‘Investing’ in gold is a headline-grabber every time things look dodgy anywhere. It’s the oldest precious-thing there is, of course, but should you in times of woe and trouble? And if you think you should, how should you? You could go hip-hop and wear it, as many an ancient has been found to have done to their graves. But enough in jewels and amulets to count as an investment portfolio is a personal danger. There are many online offering to sell and store ‘physical gold’, actual bullion which would be in a vault somewhere with your name on it. Dig into the regulation, however, and there isn’t much. There are various ‘exchange-traded’ instruments, a bit like an old fashioned bank note promising to ‘pay the bearer on demand’. Or you can buy shares in jewellers or mining companies which go up and down with the price of gold. Looking at the funds we recommend, those that have gold in their mix have no more than about 2% of your money there, and many, especially the ethical portfolios, have none – getting it out of the ground is a messy business. So I’d say – buy a nice bracelet if you feel inclined then leave it to others. Unless you have a very big, very secure mattress.
Budget Rumours and Possibilities
The Budget Rumour Machine is not the shambles it was last year. Before Rachel’s Swansong all sorts of stuff was leaked to see what sort of puddle it would create.
