Investment: Silver is a hot commodity

Mankind’s timeless fascination with silver stretches back 6,000 years. As early as 700 B.C., the Mesopotamian merchants used silver as a form of exchange. Later, many other civilizations also came to recognize the inherent value of silver as a trading metal.

The ancient Greeks minted the drachma, which contained 1/8th ounce of silver; and in Rome, the basic coin was the denarius, weighing 1/7th ounce. And let’s not forget the English shilling "sterling," originally denoting a specific weight of silver, which has come to mean excellence.

Today, millions of people throughout the world recognize silver’s intrinsic value and have made it popular as an affordable investment. In the United States, Individual Retirement Account (IRA) participants can invest a portion of their investment portfolio in silver bullion coins and silver bullion bars provided that they are of a fineness equal to or exceeding 99.9 percent silver. Contact your IRA plan administrator for further information.

This page explains how to use silver to diversify your investments and hedge against inflation. It will also introduce you to some of the most widely accepted silver investment products.

Although silver is relatively scarce, it is the most plentiful and least expensive of the precious metals.

Precious metals are valued for their beauty and relative scarcity in the Earth’s crust, and their superior properties. They are very malleable, highly resistant to corrosion, superior reflectors of light and are unsurpassed as conductors of heat and electricity.

Besides signifying status and wealth, silver has been one of the most romantic and sought after of all the precious metals. Mystified by its beauty from the beginning of time, people have been drawn to remote areas of the world in search of this white, reflective metal.

Silver has often been surrounded by mystery. The Incas of Peru called it "the tears of the moon" because they were awed by silver’s strange gleam, and the Chinese believed that a silver locket hung around a child’s neck would ward off evil spirits.

For the average investor, silver can be an effective means of diversifying investment assets and preserving wealth against the ravages of inflation.

Although the value of silver may vary, it has an intrinsic value that is immutable and permanent. Accordingly, many experts suggest that investors should include it among their investment assets.

Why?

Because silver can be an important store of value. For example, between 1971 and 1981, the U.S. dollar lost more than half of its value, while silver prices rose nearly five times.

But what about the future? Nobody knows; but many financial planners still suggest including silver among the investments of their clients.

Courtesy: silverinstitute.org