Buy Gold & Silver

Can I Have Platinum Bullion In My IRA?

Kevin Cestra — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:37:43 +0000

A Platinum IRA Account

IRA Accounts are excellent ways to save for your future retirement needs, avoiding excessive taxes along the way. If you don’t have an IRA savings account, you should get one today, regardless of your age or how many years away retirement is for you. For those already holding IRA accounts and saving for the future, how about insuring you IRA account? How is this accomplished? By increasing, or adding precious metal investments to your IRA Account. Many investors are not aware that they have a legal right to add precious metals such as platinum bullion to their IRA. By making your retirement savings account a platinum bullion invested IRA account, you are in a sense insuring your IRA account. Precious metals increase over time in value because they are in short supply and heavy demand. Calculate into the equation that they are also in dwindling supplies across the planet, and it’s easy to see how precious metals such as platinum bullion will only continue to increase in value. IRA accounts work to save your money against heavy taxing by the federal government. What an IRA account cannot do is protect your money against inflation over the years. Twenty years from now, $250,000 will simply not be worth what it is today. However if $50,000 of that same IRA investment was comprised of platinum bullion, your investment will likely be worth much more. As inflation continues over the years, precious metals like platinum bullion ride against the tide actually increasing in value over the years. In this way, putting a platinum bullion invested IRA into your portfolio is just like insuring your IRA account.

How To Buy Platinum Bullion For Your IRA

Buying platinum bullion to add to your IRA account is simple. Contact your broker or IRA administer and request a purchase of some platinum bullion exchange traded fund shares. These exchange traded funds operate on the commodities markets of the world buying, selling and storing real amounts of platinum bullion for investment purposes.

Does Silver Trade On Futures Exchanges?

Kevin Cestra — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:33:25 +0000

Silver Futures

Silver bullion is certainly traded, traded heavily these days in fact, on the futures exchanges. Silver bullion is a precious metal traded the world over in its many forms from silver bullion bars, biscuits, to silver coins. These solid amounts of silver are bought, sold, and stored as an investment strategy against future call prices per ounce on the commodities markets of the world. The manner in which silver bullion futures are traded is by utilizing silver exchange traded funds. Silver exchange traded funds, or Silver EFTs, are investment funds, similar to mutual funds. They are comprised of shareholders, usually several thousand investors involved in silver investing. Each share of a silver exchange traded fund represents a piece of ownership in the fund, in the same way a stock share of a company represents ownership in the company one is investing in. Silver exchange traded funds operate buying, selling, trading, and long-term storing massive amounts of silver bullion. Silver bullion futures make their money off the ever-changing world market price of silver bullion. As silver increases in value, silver exchange traded funds execute sales to increase their fund value. As the silver price falls, these same silver bullion futures funds make purchases. In this way, a well managed silver exchange traded fund increases its value, and thus the shares of its shareholders as well.

The Best Silver Exchange Traded Funds: Silver Investing With Confidence

Just like mutual funds, silver bullion futures are more of an art form than a science. A well managed and operated silver exchange traded fund makes money by intelligent and well-timed silver bullion sales and trades. A lesser silver exchange traded fund will do what a poorly operated stock mutual fund does: give a lesser return to its investors. To make sure you have a good and consistently profitable silver exchange traded fund, try using one of these consistently good performing silver bullion futures managers:

iShares Silver Trust (SLV)

ETFS Silver Trust (SIVR)

PowerShares DB Silver Fund (DBS)

What Is The Difference Between Bullion Gold and Certified Gold?

Kevin Cestra — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:31:10 +0000

Certified Gold

Certified gold is gold that is issued or minted by an entity, such as the U.S. Mint, to grade and certify gold purity. The certification process will include an analysis of the gold for weight and purity, meaning its gold ore composition. The process is not complicated, but must be completed by a licensed certified gold appraiser. The benefit to certified gold, the key difference between regular bullion gold and certified gold, is that the question of gold content is eliminated. Unlike a bar of bullion gold of unknown origins, certified gold will be stamped and be accompanied by letter of certification stating in no uncertain terms the gold content and weight. The only thing certified gold leaves to question is the gold’s actual value, meaning its worth if sold for currency. This amount cannot be certified as the price per troy ounce of gold is constantly changing. Twice daily, the United Kingdom based London Gold Fix assesses the price of gold per troy ounce. This price is based on pure gold ounce, meaning 99.999% gold ore content purity. The price set by the London gold fix is determined solely by market demand, based on what people are willing to pay and also willing to sell gold for in any given day. The price per gold troy ounce can change anywhere from a few cents to 50 cents or more in a given trading day.

Bullion Gold

Bullion gold, the gold bars, biscuits, or coins, which are not certified gold are still a good investment tool. Gold has value the world over and typically increases as time goes on and world supplies of gold ore dwindle. The fact that gold bullion is not certified gold is not much of a cause for concern. It simply means the gold bullion in question has not been processed by a licensed gold certifier. It’s still gold bullion, and most likely has significant value in the gold marketplace. To certify bullion gold, simply bring it to a gold certifier and complete the analysis of its weight and gold ore purity.

What Is The Over-The-Counter Silver Market?

Kevin Cestra — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:28:53 +0000

The So Called 4^th Market

The over-the-counter market, when speaking in terms of investment and finance, refers to the various markets around the world where assets are traded privately between two parties. When investing in silver the over-the-counter market, one is speaking of the various commodities markets of the world. For the Unites States this means the COMEX market. COMEX, the fastest growing commodities market in the world, is a subsidiary of the New York Mercantile Exchange. It deals in, amongst many other currency and precious metal trading, the over-the-counter silver market. Trades are made between various parties, usually an investment bank to its client, in silver bullion. Investing in silver however is not primarily a domestic, U.S. based enterprise. In fact the over-the-counter silver markets of other nations do a vast majority of OTC silver trades. The London based OTC market, the London Bullion Market Association or LBMA, handles the most OTC silver trades in the world. In November of 2008 alone over 107.6 million ounces were traded just by the London Bullion Market Association. This single sector of the over-the-counter silver market is in essence trading the same amount of silver bullion that is mined from the earth in a single year, every six days.

Getting Invested In The Silver OTC Market

To get yourself investing in the over-the-counter silver market is not a difficult task. First decide on a marketplace. If you live in the United States the COMEX is an excellent place to start. While investing in silver knows no national borders, one can in invest in any OTC silver market they wish worldwide, the COMEX market is the easiest place for a U.S. investor to get started. To get invested simply connect to the COMEX online at nymex.com or ask your stockbroker to make some investments on your behalf.

Where Does Palladium Come From?

Kevin Cestra — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:26:10 +0000

The Origins Of Palladium

Palladium is a precious metal used the world over in industry, jewelry production, and investment. It is a rare metal extracted from the earth’s crust. Palladium is unique in that it is a very hard, rigid metal similar to platinum; however it has a low melting point. This means palladium has many uses as it’s a very dependably strong yet workable metal. Palladium is mined in many countries but it comes principally from Russia, South Africa and North America, meaning the United States. The process of mining palladium from the earth involves several steps from extraction in raw and contaminated form to the palladium bars you see sold and traded across the world. There is also a significant amount of palladium that is recycled from old machine and vehicle parts. This recycled palladium accounts for 6% of the total amount of palladium ore collected across the world. Palladium ore is in short supply, is difficult to mine, and is in demand all across the world. All three of these things combine to make it a precious metal, and gives palladium it´s value.

Why Palladium Ore

Palladium ore was almost unheard of in precious metal investment circles. It has only been in the last few decades that palladium ore has become a precious metal of interest to commodities investors. The reason is simple: demand for palladium ore has increased while palladium ore production has stayed relatively even. This causes a pull or demand on the precious metal palladium causing its price per troy ounce to increase. In 2001 when there was much hype about the increasing use of palladium ore in the car manufacturing industry, the price of palladium ore outpaced briefly the cost of gold.

What Makes A Gold Coin Valuable?

Kevin Cestra — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:24:04 +0000

The Value Of Gold Coins

Gold coins have value for several reasons. First and foremost gold coins have value, meaning they are worth money, because of their gold ore content. Gold ore has been mined since the days early man roamed the earth. It has long since been the most precious and therefore most valuable element on earth. Gold is precious and has value for one simple reason and it has nothing to do with how shiny it is: gold is valuable because there is a limited and finite supply of it which exists in the world. As more and more gold is mined, the earth’s stores of gold ore are reduced. Since gold was first mined until present day, there have only been 80 cubic meters of solid gold extracted from the earth. Not very much when this gold has to be shared the world over. For this reason, and the fact that there is currently heavy demand on this precious metal, gold bullion and gold coins are worth a lot of money. Currently as of 2009, gold is trading on the markets for over $1,000 per troy ounce. This means a single gold coin that weighs a solid ounce is a very expensive piece of metal.

Assessing Gold Coin Value

Not all gold coins are of equal value for two simple reasons: gold purity and gold coin weight. The gold coin standard is 99.999% pure gold, the highest verifiable gold purity that can be measured. While most gold coins minted by refutable minters, such as the U.S. Mint or Royal Canadian Mint are in fact of the highest purity, not all gold coins are so. Some may have lesser purities from 50% to 99%. The only way to know for sure a gold coin´s purity is to have it certified. This will determine its gold ore purity and also the second key to gold coin value: its weight. The more ounces, or partial ounces, a gold coin weighs the more gold bullion it contains and therfore is worth more. An American Eagle gold coin of a single troy ounce, certified by the U.S. Mint to be 99.999% pure gold is currently worth over $1,100 and rising.

How Is Silver Priced?

Kevin Cestra — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:22:04 +0000

The Price Of Silver

The price of silver price per troy ounce is determined twice daily by a group of United Kingdom based silver bullion investors known as the London Silver Fixing Ltd. This group determines and sets the price of silver per ounce at 10am and 2pm each trading day. The cost of silver is determined by market factors such as supply and demand for silver across the planet. What investors, exchange traded funds, and commodities markets are willing to pay or sell silver for, is what makes for silver pricing. Silver is notoriously volatile in its price and known to change up to 50 cents or more in a given day. Silver is unique in that it has many pulls on it, demand, which causes the silver price per ounce to fluctuate, at times drastically, in any given day. Silver has many industrial uses as well as being regarded as the second largest precious metal for investment purposes, just behind gold, which causes the cost of silver to change frequently. As investors or industrial use increase purchases of silver, the demand goes up sending the silver price per ounce up rapidly. In the same system of supply and demand, when there is little purchasing of silver on the world market, the silver price per ounce drops. When referring to silver pricing, the cost of silver will always be issued in a measurement of a troy ounce, a single 1 ounce metric measurement of weight.

Silver Price Swings

While the London Silver Fixing makes the determination of the cost of silver, there exist elements outside of their control which can take silver pricing out of its normal trading range. There are three significant historical silver price swings which were a direct result of silver trades made on the open market and not the fault of the London Silver Fixing.

In 1973 the Hunt Brothers attempted to buy as much silver as they could creating a false demand and increasing the value of silver to spike at $49.95 per troy ounce in 1980. While an excellent scheme to make some quick money, the federal government stopped them, letting silver price per ounce return to normal.

In 1997 the famous investor Warren Buffet made a whopping purchase of 130,000,00 troy ounces of silver causing demand to increase and temporarily spiking the price of silver.

Finally in April 2006 a silver exchange traded fund was created known as iShares Silver (SLV) and made a purchase of 180 million troy ounces in rapid succession. Once again the cost of silver reacted sharply sending the silver price per ounce through the roof.

What Are Gold Mutual Funds?

Kevin Cestra — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:20:37 +0000

Mutual Funds: Golden Nest Egg

Investors have been investing in mutual funds for decades. A mutual fund is a group of like minded investors who collectively invest as a group, a team if you will. Much like a publicly traded company, a mutual fund issues shares to its investors. The shares in a mutual fund, just like shares in a company, express and function as ownership. A mutual fund will take the combined invested money of its shareholders and work the major markets. They invest and trade with the goal of increasing the mutual funds worth, thus increasing the share value for each investor´s holdings. A gold mutual fund works nearly exactly the same. A gold mutual fund, also referred to as a Gold Exchange Traded Funds, or Gold EFT, makes investments on behalf of its shareholders. The key difference in gold mutual funds and regular mutual funds is that gold mutual funds only invest in gold. Gold EFTs buy real amounts of gold bullion in bars, biscuits, and even gold coins. As the price of gold per ounce fluctuates, rises and falls, gold mutual funds make well-timed buys, sells, and trades to make a profit. Just like a mutual fund the goal is simple: increase the worth of the fund through smart and decisive trading.

Investing In Gold Funds

Investing in gold funds has become more and more commonplace. Most brokers suggest to their clients to start investing in gold funds, or buying gold in another manner, until they have reached 10% minimum invested in the precious metal trade. These gold EFT´s allow the average investor to make money off the increasing price of gold per ounce without ever having to handle the gold itself. As inflation rises and the buying of the U.S. dollar diminishes by foreign nations, those invested in gold mutual funds will see their investment portfolios maintain strong bottom-lines.

What Are Krugerrand Gold Coins?

Kevin Cestra — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:19:21 +0000

South African Gold: The Krugerrand Gold Coin

South Africa has long been known as one of the world’s largest gold deposits stores in the world. For centuries the gold mines of South Africa have consistently produced over 1/4^th of the world’s highest quality gold ore. In 1967, South Africa looked to gold coin production in an effort to direct capitalize on their gold. The Krugerrand gold coins were born. Consisting of 99% pure gold ore, Krugerrand gold coins have long been one of the more popular gold coins on the market used for investment in precious metals. Investing in gold coins is a popular and easy way to diversify one’s investment portfolio. By investing in gold coins, one will move some of their money to more stable investment channels. Investing in precious metals, and investing in gold coins to be sure, has long been advised by stockbrokers in an effort to mitigate the risk their customers’ stock portfolios typically carry. Unlike a stock held from a publicly traded company, Krugerrand gold coins will not lose their value overnight. A company can go out of business and investing in gold coins can be your best defense against a tanking portfolio. Gold is traded the world over as a currency backer and precious metal. Its value is determined internationally. As stocks and companies bounce down and up, gold tends to be a solid gold island of consistency.

Krugerrand Gold Coins

Krugerrand gold coins were first offered in only 1 troy ounce gold coins. These coins at today’s gold value per ounce are worth over $1,100 each, current as of November 2009. If you had purchased a single Krugerrand gold coin in January 1990, you would have paid approximately $400 U.S. Dollars. That same Krugerrand gold coin would have increased nearly 300% in just fewer than 20 years! It is no surprise that more and more investors are balancing their stock market portfolios with Krugerrand gold coins. You can now get started investing in Krugerrand buy purchasing a 1 ounce, ½ ounce, ¼ ounce or even a 1/10^th ounce Krugerrand gold coin.

What Are Precious Metal Mutual Funds?

Kevin Cestra — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:16:32 +0000

Precious Metal Mutual Funds Defined

Precious metal mutual funds are shareholder owned commodities funds which only invest in precious metals. Precious metal mutual funds can be gold funds, silver funds, platinum funds, palladium funds, or a combination of these precious metals. Precious metal mutual funds are traded on the commodities markets of the world. When investing in precious metal mutual funds in the United States, they are referred to as exchange traded funds and traded on the COMEX marketplace, a division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Precious metal mutual funds or exchange traded funds, invest solely in precious metals. For instance, a gold mutual fund will only exist to trade in gold. This means the fund will buy gold bullion, trade gold bullion, and sell gold bullion. That is it. Gold exchange traded funds only trade in gold. The same is true for each of the precious metal funds. These precious metal funds are owned by shareholders who purchase shares in the mutual fund. As the value of the precious metal mutual fund increases in wealth, the shares owned by the investors will also increase in value. Precious metal mutual funds allow the average investor to put money into precious metals without have to utilize traditional precious metal investment practices such as actually buying gold, silver, etc. and keeping it for storage in their home or bank. Precious metal mutual funds offer the convenience of investing in precious metals without ever having to handle them.

How To Invest In Precious Metal Mutual Funds

Investing in a precious metal mutual fund is simple. Whether you decide the precious metal you wish to invest in to be gold, silver, or one of the newer precious metals traded on the market such as platinum or palladium, the process is simple. Locate the precious metal mutual fund you want on the commodities markets. Use your stockbroker or online investment site to make a purchase of some shares of the precious metal mutual fund. That’s it; you’re invested in precious metal.