Many people are realizing that gold ira is a good investment, even during this downturn. If you are looking to invest in precious metals, you should think carefully. There are many options when it comes to purchasing precious metals. These are the 5 best ways to buy precious Metals.

1. Physical Coins-Gold as an investment option has been around for thousands and years. So began the production of coins. The advantages of coins are that they can be carried around and have a large amount of wealth. These treasures may be purchased from many dealers online, or at your local coin dealer.

2. Physical bars – Bars are an excellent way to invest in precious metals. You’re buying gold in its purest form when you buy bars. Bars generally offer a lower markup (or premium) than spot prices for gold in smaller denominations.

3. Precious Metals IRA – Investing gold in your IRA will help protect you from inflation and diversify the retirement portfolio. You do not need to have a gold bullion broker or third party storage company store your gold when you purchase gold for your IRA.

4. COMEX Contract: A COMEX contract for gold is a futures deal that specifies a quantity of gold. One 100 ounce Comex gold contract is 100 grams of gold. This contract is available upon request. The Comex vault actually stores your gold, but many complain that they give cash settlements over physical bullion.

5. ETFs – GLD can be described as an exchange traded fund. GLD is traded just like a mutual funds on the market. You don’t actually have the gold but you can be exposed to the gold price, much like a derivative. This is a great route to take if your goal is not to purchase physical bullion.