Expert's Quick Guide To Buying Your Perfect Gold Jewelry by Alexander Michaels

Why Should I Buy Gold?
The world has been in love with gold ever since it was discovered. It is called a precious metal because it has a high economic value and is relatively scarce in relation to the level of demand for it. Gold was the standard in which the values of many currencies around the world were based until recently; because of confidence in its ability to hold it’s value over the long haul. At times of trouble, people always default to valuable portable property such as gold, diamonds and other valuable gems.
Gold has been the preferred metal for wedding rings in the west for a long time. It is very rare that couples exchange rings other than gold rings when getting married. In fact, in some Asian cultures, wealth is transferred unto the newlyweds in the form of gold jewelry.
Gold is very malleable and so has been the preferred metal for jewelers over centuries. It also does not rust or decay. If it gets dull, just applying a quick polish restores it’s luster and shine.
Gold is virtually indestructible and everlasting.
Gold keeps it’s value over time and is easily marketable
Gold is easy to work with so you will get the most beautiful jewelry made out of gold
Everybody loves gold.
What kind of Gold Should I Buy?
Before buying gold jewelry the most important thing to ask yourself is the reason why you are buying. This is important because it will help you determine how much to budget for your purchase, what quality and type of jewelry to buy and from where to buy it.
If you are only interested in buying a gold ring for fun, then you might not care too much about the quality of the ring or the supplier as long as it looks good on your finger. If, however, you are buying an engagement ring, an anniversary ring or a wedding ring, you had better pay more attention to the quality of the ring and the service you can expect from the supplier. A wedding ring, we hope, will be appreciated for a long time and you will want your partner to know that you put some thought into the selection of their ring. You want the perfect ring so you need to make sure that your supplier has a good return or exchange policy and that they are easily contactable.
There are different qualities and colors of gold used in jewelry. The different types of gold jewelry are determined by the metals mixed in with the pure gold, and whether the piece of jewelry is formed as a solid piece, plated or maybe hollow.
Gold Quality:
Pure gold does not rust or tarnish, and people that are allergic to some metals are rarely allergic to pure gold. However, pure gold is very soft and easily bendable. It is also very expensive. So to make it practical for jewelry that can be worn everyday it is mixed with different metals.
Gold jewelry is generally marked 18K, 14K, or 10K. The higher the Karat (k) the higher the percentage of pure gold to other metals in the jewelry.
· 24K gold is pure gold.
· 18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 75% gold.
· 14K gold contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 58.3% gold.
· 12K gold contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 50% gold.
· 10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or more additional metals, making it 41.7% gold.
10K gold is the minimum karat that can be called "gold" in the United States. A high proportion of gold Jewelry is made in 10K gold.
European Markings:
Jewelry from Europe may be marked is a different manner with numbers that indicate their percentage of gold like this:
· 18K gold is marked 750 to indicate 75% gold
· 14K gold is marked 585 for 58.5%
· 12K gold is marked 417 for 41.7%
Genuine gold jewelry should have, in addition to the karat marking, a hallmark or trademark that identifies its maker. Sometimes the item's country of origin might also be included. The hallmark or country of origin may sometimes be left out in very small and delicate pieces of Jewelry.
Colors of Gold:
Pure gold is, of course, gold in color. However, gold can be made into jewelry of different and exciting colors by adding different metals to it. When other metals are added to pure gold the result is called an alloy. Any gold alloy from18K, down to 10K can still be called solid gold. Anything less that 10k is not solid gold.
White Gold: Created by adding Palladium or Nickel to pure gold.
Rose Tint Gold: Created by adding copper to pure gold.
Greenish Cast Gold: Created by adding silver to pure gold.
Gold Coated Jewelry
Applying a coating of gold on lesser value metals has always been a way of producing jewelry that looks as valuable as gold but not as expensive to manufacture. This is OK as long as the buyer is aware that the piece of jewelry they are buying is not SOLID gold and as long as they are also aware of the quality of the plating.
Gold Filled Jewelry:
Gold filled jewelry is usually 14k gold heavy-layered over sterling silver. More recent gold-filled jewelry have markings that indicate how much and what type of gold was used for the layer. A marking that says 1/20 12K G.F. means that the jewelry is at least 1/20th 12K gold by weight. Gold filled jewelry generally retain their coating longer than gold plated jewelry.
Gold Plated Jewelry:
The gold layer in gold plated jewelry is usually thinner than the gold in gold-filled jewelry. This means that the goal plating usually wears away more quickly. However, all gold plating is not the same. Some will be thicker and more even than others and thus may provide you with long lasting true gold finish, sometimes comparable to gold-filled jewelry.
Dangers to Watch out for
Gold plated jewelry can provide a great deal of satisfaction and joy to the buyer as long as they know what they are buying. It is unfortunate, but there are still unscrupulous people out there that try to pass off gold plated jewelry as solid gold. The only way to protect yourself from this is to look carefully at the markings on the jewelry; observe the color; feel the weight in relation to the size of the jewelry; and most importantly, know whom you are buying your jewelry from. If you’re not sure take an expert with you when buying.
So Now You’re Ready To Take The Step
When buying gold always aim to buy solid gold if your budget allows. This will last you a lifetime, many lifetimes actually. Anything from 10k to 22k or 24K is good.
If you are allergic to nickel or other metals then you should aim to buy the higher karat gold jewelry such as 18k or 22k gold. It will cost more but you can offset this by buying a smaller piece of jewelry or by buying fewer pieces and only buying ones with higher pure gold content. Your skin is still your most important and valuable piece of jewelry and you should treat it accordingly.
Gold plated and gold-filled jewelry is great for fashion jewelry that will not be subject to heavy usage. And oh yes, try not to wear your gold plated or gold filled jewelry when washing up or using any form of detergents. Although not as valuable or durable, gold plated and gold filled jewelry are cheaper and can last for years if treated kindly.
When wearing Jewelry always remember that a confident and happy wearer can make almost any piece of Jewelry look more beautiful and valuable.
By Alexander Michaels
© 2006 Alexander Michaels
www.kensingtonjewelers.com

Alexander Michaels is the author or a wide range of self-help books and courses. You can see some more of his writtings at http://www.kensingtonjewelers.com/articlesandinfo [http://www.kensingtonjewelers.com/articlesandinfo.php] and http://www.selfdevelopment.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexander_Michaels

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/180232

The 5 Best Ways to Cash in on Gold by Katherine M J Mason

One of the best performing assets in the last couple of years is gold, and that's no coincidence. The precious metal is seen by many as the ultimate store of wealth. For thousands of years, gold has been recognized as a store of wealth that transcends governments and civilizations.
This article will look at how we can go about trading gold and the different ways in which you can do so.
How to trade gold
There are a number of ways to trade gold, each with advantages and disadvantages over other areas.
Spread betting
IGindex is the market leader in spread betting, but not many people are aware that the "G" in IG stands for gold. IG Index started life as a means of helping everyday traders trade gold.
You can trade the daily "spot" price of gold or the near quarter futures. For any trades you hope to hold for two weeks or more, the near quarter future price is probably the best due to the overnight rolling fees on the spot market.
Advantages of spread betting gold:
* Capital gains and income tax free.
* Leverage.
* No commission to pay makes small trades possible.
* Easy to trade short or long-term moves.
Disadvantages of spread betting gold:
• Leverage! Small movements can adversely affect your account if overexposed.
• A relatively large spread especially on the spot market.
• Not buying actual gold.
Trading gold directly on the futures market is another popular option with large traders with similar mechanisms to spread betting. The advantage over spread betting is the wafer-thin spreads, but the downside is the large cost of entry.
Take a punt: Fixed odds betting
Fixed odds trading allows you to take a simple bet on gold along the same lines as a sports bet. Similar to sports betting, your bet will either win or lose with you maximum reward and your maximum risk known from the outset. The main fixed odds betting broker is Betonmarkets.com, though no doubt IG index offer some fixed odds or "binary" bets.
In the middle of June, gold was trading $20 off its all-time high of $1,252. It had struggled to make significant progress beyond this barrier, but there is rising support cushion beneath.
Gold has actually been quite strange near all-time highs in the last year or so. According to my database, every time gold makes a 100 day high, the price pulls back the next day 52% of the time. Buying gold the next day after making 100 day highs would have actually lost you 5% since 2007.
In summary, fixed odds trading can be a great tool for trading gold in certain situations, especially considering how jittery it can be at all-time highs.
Advantages of fixed odds trading gold:
• Tax free.
• Low cost of entry.
• Simple to use.
• Fixed risk.
Disadvantages of fixed odds trading gold:
* There is a spread built into the bets which means that gold may have to move more than you think.
* You don't gain from gold pushing higher and higher in one of its mega trends unless you make specific bets on that happening.
Covered warrants
Covered warrants combine the benefits of Spread betting and fixed odds betting. You have limited risk but unlimited upside. You buy a warrant for a set price and your total risk is limited to this purchase price you paid, often at a fraction of gold itself.
The two important components of a covered warrant trade on gold is the strike price and the time expiry.
The strike price is the point beyond which your trade will start to make money. The time expiry is how long you're willing to give the trade to make money.
For example, if gold is at $1,200 you might buy a (call and up warrant) with a strike of $1,300.
The closer gold is to your chosen trigger, or strike price and the longer time limit you give it, the cheaper the warrant will be. The further away gold is from your strike price and the shorter the time period, the cheaper your warrant will be.
Advantages of covered warrants trading gold:
• Risk known from the start.
• Tax free if traded through a SIPP.
• Unlimited upside.
Disadvantages of covered warrants trading gold:
• Only tax free within a SIPP.
• More expensive than regular options.
Investing for the medium to long term - Gold shares and ETFs
In the last few years there has been an explosion in the popularity of Exchange Traded Funds (ETF).
Unlike traditional stock market funds, these ETFs aim to track an underlying market as cheaply and as closely as possible. Buying an ETF is as simple as buying a regular share and you can enjoy capital gains tax freedom by investing within an ISA or SIPP wrapper.
ETFs can be traded intraday, but for most people they are best for trades lasting a month upwards.
There are dozens of gold ETFs out there, but the most popular by far are:
GLD: This ETF tracks gold in US dollars.
GBS: Lyxor's Gold Bullion Securities in sterling.
Individual gold mining companies can be an exciting investment with a major discovery potentially doubling or tripling a share price overnight. Gold mining companies may also pay dividends which will boost returns in the long run.
The main disadvantage of buying gold companies instead of gold is that you are not gaining direct exposure to the precious metal. Quite often gold will outperform gold mining companies and vice versa.
The world's largest gold mining companies are all listed outside, with most in the US or Canada. These are: Barrick Gold, Goldcorp, AngloGold Ashanti & Newmont Mining Corporation.
The world's biggest gold producer is the UK listed Rio Tinto. Other UK companies with gold exposure include: Petropavlovsk (POG), Rangold Resources (RRS) and Highland Gold Mining with a certain Roman Abramovitch as a part owner.
Advantages of using gold ETFs & shares:
• Tax free if traded through a SIPP or self-select ISA.
• Cheap way to make medium to long-term trades on gold.
• Tight spreads.
Disadvantages of using gold ETFs:
• Only tax free within a SIPP or self-select ISA.
• Commission payable on each transaction. Need a discount broker and healthy bank size to make multiple short-term trades worthwhile.
• Gold miners not directly linked to the price of gold.
Buy gold without the hassle of storage
The classic way to hold gold in your name without the hassle of storing it is to purchase a certificate through the Perth Mint. This is operated by the State of Western Australia, so it's a legitimate scheme. You can purchase certificates through brokers such as Baird & Co who are mentioned in the next section.
Another method is to use a website such as BullionVault to buy gold based on physical assets. BullionVault stores gold in vaults in London, New York and Zurich and effectively allows you to buy a share of that gold with a certificate available stating that proportion of gold is physically yours.
Depending on the number of transactions you make, BullionVault may be a cheaper alternative to holding gold via an ETF as their storage costs are around 0.12% vs around 0.4% per year management fees for ETFs.
You can also buy gold in various currencies including British pounds:
Advantages of using certificated gold.
• Minimum storage costs.
• Certificate of ownership linked directly to allocated gold.
• Tradable if doing so in sufficient size.
Disadvantages of using certificated gold.
• Tax situation unclear.
• Still not owning physical gold.
Time to buy that crossbow - Investing in physical gold
Perhaps the ultimate safety net is holding some physical gold. There are two main methods of purchasing physical gold as follows:
1. Gold coins
Major economies issue their own gold coins with the most famous in the UK being gold sovereigns. Other famous gold coins include US Eagles, South African Krugerrands, Canadian Maple Leafs and Australian Kangaroos. Price depends on the age and weight of the coin.
2. Gold bars
Gold bars can be purchased in various sizes with little variation in the ground of origin. It seems a gold bar is a gold bar. Prices range from 83.00 for a 2.5 gram bar up to 26,000 for a 1KG bar!

Want to learn how to trade Forex? Interested in the latest spread betting strategies? Whatever you're interested in What Biz Opp will give you the latest news, systems reviews and tips here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katherine_M_J_Mason

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6697267

The Truth About Gold Jewelry by Sam Serio

Without a doubt, Gold is one of the world's most precious metals. It is also a certainty that gold enjoys an unsurpassed popularity as a medium for jewelry expression. Both jewelry artisans and consumers alike are "in love" with gold. There seems to be no end to the range of colors, finishes and styles available and gold remains a perennial favorite setting for gemstones.
Gold can last forever, will not corrode or rust and can be found anywhere. Gold exists in plants, rivers, oceans, mountains, it's nearly everywhere but it is extremely difficult and costly to extract this amazing metal. Did you know that a single ounce of gold can be pulled into a thin wire that stretches nearly five miles long? An artisans hammer can work that same ounce into a very thin sheet that can cover a 10ft x 10ft(100sq. ft.) area. Also, it takes nearly 3 tons of gold or to extract a single ounce of pure gold. Well if you didn't now you know!
Gold Basics
The word Gold, used by itself, means all gold or 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, it's usually mixed with other metals to increase its hardness and durability. If a piece of jewelry is not 24 karat gold, the karat quality should accompany any claim that the item is gold.
The karat quality marking tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with the other metals. Fourteen karat (14K) jewelry contains 14 parts of gold, mixed in throughout with 10 parts of base metal. The higher the karat rating, the higher the proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry.
Most jewelry is marked with its karat quality, although marking is not required by law. Near the karat quality mark, you should see the name of the U.S. registered trademark of the company that will stand behind the mark. The trademark may be in the form of a name, symbol or initials. If you don't see a trademark accompanying a quality mark on a piece of jewelry, look for another piece.
Solid gold refers to an item made of any karat gold, if the inside of the item is not hollow. The proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry still is determined by the karat mark.
Jewelry can be plated with gold in a variety of ways. Gold plate refers to items that are either mechanically plated, electroplated, or plated by any other means with gold to a base metal. Eventually, gold plating wears away, but how soon will depend on how often the item is worn and how thick the plating is.
Gold-filled, gold overlay and rolled gold plate are terms used to describe jewelry that has a layer of at least 10 karat gold mechanically bonded to a base metal. If the jewelry is marked with one of these terms, the term or abbreviation should follow the karat quality of the gold used (for example, 14K Gold Overlay or 12K RGP). If the layer of karat gold is less than 1/20th of the total weight of the item, any marking must state the actual percentage of karat gold, such as 1/40 14K Gold Overlay.
Gold electroplate describes jewelry that has a layer (at least .175 microns thick) of a minimum of 10 karat gold deposited on a base metal by an electrolytic process. The terms gold flashed or gold washed describe products that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns thick). This will wear away more quickly than gold plate, gold-filled or gold electroplate.
Vermeil (ver-may), a special type of gold plated product, consists of a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated with gold.

Learn How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off. This informative Special Report reveals little-known facts and insider trade secrets that many jewelers would prefer you didn’t know. To get your FREE copy please go to http://www.morninglightjewelry.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Serio

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2375

Without a doubt, Gold is one of the world's most precious metals. It is also a certainty that gold enjoys an unsurpassed popularity as a medium for jewelry expression. Both jewelry artisans and consumers alike are "in love" with gold. There seems to be no end to the range of colors, finishes and styles available and gold remains a perennial favorite setting for gemstones. Gold can last forever, will not corrode or rust and can be found anywhere. Gold exists in plants, rivers, oceans, mountains, it's nearly everywhere but it is extremely difficult and costly to extract this amazing metal. Did you know that a single ounce of gold can be pulled into a thin wire that stretches nearly five miles long? An artisans hammer can work that same ounce into a very thin sheet that can cover a 10ft x 10ft(100sq. ft.) area. Also, it takes nearly 3 tons of gold or to extract a single ounce of pure gold. Well if you didn't now you know! Gold Basics The word Gold, used by itself, means all gold or 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, it's usually mixed with other metals to increase its hardness and durability. If a piece of jewelry is not 24 karat gold, the karat quality should accompany any claim that the item is gold. The karat quality marking tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with the other metals. Fourteen karat (14K) jewelry contains 14 parts of gold, mixed in throughout with 10 parts of base metal. The higher the karat rating, the higher the proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry. Most jewelry is marked with its karat quality, although marking is not required by law. Near the karat quality mark, you should see the name of the U.S. registered trademark of the company that will stand behind the mark. The trademark may be in the form of a name, symbol or initials. If you don't see a trademark accompanying a quality mark on a piece of jewelry, look for another piece. Solid gold refers to an item made of any karat gold, if the inside of the item is not hollow. The proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry still is determined by the karat mark. Jewelry can be plated with gold in a variety of ways. Gold plate refers to items that are either mechanically plated, electroplated, or plated by any other means with gold to a base metal. Eventually, gold plating wears away, but how soon will depend on how often the item is worn and how thick the plating is. Gold-filled, gold overlay and rolled gold plate are terms used to describe jewelry that has a layer of at least 10 karat gold mechanically bonded to a base metal. If the jewelry is marked with one of these terms, the term or abbreviation should follow the karat quality of the gold used (for example, 14K Gold Overlay or 12K RGP). If the layer of karat gold is less than 1/20th of the total weight of the item, any marking must state the actual percentage of karat gold, such as 1/40 14K Gold Overlay. Gold electroplate describes jewelry that has a layer (at least .175 microns thick) of a minimum of 10 karat gold deposited on a base metal by an electrolytic process. The terms gold flashed or gold washed describe products that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns thick). This will wear away more quickly than gold plate, gold-filled or gold electroplate. Vermeil (ver-may), a special type of gold plated product, consists of a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated with gold. Learn How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off. This informative Special Report reveals little-known facts and insider trade secrets that many jewelers would prefer you didn’t know. To get your FREE copy please go to http://www.morninglightjewelry.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Serio Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2375

The $1,000 gold fan club? Absolutely. And, as far as fan clubs go, this one's membership is swelling daily. There's no question that the number of financial analysts who see gold topping the $1,000 mark have suddenly become as common as Tom Brady touchdown passes. But whether these folks are newcomers to the gold bandwagon or have been riding confidently along for years, it's remarkable just how many analysts now see nothing but good for gold.
Here, for example, is what a few $1,000 gold prognosticators have to say...
o The Falling Dow/Gold Ratio. The Dow/Gold Ratio - the number of gold ounces it takes to buy one share of the Dow Jones Index - has fallen from 42 in 2000 to nearly 19 in 2007. "What is interesting," said analyst Dr. Marc Farber, "is that despite the stock market's rebound since October 2002, the Dow/Gold Ratio has continued to decline. Simply put for the holder of gold - the world's only honest currency, since it cannot be printed by some dishonest central banker - the Dow, although it increased in value in dollar terms, has continued to decline in gold terms with the result that, today, it 'only' takes 20 ounces of gold to buy one Dow Jones Industrial Average.
"Simply put, since 2000, gold has risen at a much faster clip than the Dow Jones and I would expect this out-performance to continue for the next few years until 'gold currency' holders will be able to buy one Dow Jones with just one ounce of gold.
"Now, you may think that I have become insane (but) I am convinced that the US Fed's monetary policies will lead to exponentially widening wealth inequity and impoverish the majority of US households, which will then lead to social strife, protectionism, war, and the breakdown of the capitalistic system.
"However, if one considers that in 1932 and in 1980 one could indeed buy one Dow Jones Industrial Average with just one ounce of gold, then maybe my views are rather conservative. Possibly one will be able to buy, sometime in future, one Dow Jones with just half an ounce of gold!"
With that in mind, Farber believes we could be in store for a lot more than just $1,000 gold.
o In 1980 Dollars, Gold is Just Half-Price. John Hathaway, managing director of Tocqueville Asset Management, believes $1,000 gold isn't far off. "I don't think it will take much. Let's not forget, in 1980 dollars, gold is less than half of its nominal price today.
"The disparity between the amount of paper that has been created since 1980 and the amount of gold that has been produced since then is just enormous. The ratio of financial assets to physical gold is at the low end of a historical range. If you were to mark all the gold to market that has ever been mined, which is a very conservative approach, and then take the valuation of all the global stock markets and all the global bond markets, gold represents about 3%, compared with a figure in the mid-20% range in 1980, which was the top of the bull market in gold and the beginning of the bull market in financial assets.
"Gold is a good value, certainly, at these prices, just based on the considerations we've discussed. Even if you don't think worst-case outcomes are in the cards, gold is still rare and hard to find, and believe me, these companies are having the toughest times trying to maintain production, much less build it."
o Central Banks Abandon Control of Gold. Two Citigroup metals analysts wrote that central banks faced a choice between a global recession and their continuing "control" of gold.
They chose to focus on staving off global recession.
"We believe that the policy resolution to the credit crunch will take the form of a massive, extended 'reflationary rescue' in a new cycle of global credit creation and competitive currency devaluation which could take gold to $1,000/oz or higher."
o Slashing Interest Rates Will Only Add Fuel to the Fire. Analyst John Ing believes $1,000 gold is just on the horizon. His reasoning? Bankers are out of bullets when it comes to settling U.S. debt battles.
"Ironically, while there is a crisis of confidence in the credit markets, the world is awash in liquidity due to the gargantuan current account surpluses of China and other Asian countries as well as the Middle-East," Ing wrote. "The problem however, is not the supply of surpluses, but the imbalance between the short term and long term obligations of the world's biggest debtor and the United States."
"As long as there is a lack of confidence in the short term, central banks are faced with the dilemma as to how to supply liquidity. Today, central banks continue to boost money supply but the monetary aggregates were already growing at double-digit levels and they had little room to maneuver. What is likely then is a dramatic reduction in interest rates, which will serve as a short term palliative. But this will not correct the imbalances. Central banks have tried to stabilize the global financial system by pumping large amounts of liquidity into the markets. To date, they have only addressed the symptoms of the underlying crisis. The situation will become even worse."
o "Gold Is the Purist Play Against the Dollar." When the former head of technical research at Citigroup predicts gold is heading not to $1,000, but to $3,000, it makes great sense to pay attention.
"Gold is the purest play against the dollar," Louise Yamada, managing director of Yamada Technical Research Advisors said. She predicted gold would surpass $730 on its way to $3,000 inside of a decade.
o "Still Cheap Relative to Oil or Base Metals." Australia's Fat Prophets newsletter is another prominent member of the $1,000 gold fan club.
"We think the price could reach $850 an ounce by the end of the year, based on issues in the US housing market," senior equities analyst Greg Canavan says. "US housing was an accident waiting to happen. We have also been forecasting an eventual price of $1000, and we would expect that in the first half of 2008.
"In the US, we expect further interest rate cuts. In Europe, the euro is getting stronger, with implications for exports. It could lead to a slowdown there," he went on to say. "Also in Europe, the Bank of England had said it would not be bailing out lenders. But now it has been told that it must do so. So investors are seeing that gold is a fundamental store of wealth."
Canavan added, "You should have 10 per cent of your portfolio in bullion or gold stocks. Also, it is considerably undervalued right now so it is more than just insurance. Despite being at more than 20-year highs it is still cheap relative to oil or base metals."
o World Currencies "Becoming Increasingly Doubted." James Turk in his Freemarket Gold & Money Report believes $1,500 gold is possible.
"A blow-off leg in gold is looking increasingly likely once it clears $1,000. Think about this a moment. The US dollar is now trading at record lows, with no bottom in sight. Commodity prices are soaring, with wheat at over $9 per bushel and crude oil looking increasingly well supported over $80 per barrel. Gold is rising against all the world's currencies, indicating that fiat national currencies backed by nothing but promises from over-indebted governments are becoming increasingly doubted. Britain just experienced the world's biggest bank run since the 1930s. ... We should be mentally prepared for the possibility that gold exceeds $1,000 within the next few months, and then just keeps climbing to a blow-off high.
"How high? A doubling of the gold price has happened before in blow-offs like the one I am describing, so $1,500 or more is not out of the question."
So...where are you with your investments? Are you overly reliant on those worrisome "paper" investments at a time when more and more people want to hold something of authentic value in their hands? If that's the case - and even if you've never joined a fan club your entire life - today may be the perfect time to become a member of the $1,000 gold fan club.

You've seen him on Fox News Television and heard him on the Rush Limbaugh Show. He's a published author, writer and an expert guest on more than 1000 radio programs discussing today's economy and gold.
Kevin DeMeritt, President of Lear Financial, is a nationally renowned analyst whose insight into the future of domestic and global economies is unmatched.
His book, The Bulls The Bears and the Bust, reviewed by the Associated Press, predicted the market crash of 2001 and the ensuing rise of gold to the status of best investment.
At the helm of Lear Financial, Kevin DeMeritt has made Lear one of the most highly endorsed gold companies in the country. Relying on his insightful recommendations, uncanny market and trading skills and 20 years of experience in investment quality gold, Kevin has navigated thousands of portfolios to profitability through boom and bust times.
And, now more than ever, his insights are welcome by nervous investors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_A._Demeritt

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/791257

Gold As an Investment in India By Basith A Abdul

As Indians we're passionate about gold. We are the world's second largest consumer of the yellow metal after the Chinese. But unlike others most of us buy gold as a social imperative - for a family wedding, for the dowry, for a festival, and so on. Historically gold has worked as a hedge against inflation. In times when the economic outlook is unstable people and governments try to hoard it in their treasury. So far in the recent past, with turmoil in the global economy gold prices have witnessed tremendous hikes and corrections too. Instead of joining the speculation of where gold prices will go from here, we make a simplifying assumption - that you buy gold regularly in small quantities irrespective of the price. This makes sense whether you intend to splurge at a wedding, or keep it purely as an investment. Unlike other commodities the price of gold depends upon the demand for it than its supply because there is more gold with people or governments than there are reserves under the earth. As an investment gold can make you richer as it appreciates with time. Holding it does not pay interest or dividend.
Any investor must not have 5-10% of their total assets as gold.
Let's see the best way to buy and hold the beautiful yellow metal.
Physical Gold

• Jewelry

If you are actually going to use gold as jewelry, nothing is better than buying it in that form. The making charges and jeweler's profits are worth paying for, if you are getting the chain or earring you have always desired. But there is eminent wisdom in buying gold as an investment too, to about 5%-10% of your total assets. Let's look at four ways to invest in gold, starting from the worst to the wisest way.

• Bars, Coins

The first people in the gold selling business are the Banks, with their gold coins and biscuits. They have special offers on Akshaya Tritiya, Dhanteras and other festive days. Not surprisingly, this is probably the most expensive way for you. Banks charge no less than 8% charges on the prevailing price. You then have to spend on a locker to keep it safe. Worse, they don't take the gold back; so should you wish to sell, you would need to run from pillar to post trying to get a good rate from a jeweler. Some of them may refuse to buy coins sold by others and may demand making charges.

• SBI Gold Deposit Scheme

If you have too many gold bars, coins lying with you they can be deposited with the SBI under its Gold Deposit Scheme (GDS) for 3,4 or 5 years and earn an interest of up to 1% per annum. The interest may not be attractive but you can get exemption on wealth tax and capital gains tax. The interest earned is tax-free too. You can deposit ornaments if you're willing to have them melted into uniform bars. When you want to take back your deposits their weight may be lesser than what you deposited because they undergo purification and refining to bring them to uniformity in the government's mint.
Gold Mutual Funds
If you do not have DP or trading accounts a good way to invest in gold is through Gold Mutual Funds. Gold MFs are fund of funds (FoF) that invest in Gold ETFs. There are gold-related funds such as the DSP BlackRock World Gold Fund, AIG World Gold Fund, Reliance Gold Savings Fund, Kotak Gold Fund, UTI Master Gold Fund, to name some. For a fee of only about 2% a year, you can invest in these funds, which buy and hold gold on your behalf. Here the prices move faster and further in both directions than the price of gold. An FoF is a fund that invests in other funds and the cost of investing in it is higher than investing in the constituent funds individually. A great advantage with Gold MF is that you are not compelled to buy complete units unlike in an ETF. So if you have Rs 20,000 to invest in gold you can buy units in a Gold MF but it would be insufficient for a unit of gold in an ETF. You have the option of systematic investment too so you can buy for as little as Rs 100 every month. SIPs are a good way to accumulate gold as an investment. Best of all, you can redeem them at a day's notice, at the prevailing market price (NAV). Gold mutual funds have not performed better than gold ETFs.
Gold ETFs
If you have DP and trading account, gold Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is the better way to buy. They perfectly track the price of gold, and cost less than 1% a year. Currently there are 11 ETFs listed in the NSE/BSE. They are listed below in the order of their listing dates with the oldest one first:

• Gold Benchmark Exchange Traded Scheme
• UTI Gold ETF
• Kotak Gold ETF
• Reliance Gold ETF
• Quantum Gold Fund
• SBI Gold ETF
• Religare Gold ETF
• HDFC Gold ETF
• iCICI Prudential Gold ETF
• Axis Gold ETF
• Birla Sun Life Gold ETF

You can buy them the same simple way you buy shares - just lookup the symbol and place a 'Buy' order. These ETFs too buy the metal on your behalf and store it for you. Whenever you want, you can also sell them in a similar single click, at the prevailing gold price, just like you would with a share. A unit is close to 1 gram of gold. Since they are in the demat form there is no worry of safety and need for storage. Loans can be availed against units. Performance of difference ETFs can differ because of the difference in portfolios. Some have larger allocation in cash, money market instruments than others and may reflect gold prices better.
E-Gold
The newest option for investment in gold is E-Gold which has made financial asset of a physical asset. E-Gold is similar to shares that are bought on the stock exchange. It was introduced by National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL).You need to have a trading account and a demat account (separate from that for shares) with a DP linked to NSEL. Dematerialized gold can be purchased in units of1 gram of gold. The DP charges an annual maintenance fee of around Rs 350 and transaction fee for every transaction much like it is in stock exchanges. E-Gold can be traded on NSEL during its business hours. Since it is a pan-India exchange prices are same throughout the country. Unlike the case of gold coins, bars and jewelry there is transparency in price quotes. Loans can be availed against units. Every unit of E-Gold is backed by corresponding units of physical gold. If you decide to, you can convert the E-Gold units into physical gold through rematerialization. Delivery is made at select cities in India. A conversion fee is charged which depends on the amount of gold converted and units can be exchanged for coins or bars. There are a host of other charges involved such as VAT, octroi and delivery charges so only economical units should be rematerialized. E-Gold as an investment vehicle is yet to catch up with investors. Since commodity exchanges are less regulated than stock exchanges (which are regulated by SEBI) they may be more risky. When the market for it is sufficiently large E-Gold could become the best way to accumulate gold for investment in the long term. Till then you can use the safe and convenient ETF route of virtual gold!

Personal finance is explained in a very easy to understand language in the website of fintotal. All the articles and reviews are unbiased and neutral. For any queries, can be directed to info@fintotal.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Basith_A_Abdul

Organo Gold Business - How To Make Money With Organo Gold By Joshua Fuson

Organo Gold give you the opportunity to earn an unlimited income. By selling their range of healthy coffees and nutraceuticals, you could be a millionaire in a few short years. But of course, you could earn nothing. You could spend hours and hours, and all your savings trying to make your Organo Gold business a success, only to be left with nothing. Your business could go either way, it depends on what decisions you make. If you want to make money with Organo Gold, then you need to know how.
To make money with Organo Gold you need to a) sell their products, and b) grow your team. Everyone loves coffee- it's the world's second favorite drink. You would think selling such a popular item, especially one that is healthier for you, would be a piece of cake. Well, you'd be wrong. Success never comes easily. There are so many other people out there selling coffee and nutraceuticals, that your business can easily get lost in the crowd. You're going to have to work extremely hard to stand out.
One of the ways you can distance yourself from the crowd is with an excellent piece of sales copy. The written word is one of the most persuasive tools you have at your disposal. Words are powerful things- by knowing the right thing to say, you can make people desperately crave what you have to offer. The best thing is that you will have a completely different writing style to your competitors. No one else can see inside your mind, so whatever you write will be unique to you and you alone. This is how you will set yourself apart from the pack, and get people's attention.
To make money with Organo Gold, you need to embrace the written word. But once you've written this amazing piece of copy, are you just going to leave it sitting on your desk? Of course not! Use the internet to fully leverage your business and spread your sales message across the country. The combination of great copy and great internet marketing is how you will make money with Organo Gold.

For more information, read the free Organo Gold Guide to Success.
Joshua Fuson is a professional marketer, and has participated in the generation of over $14 million dollars in the direct-marketing industry in the past 4 years alone.
Discover how you can Add 700 Reps to your Organo Gold business today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Fuson

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5784740

Organo Gold Business Opportunity - A 3rd Party Review Of Organo Gold By Clint Schubert

Organo Gold Business Opportunity Review
Starting a new business is never a quick decision. That is why you probably clicked on this article review to find out more information about the Organo Gold opportunity.
This review is a third-party opinion from someone who did not join but has been in the network marketing industry most of his life.
I will cover the company, their delicious line of coffees and other products, how you get paid and the validity of the business opportunity.
Organo Gold, Inc.
They launched in September of 2008 with intentions of marketing healthy coffee and creating an atmosphere where people could become financially independent world-wide.
Their founder and CEO, Bernardo Chua, has many years of executive leadership experience in the network marketing industry. He has many awards including the title of "Direct Sales Company Of The Year" on 5 separate occasions over the course of his career.
You might be wondering what the company is all about. What makes their coffee better? Why should I sell coffee? These are questions that Organo Gold makes you ask yourself but they deliver in an incredible way. First of all, coffee is the second most consumed beverage on the planet behind water.
Secondly, their special blend of premium coffee and Ganoderma - an ancient Chinese herb which improves one's health and makes you feel better overall is a one in a lifetime product to market on a global scale.
People already drink coffee, so why not share with them the power of the Ganoderma herb found in Organo Gold coffee.
What is Ganoderma?
We all know coffee is the most popular morning beverage world-wide. Starbucks has revolutionized the coffee industry over the past few years so we know the demand is there but what makes Organo Gold different?
The difference comes from their special ingredient called Ganoderma. It's a mushroom grown in China that has been used for medicine purposes for the past 4000 years.
Thanks to OrganoGold, Inc the word is spreading about the powerful health benefits found in this special mushroom. Thanks to scientific research and advanced technologies they have developed a full line of beverages which include coffee, mocha, latte, green tea and hot chocolate.
In addition to their beverages they sell nutritional supplements which all contain the "miracle herb from the East".
Organo Gold Compensation Plan
When looking at the business opportunity one cannot ignore the compensation plan. Upon review of OrganoGold.com I discovered that the compensation plan is very generous.
There are two primary ways to get paid. The structure of the pay plan is a binary system where reps can earn up to 20% residual commissions on product orders within their downline up to 9 levels deep.
You are also compensated on initial start up packs and first orders. A complete list of ways to get paid can be found at the OrganoGold.com website.
Success With Organo Gold
For anyone looking at the Organo Gold opportunity they can be confident that the company is viable and not a scam. Although there are many pyramid schemes to be cautious of this is definitely not.
The products are viable and are in high demand which helps distributors make sales. However, most Organo Gold distributors will never become successful because they lack the skills necessary to market their business.
Taking Organo Gold To The Internet
Leveraging the power of the internet and an online marketing system will drastically improve your chances of becoming a top income earner in any network marketing or MLM company.
I suggest you consider taking your business online and partner up with a strong marketing system that will help you generate 20+ leads a day on autopilot.

Clint Schubert prepared this review on Organo Gold for anyone who is taking a serious look at the business opportunity.
Unfortunately, most Organo Gold distributors will never get their business off the ground because they lack effective marketing and recruiting skills.
If you want to learn how to attract an endless amount of new leads on autopilot visit Clint's MLM Training Grounds.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clint_Schubert

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5161198