Stock Investing For Dummies ( cd 1) part 1

Investing in Silver: Why, How and Tips

Silver is definitely a hot commodity today. There is an increasing trend in its intrinsic value making it a great investment. If you are looking for another way to invest your money, consider this precious metal. By adding this into your portfolio of bonds, stock, and mutual funds, you are introducing a tangible asset making your portfolio more diverse and helps protect it against fluctuations in value of just one asset. Here are other reasons why investing in silver are a great idea:

• Economics of precious metals - the economic forces that increase or decrease the value of silver is very different from those that affect other financial assets. Therefore, a decline in value of one of your assets will not affect the value of your silver because it works in a different economy. The independent movement of value of such precious metals over your other financial assets decreases the overall volatility of your portfolio helping promote balance.
• Declining value of dollar - the value of US dollar has consistently declined over the past years and is foreseen by some to continue to do so in the coming years. But even if this occurs, silver is said to have "hedge over inflation" ability. To state as an example, in the years 1971-1981, the value of US dollar declined more than half but at the same time the value of silver increased by over 5 times. This means that while economies fluctuate, recess, and expand, precious metals are not affected and can therefore help lower the risks of your investment portfolio.
• Importance in allocation of assets - no matter what type of investor you are, precious metals like this should have an important part in the allocation of your assets. Experts even suggest that 10-15% of your portfolio be dedicated to precious metals to have a secure foundation no matter how great or poor the economy is.
• Ownership with ease - there is convenience and ease with investing in silver bullions. There is always that sense of security when you actually have that physical and tangible silver bullion within your hands. You know you are secured no matter what because you can easily buy and sell your bullions and earn a good amount of money any time.
• Inexpensive investment - unlike many other investments, silver investing is definitely more affordable. It is more affordable than gold and it is often more affordable than buying stocks or bonds. But the great thing about this is that according to spot silver chart, silver's value is continuously increasing. Therefore, you may buy silver today at an affordable price and be able to sell it in the future for double, triple, quadruple the price.
• High demand in industries - silver among all the other precious metals is more in demand for industrial purposes which affects its value. It is used in imaging, jewelry, electronics, water purification, conductivity, and even in making coins. Hence, silver today is not only known as a precious metal or a piece of artwork. It is already all of these making it highly valuable in the market today.

How to Invest in Silver
Now that you know various reasons why you would want to invest in silver, listed below is how you do the investment properly.

• Education - it is very important that you educate yourself about the spot price of silver. Check out the silver spot chart regularly to check the trends and value of silver. You can easily find this online so you know that daily value of pure silver per troy ounce on a daily basis. The spot price fluctuates by the minute so checking it every now and then can be a good idea.
• Start shopping - online retailers and local shops usually have great silver items selections. Here you can find bullions or bars which are a great investment piece as they are pure silver - no alloys were mixed yet. Look for the.999 stamp on the silver item you are thinking of purchasing to guarantee its authenticity. The.999 stamp signifies that it is made of 99.9% pure silver.
• Look for rare items - the rarer your silver items are the more precious they become. This is why educating you about silver beforehand is considered necessary. This allows you to know what rare silver items there are, so when you start shopping you know what to look for. There are many rare silver coins out there which have the best value. For US coins, look for ones that were produced in 1964 and in earlier years. For Canada coins, look for ones that were produced in 1967 and earlier. For UK coins, look for ones that were produced in 1946 and earlier.
• Invest in stocks - if you do not want the hassle of buying and owning silver items, investing in silver stocks is an option you can take. This is called exchange-traded funds that allow you to own stocks of silver without ever owning the physical silver items.

Tips for Investing
Here are a few helpful tips to invest in silver:

• Always read the great silver spot chart so you are constantly updated to trends and current values of silver. Remember, the spot price of silver changes every minute so if you are serious about making an investment in silver, doing this can definitely help you.
• It may also be helpful to look on the history of the silver market and previous prices. This will help you create generalizations about the trend and forecast where the market is headed.
• When buying coins, make sure the price given to you is close to the spot price. It can be more than or less than but make sure they stay close to it.
• If you want to invest in exchange-traded funds instead, use the help of an online stock brokerage to minimize costs.

Silver is truly a great investment piece and helps create balance in your investment portfolio. So consider investing in this and you will certainly see a growth in your assets in the future.

The author has put together information for the novice to the knowledgeable silver investor.
Information is constantly being updated due to silver's volatility to keep you informed. Visit and bookmark.

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