It is amazing in modern times the rate at which we can transfer and share information and the role that has played on wealth creation.
The catch world for the past decade has been "diversification", and you can easily diversify what you invest in by using the world wide web to research new opportunities like gold.
The number of gold trading systems that have sprung up since the beginning of the bull market for gold on the internet is simply an indication of how popular it has become and where the technology allows us to take things.
It seems that gold has been around forever as a useful and beautiful metal. But gold has an equally interesting story as a commodity - something that's been traded since its discovery.
Gold has has its ups and downs in terms of price, but in general it is a steady riser and over longer periods of time, measured in say decades, it always appreciates in value at a similar rate to the share market.
Because of its stability it has always been a safe place to invest your money when the local and global markets took a turn for the worse or government policy or activity rattle the broader markets.
Look into gold as a profit-making exercise and I think you'll agree that it's a great option if you have some spare cash lying around.
Because of its hard wearing nature and of course its good looks, people in ancient times placed a lot of value on owning gold.
This did not diminish over the centuries as gold became a form of currency.
Our attitudes towards gold have not changed much over the centuries, and we still see the metal as "precious".
Gold has many practical applications today because it is malleable and ductile - it is especially useful as "gold leaf" and in very thin wires.
The use of gold to underwrite paper money was phased out in the mid 1940's.
The paper money you carry in your pocket essentially has no value other than the one we all agree to give it.
This is the kind of time when gold becomes most valuable.
When these situations arise, gold becomes invaluable.
The scarcity of gold helps it increase in value whereas the ability to turn on the presses and print more money backed by nothing tends to undermine currencies that are in trouble.
It is perhaps true that nowadays we are a little jaded by gold - we can "gold plate" items, plus we can buy replica gold whenever we want. It is no longer holds such a special significance as it did to our ancestors.
The great Egyptian empires understood the power of gold, and used it extensively in decoration and for religious purposes. They believed that gold would help to "fund" their dead's afterlife.
Gold is still at the center of our wealth creation today even though it may not be in the form of ingots or bullion. Our computers all use considerable amounts of gold because of its conducive capabilities for circuitry.
People may have lost respect for the underlying value of gold today because of how seemingly prevalent it is in our society, but the truth is, gold is a very rare commodity and maintains a very prominent place in any investment portfolio.
Compared with shares, especially since the internet made it so easy to trade shares, gold has only now become a common place item to be traded.
It is very easy for a day trader to now buy gold coins or bullion and use those to diversify and minimize the risk of many higher investment types without having to totally revisit their entire investment strategy or plan.
The catch world for the past decade has been "diversification", and you can easily diversify what you invest in by using the world wide web to research new opportunities like gold.
The number of gold trading systems that have sprung up since the beginning of the bull market for gold on the internet is simply an indication of how popular it has become and where the technology allows us to take things.
It seems that gold has been around forever as a useful and beautiful metal. But gold has an equally interesting story as a commodity - something that's been traded since its discovery.
Gold has has its ups and downs in terms of price, but in general it is a steady riser and over longer periods of time, measured in say decades, it always appreciates in value at a similar rate to the share market.
Because of its stability it has always been a safe place to invest your money when the local and global markets took a turn for the worse or government policy or activity rattle the broader markets.
Look into gold as a profit-making exercise and I think you'll agree that it's a great option if you have some spare cash lying around.
Because of its hard wearing nature and of course its good looks, people in ancient times placed a lot of value on owning gold.
This did not diminish over the centuries as gold became a form of currency.
Our attitudes towards gold have not changed much over the centuries, and we still see the metal as "precious".
Gold has many practical applications today because it is malleable and ductile - it is especially useful as "gold leaf" and in very thin wires.
The use of gold to underwrite paper money was phased out in the mid 1940's.
The paper money you carry in your pocket essentially has no value other than the one we all agree to give it.
This is the kind of time when gold becomes most valuable.
When these situations arise, gold becomes invaluable.
The scarcity of gold helps it increase in value whereas the ability to turn on the presses and print more money backed by nothing tends to undermine currencies that are in trouble.
It is perhaps true that nowadays we are a little jaded by gold - we can "gold plate" items, plus we can buy replica gold whenever we want. It is no longer holds such a special significance as it did to our ancestors.
The great Egyptian empires understood the power of gold, and used it extensively in decoration and for religious purposes. They believed that gold would help to "fund" their dead's afterlife.
Gold is still at the center of our wealth creation today even though it may not be in the form of ingots or bullion. Our computers all use considerable amounts of gold because of its conducive capabilities for circuitry.
People may have lost respect for the underlying value of gold today because of how seemingly prevalent it is in our society, but the truth is, gold is a very rare commodity and maintains a very prominent place in any investment portfolio.
Compared with shares, especially since the internet made it so easy to trade shares, gold has only now become a common place item to be traded.
It is very easy for a day trader to now buy gold coins or bullion and use those to diversify and minimize the risk of many higher investment types without having to totally revisit their entire investment strategy or plan.
About the Author:
Want to find out more about gold bullion investing, then visit Jim Stash's site on how to invest in gold online.
