You don’t have to look far to find reams of advice on investing in the stock market, but when it comes to diversifying your investments and spreading your money into the precious metals market, the (legitimate) information tends to dry up. This relative lack of popularity leads many to make the mistaken assumption that something must be wrong with investing in gold, silver, and other precious metals. This isn’t helped by the glut of scam artists and opportunists out there who make investing in gold sound like a fad you need to get in on today before we go into a global depression. This kind of hype may convince conspiracy theorists to buy a couple of gold bars, but it only strengthens the skeptical in their view that precious metals are a fool’s game.

Unfortunately, countless ads that place gold investments somewhere in the same sphere as commemorative Elvis plates in the minds of many have done investors a tremendous disservice. One need only look past the hype to see that investing in precious metals can be a big part of a thoughtful investment strategy. One need not choose to invest in the precious metals market over the stock market, of course. To believe that some kind of choice must be made is to fall for the hype again. The most successful investors in history have always been conscious of the importance of diversification. The phrase “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket” applies not only to making sure you don’t put all of your money in one company’s stock, but also to the very markets you invest in. Continue reading →