Can I Get Rich Investing in Silver?

Learn how investing in physical silver coins & ingots can help protect your wealth against inflation & diversify your portfolio across different asset classes.

Can I Get Rich Investing in Silver?

If the price of silver goes up, you can make a profit with silver coins and ingots, but that's the only way to make money here, since the physical product doesn't produce cash flow, unlike a quality business. You can buy silver through local dealerships and pawnshops or online stores, such as APMEX or JM Bullion. While silver can be volatile, the precious metal is also considered a safe asset, similar to its sister metal, gold. Safe haven assets can protect investors in times of uncertainty and, as tensions rise, could be a good option for those seeking to preserve their wealth in difficult times. Physical precious metals are unregulated products.

Precious metals are speculative investments that can experience price volatility in the short and long term. The value of investments in precious metals may fluctuate and may appreciate or decrease, depending on market conditions. If you sell in a declining market, the price you receive may be lower than your original investment. Unlike bonds and stocks, precious metals don't pay interest or dividends. Therefore, precious metals may not be appropriate for investors who require current income.

Precious metals are raw materials that must be stored safely, which can impose additional costs on the investor. The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) provides some protection for clients' cash and securities in the event of a brokerage firm bankruptcy, other financial difficulties, or if client assets are lacking. SIPC insurance does not apply to precious metals or other commodities. Because they are chemically unique, physically rare, and easily malleable, gold and silver have been used as money in much of the world for thousands of years. While they can be quite volatile, they historically store wealth very well in the long term.

As with most asset classes, investing in silver involves a level of risk, since its price can be volatile. Silver is more volatile than gold, due to lower volumes traded in the market, which means that both gains and losses can be amplified. You'll make more money with silver ingots if you choose the right option and sales method. Generally, the recommended option is to sell your silver ingots to a reputable dealer or a precious metals company. They will generally give you the current market exchange rate for your silver plus a reasonable margin so that you can also make a profit. However, companies looking for money for silver usually don't offer a fair value for solid silver.

Selling on online auction sites is another option. However, this can also be risky, as other factors often determine how much you'll actually benefit. Silver maintains its long-term value and works well when interest rates are low and fixed income investments don't generate large returns. When people invest in physical silver, whether by buying a silver ingot, pure silver, a coin or other items, they ensure that its value has persisted and will remain so. In addition to cash, stocks, properties and bonds, silver can help diversify investment portfolios across a variety of different assets. For those who are just starting to build their portfolios, the cost of silver may make it a better investment option.

Therefore, investing in silver can help protect the “real” value of your assets against erosion caused by inflation. As a result, silver is more sensitive to economic changes than gold, which has limited uses beyond jewelry and investment purposes. As a result, investors can return to having money in times of high or rising inflation, and increased demand drives up the price of silver. Depending on your risk tolerance, you could invest in physical silver, silver stocks, or broad-based mining companies, or silver-based funds and ETFs. While both gold and silver ingots may be attractive to investors, the white metal tends to be overlooked in favor of people who invest in gold, even though it plays the same role. The return on investment and the principal value of ETF investments will fluctuate, so an investor's ETF shares - if sold or when sold - may be worth more or less than the original cost. An investment in a publicly traded fund involves risks similar to those of investing in a broad portfolio of equity securities that are traded on the stock exchange in the corresponding stock market - such as market fluctuations caused by factors such as economic and political developments - changes in interest rates - and trends perceived in stock market prices. In other words: if gold prices rise steadily - silver prices are likely to follow at the same pace - so it's quite common for investors and sellers to actively engage in buying and selling both silver and gold.

Gold tends to win all the glory in the investment world - which is what people think of when they want an alternative investment to traditional stocks and bonds. However - silver is an industrial metal and an investment metal that significantly affects the evolution of its prices and its prospects.

Jillian Biederman
Jillian Biederman

Amateur twitter trailblazer. Subtly charming beer junkie. Award-winning internet enthusiast. Proud writer. Amateur social media scholar.