Many investors are looking at the world economy today and attempting to determine where the safe haven investments are. Of course, most commodities in general are viewed as a safe haven, and many investors have realized that precious metals in particular are an attractive market. However, there are many precious metals available for investment purposes, which leaves us with the question: What are the best precious metals to invest in?

All precious metals have different uses. For example, platinum is used in the automobile industry and in many other industrial areas. Palladium and rhodium have their respective benefits, but are somewhat speculative. Therefore, the best precious metals for today’s savvy investors are gold and silver. It is essential to consider one or both of these metals as a part of your well-balanced portfolio. Silver is incorporated into many different uses throughout the world today, and this metal has proven over time that it is a reliable long-term investment. Considering the current world situation, gold is the best precious metal to invest in. In today’s market, gold has a wide variety of uses. From its practically worldwide liquidity to its ability to sustain value over time, gold separates itself from the pack as the premier precious metal. For institutional and household investors alike, gold offers security and profitability.

As we each take a deep look into the portfolios we manage, whether we are an independent investor, a professional money manager, or anywhere in between, we must take a close look at both gold and silver right now as vital parts of a successful portfolio. The immediate benefits of investing in gold and silver, as well as the positive long-term factors these metals offer are very clear. As the best precious metals, gold and silver make for a wise investment for any who wishes to protect and build their wealth during a troubling economic time.

Arthur McGuire

Precious metal retirement accounts went from being a speculative way of investing in an IRA into an increasingly popular way to hedge hard-earned wealth from inflation and other economic problems that gold for example, is historically known for. Last month I was speaking to a good friend of mine who happens to be an avid stock investor and he told me that in the last few years he has lost almost 60% of his retirement wealth from owning stocks that were once a popular profit-gaining tool. It is unfortunate that he had to lose so much hard-earned money in order to finally realize the instability of financial markets at the moment, but fortunately he diversified into precious metal retirement accounts before he lost anymore. I’m glad to hear that the recent rally in the gold market has made him up to 17% of his wealth back with the potential of breaking even, and even profiting if the metal reaches its projected high of $1500 per ounce by the end of the year. It’s important to consider precious metal retirement accounts if you too are experiencing the same problem that my friend went through. I hope that American citizens begin understanding the severity of this financial crisis by starting to invest in safe haven assets that have a history of thriving during these difficult economic times. I wish you the best of luck when investing and when securing the hard-earned wealth in your retirement account.

Arthur McGuire

Investors seeking to diversify their investments from stocks into safe haven assets like gold have begun investing in something called the precious metals ETF, which is simply a fund and a stock all-in-one that allows investors to invest in a particular industry without having to actually hold anything in their hands. These precious metals ETF’s have made significant profit for investors around the world for several years, but an arising problem with global financial markets could put many of these investments in hot water. I have invested in practically every single type of precious metals investment for about eight years now and simply by looking at the worsening financial crisis, I can see that physical possession bars and coins could be much safer than imaginary bars and coins. For those who don’t know, precious metals ETF’s do not guarantee that you actually own any of the metal inside the account and even worse you can never obtain any of the metal in a worst-case scenario, meaning that serious complications can occur if the company that was holding the ETF for you was to close down in the event that the recession worsens. It is very fortunate that investors have the option to own bars and coins that they can hold in their own hands as it may prove to be one of the most ideal investments to own during such an unstable economic time. I wish you the best of luck when investing in precious metals.

Arthur McGuire

Investors know that there are many different investment options out there in the market yet I am surprised to know that too few of these investors know about precious metal coins and their possible benefits to investment portfolios. I first began investing in precious metal coins during mid-2001 and I’ll admit that I was a bit speculative about the future of the market, but since I had read several things about the economy worsening in the upcoming years, I figured that gold, silver and platinum would act adversely during a weak economic period. Sure enough, I was correct and eight years later I can say that I made nearly 350% profit from my original investment.

There are many different types of precious metal coins and it’s important to choose the metal and the product that is best for you. Gold and silver is more commonly used as a safe haven asset due to their high investment demand while platinum is more commonly used as a speculative investment that has the potential to increase in value when things such as the automobile market are doing well. Currently, platinum has lost a lot of its value since it was over $2000 per ounce but gold and silver have been acting increasingly well during this financial crisis and they are projected to do even better in the near future. Overall, I recommend bullion coin such as the American Eagles and Canadian Maple Leafs if you are short-term investor looking to make some profit out of the market but I recommend the certified rare coins such as the $20 Saint-Gaudens and the $20 Lady Liberties if you are a long-term investor that wants to hold onto your metal over a longer period of time. I wish you the best luck with investing.

Arthur McGuire

The Australian Dragon Coin is considered among the most beautiful coins minted today, and it is produced exclusively by the Perth Mint in Australia. The country’s proximity to Asia (with emphasis on China), along with its efforts to market Australian gold, has produced a series of lunar gold coins, whose value and beauty rivals any other. The Dragon Coin is perhaps the most coveted of the 12 lunar animals represented in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Chinese legend reveres the Dragon’s characteristics, and those born under the sign of the Dragon are considered to be straightforward, intelligent, vivacious, honest, and self-sufficient. They are also known to be quick- tempered, stubborn, eccentric, impulsive, and unpredictable.

Each of these coins contains one troy ounce of gold. It’s added copper alloy gives the Australian Dragon coin a rich, orange hue as well as added durability. The Dragon’s image appears on the reverse side of the coin. The creature is portrayed to be floating amongst clouds (which are Chinese symbols of good fortune), while clutching and gazing at a large pearl. The obverse side of the coin bears the image of Queen Elisabeth II and the monetary denomination.

The lunar series is based on the Chinese 12-year Lunar Calendar. Each year is named after an animal, and in turn each animal sign is governed by five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Consequently, each element appears with each animal, only once every 60 years. Since only 30,000 of a given animals corresponding year are minted annually, these coins historically gain numismatic value over time. All of these attributes of the Australian Gold Dragon coin make it a sound investment as well as an artistic heirloom. I wish you the best of luck when investing in precious metals.

Arthur McGuire

The most common types of precious metal bars are gold and silver, with platinum and palladium bars not nearly as commonly bought or traded. Precious metal bars are generally purchased and traded in order to stabilize and solidify any well-rounded investment portfolio. With today’s global market teetering on the point of economic uncertainty, if not catastrophe, the general rule of thumb is for investors to turn to precious metals. For a growing number of investors, precious metal bars are the purchase of choice.

The logic behind precious metal investment is for the metal to back up weaker assets like stocks, bonds, or even real estate. Rising interest rates, record inflation, massive corporate debt and government bailouts all contribute to the devaluation of these traditional investments. This phenomenon results in the weakening of many investor’s portfolios, and the reduction of each consumer’s ability to spend their hard earned money on goods and services. In short, everybody’s Dollar is worth less.

In contrast, when traditional investments lose value to all of the above-mentioned financial woes, precious metals historically perform in direct contrast to those of traditional “paper” investments. For example, if inflation drives the value of your cash down, that same inflation propels the value of precious metals upward. That is the reason why so many investors are looking to gold and silver at the moment. These bars are a good investment for several reasons. They are ideal for institutional, as well as household investments. In the end, it all comes down to what the investor’s goals and needs are and how he or she pursues them. I wish you the best of luck when investing in precious metals.

Arthur McGuire

The Australian Kangaroo gold bullion coin is a beautiful collection and investment piece that features a gorgeous depiction of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse side and a kangaroo on the reverse side. They come in several denominations such as the smaller 1/10oz and 1/20oz as well as the full 1oz and even larger 10oz and 1 kilo coinages. They are minted by the Perth Mint in Australia and are considered legal tender in their country. One of the things that make these Australian Kangaroo gold coins unique is the fact that they are pure 99.99% gold coins similar to the Canadian Maple Leaf and Chinese Panda.

As far as collecting is concerned, many collectors prefer this coin because of the fact that they change the design every year and they limit their mintage, which means they are almost always in low circulation. I definitely recommend this coin for investors looking for a beautiful bullion coin that doesn’t have the higher premium of investment grade certified rare coins. On the investing side of things, a 24-karat gold coin could be a profitable and preservative investment to own during this financial crisis and with many projections saying that $1500 per ounce could be possible, it definitely makes sense to own a few of these Australian Kangaroo coins if you feel bullish about the market. When looking for a reputable dealer to purchase these coinages from, I definitely recommend a company like the Certified Gold Exchange because have a good history of helping investors from step one. I wish you the best luck when investing in precious metals.

Arthur McGuire

The South African Krugerrand has been a favorite to both precious metal investors and collectors since their release in 1967. It was the first ever full-ounce gold bullion coin made by a nation’s government that was valued by its gold content. They quickly increased in popularity because it was an easy way to invest in precious metals and it is also a visually appealing method of investing. The front of his beautiful coin features President Paul Kruger with the words “South Africa” in both English and their native language. The back of the coin features a springbok antelope, which is a well known as a unique animal native to South Africa.

The South African Krugerrand is also well known to have a certain luster about it and it is because the coin is made of 22-karat gold which includes one full ounce of pure gold and 2.826 grams of a copper alloy mixture that is used specifically to make it more resistant to damage. As far as investing is concerned, the South African Krugerrand is an excellent bullion coin that is ideal for short-term investing but can also be used as a long-term alternative to stocks, which are currently not doing too well because of weakening corporations. Overall, I love this coin and everything it stands for and it is definitely one of my favorite bullion products available. Luckily, the Certified Gold Exchange helped make my investment in these coins possible with their useful insight. I wish you the best of luck when investing in precious metals.

Arthur McGuire

An ever-growing number of institutional, and household investors have been turning to gold bullion as a viable, and even more reliable option for financial stability. Dwindling portfolios, due to over-leveraged traditional investments like stocks and bonds, are being “beefed up” by savvy investors who are purchasing gold bullion.

Traditionally, bullion has been used as a means to back up a fledgling existing paper currency. In times when corporate debt, inflation, and rising interest rates negatively impact the economy, the Dollar loses buying power. This is when banks, insurance companies, and financial investors turn to gold bullion as a hedge against other failing paper promissory notes, such as stocks, bonds, and CDs.

When investing in bullion, one should keep in consideration that they are buying “in bulk”. By definition, bullion is, “a precious metal in bulk form”. It can be cast into ingots, or bars, or minted into coins. The “packaging” of the gold varies, but the content of the package remains constant. This is my caveat to all investors who seek financial security by purchasing gold bullion.

Gold marketers may try to embellish a bullion product’s investments value by emphasizing its design, availability (or lack thereof), or commemorative dating. These are all just selling points to draw in buyers who think that these factors will help increase the value of the gold. Those buyers wind up paying for fancy packaging. Nothing more.

When considering investing in bullion, buyers should always be mindful that the value of bullion revolves around the spot price of gold, which fluctuates hourly. So the savvy investor should be mindful to keep a watchful eye on gold’s spot price, and pay less attention to extraneous qualities, such as commemorative dating, or a limited supply of a given bullion advertisement. Here’s wishing you prosperous investing.

Many wise investors have decided to buy silver bullion during this recessionary cycle due to a variety of reasons; such as the high profit potential and preservative qualities that silver bars and coins can offer. Silver coins are probably the oldest form of mass-produced currency. Ever since the beginning of the Greek Empire, we have seen these beautiful coins in circulation. When deciding to buy silver bullion it’s important to know all the facts about the metal that interests you such as its investment demand, physical condition and of course its rarity. All of these factors can affect the price you pay when going to buy gold bullion as well as sell. The reason that these bars and coins have been gaining popularity is because they have acted as a hedge against inflation and of course just like gold, they have profited during times of financial crisis.

I personally love silver for a variety of reasons but one of the main factors that drive me to purchase it is because it can be relatively inexpensive compared to other safe haven metals like gold. There are many popular bullion coinages out there such as the American Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs and the British Britannia. Each one of these are beautiful products that have proven their profit and preservation potential over and over again during the last eight years. The latest projections for the metal are saying that $25-$35 per ounce could be seen before the end of 2009 as a result of the higher industrial investment demand. I wish you the best of luck with investing in precious metals.

Arthur McGuire