Why I ditched most of my silver for gold, especially now

Thomas Walker

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Why I ditched most of my silver for gold, especially now

thomas_walker🏆Advanced (250-500k)

about 3 hours ago

Key Takeaways

•For a good while, especially after I retired from the Navy about 10 years ago, I was pretty hot on silver.
•It felt more accessible, and I liked the idea of owning more physical ounces for my buck.
•I built up a pretty decent stack, probably around $50k worth of various coins and bars.

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Thought I'd share how my precious metals strategy has evolved over the years, especially as I inch closer to fully enjoying retirement out here in San Diego. For a good while, especially after I retired from the Navy about 10 years ago, I was pretty hot on silver. It felt more accessible, and I liked the idea of owning more physical ounces for my buck. I built up a pretty decent stack, probably around $50k worth of various coins and bars.

But honestly? Over the last five years or so, I've started shifting almost all of my silver over to gold. My overall Gold IRA is now pushing $350k, and silver makes up less than 5% of that. The main reason for the shift is simply the bulk and the volatility. Moving that much silver is a pain, and while I love the idea of silver having massive upside, the day-to-day fluctuations always made me a little antsy. Gold just feels like a more stable, secure store of wealth, especially for someone like me who's really prioritize capital preservation at this stage in life. It's less 'exciting' perhaps, but way more reassuring for my peace of mind.

I still hold a small amount of silver, mostly for the 'just in case' scenario, but my confidence in gold as the primary hedge against inflation and market uncertainty has only grown. I was actually just looking at the Gold vs Stocks Comparison tool and seeing how gold has performed against the S&P 500 over the last decade really solidified my choices. Even through some crazy market swings, gold has held its own. Obviously, past performance isn't a guarantee, but it certainly helps when you're making these long-term plays.

I'm curious, for those of you with significant precious metals holdings, how do you balance gold and silver? Are you more bullish on silver's future given its industrial uses, or do you gravitate towards gold's historical stability like I have? Thinking about tax implications for selling off holdings is always a fun thought too, any vets out there with experiences specifically around that?

3 comments

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Best Answer▲ 7 upvotes

gary_stewart📊Growing (50-100k)

Interesting take, OP! While I totally get the appeal of gold for stability and as a traditional hedge, I'm still leaning into silver pretty hard, even now. The industrial demand for silver, especially with all the tech advancements happening, makes me think it has some serious upside potential that gold might not capture in the same way. Plus, its lower price point still feels like a good entry for accumulating more physical metal. Different strokes, I guess!

Comments (3)

james_wilson👑Elite (1m-5m)Real Investor✓ Verified•less than a minute ago

Totally get this! I had a similar epiphany a few years back. Was a big silver stacker for a while, loved the accessibility and the "poor man's gold" vibe. But as I started thinking more long-term, especially with inflation and market volatility, I found myself increasingly drawn to gold's stability. Ended up converting a good chunk of my silver to gold, and honestly, a lot of that went into a Gold IRA. Feels like a much more solid foundation for the future.