I just saw a fresh review of the book on Amazon. While I am slightly disappointed "Grasshopper" wasn't a fan, and I do apologise, I am grateful to those people who contacted me thanking me for an insight into an alternative world of hard currency that most people have never known existed. Given that spread betting and options are, as most experienced gold investors would agree, investments on the price of Gold or Silver over a given timeframe, rather than an investment on the long-term value of the metal itself, only a short amount of page space was required to explain them. Reading between the lines, you'll see that my only real recommendations are gold bullion coins (preferably sovereigns although that's because I live in the UK), or a trusted internet gold supplier such as Goldmoney, where you can access your gold and spend it from any location worldwide.
When it comes to Gold mining stocks, I agree the returns can be explosive, but they are very exposed to the vagaries of governments, who during a crisis will probably stop at nothing to confiscate assets, etc. and when you look at ETFs and Perth Mint certificates, there are rumours that the gold and silver behind them is not as real as it could be, if you know what I mean. Even more galling when you consider the storage fees often charged.
Friday 12 September 2008
Thursday 24 July 2008
Gordon’s Golden Rule gets Stretched
Time to go back onto other taxes, one of my favourite taxes, basically because no-one understands that it is a tax, reared it’s ugly head. I am, of course talking about Inflation. In this case, the word was not even mentioned, yet it is the obvious net effect of future government policy. As Gordon and Alistair employ an army of skivvies to stretch, mangle and twist the “golden rule” for government borrowing, statements have already been made that the overpressed British taxpayer will not be expected to dip any deeper into his or her pockets. Net outcome therefore is that
a) The government intends to borrow money by issuing more government bonds
and
b) These guys have no idea how basic economics work. The resultant inflation and pound devaluation will do more damage to people’s pockets. Although a cynic might argue they know that, but hope it won’t happen until after the next general election.
Any attempt to issue more sterling denominated bonds means that more Pounds will be created. The government is obviously the one who gets its hands on these new pounds and feeds them into the economy through it’s own spending. After that, these pounds continue to circulate, diluting the purchasing power of the pounds already in existence. Overall, you can see why this is a good plan for Brown and Darling, although there has never been a clearer signal of why you should pull your money almost totally out of Pounds Sterling. The only solution therefore, considering the currency alternatives are Euros (20% dearer than what they cost last year), Dollars (could work out short-term, but the US has the same longer-term problems as us) or Gold and silver.
You can probably guess what I’ll be choosing, especially given I'm the author of How to Invest in Gold and Silver.
a) The government intends to borrow money by issuing more government bonds
and
b) These guys have no idea how basic economics work. The resultant inflation and pound devaluation will do more damage to people’s pockets. Although a cynic might argue they know that, but hope it won’t happen until after the next general election.
Any attempt to issue more sterling denominated bonds means that more Pounds will be created. The government is obviously the one who gets its hands on these new pounds and feeds them into the economy through it’s own spending. After that, these pounds continue to circulate, diluting the purchasing power of the pounds already in existence. Overall, you can see why this is a good plan for Brown and Darling, although there has never been a clearer signal of why you should pull your money almost totally out of Pounds Sterling. The only solution therefore, considering the currency alternatives are Euros (20% dearer than what they cost last year), Dollars (could work out short-term, but the US has the same longer-term problems as us) or Gold and silver.
You can probably guess what I’ll be choosing, especially given I'm the author of How to Invest in Gold and Silver.
Wednesday 11 June 2008
Buy WOW Gold
I recently noticed a huge increase in the number of hits to my core site, www.investgold.co.uk. One of the major search terms was that displayed above. aside from any thought of "Wow, gold has done well these past few years...", I must explain that WOW is an acronym of World of Warcraft, where gold is the main currency used in trade, in this fantastic, multi-player game, with millions of players worldwide, all connected through their PCs and an internet connection. Funny how the creators of this game, probably unwittingly, identified gold as the one true worldwide currency. (Actually, I wonder if inflation can be created in this game through over-issue of currency units?)
Anyhow, to deflect such visitors, I recommend they visit www.wowgold.eu, and check out some of the books for sale advising of the multitude of ways to obtain more gold through the game, legally and 100% above board. The US Fed, bank of England and EU central bank could all probably learn a thingor two....
Anyhow, to deflect such visitors, I recommend they visit www.wowgold.eu, and check out some of the books for sale advising of the multitude of ways to obtain more gold through the game, legally and 100% above board. The US Fed, bank of England and EU central bank could all probably learn a thingor two....
Wednesday 4 June 2008
My core belief in life
My core belief in life is that no man has any right whatsoever to the earnings or productivity of another man, unless the other man assigns him that right.
Obviously, in todays taxation nation society, this right is not being given, and in fact, governments probably need to become more understanding of the fact that many people today are outwardly resentful of the way others are helping themselves to their earnings, pruductivity and past earnt wealth.
Government is finished long term, simply because for now they choose to spend the earnings of the productive segment of society on schemes to secure the votes of the non-earning, parasitic portion of society.
In fact, the more you look into life in general, the more you realise everything is set up to steal your productivity and "redistribute" it to the lazy and the useless.
But thanks to the internet, globalisation, and the greater and freer movement of people, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Deep down, I'm quite optimistic that governments control over their more productive citizens is coming to an end, although there are many years of struggle on the way. It's a secret war that's already going on in many places, witness the USA and it's "patriot act", supposedly a law to counter terrorism, but really an attempt at controlling its citizens, or the EU savings directive.
Exciting and potentially troubling times ahead. I recommend we all watch governments like a hawk, and be prepared to move if the going gets too tough.
Where does gold fit into all this? Well, quite simply, it's the ultimate hard currency and way to put yourself outside of all the issues I just mentioned. Everyone should have some. Everyone whose ethos falls on the productive side of the equation, anyway!
Obviously, in todays taxation nation society, this right is not being given, and in fact, governments probably need to become more understanding of the fact that many people today are outwardly resentful of the way others are helping themselves to their earnings, pruductivity and past earnt wealth.
Government is finished long term, simply because for now they choose to spend the earnings of the productive segment of society on schemes to secure the votes of the non-earning, parasitic portion of society.
In fact, the more you look into life in general, the more you realise everything is set up to steal your productivity and "redistribute" it to the lazy and the useless.
But thanks to the internet, globalisation, and the greater and freer movement of people, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Deep down, I'm quite optimistic that governments control over their more productive citizens is coming to an end, although there are many years of struggle on the way. It's a secret war that's already going on in many places, witness the USA and it's "patriot act", supposedly a law to counter terrorism, but really an attempt at controlling its citizens, or the EU savings directive.
Exciting and potentially troubling times ahead. I recommend we all watch governments like a hawk, and be prepared to move if the going gets too tough.
Where does gold fit into all this? Well, quite simply, it's the ultimate hard currency and way to put yourself outside of all the issues I just mentioned. Everyone should have some. Everyone whose ethos falls on the productive side of the equation, anyway!
Friday 9 May 2008
HOW TO INVEST IN GOLD AND SILVER
Time for a sneak inside look at what's covered by the new book HOW TO INVEST IN GOLD AND SILVER, by ALAN DUNWIDDIE. Here's the contents page, to give you a taster :-
- INTRODUCTION
- INFLATION
- GOLD AND SILVER AS MONEY
- GOLD CONSPIRACIES
- GOLD AND SILVER COINS
- GOLD AND SILVER BARS
- JEWELLERY
- OTHER GOLD AND SILVER ITEMS
- STORING YOUR GOLD AND SILVER SAFELY
- INVESTMENT FUNDS AND MINING STOCKS
- EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS
- SPREAD BETTING
- THE FUTURES MARKET
- DERIVATIVES
- PERTH MINT CERTIFICATES
- ELECTRONIC GOLD AND SILVER
- E-GOLD
- GOLDMONEY
- BULLIONVAULT
- OTHER WAYS TO INVEST
- GOLD AND SILVER INVESTING SCAMS
- SUMMARY
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Wednesday 7 May 2008
Should Britain join the Euro?
I used to be strongly in favour of a single European currency, and my partner is from the continent, but after living over there for 3 years, I've completely revised my opinion.
Culturally, Europe is much more socialist and controlling, when compared with the historic British attitude of an island nation based on international trade and financial freedoms, as evidenced by our reputation as one of the best places to conduct international business, and our base as the world's leading financial centre.
Using the old dictum that "he who controls the currency controls the nation", by giving up the national currency, you are also giving up much of the control and handing it to another power, with vested interests of its own.
Fortunately, at this point in time, most Britons realise this and are opposed to the single currency. We all know this, so why even bother going to the expense and hassle of a referendum?
Culturally, Europe is much more socialist and controlling, when compared with the historic British attitude of an island nation based on international trade and financial freedoms, as evidenced by our reputation as one of the best places to conduct international business, and our base as the world's leading financial centre.
Using the old dictum that "he who controls the currency controls the nation", by giving up the national currency, you are also giving up much of the control and handing it to another power, with vested interests of its own.
Fortunately, at this point in time, most Britons realise this and are opposed to the single currency. We all know this, so why even bother going to the expense and hassle of a referendum?
Friday 2 May 2008
How to Invest in Gold and Silver New Book Release
How to Invest in Gold and Silver is now available at all good bookshops, including Amazon and Book Depository.
This is a major release to allow greater access to this this unique guide for beginners to the world of investing in precious metals.
How to Invest in Gold and Silver explains in laymans terms the weaknesses behind the present day financial system and why gold has endured throughout history. It gives clear reasons why you should be investing at least some of your savings in the worlds oldest currency and explains the various ways you can invest profitably. Some of these ways have previously been open to experts and the very wealthy only, but are now available to all. Some of the ways like digital currency are completely newly created by the internet and offer great scope for diversifying your portfolio and improving your investment returns. Unlike many books of this type, the information inside and investing options are just as valid for UK, European Union (EU) or worldwide residents.
An unmissable book full of money-saving information that will help you add a major pillar of safety to your investment portfolio.
This is a major release to allow greater access to this this unique guide for beginners to the world of investing in precious metals.
How to Invest in Gold and Silver explains in laymans terms the weaknesses behind the present day financial system and why gold has endured throughout history. It gives clear reasons why you should be investing at least some of your savings in the worlds oldest currency and explains the various ways you can invest profitably. Some of these ways have previously been open to experts and the very wealthy only, but are now available to all. Some of the ways like digital currency are completely newly created by the internet and offer great scope for diversifying your portfolio and improving your investment returns. Unlike many books of this type, the information inside and investing options are just as valid for UK, European Union (EU) or worldwide residents.
An unmissable book full of money-saving information that will help you add a major pillar of safety to your investment portfolio.
Sunday 6 April 2008
GoldMoney changes its charging structure
Goldmoney has decided to change it's Gold storage charging structure from a fixed fraction of a goldgram per month, regardless of holding size, to a % of the total value of gold held. I must admit, that for me, this fixed fee was one of the best features of Goldmoney, since it gave me extra encouragement to add even small regular sums to my Goldmoney holding, since they would not be subject to an extra storage fee.
If you're still looking for fixed fee gold storage, the best deal for larger holdings, then consider BullionVault, which continues to adopt this policy.
t must be said that you will need to calculate your own costs, since even though the Goldmoney fee could add a lot to the expense of your gold holding, whether it is worth selling and then paying new buying fees is another matter. I guess this is the attitude Goldmoney expect the majority of their customers to have.
If you're still looking for fixed fee gold storage, the best deal for larger holdings, then consider BullionVault, which continues to adopt this policy.
t must be said that you will need to calculate your own costs, since even though the Goldmoney fee could add a lot to the expense of your gold holding, whether it is worth selling and then paying new buying fees is another matter. I guess this is the attitude Goldmoney expect the majority of their customers to have.
Friday 21 March 2008
Silver shortages
There are rumours these past few days, partly thanks to Jason Hommels Silver Stock Report, of a silver shortage in the USA and Canada. Interestingly, for all the conspiracy theorists out there, Silver has dropped approx 10% these past few days alone. Now, if that doesn't fit the description of a conspiracy theory, what does? Desperate short-sellers trying to flush out a few naive sellers?
No such problems in Europe, where the mainstream are not at all onto this story thanks to a strong Euro and the disappointing rule where VAT of between 15-25% is added to the price of Silver bullion. They may regret missing their chance though, and there are in fact many ways to buy silver and avoid paying the VAT even in if you live in the EU.
You can find out what they are in the new book on How to Invest in Gold and Silver. It will repay its purchase price many times over.
No such problems in Europe, where the mainstream are not at all onto this story thanks to a strong Euro and the disappointing rule where VAT of between 15-25% is added to the price of Silver bullion. They may regret missing their chance though, and there are in fact many ways to buy silver and avoid paying the VAT even in if you live in the EU.
You can find out what they are in the new book on How to Invest in Gold and Silver. It will repay its purchase price many times over.
Wednesday 19 March 2008
CHEAP LAPTOP OFFER
3 of my favourite things in the entire world are :-
1) Shopping online at reputable net stores
2) Getting a bargain
3) paying NO Sales Taxes to Greedy Goverments
And thanks to my contacts in the industry, Play.com, one of the stars of tax-free shopping, have allowed me to pass on this discount code ACER40, which enables you to claim an amazing EXTRA £40 off when you buy an Acer Laptop from them here.
The laptops are available here on the Play.com site and the code to enable the discount on the laptops is ACER40.
The laptop code is only valid against the four products listed and will expire at midnight on Wednesday 26/3/08.
1) Shopping online at reputable net stores
2) Getting a bargain
3) paying NO Sales Taxes to Greedy Goverments
And thanks to my contacts in the industry, Play.com, one of the stars of tax-free shopping, have allowed me to pass on this discount code ACER40, which enables you to claim an amazing EXTRA £40 off when you buy an Acer Laptop from them here.
The laptops are available here on the Play.com site and the code to enable the discount on the laptops is ACER40.
The laptop code is only valid against the four products listed and will expire at midnight on Wednesday 26/3/08.
Saturday 15 March 2008
Why Silver is on the up too
Gold is a purer representative of true wealth than silver. Although both metals have been heavily used throughout history as currency and to represent wealth, Gold has few uses apart from as money, whereas Silver is a heavily used industrial commodity and that can affect its price and desirability outside of any investment considerations. For example, some commentators are convinced that the rise of digital photography and the resultant downturn in traditional photography will result in a massive decrease in demand for silver, affecting the price as a result. This may or may not turn out to be true.
As a much used industrial commodity, it is in the best interests of many to keep the price as low as possible for as long as possible. It is thought by many commentators that the price has been manipulated for many years to be artificially low, and is in no way representative of how much Silver exists in physical form. For example, on COMEX, the main New York USA exchange for trading silver, there may be more short sales than there is silver to back them up. If this is true, then imagine what would happen if those sellers were all forced to buy silver on the open market to meet their promises? And more importantly, would they even be able to? In the USA, there is even a Silver Users Association, representing the viewpoint of businesses that consume silver, and lobbying government when necessary to protect those interests. They successfully managed to delay, but not stop, the introduction of the first ever Silver investment fund, the Barclays iShares Silver ETF in 2006 (for an explanation of ETFs, see the Exchange-Traded Funds chapter).
You can read more about this, and other gold and silver government conspiracies, in the new book on How to Invest in Gold and Silver. It will repay its purchase price many times over.
As a much used industrial commodity, it is in the best interests of many to keep the price as low as possible for as long as possible. It is thought by many commentators that the price has been manipulated for many years to be artificially low, and is in no way representative of how much Silver exists in physical form. For example, on COMEX, the main New York USA exchange for trading silver, there may be more short sales than there is silver to back them up. If this is true, then imagine what would happen if those sellers were all forced to buy silver on the open market to meet their promises? And more importantly, would they even be able to? In the USA, there is even a Silver Users Association, representing the viewpoint of businesses that consume silver, and lobbying government when necessary to protect those interests. They successfully managed to delay, but not stop, the introduction of the first ever Silver investment fund, the Barclays iShares Silver ETF in 2006 (for an explanation of ETFs, see the Exchange-Traded Funds chapter).
You can read more about this, and other gold and silver government conspiracies, in the new book on How to Invest in Gold and Silver. It will repay its purchase price many times over.
BullionVault Explained
Founded by Paul Tustain, Bullionvault is UK-based, although an additionally interesting feature is the ability to store your gold in their New York, London or Zurich gold vaults. Dependent on which country you are a citizen of, you will probably feel most comfortable placing your gold outside of that country so that is not subject to your local government jurisdiction, so top marks for considering that feature.
BullionVault allows you to buy and sell Gold on their impressive looking trading platform, where buyers and sellers of gold from each vault can meet and state their required selling/buying prices, so if you are more inclined to hold gold, occasionally sell on a dip, then buy in again later, then this could well be the best service for you.
Their fees for transactions and monthly storage are really low too, so they are very worthy of investigation. The storage fee is currently $4 per month fixed, regardless of holding size, and only payable for the months in which you held Gold.
Again, Bullionvault has proved popular with Gold Bugs accumulating gold for the future financial crisis they believe is in the offing.
Payment in to BullionVault is by bank transfer. Payment out is by bank wire transfer to your chosen bank account. A fee of approximately $30 is charged for this transfer, although there may be possibilities for UK residents to request a BACs transfer instead, which can take a few days but will not attract a fee.
BullionVault are currently offering a free gram of gold to all new account openings, which you can then use to experiment with trading in their system. Even if you open an account, you are not committed in any way, so well worth trying out to see if it’s for you. Visit http://www.investgold.co.uk to learn more.
Overall, Bullionvault is an excellent service. Both they and E-gold seem like decent operations, with much security behind them.
BullionVault allows you to buy and sell Gold on their impressive looking trading platform, where buyers and sellers of gold from each vault can meet and state their required selling/buying prices, so if you are more inclined to hold gold, occasionally sell on a dip, then buy in again later, then this could well be the best service for you.
Their fees for transactions and monthly storage are really low too, so they are very worthy of investigation. The storage fee is currently $4 per month fixed, regardless of holding size, and only payable for the months in which you held Gold.
Again, Bullionvault has proved popular with Gold Bugs accumulating gold for the future financial crisis they believe is in the offing.
Payment in to BullionVault is by bank transfer. Payment out is by bank wire transfer to your chosen bank account. A fee of approximately $30 is charged for this transfer, although there may be possibilities for UK residents to request a BACs transfer instead, which can take a few days but will not attract a fee.
BullionVault are currently offering a free gram of gold to all new account openings, which you can then use to experiment with trading in their system. Even if you open an account, you are not committed in any way, so well worth trying out to see if it’s for you. Visit http://www.investgold.co.uk to learn more.
Overall, Bullionvault is an excellent service. Both they and E-gold seem like decent operations, with much security behind them.
E-Gold explained
E-Gold was one of the first organisations to offer internet, or electronic gold. It was started up by a Dr Jackson who strongly believes in the gold story, and that gold is due a comeback as the trusted medium of exchange. E-gold started out in the USA and have since moved their jurisdiction to Nevis in the West Indies.
They offer deposit facilities and also heavily promote the use of e-gold for payments.
People conducting business on the internet may find an e-gold account especially useful because of its slant towards being used as a medium of exchange, and even traditional businesses in countries with high inflation could use it in future to agree prices with customers in terms of gold regardless of what happens to their national currency.
E-Gold have had such success with Gold, that they are now offering e-Silver, e-Platinum and e-Palladium too.
The process for transferring money into and out of E-Gold involves the use of separate payment providers. Authorised and recommended organisations are listed on their website. There is a fee of approximately 2% for transfer of funds in and transfer of funds out, plus you may also be liable to local bank fees. Different payment providers seem to have different fees, so it is well worth finding the best one for you. This system is quite flexible in that you can use a variety of payment systems to transfer money in or out, such as a credit card or Paypal account.
E-Gold also charge a storage fee for the days in which you own precious metals within their system. This is currently 1% per annum. This system of charging could work well for smaller amounts, or where your metal is used as a medium for exchange and thus many days your account holding is zero.
Overall, E-gold is an excellent service, with excellent levels of confidentiality you'll never find with a bank these days. Both they and Bullionvault seem like decent operations, with much security behind them.
They offer deposit facilities and also heavily promote the use of e-gold for payments.
People conducting business on the internet may find an e-gold account especially useful because of its slant towards being used as a medium of exchange, and even traditional businesses in countries with high inflation could use it in future to agree prices with customers in terms of gold regardless of what happens to their national currency.
E-Gold have had such success with Gold, that they are now offering e-Silver, e-Platinum and e-Palladium too.
The process for transferring money into and out of E-Gold involves the use of separate payment providers. Authorised and recommended organisations are listed on their website. There is a fee of approximately 2% for transfer of funds in and transfer of funds out, plus you may also be liable to local bank fees. Different payment providers seem to have different fees, so it is well worth finding the best one for you. This system is quite flexible in that you can use a variety of payment systems to transfer money in or out, such as a credit card or Paypal account.
E-Gold also charge a storage fee for the days in which you own precious metals within their system. This is currently 1% per annum. This system of charging could work well for smaller amounts, or where your metal is used as a medium for exchange and thus many days your account holding is zero.
Overall, E-gold is an excellent service, with excellent levels of confidentiality you'll never find with a bank these days. Both they and Bullionvault seem like decent operations, with much security behind them.
Saturday 8 March 2008
More Gold Investing Scammers
I couldn't help but visit this GoogleAd, Gold investing classic
http://pinvest.biz/index.html
Which offers an amazing 1800% in 48 hours! Wow! With that kind of return I could own all the e-gold in the entire world within about 3 months.
I'll leave it up to you to decide if it's genuine or a scam, but with no address, telephone number or contact other than admin@ email address, I have already drawn my own conclusions.
Please don't do it...
http://pinvest.biz/index.html
Which offers an amazing 1800% in 48 hours! Wow! With that kind of return I could own all the e-gold in the entire world within about 3 months.
I'll leave it up to you to decide if it's genuine or a scam, but with no address, telephone number or contact other than admin@ email address, I have already drawn my own conclusions.
Please don't do it...
Sunday 24 February 2008
Let Gold Speak up Itself
Lately, I haven't been posting anything to this blog, and the answer is simply that it has been a time to let Gold and Silver do the talking. It has been a fairly meteoric rise these past 2 months for the twin precious metals to bring them within sight of the landmark $1,000 gold level never before attained.
Even though it's nice to see the 1980 high of $850 well and truly passed, my concern now is that every expert and his dog has been forecasting $1,000 gold in 2008, and with a general concensus of opinion like that then the inclination must be to consider calling it the other way now. Not that I'm selling, as longer term the fundamentals of currency devaluation and inflation in the coming years are still in place. Even though I'm too young to remember it, 1975-76 saw gold half in price from $200 to $100 and I can't help but feel something similar may be on the cards here.
Even though I am waiting for the big stock market crash, I also think the US and UK are about to wrench one more boom out of the economy with their dropping of interest rates against whatever the massaged, official inflation figures saw. My prediction is 2010, a big crash and gold flying.
But in the absence of a crystal ball, genie or magic fairy, I'll stick with what I know and hold the gold and silver I've already got and leave it at that for the time being.
Even though it's nice to see the 1980 high of $850 well and truly passed, my concern now is that every expert and his dog has been forecasting $1,000 gold in 2008, and with a general concensus of opinion like that then the inclination must be to consider calling it the other way now. Not that I'm selling, as longer term the fundamentals of currency devaluation and inflation in the coming years are still in place. Even though I'm too young to remember it, 1975-76 saw gold half in price from $200 to $100 and I can't help but feel something similar may be on the cards here.
Even though I am waiting for the big stock market crash, I also think the US and UK are about to wrench one more boom out of the economy with their dropping of interest rates against whatever the massaged, official inflation figures saw. My prediction is 2010, a big crash and gold flying.
But in the absence of a crystal ball, genie or magic fairy, I'll stick with what I know and hold the gold and silver I've already got and leave it at that for the time being.
Monday 14 January 2008
Gold Investing Scams
Following on from my earlier posts, and my warnings in my book, "How to Invest in Gold and Silver", I was intrigued to spot this is the Google Ads.
Investment Forex online are offering amazing profits of 10% or more, per day! Of course, the money must go through E-gold or E-Bullion, so anonimity and non-refundable cash, which more naive investors fail to realise.
There are no links to any contacts or meaningful sources of who might own this site, but If any of their representatives contact me and prove otherwise, I think it's a scam!
Investment Forex online are offering amazing profits of 10% or more, per day! Of course, the money must go through E-gold or E-Bullion, so anonimity and non-refundable cash, which more naive investors fail to realise.
There are no links to any contacts or meaningful sources of who might own this site, but If any of their representatives contact me and prove otherwise, I think it's a scam!
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