Key Takeaways: Central banks play a major role in gold prices by buying, selling, and managing reserves, which directly impacts global supply and demand. Monitoring central bank activity is valuable for investors, but successful gold investing requires considering multiple factors like inflation, interest rates, and geopolitical events. Central banks are very much the elephants in…

Key Takeaways: Gold must be 99.5% (.995) pure in order to qualify for placement in an IRA. The only coin exempt from the purity requirement is the American Gold Eagle. Only approved custodians may store and handle the gold in your IRA. IRA-approved gold is any gold coin, round, or bar that the IRS allows…

Key Takeaways • Gold’s higher price stems from its popularity, stability, and liquidity as an investment. • Platinum is rarer but more volatile, less liquid, and heavily tied to industrial demand. • Platinum’s supply depends largely on South Africa, making it sensitive to disruptions. Gold is the most expensive precious metal, but its status as…

Key Takeaways: The bid-ask spread is the amount of separation between the current bid price and the current ask price. The bid price is the highest price a buyer will pay for gold or silver. The ask price is the lowest price a seller will accept for gold or silver. The bid-ask spread is the…

Key Takeaways Gold prices often dip when economies are booming, as investors tend to stick to more traditional investments. They also decline when the US dollar is strong or when interest rates rise. Some macroeconomic events, like changes in central bank policies or the early parts of recessions, can cause the price of gold to…

Key Takeaways Geopolitical conflicts, central bank gold purchases, and supply constraints (such as mining challenges and supply chain disruptions) also drive gold prices higher. There is an inverse relationship between gold prices and the strength of the U.S. dollar; a weaker dollar makes gold more attractive to foreign investors, increasing demand and price. Geopolitical conflicts,…

Gold Bar vs Platinum Bar Facts and Premiums Precious metals have been valued assets for thousands of years. They are one of the few investment assets that are tangible, and thus retain their value against any variances found in fiat currency. There is likely no better way to guard against inflation than through metals like…

Having an IRA is a smart financial move. You can save for retirement and defer your tax responsibilities when you contribute to one. You only have to pay taxes when you withdraw the money, although you’ll have to pay an additional 10% penalty tax if you withdraw before the age of 59½. However, the IRS…

If you have started moving in precious metals circles, you may have heard references to “silver stacking” and people described as “silver stackers.” Although the terms may be used positively or derisively, depending on the speaker, they are becoming increasingly common as precious metals grow in popularity. Silver stacking is the act of collecting silver…

  Many American coins over the years have used gold in their composition. However, the quarter has not traditionally been one of them. Nowadays, quarters are made with cupronickel, a copper-nickel alloy common to most of our coins. Until 1932, they were made primarily with silver. At no point – except one – has the…

  If you’ve been shopping around for your next gold purchase, you’ve likely noticed that gold bars don’t cost as much as gold coins. In fact, on an ounce-for-ounce basis, gold bars are almost always (barring short-term sale prices) cheaper than gold coins of the same size. This page will walk through the reasons behind…

Not all gold bars are made the same. Literally. Some gold bars are cast, while others are minted. A gold bar is cast by pouring molten gold into a mold and letting it cool. A gold bar is minted by subjecting a blank, not unlike those used for coinage, to the pressures of a hydraulic…

Silver bars come in a variety of sizes. Some of the most common sizes include 1 oz, 5 oz, 10 oz, 1 kilo, and 100 ounces. The largest silver bar ever made is likely unknown. There are some reports of a 50 kg silver bar discovered in a shipwreck near Madagascar, but there’s no real…

  If you decide to store your gold with a secure storage facility, or SSF, you will need to decide whether you want a storage facility that allocates your gold or one that doesn’t. Allocation refers to how a facility manages your gold and its value. A facility that allocates its holdings guarantees that your…

  If you prefer to buy gold bars, you might be wondering if you can get them from an official source – the US Mint. Sadly, you cannot.  The US Mint does not produce gold bars as part of its product set. The US Mint saves its energies for its circulating coins, bullion coins, and…

    Investing in physical gold has been popular in the US for decades. After the use of gold moved from a currency consideration to a collecting one, investors began gravitating to various gold products as their go-to choices for investment vehicles. Broadly speaking, investment gold is available in one of three formats: coins, bars,…

The gold to silver ratio is exactly what it sounds like – it is the ratio of the price of a troy ounce of gold against the price of a troy ounce of silver. Now, this ratio is not stable, as it fluctuates according to market conditions, and the two prices are not necessarily related…

The decision to invest in silver is a solid one. Silver is a reliable way to preserve your net worth. However, the decision about what kind of silver to buy is a bit more complicated. Though silver rounds are an option, the primary question is whether to invest in silver coins or silver bars. This…

Economic instability and inflation are leading many new investors to consider adding precious metals to their portfolios. In general, precious metals tend to grow in value as the economy experiences difficulties, and they can serve as a portfolio’s barricade to inflation. Even if you’re not concerned about the state of the economy, precious metals also…

  Your investment goals influence how you approach timing. Short-term investors seek quick gains, while long-term investors aim for steady, gradual growth over time. Let’s explore the two most significant factors impacting gold and silver prices: economic conditions and geopolitical events. Economic Conditions Generally, demand for precious metals rises in poor economic times and falls…

For most of U.S. history, the half dollar contained silver. However, since 1971, no new half dollars have been minted with silver, making silver half dollars an appealing choice for collectors and investors. In many ways, investing in silver half dollars is an excellent entry point for beginning precious metals investors. Here’s a guide to…

When investors talk about the spot price of precious metals, they are referring to the current market price of that metal for immediate delivery. Technically, the spot price is separate from futures prices, which are contracts set for delivery at a future date. While futures prices can influence spot prices, the spot price reflects the…

Most of the time, the humble quarter is a jingle in our pockets. The 25-cent piece has moved from having major purchasing power to only buying us a gumball, thanks to inflation. However, certain vintages of quarters are not to be thrown around in such a cavalier manner. Any quarter made in 1964 or earlier…