RANKED: Top 20 automakers by battery metals spending

Interesting thread! Speaking of diversification and not putting all eggs in one basket, I've been keeping an eye on the battery metal sector, but for my IRA, I'm sticking to the shiny stuff. That said, for anyone interested in the EV and battery supply chain, there's a great interactive map on Visual Capitalist that breaks down where all those metals actually get mined and processed. Really puts into perspective the geopolitical risks alongside the market ones.

Interesting list, but I take these kinds of rankings with a grain of salt when it comes to long-term inflation hedging. EVs are a hot sector right now, sure, but what happens when the next big tech comes along? My focus with my Gold IRA isn't on chasing the latest trend in battery metals or EV stocks. I'm looking at physical gold for wealth preservation, especially with the inflation numbers I'm seeing coming out of DC. It’s tough to trust anything but the tangible when the dollar seems to be losing purchasing power every year.

Interesting read, but it got me thinking about the *other* side of that metal coin. I've been keeping an eye on the geopolitical stuff around rare earths and gold, and this report from the World Gold Council on Central Bank Gold Demand Trends is super insightful. It really puts into perspective why gold isn't just about inflation hedging for us regular folks, but a strategic asset for nations too. Makes me feel even better about my allocation.

This is an interesting dive into the supply chain. Makes me think about hedging against some of these long-term plays, not just with physical gold but with some of my mining stocks. On a completely different note, if you're like me and trying to figure out how to navigate retirement (I'm in Richmond, VA, and getting there fast), the RMD Calculator here on GIRAB was super helpful for me to map out what I'll need to pull from my gold IRA. Made planning a lot clearer than just guessing.

Looks like a lot of these auto giants are finally waking up to the critical importance of secure supply chains. While they're scrambling for battery metals, I'm over here in El Paso feeling pretty good about my gold IRA. The long-term stability of precious metals is just a different ballgame than volatile resource markets. Always good to diversify, especially when you're looking at protecting those retirement savings. Thinking about doing another 401k rollover soon, actually, to shore up more physical assets. The tax advantages are a no-brainer for me.

Interesting thread, but honestly, focusing on "battery metals spending" feels like chasing yesterday's news for the serious investor. While everyone's debating lithium and cobalt, I'm quietly scooping up more physical gold; the *real* long-term play isn't tied to which EV manufacturer wins the next quarter, but rather the intrinsic value and stability that's been proven for millennia. Might sound old-fashioned to some, but my portfolio over the last decade in Boston has consistently outperformed the tech darlings by sticking to fundamentals.

@Sandra Green, I hear you, and totally get the skepticism. I felt the same way about the dot-com bubble in the late 90s here in Austin – watched a lot of paper fortunes disappear. But I've been watching the battery metals space, particularly lithium and cobalt, pretty closely. What concerns me more for long-term hedging isn't necessarily the *next big tech co* but the global supply chain stability for these critical minerals. There's a geopolitical game being played that makes even gold's price swings seem tame sometimes.

Interesting thread, and good to see the auto industry finally looking ahead. I've been diversifying my retirement portfolio into precious metals over the last few years, especially with all the volatility in the tech market. For those of you leaning more towards silver for that industrial demand aspect, I found the Silver vs Stocks comparison on GIRAB super helpful for visualizing the historical performance. Made me feel a lot better about my allocations, especially living here in San Diego with all the talk about new manufacturing.

Honestly, I usually roll my eyes at these kinds of "ranked" lists because half the time they feel like clickbait. But after digging into some of the links from GIRAB's article on this, it's actually pretty solid. Seeing how much OEMs are *already* sinking into securing their supply chains for battery metals... it makes me feel a bit better about the industrial demand side for silver, even if gold is my main play. I'd been wondering if nickel and copper were going to completely overshadow everything else.

It’s interesting to see these rankings, especially as we talk about diversification outside traditional stocks. My biggest concern with focusing too heavily on specific industries, even growing ones like EVs, is how quickly things can shift – remember when everyone thought palladium was the only game in town? For my own portfolio, which is around the $350k mark, I found it really helpful to go through the Gold IRA Quiz here on GIRAB. It actually matched me with a strategy that better balances those growth opportunities with the stability of physical gold, which is a big relief living in Spokane with all the tech volatility.

@Sharon Evans, that's a fair point about the geopolitical angles, and I appreciate you bringing it up for discussion. However, from my perspective here in Dublin, Ohio, while geopolitical maneuvering around rare earths and other battery metals certainly presents some volatility and supply chain headaches for the automotive sector, I tend to view gold through a different lens entirely. The intrinsic value of gold as a stable store of wealth, especially in times of broader economic uncertainty or geopolitical instability, seems to operate on a different plane than the industrial demand for materials that are subject to rapid technological obsolescence or shifting manufacturing priorities. I've always seen gold more as a long-term hedge against the *consequences* of those kinds of geopolitical shifts, rather than being directly impacted by the same forces that drive rare earth prices.

Interesting thread, but the focus on automakers' battery spending when discussing long-term wealth preservation is a bit of a misdirection for anyone serious about a *Gold* IRA. My portfolio isn't built on betting on which EV company will corner the lithium market; it's anchored in tangibles that have held value for millennia. If you're worried about future tech, sure, diversify, but don't lose sight of the primary goal of precious metals in an IRA – protecting against the exact kind of market volatility these new industries are prone to.