Investing in Gold & Silver For Dummies. Paul Mladjenovic

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sure you understand the crucial differences between the following terms because each is distinctly different, and I make an excruciating effort in using these terms appropriately.

      Saving

      

The classical, economic definition of saving is “income that has not been spent,” but the modern definition is “money set aside in a savings account (regardless of the interest rate) for a ‘rainy day’ or emergency.” Everyone should have a savings account with money that is safe and accessible just in case you encounter an unexpected interruption in your cash flow. In fact, you should have at least three months’ worth of gross living expenses sitting blandly in a savings account or money market fund.

      Although precious metals in the right venue is appropriate for most people, including savers, you need to have cash savings in addition to your precious metals investments. A good example of an appropriate venue in precious metals for savers is buying physical gold and/or silver bullion coins as a long-term holding (see Chapter 9).

      Investing

      This term refers to the act of buying an asset that fits an investor’s profile and goals, and that is meant to be held long term (in years). The asset will always run into ups and downs, but as long as the asset you’re holding is trending upward (a bull market), you’ll be okay.

      Investing in precious metals may not be for everyone, but it’s an appropriate consideration for many investment portfolios. The common stock of large or midsize mining companies is a good example of an appropriate vehicle for investors. (See Chapter 7 for details.) Another great vehicle for investors is exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds (covered in Chapter 8).

      Trading

      

Trading is truly short term in nature and is meant for those with steady nerves and a quick trigger finger. Many “trading systems” are out there, and this activity requires extensive knowledge of market behavior along with discipline and a definitive plan. The money employed should be considered risk capital and not money intended for an emergency fund, rent, or retirement.

      The gold and silver venue for traders could be mining stocks (see Chapter 7), but more likely it would be futures and/or options because they’re faster-moving markets. Get more information on futures in Chapter 12 and options in Chapter 13.

      Speculating

      Speculating can be likened to “financial gambling.” Speculating means that you’re making an educated guess about the direction of a particular asset’s price move. You’re looking for big price moves to generate a large profit as quickly as possible, but you also understand that it can be very risky and volatile. Your appetite for greater potential profit coupled with increased risk is similar to the trader (see the previous section), but your time frame is different. Speculating can be either short term or long term.

      Your gold and silver venue of choice could be stocks, but more likely, the stocks would be of mining companies (called junior mining stocks or exploratory companies) that are typically smaller companies with greater price potential (see Chapter 7). Speculating is also done in leveraged and inverse ETFs (covered in Chapter 11).

      For shorter-term speculating, my main preference is long-dated options on stocks, futures, or ETFs. If you think that a stock, ETF, or futures contract is going up in the short term, then use call options. If you think their price will decline or crash in the short term, then consider put options. Both types of options are covered in Chapter 13.

      

The year 2020 was a great speculating year. My clients and I made plenty of money with call options on gold and silver vehicles while we also bought put options on stocks, and both produced fantastic gains.

      

For more information on successful approaches to aggressive speculating in stocks and ETFs and for details on advanced options strategies, consider my book High-Level Investing For Dummies (Wiley).

Building Your Financial Profile

      Your approach to gold and silver will be dictated by what type of participant you plan on being (conservative, aggressive, and so forth) and what goals you have (long term, short term, or intermediate term). Some approaches with gold and silver are great for, say, retirement while others are more short term to fund near-term projects like adding to savings or for a down payment on a real estate purchase. Spend plenty of time analyzing your personal style, your needs, and your goals.

      For the conservative investor

      A conservative investor seeks quality investments (such as stocks with good fundamentals and undervalued assets such as silver) and holds them for the long term. Conservative investors generally avoid short-term speculating and trading, and they avoid assets that are not undervalued and that offer features such as paying dividends. They also participate in a market where there are favorable trends (such as increasing demand for the product/service offered) so that the stock or asset has steady price appreciation going forward.

      The conservative investor should consider a long-term approach with quality vehicles and quality stocks (meaning profitable and financially strong companies). The best vehicles would be some mix of the following:

       Direct physical bullion (see Chapter 9)

       Major mining stocks (see Chapter 7)

       Physical gold and silver ETFs (see Chapter 8)

       Major mining stock ETFs

       Gold and silver mutual funds (see Chapter 8)

      

You don’t need to get all of those, of course, just choose one or more as you judge your preferences and goals.

      For the growth investor

      Growth investors hope to add assets or stocks/ETFs that have strong potential in the near

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