subject: The Easiest Way To Invest In Gold [print this page] There are several possibilities to invest in gold for anyone interested. The prerequisites are the cash and the will to invest.
One method experts recommend as easy for everyone is buying jewelry. Rings, bracelets or necklaces are excellent choices to start with, as they can be turned into cash easily and can be stored with no major issue in most home safes. The downside of it, however, is the price, which on developed markets includes a significant mark-up - the equivalent of the expensive workforce employed in the jewelry manufacturing process.
To avoid this, some gold investment specialists recommend turning to the Asian gold markets, where the workforce is much cheaper and the quality of design equals and even surpasses that of western jewelry manufacturers. Due to low cost of workforce, the investor operating in Asian gold market pays more for actual gold and less for its transformation into jewelry. One of the best Asian market is the one in Thailand. Investors should be aware that Thailand forbids the export of gold with purity higher than 18 karats.
The quickest way into the gold market is through online trading and the use of a specialized gold trading company. There are several reputable ones on the market and anyone with a valid credit card and an Internet connection can become a client. First step is registering an account on the company's website. The major advantage of using the services of a specialized gold trading company is the fact that most of them trade in allocated gold. This means that once paid for, the gold becomes the legal physical property of the investors, as opposed to unallocated gold which cannot be physically taken into ownership. On top of this comes the fact that gold trading companies have the know-how and the logistics to protect the investment of their clients against theft - one of the major worries of gold owners. And finally, gold stored with dedicated traders can be immediately turned into cash, if the need arises.
An alternative to jewelry and online trading is investing in shares of mining companies and in gold certificates. Mining operations can turn significant profits but investment needs to be precluded by thorough documenting of the company - the management team, the size of the exploitation, medium and long term plans, and possible environmental or legal issues related to exploiting the ore.
