Historically, investors have always flocked to precious metals when the economy seems volatile. Since the concept of money was invented, people have always looked to gold and silver as units of value and exchange. Gold is more than just a pretty metal to add to your collection of investments. It’s also a stable and safe asset to shelter your wealth and protect the purchasing power of your dollars.
Why do people invest in gold and other precious metals?
Most of the world’s currencies run on a foundation of fractional reserve banking. Unfortunately, paper dollars like the AUD and USD have certain instabilities. When a central bank can simply print money, or in today’s world, add zeros to the end of their digital dollar reserve, bad things happen to the money in your pocket.
Dollars are still bound by the universal law of supply and demand. When you have too many of them, their value decreases. Governments are highly prone to printing money willy nilly, and it’s one reason why you may have noticed that the 20 dollars you had ten years ago doesn’t seem to buy the same amount of goods and services today. You can thank careless government handling of money and inflation for that.
War, in particular, is a huge driver of inflation and erosion of the dollar’s purchasing power. Governments like to print money to get the funding for the wars they declare.
Voting is great and all, but sometimes the problem is just too big for you to change. But that doesn’t mean you can’t protect yourself from inflation. Investing in gold bullion and silver is one way to hedge against an inflationary economy.
Gold reached a record high in Australia of $2,300 on August 19, 2019. The reason why? The AUD is so weak. There’s a reason why billionaire investors tend to keep at least 5% of their wealth in gold bullion. If you’d have bought that same gold ounce 20 years, you would have paid a measly 400 dollars for it. Over the long-term, gold continuously goes up in value and will help you maintain your purchasing power against inflation. It’s easy to exchange gold for cash when you need it.
What is gold bullion?
Gold bullion is gold that is considered legal tender. Many newbie precious metal investors mistakenly believe that gold bullion is just gold bars. But that’s not true. Gold bullion can also come in the form of coin issued from a modern-day mint, for example, the Perth Mint. People mainly buy gold bullion coins and gold bullion bars as investment pieces, not collectibles.
Historic gold coins that are considered collector’s items and aren’t currently being minted are called numismatic coins, not gold bullion. People get these coins because they like the historical and cultural significance of them, and they may also enjoy their aesthetic. Numismatic coins aren’t really meant to be investment pieces. Often, their value is in their historical or cultural meaning, not the gold content they possess.
How can you start investing in gold?
It’s never too late to get started investing in gold. There are many reputable gold buying companies you can trust like Gold Buyers Sydney and Gold Buyers Melbourne. If you need fast cash, these same gold buyers will also buy your gold and silver bullion and jewelry for as close to the spot price as possible.
