How Do You Buy Gold
Coins typically have lower gold content than gold bars. A one-ounce American Eagle coin, for instance, is only 91.67% gold. In fact, the coin weighs 1.1 ounces, approximately one ounce of which is pure gold; the rest of the weight is silver and copper.
how do you buy gold
Rather than investing in a single company tied to gold, you invest in a basket of gold-related securities through gold mutual funds or ETFs. Gold funds may track the price of gold, include the stocks of multiple gold mines and refineries or provide exposure to gold futures and options.
For investors willing to take on more risk, futures and options may be attractive. (If neither of those words means anything to you already, you should probably avoid these gold investments for now as they are highly speculative.)
With gold futures, you commit to buy or sell gold in the future at a specified price. Under a gold options contract, you have an agreement with the option to buy or sell gold if it reaches a certain price by a predetermined date.
Gold futures are a good way to speculate on the price of gold rising (or falling), and you could even take physical delivery of gold, if you wanted, though physical delivery is not what motivates speculators.
The biggest advantage of using futures to invest in gold is the immense amount of leverage that you can use. In other words, you can own a lot of gold futures for a relatively small sum of money. If gold futures move in the direction you think, you can make a lot of money very quickly.
Risks: ETFs give you exposure to the price of gold, so if it rises or falls, the fund should perform similarly, again minus the cost of the fund itself. Like stocks, gold can be volatile sometimes, but these ETFs allow you to avoid the biggest risks of owning the physical commodity: protecting your gold and obtaining full value for your holdings.
Gold bars are commonly refined into two different types of bars. Cast gold bars are simpler products which are made through a simple process. Most cast gold bars have only a refinery logo stamped onto the surface and come with the most important markings: weight, purity, and metal content. A cast gold bar is produced by melting gold in a large vat and then pouring it into prefabricated molds which are designed to ensure the proper weight and purity for the desired final product. The bars are then left to air cool in the molds or dropped into cold water to speed up the cooling process.
Minted ingots are made with a more refined process. All minted gold ingots start out as long cast bars which are fed into a stamping press. This press is computer controlled and stamps (cuts) the minted ingots to a desired size and shape, and then continues along the press production line to have an image engraved onto the bars. These bars typically have brilliant visual finishes, more intricate design elements, and sharp edges.
As you might imagine, the complication of the production process results in varying premiums for these gold products. Generally speaking, cast gold bars are more affordable with a lower premium over the spot price of gold than minted ingots.
Beyond the size, shape, and style of the gold bars available to you from JM Bullion, you can expect a few commonalities among the bars offered. The vast majority of gold bars today are refined with .9999 pure gold content regardless of weight or type (cast vs. minted ingot). Minted ingots are originally available in most cases housed inside of tamper-evident protective packaging and come with an assay card that verifies the weight, purity, and metal content of the product as judged by a certified assayer. In most cases, gold bars also have a unique serial number issued by the refiner. When bars are available with a serial number and assay card, that card will also reflect the individual serial number as engraved onto the surface of the bar.
In the U.S. the COMEX is the primary exchange for gold futures, and therefore, the place where the most-widely quoted gold prices are set. The London Bullion Market Association also provides a twice-daily \"fix\" price used as a benchmark for large market participants.
In general, look for what's known as the \"gold spot price,\" that's the price at which buyers and sellers are willing to trade gold today, as opposed to some future date (specified in a certain month's futures contract.)
Gold is considered a way to hedge against inflation and can be used to diversify your portfolio. It's also a highly liquid asset, so you'll be able to find a buyer for your gold when you need to sell.
You can buy physical gold from retailers like JM Bullion and APMEX, as well as pawn and jewelry shops. (Do note that buying it from jewelry stores and pawn shops could be riskier as it could end up being lower karat gold.)
Profits from trading securities like stocks and bonds are known as capital gains and are taxed at special long-term and short-term capital gains rates. But the IRS looks at profits you earn from trading gold and other \"collectibles\" differently.
For instance, the most common type of gold used in jewelry in the U.S. is 14K gold, produced from 58.3% pure gold and 41.7% of other metals like copper and silver. Other common mixtures of gold are 18K, and 22K.
Aside from buying physical gold, you can invest in a variety of gold-backed securities through investment companies, brokerage accounts or gold IRAs. These include gold ETFs, gold mutual funds, mining stocks and futures contracts.
Investors buy shares in the fund through a brokerage, whether in-person or online. ETFs charge fees, but they tend to be lower than fees charged by gold mutual funds. They may also be lower than what it costs to insure and store gold in a facility like a safety deposit box. On average, ETFs charge annual fees of 0.59% of assets invested ($59 per $10,000 invested), according to ETF.com.
The contracts (whose value can also be settled for cash) can be traded among speculators who hope to make money by betting that gold will increase (or decrease) in value before the settlement date. Futures contracts are usually for 100 troy ounces of gold, while their prices are quoted in U.S. dollars per ounce.
To buy gold futures contracts, you need a brokerage account with a full-service broker that support futures trading, such as Charles Shwab, E*Trade or TD Ameritrade. You may also open an account directly with CME Group, the derivatives marketplace that manages NYMEX.
A gold IRA is similar to a traditional IRA in that it lets you invest in tax-preferred securities, but instead of holding stocks, bonds or mutual funds, you hold physical gold bullion, coins or bars. Despite its name, gold IRAs also give access to other precious metals, like silver, platinum and palladium.
Top gold IRA companies are typically transparent about their fees and offer unbiased educational resources and responsive customer support. They also feature intuitive account setup and options to rollover different retirement accounts.
Because gold is volatile in the short term, and can lag behind stocks in terms of long-term price appreciation, financial advisors typically recommend investing no more than 10% of your savings in gold.
More and more investors are worried about the social and environmental impact of their investments. Gold mining can take a significant toll on the environment and mining practices have raised concerns around human rights, as many gold mines are located in conflict-affected areas.
In the U.S. the COMEX is the primary exchange for gold futures, and therefore, the place where the most-widely quoted gold prices are set. The London Bullion Market Association also provides a twice-daily "fix" price used as a benchmark for large market participants.
In general, look for what's known as the "gold spot price," that's the price at which buyers and sellers are willing to trade gold today, as opposed to some future date (specified in a certain month's futures contract.)
Profits from trading securities like stocks and bonds are known as capital gains and are taxed at special long-term and short-term capital gains rates. But the IRS looks at profits you earn from trading gold and other "collectibles" differently.
In times of inflation, stock market uncertainty and concern in the banking sector like we're experiencing now, many investors turn to gold to support their holdings. These issues and other risk indicators may have you taking a second look at your portfolio and thinking about new ways to invest your money.
You can own gold in traditional gold IRA, Roth gold IRA or a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) gold IRA that are tax-advantaged and structured like their standard counterparts. However, the IRS mandates that your precious metal is stored through an IRS-approved custodian who can arrange for your gold to be stored in a depository.
Gold IRA investments are typically available through precious metal companies that assist you in opening your self-directed IRA account. The company also helps you select a custodian who purchases gold on your behalf. Goldco, Birch Gold Group and Augusta Precious Metals are a few gold IRA companies commonly used by investors.
You can invest in physical gold in several ways, including purchasing through an online dealer or at a local dealer or pawn shop. Monitor the price of gold, so you're not at a negotiating disadvantage. Keep in mind, you may pay a lower premium if you buy gold in large amounts because there's less processing than with coins.
Gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are a convenient option to get in on the gold action without having to store large bars securely. You can purchase shares in an ETF that owns gold in a physical vault, but you can execute that ETF trade from a computer or device anywhere with an internet connection. 041b061a72