Since my early 20s, I keep a little gold as part of my investment portfolio. The process was more or less:

Knowing that I need to invest money

Being overwhelmed by all the investment options out there

Heard of gold as a safe-ish investment

Read up about gold, find out about common scams

Buy gold ( here’s how and where to buy gold as an investment

In this article, and in collaboration with HelloGold – an app-based platform to buy and keep gold investment – I’d like to share some common questions about gold investment.

#1 – How much gold should I keep?

Gold investment is best used as a diversification strategy. That just means ‘don’t put everything in one basket, just in case’. For example:

100% of your money in cash = not good

100% of your money in stocks = not good

100% of your money in cryptocurrencies = not good

100% of your money in properties = not good

100% of your money in gold = also not good

Get the picture? Putting 100% of your money in any ONE type is not a good strategy.

But what’s a good %? That depends on so many factors (age, risk tolerance, etc). Jordan Eliseo from ABC Bullion keeps 25% in gold, 25% in the stock market, 25% in the bond market and 25% cash. Investopedia recommends 10% in gold if you’re optimistic about the future, and up to 25% in gold if you’re not. When I first started investing, I allocated about 20% of my (small amount of) money to gold, 50% in ASB and the remaining in cash.

#2 – What can I expect when I keep gold as an investment?

If you’re anything like me, you’ll gain a sudden interest in any news related to gold, and especially news about the price.

News about price increase will make you happy. Sometimes you’ll find yourself calculating your profits and grinning alone. You’ll be like, I bought 100 grams at RM150 per gram (example), now it’s RM200 per gram, I’ve made RM5000 woo!

On the other hand, news about price tumbles will make you worry, especially if gold investment is among your first investments. I’ve had almost-sleepless nights, when I contemplate whether I should sell my gold or not. Little did I know this feeling is common not just for gold investment, but also stocks, cryptocurrencies, and so many other types of investment. It’s just something you have to go through if you want to be a better investor.

During that time, I did sell some of my gold. I wish I hadn’t – should have reminded myself that gold is good for long-term investing (I was only a few months in, then). But at that time, what do I know right? Ah well, you learn from your mistakes. I’m not selling my remaining gold stash now yet.

But beyond the investment potential, gold also helped me learn about the global commodities market, international supply and demand, trading price charts and investing strategies. I do think that gold is a worthwhile investment for beginner investors, because the things you learn in the process helps you to become a more sophisticated investor.

#3 – Which websites can I follow to get updates about gold?

I really like The Economic Times, a news media outlet from India. India’s obsession with gold is… impressive. Their articles touch on both micro and macroeconomics of everything gold. Highly recommended.

Gold Investment Threads in Lowyat Forum is where I participated in discussions last time. Being part of a community that celebrates/panics together during prices increase/decrease was strangely… nice. HelloGold did an AMA (ask me anything) in Lowyat, you can check that out as well.

Do you have any other news sources for gold investment? Please share in comments so all of us can learn 🙂

#4 – When’s a good time to buy gold?

The best time to buy gold is 20 years ago, the next best time is now.

Lol ok fine yes I did steal that phrase from somewhere.

My answer is: when there’s a temporary dip in the price, so you get a ‘discount’ before the price bounces up again. However, it’s very hard if not impossible to time this dip, so most people (1) just buy a small amount consistently over a period of time or (2) just buy a lot upfront and forget about it.

I was in the (2) camp. Opened an account, funded the account with MYR, followed gold price news, and bought the gold at the price I was comfortable with.

#5 – What types of people are attracted to gold investment?

People who have mostly safe investments and want to diversify

People who have mostly risky investments and want to diversify

People who want to diversify, full stop.

But beyond that, gold also have some ‘values’ attached to it – that makes it extra attractive to some people.

G, an entrepreneur in the healthcare sector, said, “It’s the only precious metal accepted worldwide with no eroding value. I like that. It’s not like diamond, which is plagued with blood and horror story. Gold will always be in demand, in personal finance or jewelry for keepsake and heirloom. That is very attractive to me. Gold is easy to buy and sell across borders and good as hedge against inflation as well as eroding RM.”

The part about keepsake and heirloom is familiar to me. My parents gifted me gold jewelry during different stages of my life, they are among my most cherished possessions. Perhaps I am partial to gold investment because of this. Gold also has a special connotation in Islam, so that’s another reason for me I guess.

Lastly

I am particularly interested to hear back from you about your gold investment. Why do you personally keep gold? What stops you from investing in it?

Last shoutout for HelloGold, the sponsor for this post and the only platform in Malaysia where you can buy gold per RM, not per gram. Plus, get RM5 discount if you buy RM50 worth of gold via my link here (note: referral link) or insert the promo code ‘SURA024F’.

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