More people every day are growing concerned enough about national and global financial and economic conditions that they decide they need to own gold and silver as a form of “wealth insurance.”
However, once that decision is made, the person then has to consider a number of options available where they think of themselves as purchasing precious metals. Among the choices, in my educated but biased opinion, the best option is to get physical.
None of the alternative ways to consider for purchasing gold and silver are free of any negatives. So, let’s look at the pluses and minuses of the various options.
Commodity futures and options contracts. If you are looking to make a major investment in gold or silver, you may not want the hassle of worrying about the location and physical security of the physical metal. Investors who buy and sell commodity futures or options contracts on an exchange or over the counter normally have no intention of taking delivery upon the maturity of the contract. Instead, they are looking strictly to make gains on the changes in price. In the London Bullion Market Association, the standard gold futures contract is a single 400-ounce bar; the New York COMEX standard gold futures contract is for a
