So you now have all this information about how protects wealth, there’s one problem: How do buy gold? There’s several options for the investor, so many in fact people have a hard time choosing the right option. What about Gold ETFs, Gold Eagle or Gold Buffalo, mining stocks, rare gold coins, foreign government gold coins, gold bullion: bars and/or coins, or go out west buy up land and start digging? We’ll attempt to briefly answer those questions and more.

Well first of all lets start with going out west, buy land, and start digging. There are better ways to invest in gold. The first question you should ask yourself is how much currency can I use to buy gold? As a percentage of your overall investment portfolio it’s recommended near 8-10%.

If you have a huge portfolio, then it doesn’t make sense to stack away Gold Buffalo coins because of the cost of storing the coins. Can we say huge safe? It does make sense to invest in the Gold Shares ETF or gold mining stocks because of the size of investment gives more control over the direction of the company thus greater control over the investment. Yet, on the other hand, if you have a smaller portfolio where 10% of that could buy 1 to 20 (1-oz.) coins then buying bullion coins or the American Gold Eagle or Gold Eagle does make sense for you. It all begins with how much currency you are investing.

As for Foreign Government Gold Coins like the Chinese Panda or the South Africa Gold Krugerrand, any gold coin minted by a foreign government is usually a less than stellar idea for most investors because of the liquidity risk. Say for example a U.S. citizen wants to sell his Gold Eagle the number of other U.S. investors demanding that type of coin is much larger than U.S. investors looking for a Chinese Gold Panda. In this case the U.S. citizen wanting to sell his Gold Eagle can quickly unload is holdings, thus the liquidity risk is near zero. To avoid a liquidity risk stick to domestic minted coins.

As far as investing in rare gold coins, the general advice is just don’t. Rare coins are a game for collectors and prices can be significatly volitile. So, unless you’re willing to put the time behind researching and educating yourself about the rare coin market, it’s a good idea to stick to gold rounds or gold bullion coins.

Now, Where Can I Buy the Gold?

The United States Mint publishes a list of approved coin dealers, this list would be the best place to start. Search the list to find a coin dealer near you or a dealer online. Second, you can search eBay. Or, you can take a look at our Marketplace to find the bullion for your next investment.