In a volatile economic landscape, the sheer volume of  consumer reviews sets Goldco apart. As of July 2026, Goldco has secured over twice the volume of reviews compared to its closest competitor. While many companies rely solely on high letter grades, Goldco’s profile reflects a deeper metric of success: the active endorsement of thousands of everyday Americans navigating the retirement rollover process. 

“We take great pride in our A+ rating, but what truly sets Goldco apart is a volume of consumer reviews that dwarfs the competition,” stated Goldco founder Trevor Gerszt. “Having thousands of everyday Americans actively endorse us on the BBB is a testament to our team’s dedication.” 

For more than 100 years, the BBB has fostered consumer trust and ethical practices. Beyond its traditional A+ to F rating system, the organization leverages thousands of daily user reviews to bring real-world transparency to the marketplace.

Here is what customers are saying about Goldco on the BBB:

Made everything very easy. They were extremely courteous and informative. Great company to work with. – John K.

This company was great to work with. They explained the process and answered any questions we had when purchasing our precious metals. Super friendly staff as well! – Eric B

Definitely a pleasant way to purchase gold. No pressure, only help when needed. I would definitely recommend Goldco to anyone interested in purchasing gold. – Daniel P. 

Beyond its standout performance on the BBB, Goldco has earned over 8,000 five-star reviews from satisfied customers across major platforms including Google, Yelp, Trustpilot, and Consumer Affairs. Specializing in helping individuals help safeguard their retirement savings with precious metals, the company has placed more than $3 billion in gold and silver transactions. Operating since 2011, Goldco is a nine-time Inc. 5000 award recipient, reflecting its sustained growth and operational excellence. 

For more information about Goldco’s precious metals IRAs, visit Goldco’s official website.

About Goldco

Goldco is a privately held company with over a decade of experience in helping customers protect their retirement savings. Whether you want to diversify your retirement savings into a precious metals IRA or buy gold and silver directly, a Goldco specialist can help assist every step of the way. The company’s long-standing reputation for excellent customer service, high ethical standards, along with precious metals education and resources position Goldco as a preferred precious metals provider. With over 8,000 5-Star customer reviews, numerous awards and the highest industry buy back guarantee, Goldco has set the standard for buying precious metals.

Goldco is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau and Triple A by Business Consumer Alliance. 

To learn more about Goldco, visit www.goldco.com.

The post Goldco Leads Gold IRA Industry in Better Business Bureau (BBB) Consumer Reviews appeared first on Top Rated Gold IRA Company - Goldco Precious Metals.

• Growing economic uncertainty and market volatility has many people wondering how to help preserve their wealth.
• More and more people are looking to help recession-proof their 401(k)s, and a growing number of people are looking at safe haven assets like gold.
• While annual contribution limits to 401(k) accounts are higher than those for IRAs, the ability to roll over 401(k) assets to IRAs can help boost the size of IRA accounts.

Many Americans today are looking for ways to help safeguard their finances. Increasing market volatility and uncertainty could end up weighing on the US economy and it’s making many people nervous about the future.

No one wants to see a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis, but that’s a fear in the back of many people’s heads. Over 40% of Americans fear a total economic collapse, with some experts saying that the next financial crisis could be even worse than 2008.

With growing fear and uncertainty, more Americans are looking at alternative assets to help preserve their wealth themselves, including precious metals like gold. And for those looking to help safeguard tax-advantaged retirement assets, a gold IRA is becoming an increasingly popular way to do so.

But just how much money can you place in a gold IRA? Read on to learn more about gold IRA contribution limits.

What Is an IRA?

Most people today are probably familiar with a 401(k), as that is the dominant form of employer-sponsored retirement savings account. But not everyone may be familiar with an IRA.

An IRA (individual retirement account) is a tax-advantaged retirement savings account whose development actually predates the 401(k). There are numerous types of IRA accounts, each with its own unique properties.

These accounts were created to enable US workers to help accrue retirement savings in addition to or instead of company pensions, which have slowly disappeared at most private firms.

IRA accounts are managed by custodians, which could be a bank, a brokerage, or a custodian who specializes in alternative assets such as precious metals.

The two primary types of IRA accounts today are a Traditional IRA, which uses pre-tax dollars to acquire assets and which requires payment of taxes when you take a distribution, and a Roth IRA, which uses post-tax dollars to acquire assets and in which you pay no taxes when you take a qualified distribution.

What Is a Gold IRA?

A gold IRA is just an IRA account that owns physical gold coins or gold bars. Most IRA accounts hold conventional financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, or shares in various funds.

Relatively few IRA custodians are in the business of managing physical precious metals assets, which means that finding a custodian to start a gold IRA can be a little tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing. Goldco works with established gold IRA custodians to ensure that our customers are able to start gold IRAs without having to do extensive searches on their own.

Like any other IRA, a gold IRA can be either a Traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. This allows you the option to use either pre-tax or post-tax dollars to buy gold coins or bars and hold them in your gold IRA.

4 Benefits of Owning Gold

Historical Performance of Gold in the 1970s

During periods of severe economic stagnation and high inflation, gold has historically demonstrated explosive growth. During the stagflation of the 1970s, for instance, gold offered:

• High Annualized Rate of Growth: Gold grew at an annualized rate of over 30% per year over the course of the decade, significantly outperforming consumer price increases.
• Purchasing Power Preservation: While the US dollar lost half its purchasing power during the 1970s, gold prices offered double-digit annualized returns, helping protect and preserve purchasing power.
• Countercyclical Advantage: Gold’s rapid price appreciation during this period offered a striking alternative to the flat performance of financial markets.

IRA vs. 401(k) Contribution Limits

While 401(k) plans dominate when it comes to employer-sponsored retirement plans, Americans actually hold more money in IRA plans, with over $18 trillion being held in IRAs versus less than $10 trillion in 401(k)s.

Seeing that, you might think that’s because people can put more money into an IRA than into a 401(k). But the answer is no, and yes. How is that?

The annual contribution limit for IRA accounts in 2026 is $7,500, or $8,600 if you’re above age 50 because you’re allowed a $1,000 catch-up contribution. This is across all your IRA accounts, so if you have multiple IRA accounts, you can only contribute $7,500 combined to all those accounts.

For a 401(k) account, the annual individual contribution limit in 2026 is $24,500, $32,500 if you’re ages 50-59 and 64-plus and take advantage of the $8,000 catch-up contribution, or $35,750 if you’re 60-63 and can take advantage of the super catch-up contribution.

In that sense, no, you can’t contribute more money to an IRA than to a 401(k). So how do people have so much money in IRA accounts if the annual contribution limit for 401(k) accounts is so much higher?

IRA Funding Options

That’s because IRA accounts can be funded through other means than just individual contributions. One of those is a rollover from a 401(k) account.

Once you have an IRA account established, you can roll over funds from a 401(k) or similar account into that IRA. Or if you have multiple IRA accounts, you can transfer funds among those accounts.

These rollovers and transfers are of course governed by certain regulations and limits placed upon them by IRS. But rollovers aren’t subject to the annual IRA contribution limits.

A 401(k) to IRA rollover allows you to use the existing retirement funds you’ve been accumulating at your employer and put them to use in an IRA account. Why might you want to do this?

For one thing, you might have an orphaned 401(k) at a previous employer that has just been sitting around doing nothing. Moving that money to an IRA could give you more asset options.

Other people might not like the limited options with their current 401(k) account and are looking for more or better options. And others may still feel limited by being able to buy only financial assets, and might want to buy alternative assets such as real estate, precious metals, or commodities.

Unlike annual contribution limits, there are no limits to how much money you can roll over from a 401(k) into an IRA. You could transfer $100,000, $500,000, or even $1 million or more. So in that sense, yes, you can put more money into an IRA than into a 401(k).

The only limits on rollovers and transfers are with respect to frequency, as these accounts are retirement accounts intended for long-term saving for retirement, not brokerage accounts. If you’re looking into rolling over or transferring your retirement assets, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the IRS rules and regulations governing them and/or consult with your financial advisor.

The other thing to be aware of is that your 401(k) account has to allow outbound transfers in order to perform a rollover. Some 401(k) accounts may not allow in-service withdrawals, meaning that you have to keep your funds in that 401(k) as long as you remain with your current employer.

In that case, your money has to stay in your 401(k) account until you leave your employer, or until your employer switches to another 401(k) plan that allows in-service withdrawals.

3 Easy Steps to Helping Secure Your Savings With a Gold IRA Rollover

If you are looking to move your existing tax-advantaged retirement accounts into physical gold, the process can be accomplished relatively simply with a tax-free rollover. Here are the three easy steps:

1. Establish a self-directed gold IRA account with an IRS-approved custodian who specializes in administering precious metals assets.
2. Request a transfer or rollover of funds from your existing 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or IRA account to your gold IRA.
3. Once your funds have reached your gold IRA, select the IRA-eligible gold coins or gold bars you wish to purchase, and authorize your custodian to purchase them with your gold IRA funds.

Once your IRA-eligible gold has been purchased, it will be shipped to a bullion depository of your choice, where it will be stored with state-of-the-art security. And when you decide to take a distribution from your gold IRA, you can take that distribution either in cash or in precious metals.

Goldco has helped thousands of customers over the years benefit from owning gold, and many of them have chosen to buy gold with a gold IRA. Our IRA specialists are ready to help you navigate the rollover process and get started with your gold IRA rollover.

If you are worried about gold IRA contribution limits being a barrier, the fact that you can roll over as much as you want into a gold IRA should be comforting.

For those who don’t want to roll over retirement assets, Goldco also offers direct cash purchases of gold coins and gold bars. No matter how you want to buy your gold, Goldco has options available for you.

With over $3 billion in precious metals placements and thousands of satisfied customers, Goldco has worked hard to become one of the most trusted gold companies in the country. Call Goldco today to learn more about how you can help safeguard your hard-earned savings with a gold IRA.

This article was originally published in May 2023 and was updated in July 2026.

The post Gold IRA Contribution Limits: Things to Know appeared first on Top Rated Gold IRA Company - Goldco Precious Metals.

A Gold IRA involves more than the market price of gold.

Before opening an account, consumers should understand the complete cost of purchasing, administering, storing and eventually selling physical precious metals inside a self-directed individual retirement account.

Potential costs may include:

• The retail price of the precious metals
• A product premium above the underlying metal value
• The difference between purchase and potential resale pricing
• IRA account setup or transaction fees
• Annual custodian or administration fees
• Depository storage fees
• Wire, shipping, insurance or distribution expenses
• Other charges imposed by third-party service providers

Not every account will involve every cost, and fees may vary based on the products, custodian, depository, storage arrangement, transaction size and services selected.

The most important question is not simply:

“What is the price of gold?”

It is:

“What is my complete cost, and what could I receive if I later decide to sell?”

This guide explains how Gold IRA costs work, how premiums and spreads differ, what Allegiance Gold’s currently published IRA fees include and what consumers should request in writing before authorizing a transaction.

Important Disclosure

This article is published by Allegiance Gold, LLC for general educational and marketing purposes.

Allegiance Gold is a physical precious-metals dealer. Allegiance Gold is not an IRA custodian, storage depository, registered investment adviser, securities broker, attorney or tax advisor.

This article does not provide individualized investment, financial, securities, legal or tax advice. Precious metals may increase or decrease in value, involve costs and are not appropriate for every person.

The calculations and hypothetical examples presented below are intended only to explain how physical precious-metals transactions may work. They are not price quotes, guarantees, forecasts or representations of any particular Allegiance Gold transaction.

Consumers should request current written pricing and applicable third-party fee schedules before making a decision.

Quick Answer: How Much Does a Gold IRA Cost?

There is no universal price for opening and maintaining a Gold IRA.

The complete cost generally has two main components.

1. The cost of the physical precious metals

This is the retail price of the gold, silver, platinum or palladium selected for the account.

The retail price of a finished coin or bar may be higher than the value of its underlying metal because the price may reflect:

• Minting or fabrication
• Wholesale acquisition costs
• Product availability
• Market demand
• Distribution
• Shipping and insurance
• Dealer operating expenses
• The dealer’s margin
• Other product-specific characteristics

2. The cost of the retirement-account structure

A self-directed precious-metals IRA generally involves an independent IRA custodian or trustee and an approved storage arrangement.

Account-related expenses may include:

• Account establishment
• Annual administration
• Transaction processing
• Bank wires
• Depository storage
• Insurance-related expenses
• Shipping or distributions
• Account termination

Consumers should therefore request two separate sets of information:

1. A written precious-metals purchase quote from the dealer.
2. A current written fee schedule from the proposed custodian and storage provider.

The product price and third-party IRA fees should be explained separately.

Gold IRA Costs at a Glance

The specific amount, timing and responsible service provider may vary.

Why the Spot Price Is Not the Retail Price

The publicly quoted spot price is not automatically the price a consumer pays for a finished gold coin or bar.

Spot price is a market reference for the underlying metal. A physical retail product has additional characteristics and expenses.

Two products containing the same amount of gold may have different retail prices because of differences in:

• Manufacturer or mint
• Product type
• Weight or denomination
• Fabrication costs
• Market demand
• Availability
• Condition
• Packaging
• Distribution costs
• Dealer inventory
• Recognized market liquidity

This does not mean that every price above spot is unreasonable.

It means consumers should understand what they are purchasing, how much metal the product contains and why the product carries its particular price.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission recommends comparing the weight and spot-based value of the metal with the retail price being charged and obtaining all costs in writing before purchasing.

The Seven Costs to Understand Before Opening a Gold IRA

1. The Precious-Metals Purchase Price

The purchase price is the amount charged for the physical precious metals selected for the IRA.

A written purchase confirmation should identify:

• The exact product
• The type of metal
• The weight or denomination
• The number of units
• The price per unit
• The total purchase amount
• The payment method
• Any additional charges
• The transaction date

Consumers should not rely only on general descriptions such as:

• “Low premium”
• “Near spot”
• “Wholesale pricing”
• “Institutional pricing”
• “Special price”
• “At cost”

Those phrases are not substitutes for an itemized written price.

Ask for the actual numbers before agreeing to the transaction.

2. The Product Premium

A product premium is the amount by which a product’s retail price exceeds the value of its underlying metal.

A simplified calculation is:

Product premium = Retail price − underlying metal value

The percentage premium may be calculated as:

Percentage premium = Product premium ÷ underlying metal value × 100

Hypothetical example

Assume a gold product contains metal with a spot-based value of $4,000 and has a retail price of $4,280.

• Underlying metal value: $4,000
• Retail price: $4,280
• Dollar premium: $280
• Percentage premium: 7%

This example is hypothetical and does not represent the price of any specific Allegiance Gold product or transaction.

Premiums may change based on:

• Product type
• Product availability
• Market demand
• Manufacturing costs
• Order size
• Payment method
• Broader market conditions

A higher premium does not automatically make a product inappropriate. Certain products may cost more to manufacture, distribute, insure or obtain.

The customer should nevertheless understand the reason for the premium before purchasing.

3. The Dealer Spread

The terms “premium,” “markup” and “spread” are sometimes used interchangeably, but they do not always describe the same thing.

The CFTC describes the dealer spread as the difference between the price at which a dealer sells a metal and the price at which the dealer would buy it.

The agency advises consumers to obtain all costs and the agreed retail price in writing. It also recommends asking what the customer would receive if the metal were sold back immediately.

That makes two numbers particularly important:

What is the complete price I will pay today?

And:

What would the dealer currently offer for the same product if I sold it today?

The difference between those numbers helps illustrate the transaction’s initial economic gap. A current repurchase indication is not a promise or guarantee of a future offer.

Future offers may be affected by:

• Precious-metals prices
• Product characteristics
• Product condition
• Market demand
• Market liquidity
• Dealer inventory
• Business conditions
• Shipping or processing expenses
• The policies of the company making the offer

A dealer may also decide not to make an offer.

4. IRA Custodian or Trustee Fees

The company selling the metals is generally not the company administering the retirement account.

A self-directed IRA requires an authorized custodian or trustee to administer the account, maintain records and perform applicable reporting.

Depending on the provider and account, custodian fees may include:

• Initial account establishment
• Annual account maintenance
• Transaction processing
• Wire transfers
• Check processing
• Asset valuation
• Paper statements
• Distributions
• Account termination

Some custodians charge flat annual fees. Others may charge based on account value, the number of assets, transaction activity or services selected.

Request the custodian’s complete current fee schedule directly from the custodian.

Do not assume that a promotion offered by the precious-metals dealer eliminates every third-party account charge.

5. Depository Storage Fees

IRA-owned bullion generally must be held under an approved custodial arrangement rather than stored personally by the account owner.

The IRS generally treats metals and coins as collectibles, subject to limited exceptions. Those exceptions include certain coins and qualifying gold, silver, platinum or palladium bullion when a bank or approved nonbank trustee maintains physical possession.

Storage arrangements may include:

Segregated storage

Under a segregated arrangement, metals may be stored separately or specifically identified for the applicable account, subject to the depository agreement.

Commingled or nonsegregated storage

Under a commingled arrangement, metals may be held with metals of the same type belonging to other account owners while the custodian’s records identify the applicable ownership interest.

The exact meaning of each storage method depends on the custodian and depository agreements.

Storage charges may be:

• Flat annual fees
• Based on account value
• Based on the amount or type of metal
• Different for segregated and commingled storage
• Subject to minimum charges

Before opening an account, ask:

• Where will the metals be stored?
• Which storage method will apply?
• How will ownership be documented?
• What insurance arrangements apply?
• What is the annual fee?
• Can the fee change?
• What happens when the metals are sold or distributed?

6. Transaction, Shipping and Distribution Expenses

Additional expenses may arise when cash or metals move into or out of an account.

These may include:

• Bank wire fees
• Transaction-processing charges
• Shipping and handling
• Insurance during shipment
• In-kind distribution expenses
• Account closure fees

An in-kind distribution allows an account owner to receive the physical metal from the IRA instead of receiving cash after a liquidation.

A distribution may have tax consequences depending on the type of account, the account owner’s age, the value of the distribution and the individual circumstances.

Allegiance Gold does not provide tax advice. Consumers should consult their own qualified tax professionals before taking or directing a distribution.

7. The Cost of Future Liquidation

A customer who later wants to sell IRA-owned metals may have several potential options.

Subject to the custodian’s procedures, these may include:

• Requesting that the metals be sold to a dealer
• Seeking an offer from another precious-metals dealer
• Requesting an in-kind distribution
• Taking another permitted form of distribution

A buyback process should not be confused with a guaranteed future market or guaranteed resale price.

Allegiance Gold allows customers to request that the company consider purchasing metals originally bought from Allegiance Gold.

Allegiance Gold evaluates each request and may decide whether to make an offer. It does not guarantee that an offer will be made. If Allegiance Gold makes an offer, the amount may be based on business conditions and the current and projected market value of the products.

No future resale price, liquidity or profit is guaranteed.

Premium vs. Spread: What Is the Difference?

Terminology may vary by company.

What matters is that the customer receives enough written information to understand and compare the complete cost.

How to Estimate the Break-Even Gap

One way to evaluate a physical precious-metals transaction is to compare the complete amount paid with the amount that might be received through an immediate hypothetical liquidation.

Consider the following simplified example.

Hypothetical transaction

• Spot-based metal value: $50,000
• Retail precious-metals purchase price: $53,000
• First-year account and storage expenses: $350
• Total first-year outlay: $53,350
• Hypothetical same-day repurchase indication: $50,000

Immediate economic difference

$53,350 − $50,000 = $3,350

Approximate increase needed to recover the initial outlay

($53,350 ÷ $50,000) − 1 = approximately 6.7%

Under this hypothetical example, the liquidation value would need to increase by approximately 6.7% for the customer to recover the initial outlay, assuming the relationship between future market value and repurchase pricing remained unchanged.

That assumption may not prove accurate.

Future spreads, market prices, product demand, account expenses and dealer offers can change.

This example is not a prediction, recommendation or representation of Allegiance Gold’s pricing. Its purpose is to illustrate why purchase price, recurring expenses and potential resale value should be evaluated together.

What Are Allegiance Gold’s Currently Published IRA Fees?

As of July 15, 2026, Allegiance Gold’s published FAQ states that annual self-directed IRA fees typically include:

• $100 for commingled depository storage
• $125 for custodial account maintenance

The FAQ also states that Allegiance Gold may cover certain third-party fees depending on the transaction amount and that customers should ask whether their account qualifies.

These amounts are provided for transparency but may change.

They may not include every potential cost associated with a particular account, transaction, storage arrangement, distribution or service.

Before opening an account, request:

• The custodian’s current written fee schedule
• The depository or storage fee schedule
• Any applicable transaction or wire charges
• The terms of any fee reimbursement or waiver
• Confirmation of which organization charges each fee
• Confirmation of whether fees are paid by the customer, the IRA or Allegiance Gold

Do not rely on an article, advertisement or verbal statement when a current written fee schedule is available.

The Gold IRA Cost Worksheet

Use this worksheet before authorizing a transaction.

Precious-metals purchase

Account and storage costs

Liquidity comparison

Keep the completed worksheet with:

• The purchase confirmation
• The custodian agreement
• The storage agreement
• The customer agreement
• Applicable promotional terms
• Transaction disclosures

How “Free Metals” and Fee Waivers Should Be Evaluated

Promotions are common in the precious-metals industry.

A promotion may include:

• Complimentary precious metals
• Waived setup fees
• Storage paid for a limited period
• Reduced administrative expenses
• Shipping benefits
• Other transaction credits

A promotion is not necessarily improper. However, consumers should understand the eligibility requirements and the economics of the complete transaction.

The CFTC advises consumers to ask how a company earns its profit, particularly when a dealer appears to offer complimentary precious metals or another substantial incentive.

Before accepting a promotion, ask:

• What minimum purchase amount is required?
• Which products qualify?
• How is the promotional value calculated?
• Is the benefit provided as metal, cash, reimbursement or account credit?
• Does accepting the promotion affect product pricing?
• Are storage fees waived or reimbursed?
• How long does the benefit last?
• Are there cancellation, repayment or qualification conditions?
• Are there potential tax considerations?
• Where are the complete written terms?

Compare the complete transaction with and without the promotional benefit.

A promotion should not distract from:

• The retail price of the metals
• The product premium
• The initial spread
• The potential resale value
• Recurring account expenses
• The risks of the transaction

Can Gold IRA Metals Be Stored at Home?

Consumers should exercise caution when evaluating “home-storage Gold IRA” arrangements.

The IRS provides limited exceptions for qualifying coins and bullion, but qualifying bullion must be maintained in the physical possession of a bank or approved nonbank trustee.

Taking personal possession of IRA-owned metals may be treated as a distribution and may produce taxes, penalties or other consequences, depending on the circumstances.

Allegiance Gold does not provide home-storage arrangements for IRA-owned precious metals. Its published FAQ states that IRA metals must remain under an approved custodial arrangement until they are distributed or sold.

The rules can be complex.

Before relying on any home-storage arrangement, obtain independent advice from a qualified tax attorney or CPA who is not being compensated in connection with the precious-metals transaction.

Physical metals purchased outside an IRA for personal delivery are different from metals owned through a retirement account.

Red Flags to Watch For

The CFTC has warned consumers about precious-metals schemes involving inflated prices, excessive markups, fees and commissions, misleading claims of safety and improper use of retirement funds.

Exercise caution when a salesperson:

• Guarantees that gold or silver will increase
• Describes precious metals as risk-free
• Refuses to provide written pricing
• Will not identify the exact products being purchased
• Avoids discussing premiums or spreads
• Refuses to explain potential resale pricing
• Claims that the IRS has approved a particular dealer
• Pressures the customer to act immediately
• Recommends placing all retirement savings into precious metals
• Discourages consultation with an independent professional
• Claims a promotion has no economic cost
• Presents a forecast as a certainty
• Guarantees a future buyback price
• Provides investment, securities, legal or tax advice without the appropriate qualifications

Precious metals may increase or decrease in value.

No dealer can guarantee future prices, profitability, liquidity or recovery of the original purchase price.

Twelve Questions to Ask Every Gold IRA Provider

Before selecting a precious-metals dealer, ask:

1. What exact products am I purchasing?
2. What is the weight and quantity of each product?
3. What is the complete retail price?
4. Which spot-price source and time are being used?
5. What is the approximate underlying metal value?
6. Why does the product carry its particular premium?
7. What would you currently offer if I sold the same product today?
8. Who will serve as the IRA custodian?
9. What fees will the custodian charge?
10. Where will the metals be stored, and what will storage cost?
11. Is the dealer obligated to make a future repurchase offer?
12. What risks and additional expenses should I understand?

A reputable provider should be willing to answer reasonable questions and document material terms in writing.

How Allegiance Gold Approaches Pricing and Education

Allegiance Gold believes consumers should understand what they are purchasing and what it costs before making a decision.

Our representatives can explain:

• Available physical gold, silver, platinum and palladium products
• The difference between spot value and retail product price
• Product premiums
• The precious-metals IRA process
• The roles of the dealer, custodian and depository
• Available storage arrangements
• Applicable third-party fees
• Personal-delivery purchases
• Distribution and liquidity considerations
• Allegiance Gold’s buyback process
• The risks associated with physical precious metals

Allegiance Gold does not guarantee:

• Future precious-metals prices
• Investment performance
• Profits
• Tax treatment
• Future liquidity
• A future repurchase offer
• Recovery of the original purchase price

Allegiance Gold’s published risk disclosure states that precious metals may rise or fall in value, carry a risk of loss and are not appropriate for every investor. It also states that Allegiance Gold does not provide investment, legal or tax advice or guarantee that a transaction will be profitable.

Consumers are encouraged to compare providers, obtain written pricing, review all applicable agreements and consult their own independent professionals.

Unsolicited and Uncompensated Recognition From Money

In July 2026, Money named Allegiance Gold its Best Overall Gold IRA Company after analyzing more than a dozen providers.

Money stated that Allegiance Gold scored highest overall among the gold IRA companies it reviewed. It cited customer satisfaction ratings, transparent product pricing, simplified online ordering and extensive educational resources.

Allegiance Gold did not:

• Pay Money
• Sponsor the review
• Purchase placement
• Request inclusion or consideration
• Nominate itself
• Participate in Money’s evaluation
• Influence the selection process
• Receive advance involvement in the decision

The recognition was unsolicited and uncompensated by Allegiance Gold.

Money’s designation reflects its independent editorial assessment and published methodology. It is not an investment recommendation, guarantee or assurance that Allegiance Gold is appropriate for every person.

Consumers should review Money’s complete analysis and independently compare providers before making a decision.

Unsolicited and Uncompensated Recognition From Money

In July 2026, Money named Allegiance Gold its Best Overall Gold IRA Company after analyzing more than a dozen providers.

Money stated that Allegiance Gold scored highest overall among the gold IRA companies it reviewed. It cited customer satisfaction ratings, transparent product pricing, simplified online ordering and extensive educational resources.

Allegiance Gold did not:

• Pay Money
• Sponsor the review
• Purchase placement
• Request inclusion or consideration
• Nominate itself
• Participate in Money’s evaluation
• Influence the selection process
• Receive advance involvement in the decision

The recognition was unsolicited and uncompensated by Allegiance Gold.

Money’s designation reflects its independent editorial assessment and published methodology. It is not an investment recommendation, guarantee or assurance that Allegiance Gold is appropriate for every person.

Consumers should review Money’s complete analysis and independently compare providers before making a decision.

Frequently Asked Questions About Gold IRA Fees

Does a Gold IRA have monthly fees?

Gold IRA custodians and depositories commonly charge account-related expenses, but the timing and structure vary.

Some providers assess annual charges, while others may impose transaction-based, asset-based or service-specific fees.

Review the complete current fee schedule before opening an account.

Is the product premium the same as the custodian fee?

No. The product premium relates to the retail price of the physical metals.

Custodian and storage charges relate to administering and safeguarding the retirement-account assets. They may be charged by different organizations.

Is the spot price the price I will pay?

Usually not. A finished retail precious-metals product generally sells above its underlying spot-based metal value. The difference may reflect fabrication, distribution, demand, availability, operating expenses and dealer margin.

What is the most important pricing information to request?

Request both:

• The complete price you will pay
• A current indication of what the dealer might offer if you immediately sold the same product

Neither number predicts future value, but comparing them can help demonstrate the transaction’s initial economic gap.

Are Gold IRA fees tax-deductible?

Tax treatment depends on the nature of the fee, how it is paid, the type of account and the customer’s individual circumstances.

Do not assume that a cost is deductible. Consult an independent qualified tax professional.

Can Gold IRA fees be paid from the IRA?

Certain account expenses may be paid from the IRA under the custodian’s procedures. Improper payment or reimbursement may produce tax consequences.

Ask the custodian and consult a qualified tax professional.

Are segregated storage fees higher?

They may be, depending on the custodian, depository and storage agreement. Typically segregated storage fees are about $75 to $100 more per year than commingled.

Ask for the cost and precise definition of each available storage arrangement before selecting one.

Does a buyback policy eliminate the spread?

No. A buyback process does not guarantee that an offer will be made or that the customer will recover the original purchase price.

Are promotional metals actually free?

A promotional benefit may not require a separate direct payment, but its value may be reflected elsewhere in the economics of the transaction.

Review the complete pricing and written promotional terms rather than evaluating the promotion in isolation.

How can I compare two Gold IRA quotes?

Use the same:

• Dollar amount
• Metal
• Product type
• Weight (make sure to match oz to oz or gram to gram)
• Quantity
• Spot-price time
• Payment method
• Custodian assumptions
• Storage arrangement

Then compare:

• The complete retail purchase price
• The approximate underlying metal value
• First-year account expenses
• Recurring fees
• Current repurchase indications
• Promotional terms

A comparison is not meaningful if the products or assumptions are different.

The Bottom Line

A Gold IRA should not be evaluated using the spot price alone.

The complete economic picture includes:

• What the customer is purchasing
• What the customer is paying
• The product premium
• The difference between purchase and potential resale pricing
• Custodian expenses
• Storage expenses
• Transaction and distribution expenses
• The potential tax consequences of future actions
• The risks of precious-metals price fluctuations

Before authorizing a transaction, request:

1. A written, itemized precious-metals quote.
2. A current custodian fee schedule.
3. The applicable storage fee schedule.
4. A current hypothetical repurchase indication.
5. The complete terms of any promotion.
6. The customer agreement and risk disclosures.

An Allegiance Gold representative can provide educational information, explain available products and current written pricing, and describe the precious-metals IRA process.

Allegiance Gold does not determine whether precious metals are appropriate for an individual portfolio or recommend a particular retirement allocation.

To request educational information or current written pricing, call 844-790-9191 or visit this link.

Requesting information does not obligate you to purchase.

Full Risk and Legal Disclosure

This article is published by Allegiance Gold, LLC for general educational and marketing purposes. It is not individualized investment, financial, securities, legal or tax advice.

Allegiance Gold is a physical precious-metals dealer. Allegiance Gold and its representatives do not act as fiduciaries, registered investment advisers, securities brokers, attorneys or tax advisors in connection with the information presented here.

Precious metals involve risk, may increase or decrease in value and are not appropriate for every person. Past performance does not predict or guarantee future results.

Allegiance Gold does not guarantee future precious-metals prices, investment performance, profits, tax treatment, liquidity, a future repurchase offer or recovery of a customer’s purchase price.

Physical precious metals may involve premiums, spreads, account-administration expenses, storage expenses and other transaction costs. Customers may receive less than their original purchase price when selling.

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Review Allegiance Gold’s complete Risk Disclosure, Customer Agreement, applicable promotional terms, custodian agreement and storage agreement before purchasing. Consult your own independent financial, legal and tax professionals before making a decision.

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• The historic 15-to-1 or 16-to-1 gold-to-silver ratios were artificially set by legal tender acts and bimetallic government policies rather than discovering fundamental market equilibria.
• Modern gold pricing is primarily driven by monetary safety, inflation hedging, and central bank reserves, whereas silver is heavily influenced by industrial applications (electronics, solar energy) and byproduct mining supply.
• The ratio offers real-time insight into macroeconomic sentiment—signaling preference for safety when rising or industrial optimism when falling—but cannot prescribe mean-reverting price targets.
• Buyers who assume the ratio must revert to historical averages misapply obsolete 19th-century bimetallic monetary institutions to a modern, floating commodity landscape.

Few numbers in the world have acquired as much mystique as the gold-to-silver ratio. Financial television discusses it, economic historians promote it, and countless buyers watch it for signs that one metal has become “cheap” relative to the other. The idea seems straightforward: if gold has historically traded at, say, 15 or 16 times the price of silver, then a ratio of 90 or 100 must mean silver is dramatically undervalued and destined to outperform It’s an appealing story. Unfortunately, it also oversimplifies a much more complicated history.

The gold-to-silver ratio simply measures how many ounces of silver it takes to buy one ounce of gold. If gold trades at $3,000 per ounce and silver trades at $30, the ratio is 100-to-1. That number describes current market prices, but many buyers mistakenly assume it also reveals where prices should be. History offers little support for that belief.

The ratio’s importance dates back thousands of years, when both gold and silver served as money. Ancient civilizations, from Egypt to Rome, used both metals for commerce, though not always at the same exchange rate. Governments often attempted to establish official ratios through law, creating systems in which gold and silver coins circulated simultaneously.

One of the best-known examples came with America’s Coinage Act of 1792, which effectively adopted a ratio of roughly 15-to-1 by defining both gold and silver coins as legal tender. Similar policies existed elsewhere. These fixed ratios were not discoveries about nature or economics; they were political choices designed to stabilize a monetary system based on two precious metals (“bimetallic”). Those choices rarely remained stable for long.

Whenever governments fixed the exchange rate between gold and silver at a level that differed from market conditions, one metal became artificially overvalued while the other became undervalued. The undervalued metal disappeared from circulation as people hoarded it or exported it, while the overvalued metal remained in circulation. This is a classic illustration of Gresham’s Law: when two forms of money are legally accepted at a fixed rate, “bad money drives out good.” The problem was not that markets failed. Rather, governments were attempting to freeze prices that markets continually wanted to adjust.

Even Sir Isaac Newton became entangled in this problem while serving as Master of the Royal Mint in the early eighteenth century. In trying to correct England’s coinage, he effectively overvalued gold relative to silver. The unintended consequence was that silver gradually disappeared from circulation, nudging Britain toward what eventually became the gold standard. Few episodes better illustrate how difficult it is to impose a permanent relationship between two commodities whose values are constantly changing.

Since 1950, the gold-silver ratio was between 15 and 17 for two periods: from the fall of 1967 through the summer of 1968; and then again briefly in the fall of 1979. The former period coincides with both the collapse of the London Gold Pool and effects of the demonetization of silver; the latter with the Hunt Brothers’ attempt to corner the silver market. 

By the late nineteenth century, the world had largely abandoned bimetallism in favor of gold-based monetary systems. Silver increasingly became associated with industrial applications than as a monetary metal. That transformation fundamentally changed what the gold-to-silver ratio represented.

Today, the forces driving gold and silver prices are often quite different. Gold is purchased primarily as a monetary asset and a store of value, bulwark in times of uncertainty. People buy it during periods of inflation, financial stress, geopolitical tumult, or declining confidence in fiat (paper) money. Central banks collectively hold tens of thousands of metric tons of gold as reserve assets, yet few hold meaningful silver reserves.

Silver, by contrast, occupies two worlds simultaneously. It remains an  asset, but it is also an industrial metal used extensively in electronics, solar panels, medical equipment, batteries, and manufacturing processes. Economic growth, technological innovation, and industrial demand therefore influence silver prices in ways that often have little connection to the forces impacting gold.

Mining economics further complicate the picture. Much of the world’s silver is not mined from primary silver deposits but instead produced as a byproduct of mining for copper, zinc, lead, or gold. As a result, silver supply often responds more to conditions in other commodity markets than to silver’s own price. Gold production follows a very different economic logic.

Given these differences, why do so many individuals still believe the ratio must return to some historical average?

Part of the answer is psychology. Humans naturally look for anchors and patterns, especially in financial markets. A ratio that spent long periods near 15 or 16 during the age of bimetallism appears to offer a benchmark against which today’s values can be judged. Yet those historical ratios reflected specific monetary institutions that no longer exist. They were products of coinage laws, legal tender rules, and government policy; they were not not immutable economic laws.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the gold-to-silver ratio is useless. Like many financial indicators, it provides useful descriptive information. A rising ratio often signals people favoring monetary safety over industrial growth. A falling ratio may suggest improving economic optimism or stronger industrial demand for silver. In that sense, the ratio can offer insight into changing market sentiment.

What it cannot do is reveal a “correct” price relationship between the two metals. There is no natural equilibrium requiring gold to trade at 15, 30, 60, or 100 times the price of silver. The appropriate ratio depends on innumerable factors: buyesr preferences, industrial demand, mining output, central bank behavior, technological change, and broader macroeconomic conditions.

The gold-to-silver ratio therefore occupies an unusual place in financial history. It remains an interesting statistic with deep historical roots and some degree of genuine informational value. But it is best understood as a snapshot of current market conditions rather than a compass pointing toward some inevitable destination. Ratios are descriptive, not prescriptive. They tell us what buyers are willing to exchange one asset for today; not what they ought to exchange tomorrow. Like the price-to-earnings ratio, the yield curve, or the VIX, the gold-to-silver ratio is one useful indicator among many. Treating it as an iron law of markets risks confusing centuries of fascinating monetary history with a rule that no longer governs the modern world.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and is Head of Research who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

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Gold has seen a choppy week. After trading above $4,100 just days ago, gold slipped back toward the $4,000–$4,070 range, giving back some of its recent gains. For anyone watching closely, this gold price drop might look like cause for concern. But a closer look at what’s actually driving it tells a different story — one that many long-term holders view as an opportunity rather than a warning sign. 

Here’s what’s behind this week’s move, why gold is behaving the way it is, and how long-term savers tend to think about short-term volatility like this. 

What’s Behind This Week’s Gold Price Drop

Gold’s recent volatility traces almost entirely back to fast-moving developments overseas. A few key moments stand out: 

• July 7: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired missiles at a Qatari LNG carrier transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping chokepoint. Gold actually fell roughly 1.1% on the news — a reminder that gold’s reaction to geopolitical events depends heavily on how markets interpret the economic consequences, not just the headlines themselves. 

• July 8: A fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran effectively collapsed, and gold futures dropped more than 2.5% as fresh U.S. airstrikes began. 

• This week: The U.S. has carried out airstrikes on Iranian targets for four consecutive days and reinstated a naval blockade near Iranian ports, keeping tensions — and volatility — elevated. 

Each of these events has pushed oil prices sharply higher, with crude climbing roughly 9–14% over just a few trading sessions, according to market data. And that oil move is really the key to understanding why gold has been sliding rather than rallying. 

The Real Mechanism: It’s About Inflation, Not Just Fear

It may seem counterintuitive that a Middle East conflict would push gold down rather than up. Gold is often described as a safe-haven asset, so a spike in geopolitical risk would typically be expected to send it higher. 

The missing piece is inflation. Rising oil prices tend to raise inflation expectations, and higher inflation expectations increase the odds that the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates elevated for longer. Because gold pays no interest or dividends, higher rates raise the opportunity cost of holding it — which puts downward pressure on the price even during a moment of real geopolitical stress. 

This dynamic played out clearly this week. On Tuesday, a cooler-than-expected June inflation report — with the annual rate slowing to 3.5% from 4.2% in May — sent gold up more than 1%, as traders scaled back expectations for further Fed tightening. By Wednesday, renewed conflict headlines and rising oil prices pulled some of those gains back. Markets are now pricing in roughly a 50% probability of a Fed rate hike in September, according to CME Group’s FedWatch data. 

Inflation slowing doesn’t mean prices are falling. It means they’re rising more slowly. Nobody’s grocery bill went back to 2019. That 3.5% stacks on top of last month’s 4.2%, which stacks on top of everything since 2020. Compounding works against you exactly the way it works for you. 

And look at why  it cooled. A lot of that is energy — and energy is hanging on a wire in the Middle East right now. One headline and it reverses. This is a fragile improvement, not a solved problem. 

In short: gold isn’t dropping because investors think the conflict doesn’t matter. It’s dropping because the inflation side effects of the conflict currently outweigh the safe-haven side effects — a tug-of-war that can shift quickly in either direction. 

Where Gold Stands Right Now

Despite this week’s pullback, some important context is worth keeping in mind:

• Gold remains above the closely watched $4,000 psychological support level, which several market analysts have flagged as the key battleground for the metal this month 

• Even after recent declines, gold is still up an estimated 21% or more year-over-year, according to trading data 

• Analysts broadly describe the current environment as a “tug-of-war” between inflation risk and safe-haven demand — not a structural breakdown in gold’s longer-term trend 

Smart Money Isn’t Flinching

One of the more interesting dynamics in the current market is the gap between retail and institutional behavior. Western gold ETFs saw meaningful investor outflows over the past month, reflecting some retail hesitancy amid the volatility. 

Central banks, meanwhile, have kept buying. The People’s Bank of China logged its 20th consecutive month of gold accumulation in June, and Poland has added roughly 82 tonnes to its reserves so far in 2026. Institutions like the World Gold Council and analysts at major banks have pointed to this continued official-sector demand as a structural floor for gold prices — buying driven by long-term reserve diversification, not short-term headlines. 

Looking further out, many major banks are forecasting gold around $5,000 per ounce by the fourth quarter of 2026, with a possible move toward $6,000 in 2027 — underscoring that many institutional analysts view the current pullback as a moment within a longer uptrend, not a reversal of it. 

Are Pullbacks Like This Historically a Buying Window?

Gold’s price history shows that short-term dips — even sharp ones tied to real news events — have often been followed by recoveries once the underlying catalyst resolves or investors adjust to the new information. A pullback driven by temporary inflation fears is different from a pullback driven by weakening long-term demand, and right now, the structural demand story (central bank buying, reserve diversification, persistent fiscal deficits) remains largely intact. 

For investors who already believe in gold’s role as a long-term diversification tool, moments like this are often when they choose to add to their position rather than wait for a rally to chase. Buying during a dip, rather than after a run-up, is a strategy long associated with disciplined, long-term investing — though of course, no one can predict with certainty where prices go from here. 

What This Means for You

This week’s gold price drop reflects a real and evolving news story, not a sign that gold’s long-term case has weakened. If anything, the continued buying from central banks — even as short-term traders react to daily headlines — suggests that many of the largest, most sophisticated holders of gold are looking past the noise. 

If you’ve been considering diversifying your retirement savings with physical gold, a pullback like this may be worth a closer look. An Allegiance Gold specialist can walk you through your options, including how a Gold IRA works and what current market conditions could mean for your specific goals. 

Disclaimer

This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. References to silver supply deficits, industrial demand, historical prices, or market trends are based on publicly available information and should not be interpreted as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any investment or commodity. Readers should consult qualified financial professionals before making investment decisions.

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The acolytes of AI claim that AI could revolutionize the world, and the workplace, in the same way that the internet did. Numerous companies have already announced massive layoffs, claiming that they will be able to operate leaner due to cost savings from AI.

But beneath all the hype, there’s a growing sense of unease about the reality of AI. For the vast majority of people who have accessed large language model (LLM) AI agents like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, it’s hard to imagine that these agents will actually be able to shake up the world.

Certainly they’re useful, and can be very efficient in summarizing and processing large amounts of information in a very short amount of time. But to anyone who has seen the mistakes that AI makes, or has seen the vast amount of AI slop that is invading content across the internet, from writing to images to videos, it’s hard to imagine that so much money is being thrown at this type of technology.

Yet there is a vast amount of money that has already been spent on AI adoption, and much more that is ready to be spent. AI requires massive amounts of computing power, which means massive numbers of processing units, memory, storage capacity, plus the physical space, electricity, and water required to house, power, and cool all of this.

Data center construction is becoming a flashpoint in many areas of the country, with AI companies rushing to buy up empty space to build out their data centers. Along with that comes concerns about the impact on groundwater, and the rise in electricity costs faced by consumers who are now competing with AI corporations for limited amounts of grid capacity.

The rush to invest in and build out AI capacity is expected to result in $2.5 trillion in spending in 2026 alone. And future forecasts are for another $7 trillion to be spent by 2030.

The massive amounts of money being spent on AI have understandably led to questions about how well spent this money is. Is it really necessary to spend trillions of dollars building data centers so that consumers can create videos of cats singing Taylor Swift songs to post on social media?

The major question facing the AI industry is how can this technology be monetized. Most casual users of AI use free AI engines that are perfectly capable of doing the grunt work that they need to be done.

Corporations that have adopted AI pay for AI tokens, but many have found that the amount of money they spend on AI computing power really hasn’t provided the amount of cost savings they thought it would.

If reading this brings you back to memories of the dotcom bubble, when every company with a web address claimed to be the next company to revolutionize the market, you’re not alone. Many people have questioned whether AI is just one big bubble waiting to burst.

Looking at the valuations of major AI corporations such as OpenAI and Anthropic, it’s certainly hard to argue that they’re not in bubble territory. These companies are still privately held, although planning IPOs, so traditional measures like P/E ratios are hard to come by.

But Anthropic is valued at over $1 trillion, while OpenAI is valued at over $860 billion. Meanwhile, Anthropic’s estimated losses in 2025 were over $5 billion, while OpenAI’s were over $21 billion.

Compare those numbers to a company like General Motors, which builds cars. GM had a net income of $2.7 billion in 2025, and has a current market capitalization of nearly $70 billion.

That means that these AI companies that are losing billions of dollars every year are valued more than 10 times as much as GM. And that is without having actual audited financial statements, which public companies are required to do.

Once Anthropic and OpenAI file their IPOs, they will be required to submit to the same financial reporting standards as existing public companies. And then we’ll find out just how much money they’re actually losing.

At some point the people who have sunk trillions of dollars into AI are going to want to see a return on their money, and hype and promises can only go so far. AI companies are going to have to start making enough money to justify their high expenditures and valuations, otherwise the bubble could end up bursting.

How the Dotcom Bubble Occurred

Knowing how pervasive the internet is today, it’s hard to imagine that the dotcom bubble actually occurred, but it did. Even Amazon, one of today’s global internet behemoths, lost over 90% of its share value during the dotcom bubble.

One of the major characteristics of the dotcom bubble era is what former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan referred to as “irrational exuberance.” Venture capital was being thrown at any dot-com company, lured by the prospect of investing in the next Apple or Microsoft.

Standard metrics like P/E ratios were ignored, and the promise of future earnings made up for the lack of actual earnings in the present. Many dotcom companies not only didn’t make profits, they didn’t make money or even have an actual finished product.

The stock market mania, with markets hitting record highs, led many people to quit their jobs and trade stocks to make money. To those who saw similarities between the dotcom mania and the stock market mania of the 1920s, the warning signs were glaringly obvious.

Eventually, the vast amounts of money thrown into the dotcom sector dried up. With no more venture capital coming in, and spending not slowing, many companies simply ran out of cash.

The NASDAQ Index, where many of the dotcom companies were listed, fell 78% from its peak, with stock markets overall losing more than $5 trillion of value. Over half of dotcom companies failed, and those who survived, such as Amazon, Microsoft, and others, survived with significantly lower valuations.

Parallels Between the Dotcom Bubble and the AI Bubble

It’s no wonder that so many people see what’s happening in the AI sector today and see parallels between the dotcom bubble and the AI bubble.

During the dotcom bubble the P/E ratio of the S&P 500 peaked at over 44. Today it is 36.4, and looking at P/E charts you can clearly see how overvalued it is.

P/E ratios of major AI darlings are similarly high, with Nvidia reaching nearly 60 last year and Palantir peaking at over 600. Until OpenAI and Anthropic actually make money, they won’t have a P/E ratio.

But when they do, how high could their P/E ratios get?

With more than $7 trillion expected to flow to the AI sector by 2030, what kind of return will be seen from that investment? Could the bubble burst sooner than we expect?

Fed Chairman Greenspan began raising interest rates in June 1999, which some people at the time blamed for popping the bubble. Today, markets expect Fed Chairman Warsh to possibly raise interest rates as early as September.

Could potential Fed interest rate hikes be the needle that pops the AI bubble? Or is the bubble already on its way to bursting, with most people remaining blissfully unaware until the signs become obvious?

Just like the dotcom bubble, the easy money may eventually run out for the AI industry. Like the dotcom companies before them, there is a lot of money pouring into these companies and being used up, with not much revenue to show for it.

Can Gold Help You If the AI Bubble Bursts?

Many critics of the AI bubble narrative point out that AI is a transformative industry that will revolutionize the internet. To the argument that AI is in a bubble, they point to the criticism surrounding the internet in the late ‘90s and how wrong some of those critics were.

While it may be true that AI will be transformative, it can be both transformative and in a bubble at the same time. Amazon, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Cisco, and similar companies were massively overvalued during the dotcom era, survived the dotcom bubble bursting, and survived to become major players in the technology sector.

The same could be said about major AI players today. If the AI bubble bursts, some companies will go out of business but others will not. Those survivors could form the backbone of the AI industry in the coming decades.

The question many people have today is, which companies will survive? And, if the bubble bursts, how can they help protect themselves against the potential fallout?

When bubbles burst they can drag down your entire portfolio. That’s why many people look to safe havens like gold to help protect and diversify their savings.

Gold has a long-standing reputation as a safe haven asset during times of financial turmoil. If the AI bubble bursts, owning a tangible asset like gold can give you a reliable store of value that can give you some peace of mind.

How to Move Your Retirement Savings into Physical Gold

One popular way to buy gold is through a self-directed gold IRA. This type of IRA allows you to hold physical gold coins or gold bars while maintaining the same tax advantages as a regular retirement account.

Many retirement savers choose to fund gold IRAs by moving money from existing retirement accounts such as a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or IRA. This process is called a rollover, and it can usually be done completely tax-free.

Opening a gold IRA might sound complicated, but it is actually a simple process when you follow the rules and work with trusted partners like Goldco.

1. First, you set up an account with a gold IRA custodian who will administer your precious metals holdings.
2. Next, you request a rollover of funds from your current retirement account administrator to your gold IRA.
3. Once the money arrives in your gold IRA, you can choose which gold coins or bars you want to buy.

Your physical gold will be stored safely in a secure, state-of-the-art bullion depository. When you reach retirement age, you can choose to take your distributions either in cash or as physical gold shipped directly to your door.

Help Protect Your Savings with Goldco Today

If you are worried about the possibility of the AI bubble bursting, now may be the time to start exploring your options. With over 8,000 5-star reviews from our customers, and over $3 billion in precious metals placements, Goldco has worked hard to become one of the best gold companies in the country.

Our representatives can answer any questions you may have about buying gold, owning gold, and the benefits of a gold IRA.

Don’t wait any longer to help defend against the AI bubble. Call Goldco today to learn more about how to help protect your financial future with gold.

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Gold and silver have spent the past few weeks in a holding pattern, and the next major catalyst now has a firm date on the calendar: July 29, 2026.

That is when the Federal Reserve’s rate-setting committee, the FOMC, wraps its two-day meeting and announces its next decision. For precious metals investors, few macro events are watched as closely as a Fed rate decision because interest rates, inflation expectations, and confidence in the dollar all influence the price of gold and silver.

Here’s what is driving the current market, what could happen on July 29, and why many investors view moments like this not as a threat, but as an opportunity to reassess whether their portfolio has enough balance and protection.

Why the Fed Moves Gold and Silver Prices

Gold and silver do not pay interest or dividends. That single fact is the foundation of their relationship with Fed policy.

When interest rates rise, investors can earn more from interest-bearing assets like Treasury bonds, CDs, or savings accounts. That increases the opportunity cost of holding metals that do not generate yield on their own.

When rates fall, or when rates stay flat while inflation remains elevated, that opportunity cost shrinks. In that environment, gold and silver often become more attractive because investors begin asking a different question:

Am I being paid enough to hold dollars, or do I need protection from the dollar losing purchasing power?

Of course, the relationship is not mechanical. Geopolitical risk, the strength of the U.S. dollar, central bank buying, debt levels, and investor confidence all play a role. But Fed policy remains one of the most closely watched inputs in the precious metals market.

Where Things Stand Heading Into July 29

The setup for this meeting is more uncertain than usual.

At the Fed’s June 16–17 meeting, the committee voted unanimously to hold the federal funds rate at 3.50%–3.75%. But the minutes released July 8 revealed a committee that is far from unified on what comes next.

According to the Fed’s projections, nine of eighteen participants expect at least one rate hike before year-end, eight expect no change, and one projects a cut.

Adding to the uncertainty, new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh chose not to submit his own rate forecast at his first meeting in charge — reportedly the first Fed chair in 14 years to skip that step. That has left markets with less forward guidance than usual about where policy may be headed.

The reaction in metals has been notable:

• Gold traded around $4,075 per ounce in early July, down roughly 27% from its January all-time high near $5,589.

• Silver traded near $58–$60 per ounce in early July, down more than 50% from its January peak near $121.60, though still roughly 60% higher year over year, depending on the quote time and source.

Despite the pullback from January highs, both metals remain meaningfully higher over the last 12 months. Gold is up approximately 22.77%, while silver is up approximately 57.71% over that same period.

That is important. The recent decline feels sharp because investors are comparing prices to the January peak. But when viewed over a full year, the broader trend still shows strong performance from both metals.

Three Scenarios for the July 29 Decision

No one can predict the Fed’s decision with certainty. But investors should understand the three main scenarios and how precious metals may respond.

1. If the Fed holds rates steady with a neutral or dovish tone

This would likely give gold and silver more room to stabilize, especially if inflation data shows signs of cooling. A steady-rate decision with softer language could signal that the Fed is closer to the end of its tightening cycle, which may reduce pressure on metals.

2. If the Fed signals another hike is coming

Metals could face near-term headwinds. Higher rates tend to strengthen the appeal of interest-bearing assets, at least in the short run. This would echo the pattern seen after the June meeting, when a more hawkish tone weighed on both gold and silver.

3. If the Fed signals a rate cut may be coming sooner than expected

This could be very supportive for gold and silver. Lower interest rates reduce the opportunity cost of holding metals and often raise concerns about inflation, debt, and currency debasement.

A key data point to watch before the meeting is the June Consumer Price Index report, scheduled for release on July 14. That inflation report could shape expectations heading into July 29.

The World Gold Council’s mid-year outlook suggests gold is broadly aligned with its macro valuation framework and may trade around $4,100, plus or minus roughly 5%, if current conditions do not materially change. That estimate is based in part on the assumption of one rate hike by October 2026, meaning the July 29 decision — and the inflation data leading into it — could shift expectations in either direction.

The New Wild Card: A Softer Labor Market

The Fed is not only watching inflation. It is also watching employment.

Last week, the U.S. economy added just 57,000 jobs in June, far below the roughly 110,000 economists expected. April and May were also revised lower by a combined 74,000 jobs, suggesting the labor market was weaker than previously reported.

Even more concerning, the labor force participation rate fell, with roughly 720,000 people leaving the labor force.

That matters because a weaker labor market gives the Fed more justification to pause, soften its tone, or even consider cutting rates sooner rather than later.

As of early July, futures markets were pricing roughly a 30% probability of a rate hike at the July 29 meeting based on Fed funds futures and FedWatch-style market pricing. But weaker job numbers, combined with renewed geopolitical tensions, could change the Fed’s calculus quickly.

In other words, the Fed is walking a very narrow bridge.

If it hikes too aggressively, it risks damaging an already softening economy. If it cuts too soon, it risks reigniting inflation and further weakening confidence in the dollar.

That is exactly the kind of uncertainty that keeps long-term investors focused on diversification.

The Bigger Picture: That Does Not Wait on the Fed

It is worth remembering that Fed policy is only one piece of the gold and silver story in 2026.

Structural demand has remained resilient even through periods of rate uncertainty:

• Central banks purchased an estimated 244 tonnes of gold in the first quarter of 2026 alone, exceeding both the prior quarter and their five-year average, according to the World Gold Council.
• Major buyers in recent months have included China, Poland, and several other central banks continuing to diversify reserves away from the U.S. dollar.
• The Silver Institute projects a sixth consecutive annual silver market deficit in 2026, supported by tight supply, resilient investment demand, and continued industrial use across electronics, AI infrastructure, automotive, and solar, even as solar-related silver demand faces thrifting and substitution pressure.

This kind of institutional and structural demand tends to be far less sensitive to any single Fed meeting than short-term trading activity.

That is one reason many long-term holders view rate-driven pullbacks as part of the normal cycle rather than a reason to abandon the broader thesis.

It is also worth noting that the relationship between rates and gold is not always as straightforward as the textbook version suggests. Gold has climbed during past rate-hiking cycles when other forces — geopolitical tension, a weakening dollar, heavy central bank accumulation, or concerns about debt — outweighed the pull of higher yields.

The Fed matters. But it is not the only force shaping the market.

What This Means for You

Whatever the Fed decides on July 29, the underlying question for most investors is not:

“What will gold do this week?”

The better question is:

“Do I have enough protection if the next surprise shows up?”

When the Fed itself is split — with some members discussing hikes while political pressure builds for cuts — that is not a minor disagreement. It is a signal that even the central bank does not have a confident read on the economy.

And uncertainty at that level does not stay contained to Wall Street.

It can show up in your mortgage rate.
Your savings account yield.
Your retirement account volatility.
Your purchasing power.
Your ability to plan with confidence.

For the average family, the lesson is not to guess whether rates go up or down next. The lesson is that you cannot build a retirement plan that only works if the Fed gets everything right.

Gold does not need the Fed to be perfect. Historically, gold has responded to currency debasement, loss of confidence in fiat policy, excessive debt, and financial uncertainty — not just one meeting or one rate decision.

That is why many investors do not own gold because they are trying to predict the Fed. They own it because they are hedging against the possibility that the Fed, Washington, or the broader financial system gets it wrong.

The Three Questions Investors Should Be Asking Now

The better way to look at gold today is not through one Fed meeting. It is through the conditions that supported the move in the first place.

Ask yourself:

1. Are central banks still net buyers of gold?
   Yes. They have been for more than a decade. That is not retail speculation. That is sovereign-level positioning.
2. Is the debt and deficit picture improving?
   No. The U.S. continues to face a growing debt burden, rising interest costs, and persistent deficit pressure.
3. Have the issues that caused gold’s run been resolved?
   Currency debasement, geopolitical instability, de-dollarization, inflation pressure, and distrust in fiat policy have not disappeared.

So the real question is not whether gold moves higher or lower after one Fed announcement.

The real question is:

Do you own enough protection if the next surprise shows up?

If you are considering how gold or silver may fit into your retirement savings, an Allegiance Gold specialist can walk you through your options, including how a Gold IRA works and what current market conditions may mean for your specific goals.

Get Your Free Gold IRA Rollover Guide

Rolling over a retirement account is not something to figure out as you go. Our free Gold IRA Rollover Guide walks you through every IRS rule referenced in this article in more detail — including a downloadable rollover checklist, a breakdown of IRS-approved metals, and answers to the questions our specialists hear most often from people exploring this decision for the first time.

Request Your Free Gold IRA Guide →

No obligation. No pressure. Just clear information, so you can make the decision that’s right for your retirement.

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The post Fed Rate Decision & Gold Price: What July 29 Means for Your Portfolio appeared first on Allegiance Gold.

With unease about the US economy growing, and many Americans concerned about their financial well-being, more and more Americans are taking steps to try to protect their wealth. An increasing number of people are doing that by buying gold.

Demand for gold coins and gold bars has increased significantly recently, as people around the world have sought the safety of the yellow metal. In the US, a growing number of people are learning about how they can help protect their retirement savings with a gold IRA.

For people who are accustomed to owning stocks, bonds, and shares in funds in their 401(k) and IRA accounts, the idea of owning gold in an IRA may seem a little strange. But thousands of Americans have started gold IRAs over the last several years and are benefiting from their ownership of gold. Now you can too.

What Is a Gold IRA?

A gold IRA is simply an individual retirement account (IRA) that owns physical gold coins or bars. While most IRA accounts own intangible financial assets like stocks, bonds, or shares in funds, a gold IRA actually owns physical gold.

How Does a Gold IRA Work?

A gold IRA works in a similar way to any other IRA. You fund your IRA, then use your IRA funds to buy physical gold coins or gold bars.

You’re not buying shares of a gold exchange-traded fund, like you might in an ordinary IRA. You’re buying actual physical gold coins or gold bars.

That gold is managed by an IRA custodian and stored in a bullion depository. Relatively few IRA custodians offer gold as an option, which is why you’ll need to find an IRA custodian that specializes in or offers gold as an option.

Goldco works with established gold IRA custodians to provide our customers with options for custodial services for their gold IRA assets.

Why Start a Gold IRA?

Now, you may be asking yourself, why should I start a gold IRA? Can’t I just buy gold and store it wherever I want?

Certainly you can do that, and many of our customers do choose to make direct cash purchases of gold that they store themselves. But you can’t buy that gold with funds that you have in 401(k) or similar tax-advantaged accounts.

Or rather, if you want to use those funds to buy gold directly, you would have to take a distribution from your 401(k) plan if it is allowed, pay any applicable taxes and penalties, and then buy gold.

With a gold IRA rollover, you can move any funds you have in a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, IRA, or similar retirement account into a gold IRA tax-free and use those funds from within your gold IRA to buy gold coins or bars. Those physical gold assets are then managed by your gold IRA custodian and stored at a bullion depository.

If you really want to get your hands on that physical gold, when you choose to take a distribution you can take a distribution from your gold IRA as an “in-kind” distribution, meaning you can take possession of some of your gold as a distribution rather than a cash payment.

One other important thing to note is that contributions to an IRA account that come from rollovers are not subject to the annual IRA contribution limit. For 2026, the annual IRA contribution limit is $7,500, or $8,600 for those over age 50.

Because rollovers don’t count towards that annual contribution limit, you could roll over $10,000, $100,000, or even $1 million or more from a 401(k) into a gold IRA.

The Basics of Rollovers and Transfers

Rollovers and transfers can be referred to with various terms, depending on where money is coming from, where it is going, and how it is being distributed. Rollovers and transfers fit into three different types:

• Trustee-to-Trustee transfer – you can ask that your IRA custodian directly transfer your distribution to a retirement plan or to another IRA
• Direct Rollover – you can ask that your plan administrator make a payment of your distribution directly to another IRA
• Indirect Rollover – also known as a 60-day rollover, in which distributions from a retirement plan or IRA are paid to you, and you then have 60 days to deposit those funds into a retirement plan or IRA

Here are some of the key differences to keep in mind when thinking about these three different types of rollover options.

Rollover Rules

IRA rollovers are subject to specific rules administered by the IRS. If you’re not familiar with them already, you’re not alone.

But you’ll want to get to know these rules before you decide on a rollover, otherwise you risk making mistakes that could cost you in taxes and penalties. IRS has a handy chart detailing the accounts you can roll over money from as well as the accounts you can roll over money to.

There are eight different categories of retirement accounts, and not all potential rollover combinations are allowed.

IRS also has a publication available online that goes into greater detail about IRA accounts and rollovers. In general, however, there are no limits to how many times you can roll over funds from a 401(k) account to an IRA.

Limits only come into play when performing indirect rollovers from an IRA to another IRA, in which case you’re only allowed one rollover every 12 months.

Because there are dozens of different possible rollover combinations, we can’t get into every single one in this guide. So let’s focus on the most common rollovers that we’re going to see. Those are:

• 401(k) to Traditional IRA rollover
• 401(k) to Roth IRA rollover (Roth conversion)
• IRA to IRA rollover (IRA transfer).

401(k) to Traditional IRA Rollover

When you read about IRAs, you’re normally going to be reading about Traditional IRAs. These are the IRA accounts most people are familiar with, which acquire assets with pre-tax dollars, gains accrue tax-free, and taxes are only paid when you take a distribution.

One of the most common rollovers is a direct rollover from a 401(k) to a Traditional IRA. This means shifting money from one pre-tax account to another.

There are no taxes to be paid, as the money moves directly from your 401(k) plan to your IRA account. And because both accounts are pre-tax, there are no distribution taxes or penalties to be paid.

401(k) to Roth IRA Rollover

Another option is to roll over funds from a 401(k) to a Roth IRA. A Roth IRA uses post-tax dollars, gains accrue tax-free, and no taxes are paid at distribution.

Since money moved from a 401(k) to a Roth IRA entails moving money from a pre-tax account to a post-tax account, you will owe income taxes on the amount moved into your Roth IRA account.

If you perform this conversion before age 59½ you won’t have to pay a 10% penalty for an early distribution. However, if you attempt to withdraw those converted funds before you turn 59½ and before you satisfy the five-year holding rule, you could be subject to penalties.

IRA to IRA Rollover or Transfer

Rules for rollovers from one IRA to another can vary depending on what types of IRA you’re rolling over from and what type of IRA you’re rolling over to, and whether you’re performing a trustee-to-trustee transfer or an indirect rollover.

The most common types of IRA to IRA rollovers are going to be trustee-to-trustee transfers from one Traditional IRA into another Traditional IRA, or a trustee-to-trustee transfer from a Traditional IRA into a Roth IRA. Note that money in a Roth IRA can’t be rolled over into a Traditional IRA.

Trustee-to-trustee transfers from a Traditional IRA into another Traditional IRA in which funds are sent directly from one custodian to another will occur tax-free.

Transfers from a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA are Roth conversions, and will trigger income taxes on the amount rolled over.

Indirect rollovers from one IRA to another IRA are limited to once every 12 months.

Three Steps to a Gold IRA Rollover

A gold IRA rollover functions in the same way as any other IRA rollover. In this example we’re going to focus on a rollover from a 401(k) to an IRA, since that’s one of the most common types of rollovers.

This 401(k) to gold IRA rollover can be done in just three easy steps.

Step 1: Open a Gold IRA

The first step is to open a gold IRA. I know what you’re thinking. “Why do I need to open a gold IRA first? Can’t I start the rollover, then decide where to move the money?”

That’s not how it works, at least not if you’re trying to do a direct rollover from your 401(k) plan to your gold IRA custodian. When you start the rollover process, you’ll need to inform your 401(k) plan where to send the funds.

In other words, you’ll need to know your gold IRA custodian’s name, address, and your new IRA account number so you can tell your plan where to send your money. This means that you’ll need to have a gold IRA account established and have all the information about your account ready to go before you start your rollover.

This is where you’ll want to do your homework and find an IRA custodian that deals with or specializes in gold IRAs, or work with a trusted partner like Goldco that has experience working with gold IRA custodians.

Step 2: Transfer Funds

Once you have a gold IRA opened, you can start the gold IRA rollover process. Each 401(k) plan has its own rules for outgoing rollovers or distributions, and its own process that you’ll have to follow.

In general, you’ll fill out paperwork or fill out online forms to initiate the rollover process. This will include providing your plan with the information on your new gold IRA custodian, your IRA account number, how much money you want to roll over, etc.

If you’re married and your spouse is listed as a beneficiary, your plan might require your spouse to sign off on a rollover as well.

Don’t be surprised to get some pushback or to have roadblocks placed in your way during the rollover process. 401(k) plan administrators normally get paid based on the amount of funds they manage, so the more people who roll over funds into other accounts, the less money the 401(k) administrators make.

There’s also the unfortunate fact that many older people have fallen victims to scams involving their retirement savings. Your plan administrator may want you to wait some period of time before initiating a rollover so that they can ensure that it’s actually you requesting your money and not a scammer.

Once you’ve initiated your rollover, expect it to take a few business days for your 401(k) plan to release and send funds. Then expect another few business days for your funds to reach your IRA account and fully clear. In general, expect it to take one to two weeks for the rollover process to complete.

Step 3: Buy Gold

Once your gold IRA account is funded, you can then choose which gold coins or gold bars you want to buy. The choices are numerous, with only certain exceptions.

For a gold coin to be eligible for purchase for your gold IRA, it has to be produced out of gold that is at least 99.5% pure (.995 fineness.) The only exception is for the modern Gold American Eagle series of gold coins from the US Mint, which are 22-karat (.9167 fineness) and which are specifically allowed for IRA purchase by government statute.

Gold coins that are less than .995 fineness are not allowed to be acquired by IRA accounts, and are considered collectibles under 26 U.S.C. 408(m). Attempting to purchase these coins with IRA funds would be considered as a distribution by IRS, triggering potential taxes and penalties.

Goldco works with mints around the world to bring our customers IRA-eligible gold coins with numerous different designs. We do the work of providing IRA-eligible coins so that you don’t have to determine whether the coins you buy are eligible or not.

Gold IRA Rules and Regulations

In addition to the rules surrounding IRA-eligible coins, there are other gold IRA rules and regulations you need to be aware of.

Like any other IRA, a gold IRA must be managed by an IRA custodian. Your IRA custodian will store your gold at a bullion depository.

At age 73 you’ll be required to start taking required minimum distributions (RMDs), just like with any other IRA or 401(k) accounts, at least if your gold IRA is a Traditional IRA.

You can take that distribution either in cash or in physical gold. And if your gold IRA is a Roth IRA, you won’t be required to take any RMDs.

If you’ve been doing research on gold IRAs, you may have read about something called a “home storage gold IRA.”

A home storage IRA is an arrangement that purports to allow you to buy gold with IRA assets and store that gold at home. If that sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is.

People who have tried to buy gold and silver with home storage IRAs have found out the hard way that the IRS doesn’t take kindly to people who ignore the rules regarding IRA custodianship, and have had to pay significant taxes and penalties.

Frequently Asked Questions About Gold IRA Rollovers

How can I fund a gold IRA?

One of the most popular ways to fund a gold IRA is through a gold IRA rollover. You can roll over assets tax-free from an existing retirement account such as a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or IRA account into a gold IRA.

Goldco’s precious metals specialists have helped many customers navigate this rollover process. Contact our specialists to learn more about how the gold IRA rollover process works.

How do I know that the gold I’m buying is real and not counterfeit?

There are numerous ways to check if the gold coins or gold bars you have are real. One of the first things to do is to check if the coin or bar matches the published dimensions and weight.

Gold coins are also non-magnetic, so they should not be attracted to a magnet. Gold coins also make a distinctive pinging sound when they are struck, versus base metals which have more of a thudding sound.

Finally, there are chemical tests that can be done by professionals, although these may damage your gold products.

But one of the best ways to avoid counterfeit gold is to work with trusted partners like Goldco who work with mints around the world to bring you guaranteed authentic gold coins so that you don’t have to worry about possibly buying counterfeit precious metals.

Do I actually own the gold in my gold IRA?

Yes, your IRA actually owns the gold that is held in it. You don’t own gold certificates, or claims to physical gold, but rather actual physical gold coins and gold bars. And you decide which IRA-eligible gold coins or gold bars you purchase for your gold IRA.

How can I keep my gold safe?

Gold that you buy with a direct cash purchase can be stored at home, in a safe deposit box or, if you’re making a particularly big purchase, can be stored in a bullion depository.

If you’re buying gold through a gold IRA, your gold coins or gold bars will have to be stored in a bullion depository. Goldco works with experienced precious metals bullion depositories to ensure that our customers’ precious metals assets remain safe and secure.

What are the main ways to buy gold?

Coins and bars are two of the most common and popular ways to buy gold. Goldco offers gold in both coin and bar form, for both direct purchase and purchase through a gold IRA.

What precious metals can I hold in a gold IRA?

Gold IRAs aren’t limited to just gold. They can also hold silver coins or silver bars, as well as platinum and palladium bullion.

What kinds of gold is IRA-eligible?

IRAs are only allowed to acquire gold coins or gold bars with a minimum fineness of .995 (99.5% pure gold), or coins that are specifically stated as being IRA-eligible such as Gold American Eagle coins. Using IRA assets to purchase gold coins or gold bars with a lower gold content that are not IRA-eligible would be considered a distribution of assets and could subject you to taxes and penalties.

Goldco works with mints around the world to source our gold coins so that we can ensure that the coins you buy from us meet minimum fineness requirements for IRA acquisition.

Do I have to pay taxes when I buy or sell precious metals?

Direct cash purchases of precious metals coins or bars are tax-exempt in many states. You should consult with your financial advisor or tax professional before making a purchase.

Rollovers of funds into a precious metals IRA can normally be made tax-free, although again you will want to consult your financial advisor or tax advisor before starting a rollover.

Sales of precious metals can be subject to taxation, and rates can differ depending on how long you have owned the gold, whether it is held inside or outside of an IRA, etc. Due to the variety of potential tax situations and the fact that Goldco’s specialists are not tax advisors, Goldco cannot provide tax advice.

You should consult with your financial advisor or tax professional before making a sale of precious metals in order to determine your potential tax liability.

I already own gold and silver coins. Can I move those into an IRA?

IRAs are prohibited from engaging in certain transactions, including IRA owners selling their property to an IRA.

This is why it can be helpful to consult with your financial advisor or tax advisor to go through the IRA rules and regulations in order to make sure that you don’t inadvertently end up making a mistake that could subject you to taxes and penalties.

Can I take physical possession of the precious metals in my IRA?

The gold in your gold IRA must be stored in a bullion depository, but you may take possession of that gold when you decide to take a distribution through an in-kind distribution.

Some companies claim that there is such a thing as a home storage IRA, which purportedly allows you to purchase gold and silver using IRA assets and store those precious metals at home. These types of arrangements have been explicitly banned by tax courts, and anyone attempting to start a home storage IRA could face significant taxes and penalties.

How much does a gold IRA cost?

Gold IRA fees can vary, but will likely run you between $150-300, depending on what kind of storage you request. These fees cover the costs of administering your account and storing your gold.

What is the best gold to buy?

That all depends on your particular needs and how gold fits into your financial planning.

For some people, gold may make up a large portion of their portfolio, and they may hang onto it for a long time. Others may only want to buy gold as a short-term hedge against a possible economic downturn.

And other people may just want to hang onto a few gold coins or gold bars at home in case of a rainy day. How much gold you buy and the form you buy it in will be determined by how you plan to make use of your gold.

I’ve never bought precious metals before. Which precious metals are best for me?

The precious metals that are best for you are those which fit your individual needs. You may want to consult with your financial advisor to determine which precious metals can help you achieve your aims, whether that’s portfolio diversification, inflation hedging, or something else.

How much of my portfolio should be allocated to precious metals?

The percentage of your portfolio you devote to precious metals is a decision you need to make with a view toward your risk tolerance and financial goals, and should be done in consultation with your financial advisor. Goldco’s specialists are not financial advisors and cannot provide financial advice.

Is a Gold IRA Rollover Right for You?

Like any other financial decision, the decision about whether or not to start a gold IRA is dependent on your particular circumstances, your financial situation, and your financial goals.

For those looking to benefit from owning gold, a gold IRA rollover can be a useful option to help benefit from owning gold while simultaneously maintaining the tax-advantaged status of your savings.

The experts at Goldco have years of experience in helping customers with gold IRA rollovers. Thousands of our customers have used gold IRA rollovers to diversify their portfolios, hedge against inflation, and hold a safe haven asset that can help protect them during times of turmoil.

With over $3 billion in precious metals placements and over 8,000 5-star reviews from our customers, Goldco has worked hard to become one of the best gold companies in the country, with a reputation for quality precious metals products and outstanding customer service.

If you think a gold IRA rollover might be what you’re interested in, give us a call today to learn more about how you could benefit from a gold IRA.

This article was originally published in June 2023 and was updated in July 2026.

The post Step-by-Step Gold IRA Rollover Process for Beginners appeared first on Top Rated Gold IRA Company - Goldco Precious Metals.

If you have a 401(k) sitting with a former employer, you have probably asked yourself: can I move this into gold without paying a penalty? The short answer is yes — but only if you follow the IRS’s rules exactly.

Every year, thousands of Americans roll a portion of their retirement savings out of paper assets and into physical gold and silver, using a completely legal, tax-free process called a Gold IRA rollover. Done correctly, it costs you nothing in taxes or penalties. Done incorrectly, it can trigger income tax on the entire balance plus a 10% early withdrawal penalty.

This guide walks through exactly how the process works, what the IRS actually requires, and the mistakes that cost investors the most money. By the end, you’ll know whether a 401(k) to Gold IRA rollover fits your retirement plan — and exactly how to execute one without penalty.

What Is a Gold IRA Rollover?

A Gold IRA rollover is the process of moving funds from an existing retirement account — a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, traditional IRA, or Roth IRA — into a self-directed IRA that holds physical, IRS-approved precious metals instead of stocks, bonds, or mutual funds.

The account itself is still a legally recognized IRA. It carries the same tax advantages, the same contribution structure, and the same required minimum distribution (RMD) rules as any other IRA. The only difference is what’s inside it: instead of paper securities, your account holds physical gold or silver bullion, stored securely at an IRS-approved depository.

Importantly, a rollover is not a withdrawal. Because the funds move directly between custodians — or are redeposited within the IRS’s allowed window — the transaction is not treated as a taxable distribution, provided you follow the rules below.

Can I Roll Over My 401(k) to Gold Without Penalty?

Yes. The IRS permits this under two structures:

1. Direct Rollover (Trustee-to-Trustee Transfer) — Funds move directly from your old 401(k) custodian to your new Gold IRA custodian. You never take possession of the money. This is the method most financial professionals recommend because there is no tax withholding and no deadline risk.
2. Indirect (60-Day) Rollover — The funds are distributed to you first, and you must redeposit the full amount into your new Gold IRA within 60 calendar days. Miss the deadline by even one day, and the IRS treats the entire amount as a taxable distribution — plus a 10% early withdrawal penalty if you’re under age 59½.

There’s one more detail that trips up a lot of investors: with an indirect rollover from an employer plan, your old custodian is often required to withhold 20% of the balance for taxes upfront. You’ll need to make up that 20% out of pocket to complete a full rollover, and then claim it back at tax time. This is one of the main reasons a direct rollover is strongly preferred for 401(k) to Gold IRA transfers.

Bottom line: As long as the funds are transferred directly, or redeposited within 60 days, rolling a 401(k) into a Gold IRA is 100% penalty-free and tax-free.

Step-by-Step: How to Roll Over Your 401(k) to a Gold IRA

Step 1: Confirm Your 401(k) Is Eligible

Not every 401(k) can be rolled over while you’re still employed. Generally:

• Former employer 401(k): Fully eligible for rollover at any time.
• Current employer 401(k): May only be eligible through an “in-service distribution,” which some plans allow after a certain age (typically 59½) or under specific plan terms.
• Traditional or Roth IRA: Both are eligible for a direct transfer into a Gold IRA at any time, with no employment restriction.

Check your plan summary or call your plan administrator to confirm eligibility before starting.

Step 2: Open a Self-Directed Gold IRA

A standard IRA at a mainstream brokerage cannot legally hold physical gold. You need a self-directed IRA, opened through a custodian who specializes in alternative assets like precious metals. This step typically takes 24–48 hours once your paperwork is submitted.

Step 3: Initiate the Direct Rollover

Your Gold IRA provider will help you contact your former 401(k) plan administrator and request a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer. This is simply a form your provider prepares and you sign — the funds move custodian to custodian and never touch your bank account. This step typically takes 5–14 business days, depending on your former plan administrator’s processing speed.

Step 4: Select IRS-Approved Precious Metals

Not all gold and silver products qualify for IRA ownership. The IRS requires:

• Gold: minimum 0.995 fineness (99.5% pure), with limited coin exceptions
• Silver: minimum 0.999 fineness
• Platinum and palladium: minimum 0.9995 fineness

Collectible or numismatic coins generally do not qualify. Your precious metals specialist should walk you through only IRS-eligible products.

Step 5: Metals Are Shipped to an Approved Depository

Once your custodian purchases the metals on your IRA’s behalf, they are shipped directly to an IRS-approved depository — never to your home. Attempting to store IRA gold yourself is treated by the IRS as a taxable distribution, regardless of intent. This final step typically takes another 3–7 business days.

Total timeline: Most direct rollovers complete in 2 to 4 weeks from start to finish.

5 Costly Mistakes to Avoid

1. Choosing an indirect rollover when a direct transfer was available. This introduces 20% mandatory withholding and a hard 60-day deadline for no benefit.
2. Missing the 60-day window on an indirect rollover. Even one day late converts the entire balance into a taxable, penalized distribution.
3. Attempting home storage of IRA-owned metals. The IRS treats this as an immediate, fully taxable distribution — home storage “loopholes” marketed by some companies are not supported by current IRS guidance.
4. Doing more than one indirect IRA-to-IRA rollover within 12 months. The IRS limits you to one indirect rollover per year across all your IRAs; a second triggers taxation. Direct transfers are not subject to this limit.
5. Overcontributing after a rollover. Rollover amounts don’t count against your annual contribution limit — but new contributions do. For 2026, that limit is $7,500 under age 50, or $8,600 if you’re 50 or older, per the IRS’s official 2026 update (IRS.gov).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Gold IRA rollover really tax-free? Yes — when executed as a direct transfer or completed within the 60-day indirect rollover window, the IRS does not treat it as a taxable event. You are not withdrawing the money; you are repositioning it within the retirement account structure.

How much of my 401(k) can I roll into gold? There is no IRS-imposed limit on how much of an eligible account you can roll over. Some investors move their full balance; others diversify a portion. This is a personal allocation decision, not an IRS restriction.

Do rollovers count against my annual IRA contribution limit? No. Rollovers and transfers are separate from annual contributions. For 2026, the IRS contribution limit is $7,500 (under 50) or $8,600 (50 and older) — but that cap applies only to new money you contribute directly, not to funds you roll over from an existing account (IRS.gov).

What happens if I don’t complete the rollover in time? If you choose an indirect rollover and miss the 60-day deadline, the IRS reclassifies the entire distribution as taxable income for that year, and if you’re under 59½, adds a 10% early withdrawal penalty on top.

At what age do I have to start taking distributions from a Gold IRA? Gold IRAs follow the same Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) rules as traditional IRAs under the SECURE 2.0 Act, currently beginning at age 73.

Can I roll over a Roth 401(k) or Roth IRA into a Gold IRA? Yes. Roth accounts can be rolled into a self-directed Roth Gold IRA, preserving their tax-free growth status, provided the transfer is handled as a direct, same-type transfer.

Is a Gold IRA Rollover Right for You?

A 401(k) to Gold IRA rollover isn’t about abandoning your existing retirement strategy — it’s about diversifying part of it into an asset that behaves differently than stocks and bonds during periods of inflation, currency devaluation, and market volatility. For many retirees and near-retirees, that diversification is less about chasing growth and more about protecting what they’ve already built.

Whether a rollover makes sense for you depends on your age, your existing asset allocation, your risk tolerance, and your long-term goals — which is exactly why we recommend never doing this without a clear, step-by-step understanding of the process first.

Get Your Free Gold IRA Rollover Guide

Rolling over a retirement account is not something to figure out as you go. Our free Gold IRA Rollover Guide walks you through every IRS rule referenced in this article in more detail — including a downloadable rollover checklist, a breakdown of IRS-approved metals, and answers to the questions our specialists hear most often from people exploring this decision for the first time.

Request Your Free Gold IRA Guide →

No obligation. No pressure. Just clear information, so you can make the decision that’s right for your retirement.

Sources & Further Reading

• IRS — Retirement Topics: IRA Contribution Limits
• IRS — 401(k) Limit Increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA Limit Increases to $7,500
• IRS — Rollovers of Retirement Plan and IRA Distributions
• IRS Publication 590-A — Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements

To Start Your Gold IRA Today:

Download Your Free Gold IRA Guide | Open Your Gold IRA Account | Book Your Consultation

Protect your financial future with Allegiance Gold an Inc 5000 company– Your trusted partner in Gold and Silver IRA investments.

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The latest Social Security Trustees’ Report was published recently, and it didn’t report anything groundbreaking. The Social Security trust fund is expected to go bankrupt in 2032, after which time Social Security recipients can only expect to receive 78% of expected benefits.

What is groundbreaking is that Washington is finally starting to take notice. That bankruptcy date is only six years in the future, and the Senators who are elected this fall will still be within their first terms and facing reelection when the Social Security trust fund goes bankrupt.

That is making it real for many Washington policymakers that something needs to be done, and quickly. But there’s still a lot of institutional inertia pushing against any real Social Security reform, as well as political considerations that need to be taken into account.

If Congress doesn’t act to shore up Social Security soon, many retirees could see their retirement income slashed dramatically, right as the first wave of Gen-Xers are starting to draw on Social Security.

Are you prepared in the event that Social Security’s trust fund goes bankrupt and Congress hasn’t done anything about it? Could you deal with the potential loss of Social Security benefits that might result from that?

If not, are you taking steps to prepare yourself today, so that you’ll be ready no matter what happens to Social Security?

The Purpose of Social Security

Social Security was never intended to be the sole source of anyone’s retirement income. It was intended to be a support for people whose retirement income through other sources was insufficient to make ends meet, but it was never intended to replace pension plans or retirement savings.

Traditionally financial planners have referred to the “three-legged stool” model of retirement income. One leg of that stool was pension plans, which in the private sector have largely been replaced by 401(k) plans.

The second leg was individual retirement savings, such as through savings accounts, brokerage accounts, IRA accounts, etc. And the third leg was Social Security.

With Social Security benefits now being thrown into doubt, the viability of that three-legged stool is now being questioned. And if Social Security benefits can’t be relied upon, it means that Americans may now have to do more to bolster their personal savings and grow their 401(k)s, IRAs, and other retirement accounts in order to help safeguard against a potential loss of income should Social Security become unreliable.

How Social Security Works

Social Security is not just the third leg of retirement planning, it is also commonly referred to as the “third rail” of American politics. Anyone who dares to mess with Social Security risks facing the wrath of older American voters, and could end up getting voted out of office.

Social Security is probably the most popular welfare program in the United States, and it does so by masking the fact that it is a welfare program.

How many times have you heard someone say that they’re owed Social Security, or that they paid into the system so they deserve to get benefits?

It’s a common refrain among Americans who have spent decades of their careers having Social Security payroll taxes deducted from their paychecks. They think that because they had that money taken out, they’re entitled to get it back.

But the way Social Security has always worked is that the money taken out of your paycheck goes to pay someone else’s Social Security benefits. Then when you retire, your Social Security benefits are paid by taking money out of current workers’ paychecks.

The system only works if there are enough current workers being taxed to pay for the benefits of retirees. But if there are too many retirees and not enough workers, then the system breaks down.

For years, Social Security tax income exceeded the amount of money that was paid in benefits. That money was used to purchase non-marketable Treasury securities that were then placed in Social Security’s trust fund.

The tax money was used for government spending, while the Treasuries in the trust fund earned interest and grew the size of the trust fund. But in 2010, Social Security taxes were no longer sufficient to cover Social Security benefits, and it was only the combination of interest income and payroll taxes that allowed Social Security to remain fully funded.

That wasn’t deemed a significant problem at the time, because the trust fund was so massive and was making so much interest income that benefits could still be covered without drawing down the principal of the fund.

But in 2021 the combination of Social Security taxes and interest income from the trust fund finally became insufficient to fund Social Security benefits. The principal of the trust fund had to be tapped in order to pay out Social Security benefits.

Since that time the problem has gotten worse. As more and more Baby Boomers entered retirement and started drawing Social Security benefits, the trust fund principal was drawn down further and further.

Here we are now, only six years away from the trust fund itself being drawn down to zero. But is anyone willing to try to fix it?

Social Security and Upcoming Elections

Speaker Johnson has recently become concerned about the future of Social Security, and has started to make it an issue that he wants Congress to focus on. But as we’re now nearing the summer of an election year, the odds of any fixes made to Social Security are slim.

Fixes to the program will almost certainly be controversial, and no one wants to take the risk of losing a Congressional seat in this election, in which Republicans are desperately trying to retain control of Congress in what many are predicting could be a Democratic tidal wave.

In 2028 we have another Presidential election, and Republicans are worried too that Democrats could take the White House then, as widespread dissatisfaction with President Trump could lead to a Democratic win.

Doing anything to fix Social Security before 2028 then might be seen as a fool’s errand, a suicide mission that will only enhance Democrats’ chances of retaking Congress and the White House. And that’s assuming that Social Security even has a chance of being fixed.

Can Social Security Be Fixed?

Because Social Security was structured as a system in which beneficiaries are paid out of current workers’ tax payments, it always runs into the potential problem of a mismatch between tax receipts and benefit payments.

Among the potential fixes to Social Security are:

• Cuts to benefits
• Raising payroll taxes
• Raising the retirement age
• Raising the income limit
• Taxing fringe benefits

All of these run into potential problems, because they will negatively impact millions of Americans. Here’s how.

1. Cuts to Social Security Benefits

Obviously cutting Social Security benefits is not going to be very popular. But if Social Security’s trust fund goes bankrupt, that’s what would happen automatically, as Social Security literally would not have enough money to pay out everyone expecting benefits.

In order to shore up the trust fund today, cuts would have to be made immediately in order to keep the trust fund from being run down. But voting to cut Social Security benefits is political suicide, which is why it isn’t likely to happen.

2. Raising Social Security Payroll Taxes

If expenses exceed income, one way to rectify that is to raise income, in this case raise the amount of money brought in from Social Security payroll taxes. Anyone who receives a W-2 knows that you pay FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) taxes that are deducted from your paycheck.

Current FICA contributions require employees to pay 7.65% of their paycheck and for employers to kick in an additional 7.65%. This money is split between contributions to Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%).

Raising these payroll taxes wouldn’t be very popular, but if the raises were scheduled for the future or phased in over time, as previous increases have been, the political fallout could be managed. But with only six years until bankruptcy, small raises to payroll taxes are unlikely to be able to fund Social Security’s shortfall.

3. Raising Social Security’s Retirement Age

If you were born after 1960 you must be 67 years old in order to receive full Social Security benefits. Alternatively, you can elect to start taking Social Security benefits at age 62, albeit with reduced payments over the rest of your lifetime, or delay taking Social Security until age 70, with increased monthly payments for the rest of your life.

Proposals to help shore up Social Security have considered raising the full retirement age from 67 to 70. This is partially to help offset the impact of people living longer.

Currently a 65-year-old man is expected to live another 18.12 years, while a 65-year-old woman is expected to live 20.66 years. Compare that to 1965, when a 65-year-old man was expected to live another 12.92 years, and a 65-year-old woman was expected to live another 16.34 years.

That average of four years of additional lifespan adds up, particularly when it’s multiplied over tens of millions of people, and when those extra benefits haven’t been fully funded.

A healthier, longer-living population is going to draw more Social Security benefits, and if direct cuts to benefits aren’t feasible and raising payroll taxes isn’t feasible, then the indirect payment cut of raising full retirement age may need to be considered.

4. Raising Social Security Income Limits

Another issue facing Social Security is the fact that only a certain amount of income is taxed for Social Security. For 2026, only the first $184,500 of earnings is taxed.

Any amount above that isn’t subject to the 6.2% Social Security portion of FICA. With so many large earners in this country, that obviously leaves a large amount of wage income untaxed for Social Security.

Many proposals to raise Social Security income tax limits create what is referred to as a “donut hole” in order not to excessively burden middle income earners. For instance, Social Security taxes might be imposed on the first $184,500 of income, then again on income over $400,000, so that any income earned between $184,500 and $400,000 wouldn’t be subject to Social Security taxes.

Presumably the income above $400,000 would also be subject to the employer portion of the Social Security taxes, which would increase labor costs to firms employing high earners. But would it garner enough extra income to put Social Security on a sound financial footing?

5. Taxing Health Insurance

One final idea to help fund Social Security is to tax non-wage fringe benefits received by workers, such as employer-provided health insurance. Currently the cost of premiums for employer-sponsored health plans don’t count towards Social Security’s tax base.

Given how pervasive employer-funded healthcare is, with an estimated $1.4 trillion paid in employer-sponsored health insurance, that’s a significant pot of money to tax. Imposing a Social Security tax on those benefits could raise an estimated $70 billion a year in extra funds for Social Security.

Would it be popular? No.

But could it help prop up Social Security? By itself that amount of money wouldn’t be enough to fund the entire shortfall, but as part of a multi-tiered approach it could help make up the funding gap.

Can Gold Help Protect Against Social Security’s Failures?

At Goldco we have been warning for years about the impending bankruptcy of the Social Security trust fund. Our customers and readers of our blog are well aware of the problems that Social Security has, and many have taken steps to help protect themselves against that by buying gold.

Gold has been trusted as a safe haven asset and an inflation hedge for centuries, and it continues to perform well in those roles.

During the 1970s stagflation the gold price rose at an annualized rate of over 30% per year, far outpacing inflation that peaked at 13% in 1979. And more recently, the gold price has risen 166% since 2020, while inflation has risen 29%

Gold set new record highs in early 2026, and many analysts expect gold prices to continue climbing. Bank of America, for instance, expects gold to hit $6,000 an ounce within the next 12 months.

That kind of potential for price growth could be a boon for anyone looking to help hedge against the potential loss of income that could result if Social Security’s trust fund ends up going bankrupt.

Now is the time to start thinking about Social Security’s financial troubles, assessing how it could impact you, and taking steps to help protect yourself. Gold could be one part of your plan to help mitigate the impact of a potential Social Security trust fund bankruptcy.

Whether you’re looking to buy gold with retirement savings through a tax-advantaged gold IRA, or whether you want to make a direct purchase of gold coins or gold bars to store yourself, Goldco has quality gold products available to Americans from all walks of life.

At Goldco we work hard to provide our customers with white glove customer service, and our over 8,000 5-star reviews are a testament to the lengths we go to satisfy our customers with quality service and outstanding precious metals products.

With over $3 billion in precious metals placements, we at Goldco have worked hard to make ourselves one of the best gold IRA companies in the country. Contact one of our precious metals specialists today to learn more about how you can use gold to help safeguard yourself against Social Security’s problems.

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• Decades before becoming the face of modern discretionary monetary policy as Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan authored a robust defense of the gold standard,
• Greenspan originally posited that the gold standard is an indispensable safeguard for economic liberty because it limits government expansion.
• His early work advanced a strict Austrian school understanding of economics, characterizing inflation as a purely political and monetary phenomenon driven by credit expansion rather than an organic or mysterious market process.
• Although his early writings warned that fiat currency removes critical economic discipline, Greenspan ultimately became the principal architect of modern technocratic banking.

With the passing of Alan Greenspan, economists and market participants are once again reflecting on the career of the man who became known as “The Maestro.” For nearly two decades as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Greenspan occupied a position of extraordinary influence. Markets moved on his words. Politicians sought his approval.

Financial institutions increasingly came to believe – for good reason – that the Federal Reserve would step in during periods of financial distress, giving rise to the famous “Greenspan Put.”

By the time he left office in 2006, Greenspan had become the embodiment of modern central banking: discretionary monetary policy, activist intervention, and the belief that a small group of experts could successfully guide a complex economy through careful management of interest rates and credit conditions.

Yet there is another Greenspan, one largely forgotten today.

The Ideological Foundation: Gold and Economic Liberty

In 1966, decades before he became chairman of the Federal Reserve, Greenspan wrote an essay entitled Gold and Economic Freedom. It remains one of the most forceful and elegant defenses of the gold standard written in the second half of the twentieth century.

The essay is remarkable not merely because of its arguments, but because of how fundamentally those arguments differ from the policies Greenspan would later administer.

The central claim of Gold and Economic Freedom is that the gold standard serves as a critical constraint on government power. Greenspan argued that gold was not merely a commodity used as money.

Rather, it was a mechanism that limited the ability of governments to finance spending through inflation. Under a gold standard, money creation is constrained by the availability of gold itself.

Governments wishing to spend beyond their means must either tax openly or borrow honestly. They cannot simply create purchasing power through the proverbial “printing press.”

Greenspan saw this constraint as indispensable to economic liberty. The essay repeatedly emphasizes that advocates of expansive government programs have historically found gold inconvenient precisely because it restrict their access to insidious means of finance.

Deficit spending becomes more difficult when governments cannot rely on monetary expansion to fund expenditures. In Greenspan’s telling, opposition to gold not only reflects disagreements about monetary policy but broader disagreements about the proper size and scope of government itself.

The Austrian School Framework and Monetary Discipline

The essay also advances a distinctly Austrian understanding of inflation. Greenspan rejected the notion that rising prices emerge mysteriously from market processes. Inflation, he argued, is fundamentally a monetary phenomenon resulting from increases in the supply of money and credit.

The gold standard serves as a safeguard because it limits the ability of political authorities to engage in such expansion. Without that constraint, governments face never-ending incentives to their debase currency, particularly during periods of fiscal stress.

For Greenspan, the fundamental issue was political rather than technical. The gold standard imposed discipline on governments by limiting their ability to create money and credit. Fiat money removed that discipline.

Once convertibility was abandoned, governments acquired a powerful mechanism for financing expenditures indirectly through monetary expansion, allowing inflation to perform functions that explicit taxation might not politically sustain.

Reading the essay today, one encounters a Greenspan who appears far closer to Ludwig von Mises or E. C. Harwood than to the chairman who later presided over the Federal Reserve. The young Greenspan viewed sound money as a protection against political opportunism, inflationary finance, and the expansion of state power. He regarded gold as a bulwark of economic freedom precisely because it removed important decisions from the hands of policymakers.

One cannot help but wonder what might have happened had Greenspan remained committed to those views. Rather than becoming the most celebrated central banker of his generation, he might have occupied a role more akin to that of Ron Paul: an outspoken critic of discretionary monetary policy and a persistent advocate of sound money.

He would likely have enjoyed less influence in Washington and few if any accolades from financial market luminaries. Yet he might also have avoided becoming associated with the increasingly interventionist framework that came to define modern central banking.

From Sound Money Advocate to Technocratic Architect

History took a different course. Greenspan became one of the principal architects of moder technocratic banking, presiding over the Great Moderation and helping establish expectations of recurring central bank intervention.

To some observers – often, unsurprisingly, those positioned to benefit from it – that period represented a triumph of monetary management.

Looking back, however, it increasingly resembles a form of surface level stability purchased at the cost of greater leverage, larger imbalances, more severe crises, and ever more expansive interventions when those imbalances eventually emerged.

That irony remains the most fascinating aspect of Alan Greenspan’s life. The author of Gold and Economic Freedom spent much of his later career operating the very system he once warned against. Whether one views that evolution as wisdom, pragmatism, or capitulation is a matter of judgment.

But the essay survives as a reminder that Greenspan’s most provocative ideas were not the ones he expressed as Federal Reserve chairman. They were the ones he wrote before he ever entered the institution that would define his legacy. Rest in peace, Maestro.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and is Head of Reseach who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

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In 2022 the United States experienced the highest inflation rates in over 40 years, with annual inflation rates peaking at over 9% year on year. But while inflation rates fell after that, they’re starting to pick up once again.

The producer price index (PPI), which measures the prices paid by producers, has risen to 6.5% year on year, and the consumer price index (CPI), which measures prices paid by consumers, has risen to 4.2% year on year.

These are ominous signs that inflation could be picking up, but the question many people have is whether this is a trend that will continue, or whether this is just a temporary bump caused by rising oil prices in the aftermath of the attacks against Iran.

For many Americans, however, the question is largely irrelevant. The fact remains that prices today are significantly higher than they were before 2020.

From December 2019 to today, the overall CPI has risen 29%, while prices of ground beef are up 75%, eggs are up 43%, and milk is up 32%.

Everything got more expensive, and many Americans’ financial well-being did not. While the top 10% of wage earners may be doing just fine today, the other 90% feel like they’re falling behind.

Not only have they been falling behind over the past several years, they may end up falling behind even further if inflation is in fact picking up.

Why Inflation Rates Are Rising

One of the major effects of President Trump’s attack on Iran was an increase in oil prices as the Strait of Hormuz was largely closed to ship traffic. With so much oil that normally would transit that strait remaining cut off from world oil markets, oil and gasoline prices rose significantly.

Gasoline prices in the US rose over 50%, from an average of $3.07 in February 2026 to $4.65 in May 2026, while diesel prices rose roughly the same percentage, from $3.68 to $5.52 during the same time period. That has subsequently led to higher downstream prices, as the rising cost of goods transport has begun to be factored into the price of various consumer goods.

PPI has risen 3.4% from January 2026 to May 2026, an annualized rate of 10.6%. Meanwhile, CPI has risen 2.3% during that same period, an annualized rate of 6.9%.

If those rising producer prices end up getting passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices for finished goods, then CPI figures could end up rising far more in the coming months than many people anticipate right now.

No one knows how long the conflict with Iran will last, or what the fate of the Strait of Hormuz will end up being, as peace talks and ceasefires have faced numerous hurdles over the past several weeks.

If the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed to tanker traffic, and if oil-producing countries aren’t able to ship that oil in some other manner, then oil prices could remain elevated for a long period of time, which could impact consumer prices.

There are a lot of “what ifs” that could impact things, which can make it difficult not only to forecast where inflation might go, but also how to respond to potential rising inflation. But since we just experienced high inflation a few short years ago, can it really be a bad idea to try to protect against high inflation once again?

The Policy Response to Inflation

New Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh recently attended his first Federal Open Market Committee meeting as chairman, and the difference between him and his predecessors has been marked. Aside from the brevity and terseness of the FOMC’s recent policy statement, the thing that most stood out was the emphasis on price stability.

That makes it appear that the Fed’s policy emphasis going forward will be to concentrate on fighting inflation, so that if consumer inflation rates continue to remain elevated, the Fed may very well start hiking interest rates once again.

According to CME’s Fedwatch, a majority of market watchers now believe that the Fed could raise interest rates as early as September, which would be an interesting turn of events. Certainly we can’t imagine President Trump being too happy if that were to occur, as he continually castigated former Chairman Powell for not lowering rates enough.

Of course, a lot could happen between now and September, whether that’s renewed attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, exhaustion of oil supplies, or any other number of potentially catastrophic events. But if inflation rates continue to pick up in the coming months, the odds of a Fed rate hike could rise even higher.

Help Defend Against Inflation With Gold

Many people have wondered how they can help protect themselves against rising inflation that continues to erode the purchasing power of their dollars. One way to do that is to put your dollars to use in purchasing assets that gain value at a greater rate than the dollar is being devalued.

Gold is one such asset, and it has been trusted as a safe haven asset and hedge against inflation for centuries. There’s a reason for that, as gold has a history of performing well even during periods of high inflation.

During the stagflation of the 1970s, when interest rates peaked at over 13%, the gold price rose at an annualized rate of over 30% per year over the course of the decade. And since January 2020 the gold price has risen 173%, versus 29% for CPI.

That ability to gain value during inflationary environments has made gold a sought-after safe haven asset, and that safe haven demand helped push gold prices to record highs in early 2026.

Now that gold prices have pulled back a bit from those highs, there’s an opportunity to buy gold before it takes off again. Many analysts believe that gold prices will continue to rise, with major banks such as Bank of America expecting gold to hit $6,000 an ounce within the next 12 months.

If you’re looking to buy gold, Goldco can help you. We have worked hard to make ourselves one of the best gold companies in the country. Whether you want to make a direct purchase of gold coins and gold bars, or use existing retirement savings to start a gold IRA, Goldco can help you navigate the gold purchase process.

We have helped thousands of customers benefit from owning gold, and with over 8,000 5-star reviews and over $3 billion in precious metals placements over more than a decade of service, our dedication to outstanding customer service and high quality gold and silver products is the gold standard to which our competitors can only aspire.

If you’re worried about the impact inflation could have on the value of your savings, don’t wait any longer. Call Goldco today to learn more about how you can help safeguard your savings with gold.

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With gold experiencing one of the most remarkable rallies in modern history, many investors are now asking the same question: why did gold prices drop? After surging to record highs, gold has recently pulled back, causing concern among some investors and sparking debate about whether the bull market has come to an end.

In a recent interview, Allegiance Gold Chief Operating Officer Alex Ebkarian joined nationally syndicated radio host and political commentator Larry Elder to discuss the forces driving today’s economy, including inflation, Federal Reserve policy, geopolitical tensions, and the recent decline in gold prices. During the conversation, Ebkarian explained why short-term corrections are a normal part of long-term bull markets and shared his perspective on what the current economic environment means for investors, retirees, and those looking to preserve their purchasing power.

The following is an excerpt from that discussion.

Larry, let me put this in perspective. Gold ran from around $2,600 in Jan of 2025 to $5,600 in a little over a year. That’s a once-in-a-generation move. No asset on earth goes straight up — not gold, not stocks, not real estate. So is the run over? No. What you’re watching is a consolidation and a correction inside a bull market, and there’s a big difference.

Here’s what’s actually happening. The following 3 simultaneous factors have been a headwind for Gold:

War:

The price of oil and dollar relationship. When war escalates and markets panic, the first thing big institutions do is sell what’s profitable to cover what’s losing. Gold was their biggest winner, so it got sold first to raise cash — not because gold failed, but because gold worked.

Federal Reserve’s Interest Rate Policy:

At the beginning of the year, the market had factored 3 rate drops and now possibly one.

We saw the exact same thing in 2008: gold dropped almost 25% in the crash, then tripled over the next three years. Same script in March of 2020.

And look at what hasn’t changed. We’re $39 trillion in debt and counting. Central banks around the world are still buying gold by the ton — they’re not selling into this dip, Larry, they’re buying it. Inflation just printed above 4% for the first time in three years. Every single force that drove gold from $2,600 to $5,600 is still on the table.

So I tell my clients: a correction is not a crisis, it’s a discount. The people who panicked out of gold at $1,200 in 2015 missed the run to $5,600. Ray Dalio — one of the most successful investors alive — says hold up to 15% in gold. He didn’t say 15% only when it’s going up. For long-term investors, especially those protecting retirement savings, this pullback is the opportunity, not the warning.

Jobs, Warsh, and 4.2% Inflation: What It Means for the Dollar

Larry, here’s the headline behind the headline: inflation just went up three months in a row — 3.4%, 3.8%, now 4.2%. That’s the wrong direction, and it’s the highest in three years. And here’s the trap the Fed is now caught in. Strong jobs report plus rising inflation means Kevin Warsh — the man who was brought in to cut rates — may not be able to cut at all. The futures market is actually betting the next move could be a hike in December. Think about that: the President finally got his man at the Fed, and the data just took the keys away.

Now what does 4.2% mean for the dollar in your pocket? It means every $100,000 sitting in cash loses over $4,000 of purchasing power this year alone. You don’t get a statement in the mail showing that loss — that’s why I call inflation the silent tax. Nobody votes on it, nobody signs it into law, but it taxes every dollar you’ve ever saved. Gas is up over 40% from a year ago. Groceries, electricity, medical care — all the things retirees actually buy — running hotter than the headline number.

You know who benefits from inflation?

The rich that has assets and, the government. We’re $40 trillion in debt, and the easiest way to pay back old debt is with cheaper dollars. That’s been the playbook for fifty years — the dollar has lost over 90% of its purchasing power since we left the gold standard in 1971.

Gold is the one asset that’s been the mirror image of that story. The dollar buys less every decade; gold buys the same ounce it always did. That’s not speculation, Larry — that’s preservation. And preservation is the first of what I call the Five Golden Ps.

What This Moment Means for Someone 50+

Larry, this is the most important question of the night, because if you’re 50 or older, you are playing a completely different game than a 30-year-old. A 30-year-old has time to recover from a crash. You don’t. You have what I call a shrinking runway — and right now you’re facing both engines failing at once: inflation eating your cash, and volatility threatening your stocks.

Think about what happened to retirees in 2000 and 2008. The market dropped roughly 50% both times. If you were retired and pulling income from that account, you never fully recovered — because you were selling shares at the bottom just to pay your bills. That’s called sequence risk, and it’s the number one destroyer of retirements in America.

Now add 4.2% inflation on top. Your cash is losing four cents on the dollar guaranteed. Your bonds are paying yields that barely keep up. And your stocks are riding a market priced for perfection in a world at war. That’s the squeeze.

So what does this moment actually mean? It means it’s time to check your diversification — real diversification. Not ten different stock funds that all drop together, but assets that don’t move with Wall Street. And here’s the beautiful part: most people don’t realize you can do this inside your existing retirement account — a Gold IRA — tax-free, penalty-free, without touching your paycheck. Same tax advantages, but with something real and physical backing it. You insure your house, your car, your health. This is how you insure your life savings. Don’t wait for the next headline to do it for you.

Disclaimer

This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investments involve risk, including possible loss of principal. Readers should consult qualified financial professionals before making any investment decisions. References to central bank activity, gold purchases, or market trends are based on publicly available information and should not be interpreted as a recommendation to buy or sell any asset.

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Every day, millions of people use products that depend on silver without giving it a second thought.

The smartphone in your pocket.

The solar panels generating electricity.

The electronics inside electric vehicles.

Advanced medical equipment.

Telecommunications infrastructure.

Artificial intelligence data centers.

Silver plays a vital role in each of these technologies, yet it rarely receives the same attention as gold.

That may be changing.

Behind the scenes, the global silver market has experienced multiple consecutive years in which demand has exceeded newly mined and recycled supply. While this doesn’t mean the world is “running out” of silver, it does represent a structural trend that has drawn increasing attention from market analysts and investors.

Understanding why requires looking beyond the price of silver and examining the forces shaping its future.

What Is a Silver Supply Deficit?

A supply deficit occurs when the total amount of silver consumed during a year exceeds the amount supplied through mining and recycling.

According to the Silver Institute’s World Silver Survey, the market has experienced several consecutive years of deficits. Existing inventories have helped meet demand, but persistent deficits often prompt analysts to ask an important question:

Can supply continue keeping pace if demand remains strong?

Markets don’t always respond immediately to long-term imbalances. However, understanding those imbalances can help investors better evaluate the broader landscape.

Silver’s Expanding Role in the Global Economy

Unlike gold, which is primarily viewed as a monetary asset and store of value, silver serves two important roles.

It is both a precious metal and an essential industrial material.

Silver possesses the highest electrical conductivity of any metal, making it difficult to replace in many advanced technologies.

Today, silver is commonly used in:

Solar photovoltaic panels

Electric vehicles

Consumer electronics

Semiconductors

Medical devices

Telecommunications equipment

Artificial intelligence infrastructure

As governments and businesses continue investing in electrification, renewable energy, and digital technologies, industrial demand for silver has continued to grow.

While no one can predict future demand with certainty, silver’s importance within the modern economy has become increasingly difficult to ignore.

Why Doesn’t Supply Simply Increase?

A common assumption is that higher prices automatically lead to higher production.

Silver is different.

Much of the world’s silver is produced as a byproduct of mining for other metals, including copper, lead, and zinc. Because of this, silver production often depends on the economics of those metals rather than silver prices alone.

Even when companies decide to develop new mining projects, the process can take years due to exploration, permitting, financing, environmental review, and construction.

That means supply often responds more slowly than demand.

Why Investors Are Paying Attention

No one can predict where silver prices will trade next month or next year.

However, many investors are less interested in making short-term predictions and more interested in understanding long-term trends.

Persistent supply deficits.

Growing industrial demand.

Silver’s expanding role in advanced technologies.

These factors have encouraged some investors to take a fresh look at silver as part of a diversified precious metals strategy.

Others note that silver remains below its previous nominal highs reached during earlier market cycles, even after years of inflation and increasing industrial use.

Past performance is never a guarantee of future results, but understanding the forces influencing a market can help investors make more informed decisions.

Gold and Silver: Different Roles, Shared Purpose

Gold and silver are often discussed together, but they serve different functions.

Gold has historically been viewed as a monetary metal and long-term store of value.

Silver shares many of those characteristics while also benefiting from significant industrial demand.

Because of these differences, some investors choose to own both metals as part of a diversified portfolio.

The appropriate allocation depends on each investor’s financial objectives, risk tolerance, and overall investment strategy.

Final Thoughts

Many of history’s most important investment stories began quietly.

Not with headlines.

Not with excitement.

But with long-term changes that gradually reshaped supply, demand, and investor attention.

The silver market appears to be experiencing one of those periods today.

Whether future prices rise, fall, or move sideways is impossible to predict.

What can be observed, however, is a combination of persistent supply deficits, growing industrial demand, and increasing strategic importance in the global economy.

For investors, understanding these trends isn’t about predicting tomorrow’s market.

It’s about becoming better informed today.

Disclaimer

This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. References to silver supply deficits, industrial demand, historical prices, or market trends are based on publicly available information and should not be interpreted as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any investment or commodity. Readers should consult qualified financial professionals before making investment decisions.

Sources

• The Silver Institute – World Silver Survey
• Metals Focus
• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
• International Energy Agency (IEA)

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• While precious metals trading has gone digital, the physical storage and delivery system for regulated US futures contracts remains geographically concentrated around the New York metropolitan area.
• The proposed bipartisan SILVER Act would require the CFTC to ensure a more resilient and diversified storage network by establishing at least two approved depositories across each of the four continental US time zones.  
• By dispersing physical storage away from a single geographic corridor, the bill aims to eliminate a single point of failure and protect the market from regional cyberattacks, natural disasters, or transportation disruptions. 
• The legislation is a restructuring of market “plumbing”—logistics, competition, and costs—rather than a price catalyst. 

For markets centered on some of humanity’s oldest stores of value, the physical and logistical infrastructure supporting precious metals markets is surprisingly antiquated. Investors can monitor spot prices in real time, trade futures electronically around the clock, and buy fractional ownership through digital platforms. Yet the physical system governing delivery for regulated US precious metals contracts remains geographically concentrated in a way that reflects the financial world of the 1970s rather than today’s digital economy. A new bipartisan proposal in Congress, the SILVER Act, aims to change that.

Introduced in the House in March 2026 and in the Senate last month, the System Integrity through Licensed Vault Expansion and Resilience (SILVER) Act seeks to modernize the nation’s exchange-approved precious metals storage network. At present, metal delivered against regulated futures contracts for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium generally comes from a small number of officially approved vaults clustered around the New York metropolitan area. That arrangement made sense decades ago, when trading floors, clearinghouses, and settlement operations all benefited from geographic proximity. Today, though, electronic trading has largely erased the original rationale for concentrating physical storage in one region. The infrastructure remained even as markets evolved.

The legislation would require the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to pursue a more geographically diversified storage system by ensuring at least two approved depositories in each of the four continental US time zones. In practical terms, this could open the door for qualified vault operators in places such as Texas, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, or Utah to become eligible for exchange-approved storage and delivery.

The bill matters not because it would directly affect metal prices, but because it would restructure the market’s “plumbing.” Three issues are central: resiliency, cost, and logistics.

Resiliency and Reducing Single-Point Vulnerabilities

Today, a large share of the regulated US precious metals delivery system depends heavily on one geographic corridor centered around New York. Critics argue that such concentration creates a single point of failure. A regional cyberattack, transportation disruption, natural disaster, prolonged power outage, or other infrastructure shock could interfere with settlement and storage for futures-linked precious metals markets nationwide. Supporters of the SILVER Act view geographic diversification as a basic resilience measure – similar to the way in which financial institutions increasingly disperse data centers and operational hubs to reduce single-point or systemic vulnerabilities.

These are not merely hypothetical concerns. During congressional hearings in early 2026, lawmakers and regulators discussed whether concentrating key financial infrastructure in a single region remains prudent in an era of rising cyber risks and geopolitical uncertainty. The current system has functioned effectively for decades, and one might reasonably argue that fears may be overstated. Yet diversification is a familiar principle in financial markets, and proponents contend there is little reason precious metals storage should remain unnecessarily centralized.

Lowering Costs Through Enhanced Competition

Competition and cost are factors as well. Because only a limited number of depositories currently qualify for exchange delivery, supporters of the bill argue that competition is constrained. If additional approved vaults emerge around the country, investors could eventually benefit from more competitive pricing, lower fees, and expanded service options.

This matters especially for investors who hold physical metal through professional custodians: allocated gold and silver programs, self-directed IRAs, institutional vaulting services, or exchange-linked delivery systems. More competition could place downward pressure on storage and insurance costs over time. By contrast, individuals who simply buy coins or bars for personal possession are unlikely to notice any immediate difference.

But lower costs are only possible, not guaranteed. Any new depositories would still need to satisfy strict regulatory standards, obtain exchange approval, and establish credibility. Implementation would likely unfold gradually, so any benefits could take years to materialize.

Aligning Logistics with Production Realities

Additionally, much of America’s gold and silver production occurs in the western United States: particularly Nevada, Idaho, and Alaska. Yet metal destined for regulated futures delivery often moves through the Northeast. That mismatch increases transportation costs and operational complexity between mining, assaying, refining, minting (or casting), vaulting, and final delivery.

By allowing approved storage facilities closer to mining and refining centers, the SILVER Act could make physical metals markets more logistically efficient. Fewer unnecessary bottlenecks may reduce costs and improve delivery flexibility, particularly during periods of market stress.

Importantly, gold and silver market participants should understand what the bill would not change. The SILVER Act is not a precious metals price catalyst. It would not alter mine output, jewelry demand, industrial silver consumption, central-bank gold purchases, inflation expectations, or Federal Reserve policy – the factors that historically drive long-run gold and silver prices. Gold would remain primarily a monetary hedge, a store of value, and protection against institutional uncertainty; silver would continue occupying its unusual dual role as both precious metal and industrial input.

What the legislation would change, if enacted and implemented, is the overall market infrastructure. A broader network of exchange-approved vaults could make physical settlement more resilient, improve competition among custodians, and align storage more closely with modern production realities.

Conclusion

The bill must still survive committee review, congressional negotiations, and regulatory implementation. But the debate itself is of great note. For decades, only a scant few advocates of precious metals questioned whether a global and increasingly digital precious metals market should still depend so heavily on a 1960s-vintage storage system built around a single US metropolitan area. 

That the United States Congress appears willing to revisit that assumption alone makes the SILVER Act worth watching.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and is Head of Reseach who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

The post What the SILVER Act Could Mean for Gold and Silver Markets appeared first on Top Rated Gold IRA Company - Goldco Precious Metals.

With the demise of pensions in most sectors of the economy, millions of Americans today are responsible for their own retirement savings. The amount of money they will receive in retirement is directly related to how much money they are able to sock away in retirement accounts and how well they are able to manage and grow that money.

Social Security was never intended to be a sole source of retirement income, merely a form of assistance to help bridge any gaps in retirement income. And with Social Security’s trust fund now inching ever closer to exhaustion, Social Security benefits could end up getting slashed by nearly 25% within less than a decade.

Millions of Americans participate today in workplace 401(k) retirement savings plans, perhaps the most popular form of retirement saving today. The amount of money they have saved in 401(k) plans is massive, with over $10 trillion held in 401(k) plans as of the end of 2025.

But there’s a problem with that money. Much of it is held in lost or missing 401(k) accounts, accounts that have been lost or forgotten by their owners over time, through switching jobs, losing paperwork, or other mishaps.

Experts today estimate that $2.1 trillion is held in missing 401(k) accounts, or about 20% of all 401(k) assets. That’s a staggering sum.

Some of those assets may be sitting in money market funds, not earning much return at all. Some may be in stock or bond funds, acting as a kind of zombie asset holder.

But no matter what those funds own, the fact that they’ve been forgotten means that the account holders could potentially put those funds to better use. The question is, how?

Do You Have a Forgotten 401(k)?

With nearly 32 million 401(k) accounts having been forgotten, versus 70 million active participants in 401(k) plans, and 164 million people employed in the workforce, there’s a good chance that someone reading this article may be the owner of a forgotten 401(k) account.

The first thing many experts suggest you do to find out if you have a forgotten 401(k) account is to start looking to see if you have one. That could start with a quick Google search of “how to find a forgotten 401(k) account.”

You could then start contacting previous employers to see if you can find any information on workplace retirement plans you held.

Other ways to find forgotten 401(k) or pension plans include checking the US Department of Labor’s Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database, the National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits, the Abandoned Plan Search, or contacting the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to find unclaimed pension assets.

The average forgotten 401(k) account holds about $66,000 in assets. While that’s not enough to retire on, it’s not exactly chump change either.

That kind of money could give a boost to your retirement savings, particularly if those assets are put to productive use. And in order to be productively used, they should be held in assets that you want, not something that an asset manager at a previous employer wants.

If you find that you have money in a lost, forgotten, or orphaned 401(k) account, there’s an easy way to put that money to better use.

Using a 401(k) Rollover

Assets held in 401(k) accounts can be rolled over into other retirement accounts, depending on what type of 401(k) account it is. The IRS Rollover Chart demonstrates some of the accounts into which you can roll over your 401(k) assets.

In general, 401(k) accounts can be rolled over into 401(k) and IRA accounts, allowing you to move money from an old lost or forgotten 401(k) account into a 401(k) account at your current employer, assuming your current plan allows incoming transfers.

401(k) assets can also be rolled over into IRA accounts, allowing you to roll over 401(k) assets into IRA accounts you already own, or into a newly-created self-directed IRA account if you choose to do so.

Self-directed IRAs allow you to acquire a broader range of assets than many 401(k) accounts allow, and even than many conventional IRA accounts allow. Self-directed IRAs can acquire assets such as precious metals, real estate, private equity, and commodities, among others.

401(k) to Gold IRA Rollover

Gold IRAs are a type of self-directed IRA, allowing you to own physical gold coins or gold bars in a tax-advantaged IRA account. Assets from 401(k), 403(b), TSP, IRA, and similar retirement accounts can be rolled over into a gold IRA, in many cases tax-free.

With gold having set record highs in early 2026, more and more people are becoming aware of the advantages of owning gold. Many still remember gold’s performance during and after the 2008 financial crisis, when gold soared by over 250% from 2008 to 2011.

With gold currently sitting at around $4,500 an ounce, it’s down from its all-time highs. But many analysts expect gold to hit $6,000 or more over the next year.

If you have assets in a 401(k) account that has sat floundering for years, have you thought about putting that money to use in a gold IRA?

Why let money continue to sit there when you could buy physical gold coins or gold bars with a tax-free rollover?

Goldco’s specialists have helped thousands of customers through the 401(k) to gold IRA rollover process over the years. With over 8,000 5-star reviews from our customers, our white glove customer service is the gold standard our competitors strive to imitate.

If you’re interested in putting your 401(k) assets to use with gold, call Goldco today to learn more about how you can help safeguard your savings with a 401(k) to gold IRA rollover.

The post America’s $2 Trillion Missing 401(k) Problem appeared first on Top Rated Gold IRA Company - Goldco Precious Metals.

The trend of central banks buying gold in 2026 continues to attract significant attention from economists, investors, and market analysts around the world.

While countries like China often dominate headlines when it comes to gold purchases, a less expected nation has emerged as one of the most aggressive buyers of gold reserves this year: Poland.

According to recent data published by the World Gold Council, central banks collectively added a net 17 tonnes of gold to their reserves in April 2026 after briefly becoming net sellers in March. Surprisingly, Poland led all nations by purchasing 14 tonnes during the month, significantly outpacing many larger economies.

This continued accumulation has raised an important question: Why are central banks—particularly Poland’s—continuing to increase gold reserves despite gold trading near historic highs?

While no single explanation tells the full story, the trend highlights gold’s enduring role as a strategic reserve asset during periods of economic uncertainty, geopolitical shifts, and changing monetary conditions.

Why Central Banks Continue Buying Gold in 2026

Gold has served as a store of value for thousands of years, and central banks continue to view it as a unique component of reserve management.

Unlike fiat currencies, gold carries no counterparty risk and cannot be created through monetary policy. For many nations, gold provides portfolio diversification alongside foreign currencies, sovereign bonds, and other reserve assets.

The World Gold Council reports that central banks have remained consistent buyers of gold in recent years, with many institutions citing reserve diversification, long-term wealth preservation, and financial stability as key reasons for maintaining gold holdings.

In 2026, the pace of accumulation remains notable despite elevated gold prices, suggesting that many policymakers continue to view gold as a strategic asset rather than a short-term trade.

Poland’s Gold Buying Spree Is One of the Biggest Stories of 2026

When discussing central banks buying gold in 2026, Poland stands out as one of the most significant buyers globally.

According to World Gold Council data, the National Bank of Poland purchased 14 tonnes of gold in April alone. This brought Poland’s year-to-date purchases to approximately 45 tonnes and increased total gold reserves to roughly 595 tonnes. Gold now represents about 30% of the country’s total reserve assets.

For many market observers, Poland’s continued accumulation is noteworthy because it reflects a long-term strategic commitment rather than a temporary response to market volatility.

Over the past several years, Poland has steadily increased its gold holdings, transforming itself into one of the most active sovereign buyers in the world.

This trend demonstrates that gold remains relevant not only for major economic powers but also for countries seeking greater diversification within their reserve portfolios.

China Continues Adding to Gold Reserves

While Poland led April’s purchases, China also remained a significant contributor to global central bank demand.

The People’s Bank of China added approximately 8 tonnes of gold during the month, marking its largest monthly increase since late 2024 and extending its purchasing streak to 18 consecutive months. Official Chinese gold reserves now total more than 2,300 tonnes.

China’s consistent buying activity has been closely watched by global markets because it reflects a broader effort to diversify reserve assets over time.

Combined with ongoing purchases from countries such as the Czech Republic and Uzbekistan, the data suggests that gold continues to play an important role in reserve management strategies across multiple regions.

What Central Bank Gold Buying May Signal to Investors

It is important to recognize that central bank activity does not necessarily predict future gold prices.

However, reserve managers often operate with long-term financial objectives that differ significantly from those of individual investors.

Central banks typically evaluate factors such as:

• Currency diversification
• Reserve stability
• Geopolitical risk management
• Long-term purchasing power preservation
• Sovereign balance sheet strength

The continued trend of central banks buying gold in 2026 may indicate that many policymakers view gold as a valuable strategic asset within a diversified reserve framework.

While retail investors should not assume that central bank actions guarantee future market outcomes, institutional demand remains one factor that analysts monitor when evaluating long-term trends in the gold market.

Why Gold Remains Relevant in Today’s Financial Environment

The global financial landscape continues to evolve rapidly.

Persistent government debt levels, changing interest rate expectations, geopolitical tensions, and shifting trade relationships have created an environment where reserve diversification remains a priority for many nations.

Gold’s role as a reserve asset has endured through multiple economic cycles because it is widely recognized, highly liquid, and independent of any single government or financial institution.

This helps explain why central bank demand has remained resilient even during periods when gold prices have reached record levels.

For policymakers managing national reserves, the focus is often less about short-term price fluctuations and more about maintaining financial flexibility over decades.

What Poland’s Example May Teach Investors

Poland’s gold accumulation offers an interesting case study in long-term strategic planning.

Rather than attempting to time short-term market movements, Poland has steadily increased its reserves over multiple years, gradually expanding gold’s share of its overall holdings.

Whether or not other countries follow a similar path remains to be seen. However, Poland’s actions reinforce a broader trend visible across many central banks: gold continues to occupy an important place in reserve management strategies.

For individual investors, the key takeaway is not necessarily to mirror central bank behavior but to understand why sophisticated institutions continue to maintain exposure to physical gold as part of a diversified asset mix.

Conclusion: What Central Banks Buying Gold in 2026 Could Mean for the Future

The story of central banks buying gold in 2026 is about more than monthly purchase figures.

It reflects a broader global trend toward reserve diversification and long-term financial resilience.

Poland’s emergence as one of the world’s largest gold buyers may surprise many investors, but its actions highlight the continuing relevance of gold in modern financial systems. With Poland adding 45 tonnes year-to-date and central banks collectively returning to net purchases in April, institutional demand remains a significant theme within the global gold market.

While no investment decision should be based solely on central bank activity, many investors find it worthwhile to ask an important question:

If central banks around the world continue increasing their gold reserves in 2026, what are they seeing in the global financial landscape that makes gold such a strategic asset?

For investors seeking to diversify a portfolio, reduce concentration risk, or learn more about the role physical precious metals may play in a long-term financial strategy, now may be an appropriate time to explore the educational resources available on gold ownership and portfolio diversification.

Disclaimer

This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, tax, or financial advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investments involve risk, including possible loss of principal. Readers should consult qualified financial professionals before making any investment decisions. References to central bank activity, gold purchases, or market trends are based on publicly available information and should not be interpreted as a recommendation to buy or sell any asset.

To Start Your Gold IRA Today:

Download Your Free Gold IRA Guide | Open Your Gold IRA Account | Book Your Consultation

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Buy Now	Buy Now

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The post Central Banks Buying Gold in 2026: Why Poland’s Massive Gold Accumulation Is Turning Heads appeared first on Allegiance Gold.

• The historical inverse relationship between gold prices and real interest rates has frayed.
• Rising Treasury yields are no longer just seen as competition for gold ; they are interpreted as a signal of growing fiscal strain, mounting federal debt, and diminished political consensus for fiscal restraint. 
• Central banks, particularly in emerging markets like China and India, have become major buyers to protect reserve assets from Western political vulnerabilities and sanctions risk. 
• Gold’s role has evolved from being a simple inflation hedge into a “trust or credibility hedge,” serving as monetary ballast for those seeking insulation from eroding confidence in long-term government, fiscal, and institutional stability. 

For decades, one of the most reliable relationships in finance was the inverse connection between gold prices and real interest rates. The logic was straightforward: gold yields nothing. When buyers could earn attractive inflation-adjusted returns on safe government debt—especially long-dated US Treasuries – the opportunity cost of holding gold increased, typically weighing on prices. Conversely, when real yields fell, gold became relatively more attractive, often appreciating as buyerrs sought protection against inflation, currency weakness, or monetary instability.

Yet over the last several years, and especially within the last few months, something unusual has occurred. Gold has remained historically elevated even as real yields, particularly on long-duration US government debt, have stayed stubbornly high. The yield on the 30-year Treasury has hovered near levels not seen consistently in years, while inflation-adjusted rates remain positive and, at times, historically elevated. Under the traditional framework, gold should be under pressure. Instead, it has proven remarkably resilient.

Perceptions of Sovereign Risk and Fiscal Strain

What explains this apparent breakdown? One answer lies in changing perceptions of sovereign risk; not default risk in the conventional sense, but concerns about fiscal sustainability and long-term monetary credibility. Investors increasingly confront a paradox: US Treasury securities remain the world’s benchmark safe asset, yet America’s debt trajectory appears increasingly difficult to ignore. Federal deficits remain elevated even during periods of economic expansion, debt servicing costs have surged alongside higher interest rates, and political consensus around fiscal restraint has vanished from the political conversation.

This creates an unusual dynamic. Rising Treasury yields would ordinarily compete with gold by offering investors greater returns. But if those same higher yields are themselves interpreted as evidence of growing fiscal strain – reflecting concerns over mounting Treasury issuance, debt rollover risks, or long-term inflationary pressures – they may simultaneously strengthen the case for holding gold. In other words, rising yields may no longer purely represent competition for gold; they may increasingly signal the very instability gold buyers seek protection against.

The Rise of Central Bank Demand and Geopolitical Realities

A second factor involves the changing composition of gold demand. Traditionally, Western institutional investors, hedge funds, and retail flows through exchange-traded funds played an outsized role in gold pricing. Increasingly, however, central banks – particularly in emerging markets – have become major buyers. Countries such as China, India, Turkey, and others have steadily accumulated gold reserves in recent years.

The motivation is not difficult to understand. Following the freezing of Russian foreign reserves after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, many governments were reminded that reserve assets held within the Western financial architecture can become politically vulnerable. Gold, by contrast, carries no issuer risk, no sanctions risk, and no counterparty risk. It is among the few internationally recognized reserve assets that exists outside the liabilities of another government.

This shift matters because central bank buying tends to be less sensitive to short-term changes in yields than speculative investor flows. A pension fund manager deciding between Treasuries and bullion may care deeply about inflation-adjusted returns; a sovereign reserve manager concerned about geopolitical fragmentation may care far less.

Evolving Psychology: Gold as a Credibility Hedge

There is also growing evidence that gold’s role in buyer psychology may be evolving. For years, gold was simplistically described as an inflation hedge, though the empirical relationship was sometimes inconsistent. Gold sometimes rallied amid inflation, but at other times lagged. Increasingly, gold appears less tied to inflation itself and more responsive to declining confidence in institutions – monetary, fiscal, political, or financial.

In this sense, gold is acting like what might be called a “trust (or ‘credibility’) hedge.” Investors are not necessarily buying gold because they expect imminent inflation or recession. Rather, they may be purchasing it because they feel less certain about the long-run credibility of governments, central banks, currencies, or financial blocs. A world marked by conflict, fiscal stress, repeated banking disruptions, interventionism, reserve weaponization, and debates over currency systems naturally increases gold’s appeal.

None of this means the historical relationship between gold and real yields has disappeared entirely. Higher real rates still matter, and periods of rising yields can pressure gold in the short run. Nor does any of this mean gold is destined to rise indefinitely. If inflation moderates sustainably, fiscal concerns ease, and global confidence stabilizes, gold’s momentum could flag.

But the market appears increasingly willing to tolerate something that once seemed contradictory: elevated gold prices alongside elevated long-term Treasury yields.

Conclusion

That coexistence may signal something deeper than temporary market noise. It may suggest that investors increasingly see long bonds and gold not as straightforward substitutes, but as serving different purposes altogether. One offers income and liquidity. The other offers insulation from the possibility that confidence in the broader system itself may be eroding.

In that sense, gold’s recent co-movement with long-bond yields may not represent a breakdown in the old relationship at all. Rather, it may reflect changing reasons for owning gold. In a world of rising debt, fiscal uncertainty, and geopolitical fragmentation, buyers appear increasingly to value gold less singularly as an inflation hedge and more as a form of ‘monetary ballast’ – an asset perceived as independent of politics, policy, and counterparty risk.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and is Head of Reseach who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

The post Gold and the Long Bond: Why the Old Relationship Is Fraying appeared first on Top Rated Gold IRA Company - Goldco Precious Metals.

Since hitting all-time highs in early 2026, gold and silver prices have retrenched somewhat, although they’re still higher than they were when the year began. And many analysts still expect both gold and silver prices to continue climbing this year.

But there are numerous recent events that could impact gold and silver prices, both positively and negatively. Many of them we’ve covered in recent articles, such as central bank gold demand, geopolitical risk, and rising economic uncertainty.

What we’ll focus on today are three very specific recent events that could lead to price movements in both gold and silver.

1. India’s Gold and Silver Tariffs

India is the world’s second largest consumer of gold and the second-largest consumer of silver. So events in India can make a significant impact on both demand for gold and silver and prices for gold and silver.

Due to recent weakening of the Indian rupee, the Indian government recently increased tariffs on gold and silver imports significantly, raising tariffs on gold imports to 15% and on silver imports to 6%.

The Indian government also stated that any imports of gold in excess of 100 kilograms (~3,215 ounces, or 8 Good Delivery bars), would require prior authorization, and that subsequent import approvals would only be granted when exports equivalent to 50% had taken place.

The reason for that is that when the rupee weakens, many Indians turn to gold and silver to help preserve their wealth in the face of a weakening currency. It’s a natural reaction, as gold has served as an inflation hedge for centuries.

The Indian government, however, is facing a currency crisis, as the war against Iran has caused crude oil prices to rise significantly, and crude oil is India’s largest import. That has led to an outflow of foreign exchange which has weakened the rupee, and people dumping the rupee for gold and silver isn’t making the situation any better.

The increase in tariffs has led to significant price swings within India, with gold prices at one point trading at a more than $200 discount to world gold prices. And some analysts expect that the tariffs could lead to a 20-25% decrease in gold and silver demand within India.

Because India is the world’s second-largest consumer of both gold and silver, if these tariffs remain in effect then it could significantly dent gold and silver demand from India.

If that reduced demand from India were not to be offset by increased demand elsewhere, it could keep gold and silver prices from rising as much as they otherwise might.

Of course, this also ties back to geopolitical risk, as the rupee crisis was spurred by the war against Iran. If that conflict were to come to a successful conclusion, and if oil prices were to come down, then India’s currency crisis could abate, which could lead the Indian government to bring those import tariffs down.

2. Gold and Silver Futures

Coinbase is probably best known as a cryptocurrency exchange, but it recently launched new gold and silver futures trading on its platform, one that allows people to trade with up to 25x leverage.

While this new trading platform isn’t available to traders inside the US right now, and it may not challenge existing futures trading on established commodities exchanges, it’s nonetheless an indicator of how much interest there is in gold and silver, and how many people want to take advantage of rising gold and silver prices.

If futures contracts become more easily available to more people, it could offer greater exposure to precious metals markets and impact gold and silver prices.

3. Federal Reserve Monetary Policy

The actions of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy always have an impact on gold and silver prices, as they have on prices of numerous other products throughout the economy. But with inflation figures rising and new Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh expected to take a more hawkish approach towards monetary policy, things could look a little different at the Fed in the coming months.

Markets no longer seem to be as sure that the Fed will continue to cut interest rates. In fact, markets now expect the Fed to hike interest rates by early next year, a dramatic reversal from what had previously been expected.

Conventional thinking has often been that rate hikes are bad for gold and rate cuts are good. This is because, as interest rates rise, bond yields do as well, making bonds such as US Treasuries a more attractive safe haven option versus gold.

However, if these rate hikes end up worsening the job market and slowing the economy, that worsening could end up pushing people back into gold anyway.

There’s obviously a lot that could happen before the end of the year, so there’s no way to tell exactly where the Fed may end up by then, but keep your eyes on what the Fed does under Chairman Warsh to try to figure out how the Fed’s actions may end up impacting gold.

Is Now the Time to Buy Gold and Silver?

If you watched gold and silver rise in price from 2024 onward and were kicking yourself for missing the boat, now may be the time to jump back in. Gold and silver prices have pulled back from their all-time highs, and are waiting for the next big event to push them back over the hump.

With fear of recession growing in the US, a recession could be just what gold and silver need to push right back towards their record highs. And with analysts calling for gold to reach $6,000 and silver to reach $100, there could still be plenty of room for gold and silver to run.

Now is the time to start thinking about how gold and silver might fit into your financial planning, and whether now is the right time for you to buy gold and silver. If you’re looking to buy gold and silver, Goldco can help.

With over $3 billion in precious metals placements and over 8,000 5-star reviews, Goldco has helped thousands of Americans benefit from owning precious metals, and has become one of the best gold IRA companies in the country.

Don’t wait any longer to take advantage of gold and silver. Call Goldco today to help safeguard your savings with precious metals.

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The phrase “fort knox gold audit” has re-entered public and financial discourse following renewed political calls to physically verify U.S. gold reserves stored at the Fort Knox Bullion Depository in Kentucky.

The discussion intensified after recent high-profile financial enforcement actions involving the seizure of approximately $40 million in gold bars tied to a former intelligence official. While unrelated to U.S. sovereign reserves, the event contributed to broader public interest in gold custody, transparency, and asset verification across both private and institutional channels.

Former President Donald Trump has publicly suggested a physical inspection of Fort Knox, arguing that a modern audit could reinforce confidence in the integrity of U.S. reserve assets. Treasury officials, however, continue to affirm that gold holdings are properly accounted for through established internal controls and reconciliations.

While this debate often becomes political in tone, the underlying issue for markets is fundamentally financial: how sovereign assets are verified, recorded, and trusted in modern monetary systems.

What Is Fort Knox and Why It Matters to Financial Markets

The Fort Knox Bullion Depository is one of the most secure storage facilities in the world, operated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. It is widely believed to hold a significant portion of U.S. official gold reserves, estimated at roughly 147 million troy ounces.

At current market prices, that equates to several hundred billion dollars in market value, though on official government balance sheets, the gold is still carried at a statutory valuation of $42.22 per ounce, a legacy accounting figure that significantly understates its market worth.

This discrepancy between book value and market value is one reason Fort Knox continues to attract attention. While the U.S. no longer operates under a gold standard, gold remains a strategic reserve asset that supports confidence in sovereign balance sheets.

Importantly, Fort Knox is not a tradable financial instrument, but its perceived integrity plays a role in broader macroeconomic sentiment, particularly during periods of inflation uncertainty or geopolitical tension.

Why the Fort Knox Gold Audit Conversation Has Returned

The renewed interest in a fort knox gold audit is driven by a combination of political commentary, historical gaps in public verification, and increased scrutiny of asset custody across financial systems.

One of the central talking points is that while internal audits and reconciliations are performed by government agencies, there has been no widely publicized full physical audit of every gold bar in Fort Knox in decades.

The last major inspection occurred in the early 1950s, when select officials and congressional representatives were allowed to observe portions of the reserves. Since then, verification has largely relied on:

• Internal Treasury reconciliation processes
• Vault security and access logs
• Periodic sampling and assay checks
• Independent audits of accounting records

Supporters of a new audit argue that modern verification standards and technology could allow for greater transparency without compromising security protocols.

Opponents emphasize that existing procedures already meet stringent governmental accountability standards and that full physical audits could introduce unnecessary operational and security risks.

Has the U.S. Gold in Fort Knox Ever Been Questioned?

Over the years, various public figures and commentators have raised questions about the transparency of Fort Knox holdings, largely due to the long gap since a full public inspection.

However, there has never been credible evidence from official audits or government investigations indicating discrepancies in reported gold reserves.

The Treasury Department maintains that U.S. gold holdings are:

• Securely stored in multiple depositories
• Subject to internal controls and audit procedures
• Reconciled against detailed bar lists and records

From an institutional standpoint, sovereign gold custody operates differently from retail or exchange-traded assets. Instead of frequent full physical counts, systems rely on chain-of-custody documentation, sealed storage, and controlled verification processes.

This approach is consistent with global sovereign reserve management practices.

Market Implications of a Fort Knox Gold Audit

While Fort Knox gold is not actively traded, discussions around its verification can still influence market psychology.

1. Confidence in Sovereign Reserves

Gold remains one of the most widely recognized reserve assets globally. Any perceived uncertainty around sovereign gold reporting—however speculative—can temporarily influence sentiment in currency and commodities markets.

2. Gold Price Sensitivity

Gold prices are driven primarily by interest rates, inflation expectations, and geopolitical risk. However, symbolic events or policy discussions can create short-term sentiment shifts among traders and macro funds.

3. Broader Trust in Financial Institutions

The conversation reflects a larger theme in global markets: increasing demand for transparency in institutional balance sheets. This includes not only gold reserves but also sovereign debt reporting and central bank asset disclosures.

It is important to distinguish between verified financial reporting and political commentary, as market reactions often stem from perception rather than structural change.

What a Modern Fort Knox Gold Audit Would Involve

A full modern audit of Fort Knox would be a complex, highly controlled operation involving multiple layers of verification.

In practice, such an audit would likely include:

• Physical verification of gold bars and serial numbers
• Weight and purity confirmation through sampling
• Reconciliation with Treasury bar lists
• Independent third-party auditing oversight
• Strict chain-of-custody protocols
• Security coordination with federal agencies

Given the scale of reserves—millions of individual gold bars—such an undertaking would require extensive planning and could take significant time to complete.

Experts also note that removing or physically handling large volumes of gold increases logistical and security risks, which is why modern sovereign audits often prioritize documentation-based verification over full physical recounts.

Why the Debate Matters Beyond Politics

At its core, the fort knox gold audit discussion is not just about whether gold is physically present in a vault. It reflects a broader financial theme: the importance of trust in sovereign asset reporting systems.

In modern markets, confidence in government balance sheets plays a key role in:

• Currency stability
• Long-term inflation expectations
• Global reserve currency status
• Institutional investor sentiment

Even though gold no longer backs the U.S. dollar, it remains a symbolic anchor of financial credibility. As a result, discussions around its verification tend to attract attention well beyond the commodities sector.

Conclusion: Transparency, Trust, and the Future of Sovereign Gold Auditing

The renewed attention on a fort knox gold audit highlights a recurring tension in financial systems: the balance between operational security and public transparency.

Government agencies maintain that existing audit procedures are robust and sufficient to ensure the integrity of U.S. gold holdings. Meanwhile, political leaders and segments of the public continue to advocate for a modern physical inspection to reinforce confidence through direct verification.

Regardless of whether a full audit takes place, the discussion underscores gold’s enduring role in global finance—not just as a commodity, but as a benchmark of trust in sovereign systems.

As markets evolve and transparency expectations increase, the way governments verify and communicate reserve assets may become just as important as the assets themselves.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as investment, legal, or tax advice. All commentary is based on publicly available information and general market analysis.

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• Prices for goods like housing, tuition, and oil appear to skyrocket or fluctuate wildly in dollars, but they often remain stable or even decrease when measured in gold.
• Although nominal wages and stock market indexes have reached historic highs, workers’ actual command over real resources has eroded when evaluated against gold.
• Because gold cannot be printed or altered by central bank policies, it serves as an independent measuring stick that exposes the long-term effects of fiat currency intervention and inflation.
• Viewing the economy through “gold lenses” reveals that apparent financial growth is often just a reflection of the changing value of the dollar rather than a true increase in wealth.

For most people, gold occupies one of two conceptual categories. It is viewed either as a hedge/investment or as a historical monetary asset – something associated with central banks, long-term wealth preservation, and earlier monetary systems. Yet there is another, arguably more useful way to think about gold: not merely as an asset, but as a lens. 

Looking at the world through “gold lenses” does something curious. It alters our perception of prices, wealth, inflation, and even economic policy itself. Objects and services that appear dramatically more expensive over time can sometimes look surprisingly stable, or even cheaper, when measured in ounces of gold. Meanwhile, what appears to be prosperity in nominal terms may look rather different when evaluated in terms of enduring purchasing power. 

This way of viewing the world starts with a simple question: instead of asking what something costs in dollars, euros, or yen, what if we asked what it costs in gold?

Consider housing. Americans rightly lament that homes have become vastly more expensive over time. In nominal dollar terms, they certainly have. A median American home that cost roughly $122,000 in 1990 now costs well over $400,000, seemingly confirming a story of runaway unaffordability. But gold lenses complicate that story. In 1990, the median home required roughly 320 ounces of gold to purchase. By the housing bubble era of 2000, that figure had risen to more than 600 ounces, reflecting both rising home prices and depressed gold valuations. Yet by 2025, despite median home prices reaching approximately $415,000, the same home required only about 119 ounces of gold. Housing became dramatically more expensive in dollar terms while becoming considerably cheaper in gold terms: not because homes suddenly became affordable, but because the denominator changed.

The same phenomenon appears elsewhere. Oil, food, automobiles, luxury watches, and even higher education tell different stories when denominated in gold. Crude oil, for example, appears wildly volatile in dollar terms, moving from around $25 per barrel in 1990 to more than $100 today. Yet in gold terms, the swings look far less dramatic: a barrel of oil required about 0.06 ounces of gold in both 1990 and 2010, compared with only around 0.02 ounces in recent years. What often appears to be commodity instability may sometimes reflect instability in the currency doing the measuring. 

Even college tuition – a frequent symbol of modern costs run amok – looks different through gold lenses. Private four-year tuition rose from roughly $9,300 annually in 1990 to around $45,000 today, but measured in gold, tuition peaked near 58 ounces in 2000 and stood closer to 13 ounces by 2025. That does not, of course, mean that college became inexpensive. Rather, it reminds us that nominal prices can exaggerate long-run changes when money itself is changing value.

Even financial markets tell a different story through gold lenses. Investors obsess over whether the Dow Jones Industrial Average or S&P 500 has reached new highs, but nominal records can be deceiving. At the height of the dot-com boom in 2000, the S&P 500 traded near 1,420, equivalent to roughly 5.1 ounces of gold. By contrast, in 2025, despite the index exceeding 6,200, it represented only about 1.8 ounces of gold. Investors may possess substantially more nominal wealth than they once did, but their command over scarce monetary resources may not have expanded nearly as dramatically. Economic life is not ultimately experienced in brokerage statement balances or stock index points but in purchasing power exchanged for real goods and services over time.

Wages reveal a similarly complicated story. Average hourly earnings rose from roughly $10 per hour in 1990 to more than $31 today, seemingly an impressive gain. Yet measured in gold, an hour of labor purchased approximately 0.027 ounces of gold in 1990, compared with only about 0.009 ounces today: roughly 0.84 grams of gold per hour then versus 0.28 grams now. Nominal wages have risen dramatically. Yet measured against a hard monetary benchmark, workers’ command over real resources has deteriorated.

This is where gold becomes more than a hedge against uncertainty or purchasing-power erosion. It can be used as a diagnostic tool – a way of observing the cumulative effects of interventionism on money itself.

Modern fiat (unbacked) currencies are products of institutions and policy choices. Central banks adjust interest rates, governments run deficits, emergency spending proliferates during crises, and financial systems are repeatedly backstopped through interventions designed to prevent disorder. Many of these actions may be understandable in the moment. Yet they also alter the purchasing power of money over time. Because fiat currency is elastic by design, its quantity and cost can be influenced by policy in ways impossible under a harder monetary standard.

Gold, by contrast, tends to sit outside these interventions. It has no central bank, no earnings calls, no quarterly guidance, and no committee meeting determining whether more should exist next month. Its supply grows slowly and imperfectly, constrained by geology, extraction costs, and physical reality. That makes it an unusually useful measuring stick for long-term comparisons.

Looking through gold lenses therefore reveals something often obscured in conventional discussions of inflation. Inflation is not merely a rise in consumer prices; it is also a reflection of changes in the value of money itself. When a cup of coffee costs twice as many dollars as it once did, part of the story may involve wages, scarcity, labor, or quality improvements. But part also reflects what has happened to the purchasing power of the US dollar.

Seen this way, gold offers a perspective on economic interventionism not through ideology, but simple observation. One need not believe every monetary expansion is catastrophic or every government program misguided to recognize that decades of fiscal deficits, central bank balance sheet expansions, emergency lending facilities, and recurring crises leave fingerprints on currency values. Gold, over long periods, often captures those fingerprints more clearly than nominal prices alone.

None of this means that gold is perfect. Nor does pricing the world in gold solve the practical reality that we live in dollar-denominated economies. Salaries are paid in dollars, taxes collected in dollars, mortgages serviced in dollars, and grocery bills settled in dollars.

Still, there is intellectual value in periodically stepping outside the “fiat frame.” Looking at the world through gold lenses can expose how much of what we perceive as rising prosperity is nominal rather than real, how much apparent price instability reflects monetary instability, and how intervention in the financial system accumulates consequences over time.

For much of history, gold served simultaneously as a medium of exchange, a store of value, and a unit of account. Prices were quoted in terms of gold itself, not currencies redeemable only by confidence and legal tender laws. That world is gone, at least for now. Whatever one’s views on whether it should return, there is little evidence that advanced economies are likely to re-anchor themselves to gold anytime soon.

Until or unless that changes, we will continue to live in a fiat world, navigating its opportunities and distortions alike. In such a world, gold may not tell us what to do, nor does it offer a promissory answer to every financial question. But it can help us protect ourselves against uncertainty, shield against falling purchasing power, and tell us something valuable: what our money, and the policies shaping it, have quietly been doing all along.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and a Senior Research Fellow who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

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When you’re looking to buy a car, do you search for a car that will transport you reliably for years with minimal upkeep, or would you settle for a lemon with a loud rattle and blue smoke coming from the exhaust?

When you go to the store to buy food, do you buy the highest quality food you can, or would you settle for wilted lettuce, slightly moldy fruit, and graying meat?

If you won’t settle for anything less than the best when it comes to your house, car, or the food you put into your body, why would you settle for less when it comes to starting a gold IRA?

Gold IRAs can be a powerful vehicle for helping safeguard your savings, and in many instances funding a gold IRA can be done through rollovers and transfers from existing retirement savings.

Would you trust your hard-earned savings to just any gold IRA company, or do you want to find the best gold IRA company to do business with?

What to Look for in the Best Gold IRA Company

1. Reputation and Experience

The booming gold price has made gold IRAs a popular choice for many Americans to help safeguard their savings. That popularity has brought many new gold IRA companies into the market.

If you’re looking to spend $25,000, or $50,000, or even $100,000 or more to fund a gold IRA, wouldn’t you want to make sure that the gold IRA company you’re dealing with has years of experience, thousands of 5-star reviews, and a reputation for doing everything it can to make sure its customers are satisfied?

2. Customer Service and Support

The best gold IRA company is one that not only walks with you every step of the way during the process of starting your gold IRA, but that also supports you after you have made your purchase of gold for your gold IRA.

There are many companies that will gladly take your money, sell you gold, and you’ll never hear from them again. But the best gold IRA companies will offer dedicated after-sale support to their customers, ensuring that their customers remain satisfied even years after their purchase.

3. Rollover and Transfer Support

Many gold IRA customers choose to fund their gold IRAs through rollovers or transfers from existing retirement accounts such as a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or IRA account.

If you’ve never been through the 401(k) rollover or IRA transfer process before, it can seem daunting, especially if you have to navigate the process on your own.

The best gold IRA companies will walk you through the process, making sure that you know exactly what you need to do, who you need to contact, and ensuring that your rollover funds make it to your gold IRA in a timely manner.

4. Fees and Transparency

Gold IRAs cost money, whether it’s for annual administration, secure storage, or insurance. The best gold IRA companies will be up front about those fees and how much you can be expected to pay each year.

You don’t want to go through the whole process of choosing a gold IRA partner, deciding on a gold IRA custodian, and thinking about the gold you want to add to your gold IRA, only to find out at the last minute that you’re on the hook for fees that weren’t disclosed to you before.

5. Buyback Policies

When you buy gold for your gold IRA, presumably you hope to sell it at some point in the future, and hopefully for a gain. The best gold IRA companies will offer some sort of buyback policy, so that you’ll have the assurance that you can find a buyer for your gold when you decide to sell.

The best gold IRA companies also won’t lock you into a requirement to sell back to them, ensuring that you can choose where to sell your gold in order to maximize your sales potential.

6. Educational Resources

Many people considering gold IRAs may have only recently learned that there is such a thing as a gold IRA. They may not know all the ins and outs of gold IRAs, how gold IRAs work, gold IRA rules and regulations, etc.

The best gold IRA companies offer educational resources to potential customers so that they can learn all there is to know about gold IRAs. And they continue to offer after-sale support to customers who have questions about their gold IRAs.

Why Goldco Is a Top-Rated Gold IRA Company

Goldco’s customers have consistently rated us one of the best gold IRA companies in the country. Here’s why:

1. White-Glove Service

Goldco prides itself on its white glove service, with dedicated precious metals specialists serving each customer from your initial consultation to the delivery of your gold. This ensures that the process of setting up your gold IRA and purchasing your precious metals remains as smooth and stress-free as possible.

2. Streamlined Rollover Process

Rolling over funds from one retirement account into a gold IRA can seem daunting if you’ve never done it before. Goldco’s precious metals specialists can assist you throughout that process, coordinating with custodians and ensuring paperwork is in order so that the rollover process goes as smoothly as possible for you.

3. Goldco Buyback Guarantee

Goldco offers a competitive buyback program for our customers, so that you won’t feel left high and dry when it comes time to liquidate your precious metals. Contact your Goldco representative for more details on Goldco’s buyback program.

4. Industry-Leading Reputation

Goldco has over 8,000 5-star reviews from our satisfied customers, an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, and has received numerous awards, including a 2026 Best Customer Service award from Money.com.

5. Precious Metals Educational Resources

From our Ultimate Guide to Gold and Silver to our numerous ebooks, our Beginners Guide to a Gold IRA, and our dozens of relevant and newsworthy articles, Goldco offers our customers a vast variety of educational resources from which they can learn more about how they can benefit from owning precious metals.

Want to Know More About Goldco?

With so many Americans expressing uncertainty about the direction of the economy, and worried about their financial well-being, it’s only natural that more people are starting to learn about how precious metals can help safeguard their financial future.

If you’re looking to secure your retirement savings with precious metals, why settle for working with a gold IRA company that is anything less than the best?

Thousands of Goldco’s customers decided not to settle, and they’re glad they chose Goldco. Whether it’s our white glove customer service, our vast array of educational resources, or our commitment to providing high quality gold and silver products, Goldco has worked hard to establish ourselves as one of the best gold IRA companies in the country.

If you’re looking for the best gold IRA company for your needs, call Goldco today to learn more about what we have to offer. We’ve helped thousands of Americans benefit from owning precious metals, and we’re ready to help you too.

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What do you think of when you think of silver bars? Do you think of large stacks of huge bars sitting in a vault, or of small bars changing hands at a coin shop?

Do you think of banks hoarding tons of precious metals in their safes, or of government minters buying silver to mint coins? While the US government does hold nearly 500 tonnes of silver, and while the government did recently add silver to its list of strategic and critical minerals, silver isn’t just a strategic asset for governments and financial institutions.

Silver can play an important role for individuals in helping protect their financial well-being. If you want to learn more about silver bars, and why owning silver can be so important, keep reading.

How Silver Bars Are Produced

• Casting
• Minting

There are two primary methods of producing Silver bars: casting and minting.

Cast silver bars, sometimes referred to as poured silver bars, are produced by pouring molten silver into a form or mold. Depending on the size of the mold and how they’re processed after casting, these bars may not weigh exactly the amount they’re supposed to.

For instance, the 1,000-ounce Good Delivery bars that are the backbone of the London silver market don’t have to weigh exactly 400 ounces, they’re allowed to weigh between 900 and 1,100 ounces.

This doesn’t mean, though, that you’ll pay a 1,000-ounce price for a bar that weighs 900 ounces or one that weighs 1,100 ounces. These bars will be measured on delivery and priced according to their actual weight.

Minted silver bars are normally produced from rectangularly-shaped silver blanks of a certain weight, which are then minted in a press in a similar manner to silver coins. The surface finish of these silver bars is normally smoother and shinier than that of cast silver bars.

Units of Weight for Precious Metals

• Troy Ounce
• Gram
• Kilogram

If you’ve ever tried to buy silver, you probably have noticed that most silver coins are weighed in ounces. More specifically, they’re weighed in troy ounces, not the avoirdupois or “standard” ounces that you’re used to in the grocery store.

An avoirdupois or “standard” pound weighs 7,000 grains, and is divided into 16 ounces, which each weigh 437.5 grains. If you own guns you’ll know grains as a weight, so one standard ounce weighs the same as about 2 .45 ACP bullets or 4 9mm bullets.

A troy ounce, on the other hand, weighs 480 grains, and there are 12 troy ounces to a troy pound, so that the troy pound weighs 5,760 grains. Thus while a troy ounce weighs more than a standard ounce, a troy pound is lighter than a standard pound.

But silver bars aren’t measured just in troy ounces. They can also be measured in grams or kilograms, which are popular measurements in Europe and Asia.

If you remember your metric system from high school, these are the same grams and kilograms that are used in scientific measurement.

Smaller bars are generally weighed in grams. Larger bars are normally weighed in ounces, with the 1,000-ounce bar being the standard for international silver markets.

While the many different units of measurement can make it a little difficult to compare sizes between metric and troy ounce-denominated silver bars, our handy table below can help you make comparisons between different sizes of silver bars.

Common Sizes and Weights of Silver Bars

Like silver coins, silver bars come in a variety of sizes and weights. Here are some common silver bar sizes you may encounter during your search for silver bars to buy.

The Good Delivery Bar and System

The Good Delivery system is a series of standards and rules established by the London Bullion Market Association to describe the physical characteristics of gold and silver bars used in the London precious metals market. The rules encompass not only the characteristics of the gold and silver bars themselves, but also set requirements for approved refineries and set up a number of companies as referees for the system.

Silver Good Delivery bars must meet a minimum fineness of .999 (99.9% pure silver) and must weigh between 900 and 1,100 ounces. Bars must also be marked with a serial number, a year of manufacture, their fineness, and the refiner’s hallmark. There are also a series of recommended dimensions for Good Delivery bars.

Any bars that don’t meet Good Delivery standards must be marked with NGD, for Non-Good Delivery. This system helps ensure that the bars that circulate in silver markets conform to a universally accepted set of standards.

Advantages of Small Silver Bars vs. Large Silver Bars

1. Small Silver Bars Are More Affordable

In absolute terms, small silver bars are cheaper than large silver bars. A 1-gram silver bar may cost you about $10, while a one-kilogram silver bar will probably cost you several thousand dollars.

For those with smaller budgets, buying smaller silver bars will allow you to buy more silver bars than if you were to choose large silver bars.

2. Small Silver Bars Can Be More Liquid

Silver markets are already highly liquid, with silver trading around the world nearly 24/7. But when it comes to selling the silver you own, you want to know whether there will be a buyer available.

Because small silver bars cost less, it can be easier to find a buyer for them when it comes time to sell. The number of people who can buy a $100 silver bar is going to be much larger than those who can buy a $10,000 silver bar.

3. Small Silver Bars Are Easier to Store and Transport

Silver may be a very compact store of wealth, but large silver bars can be bulky and heavy, with the largest 1,000-ounce silver bars weighing more than twice as much as the largest commonly available 400-ounce gold bars.

This means that those large silver bars can be very difficult to store and transport. Compared to large silver bars, small silver bars are easy to store at home.

You can have some tucked away on a bookshelf, some in your sock drawer, and some in your desk. And small silver bars are easy to transport from place to place in a purse or even your pocket.

4. Small Silver Bars Can Make Nice Gifts

If you have children or grandchildren whom you want to teach about the importance of precious metals in helping to protect and build wealth, a small 1-gram or 5-gram silver bar can be a relatively inexpensive way to introduce them to precious metals.

Disadvantages of Small Silver Bars vs. Large Silver Bars

Of course, there are some disadvantages to small silver bars too.

1. Small Silver Bars Often Come With Higher Premiums

One of the major disadvantages to small silver bars is that you’ll pay higher premiums versus the spot price of silver than you would for larger silver bars.

A 1,000-ounce cast silver bar is relatively  straightforward to produce. Just pour 1,000 ounces of molten silver into a mold, let it cool, then stamp it with a hallmark, serial number, and fineness, and you’re done.

With a small silver bar like a 1-gram or 5-gram silver bar you’re going to be minting that bar on a specialized press. To get the equivalent of 1,000 ounces of silver, that means you would need over 6,000 5-gram silver planchets or over 31,000 1-gram planchets, minting each one with specialized dies that you’ve designed and machined.

Silver bars are also produced in sizes as small as 1 gram, which are so small they can be easily lost, so they’re often placed inside a plastic holder with a specific bar code, QR code, or other certificate of authenticity.

The amount of work it takes to produce 1,000 ounces of 1-gram or 5-gram silver bars is a lot more than it takes to produce a single 1,000-ounce silver bar, and that will be reflected in a higher price per ounce of silver on the smaller bars.

2. Smaller Silver Bars Aren’t as Cost-Effective

That means that if you’re looking to buy silver at the lowest unit cost, buying smaller silver bars, or the smallest silver bars, may not get you the best bang for your buck.

When looking at small silver bars vs. large silver bars, you’ll want to balance your desire for liquidity and compactness with the ability to maximize how much silver your dollars can buy.

Advantages of Silver Bars vs. Silver Coins

1. Silver Bars Sometime Command Lower Premiums

Compared to silver coins, silver bars sometimes command lower premiums. While the savings per unit may be small, if you’re making a large silver purchase that difference in premiums could add up.

2. Silver Bars Can Be Stacked and Stored More Efficiently

Square or rectangular silver bars are more efficient at saving space than round silver coins, as they maximize use of corners. Stacking silver coins also generally requires buying coin tubes, some of which are round also and don’t stack as well as square tubes.

If you’re buying large amounts of silver, silver bars may stack easier and help you minimize the storage footprint of your silver.

3. Silver Bars Come in a Wider Range of Sizes

Among the most popular sizes for silver coins are ½-ounce, 1-ounce, and 2-ounce silver coins. You may occasionally find smaller silver coins, like ¼-ounce or 1/10-ounce, and the largest silver coins you’ll likely see are 5-ounce and 10-ounce coins.

Silver bars, on the other hand, are available in over a dozen different weights, measured in both metric weights and troy ounce weights, ranging from one gram up to 1,000 ounces. If you have a specific weight of silver that you want to buy, you might have a better chance of finding it in silver bars rather than silver coins.

Disadvantages of Silver Bars vs. Silver Coins

Silver bars have disadvantages, too, which is one reason silver coins remain so popular.

1. Silver Bar Holdings Aren’t Easily Divisible

If you buy large silver bars, you can’t sell small portions of your silver holdings, you’ll have to sell the entire bar. You might have to wait a while to find someone able to buy a 1,000-ounce silver bar, so it might be easier to sell off 1,000 1-ounce silver coins piecemeal over time.

2. Possible Authentication Issues

Depending on how large your silver bar is or how it’s packaged, the buyer may want to assay and test it upon delivery. That can add time and expense when you want to sell.

3. Lower Liquidity

If you try to sell your silver bars locally, local buyers may not be as familiar with silver bars, particularly from smaller or less well-known issuers, than with popular silver coins from mints like the US Mint, Perth Mint, or New Zealand Mint.

That could mean lower offers to buy, or perhaps buyers passing on buying your silver bars.

4. Need for Storage

Larger silver bars, while they’re still a compact store of value, can be harder to securely store at home. Especially if you have large silver holdings, that may require you to buy a safe or store your silver bars in a safe deposit box, which adds expense.

Silver coins can be hidden discreetly around your home.

5. No Numismatic Value

Some silver coins can gain extra value to collectors through rarity, condition, or other factors that make them more valuable than just their silver content. Silver bars don’t normally have that added numismatic value.

Common Questions About Silver Bars

How can I tell if a silver bar is real?: There are numerous ways to check if the silver bars you have are real. One of the first things to do is to check if the bar matches the published dimensions and weight.

Silver bars are also non-magnetic, so they should not be attracted to a magnet. Silver also makes a distinctive pinging sound when it is struck, versus base metals which have more of a thudding sound.

Finally, there are chemical tests that can be done by professionals, although these may damage your silver products.

But one of the best ways to avoid counterfeit silver is to work with trusted partners like Goldco who work with mints around the world to bring you guaranteed authentic gold and silver so that you don’t have to worry about possibly buying counterfeit silver.

What is the best silver to buy?: That all depends on your particular needs and how silver fits into your financial planning.

For some people, silver may make up a large portion of their portfolio, and they may hang onto it for a long time. Others may only want to buy silver as a short-term hedge against a possible economic downturn.

And other people may just want to hang onto a few silver coins or silver bars at home in case of a rainy day. How much silver you buy and the form you buy it in will be determined by how you plan to make use of your silver.

How can I keep my silver bars safe?: Silver that you buy with a direct cash purchase can be stored at home, in a safe deposit box or, if you’re making a particularly big purchase, can be stored in a bullion depository.

If you’re buying silver through a silver IRA, your silver bars will have to be stored in a bullion depository. Goldco works with experienced precious metals bullion depositories to ensure that our customers’ precious metals assets remain safe and secure.

What precious metals can I hold in a silver IRA?: Silver IRAs aren’t limited to just silver. These precious metals IRAs can also hold gold coins or gold bars, as well as platinum and palladium bullion.

What kinds of silver bars are IRA-eligible?: IRAs are only allowed to acquire silver coins or silver bars with a minimum fineness of .999 (99.9% pure silver). Using IRA assets to purchase silver coins or silver bars with a lower silver content that are not IRA-eligible would be considered a distribution of assets and could subject you to taxes and penalties.

Can I take physical possession of the silver in my silver IRA?: The silver in your silver IRA must be stored in a bullion depository, but you may take possession of that silver when you decide to take a distribution through an in-kind distribution.

Some companies claim that there is such a thing as a home storage IRA, which purportedly allows you to purchase gold and silver using IRA assets and store those precious metals at home. These types of arrangements have been explicitly banned by tax courts, and anyone attempting to start a home storage IRA could face significant taxes and penalties.

How can I fund a silver IRA?: One of the most popular ways to fund a silver IRA is through a silver IRA rollover. You can roll over assets tax-free from an existing retirement account such as a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or IRA account into a silver IRA.

Goldco’s precious metals specialists have helped many customers navigate this rollover process. Contact our specialists to learn more about how the silver IRA rollover process works.

I already own silver bars. Can I move those into a silver IRA?: IRAs are prohibited from engaging in certain transactions, including IRA owners selling their property to an IRA.

This is why it can be helpful to consult with your financial advisor or tax advisor to go through the IRA rules and regulations in order to make sure that you don’t inadvertently end up making a mistake that could subject you to taxes and penalties.

How to Buy Silver Bars

There are numerous ways to buy silver bars, from going down to your local coin shop, frequenting online marketplaces, or finding established precious metals companies that can provide you with silver products.

Silver can be purchased as a direct cash transaction, allowing you to take possession of your silver and store it in whichever way you see fit.

You can also buy silver bars for a silver IRA, which allows you to own physical silver within a tax-advantaged retirement account.

Silver IRAs can be funded through tax-free rollovers from existing retirement accounts such as a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or IRA account. And when you take a distribution from your silver IRA, you can take it either in cash or in silver.

As with any other asset purchase, whether you choose to buy silver bars is a decision that you’ll make after assessing your unique individual goals. Each person’s financial situation, time horizon, and financial ability can play a role in whether they buy silver bars.

Some people look to silver as an inflation hedge against inflation that remains stubborn. Others may fear a potential financial crisis, and look to silver as a safe haven asset, hoping it will perform in the next few years just as well as it did from 2008 to 2011.

And other people may just want to diversify their portfolios a little bit, just in case.

If you’re looking to buy silver, no matter the reason, it can be important to work with trusted partners who can provide you with the products and support you need.

Goldco has worked hard to make ourselves one of the top gold and silver companies in the country, and our more than 8,000 5-star reviews are a testament to the lengths we go to provide premium gold and silver products and exemplary customer service.

Our specialists have helped thousands of customers benefit from adding silver to their portfolios. Will you be next?

Call Goldco today to learn more about how owning silver can help you safeguard your financial future.

The post How Much Do Silver Bars Weigh? appeared first on Top Rated Gold IRA Company - Goldco Precious Metals.

For years, investors have been told to “buy the dip,” trust the system, and stay fully invested in equities no matter what happens. That strategy worked remarkably well during one of the longest liquidity-fueled bull markets in modern history.

But as of May 2026, a growing number of valuation signals are raising uncomfortable questions.

Chief among them is the so-called Buffett Indicator — a metric legendary investor Warren Buffett once referred to as “probably the best single measure of where valuations stand at any given moment.”

And right now, that indicator is flashing levels historically associated with extreme market overvaluation.

So, is the stock market overvalued?

A growing body of analysts, economists, and institutional investors believe the answer may be yes.

What is the Buffett Indicator? 

The Buffett Indicator compares the total value of the U.S. stock market to the size of the U.S. economy, measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In simple terms, it asks a straightforward question:

Are stock prices growing faster than the economy that ultimately supports them?

The formula looks like this:

Historically, when the ratio climbs too far above long-term averages, future market returns have tended to weaken while downside risks increase.

During the dot-com bubble of 2000, the Buffett Indicator surged to record highs shortly before markets experienced a significant correction. Similar warning signs appeared ahead of the 2008 financial crisis.

Today, the indicator has once again climbed into historically elevated territory.

While no single metric can predict market movements with certainty, many analysts view the current reading as a sign that optimism may have outpaced economic fundamentals.

Why Valuations Matter More Than Ever

Valuations alone do not cause bear markets.

But elevated valuations can reduce the margin for error.

When markets are priced for perfection, even small disruptions can trigger outsized volatility:

• Slower economic growth
• Persistent inflation
• Higher interest rates
• Corporate earnings disappointments
• Geopolitical instability
• Expanding government debt

Each of these risks remains relevant in today’s environment.

Over the past decade, ultra-low interest rates and aggressive monetary stimulus helped push investors further into risk assets. That environment dramatically inflated valuations across equities, technology stocks, and speculative sectors.

Now, investors are facing a different reality.

Interest rates remain materially higher than they were during the easy-money era, borrowing costs have risen, and concerns about long-term fiscal stability continue to grow.

At the same time, market concentration has become increasingly extreme.

A relatively small number of mega-cap technology companies now account for a significant percentage of overall market gains. While these companies remain highly profitable, concentrated leadership can also create fragility beneath the surface.

If leadership narrows further or earnings expectations begin to soften, broader indices could become vulnerable to sharp repricing.

The Psychological Risk Investors Often Ignore

One of the greatest dangers during periods of overvaluation is complacency.

Late-stage bull markets often create the illusion that markets can only move higher. Investors become conditioned to believe that every correction is temporary and every dip represents a buying opportunity.

History suggests otherwise.

Market cycles are normal. Excesses eventually correct.

The challenge is that valuation extremes are often easiest to recognize in hindsight.

During the technology bubble, many investors believed traditional valuation metrics no longer mattered. Before the housing crisis, many assumed real estate prices could not decline nationally.

Today, investors once again hear arguments that “this time is different.”

Maybe it is.

But history has repeatedly shown that periods of elevated valuations tend to carry elevated risk.

What Happens if the Market Corrects?

No one can predict the exact timing or severity of a future downturn.

Markets may continue rising longer than many expect.

However, if valuations eventually revert closer to historical averages, investors heavily concentrated in equities could face meaningful volatility.

That reality is prompting some investors to revisit the role of diversification and defensive assets within a broader portfolio strategy.

Traditionally, assets such as cash, Treasury securities, gold, and silver have been viewed as potential hedges during periods of economic uncertainty or declining confidence in financial markets.

While these assets carry risks of their own, they are often evaluated differently from equities because they may respond to different macroeconomic conditions.

Why Gold and Silver Are Regaining Attention

In recent years, precious metals have re-entered the conversation among institutional investors, central banks, and individual savers alike.

Gold, in particular, has historically been viewed as a store of value during periods of monetary instability, inflation concerns, or financial stress.

Unlike fiat currencies, gold cannot be printed or created through monetary policy.

Silver, meanwhile, occupies a unique role as both a monetary metal and an industrial commodity used across technologies including solar energy, electronics, and advanced manufacturing.

That combination has caused some investors to explore precious metals as part of a diversified allocation strategy.

Importantly, precious metals are not guaranteed to rise during market downturns, nor are they suitable for every investor. Prices can fluctuate significantly, and past performance does not guarantee future results.

However, for investors concerned about elevated stock market valuations, inflation risks, or long-term currency purchasing power, gold and silver may offer diversification benefits worth evaluating alongside traditional financial assets.

Is the Stock Market Overvalued? Here’s the Bigger Picture

The question is not whether markets will fluctuate. They always do.

The real question is whether today’s valuations properly reflect underlying economic realities and future risks.

The Buffett Indicator suggests caution may be warranted.

That does not necessarily mean a crash is imminent. Markets can remain overvalued for extended periods. But historically, periods of extreme valuation have often been followed by lower long-term returns and higher volatility.

For investors approaching retirement, protecting accumulated wealth may become just as important as pursuing additional upside.

That is why many investors are beginning to look beyond traditional portfolios and reconsider the role of hard assets within a long-term strategy.

Final Thoughts

The current market environment presents both opportunity and uncertainty.

High valuations, persistent inflation concerns, rising debt levels, and shifting monetary conditions are causing many investors to ask difficult questions about risk exposure and portfolio resilience.

No asset class is without risk.

But in periods when financial markets appear stretched relative to economic fundamentals, diversification becomes increasingly important.

For some investors, that may include exploring gold, silver, and other precious metals as part of a broader strategy designed to preserve purchasing power and reduce overexposure to traditional financial markets.

Before making any investment decisions, investors should carefully evaluate their financial objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon, and consult with qualified financial and tax professionals.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal, or tax advice. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Precious metals are speculative and may not be suitable for all investors. Always conduct your own due diligence and consult a qualified financial professional before making investment decisions.

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The post Is the Stock Market Overvalued? The Buffett Indicator Is Flashing a Major Warning appeared first on Allegiance Gold.

• Beyond inflation hedging, gold is reemerging as “politically neutral collateral” for nations wary of reserve assets that can be frozen or sanctioned by foreign powers.  
• Unlike Treasury bonds or bank reserves, physical gold is no one else’s liability; it cannot be digitally erased, printed, or sanctioned out of existence.  
• Emerging economies and “middle powers” are purchasing gold at record rates to gain optionality and reduce vulnerability to external financial pressure without needing explicit geopolitical alignment.  
• While the dollar remains dominant, the shift toward gold signals a transition to a “Bretton Woods III” era where hard assets and strategic commodities outweigh the assumptions of frictionless globalization.

For much of the post–Cold War era, gold occupied a somewhat marginal place in mainstream financial thinking. Central banks still held it, investors occasionally rushed into it during crises, and jewelry demand remained strong across parts of Asia and the Middle East. But in the dominant Western policy imagination, gold had largely become a historical artifact: an inert legacy asset overshadowed by fiat currencies, deep sovereign bond markets, and a dollar-centered global financial system. That assumption now appears increasingly outdated.

Gold’s modern resurgence is often explained through familiar narratives about inflation, monetary expansion, or fears of currency debasement. Those forces certainly matter. But they do not fully explain why central banks have been purchasing gold at the fastest pace in decades, nor why nations on different continents with very different political systems and economic structures are converging on the same asset. Something deeper is taking place. Gold is reemerging not merely as an inflation hedge, but as politically neutral collateral in an increasingly conditional and fragmented global financial order.

The Shift from Yield to Survivability

The turning point was arguably not inflation, but sanctions. In particular, the freezing of roughly $300 billion in Russian foreign exchange reserves after the invasion of Ukraine fundamentally altered how many countries—even some US allies–perceive reserve assets. For decades, reserve accumulation had been viewed primarily through the lens of liquidity, yield, and exchange rate management. The Russian episode introduced another criterion: political survivability. Assets once considered unquestionably “safe” suddenly appeared contingent upon geopolitical alignment with the institutions overseeing the global financial architecture.

That realization reverberated far beyond Moscow. Countries with no desire to emulate Russia nevertheless absorbed the broader lesson: reserve assets held within another nation’s legal and financial system may not be sovereign after all. Treasury securities, euro reserves, and even access to payment rails like SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) increasingly appeared not merely as financial tools, but as instruments embedded within a larger framework of political leverage and strategic influence.

Gold differs in one crucial respect. It is no one else’s liability.

Money Without Counterparty Risk

A Treasury bond, indeed any sovereign debt, depends upon the fiscal credibility and political continuity of the issuing government. Bank reserves depend upon access to correspondent banking networks. Foreign exchange reserves typically rely on custodial arrangements inside foreign jurisdictions. Gold, by contrast, is a bearer asset. Properly stored and physically controlled, it exists outside the balance sheet of another government. It cannot be printed, sanctioned out of (or into) existence, or digitally erased. In a world where financial systems are becoming both increasingly integrated and weaponized, that distinction has acquired renewed significance.

And that explains the extraordinary pace of official sector gold purchases in recent years. Central banks collectively have been purchasing well over 1,000 metric tons annually, among the highest levels on record. Buyers have included China, India, Turkey, Poland, and several Gulf and emerging market nations. These countries differ enormously in ideology, governance, and strategic orientation. What they share is an interest in reducing vulnerability to external financial pressure.

Importantly, this is not necessarily a wholesale rejection of the dollar. “Dedollarization” is proceeding slowly but is not an imminent threat. The dollar remains deeply embedded in trade settlement, debt markets, derivatives, commodity pricing, and global liquidity provision. Rather, the shift toward physical gold is in essence a hedging process: countries are incrementally diversifying reserve structures in response to a more uncertain geopolitical landscape. Gold serves as insurance against fragmentation rather than a direct replacement for the dollar itself.

The Return of Hard Assets

This is particularly appealing to what might be called the world’s “middle powers:” states large enough to possess meaningful trade and reserve portfolios, but not powerful enough to dictate the rules of the international financial system. For such countries, gold offers optionality. It provides reserve diversification without explicit alignment. Unlike reserve accumulation in another nation’s currency, gold does not require trust in the long-run political stability, sanctions policy, or strategic intentions of a foreign government.

In this sense, gold’s role increasingly resembles what some economists have loosely described as a “Bretton Woods III” environment: a world in which strategic commodities, hard assets, and geopolitical alignments matter more than the frictionless globalization assumptions of the 1990s and early 2000s. Energy, food security, rare earth minerals, semiconductors, shipping chokepoints, and reserve collateral are all becoming more tightly intertwined with national strategy. Gold sits naturally within that emerging landscape because it singularly occupies a critical intersection between money, collateral, and geopolitics.

Yet there is an irony at the heart of gold’s resurgence. Gold’s enduring strength derives precisely from its relative political neutrality. Politicians, empires, and financial systems have repeatedly attempted to subordinate gold to ideological or strategic objectives. Monarchs debased coinage. Governments suspended convertibility during wars. Central banks managed gold pools and fixed exchange regimes. Politicians alternately praised gold, confiscated it, demonetized it, or denounced it as archaic. But gold itself remained remarkably indifferent to these changing political fashions.

Indeed, that apolitical quality may explain why gold has retained monetary relevance for thousands of years.

The Enduring Neutrality of Gold

The earliest evidence of gold use dates back more than 5,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, where it emerged not merely as ornamentation, but as a durable and widely recognized store of value. Across civilizations separated by geography, language, religion, and political structure,gold repeatedly gravitated toward monetary and financial functions. This was not because rulers universally preferred restraint or monetary discipline. More often, it was because gold possessed characteristics that made it difficult to manipulate relative to purely political forms of money: scarcity, durability, divisibility, portability, and broad recognizability.

That history matters today because the modern global economy is again entering a period of strategic uncertainty. The assumptions underpinning the hyper-globalized financial order–stable reserve relationships, politically neutral payment systems, and universally trusted institutions–no longer appear as permanent as they once did. In such an environment, gold’s appeal extends beyond inflation hedging or commodity speculation. It increasingly represents a form of financial nonalignment.

For all the sophistication of modern digital finance, nations still appear drawn toward an asset that requires no password, carries no counterparty risk, and ultimately depends less on political promises than on physical possession itself. That is not a relic of the past. It may be one of the clearest signals of where the global financial system is heading next.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and a Senior Research Fellow who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

The post Gold as the Most Neutral Asset appeared first on Top Rated Gold IRA Company - Goldco Precious Metals.

• A record-high number of policy dissents and a leadership transition have created a “coherent policy” vacuum that historically drives investors toward precious metals.  
• Geopolitical conflict in Iran has weaponized energy prices, pushing the PCE index well above the 2% target and leaving the Fed caught between aggressive tightening and economic growth risks.  
• A long-term structural shift is underway as emerging market central banks trade dollar-denominated assets for gold to hedge against deteriorating fiscal conditions in advanced economies.  
• Gold and silver are currently reasserting their roles not just as commodities, but as essential “alternative anchors of value” in an era of institutional uncertainty and fiscal strain. 

The past several months have delivered a peculiar mix of signals for watchers of financial markets. Oil prices have surged amid geopolitical conflict, inflation has reaccelerated, and the Federal Reserve, once a model of carefully choreographed consensus, now appears divided and uncertain. 

Yet gold, long regarded as the market’s geopolitical barometer, initially lagged these developments, even declining during the early stages of the Iran conflict. That divergence is now beginning to close, and the forces driving it point to a potentially volatile period ahead.

To understand where precious metals may be headed, it is necessary to step back and consider the broader macroeconomic setting. The Iran war has disrupted energy markets in a meaningful and arguably historic way. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints, has pushed energy prices sharply higher. This has fed directly into inflation data. 

A Central Bank Divided

The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, has moved back into uncomfortable territory, rising at a pace well above the central bank’s 2 percent target. Energy costs have played an outsized role, with gasoline and related spending surging.

This presents policymakers with a dilemma that is both familiar and newly acute. On one hand, higher inflation would typically argue for tighter monetary policy. On the other, the uncertainty created by war – combined with the possibility of slower growth as higher energy costs ripple through the economy – makes aggressive tightening risky. The result has been hesitation, and in more recent development, disagreement between the Fed’s top officials themselves.

Recent Federal Open Market Committee meetings have seen an unusual number of dissents, the highest in decades. Some policymakers favor rate cuts, concerned about threats to economic growth. Others want to remove any hint of easing bias, signaling vigilance by making clear that rate hikes remain on the table. 

This fragmentation matters. Markets rely heavily on central bank guidance to anchor expectations about interest rates, inflation, and financial conditions. When that guidance becomes inconsistent or contested, uncertainty rises; and uncertainty is precisely the environment in which precious metals tend to perform best.

The transition in leadership at the Fed only amplifies this dynamic. Kevin Warsh, confirmed by the Senate to replace Jerome Powell as chair, will inherit not a unified institutional leadership but a fractured one. Powell himself is expected to remain on the Board of Governors for a time, creating an unusual situation in which a former chair continues to participate in policy deliberations. 

This layering of authority, combined with heavy political pressure for rate cuts and a backdrop of rising inflation, complicates the central bank’s task considerably.

For markets, the key issue is not simply who leads the Fed, but whether the institution can present a coherent policy framework. If investors perceive that monetary policy is becoming reactive, inconsistent, or politically manipulated, confidence in the purchasing power of the currency can erode. 

That erosion does not necessarily show up immediately in consumer prices alone; it often manifests first in asset markets – in particular, in the demand for stores of value that exist outside the financial system. This is where gold and silver come into focus. 

The Gold Divergence and Demand Floor

The recent weakness in gold prices during the early phase of the Iran conflict puzzled many observers. However, part of the explanation lies in interest rate expectations. As the war pushed energy prices higher, markets began to anticipate that the Fed might keep rates elevated for longer. Higher real interest rates tend to weigh on gold, which does not pay dividends or otherwise produce income.

But that explanation only goes so far. Beneath the surface, a more durable force has been building: sustained demand from central banks. Over the past two decades – largely since the 2008 global financial crisis – emerging market central banks have steadily increased their gold holdings. 

This trend reflects a gradual reassessment of reserve composition. In the 1990s and early 2000s, a combination of stable geopolitics, strong US public finances, and low inflation made US Treasury securities highly attractive reserve assets. Gold’s share of global reserves declined during that period.

Yet that environment no longer exists in the same form. Geopolitical tensions have intensified, trade relationships have become more contentious, and fiscal conditions in many advanced economies, especially within the United States, have deteriorated. As a result, the rationale for holding large quantities of dollar-denominated assets has weakened at the margin. 

Central banks, particularly in emerging markets, have responded by diversifying incrementally but persistently into gold.

The scale of the shift is significant. Central bank gold purchases over the past 15 to 20 years have more than offset the sales seen in the early 1990s. Gold’s share of global reserves has risen markedly, while the dollar’s share has declined from its early-2000s peak. Importantly, the process appears far from complete. Historical norms suggest that gold’s share of reserves could rise further if current trends continue.

This steady, price-insensitive demand creates a floor under the gold market. It does not prevent volatility – far from it – but it alters the long-term trajectory. When gold sells off in response to rising interest rates or short-term shifts in sentiment, central banks often step in as buyers. 

Silver’s Dual Role

Silver, while sharing some of gold’s monetary characteristics, introduces an additional layer of complexity. It is both a precious metal and an industrial commodity. Demand for silver is tied not only to monetary conditions but also to manufacturing, technology, and energy transitions. 

In a scenario where geopolitical conflict pushes commodity prices higher and disrupts supply chains, silver can benefit from both channels: its role as a store of value and its industrial applications.

At the same time, silver tends to be more volatile than gold. In periods of financial stress, it can initially decline alongside risk assets before recovering as monetary concerns come to the forefront. This dual nature makes silver particularly sensitive to shifts in investor psychology and economic expectations.

Looking ahead, several forces are likely to shape the outlook for gold and silver.

First, fiscal conditions are deteriorating. War spending, combined with already elevated public debt levels, implies continued pressure on government finances. Financing these deficits requires either higher taxes, higher borrowing, or some combination of the two. In practice, it often leads to a reliance on looser monetary policy over time. 

Even if central banks resist in the short term, the longer-term trajectory tends to favor policies that ease the burden of debt. This environment is historically supportive of precious metals.

Second, energy prices remain a key variable. The Iran conflict has already demonstrated how quickly supply disruptions can feed into broader inflation. If oil prices remain elevated, or become more volatile, the inflation outlook will stay uncertain. That uncertainty complicates monetary policy and increases the likelihood of central bank policy errors – another factor that tends to support gold.

Third, the internal dynamics of the Federal Reserve are changing. A divided committee, a new chair, and lingering political pressures create an environment in which policy signals may be increasingly inconsistent. Markets do not require perfection from central banks, but they do require coherence. When that coherence is lacking, investors seek alternative anchors of value.

Finally, the gradual shift in global reserve composition continues. While it is unlikely that the dollar will lose its dominant role in the near term, even marginal changes in central bank behavior can have meaningful effects on gold demand. This is not a short-term trading factor but a structural trend.

Conclusion

Taken together, these forces suggest that the recent breather taken by gold and silver may be less a sign of a fading bull market than a pause within a broader, longer-term adjustment. As gold “catches up” to the realities of higher energy prices, persistent inflation, and institutional uncertainty, price volatility is likely to increase. Silver, with its additional industrial dimension, may exhibit even sharper swings.

For the knowledgeable observer, the key takeaway is not that gold and silver move mechanically with any single variable, but that they respond to the overall coherence – or lack thereof – of the monetary and fiscal system. 

When that system appears stable, predictable, and disciplined, precious metals tend to recede into the background. When it appears strained, conflicted, or uncertain, they reassert their role. The current environment leans toward the latter.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and a Senior Research Fellow who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

The post Gold, Silver, War, and a Fractured Fed appeared first on Top Rated Gold IRA Company - Goldco Precious Metals.

If you asked people who know about gold whether it is a high quality liquid asset, you probably would have quite a few who would answer in the affirmative. Gold can certainly be produced to high quality, and it is a notoriously liquid asset.

But the term “high quality liquid asset” (HQLA) has a specific meaning in post-financial crisis financial regulation. And for the purposes of modern banking regulation gold is not considered to be an HQLA, while cash, US Treasuries, and even some corporate stock and debt instruments are.

For people who understand gold markets and gold price performance, this can seem puzzling. But given gold’s continued popularity and recent price performance, could gold eventually get added to the list of high quality liquid assets?

Is Gold High Quality?

When we think of high quality, particularly when it comes to metals, we often think of purity. The more pure a metal is, the fewer impurities it has, the higher the quality.

Gold can come in a variety of different purities, from raw gold ingots that have to be purified at by assayers, to 24-karat gold, which most people recognize as being the purest form of gold there is.

Gold bars and gold coins that are bought and sold every day around the world are often produced to similarly high purities. For the gold market, including both futures contracts and physical trading of gold bars, gold must be at least 99.5% pure gold (.995 fineness).

These high purity levels are also required for gold coins or gold bars that are acquired for people wishing to hold gold within a gold IRA. But in practice, most IRA-eligible gold coins or gold bars are minted or cast with even higher quality, with finenesses of .999 or .9999 (99.9% and 99.99% pure gold).

Most people understand that gold can be produced to a very high quality. But is gold also a liquid asset?

Is Gold a Liquid Asset?

When you think about liquid assets, you think about assets that can be easily sold for cash. Cash obviously is as liquid as it gets, but it’s an asset that many financial institutions want to minimize their holdings of, as it imposes storage and transfer costs and doesn’t offer any return.

As far as liquidity goes, gold is one of the most liquid assets there is, with gold markets operating nearly 24/7 around the world. Not only are gold markets widespread and liquid, but they’re pretty heavily traded too, with $361 billion of gold trading hands every day.

That liquidity in gold markets means that pricing is fairly transparent, and opportunities for arbitrage are relatively rare.

But now that we’ve seen that gold is both high quality and a liquid asset, can we say that gold is a high quality liquid asset?

What Is a High Quality Liquid Asset?

In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, banking authorities sought to develop an international banking framework to shore up the banking system and prevent further such crises from negatively impacting the financial system.

Under the aegis of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, a committee created by central banks of the G10 countries in the 1970s, a third round of Basel Accords was undertaken, which is commonly referred to as Basel III.

Basel III builds upon the first two rounds of Basel Accords, from 1988 and 2004, with the express goal of reducing the risk of bank runs and bank failures through setting international standards for bank capital requirements, stress tests, liquidity regulations, and leverage.

Among the key characteristics of Basel III is its introduction of a liquidity coverage ratio (LCR), which is designed to ensure that banks have enough of a reserve of high quality liquid assets (HQLA) to survive a 30-day liquidity crisis.

For purposes of Basel III, high quality liquid assets (HQLA) are cash or assets that can be quickly sold for cash or pledged as collateral with no significant loss of value. Basel III created three different types of HQLA: Level 1, Level 2A, and Level 2B.

Among the assets considered Level 1 HQLA are coins and banknotes, central bank reserves, and securities guaranteed by sovereigns, central banks, or multilateral institutions such as the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and International Monetary Fund (IMF). This would include US Treasury securities.

Level 2A HQLA include other marketable securities guaranteed by sovereigns and central banks, and corporate debt securities or covered bonds that are not issued by financial institutions and that have at least an AA rating. These assets are subject to a 15% haircut.

Level 2B HQLA include many residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS), corporate bonds that are rated at least BBB-, and some shares of stock that are not issued by a financial institution and that are traded on exchanges. These assets are subject to a 50% haircut.

Noticeably absent from the list of allowed HQLAs is gold.

Gold’s quality and liquidity are well-known. In fact, during the 2008 financial crisis gold was a vital source of liquidity to institutions that held gold and needed to come up with cash quickly.

The London Bullion Market Association cites recent research that:

“…argues that gold meets the characteristics of a Level 1 HQLA, namely low bid-ask spreads, high volumes, relatively low volatility and negative correlation with risky assets during stress periods. The quantitative analysis shows that gold is highly liquid and, indeed, among the most liquid assets across a sample of top tier government bonds both on a long term and during a financial stress event. Gold generally performs similarly to a 30-year US Treasury bond.”

With that kind of data backing it, not to mention the fact that central banks not only have been massive buyers of gold but also hold more gold than they do US Treasuries, it remains curious that gold still is not listed as an acceptable high quality liquid asset.

If gold is good enough for central bankers, why should it not be good enough for financial institutions?

You could be forgiven for thinking that there’s some sort of conspiracy underfoot to deny the importance of gold to the international financial system, or to provide incentives for banks to buy government bonds which help governments spend more money, versus buying gold which doesn’t fund government coffers.

But whatever the reasons for financial regulators to continue to overlook gold, the push to classify gold as an HQLA is well underway, with both the LBMA and the World Gold Council pushing for gold to receive official HQLA classification. Will that sway the decisionmakers in Basel?

We’ll just have to see. But if gold were to receive HQLA classification, what would that mean for the average gold owner?

What Could Happen If Gold Were to Become an HQLA

If gold were to become classified as an HQLA, it would become one of the assets financial institutions could own in order to comply with Basel III liquidity requirements. No longer would financial institutions be limited to government bonds, corporate debt, MBS, or stocks.

Given the research LBMA has cited regarding gold’s ability to serve as a high quality liquid asset, a classification of gold as an HQLA could mean that financial institutions might in the future start buying gold to hold in their vaults. And that increased demand for gold could end up providing an additional boost to the gold price.

Much of the rise in the gold price over the past several years has been attributed to demand from central banks, who have been net buyers of gold for years. If a few dozen central banks buying gold can provide that much of a boost to the gold price, just imagine how much extra demand for gold could result from hundreds of international banks and financial institutions buying gold to hold to fulfill their liquidity requirements.

Put Gold to Work for You

Whether or not gold ends up being classified as an HQLA, it remains a popular safe haven asset for people around the world. Its recent price growth and numerous recent all-time highs have brought gold renewed popularity and attention.

Buying gold can be done relatively easily, whether you want to buy physical gold coins to store at home, or gold bars and gold coins to store in a gold IRA. Goldco’s precious metals specialists have worked with thousands of customers over the years to help them benefit from owning gold.

With over 8,000 5-star reviews from our customers and over $3 billion in precious metals placements, Goldco has worked hard to become one of the best gold IRA companies in the country. Get in touch with Goldco today to learn more about your gold buying options.

The post Is Gold a High Quality Liquid Asset? appeared first on Top Rated Gold IRA Company - Goldco Precious Metals.

When you think of gold bars, you probably think of Fort Knox, or the Federal Reserve’s subterranean vault in New York, with piles and piles of gold bars sitting stacked on rows upon rows of pallets.

But while the government does own hundreds of millions of ounces of large gold bars, gold bars that cost millions of dollars apiece aren’t the only options out there when it comes to buying gold bars. Gold bars come in a variety of weights to suit just about anyone’s budget.

If you want to learn more about gold bars, and why owning gold is so important, keep reading.

How Gold Bars Are Produced

• Casting
• Minting

There are two primary methods of producing gold bars: casting and minting.

Cast gold bars, sometimes referred to as poured gold bars, are produced by pouring molten gold into a form or mold. Depending on the size of the mold and how they’re processed after casting, these bars may not weigh exactly the amount they’re supposed to.

For instance, the 400-ounce Good Delivery bars that are the backbone of the London gold market don’t have to weigh exactly 400 ounces, they’re allowed to weigh between 350 and 430 ounces.

This doesn’t mean, though, that you’ll pay a 400-ounce price for a bar that weighs 350 ounces or one that weighs 430 ounces. These bars will be measured on delivery and priced according to their actual weight.

Minted gold bars are normally produced from rectangularly-shaped gold blanks of a certain weight, which are then minted in a press in a similar manner to gold coins. The surface finish of these gold bars is normally smoother and shinier than that of cast gold bars.

Units of Weight for Precious Metals

• Troy Ounce
• Gram
• Kilogram

If you’ve ever tried to buy gold, you probably have noticed that most gold coins are weighed in ounces. More specifically, they’re weighed in troy ounces, not the avoirdupois or “standard” ounces that you’re used to in the grocery store.

An avoirdupois or “standard” pound weighs 7,000 grains, and is divided into 16 ounces, which each weigh 437.5 grains. If you own guns you’ll know grains as a weight, so one standard ounce weighs the same as about 2 .45 ACP bullets or 4 9mm bullets.

A troy ounce, on the other hand, weighs 480 grains, and there are 12 troy ounces to a troy pound, so that the troy pound weighs 5,760 grains. Thus while a troy ounce weighs more than a standard ounce, a troy pound is lighter than a standard pound.

But gold bars aren’t measured just in troy ounces. They can also be measured in grams or kilograms, which are popular measurements in Europe and Asia.

If you remember your metric system from high school, these are the same grams and kilograms that are used in scientific measurement.

Smaller bars are generally weighed in grams. Larger bars are weighed in kilograms, with the 1-kilo bar being one of the approved sizes for futures contracts on US exchanges.

While the many different units of measurement can make it a little difficult to compare sizes between metric and troy ounce-denominated gold bars, our handy table below can help you make comparisons between different sizes of gold bars.

Common Sizes and Weights of Gold Bars

Like gold coins, gold bars come in a variety of sizes and weights. Here are some gold bar sizes you may encounter during your search for gold bars to buy.

The Good Delivery Bar and System

The Good Delivery system is a series of standards and rules established by the London Bullion Market Association to describe the physical characteristics of gold bars used in the London gold market. The rules encompass not only the characteristics of the gold bars themselves, but also set requirements for approved refineries and set up a number of companies as referees for the system.

Gold Good Delivery bars must meet a minimum fineness of .995 (99.5% pure gold) and must weigh between 350 and 430 ounces. Bars must also be marked with a serial number, a year of manufacture, their fineness, and the refiner’s hallmark. There are also a series of recommended dimensions for Good Delivery bars.

Any bars that don’t meet Good Delivery standards must be marked with NGD, for Non-Good Delivery. This system helps ensure that the bars that circulate in London gold markets conform to a universally accepted set of standards.

The average gold buyer, however, isn’t going to be able to purchase a Good Delivery bar, which at the current time would cost about $2 million or more. Still, you have a choice of what size of gold bar to buy, and you may need to choose between large gold bars and small gold bars.

Advantages of Small Gold Bars vs. Large Gold Bars

1. Small Gold Bars Are More Affordable

In absolute terms, small gold bars are cheaper than large gold bars. A 1-gram gold bar will cost you several hundred dollars, while a 1-kilo gold bar will cost you several hundred thousand dollars.

For those with smaller budgets, buying smaller gold bars will allow you to buy more gold bars than if you were to choose large gold bars.

2. Small Gold Bars Can Be More Liquid

Gold markets are already highly liquid, with gold trading around the world nearly 24/7. But when it comes to selling the gold you own, you want to know whether there will be a buyer available.

Because small gold bars cost less, it can be easier to find a buyer for them when it comes time to sell. The number of people who can buy a $500 gold bar is going to be much larger than those who can buy a $50,000 gold bar.

3. Small Gold Bars Are Easier to Store and Transport

Gold is a very compact store of wealth, and even a 400-ounce Good Delivery bar is relatively easy to hide. But these large bars are heavy and often require specialized transport to ship.

Compared to large gold bars, small gold bars are easy to store at home, hide in a tucked away corner of a bookshelf, or carry in your purse or even your pocket.

4. Small Gold Bars Can Make Nice Gifts

If you have children or grandchildren whom you want to teach about the importance of precious metals in helping to protect and build wealth, a small gold bar can be a relatively inexpensive way to introduce them to precious metals.

Disadvantages of Small Gold Bars vs. Large Gold Bars

Of course, there are some disadvantages to small gold bars too.

1. Small Gold Bars Often Come With Higher Premiums

One of the major disadvantages to small gold bars is that you’ll pay higher premiums versus the spot price of gold than you would for larger gold bars.

A 1-kilo cast gold bar is relatively  straightforward to produce. Just pour 1 kilogram of molten gold into a mold, let it cool, then stamp it with a hallmark, serial number, and fineness, and you’re done.

With a 1-gram gold bar you’re going to be minting that bar on a specialized press. For 1 kilogram of gold, that means getting 1,000 1-gram planchets, minting each one with specialized dies that you’ve designed and machined.

1-gram gold bars are also tiny, which means they can be easily lost, so they’re often placed inside a plastic holder with a specific bar code, QR code, or other certificate of authenticity.

The amount of work it takes to produce 1 kilogram of 1-gram bars is a lot more than it takes to produce a single 1-kilo gold bar, and that will be reflected in a higher price per ounce of gold on the smaller bars.

2. Smaller Gold Bars Aren’t as Cost-Effective

That means that if you’re looking to buy gold at the lowest unit cost, buying smaller gold bars, or the smallest gold bars, may not get you the best bang for your buck.

When looking at small gold bars vs. large gold bars, you’ll want to balance your desire for liquidity and compactness with the ability to maximize how much gold your dollars can buy.

Advantages of Gold Bars vs. Gold Coins

1. Gold Bars Sometime Command Lower Premiums

Compared to gold coins, gold bars sometimes command lower premiums. While the savings per unit may be small, if you’re making a large gold purchase that difference in premiums could add up.

2. Gold Bars Can Be Stacked and Stored More Efficiently

Square or rectangular gold bars are more efficient at saving space than round gold coins, as they maximize use of corners. Stacking gold coins also generally requires buying coin tubes, some of which are round also and don’t stack as well as square tubes.

If you’re buying large amounts of gold, gold bars may stack easier and help you minimize the storage footprint of your gold.

3. Gold Bars Come in a Wider Range of Sizes

Gold coins normally come in 1/10, ¼, ½, and 1-ounce sizes. Occasionally you may find smaller gold coins, like 1/20-ounce, or larger coins like 2-ounce gold coins.

Gold bars, on the other hand, are available in over a dozen different weights, measured in both metric weights and troy ounce weights. If you have a specific weight of gold that you want to buy, you might have a better chance of finding it in gold bars rather than gold coins.

Disadvantages of Gold Bars vs. Gold Coins

Gold bars have disadvantages, too, which is one reason gold coins remain so popular.

1. Gold Bar Holdings Aren’t Easily Divisible

If you buy large gold bars, you can’t sell small portions of your gold holdings, you’ll have to sell the entire bar. If you have a 500-gram gold bar, for instance, that’s about 16 ounces of gold.

You’ll have a lot easier time trying to sell 16 1-ounce gold coins than trying to sell a single 500-gram gold bar.

2. Possible Authentication Issues

Depending on how large your bar is or how it’s packaged, the buyer may want to assay and test it upon delivery. That can add time and expense when you want to sell.

3. Lower Liquidity

If you try to sell your gold bars locally, local buyers may not be as familiar with gold bars, particularly from smaller or less well-known issuers, than with popular gold coins from mints like the US Mint, Perth Mint, or New Zealand Mint.

That could mean lower offers to buy, or perhaps buyers passing on buying your gold bars.

4. Need for Storage

Larger gold bars, while a compact store of value, can be harder to securely store at home. That may require you to buy a safe or store them in a safe deposit box, which adds expense.

Gold coins, especially if you only have a small number of them, can be hidden discreetly around your home.

5. No Numismatic Value

Some gold coins can gain extra value to collectors through rarity, condition, or other factors that make them more valuable than just their gold content. Gold bars won’t ever have that added numismatic value.

Common Questions About Gold Bars

How can I tell if a gold bar is real?: There are numerous ways to check if the gold bars you have are real. One of the first things to do is to check if the bar matches the published dimensions and weight.

Gold bars are also non-magnetic, so they should not be attracted to a magnet. Gold also makes a distinctive pinging sound when it is struck, versus base metals which have more of a thudding sound.

Finally, there are chemical tests that can be done by professionals, although these may damage your gold products.

But one of the best ways to avoid counterfeit gold is to work with trusted partners like Goldco who work with mints around the world to bring you guaranteed authentic gold so that you don’t have to worry about possibly buying counterfeit gold.

What is the best gold to buy?: That all depends on your particular needs and how gold fits into your financial planning.

For some people, gold may make up a large portion of their portfolio, and they may hang onto it for a long time. Others may only want to buy gold as a short-term hedge against a possible economic downturn.

And other people may just want to hang onto a few gold coins or gold bars at home in case of a rainy day. How much gold you buy and the form you buy it in will be determined by how you plan to make use of your gold.

How can I keep my gold bars safe?: Gold that you buy with a direct cash purchase can be stored at home, in a safe deposit box or, if you’re making a particularly big purchase, can be stored in a bullion depository.

If you’re buying gold through a gold IRA, your gold bars will have to be stored in a bullion depository. Goldco works with experienced precious metals bullion depositories to ensure that our customers’ precious metals assets remain safe and secure.

What precious metals can I hold in a gold IRA?: Gold IRAs aren’t limited to just gold. They can also hold silver coins or silver bars, as well as platinum and palladium bullion.

What kinds of gold bars are IRA-eligible?: IRAs are only allowed to acquire gold coins or gold bars with a minimum fineness of .995 (99.5% pure silver). Using IRA assets to purchase gold coins or gold bars with a lower gold content that are not IRA-eligible would be considered a distribution of assets and could subject you to taxes and penalties.

Can I take physical possession of the gold in my gold IRA?: The gold in your gold IRA must be stored in a bullion depository, but you may take possession of that gold when you decide to take a distribution through an in-kind distribution.

Some companies claim that there is such a thing as a home storage IRA, which purportedly allows you to purchase gold and silver using IRA assets and store those precious metals at home. These types of arrangements have been explicitly banned by tax courts, and anyone attempting to start a home storage IRA could face significant taxes and penalties.

How can I fund a gold IRA?: One of the most popular ways to fund a gold IRA is through a gold IRA rollover. You can roll over assets tax-free from an existing retirement account such as a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or IRA account into a gold IRA.

Goldco’s precious metals specialists have helped many customers navigate this rollover process. Contact our specialists to learn more about how the gold IRA rollover process works.

I already own gold bars. Can I move those into a gold IRA?: IRAs are prohibited from engaging in certain transactions, including IRA owners selling their property to an IRA.

This is why it can be helpful to consult with your financial advisor or tax advisor to go through the IRA rules and regulations in order to make sure that you don’t inadvertently end up making a mistake that could subject you to taxes and penalties.

How to Buy Gold Bars

There are numerous ways to buy gold bars, from going down to your local coin shop, frequenting online marketplaces, or finding established precious metals companies that can provide you with gold products.

Gold can be purchased as a direct cash transaction, allowing you to take possession of your gold and store it in whichever way you see fit.

You can also buy gold bars for a gold IRA, which allows you to own physical gold within a tax-advantaged retirement account.

Gold IRAs can be funded through tax-free rollovers from existing retirement accounts such as a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or IRA account. And when you take a distribution from your gold IRA, you can take it either in cash or in gold.

As with any other asset purchase, whether you choose to buy gold bars is a decision that you’ll make after assessing your unique individual goals. Each person’s financial situation, time horizon, and financial ability can play a role in whether they buy gold bars.

Some people look to gold as an inflation hedge against inflation that remains stubborn. Others may fear a potential financial crisis, and look to gold as a safe haven asset, hoping it will perform in the next few years just as well as it did from 2008 to 2011.

And other people may just want to diversify their portfolios a little bit, just in case.

If you’re looking to buy gold, no matter the reason, it can be important to work with trusted partners who can provide you with the products and support you need.

Goldco has worked hard to make ourselves one of the top gold and silver companies in the country, and our more than 8,000 5-star reviews are a testament to the lengths we go to provide premium gold and silver products and exemplary customer service.

Our specialists have helped thousands of customers benefit from adding gold to their portfolios. Will you be next?

Call Goldco today to learn more about how owning gold can help you safeguard your financial future.

The post How Much Do Gold Bars Weigh? appeared first on Top Rated Gold IRA Company - Goldco Precious Metals.

Gold continues to attract attention as investors and analysts debate its long-term potential. Recently, a bold question has entered the conversation: will gold go to 8000 an ounce?

Some market commentators have pointed to extreme macroeconomic scenarios where gold could reach significantly higher price levels than today. For example, coverage from Yahoo Finance highlights analysis tied to Deutsche Bank suggesting that, under certain conditions, gold prices could potentially double toward the $8,000 per ounce range.

Naturally, this raises an important question: Is such a move plausible—and what would need to happen for gold to reach that level?

While no outcome is guaranteed, examining the broader economic landscape can help provide context around this type of projection.

What is Driving the “Will Gold go to 8000 an Ounce?” Discussion?

High-end gold price scenarios are typically based on a combination of macroeconomic pressures, monetary policy shifts, and structural changes in global financial systems.

In the Yahoo Finance article referencing Deutsche Bank, the discussion centers on conditions where gold could reprice significantly higher—particularly in response to large-scale currency shifts or changes in how global reserves are valued.

These projections are not consensus forecasts, but rather scenario-based analyses that explore what could happen under extreme circumstances.

Key Factors That Could Influence Gold Prices

While markets are inherently uncertain, several widely discussed themes often play a role in shaping gold’s trajectory.

1. Monetary Policy and Currency Dynamics

Gold is often discussed in relation to fiat currencies, particularly the U.S. dollar.

Factors that may influence gold include:

• Interest rate policies from central banks
• Expansion of money supply
• Long-term currency purchasing power

In environments where currencies face sustained pressure or devaluation, gold is sometimes viewed as a store of value due to its limited supply.

2. Inflation and Purchasing Power Concerns

Historically, gold has been associated with periods of elevated inflation or concerns about declining purchasing power.

If inflation were to persist at higher-than-expected levels over an extended period, it could influence demand for hard assets.

However, inflation trends can vary significantly over time and are influenced by a wide range of economic factors.

3. Central Bank Activity

Central banks around the world hold gold as part of their reserves.

In recent years, there has been increased attention on:

• Gold accumulation by certain countries
• Diversification away from traditional reserve currencies
• Strategic reserve management

Changes in central bank behavior can impact supply-demand dynamics in the gold market.

4. Global Economic and Geopolitical Conditions

Gold has historically been discussed during periods of:

• Economic uncertainty
• Financial market volatility
• Geopolitical tensions

In such environments, some market participants monitor gold as part of broader risk management or diversification discussions.

5. Supply Constraints and Physical Scarcity

Unlike fiat currency, gold cannot be created on demand—it must be mined.

Key supply considerations include:

• Limited new discoveries
• Rising extraction costs
• Long development timelines for new mining projects

While supply is relatively stable compared to other commodities, it does not rapidly adjust to changes in demand.

Is a $8,000 Gold Price Realistic?

The idea behind the question “will gold go to 8000 an ounce?” represents a high-end, scenario-based outcome rather than a widely accepted forecast.

In the case of Deutsche Bank, the $8,000 discussion is generally framed as a conditional scenario—one that could unfold if significant macroeconomic shifts occur, such as large-scale currency adjustments or systemic financial changes.

For gold to reach such levels, multiple factors would likely need to occur simultaneously, including:

• Significant currency devaluation
• Structural changes in the global financial system
• Sustained inflationary pressures
• Strong and persistent demand for physical gold

While these conditions are possible, they would represent an extreme alignment of economic forces.

It is also important to recognize that long-term commodity forecasts can vary widely and are subject to change as new data becomes available.

How Does Gold Behave in Volatile Markets?

Gold is often discussed as having characteristics such as:

• A potential store of value during uncertainty
• Sensitivity to interest rate changes
• A relationship with currency movements

However, gold prices can also experience periods of volatility and do not always move in a predictable direction.

For example:

• Rising interest rates can sometimes pressure gold prices
• Strong economic growth may reduce demand for defensive assets
• Market sentiment can shift quickly

This complexity makes gold a unique asset within the broader financial landscape.

The Role of Gold in a Diversified Portfolio

Diversification is a commonly referenced concept in financial planning.

Some individuals consider gold as part of a broader strategy that may include:

• Exposure to different asset classes
• Consideration of tangible assets
• Long-term wealth preservation discussions

At the same time, gold has important characteristics to consider:

• It does not generate income (like dividends or interest)
• Prices can fluctuate
• Market timing can be challenging

Any role gold may play depends on individual financial objectives and risk tolerance.

A Measured Perspective on Bold Price Targets

High-end projections—such as the idea that gold could reach $8,000 per ounce—are best understood as exploratory scenarios rather than definitive predictions.

When institutions like Deutsche Bank outline such possibilities, they are typically illustrating what could happen under specific economic conditions—not forecasting a guaranteed outcome.

These projections can serve as:

• Thought exercises about economic extremes
• Reflections of underlying market concerns
• Discussions around long-term monetary trends

Focusing on the broader context, rather than a single price target, can provide a more balanced perspective.

Final Thoughts

So, will gold go to 8000 an ounce?

It is a possibility that would likely require a rare convergence of powerful global economic forces, including shifts in monetary systems, inflation dynamics, and investor behavior.

While such a scenario is not impossible, it remains speculative and dependent on conditions that may or may not materialize.

What the discussion does highlight, however, is gold’s continued relevance in conversations about currency, inflation, and long-term financial stability.

Important Disclosures

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, or tax advice. Nothing herein constitutes a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any asset.

All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Commodity markets can be volatile and are influenced by a wide range of economic and geopolitical factors.

Past performance is not indicative of future results. Forward-looking statements and scenario analyses are inherently uncertain and may not reflect actual outcomes.

Before making any financial decisions, consider consulting with a qualified financial professional to evaluate your individual circumstances.

To Start Your Gold IRA Today:

Download Your Free Gold IRA Guide | Open Your Gold IRA Account | Book Your Consultation

Protect your financial future with Allegiance Gold an Inc 5000 company– Your trusted partner in Gold and Silver IRA investments.

Buy Now	Buy Now

Act now and join the millions who trust gold to secure their wealth.

The post Will Gold Go to $8000 an Ounce? appeared first on Allegiance Gold.

Silver is back in the spotlight. With growing interest in precious metals and renewed volatility across global markets, a bold projection has captured attention: Bank of America suggesting that silver could potentially surge to as high as $309 per ounce in the coming years.

Naturally, this has sparked a key question among investors and market watchers: Is such a move realistic—and what factors could drive it?

While no forecast is guaranteed, examining the data, market trends, and underlying fundamentals can help provide context around this ambitious outlook.

What Is Driving the “Bank of America Silver 309 Price” Projection?

Price forecasts for commodities like silver are typically based on a combination of macroeconomic conditions, supply-demand dynamics, and long-term structural trends.

In recent analyses from major financial institutions, several themes have emerged that help explain why some analysts are considering significantly higher price scenarios for silver.

Key Factors That Could Influence Silver Prices by 2026

While markets are inherently unpredictable, there are several widely discussed drivers that could play a role in shaping silver’s trajectory.

1. Industrial Demand Continues to Grow

Silver is not just a precious metal—it is also a critical industrial material.

It plays a key role in:

• Solar panels and renewable energy infrastructure
• Electric vehicles and battery technologies
• Electronics and semiconductors

As global economies continue transitioning toward cleaner energy and advanced technologies, demand for silver in industrial applications has been steadily increasing.

Some analysts suggest that this structural demand could tighten supply over time, potentially putting upward pressure on prices.

2. Supply Constraints and Mining Challenges

Unlike fiat currency, silver cannot simply be created—it must be mined.

However, silver production faces several constraints:

• Declining ore grades in existing mines
• Limited new large-scale discoveries
• Environmental and regulatory hurdles

In many cases, silver is also produced as a byproduct of mining other metals, meaning supply is not always directly responsive to price increases.

If demand rises faster than supply, this imbalance could become a significant factor in future price movements.

3. Inflation and Currency Concerns

Precious metals have historically been associated with periods of:

• Inflation
• Currency depreciation
• Economic uncertainty

While inflation levels have fluctuated in recent years, concerns about long-term currency stability and purchasing power remain part of the broader economic conversation.

In such environments, some investors look toward tangible assets like silver as part of a diversification strategy.

4. Investment Demand and Market Sentiment

Silver markets can be influenced not only by fundamentals, but also by investor behavior.

Periods of heightened interest in:

• Exchange-traded products
• Physical silver ownership
• Retail investor participation

can amplify price movements, especially given silver’s relatively smaller market size compared to gold.

In past cycles, strong inflows into silver-related investments have contributed to rapid price increases.

5. Gold-to-Silver Ratio Dynamics

Another metric often referenced by analysts is the gold-to-silver ratio, which measures how many ounces of silver are needed to purchase one ounce of gold.

Historically, when this ratio is elevated, some analysts interpret it as silver being undervalued relative to gold.

If the ratio were to normalize over time—particularly in a strong precious metals environment—silver could potentially outperform on a percentage basis.

Is a $309 Silver Price Realistic?

The idea behind the “Bank of America silver 309 price” projection represents a high-end scenario rather than a consensus expectation.

Reaching such a level would likely require a combination of factors occurring simultaneously, such as:

• Sustained global demand growth
• Significant supply shortages
• Strong investor inflows
• Broader economic or monetary instability

While these conditions are not impossible, they represent an extreme alignment of market forces.

It’s also important to note that commodity price forecasts—especially long-term ones—can vary widely and are subject to change as new data emerges.

What Happens to Silver in Volatile Markets?

Historically, silver has exhibited both:

• Safe-haven characteristics (similar to gold)
• Industrial sensitivity (tied to economic growth)

This dual nature can lead to increased volatility.

For example:

• During economic expansion, industrial demand may support prices
• During uncertainty, investment demand may increase
• In downturns, industrial demand could soften

This complexity makes silver a unique asset that does not always move in a straight line.

The Role of Silver in a Diversified Portfolio

Diversification is a commonly discussed concept in financial planning—spreading exposure across different asset types.

Some investors consider precious metals like silver as:

• A potential hedge against certain economic risks
• A way to diversify beyond traditional stocks and bonds
• A tangible asset not directly tied to corporate performance

However, silver also carries important considerations:

• Price volatility can be significant
• It does not generate income
• Market timing can be difficult

As with any asset, its role depends on individual financial goals and risk tolerance.

A Measured Perspective on Bold Forecasts

High-end projections like the “Bank of America silver 309 price” scenario can be useful for understanding what could happen under extreme conditions—but they are not predictions of certainty.

They are better viewed as:

• Scenario analysis
• Long-term possibilities
• Reflections of underlying market pressures

For investors and individuals, the focus often remains on understanding the broader landscape rather than reacting to a single forecast.

Final Thoughts

Could silver reach $309 per ounce by 2026?

It’s a possibility that would depend on a rare convergence of powerful market forces—rising demand, constrained supply, and significant economic shifts.

While such a scenario is not guaranteed, the discussion around it highlights an important reality: silver continues to play a meaningful role in both industrial growth and financial markets.

For those exploring the space, the key is not just the price target—but understanding why such projections are being discussed, and how they fit into a broader financial strategy.

Important Disclosures

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, or tax advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Before making any financial decisions, consider consulting with a qualified financial professional to evaluate your individual circumstances.

To Start Your Gold IRA Today:

Download Your Free Gold IRA Guide | Open Your Gold IRA Account | Book Your Consultation

Protect your financial future with Allegiance Gold an Inc 5000 company– Your trusted partner in Gold and Silver IRA investments.

Buy Now	Buy Now

Act now and join the millions who trust gold to secure their wealth.

The post Bank of America Silver 309 Price: Could Silver Reach Record Highs by 2026? appeared first on Allegiance Gold.

• Republican-led states are increasingly passing legislation to recognize gold and silver as legal tender, signaling a growing skepticism toward fiat currency.
• Central banks in emerging markets are aggressively diversifying into gold to insulate themselves from dollar-denominated risks and sanctions. 
• Because the investable gold market is tiny compared to global equity and fixed income markets, even minor reallocations can cause significant price surges.
• Gold is re-emerging as a mainstream form of “financial insurance” with no counterparty risk, appealing to those seeking independence from centralized policy decisions.

In recent years, gold has reemerged not only as a financial asset but as a political one, supported not just by nations and central banks but increasingly by subnational governments within the United States. 

A wave of legislation across Republican-led states—including Georgia, Arizona, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Utah—has sought to recognize gold and silver as legal tender or otherwise facilitate their use in transactions and savings. 

These efforts are not, in any immediate sense, about replacing the dollar or reestablishing a gold standard. Practical constraints ranging from price volatility to the absence of transactional infrastructure make such outcomes unlikely in the near term. But as signals, they are meaningful. 

They reflect a growing skepticism toward fiat currency, a deepening sensitivity to inflation, and a broader shift in political and economic sentiment toward tangible stores of value. The legislative details vary, but the direction is consistent. 

Hard Money Legislation From The States

In Iowa, a House panel advanced a bill to recognize gold and silver as legal tender, while in Arizona, lawmakers have proposed measures allowing state agencies to transact in precious metals.

 Georgia has considered similar legislation, and Oklahoma has explored frameworks for treating gold and silver as money under state law. Utah—long at the forefront of such efforts—has already recognized gold and silver as legal tender and continues to revisit related policies, even as its governor recently vetoed unrelated fiscal measures in the same legislative cycle. 

These initiatives build on earlier moves in states like Texas, which established a state-run bullion depository in 2015, and Tennessee, which has studied similar infrastructure. Taken together, they suggest that the idea of “hard money” is no longer confined to academic debate or fringe advocacy, but is reentering mainstream political discourse at multiple levels of government.

A Global Flight to Tangible Reserves

This state-level activity parallels a broader global trend. Central banks, particularly in emerging markets, have been steadily increasing their gold reserves over the past decade. The motivations are well understood: diversification away from dollar-denominated assets, insulation from sanctions risk, and a desire to hold reserves that are not liabilities of another sovereign. 

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the freezing of foreign reserves, these concerns intensified. While developed-market central banks often hold gold in the mid double digits as a share of reserves, emerging markets tend to be closer to the low- to mid-teens—a gap they have been actively working to close. China, among others, has been actively increasing its holdings, taking advantage of price dips to accumulate at scale. Even instances of central bank selling—often to stabilize currencies or meet fiscal needs—underscore gold’s enduring role as a reserve asset of last resort.

The Mechanics of Scarcity: Why Gold is Highly Sensitive

Against this backdrop, the structure of the gold market itself reinforces the long-term case. The total above-ground stock of gold is estimated at roughly 220,000 tonnes, with an approximate market value of $31 trillion, of which about $15 trillion is considered investable. 

This is small relative to global financial markets: combined global equity and fixed income markets exceed $270 trillion. As a result, even modest reallocations toward gold can have outsized price effects. Limited supply growth further amplifies this dynamic, as new production adds only marginally to existing stock. 

In this sense, gold’s appeal is not just philosophical or political, but mechanical: it is a relatively small, finite market within a vast global financial system, making it highly sensitive to incremental demand.

Beyond Safe Havens: Gold as Modern Financial Insurance

Recent events have complicated, but not undermined , gold’s role. The Iran conflict, for example, exposed some of the limitations of gold as a near-term safe haven. Rather than rallying consistently alongside geopolitical stress, gold prices have been influenced by competing forces, including rising real yields and a stronger dollar. 

This has led some to question its reliability in periods of acute crisis. Yet such episodes do not negate gold’s broader function. If anything, they highlight how its role has evolved—from a simple hedge against immediate turmoil to a more complex asset influenced by monetary conditions, portfolio flows, and policy expectations. The long-term bull case remains intact, even if the path is more volatile than in prior cycles.

What ties these threads together—state-level legislation, central bank accumulation, and structural market dynamics—is a deeper shift in how gold is perceived. It is no longer merely a commodity or a legacy relic of a bygone monetary system. 

Instead, it is increasingly viewed as a form of financial insurance: an asset outside the direct control of any single government, with no counterparty risk, and with a long historical track record as a store of value. This perception is gaining traction not just among institutional investors and policymakers, but also among households and local governments. 

The rise in retail interest in gold, alongside legislative efforts to formalize its role, suggests that inflation psychology has become more entrenched. Even if inflation ultimately moderates, the experience of the past several years has left a lasting imprint on expectations.

Importantly, these developments are occurring within a broader context of policy uncertainty. The Federal Reserve, navigating the dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment, has faced challenges in balancing competing risks. 

Fiscal policy remains expansive, geopolitical tensions persist, and trade dynamics continue to evolve. In such an environment, the appeal of assets perceived as independent of policy decisions naturally increases. 

Gold, by virtue of its characteristics, fits that description. The fact that US states—entities operating within a dollar-based system—are exploring ways to incorporate gold into their financial frameworks underscores the extent of this shift.

The Pendulum Swings: A Shift in the Monetary Landscape

None of this implies an imminent return to a gold standard or a wholesale abandonment of fiat currency. The latter is occurring, albeit at a glacial place; the institutional, logistical, and economic barriers to the former remain substantial, but not insurmountable. (Indeed, many of the arguments against a commodity-backed money standard are erroneous, and prevailing assumptions about its historical performance are incorrect.) 

It does suggest that the intellectual and political pendulum is moving. After decades in which fiat systems were largely taken for granted, there is renewed interest in alternatives, or at least in complements, that offer protection against perceived weaknesses in the current system. Gold, as the most established of these alternatives, is naturally at the center of this conversation.

Conclusion

In that sense, the significance of recent developments lies less in their immediate impact on markets and more in what they signal about longer-term trends. The growing political backing for gold—spanning central banks, national governments, and now US states—reflects a reassessment of monetary and financial arrangements that had seemed settled. 

It is a reminder that confidence in any system, including fiat currency, is ultimately contingent and subject to change. As that confidence is tested, even incrementally, the role of gold as a parallel store of value becomes more prominent.

After decades in which hard money was largely relegated to the margins, the pendulum appears to be swinging, if gradually, back in its direction.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and a Senior Research Fellow who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

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Economic uncertainty is back in the headlines. From persistent inflation to elevated interest rates and global instability, many Americans are asking a simple but important question: Is a recession coming in 2026?

The honest answer is that no one can predict the exact timing of a recession with certainty. However, there are credible indicators and trends that can help investors and households better understand the current environment – and make informed decisions about protecting their financial future.

This article breaks down what a recession is, what signals economists are watching right now, and how individuals can think about preparing – especially in uncertain conditions.

What Is a Recession?

A recession is typically defined as a broad and sustained decline in economic activity. It can include:

• Slowing economic growth
• Rising unemployment
• Reduced consumer spending
• Declines in business investment

In the United States, recessions are officially determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), which looks at a range of economic data rather than relying on a single metric.

Key Signals to Watch in 2026

While the economy does not move in a straight line, several indicators are commonly used to assess recession risk. As of 2026, a number of these signals are worth paying attention to.

1. Interest Rates Remain Elevated

To combat inflation, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates aggressively in recent years. While this policy helped slow price increases, higher borrowing costs can also:

• Reduce business expansion
• Slow housing demand
• Increase debt burdens for consumers

Historically, prolonged periods of elevated rates have sometimes preceded economic slowdowns.

2. Persistent Inflation Pressures

Although inflation has moderated compared to peak levels, many households still feel the impact of higher prices for essentials like housing, food, and energy.

Even “lower” inflation can erode purchasing power over time – especially if wage growth does not keep pace. This dynamic can reduce consumer spending, which is a major driver of economic growth.

3. Slowing Consumer Activity

Consumer spending accounts for roughly two-thirds of U.S. economic activity. When consumers begin to pull back – whether due to higher debt, reduced savings, or economic uncertainty – it can signal broader economic stress.

Recent data suggests that while spending remains resilient, there are signs of moderation in certain sectors.

4. Labor Market Softening

The labor market has been a pillar of strength, but economists are closely watching for changes such as:

• Rising unemployment claims
• Slower job creation
• Reduced hiring demand

A meaningful shift in employment trends could indicate that businesses are becoming more cautious.

5. Yield Curve Inversion

One of the most widely discussed recession indicators is the yield curve. When short-term interest rates exceed long-term rates – known as an inversion – it has historically preceded many recessions.

While not a guarantee, it remains a closely monitored signal among economists and market participants.

So, Is a Recession Coming?

At this stage, the data presents a mixed picture.

Some indicators suggest resilience:

• Continued (though slowing) economic growth
• A still-strong labor market
• Ongoing consumer activity

Others point to caution:

• Tight financial conditions
• Elevated debt levels
• Lingering inflation pressures

The takeaway is not that a recession is inevitable – but that the risk environment is elevated compared to more stable periods.

For individuals and investors, this type of environment often shifts the focus from growth to preservation and risk management.

What Happens to Your Money During a Recession?

Understanding potential impacts can help you prepare more effectively.

During past recessions, various financial assets have responded differently:

• Stocks may experience increased volatility or declines
• Real estate can become less liquid and more sensitive to interest rates
• Cash savings may lose purchasing power if inflation persists

It’s important to note that market performance can vary widely depending on the specific economic conditions and policy responses.

The Role of Diversification

One widely accepted principle in financial planning is diversification – spreading investments across different asset types to help manage risk.

Diversification does not guarantee profits or protect against loss, but it may help reduce exposure to any single asset class during periods of uncertainty.

This is where some investors begin to explore alternative assets, including tangible assets like precious metals.

Where Do Gold and Silver Fit In?

Gold and silver have been used as stores of value for centuries. In modern portfolios, they are sometimes considered for their potential role in diversification.

Historically, precious metals have been associated with:

• Periods of economic uncertainty
• Inflationary environments
• Currency fluctuations

Unlike stocks or bonds, physical gold and silver are not tied to the performance of a specific company or issuer. This independence is one reason they are sometimes viewed as a complementary asset within a broader strategy.

However, it’s important to understand that precious metals also carry risks:

• Prices can fluctuate
• They do not generate income (like dividends or interest)
• Market conditions can affect short-term performance

As with any investment, suitability depends on individual goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance.

A Balanced Approach to Uncertainty

If you’re concerned about the possibility of a recession in 2026, consider focusing on fundamentals:

• Reviewing your overall financial plan
• Maintaining an emergency savings buffer
• Evaluating portfolio diversification
• Avoiding emotionally driven decisions

For some individuals, this may also include learning more about alternative assets and how they fit into a long-term strategy. If you want to learn more about alternative assets and why the inclusion of gold and silver could be a good fit for your portfolio, book your free strategy call with one of our experienced precious metals specialists.

Final Thoughts

So, is a recession coming in 2026?

The reality is that no single indicator can provide a definitive answer. However, current economic conditions suggest that uncertainty remains elevated, and preparation is a prudent approach.

Periods like these often encourage investors to think more carefully about risk, diversification, and long-term financial resilience.

For those exploring ways to diversify beyond traditional assets, precious metals like gold and silver may be worth understanding as part of a broader conversation—not as a one-size-fits-all solution, but as one potential component in a well-rounded strategy.

Important Disclosures

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, or tax advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Before making any financial decisions, consider consulting with a qualified financial professional to evaluate your individual circumstances.

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During times of economic uncertainty, many people look to safe haven assets to help safeguard their financial well-being. For many centuries, precious metals such as gold and silver have been among the most trusted safe haven assets.

Precious metals tend to maintain their value or even gain in value during times of economic turmoil, when stock markets are falling and Wall Street panics. We saw this during the 2008 financial crisis, when gold prices rose 25% during the same period that stocks fell more than 50%.

But precious metals aren’t the only safe haven assets there are. US Treasury bonds are often mentioned as a safe haven asset, and in recent years new players have entered the market: cryptocurrencies.

Some cryptocurrency advocates believe that cryptocurrencies can perform as a safe haven asset every bit as well as gold can. Bitcoin, for instance, is claimed by some to be “digital gold.”

While Bitcoin was originally intended to be used as a circulating currency, its meteoric rise in price has led to it becoming a popular speculative asset. But is it a safe haven asset?

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin only hit the scene in late 2008 and onward, and have yet to experience a full financial crisis like the 2008 crisis, so only time will tell whether they will behave like safe haven assets during a crisis, or if they can perform in a similar manner to precious metals like gold and silver.

But in the meantime, people wanting to help protect themselves ahead of a potential recession or financial crisis have to make decisions now based on what might transpire later. If you’re looking at possible safe haven assets, which do you trust more: precious metals or cryptocurrency?

Advantages of Gold vs. Cryptocurrency

1. Gold Is a Tangible Asset

In our modern world so much of what we do is digital. Even if we go to the ATM occasionally to pick up some cash, most of our financial transactions are done digitally without ever touching physical assets.

While this can be convenient in our daily lives, there are times when all of us want the safety and security of something tangible. With your bank account, brokerage account, and retirement account all living online and holding assets that seem to exist only digitally, does it sometimes feel like your financial well-being is built out of thin air?

Gold can help you overcome that feeling, as owning physical gold coins or gold bars give you control over a real, tangible asset. If you own gold in a gold IRA, you can take distributions of that gold rather than cash. And if you prefer to make direct physical purchases of gold, you can have that gold delivered right to your door, where you can hold it in your hands.

2. Gold Is Universally Recognized

Gold is an asset that is recognized around the world. India and China are the world’s largest consumers of gold. China and Russia are among the world’s largest gold producers, along with Australia, South Africa, and others.

Almost anywhere you go in the world, gold is recognized as a store of wealth and a safe haven asset. Gold markets are highly liquid and operate around the world nearly 24/7.

This universal acceptance of gold makes gold one of the true universal assets.

3. Gold Is Highly Liquid

Because of gold’s nearly universal acceptance, there are gold markets operating around the world constantly. Gold is traded 24/7 around the globe, making it one of the most liquid assets there is.

Gold’s liquidity does come with the occasional drawback. In 2008, for instance, gold lost about 30% of its value over the course of the year at the same time as markets were tanking. That’s because people who needed to come up with quick cash were selling their most liquid assets to drum up money. Since gold is highly liquid, it was one of the first assets to get liquidated.

Thankfully gold turned around after that and went on to set record highs. But it’s a reminder that being such a liquid asset can sometimes be a double-edged sword.

4. Gold Is a Trusted Safe Haven Asset

One of gold’s most important characteristics is that it serves as a safe haven asset during times of uncertainty and fear about the future. We’re witnessing that right now, as more and more Americans are trying to buy gold in order to help protect their financial well-being and protect themselves against geopolitical and economic risks.

Disadvantages of Gold vs. Cryptocurrency

1. Storage and Insurance Costs

Storing gold could cost you money, as could insuring your gold holdings against loss or theft. If you own gold in a gold IRA, you’ll have to pay fees to your bullion depository to store and insure your gold, which will likely cost you at least a couple hundred dollars a year.

If you’ve made a direct cash purchase of gold, you may choose to store it in a safe deposit box, which will cost you an annual fee. Or if you choose to store your gold at home, you might purchase a small safe to store your gold.

While these costs may not be incredibly expensive, they’re still something you will want to take into account.

2. Gold Is Heavy

Gold is an incredibly dense and heavy metal, nearly twice as dense as lead. That can make it difficult to transport large amounts of it very easily (think tens of millions of dollars worth.)

Thankfully that’s not an issue for most people, for whom gold is actually a pretty compact store of wealth. $100,000 of gold coins can fit in the palm of your hand.

3. Gold Price Growth Is Slower Than Cryptocurrency

While the gold price gained 65% last year, that’s an unusually high rate of annual growth. And while gold has seen strong price growth over the last few decades, it pales in comparison to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which grew from being worth fractions of a penny in 2009 to over $100,000 in 2024.

Advantages of Cryptocurrency vs. Gold

1. (Some) Cryptocurrencies Are Highly Liquid

Major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP are highly liquid and are bought and sold on cryptocurrency exchanges around the world. They are traded in large volumes, and are even traded in futures contracts on major financial exchanges such as CME.

Stablecoins such as Tether and USD Coin, whose value is tied to the US dollar, are also used as sources of liquidity.

Smaller coins such as altcoins and memecoins that are thinly traded may have limited liquidity, and large purchases or sales can cause major price swings.

2. Cryptocurrency Is Easy to Store and Transport

Cryptocurrency can be stored in internet-connected wallets or in secure offline cold wallets. As long as the device they’re stored on remains operational, cryptocurrency storage is easy and secure.

While physical hardware cryptocurrency wallets can be easily placed in pockets or bags or on phones, and can be transported easily, cryptocurrencies can be moved around the world digitally far more easily, with transactions able to take place very quickly.

3. Cryptocurrency Can Appreciate in Price Exponentially

Over the past 10 years, Bitcoin has risen 16,000% in price, Ethereum has risen nearly 24,000%, and XRP has risen 13,500%. Even gold’s outstanding gain of 383% pales in comparison to those rates of growth.

Disadvantages of Cryptocurrency vs. Gold

1. Cryptocurrency Prices Are Highly Volatile

While many people look at the massive price increases of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, less attention is paid to the major downswings in price that have occurred throughout their history.

Looking at the history of the Bitcoin price, you can see that there have been numerous major price crashes over the years. There is also the cautionary tale of Litecoin, once touted as “digital silver” to Bitcoin’s “digital gold”, and which now trades at a fraction of its all-time high.

Overall, Bitcoin prices are three times more volatile than gold prices. While that can mean plenty of upside when prices are rising, it can also mean the potential for significant losses.

2. Cryptocurrencies Still Operate in a Legal Grey Zone

While cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have become more accepted over the years, they still operate in an uncertain legal environment. And in some areas like China, the mining and use of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are banned altogether.

In the US, the most pressing issues has been whether or not cryptocurrencies are treated as securities, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) recently clarifying their stance. While the current administration is crypto-friendly, this could change during future administrations.

3. Cryptocurrency Is Susceptible to Hacking

With Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies being so valuable, they make a very tempting target for hackers. Whether through brute force attacks or phishing, cryptocurrency assets are at risk from digital thievery.

In the case of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, there is no chargeback option, so once your bitcoins are stolen, your chances of getting them back are low. This makes security a very important aspect of cryptocurrency ownership.

4. Cryptocurrency Relies on Electricity to Run

Cryptocurrency networks rely on electricity for their operation. From mining centers setting up in rural areas with cheap electricity to mine Bitcoin, to the servers that host exchanges, to the computers, phones, and point of sale terminals that individuals use to buy and sell cryptocurrencies, they all need electricity to allow cryptocurrency networks to operate.

In a natural disaster or other grid-down scenario, cryptocurrencies may not be able to to be accessed or used. While there are some workarounds, such as the creation of meshed local networks that can use cellphone networks or radio signals to use and transfer cryptocurrencies, the reliance on power is the Achilles heel of cryptocurrencies that puts them at a massive disadvantage against cash and physical assets such as gold and silver.

Comparing Gold vs. Cryptocurrency

Now that we’ve looked at all the advantages and disadvantages of gold vs. cryptocurrency, let’s look at a few of the key points of comparison that you may want to consider when thinking about gold or cryptocurrency as a safe haven asset.

1. Volatility
2. Use Case
3. Security and Storage
4. Performance During Crises

1. Price Volatility of Gold vs. Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency price volatility is significantly higher than that of precious metals like gold and silver. The volatility of the Bitcoin price, for instance, is three times higher than that of the gold price.

If you’re looking for price stability in a safe haven asset, you’re not going to find that in many cryptocurrencies.

2. Uses of Gold vs. Cryptocurrency

While cryptocurrencies can be used to make point of sale or online purchases, they’re much more commonly traded in a manner similar to commodities. They are seen today as assets and stores of value rather than as currencies.

Cryptocurrencies also can’t be used for anything other than as currencies or as digital assets, and they only exist digitally. Compare that to gold, for instance, which can be turned into coins or jewelry, flattened to create gold leaf, or used in numerous industrial and electronic applications.

3. Security and Storage of Gold vs. Cryptocurrency

Being digital assets, cryptocurrencies exposed to the internet are at risk of being hacked by anyone with an internet connection around the world. And once your bitcoins are in the wallet of someone in Romania, Russia, or Nigeria, good luck getting that back,

As a physical asset, gold is only at risk if someone can physically steal it. If you store your gold at home in a safe, someone has to break into your home and crack your safe.

If your gold is held in a safe deposit box at a bank, someone would have to break into the bank and force open the safe deposit box. If you own gold in a gold IRA, your gold is held in a bullion depository behind multiple layers of stringent security. And while you hear of cryptocurrency hacks all the time, when is the last time you heard of a bullion depository being broken into?

4. Gold Performance vs. Cryptocurrency During Crises

Gold has a long history of performing well during recessions and financial crises. During the 1970s stagflation, for instance, the price of gold rose at an annualized rate of over 30% per year over the course of the decade.

During the 2008 financial crisis the gold price rose 25% during the same period that stock markets fell more than 50%. And in the aftermath of the crisis, gold prices nearly tripled from their 2008 lows to their 2011 highs, all while markets struggled to regain their footing.

Precious Metals vs. Cryptocurrency: Future Price Growth

Everyone wants to see their assets gain in value, and no one wants to see them lose value. One of the purposes of choosing safe haven assets is to help protect the value of your portfolio, by choosing assets that can maintain their value through times of economic turmoil, and that could help minimize losses to your portfolio.

Gold has been popular as a safe haven asset because its value increases over time and remains relatively stable. And gold’s price growth compares favorably with other indices over the decades, with gold having gained 9% per year since 1971, versus 8% for the S&P 500 and 7.5% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Cryptocurrencies, by contrast, have seen explosive price growth. The Bitcoin price, for example, grew by 9,000,000% in its first decade.

Many first adopters of cryptocurrency made huge amounts of money, and those huge price increases lured in many people hoping to get rich quick. But can cryptocurrency sustain those price gains?

Bitcoin hit an all-time high of over $126,000 in 2025, but it is currently trading 47% lower. And the history of the Bitcoin price is replete with huge gains followed by huge crashes.

If you’re looking for a safe haven asset to help safeguard your savings, can you afford to ride that kind of roller coaster?

Even more important is the long-term outlook for cryptocurrency. While cryptocurrencies may be popular today, who is to say that ten years from now something better won’t come along that proves to be more useful and more popular than existing cryptocurrencies?

At the end of the day cryptocurrencies are nothing more than digitized tokens that have value because some people now value them. But with less than 20 years of a track record, versus thousands of years for gold and silver, how can anyone know how valuable they will be in the future?

If Bitcoin were to fall in value to $100 by 2029, that would still be hugely more valuable than it was in 2009. And anyone who got into Bitcoin on the ground floor when it was worth fractions of a penny would still have ended up making out like a bandit.

But anyone who bought Bitcoin at $100,000, or even $1,000, would be smarting from that kind of loss.

Gold and silver have proven track records of performance during periods of economic uncertainty, which is why they have been trusted safe haven assets for centuries. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies don’t have that track record.

The next recession or financial crisis could demonstrate whether cryptocurrencies are able to behave as safe haven assets or not. But is it worth gambling your savings on unproven cryptocurrencies when you have the ability to buy precious metals like gold and silver which have distinguished themselves time and again over the years?

Cryptocurrencies have certainly made great strides over the last few years, but might we look back at them 20-30 years from now in the same way as we look at Beanie Babies or Tulipmania?

In short, gold and silver have a track record dating back centuries. Cryptocurrencies are a flash in the pan comparatively, and while they’ve shown great growth over the past decade, there’s no telling which cryptocurrencies will still be around a decade from now, or if cryptocurrencies themselves will even be around in a decade.

Even governments that are relatively friendly to cryptocurrency today could change their tune in a few years. And if governments decide to band together to suppress cryptocurrencies, the trillions of dollars poured into the crypto market could be lost forever.

How Gold and Silver Can Help Protect Your Savings

Many people today are looking to protect their assets, with fear of recession remaining high. With so many Americans remaining pessimistic about their financial well-being, they’re looking to safe haven assets to help protect them against what they fear the future may bring.

While some people may be tempted to try to make enormous profits from buying cryptocurrencies, is it really worth the risk of potentially huge losses? Particularly when there are assets like gold, which gained 65% last year and has gained 12% per year since 2001?

If you’re looking for a safe haven asset to help safeguard your savings, maybe it’s time to start thinking about gold and silver, rather than giving in to the siren song of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.

If you want to add gold and silver safe haven assets to your portfolio, it can be done relatively easily and simply. Direct cash purchases of gold and silver can be done quickly, and the gold and silver coins or bars you buy can be shipped right to your door.

If you have retirement assets that you’re worried about, you can help protect those assets with a gold IRA or silver IRA. These precious metals IRAs can be funded with assets from your existing 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or IRA accounts, and rolling over those funds into a precious metals IRA can be done tax-free.

Don’t let your savings fall victim to loss from a weakening economy, a possible stock market downturn, or a potential financial crisis. Call the precious metals experts at Goldco to find out how gold and silver can help safeguard your wealth.

This article was originally published in June 2021 and was updated in April 2026.

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• Gold is no longer just reacting to Federal Reserve interest rate hikes or cuts; it is now pricing in the structural deterioration of sovereign balance sheets.
• The US is currently spending approximately $88 billion per month on interest alone—a figure that rivals combined spending on defense and education.
• Buyers are increasingly hedging against “fiscal dominance,” a condition where the central bank is forced to tolerate higher inflation or lower rates simply to keep government debt interest manageable.
• Gold’s global rally serves as a lack of confidence in the ability of advanced economies to separate today’s political spending from tomorrow’s monetary consequences.

Gold has always been sensitive to monetary policy, but the current move higher is increasingly about something broader and more structurally important: the growing entanglement of fiscal and monetary policy. 

Traditionally, buyers looked to gold as a hedge against easier central bank policy -rate cuts, balance sheet expansion, the prospect of currency debasement and the loss of purchasing power. That relationship still matters. Lower real yields reduce the opportunity cost of holding a non-yielding asset, and any hint of renewed monetary accommodation tends to strengthen gold demand. 

But today’s rally is being driven by a deeper realization that monetary policy no longer operates in isolation from the fiscal condition of the Federal government itself.

The Interest Expense Crisis

By the time gold prices broke decisively higher in March 2024, US gross federal debt had already reached roughly $34.5 trillion, reinforcing the sense that the metal was beginning to respond not merely to expectations about the Federal Reserve, but to the structural deterioration of sovereign balance sheets.

The fiscal backdrop is stark. The United States is now spending roughly $88 billion per month on debt service alone – the net interest on our Federal debt – amounting to about $529 billion in the first six months of the fiscal year, a figure equal to combined spending on defense and education over the same period. 

This is not merely a political talking point or a budget line curiosity: in economic terms, it means an increasing share of public revenue is being devoted not to current services, infrastructure, or investment, but simply to maintaining the existing stock of liabilities. Once debt service begins to absorb that much fiscal space, markets naturally begin to reassess the long-run credibility of the currency regime that stands behind it.

That is where the connection to gold becomes especially powerful for the educated layperson. Gold is not just an inflation hedge in a narrow, consumer price sense. It is also a hedge against policy regime uncertainty; in this case, the fear that governments facing mounting debt burdens will eventually lean on central banks, directly or indirectly, to make the financing burden more manageable. 

The Death of Central Bank Independence

This phenomenon is often described as fiscal dominance: a condition in which the needs of the Treasury begin to constrain or influence the choices of the central bank. When buyers suspect that monetary authorities may have to tolerate somewhat higher inflation, lower real interest rates, or renewed asset purchases in order to preserve debt sustainability, gold tends to benefit.

In our American case, that concern has become more salient because the lines between fiscal and monetary outcomes are now now more tightly connected than they were in prior decades. A large amount of outstanding government debt – the US debt recently crossed over the $39 Trillion mark – means that every increase in interest rates feeds quickly into higher Treasury financing costs as securities roll over. 

That, in turn, worsens budget deficits (the inability of taxes and other revenue to cover government spending), requiring still more debt issuance. The central bank may be theoretically independent, but the macroeconomic system itself creates feedback loops between fiscal strain and monetary consequences. 

A Global Crisis of Fiscal Credibility

The Congressional Budget Office now projects deficits rising from $1.9 trillion in 2026 to $3.1 trillion by 2036, with debt held by the public climbing from 101 percent to 120 percent of GDP, and rising net interest costs are a central driver of that path. Gold is responding not simply to today’s inflation prints and Fed action, but to the institutional logic embedded in those projections.

This dynamic is not unique to the United States, which is another reason gold’s global popularity has intensified. Across advanced economies, governments emerged from the pandemic period with larger debt burdens, structurally higher spending commitments, and electorates resistant to austerity. 

In Europe, Japan, and parts of the developing world, the same broad pattern is visible: slower growth, aging populations, elevated debt ratios, and political incentives that favor borrowing over restraint: “kicking the can down the road,” as it is often described. 

The Ultimate Hedge Against Policy Failure

The result is a global decline in confidence that fiscal trajectories can normalize without some form of financial brinksmanship, currency weakness, or inflationary accommodation. Gold, as a neutral reserve asset with no sovereign issuer, naturally becomes more attractive in such an environment.

Importantly, this does not require imminent crisis thinking. Gold can rise simply because the distribution of long-run outcomes has worsened. Buyers do not need to believe hyperinflation is coming; they need only conclude that the probability of persistent fiscal-monetary entanglement is materially higher than it was a decade ago. 

If deficits remain structurally large, if interest costs continue crowding out productive uses of taxpayer funds, and if central banks face increasing pressure to prevent debt markets from destabilizing, then the case for holding part of one’s wealth outside the fiat architecture strengthens considerably.

In that sense, gold’s growing popularity is as much a referendum on governance capacity as on inflation. The metal is increasingly pricing a world in which governments have become less able, and perhaps less willing, to separate today’s spending decisions from tomorrow’s monetary consequences. 

For years, gold largely took its cues from the Federal Reserve. Now it is taking cues from the broader fiscal-monetary nexus itself. That is a more profound and durable driver, and one that helps explain why the bid under gold has become global, persistent, and increasingly disconnected from short-term moves in policy rates and inflation reports alone.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and a Senior Research Fellow who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

The post The Erosion of Fiscal Credibility (And Why Gold Matters) appeared first on Goldco.

• Over the first quarter of the 21st century (2000–2025), gold rose by 1,486.6%, significantly outperforming major stock indices.
• Gold’s value is now a strategic asset for central banks seeking to diversify away from the US dollar and manage sovereign debt risks.
• Contrary to early predictions gold is now a critical component in advanced electronics, aerospace, and computing infrastructure.
• While global demand from investors and central banks is accelerating, gold mine output remains inflexible and new discoveries are scarce.

At the dawn of the 21st century, the prevailing consensus was that gold had become a relic of an earlier financial age. The intellectual atmosphere of the late 1990s was defined by faith in fiat credibility, confidence that central banks had largely tamed the business cycle, and an almost utopian belief that technology-led productivity growth – dial-up modems buzzing in the background – had permanently altered the rules of finance. 

That mindset was reflected not merely in commentary, but in behavior. Governments were still liquidating official reserves into weakness; most famously in the episode later remembered as Brown’s Bottom when the UK sold gold near the secular lows around $250 an ounce. 

On May 17th, 1999, Larry Kudlow (then the chief economist of American Skandia Life Assurance Co.) wrote that:

more and more people are proclaiming that gold is dead, at least as an inflation hedge. If not for jewelers and dentists, no one would ever touch the stuff again. Clinching evidence for this view allegedly comes from the Bank of England’s decision to sell a bunch of gold. In all likelihood, so will the Swiss central bank and the International Monetary Fund. Question is, are central banks selling gold because the price is cheap, or is the price cheap because the banks are selling? I believe it’s the former. Even central bankers have figured out that a strong US dollar means no inflation. So there’s no need for an inflation hedge like gold, especially since it yields no earnings and costs money to store.

At the same time, institutional capital market assumptions and long-run return frameworks, heavily influenced by the recent triumph of equities, often treated gold as either a low-return inflation hedge or omitted it entirely. 

Historical return studies in that era frequently assigned bullion only token long-run real returns, reinforcing the idea that stocks, especially technology shares, were the only serious long-horizon compounders. 

A Quarter-Century of Outperformance

With equity valuations at extraordinary extremes and policymakers auctioning away reserves, the market was effectively voting that gold was dead. In retrospect, that moment now stands as one of the great regime misreads of modern finance. Since 2000, gold has not merely survived that obituary. It has comprehensively invalidated it.

Using the proper first quarter of the 21st-century window, from the final trading day of 2000 (December 29, 2000) through December 31, 2025, gold rose from $272.25 to $4,319.37, a gain of 1,486.6 percent. That far exceeded the Nasdaq Composite’s 840.8 percent, the Russell 3000’s 434.9 percent, the S&P 500’s 418.5 percent, and the Dow’s 345.6 percent over the same period. (The Russell comparison is especially important because the Russell 3000 captures roughly 98 percent of all listed US equities by market capitalization, making it the broadest practical benchmark for the American stock market.)

In other words, the asset dismissed as obsolete at the dawn of the century outperformed not only the broad market, but even the index most closely associated with the technological revolution that was supposed to make it irrelevant.

Those numbers are especially striking given the dot-com era conviction that technology equities had permanently superseded traditional stores of value. Over the past quarter century, gold has not only outperformed the major US equity benchmarks but also preserved purchasing power across multiple monetary regimes and repeatedly reasserted its value during episodes of institutional and geopolitical stress. 

Beyond the Safe Haven: A Strategic Evolution

The most important development, however, is that gold’s modern strength is no longer reducible to simple crisis demand. What has changed is a broader recognition that gold occupies a unique position at the intersection of monetary credibility, sovereign balance sheet risk, and the evolving architecture of the global reserve system.

The modern bull case is therefore broader and more structural than the classic safe haven narrative. Persistent geopolitical fragmentation, rising sovereign debt burdens, and the gradual reorganization of the world into competing economic blocs have increased demand for reserve assets that sit outside any single political or legal jurisdiction. 

Central banks, particularly in emerging economies seeking to diversify away from dollar concentration, have become major net buyers, creating a durable source of official sector demand. 

At the same time, private buyers continue to prize gold’s historically low correlation with both stocks and bonds, especially in an era marked by slower trend growth, policy uncertainty, and periodic questions about the durability of disinflation. 

Gold’s long-run capacity to preserve real value remains central to this appeal. Its ability to maintain purchasing power against housing, wages, and broad consumer baskets over decades continues to attract capital from investors increasingly wary of currency dilution, fiscal overreach, and the fragility of purely financial claims.

The Digital Irony: Gold in Modern Industry

What makes the current cycle especially notable is that gold’s demand base has widened materially even as supply remains stubbornly constrained. The metal is no longer merely a monetary asset or a hedge against institutional failure; it is also increasingly embedded in technology and advanced manufacturing. 

Gold’s conductivity, corrosion resistance, and reliability make it indispensable in electronics, computing infrastructure, aerospace systems, and specialized industrial applications. 

In a historical irony, the same technological revolution once thought to have made gold obsolete has instead underscored its centrality. Newer financial architectures are also beginning to incorporate gold and silver more directly, with some digital asset ecosystems and collateral frameworks using gold as a reserve layer alongside traditional sovereign securities. 

These developments create a form of structural demand less sensitive to short-term sentiment and more tied to the evolution of the financial and technological stack itself.

Against this widening demand base, supply remains notably inflexible. Mine output growth has been modest, major new discoveries are scarce, and the elasticity of production is low relative to the speed with which investment and central bank demand can accelerate. 

That imbalance leaves the market structurally susceptible to periods of persistent tightness whenever macro uncertainty rises or official sector accumulation intensifies. 

A Structural Shift in Global Finance

Importantly, recent price action suggests that gold is being repriced by forces deeper than episodic fear. It has continued to perform even during periods of strong equity returns, moderate inflation, and rising real yields, conditions that older frameworks would have considered less supportive. 

That resilience implies that the market is increasingly treating gold as a strategic asset tied to fiscal durability, reserve diversification, and system complexity rather than as a simple recession hedge.

The more salient point is that gold’s ascent now reflects a world undergoing deep transition rather than a market merely reacting to periodic crises. The early-2000s assumption that digitization and central bank credibility had rendered bullion irrelevant has been utterly inverted. 

The same forces of technological expansion, geopolitical fragmentation, sovereign debt growth, and institutional complexity have instead broadened gold’s use case and strengthened its strategic role. 

Conclusion

Unless the underlying trends of fiscal strain, reserve rebalancing, and constrained supply reverse in a meaningful way, gold’s position in global portfolios and official reserves is likely to remain not only durable, but increasingly central to the ways in which buyers and policymakers think about resilience itself .

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and a Senior Research Fellow who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

The post Gold’s Glittering Vindication appeared first on Goldco.

As a trustee of the Trump Organization and an experienced global dealmaker, Donald Trump Jr. leverages his expertise to advocate for asset diversification. He believes the wealth-protection strategies used by the world’s most successful individuals should be accessible to all Americans.

“Owning physical gold and silver is a time-honored strategy that has helped generations safeguard their wealth.” said Donald Trump Jr. “I chose to, once again, partner with Goldco because of their unwavering commitment to their customers. Their ‘white-glove’ service, track record of excellence and the best industry promotions are why I trust them to help Americans protect their retirement savings.”

Goldco has earned a reputation for excellence, backed by more than 8,000 five-star reviews from satisfied customers. The company specializes in helping individuals hedge against economic volatility and inflation by owning precious metals.

“We’re honored to partner with Donald Trump Jr.,” said Goldco Founder Trevor Gerszt. “His commitment to financial independence aligns perfectly with our mission to help people secure their futures through gold and silver.”

For more information about the partnership and how to secure your financial future, please visit goldco.com.

About Goldco

Goldco is a privately held company with over a decade of experience in helping customers protect their retirement savings. Whether you want to diversify your retirement savings into a precious metals IRA or buy gold and silver directly, a Goldco specialist can help assist every step of the way.

The company’s long-standing reputation for excellent customer service, high ethical standards, along with precious metals education and resources position Goldco as a preferred precious metals provider. With over 8,000 5-Star customer reviews, numerous awards and the highest industry buy back guarantee, Goldco has set the standard for buying precious metals.

Goldco is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau and Triple A by Business Consumer Alliance. 

To learn more, visit goldco.com.

The post Goldco Announces Strategic Partnership with Donald Trump Jr. to Honor America’s 250th Anniversary with Precious Metals appeared first on Goldco.

While the additions of copper and uranium drew early attention, analysts say silver’s inclusion reflects a broader recognition of its strategic role in the global economy.

Unlike gold, which is largely held as a financial asset, most silver is consumed in industrial applications. The metal is widely used in solar panels, semiconductors, smartphones, flat-screen displays, electric vehicles, medical devices, and other electronic components due to its unmatched electrical conductivity and thermal efficiency.

“Silver’s inclusion on the critical minerals list is not dramatic, it is economically logical, and arguably overdue.” says Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and Senior Research Fellow at AIRE.

Mr. Earle continues, “This policy shift underscores the evolving narrative surrounding precious metals. Long known for its monetary history, silver has increasingly become indispensable to modern industry, placing it at the intersection of economic security, technological innovation, and global supply chains.”

Global silver production has failed to meet demand for five consecutive years, driven by rapid expansion in renewable energy and high-tech sectors. Solar photovoltaic manufacturing has become one of the largest sources of demand, while electrification trends and expanding data infrastructure are expected to sustain consumption.

Supply concentration is also drawing increased attention. Industry observers estimate that China controls roughly 70 percent of the world’s refined silver supply and implemented export-control protocols covering silver beginning January 1, 2026. The United States imports a significant share of its silver, leaving domestic manufacturers exposed to potential supply disruptions.

As interest in silver accelerates, Goldco, a leading precious metals provider, continues to expand its offerings to meet growing demand. Most recently, Goldco has brought these new silver coins to market:

• Silver Space Shuttle Coin, celebrating American innovation and space exploration
• Silver Defenders of Liberty Sea Edition, honoring naval strength and maritime freedom
• Silver HMS Belfast Coin, commemorating one of the most iconic warships in modern history

Goldco helps everyday Americans diversify their portfolios with gold and silver through Precious Metals IRAs or direct purchases designed to help hedge against economic volatility.

The company offers a wide selection of silver coins from mints around the world, many of which honor U.S. military service members or celebrate the technological and industrial achievements that have shaped the American economy.

Goldco has been recognized by Money.com for four consecutive years as Best Customer Service among Gold IRA companies and earned the 2025 Bronze Stevie® Award for Fastest Growing Company It has also ranked on the Inc 5000 list of Fastest Growing Companies nine times. Most notably, Goldco has surpassed a major industry milestone, earning more than 8,000 five-star reviews.

For more information about purchasing silver or opening a Precious Metals IRA, visit goldco.com or call (855) 450-1394.

About Goldco:

Goldco is a privately held company with over a decade of experience in helping customers protect their retirement savings. Whether you want to diversify your retirement savings into a precious metals IRA or buy gold and silver directly, a Goldco specialist can help assist every step of the way.

The company’s long-standing reputation for excellent customer service, high ethical standards, along with precious metals education and resources position Goldco as a preferred precious metals provider. With over 8,000 5-Star customer reviews, numerous awards and the highest industry buy back guarantee, Goldco has set the standard for buying precious metals.

Goldco is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau and Triple A by Business Consumer Alliance

The post U.S. Adds Silver to Critical Minerals List as Demand Surges and Supply Risks Grow appeared first on Goldco.

Even more unusual is the number of articles that have spoken of how the gold price is falling due to rising fear of inflation. But isn’t gold supposed to be an inflation hedge?

Shouldn’t fear of higher inflation cause people to buy more gold, and shouldn’t that push the gold price higher?

If gold prices are falling when inflation fears are rising, what does that say about gold as a safe haven asset and inflation hedge?

As we’ll show you soon, higher inflation doesn’t always mean that gold prices will rise, at least not in the short term. But if you’re worried about gold prices continuing to fall due to inflation fears, here’s why all may not be doom and gloom.

Gold’s History Versus Inflation

Gold has a reputation for being an effective inflation hedge, and for good reason. Gold tends to grow in value and maintain its purchasing power over time.

During the 1970s, for instance, the gold price grew at an annualized rate of over 30% per year over the course of the decade, far outpacing inflation that peaked at over 13% in 1979. In fact, since 1971 the gold price has risen nearly 12,000%, while the US dollar has lost 88% of its value since that time.

So if gold has such great performance against the dollar against inflation over long periods of time, why is the gold price falling today?

Gold and Monetary Policy

What many people are looking at when inflation figures are reported today is not how gold will do, but what the Federal Reserve will do.

The Fed has currently paused the rate cuts it began in September 2024, with its last rate cut coming in December 2025. While markets expect the Fed to make at least two more rate cuts this year, rate cuts will be dependent on what kind of data the Fed is seeing.

In order for the Fed to cut rates, the type of data it would want to see includes: lower GDP growth, higher unemployment, and lower inflation.

Lower GDP growth and higher unemployment are self-explanatory, as they would be indicators of a slowing economy, and rate cuts would presumably stimulate economic activity to boost GDP and employment.

Because inflation got out of control in 2022, with the highest inflation rates in 40 years, the Fed is a little gun-shy right now. Fed policymakers don’t want to cut rates too much and push inflation higher.

However, inflation rates are showing signs of increasing again. Recent producer price index (PPI) data showed an 0.7% month to month increase, which equates to an annualized 8.7% inflation rate.

That data came from before the war against Iran, which has pushed oil prices higher and which could result in rising prices throughout the economy as oil and gas prices remain high. So the fact that prices were already rising and now could rise higher is seen as a major reason for the Fed NOT to continue cutting interest rates.

Because lower interest rates are generally seen as being good for gold, we have the paradox that higher inflation, which would normally be good for gold prices, is being seen as bad because this higher inflation might prevent the Fed from cutting interest rates, which is what markets had been expecting and which were thought to be good for gold.

Is it frustrating for gold owners and gold buyers to see economic data that makes the case for gold actually being bad for gold prices in the short term? Yes, there’s no doubt about that.

But as the history of gold prices over the long term has shown, gold has the ability to shrug off short-term price dips and price volatility in order to make significant price growth over the long term.

Why Falling Gold Prices Could Be a Good Thing

If you owned gold when it hit record highs well above $5,000 an ounce, recent price drops may have gotten you down. But that’s alright, these price drops actually may not be all bad.

For one thing, they’re a reminder that gold is an incredibly liquid asset, which is one of its draws. Gold markets are highly liquid and operate around the world nearly 24/7.

When people need liquidity, gold is sometimes one of the first assets they sell, such as recently when fears of the impact of the war against Iran are causing some distress and uncertainty in financial markets.

We saw this during 2008 as well, as liquidity concerns led to a selloff of gold, and the gold price fell 30% during the middle of a recession. Again, this was a paradoxical event, as something that should have pushed the gold price upward (severe recession) actually resulted in a falling gold price.

So if recent declines in the gold price have you worried, just remember that this happened before. And in 2008, gold rebounded from its lows to nearly triple in price by 2011. Could that happen again in the coming years?

Buy Gold Today

If you don’t own gold yet, now is the time to start thinking about buying gold. With prices nearly $1,000 below their all-time highs, gold is far cheaper than it was earlier in the year.

And if the gold price ends up climbing to over $6,000 an ounce this year, as many analysts expect, buying gold today could result in some pretty significant gains.

How many people watched gold break the $2,000 barrier and decide not to buy gold because they thought it was too expensive? How many watched gold break through $3,000 and $4,000 because, again, they thought it was too expensive?

Gold could be going through a tremendous bull run right now, and there’s no telling where the gold price could be next year or in the coming years. Some people even think gold could hit $10,000 an ounce.

Now is the time to jump on the bandwagon. And who better to help you than Goldco?

With over $3 billion in precious metals placements and over 8,000 5-star reviews from our customers, Goldco has helped thousands of Americans benefit from owning gold and precious metals.

Call Goldco today to talk to one of our precious metals specialists and learn more about how you can help safeguard your savings with gold.

The post If Gold Is an Inflation Hedge, Why Is the Gold Price Falling? appeared first on Goldco.

Little did anyone in late June 2007 realize that the downfall of that one fund would eventually lead to the collapse of Bear Stearns in March 2008. And little did anyone know that all of this would eventually result in a major recession and financial crisis that was arguably the worst financial crisis the US experienced since the Great Depression.

Even the father of mortgage-backed securities, when asked in early 2007 if he thought overextension of leverage in MBS markets could lead to a financial crisis, thought that any risk could be contained, and that there was no cataclysmic risk to the financial system.

As we now know, that way of thinking was erroneous. The problems in the subprime mortgage market ended up taking down Bear Stearns, sent Wall Street reeling, and eventually resulted in stock markets falling more than 50% from their previous highs before the crisis was over.

Could we experience another, similar crisis in the future? And if so, what might be the trigger, the Bear Stearns of our era?

The Growth of Private Credit Markets

When you think about borrowing money, you probably imagine borrowing from a bank or other financial institution. Or if you think of companies borrowing money, you think of bonds that are issued and sold in financial markets.

But in recent years the growth of non-bank financial lending has been increasing. This so-called private credit allows companies to bypass the banking sector in order to raise money.

Private credit allows lenders to work directly with borrowers to negotiate bespoke lending deals with customized terms in order to acquire loans that are not publicly traded. Private credit lenders can include private equity firms, insurance companies, or even hedge funds.

The advantage for borrowers is that they can customize the terms of a loan, keep borrowing confidential, and gain quicker access to capital than they might be able to get through getting a loan from a bank or issuing bonds.

The advantage for lenders is that there is a potential for higher yield than there is through purchasing publicly traded debt instruments. The potential downside, however, is greater volatility and less transparency.

Private credit has grown significantly in recent years, from $2 trillion in 2020 to $3 trillion in 2025, and is expected to reach $5 trillion by 2029. But there may be a bump in the road.

Are Private Credit Markets the New Bubble?

Recently BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, limited withdrawals from one of its flagship debt funds as worries about private credit markets led to a surge in redemption requests.

Many of these funds limit withdrawals to 5% of the funds’ total value per quarter in order to prevent runs on the funds that could force fund managers to sell off assets at a loss in order to redeem investor redemption requests. In BlackRock’s case, their BCRED fund raised that limit to 7.9% in an attempt to convince people that the fund was safe and had plenty of liquidity to make good on redemption requests.

BlackRock isn’t the only asset manager facing difficulty, either. Cliffwater Corporate Lending Fund was recently hit with redemption requests totaling almost 14% of its net asset value, with the fund deciding to raise its redemption limit to 7% in response.

Overall the market view of private credit has begun to sour, and in the coming months we could see even more funds facing pressure. As with the subprime mortgage crisis, it isn’t private credit markets themselves that are a direct threat to the financial system, it’s the fact that companies exposed to private credit assets that could end up being marked down in value could be at risk of getting caught up in a financial contagion.

Bear Stearns’ hedge funds collapsed because the value of the securities they owned fell, with lenders then demanding extra collateral. That led to additional selling of the securities, which further lowered their value.

Once runs like this get started, and fear becomes contagious, there’s no telling where it might stop. In the case of subprime mortgages, fear and uncertainty surrounding asset valuations essentially froze credit markets, leading to the failure of major investment banks like Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch.

Major Wall Street figures today such as Goldman Sachs Chairman Lloyd Blankfein and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon have started to draw parallels to what is going on today and what happened during the 2008 crisis. Could weakness in private credit markets end up becoming the cause of another financial crisis?

Help Protect Yourself With Gold

The 2008 financial crisis saw stock markets fall more than 50% from their peaks, and saw trillions of dollars of wealth wiped away in months. Many people watched in horror as the retirement accounts they had spent years building up withered away.

But there was one glimmer of hope amidst the crisis: gold. Gold prices gained 25% during the same period that stock markets fell more than 50%, and they continued growing in the years after the crisis, hitting all-time highs in 2011.

Many people watched gold take off while their retirement savings languished. And many undoubtedly vowed that the next time around they would buy gold to help protect their assets.

Many Americans have already done just that today, purchasing gold, silver, and other safe haven assets in order to help safeguard their financial well-being ahead of a potential recession that many Americans fear.

Gold has served as a safe haven asset for centuries, and continues to be one of the first safe haven assets people flock to when uncertainty and fear prevail. If you’re looking for a safe haven asset, maybe gold is the right choice for you.

With over $3 billion in precious metals placements and over 8,000 5-star reviews, Goldco has worked hard to become one of the best gold companies in the country. We want all of our customers to benefit from owning precious metals.

If you want to learn more about how buying physical gold can help you, call Goldco and talk to our precious metals specialists today.

The post Could Private Credit Markets Cause the Next Financial Crisis? appeared first on Goldco.

• The conflicting goals of maintaining maximum employment while stabilizing prices have become structurally at odds, leaving the Fed with no clear path forward.
• Recent data distortions from weather and strikes, combined with significant downward revisions from 2025, indicate that the Fed has been operating with an overly optimistic view of employment resilience.
• Stubborn inflation is being fueled by geopolitical conflict, energy price surges, and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz—issues that interest rate changes cannot resolve.
• As the Fed remains “boxed in” by inconclusive data and conflicting objectives, precious metals continue to serve as a primary safeguard against both inflation and central bank inaction.

The Federal Reserve’s dual mandate – the requirement that it conduct monetary policy to achieve maximum employment and stable prices simultaneously – has always contained a latent tension. In ordinary times, that tension can be managed: cooling inflation frequently coincides with slowing labor demand, while easing policy tends to support hiring. 

But in moments like the present, the mandate becomes less a balancing act and more a trap. The Fed is confronted with signals that are not only mixed, but structurally at odds, and the usual policy tools risk worsening whichever side of the mandate they are meant to stabilize.

Distortions and Revisions in the Labor Market

Consider the US labor market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics February 2026 nonfarm payroll print showed a decline of 92,000 jobs – an alarming drop – but the headline obscured a more nuanced reality. 

A historic two- to three-day blizzard disrupted activity across large parts of the country, a widespread healthcare strike temporarily sidelined workers, and early-year hiring appears to have been pulled forward into December and early January. Add to this the fact that the US is operating near what most would consider full employment – where job gains naturally slow – and the initial report looks less like a collapse than a distortion.

Yet revisions complicate that narrative in a more troubling direction. Over the course of 2025, benchmark revisions have revealed that the labor market was materially weaker than previously believed, with some months now showing outright job losses. 

This is not merely statistical noise; it suggests that policymakers have been operating with an overly optimistic view of labor market resilience. In effect, the Fed is being asked to navigate the economic present using a map that has only recently been corrected, and which may yet be incomplete.

Stubborn Inflation and Geopolitical Pressure

At the same time, inflation remains stubbornly above target. Even prior to the current geopolitical escalation, tariffs were exerting upward pressure on prices. More recently, a hot Producer Price Index reading and a sharp increase in the ISM Prices Paid Index indicated that pipeline inflation is building. 

Now, two weeks into a widening conflict involving Iran, energy markets are amplifying those pressures. Oil prices have surged, feeding directly into gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and jet fuel. Given the centrality of these inputs to transportation, manufacturing, and distribution, their effects are pervasive and rapid.

The inflationary impulse does not stop at energy. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz threaten the flow of a wide range of goods, including fertilizer inputs such as urea, as well as aluminum, helium, and other industrial materials. These are not marginal commodities; they are foundational to agriculture, construction, and advanced manufacturing. 

The result is a cascade of cost pressures that could plausibly push headline inflation well above 3 percent in the coming months, even absent further escalation.

The Limits of Monetary Policy Tools

This is where the policy trap becomes most apparent. The price increases associated with blocked shipping lanes and constrained supply chains are, at their core, relative price changes. They reflect scarcity in specific goods and inputs, not an excess of money or credit chasing too few goods and services. 

As such, rocketing oil prices are not the type of problem that monetary policy is well-suited to address. Lowering interest rates will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, nor will it increase the supply of fertilizer or industrial metals. What it can do, however, is add fuel to the broader price level by easing financial conditions and stimulating demand – possibly sending prices even higher.

Conversely, tightening policy to suppress the general price level carries its own risks. Higher interest rates would work to dampen demand and, over time, reduce inflationary pressures. But they would do so at a moment when the labor market may already be weaker than previously understood. In that environment, further tightening could push unemployment higher, potentially overshooting the “maximum employment” side of the mandate. 

The Fed thus faces a choice between accommodating supply-driven inflation or exacerbating labor market weakness: neither of which is an attractive option.

Market Reaction and the Role of Gold

Financial markets have begun to reflect this tension. Gold, which had surged amid expectations of monetary accommodation and geopolitical risk, has remained elevated but retreated from its highs as the likelihood of near-term rate cuts has diminished. This is consistent with gold’s dual role: it responds both to uncertainty and to expectations of currency debasement. 

When markets perceive that the Fed may be constrained from easing, despite mounting pressures, some of that momentum naturally unwind.

A Future of Cautious Inaction

For the Fed, the most likely path forward is one of cautious inaction. Policymakers will emphasize data dependence, waiting for clearer signals before committing to a directional shift. But the data themselves are becoming harder to interpret. Energy price shocks ripple through the economy in uneven ways, distorting everything from transportation costs to consumer expectations. 

The ubiquity of oil, gasoline, and diesel in production and exchange ensures that incoming price data will carry a high noise-to-signal ratio, complicating real-time assessment.

This posture – the Federal Reserve effectively sitting on its hands, waiting for clear signs of a trend in one direction or the other – will not satisfy political actors, some of whom have been vociferously calling for lower rates to support growth and ease financial conditions. 

Yet the Fed’s institutional credibility depends on resisting precisely that kind of pressure, particularly when inflation risks remain elevated. The dual mandate, in this context, functions less as a guide and more as a constraint, limiting the range of defensible actions.

Conclusion

In the near term, then, the Fed is likely to remain boxed in, navigating an uncomfortable course between inconclusive information and conflicting objectives. For investors and observers, this implies a period of heightened uncertainty and policy ambiguity. 

In such an environment, assets that serve as hedges against both inflation and policy error – most notably gold and other precious metals – are likely to retain a degree of underlying support. Not as a promise of imminent gains, but as a reflection of a world in which monetary authorities, for all their tools, are sometimes left with no good options at all.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and a Senior Research Fellow who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

The post The Fed’s Policy Trap: When the Dual Mandate Bites appeared first on Goldco.

From the highest inflation in 40 years, to a shocking election year that saw multiple assassination attempts, to punitive tariffs, and now to war in the Middle East, it seems that every year brings with it new and unexpected economic and geopolitical turmoil.

Americans today are wrestling with financial uncertainty as the economy increasingly grows K-shaped, with wealthy Americans continuing to prosper while middle class Americans face a bleak future.

Recession fears were already high. But add in rising geopolitical tensions that could send oil and gas prices higher for a long time, and you have a recipe for economic stagnation.

It’s no wonder, then, that Americans are increasingly looking for ways to help safeguard their financial well-being, looking to help protect themselves against an uncertain future. And one way they’re doing that is by acquiring safe haven assets like gold.

One popular method of acquiring gold is through a gold IRA. If you’ve never bought gold before, or aren’t familiar with precious metals products, trying to get started with a gold IRA may seem a little daunting. But a gold IRA isn’t difficult to start, and it can give you many potential benefits.

What Is a Gold IRA?

If you don’t already know what a gold IRA is, it’s an individual retirement account (IRA) that owns physical gold coins or bars. Most people who hold IRAs or who know about IRAs know that IRAs can hold stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other similar commonly held financial assets. But relatively few people know that an IRA can also be used to acquire tangible physical assets like gold.

Types of Gold IRAs

There are two types of gold IRAs, and your decision to start either one will depend on your financial situation and financial goals.

Traditional Gold IRA

The more common type of gold IRA is a Traditional gold IRA. This type of IRA buys gold with pre-tax dollars.

Gains in a Traditional IRA accrue tax-free and taxes are only paid when you take a distribution. As with any Traditional IRA, a Traditional gold IRA requires you to start taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) at age 73.

Any distributions made before you turn age 59½ could incur a 10% penalty in addition to any income taxes you owe.

Roth Gold IRA

A Roth gold IRA is treated just like any other Roth IRA. It acquires gold with post-tax dollars, gains accrue tax-free, and qualified distributions are tax-free.

You can withdraw contributions from a Roth IRA at any time, but earnings cannot be withdrawn until you’re age 59½ and you’ve satisfied the five-year holding rule.

Once you reach age 59½ and have satisfied the five-year holding rule, distributions on earnings from a Roth IRA can also be made tax-free.

10 Benefits of Gold IRAs

Gold IRAs, whether Traditional IRAs or Roth IRAs, can have numerous benefits. Some of these benefits are specific to gold IRAs, while others are some of the general benefits that can come from owning gold.

Let’s take a look at ten potential benefits of starting a gold IRA.

1. Gold Can Help Diversify Your Portfolio

Portfolio diversification is one potential benefit of owning gold. Gold is often considered to be a countercyclical asset, one that performs well even when the economy isn’t.

As such, gold is often held for portfolio diversification purposes, to help offset losses that may occur elsewhere in the event of a market downturn. Whether you start a gold IRA or buy physical gold to store at home, owning gold can serve your diversification needs.

2. Gold Is a Safe Haven Asset

Speaking of downturns, one of gold’s most important characteristics is that it serves as a safe haven asset during times of uncertainty and fear about the future. We’re witnessing that right now, as more and more Americans are trying to buy gold in order to help protect their financial well-being and protect themselves against geopolitical and economic risks.

3. Gold Is an Inflation Hedge

Gold has also traditionally been viewed as a hedge against inflation, thanks to its ability to maintain its purchasing power over time despite high inflation. In fact, during the stagflation of the 1970s the gold price grew at an annualized rate of over 30% per year over the course of the decade, far outpacing inflation.

If inflation were to return with a vengeance today, gold owners would certainly hope that gold might repeat that same strong performance.

4. Gold IRAs Can Offer Tax Advantages

One major advantage of a gold IRA is its tax-advantaged status. Many gold IRA customers choose to fund a gold IRA by transferring or rolling over funds tax-free from a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, IRA, or similar retirement account.

This allows you to help safeguard your existing retirement savings without having to distribute assets and take a potential hit from taxes and penalties.

5. Gold Is Universally Known and Accepted

Gold is an asset that is recognized around the world. India and China are the world’s largest consumers of gold. China and Russia are among the world’s largest gold producers, along with Australia, South Africa, and others.

Almost anywhere you go in the world, gold is recognized as a store of wealth and a safe haven asset. Gold markets are highly liquid and operate around the world nearly 24/7.

This universal acceptance of gold makes gold one of the true universal assets.

6. Gold Can Offer Liquidity

Because of gold’s nearly universal acceptance, there are gold markets operating around the world constantly. Gold is traded 24/7 around the globe, making it one of the most liquid assets there is.

Gold’s liquidity does come with the occasional drawback. In 2008, for instance, gold lost about 30% of its value over the course of the year at the same time as markets were tanking. That’s because people who needed to come up with quick cash were selling their most liquid assets to drum up money. Since gold is highly liquid, it was one of the first assets to get liquidated.

Thankfully gold turned around after that and went on to set record highs. But it’s a reminder that being such a liquid asset can sometimes be a double-edged sword.

7. Gold Has Growth Potential

Gold isn’t just an asset that can help protect you during times of economic uncertainty. It’s also an asset that can help you even when markets seem to be doing well. Since 2001, gold has gained value at an annualized 12.5% rate of growth, versus 6.14% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and 6.66% for the S&P 500.

Over the even longer term, since President Nixon closed the gold window in 1971, gold has gained at an annualized rate of 9.2% per year versus 7.57% for the Dow Jones and 8.06% for the S&P 500. This demonstrates gold’s ability to build wealth over the long term, one of many reasons it has remained so popular as a safe haven asset.

8. Gold Is a Tangible Asset

In the modern financial system, most of the assets we have are digital. We may be able to go to the ATM and pull out some physical cash from our bank accounts, but most of our transactions are done digitally without ever touching physical assets.

While this is convenient for everyday life, there are times when people want the safety and security of something tangible. With digital assets held in bank accounts, retirement accounts, and brokerage accounts, it can sometimes feel like your financial well-being is nothing more than a house of sand.

Gold can help combat that feeling, as the gold you own in a gold IRA is a real, tangible asset. And if you decide to buy physical gold and have it shipped to you, or if you decide to take a distribution in gold from your gold IRA, you can hold that physical gold in the palm of your hand.

9. Gold Is Portable

If you take physical possession of your gold, you’ll understand the advantages of gold’s portability. Gold is an incredibly compact store of wealth.

You can hold $100,000 of gold in the palm of one hand. $1 million of gold can fit in a purse or small bag, and you can carry that gold anywhere you want to.

With a gold IRA, you can help protect your existing retirement savings by rolling them over or transferring them tax-free into a gold IRA. And in some cases you can even transfer that money back to your originating accounts, or transfer it into another IRA account.

This can give you additional flexibility and can allow you to move your funds around as you see fit, owning the assets you want to.

10. Safety and Security for Gold IRAs

Like any other IRA, the assets in your gold IRA are managed by an IRA custodian. And because of the physical nature of your gold assets, your gold IRA assets will be stored at a bullion depository. This means that your precious metals assets will remain safe behind multiple layers of security.

Is a Gold IRA Right for You?

With over $3 billion in precious metals placements and over 8,000 5-star reviews from our customers, Goldco has helped thousands of Americans benefit from owning gold. If you’re interested in buying gold, or learning more about the benefits of owning gold, call the precious metals specialists at Goldco today.

This article was originally published in March 2023 and was updated in March 2026.

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• Increased geopolitical conflict and oil prices surging toward $120 per barrel have pushed up US recession probabilities.
• Persistent energy shocks threaten to reverse progress on inflation, forcing the Federal Reserve to choose between tightening policy to control costs or easing it to prevent a slowdown.
• The modern US economy is more resilient to oil shocks than in the 1970s because it is now a major energy producer and is driven more by technology and services than heavy industry.
• While market volatility and rising gold prices signal defensive positioning, a full-scale downturn remains a “ratcheting up of risk” rather than a guaranteed outcome.

The widening conflict in the Middle East and the sharp rise in oil prices have pushed recession fears back to the forefront of economic discussion. Oil briefly surged toward $120 per barrel following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil passes. 

How Oil Impacts Growth

Financial markets responded quickly: stock indices fell, prediction markets raised the probability of a US recession, and analysts began reassessing whether the economic resilience of the past two years could withstand another shock. Yet while recession risks have clearly increased, the conclusion that a downturn is now inevitable remains premature.

Prediction markets illustrate the shift in sentiment. Platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket recently showed the implied probability of a US recession climbing sharply, rising from roughly the low-20 percent range in early March to around 30–33 percent within a week, with brief spikes even higher. 

Markets are reacting to the classic economic mechanism by which oil shocks transmit through the economy. Higher crude prices raise transportation and production costs, push gasoline prices higher, and squeeze household budgets. Businesses facing higher input costs may slow hiring or investment, while consumers spending more on fuel often reduce spending elsewhere. 

This dynamic can dampen growth and complicate central bank policy if rising energy prices push inflation upward just as economic activity weakens.

Central Bank Policy at a Crossroads

The Federal Reserve now faces precisely that dilemma. After two years of elevated inflation and aggressive interest rate hikes, policymakers had been hoping to begin easing monetary policy later this year as inflation cooled. But energy shocks can reverse progress quickly. 

If oil remains near or above $100 per barrel for an extended period, it could push headline inflation higher again, particularly through gasoline and transportation costs. Central banks historically struggle in such environments because tightening policy to contain inflation risks worsening the slowdown, while easing policy risks allowing inflation expectations to become entrenched. 

The widespread use of petrochemicals in the US economy from capital goods to production to consumer goods make large oil moves generate a higher noise-to-signal ratio in the price level, complicating the Fed’s data analysis. The overall tension – sometimes called a “stagflationary impulse”—is one of the reasons energy shocks have preceded several past recessions.

Even so, there are important reasons to avoid jumping to deterministic conclusions. The structure of the US economy today is much different from that of earlier decades when oil shocks had more immediate and severe macroeconomic consequences. 

A New Economic Blueprint

The United States has become one of the world’s largest energy producers, meaning higher oil prices can also support domestic investment and employment in the energy sector. While consumers still face higher gasoline prices, parts of the economy benefit from increased drilling, transport, refining, and related services. That partial offset did not exist during earlier crises such as the 1970s oil embargoes.

Financial markets also reflect sheer uncertainty rather than fully pricing in recession. Equities have declined but not collapsed, and credit spreads remain far from levels typically associated with severe economic stress. 

Wall Street appears to be recalibrating probabilities rather than preparing for an unavoidable contraction. In fact, at times the greater risk early on is volatility: energy markets remain highly sensitive to developments around the Strait of Hormuz, insurance markets for tanker traffic are adjusting rapidly, and geopolitical headlines are driving short-term trading behavior across global markets.

The Power of Precious Metals

Precious metals have, not surprisingly, entered the conversation. Gold prices have continued to rise, building on a multiyear rally that reflects geopolitical risk, persistent fiscal deficits, and central-bank demand for reserve diversification. Silver has followed with its own surge. 

These movements do not necessarily signal recession but they do indicate that investors are seeking hedges against the uncertain, but possibly growing, possibility of an economic slowdown. 

Historically, gold tends to benefit during periods of geopolitical tension or rising inflation expectations, while silver often moves both as a monetary metal and an industrial commodity tied to economic activity. Their gains therefore reflect a complex mix of defensive positioning and expectations about future economic conditions.

Ratcheting Up Of Risks

Another complication in assessing recession risk is that many traditional economic indicators have performed poorly in recent years. The yield curve, particularly the spread between long-term and short-term Treasury yields, has historically been one of the most reliable predictors of recessions. Yet the curve has been inverted for long stretches over the past few years without producing the immediate downturn that many economists (myself included) expected. 

Similarly, other indicators such as manufacturing surveys or leading economic indexes have sent mixed signals. Some of this may reflect the unusual economic environment following the pandemic, when massive fiscal stimulus, record levels of monetary expansion, global supply disruptions, and shifts in consumer behavior distorted traditional cyclical patterns.

It may also reflect deeper structural changes. The modern US economy is increasingly shaped by technology, intangible capital, and services rather than the industrial sectors that dominated earlier eras. 

America has gone from an industrial powerhouse to a highly financialized, service-based economy. That complexity makes aggregate statistics less precise in capturing real-time economic momentum. 

Many economists have also observed that a widening gap has emerged between the dynamism of the economy – its ability to innovate, produce, and generate wealth – and the ability of households to access that prosperity. 

Rising housing costs, healthcare expenses, and other affordability pressures mean that economic growth does not always translate into widespread benefit. As a result, traditional measures of economic health may appear stronger than the lived experience of many households.

For these reasons, the current situation is best understood as a ratcheting up of risk rather than a foregone conclusion. 

Conclusion

Oil prices near $120 per barrel would almost certainly slow global growth if sustained, especially if shipping disruptions in the Persian Gulf persist. But a shorter-lived energy spike might instead produce a temporary inflation bump and market volatility without triggering a full recession. 

Much will depend on how long the geopolitical crisis lasts, how energy markets adjust, and whether policymakers respond in a timely and effective manner.

In short, recession probabilities have risen, but they are far from locked in. The global economy has repeatedly demonstrated resilience in recent years, surprising forecasters who expected downturns that never fully materialized. 

The coming months will probably test that resilience once again, and remind economists that even well-established indicators can struggle to capture an economy that constantly evolves.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and a Senior Research Fellow who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

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Gold has played an important role as a monetary metal and as a safe haven asset for centuries. Its value and importance has given rise to numerous terms: gold medal, gold standard, golden rule.

And, with all respect to Jesus, one of the most important golden rules throughout history has been that he who has the gold makes the rules. Those who hold gold (wealth) are often able to dictate financial terms to those who don’t have gold.

Today the United States is the world’s largest gold holder, with over 8,000 tonnes of gold in its official reserves. As you might expect, the US has, since the end of World War II, dominated the international financial order.

The dollar is the world’s reserve currency, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank are both headquartered in Washington, DC, and access to the US banking and financial system is almost a requirement for any financial institution around the world to operate.

That has chafed other countries, particularly countries like China who have their own ambitions. And in recent years China has made explicit its desire to internationalize the renminbi (yuan) and dethrone the dollar as the world’s reserve currency.

Many people have speculated that China may try to do this by backing the yuan with gold, or by creating a new gold-backed currency for international trade in order to challenge the dollar’s supremacy.

The Chinese central bank has been a steady and consistent buyer of gold over the last few years, and China is now not only the world’s top producer of gold but also the world’s top consumer of gold.

Now comes news from China that Chinese geologists have discovered what could be the world’s largest gold mine, with potentially up to 1,100 tonnes of gold reaching down nearly two miles into the earth.

Not only would this mine surpass the world’s current largest gold mine in South Africa, its gold is also of an unusually high grade. In some places this new gold mine is thought to be able to produce up to 138 grams (4.44 troy ounces) of gold per tonne of rock.

For comparison, consider that an average grade underground gold mine produces 5-8 grams of gold per tonne of rock, while anything above 8 grams is considered high grade. This new mine could potentially produce over 17 times more gold per tonne of rock than an average gold mine.

Adding to Chinese geologists’ joy was the fact that drilling around peripheral areas of the mine discovered even more gold, so this mine may not be the only source of new gold for China.

Now, this gold obviously isn’t going to add immediately to China’s gold reserves, and it’s going to take a lot of time and effort to mine and process it. But if this mine does pan out, or if even more gold is found in surrounding areas, it could bolster China’s gold holdings.

The question is, though, could this mine be a game changer when it comes to the international monetary order and China’s goal of becoming the dominant player in that order?

The Importance of China to Gold

There is a growing sense in many corners that China is becoming increasingly important to the gold market. Besides being the world’s largest producer and consumer of gold, China is also looking to establish its metals exchanges as competitors to London and New York.

In fact, in the minds of some precious metals analysts, China is already taking the lead from the West when it comes to precious metals price discovery. Due to shortages of physical silver in the West, prices in China have been consistently $10-12 per ounce higher than in the West.

This allows for arbitrage opportunities, and so metal is flowing from West to East, as Chinese exchanges serve the physical needs of buyers in China who need physical silver for industries such as the solar industry, which relies on silver to build the photovoltaic cells in solar panels.

In the view of these analysts, it is only a matter of time before markets acknowledge that Chinese exchanges have become the dominant players when it comes to price discovery. And if dwindling precious metals supply in the West is one reason behind that shift, then this newly discovered Chinese gold mine could play into that too.

China is already the world’s largest consumer and producer of gold, and the world’s second-largest consumer of silver.. If precious metals from Western inventories are flowing to China, China’s gold and silver holdings could increase significantly.

Couple that with the discovery of this new mine and you have a scenario in which China could eventually end up holding much of the world’s gold and silver. And as they say, he who has the gold makes the rules.

If gold and silver continue moving out of Western warehouses and into Chinese warehouses, China could end up being in the driver’s seat when it comes to dictating what happens to precious metals markets internationally. And if China wants to put gold back at the forefront of the international monetary system, large gold holdings could be the way to do it.

Now, this doesn’t mean that China is going to be able to accomplish this anytime soon. China just made its 16th consecutive month of gold purchases, but only for 1 tonne.

With about 6,000 tonnes to go before it reaches the US government’s level of gold holdings, even 10 tonnes a month of purchase would take decades to reach parity with the US. But at current market prices, 6,000 tonnes of gold is only about $1 trillion in gold.

China’s total foreign reserves total about $3.36 trillion, so buying another 6,000 tonnes of gold isn’t something that is financially impossible for China. But again, it won’t happen overnight.

The Future of Gold and China

With China’s stated ambition of dethroning the dollar, its massive gold production and consumption, and the growing importance of China to precious metals markets, it could only be a matter of time before China becomes the world’s most dominant player in precious metals.

If China were to successfully dethrone the dollar, and to tie a new international currency to gold, it could mark a renaissance for gold in the international monetary order. It could also mean that the value of gold could increase, as it would be in greater demand for international financial transactions and as a reserve asset.

Gold owners could benefit if gold becomes the centerpiece of a new international monetary order, as gold revaluation could be accompanied by a diminishing importance of “paper” gold markets, as physical demand will take center stage versus financial settlement of gold purchase contracts.

It may take years still for China to dethrone the dollar, or for gold to take center stage once again, but if it does, wouldn’t you hope that you own gold when that happens?

With gold setting record highs recently, how much higher could gold go if it becomes the linchpin of the international monetary order?

Now is the time to start thinking about buying gold, to make sure that you own gold so that you can benefit from any potential future price gains, but also to make sure that by owning gold you’re not necessarily at the mercy of being dictated to by those who do own gold.

With over $3 billion in precious metals placements and over 8,000 5-star reviews from our customers, Goldco has helped thousands of people just like you benefit from owning gold. Call Goldco today to learn more about how to buy gold and put it to work for you.

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• In a significant policy shift, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has added silver to the federal critical minerals list, formally acknowledging its vital role in national security, infrastructure, and technological competitiveness.
• Global silver production has failed to meet demand for five consecutive years, driven by massive growth in “green” and high-tech sectors.
• Supply resilience is a growing concern because China controls approximately 70% of the global refined silver supply and recently implemented export-control protocols. 
• This new designation allows the federal government to prioritize silver in domestic investment, provide tax incentives for processing, and potentially streamline permitting for new mines. 

In November, the US Geological Survey (USGS) added silver to the federal critical minerals list, alongside copper and uranium, as part of a broader update that expanded the roster to 60 materials. The revision replaced the 2022 list and added 10 new minerals, including metallurgical coal, potash, rhenium, silicon, and lead. The list already contains 15 rare earth elements. While the inclusion of copper and uranium drew predictable attention, silver’s addition is arguably one of the most consequential: not because it is new to industry, but because federal policy has formally caught up to market reality.

The USGS list plays a practical role in shaping federal action. It informs Section 232 investigations into processed critical minerals and derivative products, a mechanism that can lead to tariffs or trade restrictions. It also guides federal investment priorities, tax incentives for domestic mineral processing, stockpiling decisions, and streamlined permitting efforts. In effect, inclusion signals that a material is considered vital to national security, infrastructure resilience, and technological competitiveness.

The Industrial Necessity of Silver

Silver fits those criteria with little controversy. Unlike gold, most refined silver is not stored in vaults; it is consumed. For five consecutive years, global silver production has fallen short of demand. The metal is embedded in a broad array of essential products: solar panels, semiconductors, smartphones, flatscreen displays, electric vehicles, medical devices, and industrial electronics. Its unmatched electrical conductivity and thermal efficiency make substitution difficult in high-performance applications.

Solar photovoltaic manufacturing has become one of the largest structural drivers of silver demand. Solar panels account for a large portion of annual silver consumption. Even as manufacturers reduce silver loadings per panel, the scale of global installations has expanded sufficiently to keep aggregate demand elevated. Electrification trends, including EV production and charging infrastructure, add further support.

The growth of artificial intelligence infrastructure reinforces this demand profile. Data centers, advanced chips, and high-speed networking systems rely on conductive materials with low resistance and high reliability. Silver’s properties make it indispensable in these systems. The industrial case for critical classification rests not on novelty, but on scale and strategic importance.

Geopolitical Risks and Structural Challenges

Supply dynamics add a geopolitical dimension. Roughly 70 percent of the global refined silver supply is controlled by China, according to industry commentary, and on January 1, 2026, China added silver to its rare earth export-control protocols. While silver is globally traded and mined in multiple jurisdictions, refining concentration and export oversight raise legitimate questions about supply resilience. The United States imports a significant share of its silver needs, leaving domestic users exposed to external disruptions.

At the same time, silver supply is structurally inelastic. Most silver is mined as a byproduct of copper, lead, and zinc operations. That means silver output does not respond quickly to silver prices alone; it depends on broader base-metal production cycles. When demand accelerates — whether from solar expansion or investment flows — supply adjustments can lag.

Markets have reflected these fundamentals. By the end of 2025, silver had posted an approximately 130 percent gain from earlier cycle lows. Investment vehicles tied to silver prices and production saw outsized returns over the same period. In October, the London market experienced backwardation: a rare pricing condition in which near-term contracts trade above longer-dated contracts, often interpreted as a sign of immediate physical tightness.

Demand has also contributed to tightening conditions. Central banks and exchange-traded funds increased precious metals allocations amid concerns about inflation, fiscal sustainability, and currency debasement. Silver’s dual identity — industrial and monetary — positions it uniquely in such environments.

Policy Implications and Resource Management

The updated critical minerals list also intersects with trade policy. Because the list informs Section 232 investigations, inclusion could theoretically expose silver and its derivative products to tariffs or other restrictions. This prospect has generated concern among precious metals traders and manufacturers who rely on imported silver. The United States depends heavily on foreign supply to meet domestic consumption. Any disruption to trade flows – even if intended to bolster domestic resilience – would have significant implications for pricing and market structure.

The broader policy context is instructive. President Trump has prioritized strengthening domestic supply chains for materials deemed essential to national security and technological innovation. Rare earth elements have been a focal point in US-China trade tensions. Copper imports comprise nearly half of US consumption, with much of global refining concentrated in China. Potash imports rely heavily on Canada. In that landscape, silver’s addition appears consistent with a strategy of reducing reliance on foreign-controlled supply chains for materials embedded in critical infrastructure.

For domestic producers, critical mineral designation may support exploration, facilitate permitting, and expand eligibility for federal financing or tax incentives. It may also encourage resource recovery from mine waste and recycling initiatives. While such measures do not guarantee immediate production growth, they align policy tools with the structural importance of the metal.

It is important to distinguish recognition from alarm. Silver markets remain liquid and globally integrated. Reserves are substantial, and recycling contributes meaningfully to supply. The designation does not signal imminent scarcity; it reflects strategic planning in light of persistent deficits and evolving geopolitical realities.

Conclusion

In many respects, the decision appears timely, and perhaps even late. Silver has been central to electronics and industrial manufacturing for decades. What has changed is the magnitude of demand from renewable energy, electrification, and advanced computing. Persistent production shortfalls, refining concentration, and export controls simply made the strategic case clearer.

For precious metals observers, the development underscores silver’s evolving narrative. It is not only a historical monetary asset but also a foundational component of modern industry. By adding silver to the critical minerals list, the federal government has formally acknowledged a fact markets have priced for several years: silver’s role in the global economy is structural, measurable, and increasingly strategic.

The policy move does not create new demand or new scarcity. It validates existing trends. In that sense, silver’s inclusion on the critical minerals list is not dramatic, it is economically logical, and arguably overdue.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and a Senior Research Fellow who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

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One way to judge the financial health of an individual, a company, or a country is by looking at the levels of debt they have. The higher the level of debt, the shakier their financial position often is.

Of course, that has to be tempered sometimes by looking at income as well, which is what lenders do when looking at debt to income ratios, or what financial analysts do when looking at balance sheets of companies they’re looking to buy.

In general, though, rising levels of debt, particularly when debt is rising faster than income, are associated with a worsening financial situation. And that’s the same for a country’s economy as it is for an individual’s financial position.

In the US today, debt is everywhere. You can’t buy a house without taking on a mortgage that may be multiple times higher than your annual income.

Many people can’t afford to buy a car without financing it, which means taking on debt. And even buying things online we’re now bombarded with offers to finance our purchases, with numerous vendors now offering buy now, pay later services from various companies that have popped up to serve that sector of the market.

High government debt levels raise the risk of recession and financial crisis due to the potential impact on interest rates. And high household debt levels are a strong indicator of a weakening economy.

Are debt levels in the US increasing today? And could those increasing debt levels be the canary in the coal mine indicating that a recession could be imminent?

Some Key Debt Level Figures

Unsecured loan balances in the US have hit a record high, soaring 10% in 2025 to $276 billion, with 26.4 million consumers holding such balances, up from 24.5 million in 2024.

According to TransUnion, this is partially due to consumers consolidating their credit card balances into unsecured loans. Unsecured loans are also being used by lower-income consumers to help finance their cost of living, which has been rising faster than their wages.

Overall, household loan levels are at the highest level they have ever been, with nearly $21 trillion in outstanding debt, over 40% higher than at the start of the 2008 financial crisis.

Rising debt isn’t necessarily a problem if you can pay that debt off. But can American households do that?

Nearly 13% of US credit card accounts are now delinquent by 90 days or more. According to the New York Fed’s most recent household credit survey, this delinquency level has increased sharply over the last two years, and is now approaching the levels last seen during the 2008 financial crisis.

Student loans that are more than 90 days delinquent have also risen sharply, to nearly 10%. And auto loans delinquent for more than 90 days have risen to over 5%, also nearing levels last seen during the 2008 crisis.

The numbers for transition into delinquency are similarly worrying. This means loans that are now 30+ days late in payment for the first time.

Student loan transitions into delinquency have shot up to over 14%, credit card loans are at nearly 8%, auto loans are at almost 7%, and mortgage transitions to delinquency have been moving upward for the past several years and are now at almost 4%, back to pre-pandemic levels.

These numbers indicate that American households are having increasing difficulty paying off their debts, and that their financial position could be worsening. Their ability to weather an economic downturn is questionable, and in the event of an economic downturn these numbers could shoot even higher.

US Government Debt

What is perhaps more concerning than personal debt is the state of the US government’s finances. The US national debt currently stands at nearly $39 trillion.

The budget deficit for FY 2025 was $1.8 trillion, and the projection for FY 2026 is for a deficit of $1.9 trillion. What would the significance of those numbers be if a recession were to occur?

If you look at what happened during the last recession, during the pandemic, the federal government responded with trillions of dollars of fiscal stimulus. The Federal Reserve bought up much of the debt issued to fund that stimulus, which led to a massive increase in the size of its balance sheet.

The national debt, as a result, increased from $23.2 trillion in January of 2020 to $29.6 trillion by December of 2021, an increase of 28%. And, as we all remember, those trillions of dollars of new debt pushed into the economy resulted in inflation rising, until it hit 40-year highs in 2022.

So in the case of government debt, rising debt isn’t necessarily a sign of recession, but if the government responds to recession with more debt-fueled spending, it would send the national debt higher and could result in higher inflation.

Debt and Recession

There’s no question that debt levels within the US are rising, from governments to businesses to individuals. And with delinquency rates rising along with debt levels, there are certainly worries that we’re entering a period that has many similarities to the pre-2008 era.

Even though debt markers are below what they were in 2008, the reliance on buy now, pay later financing is scary to many analysts. And if a recession were to occur, many debt markers could rise to levels last seen in 2008.

Many American households are certainly experiencing financial hardship and financial uncertainty, and most Americans fear that the US economy will enter a recession within the next year. If the US economy were to experience a downturn, especially one similar to 2008, the results could be catastrophic for the financial well-being of millions of American households.

That’s one reason so many people today are turning to safe haven assets like gold and silver to help safeguard their wealth. They remember how markets fell by more than 50% from 2007 to 2009, and they remember how gold and silver saw such significant price growth in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis.

With gold and silver having hit record highs this year, demand to buy gold and silver has surged. Now is the time to start thinking about whether you need to add gold and silver to your portfolio.

If you want more information about how you can put gold and silver to work in your portfolio, call the precious metals specialists at Goldco today. With over $3 billion in precious metals placements and over 8,000 5-star reviews, Goldco has worked hard to become one of the best gold companies in the country.

Don’t let your hard-earned savings fall victim to a potential recession. Call Goldco today to learn more about how you can help safeguard your savings with gold and silver.

The post Debt and Recession: Is Rising Debt the Canary in the Coal Mine? appeared first on Goldco.

Ever since the end of World War II, the US economy has been the world’s largest and most important. As Americans, we have gotten used to the idea that the world economy revolves around the United States.

But other countries are catching up, notably China, and China’s role and importance in the global economy is growing. Recent events in precious metals markets have underscored the fact that actions in Chinese markets can have just as much impact on gold and silver as actions in North America and Europe.

China has a long history with gold and silver, as it remained a silver standard country long after the Western world had switched to the gold standard. And today China is both a major producer and consumer of gold, with an impact on gold markets that may only continue to grow.

China and Gold Supply

China is currently the largest producer of gold in the world. And one big question many people have is, how much of that gold is leaving China?

There are concerns that Chinese gold production may be mostly consumed within the country, which some speculate may be due to the Chinese government possibly looking to internationalize the yuan through backing it with gold.

Exports of gold from China are limited, and 94% of those gold exports take the form of shipments from the mainland to Hong Kong. So even though China is the world’s largest producer of gold, that production doesn’t make its way to world markets.

Gold exports are also highly regulated by the Chinese central bank, which maintains tight control over the gold trade, thus highlighting the importance of gold when it comes to monetary and banking policy.

China and Silver Supply

China is also the second-largest producer of silver in the world, with an estimated 3,400 tons of silver produced in 2025. That accounts for about 13% of total world production.

Most importantly for world silver markets, China has begun treating silver in a similar manner to strategic minerals like rare earth metals, imposing strict export controls and licensing of silver.

Speculation surrounding an export shutdown helped boost silver prices in January 2026. That’s only natural when you consider that China is the world’s largest producer of solar panels, which rely on silver for their production.

Also contributing to heightened silver prices is the growing importance of the Shanghai Metals Exchange, which is becoming an important precious metals trading hub in China. Price movements there were helping drive the silver price in late January, with many Western traders watching what was happening in China before making their own trading decisions.

With Chinese industry being such a large consumer of silver, it’s only natural for the Chinese government to want to try to keep that silver within the country. But by keeping that silver within China, it cuts down on the amount of silver available in the rest of the world, which could drive up prices.

Just look at tungsten, which China similarly subjected to export controls, and which has more than doubled in price since late 2025. As long as China remains a major silver consumer and keeps its silver within its own borders, events in China could continue having a significant impact on silver markets.

China and Gold Demand

Not only is China the largest producer of gold in the world, it is also the world’s largest consumer of gold. Even though Chinese gold consumption has slowed in recent years, gold demand remains strong, and demand for gold coins and gold bars has finally surpassed demand for gold jewelry.

The Chinese central bank is among the world central banks that has made purchases of gold in recent years, and gold seems to play a major part in China’s conduct of monetary policy.

Chinese consumers are voracious consumers of gold, whether in coin or bar form or in the form of gold jewelry, and as the Chinese middle class grows larger and more affluent, demand for gold in China could continue to rise. With over 50% of Chinese gold consumption in 2025 going towards bars and coins, it will be interesting to see if that structural change continues in the future.

China and Silver Demand

As the producer of over 80% of the world’s solar panels, Chinese industrial demand for silver is robust. But China hasn’t been a large consumer of silver for other purposes.

According to the Silver Institute, worldwide silver demand for investment is highly concentrated, with the US, India, Germany, and Australia accounting for 80% of worldwide silver investment demand. But could that be changing?

Part of the reason for silver’s record high prices in late January 2026 was due to speculation from the Chinese silver market. Prices in Shanghai seemed to drive worldwide silver prices ever higher.

That could indicate a growing role for Chinese traders in the world silver market, and could mean that Chinese markets may start playing a more important role in setting silver prices.

Lessons for Gold and Silver Buyers

The takeaway from recent events in gold and silver markets is that China is playing an increasingly important role in driving gold and silver prices. Just because we as Americans see dollar price quotes for gold doesn’t mean that the US economy and events in the US will be the dominant factors behind gold and silver buying that can push prices up.

Remember that China doesn’t have a financial system or stock market that is as well developed as the United States. Because of China’s communist system, Chinese citizens have been relatively limited in how they can build their wealth, with bond trading having only begun in 1986 and the country’s first stock market having only been founded in 1990.

Because of that, Chinese citizens have traditionally preferred to put their money into tangible assets such as real estate or precious metals. Remember the Chinese real estate bubble, and how many Chinese people lost huge amounts of money when that began to collapse?

The reason so many people bought real estate was because it was one of the few assets they trusted to help them build wealth. Gold and silver are another one of those tangible assets, which is one reason they are gaining in popularity in China.

If you’re looking to buy gold and silver, you’re probably looking at them for the same reason that Chinese buyers are too. You’re looking for a safe haven asset to help protect your wealth, a tangible asset that tends to maintain its value against inflation, and an asset that can gain value even during periods of economic downturns.

You’ll need to consider not just what is happening to the US economy when it comes to buying gold and silver, but also what is happening to the Chinese economy and to what Chinese buyers are doing.

The Future of Gold and Silver

This doesn’t mean that gold and silver will be completely dependent on events in China, of course. Precious metals markets operate around the world almost 24/7, and gold and silver production and consumption occur in other countries aside from China.

This just means that looking at the US economy as a bellwether for gold and silver’s performance isn’t necessarily going to give you an accurate picture of what’s happening in precious metals markets. With gold being an important safe haven asset, an economic slowdown in China could spur safe haven buying there that could push gold prices higher, even if the US economy is doing just fine.

And of course this doesn’t mean that you should avoid buying gold and silver either. Both metals are important safe haven metals, and both have seen record price growth in recent months, hitting all-time highs.

Many analysts expect silver and gold prices to keep climbing, and as fear of economic uncertainty grows, safe haven buying of gold and silver could continue. If you’re looking to buy gold and silver, there’s no better time to buy than today.

The post China and Precious Metals: What You Need to Know appeared first on Goldco.

After the horrors of World War II, Europe went to great lengths to ensure that such a conflict never again ravaged the continent. Despite the constant threat from the Soviet Union during the Cold War, European countries continued working together to ensure that they remained united. And once the Cold War ended, many people thought that the possibility of major power war was over.

With the US as the world’s hegemon and the Soviet Union consigned to the dustbin of history, many people thought that war was largely a thing of the past. Sure, minor conflicts might erupt in less developed countries, but the threat of war was thought to be something that First World nations had overcome.

Now we know better, of course. Decades of war on terror and now more recent conflict in Europe and the Middle East have reminded us that war is a threat that can resurface at any time.

War has a significant effect on the lives of those unfortunate enough to be caught up in conflict zones. But it has significant effects on the lives of people outside conflict zones too.

Whether it’s through disruptions to trade, disruption of travel, or other factors, the lives of everyone are affected by war. And the longer a war lasts and the deeper the conflict reaches, the more people are affected.

We’re seeing today how war and the threat of war is impacting the price of gold. Gold is already a popular safe haven asset and thousands of people have already sought to help protect their assets with gold due to rising economic uncertainty.

But the threat of war can result in even greater demand for gold, as people seek certainty during uncertain times. Here are three ways that war can affect the price of gold.

1. Fear of Conflict

When people start to fear for their financial well-being, they often flee to what they know or to what is familiar. In many cases this means heading for the safety of gold.

Many people may not realize the many advantages of gold, but they have an innate sense that owning gold can help them. And during times of unease or uncertainty, gold becomes a popular safe haven asset.

Gold can help to diversify your portfolio, assisting you in helping protect your wealth against the damage that can be done when financial markets plummet. It can act as a hedge against inflation, as it maintains its value over the long term. And it can gain value during periods when other assets are losing value.

When people start to fear that their assets will lose value, gold is very often one of the first assets they will seek out. And the more fear there is of war breaking out or of war continuing, the more the gold price could rise as more and more people seek to buy it.

2. Depth of Conflict

The depth and severity of war are also factors that affect the price of gold. Civil wars in Africa, isolated terrorist incidents in the Middle East, or border clashes in Asia don’t really impact the gold price.

In some ways this is because they happen so regularly that they’ve become ho hum. But they also don’t normally threaten to draw major powers into conflict.

The prospects for those types of wars and clashes spilling over and affecting the world economy are generally pretty slim. But when war breaks out between major powers, even proxy wars, and when the conflict could potentially risk nuclear war, the consequences of a deeper conflict could be severe.

The fighting in Ukraine that began in 2022 reminded most people that nuclear war is still a threat. And the longer the war goes on, the more damaging it could be and the greater the likelihood that a minor miscalculation could result in major consequences.

The attacks on Iran that took out Iranian leadership in early 2026 could end up destabilizing the Middle East, with the potential for numerous Gulf states and even major Western nations to get involved. Even though President Trump has said that the attacks will last four weeks, the US could end up getting pulled in for an even longer period of time.

If the US ends up getting involved in Iran like it did in Iraq and Afghanistan, it could end up costing trillions of dollars over the years, which could significantly degrade the US government’s financial standing. And if it pulls in other major powers like Russia and China due to balance of power fears, there is no telling where things might end.

The more severe a war is and the greater number of major powers involved, the greater the effect could be on gold. And the longer the war lasts, the more people may decide to buy gold to help protect themselves.

3. Disruption of Trade

Trade between nations is always one of the first casualties of war. And if a country at war is a major producer of necessary goods or raw materials, the effects of war could impact the whole world.

When the conflict in Ukraine broke out, it disrupted trade as many Ukrainian exports couldn’t be produced anymore, while other goods like grain ended up flooding European countries and earning the ire of European farmers. Meanwhile Russian products ended up becoming increasingly sanctioned.

The recent attack on Iran has upset world oil markets, with prices for oil and gas climbing. And commercial shipping is on guard as well, as Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz and could  launch attacks on any ships that try to make it out of the Persian Gulf.

Trade disruptions from war could result in price increases for both commodities and finished goods. And the longer a war goes on, the greater the disruption could be.

Over time we’ll see just how damaging the impact of these disruptions can get, particularly if these conflicts intensify. But the longer they drag on, the more damage could be done.

Current Crises Affecting Gold

Over the past year, the dominant factor pushing gold prices higher has probably been the uncertainty and unease about the direction of the economy. Fear of the future has helped push the gold price to record highs, and even some recent pullbacks don’t seem to have taken any steam out of gold’s rally.

Economic considerations aren’t the only factor that push gold higher, however, as geopolitical concerns have become increasingly important for the gold price. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro brought that to a point, and now the combat operations in Iran are helping fuel geopolitical concerns that could support a higher gold price.

Combat Operations Against Iran

The war against Iran could end up becoming a major maelstrom, pulling in numerous Gulf states, NATO powers, or even Russia, Iran’s Caspian Sea neighbor. Iranian allies in Lebanon could target Israel, and Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen could harass shipping transiting the Suez Canal.

In short, anything could happen in the Middle East, and while President Trump may think he can limit combat operations to just a few weeks, there’s no telling who might want to get involved. If the conflict ends up widening and disrupting a significant amount of world trade due to disruption in oil and shipping markets, there’s no telling how severe the impact could be on the world economy.

The War in Ukraine

While Iran is taking center stage today, we can’t forget about the war in Ukraine, which continues to fester after years of bloody warfare. While it may just be a proxy war now, that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t flare up into an all-out Russia vs. NATO conflict.

At the very least, taxpayers may end up being on the hook for billions of dollars worth of military assistance to the Ukrainian government. And if Ukraine ends up collapsing, does anyone really think that NATO is going to allow Russian forces to waltz right up to the border with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, all NATO members?

With wars going on in both Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the risk that either one of those conflicts could snowball into something bigger can’t be ignored.

Future Crises That Could Affect Gold

Conflict in the Middle East and Eastern Europe aren’t the only potential crises that could impact the gold price. There’s a great deal of fear that China might feel emboldened in the next few years to take over Taiwan, with many US officials afraid that 2027 might mark the year that China finally decides to take over the island.

If China were to do so, the disruption to world trade could likely make what’s happening today look like nothing. And with Western attention today turned towards Ukraine and Iran, could the US and other Western countries afford to get involved in conflicts on three different fronts?

Just imagine what would happen if the US and China were to get into a war over Taiwan. Almost overnight, many of the goods Americans rely on would disappear. Forget about being able to buy clothes, electronics, or parts to repair cars and household appliances.

China is also a major producer and consumer of gold, so any future conflict involving China would undoubtedly affect the gold price. That could be the result of Western buyers buying more gold as they fear the effects of war, or the result of Chinese gold production no longer being available to world markets, or the result of Chinese buyers snapping up more gold to help protect themselves.

Whatever the reason, there’s a great chance that any future conflict will be one that involves great powers and major gold producers. And that could impact the gold price.

Buy Gold Today

Everything we’re seeing today indicates that the future could be one of greater instability and uncertainty. Economic instability and uncertainty have certainly weighed on people’s minds over the past year, but growing geopolitical instability and uncertainty could play an increasingly important role in gold price movements.

Future geopolitical conflict could impact the price of gold directly not just as the result of war, but also as a result of the changes to the monetary and financial systems that could come about as a result of any future conflict.

Both Russia and China have been buying significant amounts of gold in recent years, and there is widespread speculation that the future of the world monetary system may lie in the return of gold-backed currencies to international prominence.

But no matter what happens, many analysts expect that conditions today are supportive of higher gold prices in the future, with predictions that gold could reach close to $7,000 an ounce in the coming months. Rising uncertainty, greater potential for conflict, and increasingly fearful populations are all factors that could help boost the gold price.

With so much uncertainty in the world today, now may be the right time to start thinking about buying gold. There are numerous options to consider, from rolling over retirement savings into a gold IRA to buying gold coins and bars to store at home.

No matter how you want to buy gold, there is a product or service out there that can cater to your needs. With over a decade of experience in precious metals and thousands of satisfied customers, the experts at Goldco are ready to help you benefit from owning gold.

Whether you’re looking for financial security, greater peace of mind, or long-term growth of your assets, Goldco’s representatives can answer your questions so that you can work towards achieving your goals.

Call Goldco today to learn more about how gold can benefit you.

This article was originally published in May 2022 and was updated in March 2026.

The post Learn How War May Affect The Price Of Gold and Precious Metals appeared first on Goldco.

The phrase “Iran war gold price” has quickly become one of the most searched financial terms as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East intensify. Whenever conflict risks rise—especially involving a major energy producer like Iran—investors instinctively turn their attention to gold.

Gold has historically responded to war, inflation shocks, oil supply disruptions, and currency instability. While headlines often focus on troop movements or diplomatic statements, financial markets immediately begin pricing in uncertainty. The result is often heightened volatility across equities, bonds, energy markets—and notably, precious metals.

It is important to approach this topic carefully and objectively. Geopolitical events can move markets rapidly, but long-term investment decisions should always be made based on personal financial goals, risk tolerance, and diversification principles—not emotion or speculation.

Why War Risk Impacts Gold Prices

When analysts discuss the “Iran war gold price” dynamic, they are really describing how markets price risk.

There are several key transmission mechanisms:

1. Safe-Haven Demand

Gold has long been considered a “safe-haven” asset. During periods of military conflict or political instability, investors often reduce exposure to risk assets such as stocks and seek assets perceived as stores of value.

2. Oil Supply Concerns

Iran plays a strategic role in global energy markets. Any conflict that threatens oil production or shipping routes—particularly through the Strait of Hormuz—can cause crude oil prices to rise sharply. Rising oil prices can contribute to inflation expectations, which historically have supported gold prices.

3. Currency Volatility

Geopolitical instability often pressures fiat currencies. If investors anticipate increased government spending, sanctions, or monetary intervention, they may look to hedge currency exposure with tangible assets.

4. Broader Regional Instability

The Middle East’s geopolitical landscape involves multiple regional and global powers. Escalation involving Iran could influence global trade flows, defense spending, and commodity markets—all of which feed into broader macroeconomic expectations.

Historical Examples: Conflict and Gold

Gold’s sensitivity to geopolitical stress is not new. During the Gulf War, gold prices spiked as markets reacted to uncertainty in oil supply and global security. Similar patterns were observed following major geopolitical shocks in the early 2000s and during other periods of heightened global tension.

However, it is equally important to note that gold does not always move in a straight line during conflict. Prices may initially spike on headlines and later retrace as markets reassess the actual economic impact. Short-term volatility can be significant.

For this reason, investors should avoid viewing gold purely as a short-term speculation tied to war headlines. Instead, many consider it part of a broader risk management strategy.

The Inflation Connection

An Iran-related conflict could potentially impact inflation in several ways:

• Higher energy prices
• Increased shipping and insurance costs
• Supply chain disruptions
• Expanded fiscal spending globally

If inflation expectations rise, central banks may face difficult policy decisions. Historically, gold has often performed well during periods when real interest rates (interest rates adjusted for inflation) are low or negative.

That said, gold prices are influenced by multiple factors simultaneously—including interest rate policy, currency strength, global liquidity, and investor sentiment. Geopolitical tension is just one variable.

Central Banks and Gold Accumulation

Another structural factor supporting gold demand in recent years has been central bank buying. Several countries have increased gold reserves as part of reserve diversification strategies.

While geopolitical risk can accelerate short-term investor demand, central bank accumulation tends to reflect longer-term concerns about currency diversification and financial system resilience.

The Iran war gold price discussion, therefore, fits into a broader global trend: governments and institutions seeking stability amid uncertainty.

Volatility vs. Long-Term Strategy

It is essential to distinguish between:

• Short-term trading reactions to geopolitical headlines
• Long-term portfolio allocation decisions

Precious metals can experience rapid price swings during crises. Investors considering physical gold or silver should evaluate:

• Overall portfolio diversification
• Liquidity needs
• Storage and security considerations
• Time horizon

Gold and silver are not income-producing assets, and their prices can decline as well as rise. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Physical Gold vs. Paper Gold

Some investors prefer physical bullion—coins or bars—because it represents direct ownership of a tangible asset. Others may choose exchange-traded products or mining equities, each of which carries different risk characteristics.

Physical precious metals:

• Do not depend on corporate performance
• Are not liabilities of a financial institution
• Require secure storage
• May involve premiums over spot prices

Investors should carefully review costs, liquidity considerations, and suitability before purchasing physical metals.

Conclusion: Understanding the Iran War Gold Price Narrative

The “Iran war gold price” theme highlights how deeply interconnected geopolitics and financial markets have become. Conflict risk involving Iran can influence oil prices, inflation expectations, currency markets, and investor sentiment—all of which may affect gold.

However, disciplined investors recognize that precious metals are best viewed as part of a diversified strategy rather than a reactionary trade to headlines. While geopolitical uncertainty can support demand for safe-haven assets, long-term financial planning requires balance, prudence, and a clear understanding of risk.

For those interested in learning more about physical gold and silver as part of a broader wealth preservation strategy, Allegiance Gold provides educational resources to help investors make informed decisions.

Call Allegiance Gold today at 844-790-9191
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• Following the strikes on Iran, gold has surged past $5,200 per ounce, reinforcing its role as the ultimate hedge against systemic risk.
• The rally in precious metals is inextricably linked to energy security. With 14 million barrels of oil per day passing through the Strait of Hormuz, any disruption to this chokepoint drives inflation expectations.
• The escalation could trigger a global rotation out of equities and into defensive assets. 
• Unlike bonds or equities, gold’s value isn’t tied to government solvency or corporate earnings. Capital may seek assets that are no one else’s liability.

The weekend strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran – and the reported killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – have sharply escalated geopolitical tensions and immediately refocused global markets on one central question: where does capital go when uncertainty spikes? The early answer is gold. 

On Sunday afternoon, spot gold surged past $5,200 per ounce in electronic trading, with futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange climbing above $5,296, and expectations of a gap-up opening when markets fully reopen. 

This comes on top of an already extraordinary run: gold touched an all-time high near $5,608 in January 2026 and has remained elevated amid trade tensions, tariff uncertainty, and broader geopolitical stress. February alone saw a gain of roughly 7.6 percent in gold, while silver rose nearly 10 percent for the month. The fresh escalation in the Middle East adds a new and potentially powerful layer of risk premium.

Oil Disruption and Inflationary Pressure

Gold’s reaction cannot be separated from oil. Brent crude had already been firming, but fears of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz (through which roughly one-third of global seaborne crude exports and about one-fifth of global liquid natural gas shipments pass) have intensified supply concerns. 

More than 14 million barrels per day flowed through the strait in 2025, making it one of the most critical energy chokepoints in the world. Reports that tanker traffic has thinned and that some oil majors have suspended shipments underscore how quickly logistical uncertainty can translate into price risk. 

In extreme scenarios, crude could surge past $100 per barrel (as it did early in the Russia-Ukraine War) if regional facilities are attacked or if shipping routes are significantly impaired. Higher oil prices matter for gold because they feed inflation expectations, raise macroeconomic uncertainty, and increase the probability of policy stress in energy-importing nations. When oil rises sharply for geopolitical reasons, gold often benefits as investors seek protection against both inflation and financial instability.

Navigating the “Risk-Off” Landscape

The immediate market pattern is classic “risk-off” behavior. Equities are expected to open lower, particularly in markets sensitive to foreign capital flows. In India, for example, foreign institutional investors may reduce financial assets exposure, while higher crude prices widen the current account deficit, pressure the currency, and stoke domestic inflation. 

In China, while oil imports represent a smaller share of total energy consumption (roughly 18 percent, compared with oil and gas making up close to 70 percent of energy use in the US and EU) higher global crude prices still raise import costs and add short-term inflationary pressure. Across regions, the effect is similar: when geopolitical risk rises and energy prices jump, investors rebalance portfolios toward assets perceived as stores of value. Gold and silver sit at the center of that rotation.

The Durability of the Rally

Ultimately, the durability of this gold rally depends on the conflict’s trajectory. A protracted conflict would likely see volatility remain high, while signs of diplomatic de-escalation could trigger profit-taking. Gold is highly sensitive to shifts in perceived worst-case outcomes. 

If retaliation is limited and energy infrastructure remains largely intact, some of the risk premium embedded in bullion could fade. But if the conflict broadens – especially if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is materially disrupted or oil facilities in Gulf states are targeted – gold could move toward new highs as global capital seeks safety.

Hedging Systemic Risk

There is also a financial structure dimension. In periods of acute uncertainty, buyers do not merely hedge oil risk; they hedge systemic risk. Gold functions differently from equities or bonds because it is no one else’s liability. It does not depend on corporate earnings, government solvency, or central bank credibility. 

In times when geopolitical events raise questions about fiscal burdens, inflation trajectories, or monetary responses, that characteristic becomes more valuable. The recent surge in US Treasuries alongside gold reflects this dual flight to safety, but gold has an additional appeal when inflation fears accompany conflict-driven oil spikes.

Silver, platinum, and palladium have also moved, though gold remains the primary barometer of geopolitical stress. Silver climbed nearly 5 percent recently, reflecting both safe-haven demand and its industrial linkage to global growth. But gold’s role is more singular: it is the asset most closely associated with capital preservation during regime uncertainty.

Strategic Outlook: Discipline Over Reaction

For long-term planners, asset allocation discipline becomes critical in moments like this. Analysts stress avoiding panic-driven decisions and maintaining diversified exposure across equities, bonds, and precious metals. Historically, wealth has been built through steady allocation rather than reactive trading. 

Still, in the short run, markets will move on headlines. The intensity of Iran’s response, the resilience of energy infrastructure, and the willingness of major powers to pursue diplomacy will determine whether gold’s current surge represents a temporary spike or the early stage of a renewed breakout.

Oil is the spark, but gold may be the signal. The tighter the perceived constraint on energy supply and the longer the conflict appears likely to last, the stronger the case for sustained upward pressure on bullion. As long as geopolitical risk remains elevated and crude volatility persists, gold may very well remain at the center of global capital’s defensive positioning.

About the author: Peter C. Earle, Ph.D, is the Director of Economics and Economic Freedom and a Senior Research Fellow who joined AIER in 2018. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from l’Universite d’Angers, an MA in Applied Economics from American University, an MBA (Finance), and a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Earle spent over 20 years as a trader and analyst at a number of securities firms and hedge funds in the New York metropolitan area as well as engaging in extensive consulting within the cryptocurrency and gaming sectors. His research focuses on financial markets, monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and problems in economic measurement. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, NPR, and in numerous other media outlets and publications.

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by the author are the author’s opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Goldco. The author’s opinions are based on the author’s personal experience, education and information the author considers reliable. Goldco does not warrant that the information contained herein is complete or accurate, and it should not be relied upon as such. 

The post Strikes on Iran and the Safe-Haven Surge appeared first on Goldco.

Recent news events and market performance have pushed gold back into the spotlight. With gold prices having risen 65% in 2025 and hitting new record highs in 2026, that has spurred renewed interest among many Americans in buying gold.

But especially if you’ve never bought gold before, you might be wondering how to buy physical gold.

Yes, there are other ways to gain exposure to gold and gold markets, like buying shares of gold exchange-traded funds or shares of gold mining stocks. But each of these has its drawbacks.

For many people who want to buy gold, they want to have physical gold. After all, if you have gold in a vault somewhere, or in a safe deposit box, do you trust that you’ll be able to get your hands on it if you really need it?

For many people, being able to hold their physical gold coins or gold bars in their hands is the only way they trust that they actually own gold. If you want to buy physical gold that you can store at home, here’s how to buy that gold.

Types of Physical Gold

First, let’s look at some of the different types of physical gold, because that can play a major role in how you buy it, where you buy it, and how much you might pay.

Gold Ore and Dust

Before gold is melted down and refined, it starts off as gold ore. Gold is mined in huge mines in which tons of rock are extracted from the earth, crushed, and subjected to various chemicals to leach the gold out of them.

It can take several tons of rock just to produce one single ounce of gold. While it’s possible to buy this raw gold, or gold dust, or gold nuggets, these are mostly just sold as curios or keepsakes.

While it might be neat to own gold dust or gold nuggets, it’s going to be difficult to convince other people to buy it from you, which is part of the point of owning gold. The reason gold coins and bars are popular is because they allow anyone to immediately ascertain that they contain a certain amount of gold of a given fineness.

That allows the next buyer of that gold to know exactly what they’re getting for their money, which isn’t always the case when it comes to gold dust, gold nuggets, or gold ore.

Gold Bars and Ingots

Next up are gold bars and ingots. When you think of gold in a vault, like at Fort Knox, this is what you’re thinking of. Imagine stacks and stacks of large gold bars, on heavy duty pallets, stacked floor to ceiling.

In reality, gold bars and ingots come in numerous different sizes. While the 400 ounce Good Delivery bar is the standard for the London gold trade, those bars aren’t affordable to the average consumer.

Consumer-grade gold bars come in sizes ranging from as little as 1/100th of an ounce to as much as 1 kilogram (~32.15 ounces). Among the most common sizes are the 1 ounce, ½ ounce, and ¼ ounce among the ounce sizes, and 1 gram, 5 gram, 10 gram, 20 gram, and 50 gram among metric sizes.

Gold bars and ingots can be either stamped or cast, and normally contain some sort of marking indicating which refiner or assayer produced them. Very often they will contain a serial number, either stamped or minted into the surface of the bar.

Smaller bars such as the 1 gram bars often come in assay cards or with other special holders that feature certificates, QR codes, or serial numbers to guarantee their authenticity.

Gold Coins and Rounds

While gold bars come in a variety of sizes, they often lack the unique designs that coins offer. And because gold coins come in shapes and sizes that are familiar to those of us who grew up using coins to buy things, gold coins have remained a popular choice for people looking to buy physical gold.

Older gold coins came in a wide variety of sizes and diameters, based on the currency system of their country of origin. Many of these coins, or modern restrikes, remain popular with collectors and gold buyers.

Modern gold coins are very often minted with an eye for the retail market, particularly for the gold IRA market, which requires that gold coins or gold bullion be a minimum fineness of .995 (99.5% pure gold). New designs are produced every year, and there are numerous coins to choose from.

Among the most popular sizes of gold coins are the ¼ ounce, ½ ounce, or 1 ounce sizes. While there are both larger and smaller sizes of gold coins produced as well, those smaller and larger coins are less frequently encountered.

Gold Jewelry

We can’t forget gold jewelry, which in countries like China and India is often treated as a financial asset. Gifts of gold jewelry to newly married couples are intended to help get them started in building their financial security, and gold markets in those countries are keenly attuned to the dual use of jewelry both as a decoration and as a store of value.

Gold jewelry doesn’t play quite that role here in the United States, although there are probably some people who hold or acquire gold jewelry pieces primarily for their metal content. But when it comes to liquidating gold jewelry, the market for it isn’t as widespread or liquid as it is for gold coins.

Buying Gold With a Direct Cash Purchase

A direct cash purchase of gold is just what it sounds like. You pay with cash, check, bank wire, or sometimes even a credit card, and you receive physical gold in return.

Direct cash transactions are relatively straightforward, and depending on where you buy your gold, you can go home with it that day or have it shipped to your doorstep within a few days. Then it’s up to you to determine how to store it.

Many people who make direct cash purchases of gold often adhere to the principle that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, or believe that if you can’t hold your assets, you don’t really own them.

Sometimes people who want to buy physical gold don’t trust banks, safe deposit boxes, or other third parties. They’re often willing to take the risk of theft to store their gold in a safe at home where they can hold it.

While other people may think that those types of attitudes are crazy, that’s why there are different strokes for different folks.

Where to Buy Gold

With gold ownership being as widespread as it is, you can buy gold in numerous different places. From estate sales to pawn shops to coin shops to online marketplaces, you can find gold of all different types just about anywhere.

But if you’re looking for specific types of gold, certain gold coins or bars, then you’ll have to focus your search a little more closely. If you’re looking to buy gold as a safe haven asset, to hedge against inflation or potential recession, or to help protect yourself against further deterioration of the dollar, then not just any gold will fit the bill.

There are numerous sellers of gold, many of whom have an online presence. Some sellers specialize in certain types of gold, such as numismatic gold for collectors.

Others specialize in selling gold for gold IRAs. And many sell physical gold that you can take delivery of through direct cash purchases.

Wherever you decide to buy gold, you need to do your research and read reviews. It can be tempting to peruse online marketplaces to buy gold, but how do you really know that the gold coins or gold bars you’re purchasing are real?

Even the most experienced gold buyers occasionally run across counterfeit coins, and with the high quality of Chinese counterfeits today, buying gold online from unknown sellers can be a gamble. That’s why it helps to work with experienced partners who know what they’re doing and who can guarantee that the gold they’re selling you is authentic.

At Goldco, we work directly with mints around the world to bring our customers guaranteed authentic gold coins. By buying our gold coins directly from the source, we can ensure that you’re buying 100% authentic gold.

In addition, working directly with mints allows us to weather supply disruptions that periodically impact the gold market. It can be frustrating to be ready to buy gold coins to start helping to protect your wealth, only to find that there isn’t any gold available. That’s why Goldco works hard to make sure that our customers don’t have to deal with those problems.

3 Easy Steps to Buy Gold

Once you’ve figured out what kind of gold you want to buy, and you’ve decided to work with a trusted partner like Goldco, the only thing left to figure out is how much gold to buy and where to store it.

Here are the three easy steps you need to take to buy physical gold.

Step 1. Sign Your Customer Agreement

• In order to secure your gold purchase, you will sign a standard customer agreement that says that you understand Goldco’s terms of doing business.

Step 2. Fund Your Gold Purchase

• We offer a few options for you to fund your gold purchase, such as bank wire or check.
• If paying by check, we can send you a shipping label so that you can expedite your purchase without having to pay to mail your check.
• Once your account has been funded, you can move to Step 3.

Step 3. Select the Gold You Want to Buy

• Once your account has been funded, you then choose the gold coins you want to buy.
• Your gold coins will then be shipped to your destination of choice, whether that’s a depository you choose, or even directly to your doorstep.

That’s all there is to it! Three easy steps to buy physical gold.

Frequently Asked Questions About Buying Gold

What are the main ways to buy gold?

Coins and bars are two of the most common and popular ways to buy gold. Goldco offers a selection of gold coins and gold bars for direct cash purchase.

I’ve never bought gold before. Is gold a good choice for me?

Whether or not gold is a good choice for you is a decision you’ll have to make based upon your individual needs. You may want to consult with your financial advisor to determine which precious metals can help you achieve your aims, whether that’s portfolio diversification, inflation hedging, or something else.

How much of my portfolio should be allocated to gold?

The percentage of your portfolio you devote to gold is a decision you need to make with a view toward your risk tolerance and financial goals, and should be done in consultation with your financial advisor. Goldco’s specialists are not financial advisors and cannot provide financial advice.

Do I have to pay taxes when I buy or sell gold?

Direct cash purchases of gold coins or gold bars are tax-exempt in many states. You should consult with your financial advisor or tax professional before making a purchase.

Sales of gold can be subject to taxation, and rates can differ depending on how long you have owned the gold, whether it is held inside or outside of an IRA, etc. Due to the variety of potential tax situations and the fact that Goldco’s specialists are not tax advisors, Goldco cannot provide tax advice.

You should consult with your financial advisor or tax professional before selling your gold in order to determine your potential tax liability.

How do I know that the gold I’m buying is real and not counterfeit?

There are numerous ways to check if the gold coins or gold bars you have are real. One of the first things to do is to check if the coin or bar matches the published dimensions and weight.

Gold coins are also non-magnetic, so they should not be attracted to a magnet. Gold coins also make a distinctive pinging sound when they are struck, versus base metals which have more of a thudding sound.

Finally, there are chemical tests that can be done by professionals, although these may damage your gold products.

But one of the best ways to avoid counterfeit gold is to work with trusted partners like Goldco who work with mints around the world to bring you guaranteed authentic gold coins so that you don’t have to worry about possibly buying counterfeit precious metals.

How do I store my gold safely?

Gold that you buy with a direct cash purchase can be stored at home, in a safe deposit box or, if you’re making a particularly big purchase, can be stored in a bullion depository.

What is the best gold to buy?

That all depends on your particular needs and how gold fits into your financial planning.

For some people, gold may make up a large portion of their portfolio, and they may hang onto it for a long time. Others may only want to buy gold as a short-term hedge against a possible economic downturn.

And other people may just want to hang onto a few gold coins or gold bars at home in case of a rainy day. How much gold you buy and the form you buy it in will be determined by how you plan to make use of your gold.

Is Gold Right for You?

The decision on whether or not to buy physical gold is a personal one that you’ll have to make depending on your own personal financial situation and financial goals. Every person is different, and what might work for one person won’t necessarily work for another.

At Goldco we have worked with thousands of customers, with large budgets and small, to help them benefit from owning gold. With over $3 billion in precious metals placements and over 8,000 5-star reviews, we work hard to bring our customers quality products and superior customer service.

If you’re interested in putting gold to work in helping to safeguard your hard-earned savings, call Goldco today to learn more about your physical gold buying options.

This article was originally published in October 2023 and was updated in February 2026.

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