Gold & Silver ETF's: A Comprehensive Guide to Easily Investing in Gold and Silver with Exchange-Traded Funds

So you've decided to invest in precious metals -- congratulations for thinking outside the box of conventional asset classes. Whether you've arrived at this point due to the recent turbulence in the stock market, or you'd like to diversify into an asset class that will always maintain some intrinsic value, or you'd simply like to profit from an increase in the price of gold or silver, you've made an important step toward protecting your wealth and profiting in the future.



Indeed, many analysts believe that the price of gold could rise to well over $2,000 per ounce and the price of silver to over $50 in the next few years.



Once you've decided to take this step, you'll be met with what may seem like an overwhelming number of ways to invest in the precious metals market, each with its own positive and negative aspects. There are gold and silver coins, rounds, and bullion bars for purchase in stores and online. There are storage options from personal safes to offshore vaults to segregated and pooled accounts. There are futures contracts and options contracts. Each of these vehicles has its own particular merits.



Yet now thanks to the advent of ETFs (exchange-traded funds), it is easier than ever to invest in gold or silver. ETFs allow individual investors to participate in the precious metals market with the same ease as if they were buying or selling a regular stock, through any full service or online brokerage.



Yes, with just a few clicks of a button, you can own gold or silver, without worrying about checking the purity of coins or bars, high shipping costs, storage fees, loss, or insurance concerns.



This would all be very simple, except that in the last decade, the number of ETFs dedicated to the precious metals market has gone from one to over 50.



And each ETF is structured differently. Whereas 10 years ago there was only one gold bullion ETF, there are now:



* Open gold ETFs

* Closed gold ETFs

* Gold ETNs (exchange-traded notes)

* Gold trusts that do not allow investors to take possession of their gold

* Gold trusts that do allow investors to take delivery of their gold

* Gold futures ETFs

* Short gold ETFs

* Leveraged gold ETFs

* Gold covered call ETNs

* Gold in foreign currency ETFs

* Gold hedged ETFs



And, each of these types of funds is also available for silver!



For a new investor in the precious metals space, the number of options can be overwhelming. Typical investment advisors are likely of little help, because not only do they tend to know very little about the significance of gold and silver to an overall portfolio, they are even less likely to be educated on the differences between all the options in the precious metals ETF world.



Let us be crystal clear: it strongly matters which gold or silver ETF you choose. Choosing the wrong fund can cost you thousands of dollars over the course of several years. From ETF management fees, to tracking error, to counterparty risk, to tax ramifications-- each fund behaves quite differently. While one ETF might be more appropriate for a short-term horizon, it would be completely unsuitable for a long-term investment. Indeed, I have seen some investors be correct on the long-term direction of the price of gold, but lose money nonetheless due to the wrong choice of ETF. The decision is that important.



Here is where this guide will help. We review each of the gold and silver ETFs in detail. Each ETF is researched by digging through fund prospectuses, comparing historic charts, tracking fees and expenses, and much more. We provide guidance on the suitability of each fund for both trading and long term investment. We do the heavy lifting so that you can save countless hours and quickly make the best choice for your individual investment needs.



Finally, we present our #1 fund recommendations for both traders and long-term investors for both the gold and silver markets.



Here's to your success!