Business Week recently reported that gold climbed, once again, in both the US and international markets while the interest from investors remains steady around the world. Even amidst a shaky global economy it seems the interest in gold remains high and will only continue to rise as it becomes more publicized in the mainstream media.

Many investors are beginning to realize that a gold investment equals a smart investment. So why are there still so many who have not added gold to their investment portfolio?

Gold Is Only For the Wealthy

Until recently, gold seemed out of reach to smaller investors who believed it was more an investment for the wealthy. Many individuals did not understand the process of obtaining the metal or were led to believe they could only invest in large quantities.

Today, however, gold is becoming more of a mainstream investment – providing even the novice investor an opportunity to possess this precious metal. Gold Bullion is no longer the most commonly recognized form of gold investing. Gold coins have become more widespread and provide a reasonable investment option to the beginner.

Not Enough Information

Prior to the internet age an investor would have had to deal with a local broker or investment manager in order to learn more about gold and their investment options. They may have relied on a friendly referral or simply utilized someone local since it was convenient. Having only limited options and information available to them, coupled with brokers who may have been less than reputable, it made the process of investing in gold extremely intimidating to many.

This is no longer the case for today’s investors. The web now allows them easy access to an abundance of information on the subject. More and more websites are offering potential investors step by step tutorials on the process of investing while outlining the gold investment options. This lifts the veil and allows them to understand the investment strategies so they can become a more educated buyer or seller, bringing knowledge and the power to make better investing decisions.

I Prefer Paper Assets

There was once a time when a diverse investment strategy involved investment in Stocks, Bonds, and various other forms of paper assets in order to distribute the risk an investor would face. However, as we have been painfully taught, paper assets are extremely volatile in today’s market and investors need to diversify their portfolios in order to secure the future of their investments. Gold investments give the investor more options and allows for further diversification.

An investment in gold does not have to be an intimidating undertaking nor is it inaccessible to even the household investor. By conducting ones own research and speaking with qualified and reputable firms this metal can become a lasting investment for you and generations to come just as it has been a solid standing investment to the generations before. If you are looking to diversify your current portfolio or just start one, a gold investment is an option any investor should seriously consider.

Zachary A. Pew

How did your IRA fare against the inflation of 2008? If your answer is “my IRA fared well,” you must be among the few who had wisely taken advantage of the benefits offered by the Taxpayer Relief Act (TRA) passed in 1997. The TRA allows you to put certain types of gold bullions and other precious metals in your IRA with tax deferred protection.

If your answer is “my IRA fared badly,” your IRA must be among the many that relied too much on paper assets like stocks and bonds as placements for IRA funds. These assets are among the first to suffer and suffer the most during times of inflation. Stock market returns plummeted to a negative 37 percent. IRA investments lost an average of 25 percent in 2008 and another 35 percent in 2009. These losses were computed to be $2.5 trillion in 2008 alone. Another $4.5 trillion IRA fund losses are purportedly in the making for the early part of 2010. In contrast, the price of gold soared to $865 an ounce and $1104 in 2009, many times more than the 1997 price of $324.

Inflation is still very much in the air but it is not yet too late to make your IRA fare well against inflation.

As a first step, check with your IRA custodian if your IRA is allowed to put gold into your IRA. Next step, call Certified Gold Exchange 1-800-300-0715 for assistance. An expert will stay with you on the line and help you complete this simple procedure: Fax all the appropriate IRA forms that give your retirement custodian permission to transfer the desired portion of your account equity to GoldStar Trust or Sterling Trust. Either may be your chosen IRA gold custodian.

Once the funds had been transferred, the Certified Gold Exchange expert who has been assisting you will contact you directly and present to you a selection of gold products for your IRA. The CGE expert will help your IRA fare better against any inflation.

Zachary A. Pew

Gold provides not just safety to an investor from such economic monsters as inflation. Gold is also an investment and as an investment it provides an investor not only with safety against inflation but also with opportunities for profit – opportunities perhaps unequalled by other types of investments.

It is an intelligent move to seek refuge in gold whenever a crisis threatens an economy. Those in the know are quick to transfer their investments to gold when the economy is threatened by an economic ailment. They rely on gold is an antidote against inflation. Traditional mediums of investment like stocks and bonds and other paper investments are among the first to suffer losses. Gold is invulnerable to inflation. In fact, gold behaves differently from other mediums of investments whenever there is economic uncertainty. It thrives instead of getting depleted.

During economic difficulties, people move their funds to safer assets for safety. Gold provides not just safety but also profit. The increased number of investors increases the demand for gold and when the demand is high the price of gold naturally increases. Thus, historically gold prices rise during hard times. Many investors still recall their experience during the 1970s. Gold started at a low price of only $37 an ounce. When the decade was over, gold prices came close to $600 an ounce, an increase of 1,500%. The so-called Nixon Shock was the major factor that triggered this vigorous performance by gold. It was in 1971, during the Nixon administration, that the US suspended the direct convertibility of the US dollar to gold.

A more recent experience was the decade 2000-2009. Here gold put up another stellar performance stoked by inflation. Prices teed off at about $270 in 1970. By end-2009 the price of gold breached the $1000 mark to settle at a decade-ending price of $1,104, an increase of over 400%. Again, a $100,000 investment fund transferred to gold in 1970 by an investor to protect him from the prevailing economic difficulties would have, in addition, brought him tremendous profit.

Gold provides both safety and profit opportunities. Keep your investment safe and profitable with gold.

Zachary A. Pew