Friday, June 19, 2015

Gold Coins - A Different Way to Invest in Your Future


Why Invest In Gold?

Gold values shift with time but gold is always valuable and its value is not dependent solely upon being able to sell it. Unlike stocks and other investments, gold's value isn't linked primarily to supply or demand nor is it related to company performance or earnings. Gold stands on its own and will always have some value just as it is. In an ever shifting economy and world market the dollar may lose value, stocks may plummet and other investments may fall flat. Gold coins, however, are valued everywhere and travel well. No matter what happens there will always be a minimum fixed value to gold and demand for it. Gold coins are one way to diversify your investment portfolio if you are an avid investor, and one of the easiest ways to begin investing if you are new to the practice or have limited means to begin.

The Best Investment

To make the most of your investment in gold coins you need to know the best gold to invest in. If you are looking for how to buy gold for investment, the best option of all is bullion coins. Many people are taken in by the idea of collectible gold coins, but unlike bullion, collectibles require an interested party if you wish to off-load them for cash later. Collecting is not the same as investing, though you can certainly collect thoughtfully with the intent of investment. Collectors tend to gravitate towards designs that appeal to them rather than the actual quality of the gold itself. This means when they want to sell, they need to find someone who is equally interested in the design or meaning of a specific coin if they want to recoup the investment or make more. This can be tricky as the value of the gold itself is then not in play but instead it is based on the intrigue to a collector. Bullion coins, on the other hand, have an inherent value being of higher quality more pure gold that can be melted down if necessary. It is easier to find a buyer for bullion for this reason. 



How To Get Started

It is often said the best time to buy gold for investment is when the economy is fairly quiet. Gold and interest rates are connected; when interest rates rise gold value drops and vice versa. Buying gold when the value is lower in anticipation of it rising again makes sense, but buying when there isn't a panicked scramble for gold is even better. Find a reputable trader and build a relationship. Look for brick-and-mortar businesses where you can meet with your merchant in person. Consider how long they have been in business. Familiarize yourself with market values on gold so you can recognize if the merchant is also knowledgeable and able to give you accurate information and is selling quality gold. Buy from the same merchant in relatively small amounts at a time as you are able. Think of each purchase as a long-term investment, with no intent to try to flip the gold coins quickly. Buying slowly allows you to invest a reasonable amount at a time and watch the coin investment increase over time. Watch the market so you can plan purchases when prices are low.

Investing in gold bullion coins can be a relatively simple way to get started in investing or a great way to add additional value to an extensive portfolio. 

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Silver Coin Investing - More Common Than You Thought It Was

Silver coins are an interesting investment. They don't have the headline value that gold and gold coins do- silver doesn't have the same way of grabbing people's attention as gold. However, it still has a lot of the sample properties as gold from an investment perspective. That makes silver a good deal- it is a way to buy into the valuable characteristics of precious metals without paying for gold. That is why silver coins have started getting more attention in some investing circles. People with long-term vision are buying silver coins because they provide stability to a portfolio even in the face of the risk of large economic downturns, or even a collapse.

Investing in Precious Metals

If there's one main reason that draws people to invest in precious metals, it is the idea that these hold value better than any other asset. Gold, silver, platinum- these metals are believed to have their own inherent value that is independent of stocks, bonds, and the financial system at large. To an extent, there is some natural demand for these metals because of their industrial uses. Some companies use them because they have desirable physical properties for applications like wiring in electronics. Aside from that, however, silver and gold have value because everyone believes that they have value- even above money, people trust precious metals. That's why so many people include silver coins in their portfolio- no matter what happens to the economy, these investors expect that silver will hold its value.

Silver Coins

The additional value in silver coins is that they are also good to have just as curios. Silver coins are quite interesting because nit many people have them. This is especially true for historical silver coins, which might be rare or have interesting designs. Silver coin investing is not just a financial choice- it can also be a hobby like collecting stamps. Historical silver coins also have another advantage. It is easy to know exactly how much they are worth. While silver prices today might fluctuate based on economic trends and changes in demand, a historical silver coin has a fairly fixed value that most collectors will agree on, and it is generally not difficult to have them appraised to check that value. Buying silver coins is as much about having an interesting thing to own as it is about the financial value of the piece.

The Future of Silver Coins

It is certainly true that the world economy is less stable now than it has been in the past. The US has been struggling with a weak recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, Europe has been embroiled in debt crises due to its currency union, tensions are high with Russia and China, Africa faces threats from Islamic terrorism, and South America is facing problems thanks to the collapse in oil prices and general corruption. There is no place that is facing a warm, stable outlook. That is part of what makes precious metals in general and silver coin investing in particular so appealing. Silver prices today are higher than their historical average to reflect the fact that many investors are feeling the pressure to find a safe haven for their money. That shouldn't only be a concern for today: having a core part of a portfolio be in low-risk, long-term holdings can decrease that portfolio\'s exposure to a wide variety of different risks. Combine that with the way silver coins are also just fun things to have, and it means that they are an all around attractive option for a long-term investment.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Creating Wealth: Create One Own Gold Standard 101

Despite the roller coaster ups and downs of various economic indicators, one thing remains constant for approximately the last 3,000 years: the value of gold. No one disputes its value; however, there is a perpetual debate as to what is the better way to buy, invest or hold this precious yellow metal. Below, we will cover one common sense approach that may help not only the experienced investor in gold but the first time investor as well.
Since it is doubtful that anyone of us will actually own a gold mining operation, although it is not outside of the impossible, our article will limit itself to the best way to buy gold and the best way to buy silver, being coin collectibles vs bullion.
Gold Standard Background
Since having abandoned the gold standard in 1971 during the administration of President Richard M. Nixon, many notable individuals have advocated a return to a gold standard. In fact, more than 12 states are slowly but surely moving ahead in the direction of a gold standard including: Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Georgia, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Washington.
Furthermore, Steve Forbes, ex-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and former presidential candidates among many others are saying that individual citizens can set up their own gold standard with some simple to implement steps–right now!
Where Does One Begin? Changing One’s Mind
First of all, one must recognize that the only impediment to creating wealth is in one’s thinking process. For too long, many have blindly been led by what the powers that be recommended as choice ways to prosper financially.
Secondly, creating a mindset that says a person alone is responsible for creating their own wealth is Gold-Coins-Images-51crucially important. Fortunately, today the Internet has facilitated gold investment and is showing many the best way to buy gold and the best way to buy silver through the means of web sites dedicated to investments.
Lastly, one must realize that there is no scarcity of gold or silver. A manipulated market is what makes these and other commodities scarce on planet earth.
Devising A Strategy
While undergoing a paradigm shift of sorts about being able to do this, the next step that follows is basically starting a short-term plan. Getting an education and researching everything on investing in gold, especially about coin collectibles vs bullion, is vitally important.
Setting aside a part of one’s paper money, make an emergency gold-based and silver-based reserve fund by investing in “junk” silver coins, 1 ounce silver eagles and 1 ounce gold coins or small gold bullion ingots. This short-term reserve emergency fund will theoretically carry an individual for about six months.
Advancing to the next step, medium-range gold goal setting, set up a secured, gold deposit account in Switzerland. Of course, one also has the option of taking physical possession of one’s precious yellow investment.
Finally, being mindful that gold is kept best as a long-term investment, develop long-term plans for both purchasing and storing precious metals. Experts usually agree on keeping up to 25 percent of one’s financial portfolio backed with gold-backed entities; however, monitoring daily gold fluctuations is a must.
Not Enough To Create A Gold Standard? Think Again
Today, thanks to the Internet platform, many beginner investors are securing their future by going online to buy precious metals. For as little as $25.00 a month, a small investor can either purchase gold/silver ingots or gold/silver coin collectibles.
precious-metals-pricesOnce the full purchase price is reached, the commodities can either be sent to an investor’s home address or stored in Swiss gold depositories. If nothing else, buying gold jewelry has always proven a good investment as well.
While gold is not a panacea for all of this planet’s economic and social ills, one’s self-confidence grows when a person learns to manage their own financial future.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Silver Coins The Lifetime Value


Silver coins are an asset that has been attracting a lot of attention recently. There are several attributes of silver coins that have made them a good investment as well as interesting objects to own. This post will discuss a few of the main reasons people decide to buy silver coins and what they do with them.
Silver As A Precious Metal
Silver, like gold, is a metal that has value for a variety of reasons. First of all, there are industrial uses for silver. That means that there is always some demand for silver from companies that need to use in in the production of a different good. The industrial demand helps to increase the price of silver, because these companies will always need to have some silver on hand to operate. On top of that, there is demand for silver from collectors. These are people who want silver coins just for their own sake. They might be after specific silver coins or just silver coins in general. Finally, there is demand for silver coins from investors. These are people who want to hold silver coins in their portfolio as an asset, rather than because they like silver personally. These three groups of people determine the value of silver, because they are the ones who purchase the most of it.
Silver’s Enduring Value
Making a silver investment is a long term proposition. Like other metals, silver is an asset that is meant to retain its value even in the face of tough economic times. Silver is different from stocks or bonds. Those are financial assets. They are reliant on the banking system and on the complex system of laws that regulates them and affects their value. It does not take a complete catastrophe for these assets to become highly risky and lose value. Consider the financial meltdown of 2008. The irresponsible actions of some bankers led to a major crisis in the banking system, and that destroyed a lot of the value of assets in the financial markets. On the other hand, silver rose in price. This is because in bad times, investors need safety, and silver coins’ value provides that safety. Silver is an asset that isn’t connected to the vagaries of the stock market or the financial system. Silver coins for sale are not just assets to hold and them sell- they are physical goods that you own. That is part of the appeal of silver investment. It isn’t an asset that you only own on paper- it is actually in your possession.
Value Investing
The bottom line about silver coins’ value is that it lasts. When you see silver coins for sale, they are usually old coins. That speaks to how the silver market works- these coins and bars have been around for a long time, and they still have value even after many years. The same cannot be said for other assets. They might gain or lose value, experiencing constant price fluctuations. In the case of a stock or corporate bond, the assets can even become useless when the company goes out of business. On the other hand, there is no authority or regulation controlling the value of silver. Silver has its own value that it keeps for a lifetime. Many investors choose silver as an asset they they hold in their portfolio for their entire life due to this fact. It is hard to find a different asset that can hold value for a long time and also provide value as an interesting object to own the way silver coins can.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Creating a Business Collecting Silver Coins


Overview
For many people in the United States and around the world, owning a business is the ultimate dream. There are many different things that owning a business allows if the business is successful. The great aspect of the world that we live in today is that there are a ton of opportunities out there for those that are willing to go in to the market place and take a risk. One of the best opportunities for starting and running a profitable business today is collecting and selling silver coins and other precious metals. Many people wonder exactly how to sell silver coins and how to make money doing so. The good news is that there are several steps that anyone starting a business collecting and selling silver coins can take in order to increase their chances of success.
Buy Wholesale
The most important thing for anyone that wants to make money selling silver coins is to purchase those coins at a discount. This can be done by finding a good wholesaler to work with or it can be done purchasing the coins from a distressed owner. Many times at estate sales, the only family a person has is out of state and they do not want to spend a lot of time selling all of the possessions for top dollar. Many elderly people see the value in collecting silver coins and they may have several thousand dollars worth of the coins. When working to sell coins for cash, it is important that the margins on the products are as high as possible. The margin is defined as the retail price that the customer pays minus the cost to acquire the merchandise. In order to make the right amount of money when you sell coins for cash, it is vital to acquire them at the lowest cost possible.
Reduce Overhead
In any business there is going to be some overhead that must be dealt with. No matter how lean of an operation there is, there are costs of doing business. However, with the technology available today there is no reason that overhead can not be reduced. There are many businesses that spend a lot of money every month on huge facilities to house their inventory and store front. When starting a business, it may be more profitable over the long term to start out small and lean. Then, as margins improve and the customer base expands a person can invest more money in to their business for growth. The value of old coins is something that can be hard to discern so knowing the value of inventory can be difficult. As a business owner, one of the most important tasks is knowing the value of old coins in inventory. Many people wonder how to sell silver coins for a profit, and the best answer is to reduce the overhead of the business and to buy the silver coins at a deep discount.
General Business Tips
Overall, by following these two tips you are well on your way to being successful in collecting silver coins. However, there are also some general business tips that should be followed by anyone interested in making a large profit. First of all, investing in the business should only be done after careful analysis. Just because you think you need something for the business, does not mean it will do anything to drive the bottom line of the company. At the end of the day, every dollar a business spends in the beginning should be reinvested back in to the business for maximum long term profits. Finally, always think long term rewards over short term pain. This goes for any area of life, but is especially true in building a business.
- See more at: http://mylifechanger.net/creating-a-business-collecting-silver-coins/#sthash.bFlo2dVU.dpuf

Monday, June 8, 2015

Collecting Silver for your Children’s Future


Overview

There are many investment vehicles that people use to build wealth for both their future and their family's future. Many people investment in things like real estate and stocks in order to create a high return. However, many people do not know about investing in precious metals like silver. There are a plethora of reasons why a person should choose to invest in silver for both their future and their children's future. Not only is silver a haven against inflation, but it can also hold intrinsic value in times of economic collapse. During the recession of 2008, many people who had precious metals investments made a huge return while people in typical asset classes saw their investments cut in half. Below are several reasons why you should consider investing in silver.

Inflation Hedge

One of the biggest positives for investing in silver or any other precious metal is that it is a hedge against inflation. Most of the currencies around the world are simply paper currencies, which means that they are only worth the paper they are printed on. If the United States economy was to collapse, the value of the U.S. dollar would collapse as well. Even people that saved and invested their whole lives would see their fortunes dry up in an instant. However, with silver you can protect yourself against currency collapse as it will hold intrinsic value no matter what the economic times dictate. Inflation is simply the gradual rise of prices over time, and in the last twenty years the price on everything is up while wages are stagnant. This effectively means that people are earning less than decades before on a dollar per dollar basis. Silver helps to protect as a hedge against inflation because it holds it value no matter what.

Investing Returns

Another reason to invest in silver is the investing returns that a person can earn. In general, for precious metals the worse the economy is doing the better their investments will be. This means that silver should not be the entire portfolio for someone's investments, but it should comprise a part of it in order to protect against economic collapse. Investing in silver is easier than ever before due to the internet. There are many websites where people can deposit money and invest in precious metals at the click of a button. Silver coins value will continue to go up over time, and this is a great reason to invest in precious metals. The higher the rate of return that an investment earns, the more money the investor will make. Simply making the decision to start investing means that you are already ahead of the average person.

Transactions Are Easy

Finally, silver is much easier to sell than other assets. For example, in the economic crisis of 2008 many people had a difficult time selling their largest and most important asset in their home. It takes a lot of time, energy, and thousands of dollars to sell a home. However, anyone can sell coins for cash at a variety of different physical or online stores. When a person decides to sell coins for cash, it is important that they are getting market value for the silver that they are purchasing. Over time, saving money on the transactions of buying and selling silver will add up to thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime. It is wise to attempt to reduce the amount of money spent on buying and selling investments as it will increase the annual returns and total wealth.

The great thing about investing in this area is that silver coins value holds steady over time no matter what happens in the United States or world economy. Taking the first step to invest in this asset class means taking charge of your personal financial future and that of your children and others.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Coin Collecting in 2015–An Investment and a Hobby


Many individuals are aware of the fact that they can invest in silver or gold through an IRA or by purchasing stocks. However, another option that should not be overlooked is to buy gold and silver coins outright. This alternative allows the individual to build a collection that serves as an investment as well as an enjoyable pastime.

An Investment and a Hobby

The value of different coins depends on not only their content of precious metal, but also their age and condition. Because coins date back several centuries, older coins are typically worth more than their newer counterparts, with mint condition coins being the most valuable of all. Creation of the first silver and gold coins is credited to 6th Century BC Turkish traders, who needed a type of currency in certain trading situations. Pieces of this kind are typically a mixture of the two metals, with a ratio of approximately 30 percent silver to 70 percent gold. For this reason, it is possible that a specific value was not yet established for silver or gold at that time. Immediately following this period, advancements in coin design techniques resulted in the stamping of images and dates on the surface of each piece. When this type of art was perfected, Kings and Queens quickly demanded to see their images embossed on specific coins. 

Through the years, coin history followed a pattern that is closely associated with human history. Many Greek and Roman coins featured pictures of famous individuals in history, such as warriors, or religious gods or mythical creatures believed to play important roles in crucial battles. Some coins of this type also featured animals or depicted various works of art that were famous at the time. Guides are available for those who want to determine the value of coins from different centuries and countries.

Benefits of Investing in Precious Metals

Since the value of coins and physical precious metals is intrinsic, their usefulness as an investment cannot be understated. The security they offer is unparalleled in many ways: unlike stocks or mutual funds, the risk associated with coins is virtually non existent. In addition, those who invest in coins need not depend on bank stability or a stock exchange. 

Popular Modern Coins

Those who sell coins for cash usually have a clientele of investors who prefer owning precious metals themselves rather than investing in stocks or futures. Many investors consider modern gold coins such as the American Gold Eagle and the Canadian gold maple leaf great investments, especially since the price of gold is steadily climbing, according to the world commodities markets. American Silver Eagles are also popular among many investors, and these are typically available individually, but can also be purchased in the form of a proof set.

Importance of Purchasing Gold and Silver From a Reputable Dealer

Those planning to buy gold and silver coins should only do business with reputable dealers who are established in the field. Legitimate business owners who sell coins for cash guarantee the quality of their precious metals. For this reason, a dealer should be selected with care. 

Choosing a Coin Dealer

The best way to verify the legitimacy of coin dealers is through agencies such as the National Geological Service or the Bureau of Land Management. One's local Better Business Bureau is also a good place to obtain information about specific dealers. In most cases, such agencies keep lists of legitimate gold and silver merchants.

Investing in precious metals is a virtually risk free endeavor, and the time has never been better to begin. Because of inflation and the shakiness of the global economy, those who wish to expand their investments should give serious though to adding gold and silver coins to their portfolio. Regardless of a person's individual objectives, when the aforementioned steps are followed and care is taken to locate a reputable precious metals dealer, consumers will find that gold and silver are worthwhile investments.