The question remains, though, should you invest in a gold IRA (precious metals IRA) or buy physical gold and silver? What is the right choice and what is the difference? Listing out the pros and cons of both might help you to make a more informed decision or help you to decide where and how much to invest of your savings.
Pros Of A Gold IRA
Creating a self-directed IRA backed by precious metals, more formally known as a "gold IRA", has been a popular investment in recent years. It is not without it's faults but, in general, setting up a gold IRA or doing a gold IRA rollover is a very solid financial decision. There isn't a huge financial down side to this investment as a long term investment or as a way to secure wealth for your retirement.
One of the biggest benefits of a gold IRA that might make you decide upon this option rather than buying gold or silver and storing it yourself is the ease with which you can liquidate portions of your investment. Since the gold is stored with a custodian, you don't have to deal with shipping the gold to the buyer, having the gold tested or graded and everything is taken care of by the custodian.
Security is another plus of opening a gold IRA. There's no need for you to have to deal with storage or hiding your gold. There's no rental of a safe deposit box at your local bank or the expense of buying a safe and worrying if someone is going to break into your house (or worse) in order to steal your investment. With a gold IRA, the custodian takes care of the storage for a nominal yearly fee. A good tip is to look for a company that provides a flat custodial fee instead of a percentage of your investment or a variable fee. This can save you thousands of dollars over the lifetime of your IRA.
Pros Of Buying And Taking Delivery Of Your Gold Or Precious Metals
There are people who would prefer to buy physical gold and silver and take delivery of their precious metals. This is another option that you should consider even if you do choose to go with a gold IRA since it can be a rather unique way to invest your money. There are those that are preparing for a complete economic collapse and this is the choice that they'll recommend with the focus on buying silver first and then smaller pieces of gold.
It is true that there are some advantages to investing in precious metals in this manner and, if we're being honest, the thought of storing your gold in your home or even in a safety deposit box at your local bank might make you smile. Rarely do we have the opportunity to invest in something so valuable and then be able to hold that wealth in our hands. Thoughts of feeling like a Rockefeller or some other very wealthy individual come to mind and the picture inside your head of having a home safe stocked with gold and silver bars might appeal to you.
When you think of buying gold from a more logical standpoint, the ability to eliminate fees often associated with a gold IRA does have it's benefits. You might be able to purchase a home safe for a few hundred dollars or even a little over a thousand and eliminate that expense. You will also have ready access to your gold and silver and in case something does happen, you know that you won't have to go through a bank or a IRA custodian in order to get your gold.
While none of us want to think of a huge economic collapse, your ability to take your gold and silver and go to another country quickly and exchange your investment for local currency can't be beat. Even other countries where there was an economic collapse in recent years saw that gold and silver was used initially for goods and services until the country stabilized and a new currency was formed.
If nothing else, knowing that you have ready access to your wealth and that nobody can take it away when you invest in gold and silver has its redeeming value. Investing a portion of your savings in gold that you can hold has thus become a popular investment and the security of buying gold and silver simply can't be beat.
The Cons Of Investing In Gold And Gold IRAs
Of course, there will be people that will tell you that you're crazy to pull your money or a portion of your savings out of the stock market and invest in gold even if it is a gold IRA. They will state historical facts and show that since the 1960's the stock market has outperformed gold and silver. While this may be true, keep in mind that past performance is no indication of future projections, as they all say.
If you're nearing retirement or if you simply have a bad feeling about the economy then removing some of that risk by investing in a gold IRA or buying gold and silver can't be beat. Real estate markets follow the economy. The stock market and the world economy reflect what corporations do and history has shown that great wealth can be lost very quickly all thanks to a few greedy individuals. If you feel that you simply don't have time to wait for the stock market to rebound in such a case or if you just want to sleep peacefully knowing that your savings are backed with a tangible asset that will always hold its value then buying gold and silver or investing in a gold IRA is a logical choice.
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