A lot of investors educate themselves these days through YouTube videos. Indeed, visual is the way to go as it engages more than one set of senses auditory and visual. However, videos like the ones on YouTube do a lot more. As the videos are available on a social media platform, it helps you connect with a community of people who are interested in the same things as you. You can also interact with them and become a part of the community and enhance your own learning experience through collective knowledge sharing. More importantly, you can watch these videos through the internet when you’re on the move.
Imagine being on the London tube from Newbury Park to Notting Hill Gate, a journey that will probably take you an hour. Apart from taking a nap or gaping at your fellow passengers, there s little else you can do. But, we find that more and more people use this time to watch learning videos to enrich their own knowledge about a certain subject. So, YouTube is great for enabling mobile learning. It s also great as a micro-learning tool since the medium allows you to assimilate learning in bite-sized chunks, as opposed to trying to digest everything in one go.
So, now that we have established that online videos can promote learning, we also believe that gold investors can learn quite a bit from watching these videos. In this article, we’ll discover more about five such videos that can be a great learning opportunity. The selection of these videos has been made based on viewership.
Gold bars are a popular investment option and often discussed on social media
1) How to invest in gold for beginners
This video was uploaded on 11th April 2014 and features a beginner s guide to gold investment, published by MoneyWeek. The video has enjoyed a viewership of 103,635, which is considered high for a video in the non-fiction genre. The highlight of the video was the recording of an interview with Warren Buffet, the great investment guru, talking about gold investments. In this video, he makes the infamous statement that if we took all the gold in the world, it would fill a 67-foot cube that would cost $7trn and would be sitting at one end of the room, doing nothing. Buffet argues that for the same amount of money one could buy a large stock portfolio of US-based equities, which would generate a much greater return. Viewer comments state that Buffet is not entirely justified in his comments because gold provides insurance against times of turmoil in the international stock markets.
2) Investing in GOLD – How to invest in Gold for Beginners
3) Kevin O’Leary’s ‘Cold, Hard, Truth’ on Gold Investing
This video is published on YouTube by Kevin O Leary, Chairman of the O Leary fund. Kevin is a highly successful American entrepreneur and an expert in the science of investing. The video has a viewership of 716,127. The long 19-minute video has great information about investing and O Leary discusses the pros and cons related to investing in physical gold. The video provides useful information for novice and expert investors alike.
Social media is a popular medium of information for investment advice, but not everything you see there is genuine advice
4) Getting rich with gold investment documentary
The education channel is an online e-learning
channel that publishes useful videos on science, commerce and investing. Their 40-minute documentary, titled getting rich with gold investment , explores the history of gold, the growth of its demand as a precious metal and considering gold as part of the asset allocation for your investment portfolio. The video also talks about the percentage of your investment portfolio that needs to be invested in gold. The video packs in a lot of useful information for investors.
5) Ron Paul on gold: no one knows value; I’m buying
Dr. Ron Paul talks about why investing in gold currently is a great idea, with the increased volatility in the US dollar and inflation creeping up. Ron Paul is a physician, writer, retired politician and gold investment expert. In this video, he debunks many myths about the behaviour of the US dollar and the inflation index. He also explains why to invest in gold right now and why, like him, a lot of people are buying.
Call Physical Gold to know more about gold investments
Whilst YouTube is a great platform for investor information, everything you see and hear on social media cannot necessarily be trusted as genuine information For the most accurate and authentic information on how to invest in gold, call our investment advisory team on 020 7060 9992. You can also reach out to them by contacting them via our website. They are best placed to guide you through the ins and outs and gold investing and will give you the information you can rely on. Call now!
Gold, as an asset class has consistently been a stable investment vehicle. While there have been fluctuations in the spot prices of gold at times, these have been temporary periods. Gold has always recovered from these aberrations and emerged strong. A bird’s eye view of gold prices from 1996 to 2016 shows price drops in only 5 of those 20 years. On the other hand, we can see steep rises in spot prices during seven instances, with the precious metal remaining stable in the other years. 2002 and 2003 for example, registered significant increases of 23.96% and 21.74% respectively. 2007 saw gold prices rising by 31.59% and closing at $836.50 per troy ounce. In 2010 there was a similar response with prices rising by 30.60% to $1420.25.
Steady returns
Investment pundits say that these rises can be attributed to scared investors pulling out of global capital markets, due to turmoil and turning to gold as a safe haven. However, a closer look at gold shows us that the precious metal is not just a safe house during times of distress.
From a price of $369 in 1996, gold has steadily climbed up the ladder to a high of $1,664 in 2012. So, basically gold has risen more than four times in value in almost 20 years. Of course, when compared to direct equity or the highly speculative cryptocurrencies, gold does not shine as a shooting star. These investment vehicles can deliver spectacular returns over the short term, and that’s what makes it so attractive to investors, looking to maximise their returns in a short span of time. Now, that’s what speculation is really about. On the other hand, gold investors have a long-term vision and a timeline where they buy gold to strengthen the foundation of their portfolio, not make a quick buck.
Physical gold investments can beat the forces of inflation
Infact, looking at the price behaviour of gold, we can surmise that it isn’t really possible to speculate on gold prices and get quick returns. It’s just not that kind of investment vehicle. Professor Aswath Damodaran, professor of finance at the Stern School of Business says that the long-standing purpose of gold is to be a ‘store of value’. He opines that it is more a currency than a commodity.
When investors subscribe to that point of view, it becomes clear that gold investment is really a hedge against global economic forces, namely, inflation, market turmoil and real interest rates. While hard currencies like the USD, GBP and the Euro are all impacted adversely by these forces, gold provides a safe exit route. In that respect, gold is really more of an insurance against disaster scenarios. It is a real asset that delivers value slowly, but steadily in the long-term, while insulating investors from market crashes.
The company is publicly listed on the NYSE. So, in a nutshell, he takes decisions to invest in companies that he believes in with the objective of maximising value for his shareholders. Therefore, he would expect his investments to grow strongly in order to generate good returns within a reasonable time frame. In this itself, his investment objectives are different from that of a gold investor. He is not an individual investor, building a strong diversified portfolio that he can depend upon as a nest egg. Also, insurance against times of turmoil may not mean much to him, as the returns his investments make in a bull market would offset those losses.
Gold has delivered steady returns over the years
In summary
As an investor, gold can, therefore, be a great long-term assetthat delivers steady returns over time. Another factor about the precious metal is that there is no counterparty risk unless you’re buying paper gold or ETFs. Counterparty risk is the risk of the other party not fulfilling their contractual obligations, which is always a possibility when you’ve invested your money in an equity or debt fund, or in other investment vehicles in the capital markets. Gold is definitely a hedge against inflation, the forces of which erode the real value of your investments over time.
Call our expert investment team
At Physical Gold, our team of investment advisors have years of experience advising clients just like you. They can deliver impartial advice on the best way to build your portfolio and how to invest in gold. If you choose to invest in gold products from Physical gold, rest assured that most of our products come with a certificate of authenticity as well as a buyback guarantee. Call us now on 020 7060 9992 or email us to speak to a member of our team.
Here at Physical Gold, we have been looking at where the biggest gold mines are in the world which in turn led us to create or latest infographic ‘Where in the World is the Gold?’.
We looked at how much gold is produced in mines across the world and ranked the 10 largest producing mines worldwide. With anything, you like to know where your product was originally sourced, therefore we thought we would do the same for physical gold investors much a like yourself.
The craze for gold mining has been around for thousands of years. Archaeologists have found gold artefacts in Eastern Europe dating back to somewhere around 4700 BC. This would indicate that the practice of gold mining has been around for almost 7,000 years. Infact, gold was mined across the world. Gold mining sites have been found across Europe, North Africa, and even India. In India, gold was mined as early as the 2nd century AD and gold artefacts found in the ancient Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro civilizations, now part of modern-day Pakistan, have been traced back to the minefields in Kolar, in Southern India. The size of these operations grew during the reign of the Chola kings a few centuries later.
Roman miners used two different methods to mine gold. One was called hushing, which meant that a flood of water was released to expose the gold hidden below the silt and the soil. The other was called ground sluicing, which was essentially an open pit method. In the 19th century, there were a series of gold rushes all over the world, which led to the discovery of gold mining sites across the world.
At the mining stage, the gold is buried inside the rock, fused with other materials
How much gold is there anyway?
So far, the amount of gold that has been mined is approximately 171,300 tonnes. While that may seem large a large amount, it is important to know that gold is one of the rarest elements. In comparison to the entire volume of the Earth’s crust, the precious metal is only 0.003 parts per million of the entire crust. In fact, the scarcity of gold is one of the factors that makes it so precious.
Gold supply running out?
It is widely believed that global gold production peaked in 2015 and since 2013, the output from almost all mines has slowed considerably. Some analysts have predicted that we have another 20 years or so of gold mining left. Of course, needless to say, once that happened it would dramatically spike the spot prices of gold.
However, new explorations continue to take place, as several countries continue to fund searches for new gold. China, the world’s largest consumer of gold is one such country. China recently discovered new precious metals deposits, valued at nearly $60bn near the shared border with its neighbour, India. However, China’s mining operations in the region could create border tensions between the two countries. On the other hand, mining company Polyus, from Russia claims that their 2018 output is likely to be at the topmost range.
Call our experts to know more about gold production
In this infographic, we have covered some of the significant gold mining projects across the world. China and Australia are the largest producers in the world, followed by the US, Russia, and Canada. Our team of experts can guide you on gold investing, how to generate good returns by investing in gold and when to buy and sell. For expert advice on gold investing, call 020 7060 9992 and speak to a member of our team, or drop us an email through the ‘contact’ section of our website.
It would be a huge mistake to presume that it’s only women who love gifts made of gold. While the average male may not stroll about, resplendent in gold jewellery, there are still plenty of gold accessories that are stylish, loved by men across the world and distinctly male. Father’s Day is fast approaching, as in the United States it’s always held on the third Sunday in June, which means this year it will be on 16th June 2019.
The time is right to start making a decision on the best gift to give dad this year. For heaven’s sake, please don’t get him a paisley tie from M&S, or a bottle of the best from Oddbins. Why not make this year special by buying a gold gift for your father?
Giving gold is a tradition
The tradition of gifting gold to loved ones is common across cultures across the world and has been carried down through the generations. Indeed, gold is a valued gift appreciated by men and women alike. It is also timeless as gold continues to appreciate in value and does not tarnish or depreciate like other gift items. However, buying a gift for your dad will require some thought and you need to evaluate gifting options available to you in order to purchase a gift according to his taste, personality and style. To buy a gift of value, one needs to be generous, understand the person’s preferences and consider making an emotional connection when purchasing the gift.
In our view, when you buy gold for your dad, it symbolises appreciation of a parent who has helped you become who you are. It’s a gift that will appreciate over the years and makes a much better gift than consumer goods available in the market. Of course, it would be a unique gift for your dad that he would least expect and on that count, it would be a great surprise. So, gold wins hands down over other gift items that you may be considering this year.
A set of gold coins could make an excellent Father’s Day gift
Buying gold for Father’s Day
This year, 16th June is Father’s Day, when sons and daughters all over will take their dads out to lunch and celebrate the day in style. Most restaurants have deals that will offer dads a free lunch. A great idea to buy your beloved dad a gift for that day is to select something in gold. Buy a gift, which is literally worth its weight in gold! The options are many, from gold sovereign coins to 100g gold bars . It will be a gift he will cherish over the years to come and would appreciate in value as the years go by, in the same way, that your relationship with your dad will through the passage of time.
UK tax-efficient investments
We know you don’t often talk about tax-efficiency and Father’s Day presents together, but it certainly makes sense too where gold investments are concerned! Investments in gold bars and UK gold coins are usually free of both VAT and Capital Gains Tax (CGT). This can get quite technical, so it’s worth calling us to discuss. Essentially, by investing in tax-free gold products, you will get “more gold for your money” and be able to give Dad an ever better present on Father’s Day! Visit our buying tax free gold page for further information.
If your dad is a numismatist, we have some great accessories that he would want to have in addition to the coins. Whether you want to make a small or large investment for your dad, call us today on 020 7060 9992 or contact us online to speak to a member of the team. Remember, Father’s Day isn’t far away. Make it one to remember for your old man by giving a smashing gift – in gold.
Recent research suggests that Tanzania could well be one of the largest producers of gold in the world. As a country, Tanzania has always been blessed as a land rich in minerals. Tanzania is a young nation, having gained its independence in 1961 after many years of colonial rule. Political parties were allowed only post-1992 after which the country held its first democratic elections in 1995. The current president, John Magafuli was elected in 2015. Mining accounts for 3.3% of the country’s GDP as per figures from 2013. Interestingly, 89% of the country’s exports come from gold mining. It is one of the biggest businesses in Tanzania. Apart from gold, the country’s diamond mining industry is also significant.
A spurt in gold mining
Tanzania’s gold production has increased by 700% in the last 25 years and Tanzania is the world’s 4th largest gold producer. One of the largest gold companies in the country is Acacia Mining. The company mines its gold largely from the Bulyanhulu and Buzwagi gold mines. Acacia mines and exports around 4,000 containers every year at a rate of 333 containers each month. Tanzania’s high yield mining sites, Buzwagi and Bulyanhulu are located in a town called Kahama, in the Lake Victoria region of the country, which is well known as part of the country’s lucrative gold belt.
The nature of the underground rock structures at these mines ensures that 50% of the gold is recovered at the site itself. The balance is usually recovered from other mines which produce a gold-copper concentrate ore. However, this means that the gold still needs to be extracted from the ore. Acacia produces around 1,500,000 ounces of gold per year, which is valued at $1.89bn is the international market. Clearly, these statistics position Tanzania as the leader in gold mining in Africa. South Africa is the only other African nation that comes close in terms of gold production with annual production volumes of 140 metric tonnes.
The Buzwagi gold mine is one of Tanzania’s largest gold mines
In a recent controversy, Tanzania imposed a ban on gold exports as well as exports of other precious minerals from the country in March 2017. The ban has affected several multi-national companies involved in mining operations in the country. The Tanzanian government has stated that the ban is designed to prevent minerals from being taken out of the country for processing. However, many believe that the ban is a pressure tactic by the current government against Acacia Mining, due to an unresolved tax dispute with the company. The company’s output accounts for almost 2% of the country’s GDP.
Reasons for Tanzania’s gold mining boom
The history of Tanzania’s gold mining boom
dates back to the early 90s when the country’s political structure opened up for greater democracy. The liberalisation of the mining industry at the time meant that by the late 80s, the monopoly exercised by the country’s state mining company, a public sector company was brought to an end. This allowed any citizen to get into mining and sell minerals. The second act of liberalisation was the country’s government allowing multi-national corporations to enter the gold exports business in the country and grow their presence in the country. The country benefited hugely through these moves, as the foreign exchange earnings multiplied and could be used to import consumer goods, invest in infrastructure, etc. These economic moves led to a virtual cycle, which in turn kicked off the artisanal gold mining boom in Tanzania.
Call us to find out more about gold investments
Of course, in order to be a savvy gold investor, you needn’t worry about Tanzanian gold. Our investment team at Physical gold can advise you on the best buys when it comes to investing in gold and building a great portfolio. All it takes is a phone call. Call us now on 020 7060 9992 or get in touch through our website to speak to a member of our team.
In London today, buying gold is relatively easy, as this can be easily done through an online broker. Firstly, as a gold buyer, you need to be aware of the dos and don’ts of buying gold. There are certain advantages to buying gold online. Generally, online brokers build supply chains with large suppliers who are able to provide a wider variety of gold coins and bars that they source at competitive prices. This is vastly different from a high street broker who may only have a limited inventory to offer you, due to constraints of storage space.
When you buy gold from a high street shop, the onus is on you to make the right decision when buying, and you need to be able to tell whether or not the gold you are being sold is proper. A reputable online broker will have a team of experts, along with modern testing methods to ensure that anything you buy from them is already pre-checked and good to go. Of course, online brokers are also able to give you a better price as they do not need to incur the extra costs associated with running a regular high street store. They can offer a range of delivery and storage options, including secured storage at an approved vault, as well as secured, insured delivery to your door.
What to look for when dealing with an online broker
As long as the broker is a reliable one, you can rest assured that the product you’re buying is genuine and a good investment. Usually, the broker needs to be registered with an appropriate body like the British Numismatists Trade Association (BNTA). It’s important to remember that a single bad transaction could prove dear, as buying gold usually involve large sums of money.
While it’s true that you may get a good deal from an online broker, equally there are criminals who use the internet to hide. So, it’s up to you to do the proper background check on the dealer before entering into a transaction. In general, a good online broker will have a customer service line through which they can be contacted. A genuine broker will be transparent at all times and be willing to answer all your questions. If the broker in question isn’t doing that, you should be concerned and be careful of dealing with the company.
Physical Gold offers safe and secure storage for all the gold you buy
Buying gold online from Physical Gold
Physical Gold is a leading online broker that does all of the above and more. You can register for a free account on the website. It doesn’t matter whether you’re buying gold or not. You will still benefit from market commentary, expert opinion, industry news and buying guides, all of which are available in our ‘insights’ section.
We offer certain categories in gold. These are our Tax-Free Gold products, Pension Gold and our Monthly Saver Packages. When buying online, simply register and select the type of gold you want. Next just add your purchases to your shopping cart. Payment is easy and convenient through a bank transfer or just about any debit or credit card. You may be pleased to know that we also use a 3D secure payment system that ensures that criminals can’t hack your bank details while you’re online.
After paying, all you need to do next is select the delivery and storage option that you prefer. We offer secure, insured delivery on most products. Alternatively, we can store your gold for you at our LBMA approved storage facility. In this case, you will receive documentation from us guaranteeing your purchase and confirming that it’s in storage, that you are the legal owner of your asset and that you can access it whenever you like. Our products are shipped with a certificate of authenticity upon request and we also give you a buyback guarantee on our products.
Call our team to find out more
Our team of experts are always willing to assist customers. You can call them on 020 7060 9992 and speak to them about buying gold online from us. You can also message us through our website and a member of our team will call you right back. We hope that the products you purchase will give you years of joy and appreciate greatly in value over the years to come.
The spot prices of gold change each day on the international commodities markets. These prices of gold are set by the COMEX exchange in New York. These prices remain prevalent through that day. Indeed, like all other commodities, these prices vary due to a number of factors. Of course, one of them is supply and demand. In 2017, the total amount of gold produced was 3.15 thousand metric tonnes. In contrast, this figure was 2,470 metric tonnes in 2005.
The fluctuating demand for gold
The demand for gold, however, is not dependent merely on supply and demand. Like all precious metals, gold is a lucrative asset class that investors turn to in times of turmoil in the international capital markets. For example, the current imminent trade war between China and the US has already seen several risk-averse investors move their money to gold.
Gold prices, therefore, are dependent on macro-economic factors such as economic stability around the world, geo-political triggers such as terrorist action and wars, as well as seismic shifts in the international capital markets. If we study gold prices over the last ten years, we can see that the spot price skyrocketed to $1900 levels in August 2011. This was a huge surge from 2008, only three years back, when gold was $869.75.
The value of gold rises exponentially during economic crises
Volatility in gold prices
This meteoric rise of gold in just 3 years was largely due to the bubbling global financial crisis, which eventually saw the stock markets implode on August 8, 2011, commonly known as Black Monday 2011. But, again the fall of the stock markets at the time was not an isolated event in itself. It was a knee jerk reaction by paranoid investors pulling their money out of the beleaguered US economy, as a result of the US debt ceiling crisis. The American national debt basically spiralled out of control, with Standard and Poor downgrading the AAA rating for the US economy.
During every crisis over the last 20 years – the dotcom bubble, the 2008 US sub-prime debt crisis and the 2011 crisis, investors turned to gold to hedge their risks. So, we can see that the prices of gold react heavily to the economic environment at large. Even inflation is a driving factor, as is the weakening of the US dollar or the pound. However, in the middle of all the ups and downs, gold has steadily become dearer over the decades. The word ‘decades’ is an important thing to note here. As a savvy gold investor, you have to be able to take a long-term view. If you want to extract value from the precious metal, you need to remain invested over a ten or twenty-year period. It’s not the kind of game, where you can make a fast buck, get in or out. Investors who have a speculative approach to investing aren’t going to extract value out of gold.
One kilo of gold is a great investment, but with gold, you have to have a long-term view
So, how much is a kilo of gold?
So, to answer our initial question – how much is a kilo of gold worth? Well, the straight answer is that it depends on purity and price. The purity, or fineness of gold is denoted in numbers. Gold, which is only 75% pure will be called 750. 999.5 means that the gold is almost 100% pure and investors would buy it as such. We can, therefore, calculate how much a kilo of pure 999.9% gold, at today’s prices of £1,459.00 would be. But again, this is the price for 1 troy ounce of gold. What is a troy ounce? A troy ounce is equal to 31.103 grams. Therefore, the price of 31.103 grams of pure gold at today’s price is £1,459.00. So, when we do the math, a kilo of gold at today’s prices is worth approximately £46,908.66. However in the real world, a kilo gold bar cannot be bought at the spot rate but is available at a small premium above that rate. This includes costs such as production and shipping. As of 19 Oct 2022, we’re currently selling a brand new Metalor kilo of gold at £47,769.00.
Call us to find out more about buying gold
At Physical Gold, we pride ourselves on being a reputed online broker and giving investors a fair deal. We have many types of gold that we sell. Please call us on 020 7060 9992 or contact us via email to get in touch with a member of our investments team. We are always happy to discuss your investment goals and advise you on the best gold products to buy.
For many, their wedding day is a very special day indeed, one that could be considered the happiest day in the life of a young couple. The exchange of marriage vows, adorned in special wedding attire makes the event a celebration, the memories of which would hopefully be cherished by friends and family in the years to come. Irrespective of religion, class or nationality, weddings all over the world are carried out with pomp and gaiety and in a similar spirit. The only things that are different are the customs, in keeping with diversity across the world.
The wedding gift
Of course, gifting is a major part of the wedding festivities and often gifts of value are showered upon the joyous couple. The most valuable gifts usually come from close friends and family. Brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents and close friends will all pull out their wallets and spend lavishly on getting the happy couple a memorable gift. There are certain emotions that people generally follow when making the decision to purchase a gift. People generally try to align the gift with the personal tastes of the receiver of the gift. For many, they intend the gift to be something more than just a gift. They intend the gift to have emotional impact, so the couple would remember the person who gave them the gift.
However, far too many people end up buying kitchen accessories and home décor when it comes to buying a wedding gift. Simply typing in ‘popular wedding gifts’ into Google, brings up a laundry list of items such as cupcake carriers, mixing bowls, glass bowl sets and baking utensils. Items of greater value perhaps, include luxury watches and even holidays for two to Dubai. But, none of these gifts will stand the test of time. Holidays will be enjoyed and a few memories preserved in the minds of the holidaymakers and pictures. Other luxury items like watches, google glasses, too will eventually reach the end of their product lives and be eventually forgotten. In order to select a wedding gift that is timeless, has lifetime value that grows and has a huge impact, one needs to turn to silver or gold.
As a precious metal, silver coins are yet another attractive gifting option for a wedding
Gold as a wedding gift
The timeless value of gold can never be disputed and the precious metal makes a great wedding gift. For a high-value gift that is both impactful and unique, one can consider buying a gold bar. Gold bars are available in different sizes, from 1oz bars to 500gms and even 1 kilo.
A popular gold bar of choice is the 100g gold bar which offers great value for money. However, if buying a gold bar is not your thing, it’s worth considering gold coins instead. Gold is, of course, a wedding gift that is an asset for the young couple and for many, could be a first investment in building a wealth portfolio. They will always thank you for helping them take a step in that direction. Physical gold has many options for buying gold coins. Popular choices include the Gold Sovereign, the Gold Britannia, the 1oz Gold Lunar Dog and the Gold Krugerrand. For a great wedding gift, consider buying a case of gold coins. Cases that can hold up to 10 coins are available.
Silver as a wedding gift
In terms of budget, silver is a great deal cheaper than buying gold. In fact, the price of silver is approximately 75 times cheaper than gold. However, just because silver is cheaper than gold, doesn’t mean that it makes any less of a gift than gold. The fact that silver is cheaper, means that you can invest in more of it as a gift. Like any precious metal, it shares the properties of timelessness, uniqueness and ascending value. Physical gold has some excellent choices in silver bars, as well as collectable silver coins. An amazing purchase is the 1 kilo silver bar. Other great options in silver include the 1oz Silver Maple Leaf Coin, 2oz Silver Queens Beast Bull and the Silver Lunar Rooster.
Call our precious metals experts before you buy a wedding gift
Talk to our team of experts at Physical Gold, before you dash off and buy a wedding gift. Our precious metals experts can help guide you on the best purchase to make, so the wedding gift you buy has great style, depth and appreciates in value in the years to come. Call us on 020 7060 9992 or contact us via our website. The couple you’re buying the gift for will be happy you did.
A popular theme that songwriters across the world write about is none other than ‘gold’. It seems that mankind’s fascination with the precious metal has been immortalised in song, through the lyrics itself or in the song title. To study an apt example of the theme used in the body of the song itself takes us back to 1969 with the release of the Hollywood blockbuster, Mackenna’s Gold.
The theme song of the movie, Old Turkey Buzzard, is sung by the blind Puerto Rican singer, Jose´ Feliciano, with lyrics by Freddie Douglas. The song itself was produced by Quincy Jones, who later produced the superstar, Michael Jackson. The lyrics of the haunting tune tell the story of the desperation of men and how they dream about gold and would steal and die for gold on the rocks below, as they’ve just got to have that gold and are prepared to do anything for it. In this article, we’ll explore songs that talk about ‘gold’ in its title or the body of the song.
Gold – the precious metal has been immortalised in song
1) Spandau Ballet – Gold
The 1983 single by UK band, Spandau Ballet, is the fourth song from their album ‘True’. The song was written by Gary Kemp and reached No. 2 on the UK singles chart and No. 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song is meant to be a love song, although the lyrics also talk about belief in oneself and how everyone should believe in themselves, as each individual is like ‘gold’. The interesting allusion to people investing in themselves to build their own strength is surprisingly similar to the philosophy of gold investors, who build their portfolios in steady and regular investments, with a vision of eventually building a strong and robust foundation that helps their wealth-building objectives ‘stand tall’, like the lyrics of the song.
A 1993 release from world-renowned UK artist Sting, the song ‘Fields of Gold’, climbed to No. 16 on the UK singles charts. The song talks about the view from Sting’s 16th century Wiltshire manor house. In the song’s lyrics, there is a promise to his lady love – in the days still left, we’ll walk in fields of gold. Of course, the reference to gold is symbolic, brought about by the golden colours of the fields, shining in the sun. However, there appears to be a deeper meaning, an allusion to harvesting the rewards of a life’s work. Investments in gold and other precious metals take on a similar sentiment, with investors building a nest egg to fall back on in the autumn of their lives. In fact, many investors steadily invest in gold as a part of their pension funds. These investors can gain a 45% income tax relief by investing regularly through SIPP pension schemes.
3) Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey
Of course, another all-time classic is the song ‘Goldfinger’ by Dame Shirley Bassey, which is the title track of the James Bond movie of the same name. The tune was composed by John Barry and the song was a top 10 hit, selling more than a million copies in the United States alone. The song talks ‘the man with the Midas’ touch,’ something that investors can relate to. Indeed, there are many investors who always pick the right investments at the right time and everything they do always turns to gold.
Dame Shirley Bassey made the title track from ‘goldfinger’ popular
4) 24 karat magic – Bruno Mars
American artist Bruno Mars released the song 24 karat magic in 2016. The song is an interesting blend of hip-hop, contemporary rhythm and blues and disco. Upon release, the song came in at number 5 on the US charts and sold in excess of 1.7mn copies in the US alone within a year. The lyrics of the song talks about the 24 karat magic that’s in the air as all the girls put their pinkie rings up to the moon. The song is a tribute to the pomp and grandeur that’s brought into the world of pop music by the fashion divas. Of course, the ’24 karat magic’ resembles all the gold that’s worn by the stars of the pop world.
5) Fools’ gold – the Stone Roses
From 1989 comes the song ‘fool’s gold’,
written and composed by the UK band, Stone Roses. The song did not climb the charts, however, it entered later in playlists for the greatest indie anthems and the Triple J Hottest 100 of all time. The song was also used in various remixes and mash ups created by artists like Aaliyah and Run DMC. The song tells the story of a gold hunter who is making his way to find gold and how he risks his life for that gold, which ultimately may not be worth it.
Find out more about gold investments
There have been many songs written about gold, but a common theme that rings out in almost all of them is the human desire to possess gold. The precious metal has been a sound investment through centuries. If you’re keen on investing in gold, check out our guide on how to buy gold. Call our investment advisory team on 020 7060 9992 or get in touch with us online and they’ll be happy to give you information on the best gold investments that you can make, which you can’t find out from the songs about gold that are out there.
If you’re currently saving for your retirement, then it’s possible that you’re using a Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) as one of your main methods of saving.
Your SIPP will probably carry a range of bonds, funds, shares and other elements, known as asset classes, depending on how it was set up. If you manage your SIPP yourself, then you may have added certain shares to it over time. If a company manage it on your behalf, then they will likely assign your SIPP to various funds.
Download our FREE 7 step cheat sheet to gold investment here
SIPP Gold
However, did you know that you can also add gold to your SIPP?
Gold is a separate asset class on its own and can be a very valuable part of your SIPP. But why is this? How do you add gold to your SIPP and how does it benefit your pension savings?
Firstly, the reason many people have gold in their SIPP is to provide a ‘hedge’ against the other elements of their pension. Gold isn’t linked to the price of traded shares, so for example, if the markets go down, it doesn’t necessarily mean the price of gold will also fall. In fact, historically, gold has tended to rise when traded shares have fallen.
This can help your SIPP maintain its value due to this balance. Having a diversified SIPP like this can mean that, overall, your SIPP retains its value, or at least is protected because of this diversification, if the markets were to fall.
In this way, gold can provide security and protection to your SIPP, where otherwise it might be viewed as being exposed to market crashes, regardless of which shares or funds it’s invested in.
Gold can serve as an excellent diversification tool for a retirement portfolio
Hedging against inflation
The other big reason to add gold to your SIPP is to hedge against inflation. Although the consumer price index (CPI) data shows that inflation has fallen significantly in the last four years, the current forecast for 2018 shows inflation hovering around the 2.4% mark. Infact, UK inflation fell from 4.5% in 2011 to 0% in 2015 – a huge drop. But then, in the last two years, it rose by 2.7%, a big jump. This kind of volatility in inflation rates is ample cause for worry when it comes to protecting your investments. Inflation is one of the important market forces that simply erode your investments, as the value of your nest egg diminishes as the buying power of the pound crumbles. However, investing in gold protects your investments from both these factors. As the prices of goods and services in the economy go up, so does gold, hedging you against the risk of inflation. In addition, market trends show that investors always turn to gold, when their faith in global currencies like the dollar or pound is shaken. This creates additional market demand, further driving up the prices of gold. Since you invested wisely years ago, you are able to reap your harvest now and cash in on the higher prices.
Hedging against global crisis
Yet another important consideration is to hedge against global uncertainty. If there is a constant in our world today, this is it. Now, let’s say you’re currently in your 50s. You have another 15 odd years to retire. There’s no telling whether the current global situation is going to get better or worse. The US-China trade wars are probably going to become more intensive, as India and China become economically stronger each year. The rifts and uncertainty in Europe that started with Brexit could get worse. Already, the Russian government is seriously hedging by increasing its gold reserves as are India and China. This needs to be an important consideration when saving for your retirement and you could be better off diversifying that retirement portfolio that you’re working on, by adding gold to your SIPP, by simply downloading our investment instruction form.
Get in touch to know more about adding gold to your SIPP
Adding gold to your SIPP is also easy. If you already have a SIPP, then Physical Gold can organise the addition of gold as part of your existing investment. If you don’t already have a SIPP, then we can help you set one up, and start your investment with some gold savings.
Daniel Fisher formed Physical Gold in 2008, after working in the financial industry for 20 years. He spent much of that time working within the new issue fixed income business at a top tier US bank. In this role, he traded a large book of fixed income securities, raised capital for some of the largest government, financial, and corporate institutions in the world and advised the leading global institutional investors. Daniel is CeFA registered and is a member of the Institute of Financial Planning.
Live Gold Spot Price in Sterling.
Gold is one of the densest of all metals. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. It is also soft and the most malleable and ductile of the elements; an ounce (31.1 grams; gold is weighed in troy ounces) can be beaten out to 187 square feet (about 17 square metres) in extremely thin sheets called gold leaf.
Silver Information
Live Silver Spot Price in Sterling.
Silver (Ag), chemical element, a white lustrous metal valued for its decorative beauty and electrical conductivity. Silver is located in Group 11 (Ib) and Period 5 of the periodic table, between copper (Period 4) and gold (Period 6), and its physical and chemical properties are intermediate between those two metals.
all over will take their dads out to lunch and celebrate the day in style. Most restaurants have deals that will offer dads a free lunch. A great idea to buy your beloved dad a gift for that day is to select something in gold. Buy a gift, which is literally worth its weight in gold! The options are many, from gold sovereign coins to 100g gold bars . It will be a gift he will cherish over the years to come and would appreciate in value as the years go by, in the same way, that your relationship with your dad will through the passage of time.
