I'm looking to invest in Gold

[JSD]

As a saver I'm growing more concerned with inflation and looking to preserve my capital by investing in Gold. I have a 401k plan that I just rolled into an IRA. Are there any stocks I could buy that equate to owning actual physical Gold? I'm also considering buying Gold coins or Bullion with the rest of my savings and have heard that having Gold in possession can be a bad thing when it comes to reselling (buyer questioning ect.). I'm hoping (and am quite sure) that there are people here on CB that understand Gold more than me. Any suggestions?

[Roy Hobbs]

Glenn Beck, is that you?

[waiting for #18]

Check out Goldcorp. A gold mining company.
Study, study, study before investing in anything.

[Donoghus]

Personally, I think this gold rush is just another fad.  Its a bubble just like everything else.  The prices have sky-rocketed as people speculate. 

Is there really a bonafide inflation threat right now?  People often equate our current economic situation to the mid-70s.  Guess what, gold wasn't the best investment then and I don't think it is now.  I really think its more speculative than anything and I'd urge you to do more research into this and really think about it then get caught up in the hype.

[JSD]

I've done quite bit of research, I've just read a lot and heard conflicting opinions. For instance, "Gold ETF's are great and will grow during times of inflation" and "Gold ETF's are terrible, they are not backed by Gold". OR "Having Gold in a vault is your best bet in assuring it's certified and easy to redeem" and "Having physical Gold is a good thing as long as you have a safe place for it, you avoid vault charges."

I guess I'm looking for testimonials, personal experience and other things to research.

[JSD]

Check out Goldcorp. A gold mining company.
Study, study, study before investing in anything.

Why Goldcorp?

[Kwhit10]

I have this quote for you.

For those who think gold is already too expensive consider this from our dear friend Ian McAvity and his great newsletter, Deliberations… Gold is about 52% higher than it was at its January, 1980 peak. Meanwhile, the CPI, which is the consumer measure of inflation is 177% higher, the money supply is 464% higher and the stock market is nearly 900% higher.

Gold hasn't increased it's value compared to other investments.  However, you could also take this info and think that gold has a lot of catching up to do 

[Eja117]

Gold. You can't eat it. You can't drink it. You can't live in it. You can't drive it. You can't marry it. You can't burn it. And it's heavy making it difficult to transport.

The only thing you can do with gold is pile it up, use some of it to buy a safe, put it in there and hope nobody steals it.

History's dirty little secret....gold is worthless.

I mostly agree with Dons

[indeedproceed]

Land. I don't know why more people don't buy land.

Can you ever have enough land? No sir. Men have been fighting over mainly two things since the beginning of time. Land, and women.

Population grows, land becomes more scarce...how can it possibly depreciate in value. Go buy some farmland.

[Eja117]

Land. I don't know why more people don't buy land.

Can you ever have enough land? No sir. Men have been fighting over mainly two things since the beginning of time. Land, and women.

Population grows, land becomes more scarce...how can it possibly depreciate in value. Go buy some farmland.

I guess if ocean levels rise and you have some beachfront or if your area runs out of water you could lose some value.

[indeedproceed]

Land. I don't know why more people don't buy land.

Can you ever have enough land? No sir. Men have been fighting over mainly two things since the beginning of time. Land, and women.

Population grows, land becomes more scarce...how can it possibly depreciate in value. Go buy some farmland.

I guess if ocean levels rise and you have some beachfront or if your area runs out of water you could lose some value.

Gotta choose your land obviously.

Gotta be 500-700 ft above sea level. Gotta have good natural aquafirs. Also, survivalist training would come in handy in these situations, so bomb shelters are a must.

I'm not saying apocalyptic climate changes or zombie invasions are coming. I'm just saying I'm ready.

Been working on my cardio.

[JSD]

While I always appreciate response, I wasn't asking about Gold as an investment... I guess this is more for people who have experience investing in Gold.

Anyone?

[blake]

While I always appreciate response, I wasn't asking about Gold as an investment... I guess this is more for people who have experience investing in Gold.

It sounded like you were talking about Gold as an investment.  A hedge against inflation is an investment.  If inflation goes up, based on history you will have a rise in gold prices.  But, there are a couple of other economic factors that could make it a really bad investment in the short term.

If you have a long term horizon, you shouldn't have a problem beating inflation.  That being said, don't just limit yourself to gold.  Look at the whole spectrum of commodities as a hedge.

To keep it simple though, an Gold ETF should handle your goals if economic conditions fall into order like you suggest.

[Witch-King]

Glenn Beck, is that you?

I lol'ed

[blake]

Also if inflation is your only fear, then look at TIPS.  Purchase them directly from the government.  Yes, purchasing this from the treasury seems ironic on the surface but is exactly what you need if inflation is your only concern:

http://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/products/prod_tips_glance.htm