest smaller amounts of money but still get some added security from having a larger piece made out of precious metals than what would be found with most other forms such as bullion which tends only contain .999% purity levels at best; whereas these bigger chunks will typically fall above 90% purity levels before they’re stamped out into smaller pieces again later down the line due largely due their size being too big otherwise–but don’t worry because no matter what kind you choose there’s always room for growth potential if prices go up over time!

Physical Gold and Coins

The most common way to buy gold is through bullion coins and bars. These can be purchased from a variety of sources, including local coin dealers or online providers. Some banks even sell them as well!

Bullion coins are usually priced based on their weight and purity, so you know exactly what you’re getting before you make your purchase. Coins tend to be less expensive than bars because they have less material in them–but the exact price will vary depending on what kind of coin or bar it is (some are more rare than others).

Precious Metals Bullion Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)

ETFs are a good way to get exposure to gold in your investment portfolio. They can be traded on the stock market, so they are easy to buy and sell. You can purchase ETFs at any time during the day, which makes them convenient for investors with busy schedules.

If you’re looking for a quick way to invest in precious metals without having to deal with physical bullion or coins, then this is definitely one option worth considering.

Mutual Funds and Closed-End Funds

  • Mutual funds are open-ended and closed-end funds are closed.
  • Mutual funds are more liquid than closed-end funds.
  • Closed-end funds are a good way to invest in gold if you want to diversify your portfolio and want to avoid the volatility of the spot price, but they may not be right for everyone because they’re more expensive than other options like ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) or bullion coins/bars which can all be purchased at lower costs due to their higher liquidity

Price fluctuations are normal, but buying quality gold can protect your portfolio.

  • Price fluctuations are normal, but buying quality gold can protect your portfolio.

Gold prices fluctuate just like any other commodity or asset. However, unlike stocks and bonds that depend on the performance of companies or countries’ economies to rise and fall in value, gold is a hedge against inflation. When you buy precious metals like gold bullion coins or bars, you’re making an investment in an asset that has intrinsic value–it doesn’t matter what happens with the stock market or economy: Your gold will always be worth something because it’s rarer than other metals (you can read more about this below).

Why invest in gold?

Investing in gold is an excellent way to diversify your portfolio. Here are some reasons why you should consider adding the precious metal:

  • Gold is a safe haven asset. When markets are turbulent and uncertainty reigns, investors often turn to gold as a “safe haven” investment–one that will protect their money from inflation and currency devaluation while they wait out market turmoil.
  • Gold is hedged against inflation and deflation. As the value of currencies fluctuates relative to each other (and thus with other currencies), so does their purchasing power; this means that if you’re holding cash in one currency but would rather have another type of asset as your primary long-term investment vehicle, then you may want some exposure through owning physical bullion instead–especially if there’s reason for concern about certain types of inflationary pressures impacting your country or region of residence over time (elevated energy costs are one example).