“Real gold is not afraid of the melting pot.”
– Chinese proverb
Humans have a long history of loving gold.
We’ve been attracted to the shiny metal for thousands of years. And we’ve been using it as some kind of currency or store of value throughout that span.
These days, gold is an especially popular investment. As Nicholas Vardy wrote recently, the coronavirus pandemic, rising debt and a handful of other worrisome trends have all done their part to drive investors to gold, which is traditionally a “safe haven” asset.
BullionVault, an online seller of gold, silver and platinum, has seen investment demand for the precious metals soar to nearly half a billion dollars over the last six months.
But not everyone is a gold bug. So we decided to ask our Twitter followers this week: Do you think it’s important to invest in gold? Why or why not?
More than 70% responded that they think it’s important to invest in gold. Michael F. wrote, “Already have physical [gold]!”
And Rafael T. responded, “Gold and precious metals should be about 5% of your portfolio! … No more than 5%.”
Other readers disagreed. Like Dik T., who wrote, “Buying physical gold is not investing. It’s speculation.”
Click here to view the results of this week’s poll. And stay tuned for a new one on Monday.
Note: Comments may have been edited for spelling, grammar and/or clarity.