Gold and Silver: Are They A Wise Investment?

If you ever listen to the radio, late-night television, or read magazines then you have probably heard or read about investing in gold and silver.  The people who push investing in commodities like these use a sales pitch that gold and silver are the financial standard, meaning that our paper money is backed by it.  Sometimes they scare people into thinking about the worst case scenario such as our economy crashing and gold and silver being the only way to buy and sell goods.  The sales pitches have been more prevalent in the past few years because gold and silver have performed well in the past few years.

What the commodities salesman fail to mention is that gold and silver do not have a great long-term track record.  If your financial objectives for investing are long-term, then gold and silver may not be a wise choice for you.  Historically, these commodities have earned about 4 – 5 percent on your money, which is no better than having it in a good money market account.  It is a myth that gold and silver will be the standard if our economy goes sour.  If you look at economies that have experienced hyper inflation like Russia and South American countries, you will see that people bartar for goods and services rather than use gold and silver to buy and sell things. 

On another note, I am all about diversification when it comes to your investment portfolio, so I would not be opposed to putting 5 – 10% of your portfolio into gold or silver.  If you are looking for a reputable Silver Coin Dealer, then try Monex.com, and they will take care of you. 

Tweet This Post