The Best Way to Buy Silver
During economic downturns or when a downturn is expected, many investors have taken comfort in owning precious metals. Designed to protect against inflation and ambiguity in the markets, this asset is often used to diversify against equities, reap benefits of a tangible good with use, and hedge against rising prices.
Here are the best and most popular ways to buy silver.
Key Takeaways
- Silver is often used as a portfolio diversifier and hedge against economic downturns and inflation.
- Investors can still buy physical coins or bullion, though it may be more difficult to store and protect against loss compared to other methods.
- Investors can own silver futures contracts for the right to acquire silver at a future date for a specific price.
- Investors can elect to diversify within the silver industry by owning shares of a precious metals ETF.
- Investors can also choose to buy stocks in silver mining companies to have ownership in future silver mining operations.
How to Buy Silver
Coins or Bullion
The traditional means of silver ownership is physically owning the precious metal, often in the form of coins of bullion. When physically possessed, silver can also be directly used in a variety of ways.
Physical silver can commonly be purchased online, though local dealerships or pawn shops may also offer carry physical silver. If you’re looking to buy larger quantities or want to own physical silver not in the form of coins, you may need to see out a specialized dealer.
In addition to ownership of physical silver coins, there may be additional value in owning certain coins. For example, certain years, denominations, or rarity will trade for a premium. For investors hoping to simply own silver as an investment, it would be wise to avoid buying collectible coins and paying extra for the collectability of the non-silver characteristics.
ETFs
One of the more common ways to invest in silver today is to buy shares of an exchange-traded fund (ETF). ETFs often own the physical silver, and investors simply trade ownership shares of the fund that owns the silver.
ETFs are a very accessible and liquid way of selling the tangible good. Silver can often be instantly sold…
