No, there are no restrictions on private gold ownership in the United States. You’re only limited by your budget and common sense. One option is to invest in gold indirectly by buying shares in a mining company. Since you don’t own real gold, your profits would be taxed at normal capital gains rates
.
VanEck Merk Gold (OUNZ), for example, owns gold bars and stores them in vaults, but allows investors to redeem their shares for gold bars or investment coins. However, since you would be investing in future gold transactions and not in gold itself, your earnings shouldn’t be subject to the retractable interest rate. Gold is often taxed differently than other investments, and tax rules vary depending on which of the many different ways to invest in gold you choose. As soon as you hold a real gold coin in your hand and feel its weight and density, you realize that gold is simply difficult to imitate.
Some gold and silver coins also have a high historical value, particularly if they were recovered during a shipwreck or other historic event. A good example of shipwreck gold is the recovery of Nuestra Señora de Atocha. Its value to you depends on the market and your decisions as to whether to sell your gold or your gold stocks. According to the latest PLR, the rules that prohibit direct IRA investments in gold do not apply if the gold is held by an independent trustee. When things calm down and the market returns to normal, the price of gold stabilizes and your investment is immediately worth less than
it was before market volatility.
You must understand the gold and precious metals market and be able to rely on predicting price rises and falls in order to trade precious metal futures profitably. You can overdo it and put gold too much at the center of your portfolio, but most investment gurus will tell you that there is room in your financial life for gold and other precious metals. Trading cash or other assets for gold is one thing, but buying gold with borrowed money can cost you
a lot.