Fortunately, there is no limit to the amount of gold bars a person can acquire and own. There are no laws prohibiting anyone from buying as many gold bars as possible. You can have all the gold ingot you can afford and buy. Are there any limits to the amount of gold I can own? No, there are no restrictions on private ownership of gold in the United States.
You're only limited by your budget and your common sense. Buying gold mining stocks is relatively simple, through a brokerage account with an online broker or investment application. Once you add funds to your account, you can choose a gold stock and place an order. This makes owning some gold, along with stocks and bonds, a way to diversify your investment portfolio.
To buy gold futures contracts, you need a brokerage account with a full-service broker that supports futures trading, such as Charles Shwab, E*Trade, or TD Ameritrade. No, there is no branch of the federal, state, or local government that is interested in how much gold you may own. Citizens were once again free to own gold in any form, including ingots, and in any amount they could afford, without restrictions or any federal “report” on those stocks. And in fact, during financial calamities when investors flee the stock market, gold prices tend to rise.
Some retailers consider buying more than 100 gold bars (or 500 gold coins) a “wholesale purchase”, but this will largely depend on the seller. Gold futures contracts are agreements between two parties to trade a certain amount of gold at a fixed price at a future time. Whether you're planning to buy the metal in the form of coins, ingots, or gold-backed securities, there are plenty of reasons to add it to your portfolio. You can also buy smaller gold bars, ranging from half a gram to 100 grams, at specialized numismatic stores, pawn shops or some jewelry stores.
Keep in mind that financial advisors don't usually recommend investing more than about 10% of your total assets in gold. Mint, a division of the Department of the Treasury, mines gold coins in Eagle ingots and supports their sale with national advertising, sales brochures, gift boxes, etc., but in the fifteen years that we have been selling their product, we have never been asked to keep track of who buys it. While the price of gold can be volatile, gold prices tend not to move in conjunction with stock and bond prices. Instead of investing in a mutual fund, you can also buy shares of gold mining companies (often referred to as gold stocks) directly.
They may also be lower than what it costs to secure and store gold in a facility such as a safe deposit box. When buying gold jewelry, keep in mind that the price you pay will be linked to the craftsmanship of the piece and that the amount of gold it contains will be only a percentage (carats) of its total weight.