Investing in Gold Without Storing It
Gold offers investors an appealing advantage among other assets; unlike many others, its physical nature requires significant upfront expenses and may incur storage fees or extra safe costs depending on its size or value.
Investors can gain exposure to gold without physically owning it through derivative contracts whose prices follow that of gold, mutual funds and ETFs that invest in gold-backed assets, shares of mining companies or even derivative contracts designed to track gold prices.
Mutual funds and ETFs
Gold can be an excellent addition to any investment portfolio, but before purchasing any gold it’s essential that you consider your personal preferences and risk tolerance before committing. Also watch out for high-pressure sales tactics or fraud as these could erode any gains made through investing.
Physical gold ownership can be costly due to dealer markups, sales taxes, storage fees and security considerations. Furthermore, its lack of liquidity makes selling more challenging.
Gold ETFs or mutual funds that hold gold-backed assets may provide more cost-effective investing solutions; however, before making your decision it is essential to conduct thorough research into fees and expense ratios before investing.
Investors may also invest in gold by buying shares of gold mining company stocks, which provides more liquid investments but lacks diversification compared to ETFs or mutual funds. Finally, futures contracts or options carry high risks that are unsuitable for most retail investors; such instruments should only be utilized by sophisticated traders.
Gold mining companies
Gold investments are generally safe and attractive investments over the longer-term, although short-term fluctuations may exist. Gold has outshone many other asset classes and shows lower correlation with stocks than many others.
Gold investment can be done simply and quickly by purchasing physical metal like bars or coins; however, due to fees and storage costs this method may prove costly. Furthermore, finding reliable sellers who will assess the true value of your purchases may prove challenging.
Another option for investing in gold is through mutual funds or ETFs that specialize in it, as these provide more liquid investments that provide diversification benefits not available elsewhere. Finally, consider investing in streaming/royalty companies which allow investors to participate in producing gold for future payments; though these investments require extensive research and carry their own set of risks.
Gold coins
People tend to envision investing in gold as being represented by large golden bars locked away safely in some distant vault. Unfortunately, storing physical gold requires considerable time and expense – such as buying a safe that costs at least $6,000 in addition to paying insurance costs; additionally storing at home increases your risk of theft or damage.
There are various methods available to you for investing in gold without needing to store it yourself, such as purchasing certificates from dealers who store the metal themselves and vaulted gold that is held securely within professional facilities with its ownership being documented with certificates.
Such investments offer lower storage fees than owning physical gold, yet don’t generate income like stocks and real estate would. Furthermore, it may be challenging to quickly sell these investments at prices you want if they need to be sold quickly.
Gold jewelry
Purchase and storage costs associated with physical gold bars and coins can be costly; finding buyers when the time comes can also take time.
Gold individual retirement accounts (IRAs) provide another alternative investment method. These companies allow you to invest pre-tax dollars in physical metals such as gold that have been approved by the IRS and stored at an independent storage facility.
Derivatives backed by gold can also be traded, including futures contracts. These allow sophisticated investors to speculate on price movements without owning physical gold; however, these contracts carry high risks that should not be undertaken by novice investors. Before investing any form of gold, consider your goals, risk tolerance, spending limit and spending limit in NerdWallet’s reviews of online brokers and robo-advisors as these will all come into play before making your choice.
Categorised in: Blog