Should you buy gold? Is it actually a good investment? The answer to both these questions is yes, but you’ll want to know what the top advantages of gold. They include:

1. Hedge Against Inflation

Inflation carries a lot of risks, with one of them being it can destroy certain types of investments. High inflation rates can cause cash to lose its value as time goes by. This is why you shouldn’t have investments in cash. Your money will only depreciate in value if inflation rates rise, which they often do.

Gold is a good investment because it has a proven track record of outperforming inflation. Throughout the years more and more people have been investing in gold because it serves as a hedge against inflation.

2. Diversification

One of the best things about gold is stock market dips and peaks don’t affect it. Gold’s value does fluctuate, but not in the same way as stocks, bonds and other types of investments. Since this is the case, it’s wise to diversify your investment portfolio by purchasing gold.

If you invest in various assets, such as stocks and real estate, then there’s always a chance that there will be major fluctuations based on market conditions. By diversifying your portfolio with gold investments, your portfolio might not take that much of a hit if your stocks and real estate loses value.

3. Liquidity

High liquidity is another reason you should buy gold. Gold is extremely easy to convert into cash, and it’s constantly in demand. When the time comes, you should have no problems selling your gold.

High liquidity assets are important part of an investment portfolio. This is because if an investors encounters an emergency and needs cash fast, then they can do so by liquidating their gold investments.

4. It’s A Tangible Asset

Gold can be a tangible asset. If you purchase physical gold, then you have an asset that cannot be destroyed by things such as water or fire. Gold is also easy to maintain, so even if many years have gone by, your gold will still retain its appearance and condition. That is as long as you take good care of it and store it properly.

It’s worth pointing out that gold cannot be erased or hacked. Bank accounts, stock brokerage accounts, credit card accounts and so forth can all be hacked and/or compromised. Physical gold is a tangible asset and is not subjected to many of the risks associated with such accounts.

5. Privacy & Confidentially

Believe it or not, but gold offers both privacy and confidentially. Although you still have to report gains on it, gold is still very anonymous. Whether you physically hold the gold yourself or you have a custodian hold onto it for you, gold is private and confidential. Not many other assets offer this.

6. Decent Returns

Gold can result in decent returns in the long-term. As history has proven, gold tends to do very well as time goes by, even in economical turmoil or turbulent times. This is one of the reasons why more and more people are investing in gold as part of their retirement plan.

7. No Counterparty Risk

Finally, there is no counterparty risk with gold. Physical gold will never go completely broke, nor can it go bankrupt. If you have investments in a specific company and it goes bankrupt, then your portfolio can take a huge dive and you won’t walkaway with much, if anything at all. Furthermore, physical gold doesn’t default on obligations or promises.

Gold offers many other advantages, but the above are the top ones. If you’re serious about owning gold, then make sure you buy it from a reputable seller and store it with a reputable custodian, if you decide not to store it yourself.

Gold, for some years now, has been recognized as the best valuable alloy investors can go for. Nevertheless, gold is not the only valuable alloy you can acquire to diversify your portfolio. In the recent past, the growth of Platinum has some venture capitalists questioning if it would be a better investment than gold. These dissimilar alloys have distinctive pros and cons, which make each alloy befitting for a particular category of venture capitalists. Both alloys are used in jewel industries and other commercial uses and can be great investing alternatives, but they have some distinct characteristics, cost and long duration steadiness.

Investment Gold Or Platinum?

Gold Investment

Gold is the most approved invaluable alloy to purchase. It is a durable and flexible alloy known to maintain its worth during commercial difficulties. Gold can be acquired in gold bars, coins, bullions, jewels, ETFs or by purchasing gold mining stocks. Gold also acts as a hedge opposed to inflation. It is used for diverse purposes, which include its commercialization in odontology, jewel making, auto electronic and rocket science. The gold hoarders mostly determine the cost of gold and not by the concepts of consumer confidence.

Platinum Investment

Platinum is a highly-priced alloy that is very rare and strenuous to extract. Its market is mostly resolved by its limited supply and high demand, which makes it a profitable asset. This alloy is useful in different industries, including computer, petroleum, distilling, jewellery, and automobile industries. Platinum is acquired in bullions, platinum coins, ETFs and buying platinum extraction stocks.

Divergence Between Gold And Platinum

Both gold and Platinum are beneficial alloys and can be used as a store of worth, but they have several differences in their qualities and attributes. These consist of;

Availability

Platinum is rare and difficult to extract contrasted to gold. Research has shown that Platinum is more scarce than gold, with just two countries being the main producers. On the other hand, gold is extracted in nearly every corner of the globe. This means that gold is highly obtainable compared to Platinum.

Price and Liquidity

These highly-priced alloys are both liquid resources, but each alloy is distressed by diverse variables. The commodity hoarders affect the standard cost of gold, while Platinum’s value is mainly influenced by its consumer confidence. During commercial instability, the cost of Platinum tends to go down because of its decreased stipulation, but the cost of gold goes up due to its function as a haven. During commercial stability, the antithetical is correct. Gold has higher liquidity and is costly as opposed to Platinum.

Industrial Applications

Platinum is useful in automobile firms because it is used to make vehicle catalytic converters. It is also used in orthodonture, the glass-making industry, making jewels, laboratory equipment, petroleum and distilling firms, and electrical contacts and electrodes. On the contrary, gold is used in the computer industry, aerospace technology, orthodontics, jewellery, and electronics firms. Platinum has a higher industrial stipulation than gold.

Reliability

Platinum is more prone to cost fluctuations due to its insufficiency, lower liquidity, the complication in extraction, and ties to car manufacturing firms. Its functions can also be replaced by palladium. The cost of gold changes, but it is more steady with time because of its role as a haven during commercial difficulties. This makes gold more reliable than Platinum.

Conclusion

To venture capitalists that want to focus on steadiness and long-duration assets, gold is the leading alternative for you. The stipulation for gold is high for the most part, and the stipulation is heightened during commercial difficulties. On the contrary, for venture capitalists looking for short-duration assets, Platinum is the leading choice for you because Platinum does well in times of commercial growth. It would be best to determine your investment goals before purchasing a valuable alloy.

Gold, Platinum, Silver, and palladium are not just precious metals. They’re also alloys with beautiful colors and unique properties that have fascinated humanity for centuries. This post will look at the history of these five metals and their science to provide some interesting facts and information about what makes each one so unique. Suppose you’re looking for a little more knowledge on precious metal alloying. In that case, you should read through our list of 5 very different metals below, which are often amalgamated to create alloys with unique properties.

5 Precious Metals

1. Gold

Gold is the most well-known metal in the world; rightly so, it’s been around for thousands of years and has always played an essential part in industry and trade. Gold has been used as money, in jewelry, in electronics, as part of our diet, and even on Mars! Gold has always held a special place in many cultures worldwide because of its rarity and the way it reflects light. It’s not just shiny, though – gold is a relatively soft metal that can be melted at a relatively low temperature. Combining these facts with its stylish appearance makes it easy to see why it’s considered one of the most precious metals on Earth. With more than $6 000 an ounce, this metal is primarily used in industry and jewelry making with very little use in electronics.

2. Platinum

The metal’s name is derived from its color – Platina is the Spanish term for silver. It has many practical applications in the industry due to its unique properties. It is almost impossible to erode or deform as a very dense and durable material. Thus it is used in jewelry and other items of value, as well as specific medical equipment where heat resistance is valued. It also cures cancer! Or at least platinum-based cancer drugs do – its immune cell-killing properties can be harnessed to kill cancerous cells in humans. Platinum is also used in producing catalytic converters and is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity.

3. Silver

It has a long history of use in jewelry, partly due to its aesthetic properties and partly because many believe it has protective healing qualities. It is said to be able to prevent or treat arthritis, rheumatism, and diabetes, while studies have shown that when pure silver is applied to the skin, it can reduce inflammation. Silverware is believed to prevent food poisoning, and in China and other countries, hard currency is sometimes made of silver or gold rather than the typical paper notes. Silver is also used in photography and space exploration due to its reflective properties – it helps spacecraft reach destinations more quickly as they can bounce solar energy back into space. With the help of Silver Applied Research Inc., NASA could reduce the wear on NASA spacecraft by 70%!

4. Palladium

Long noted as an excellent catalyst in the industrial, chemical, and chemical-engineering industries – examples include catalytic converters, catalytic reactors, and fuel cells – this metal can be found in many cars (platinum is used in exhaust systems and catalytic converters). However, it is also used in electrical wiring and even light bulbs. It is also a preferred alloy for electronics components exposed to high temperatures like smartphones. Another part of its name says it all – palladium is sometimes considered the best investment. It would help if you always had some in your investment portfolio, as its value has risen in the past few years.

5. Ruthenium

The metal’s name comes from the Latin word meaning “little silver,” and it was discovered in 1844 by Joel-Louis Fuchs. Ruthenium is also known as ruthenium chloride and even has a slightly bluish hue when polished due to its chemical similarity to copper. It was named after Russia because Russia had a massive deposit of it – hence the black market moniker “Russian Gold .”So popular is this metal that over 200 million pounds of it are produced annually, with Silicon Valley co-op Ochsner taking up about one-sixth of this amount. You might find it in more modern smartphones, laptops, and high-end camera lenses.

Conclusion

Precious metals are metals of relatively high rarity and monetary value (rare earth elements are not unique but are so named because they are often found in ore deposits near precious metals). They have been valued throughout history for their beauty, money use, and high corrosion resistance. While gold is the most valuable precious metal available today, many others have solid industrial uses and can be helpful in day-to-day situations.