?In past civilizations and societies not so long ago gold was used as currency and thus provides strong financial capabilities to its owners. In this very modern time, gold is still synonymous to money. Many people still realize the potential of gold especially in periods of war and crisis where currency may become worthless. Gold is seen as an asset that can always purchase food and transportation. It is a common misconception that gold investment is generally buying and storing physical gold items such as gold bars and gold coins. The modern and digital world has created various ways to invest in gold without actually carrying or storing it. Below are some examples:

?Gold bars and coins ? the most conventional and still quite a popular way to engage in gold investment are through purchases of gold bars and coins. . Buying and selling of gold ?over the counter? on major banks do exist in some countries such as Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Argentina. Gold bars come in different sizes and weights. Buying of gold coins is another fashionable way to hold coins and has become rather popular in the past decades. Some of the most popular bullion gold coins include the American Gold Buffalo, American Gold Eagle, Australian Gold Nugget, Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, Chinese Panda, and the South African Krugerrand.

?Gold certificates ? are issued to gold investors as a certificate of ownership. Obviously, its big advantage is the comfort of not holding and storing actual gold items. The only government insured gold certificate program in the world is the Perth Mint Certificate Program (PMCP) which allows investors to stock up gold, silver and platinum without worries of ballooning storage costs.

?Gold accounts ? these include Digital gold currency, Bullion Vault, and Gold Money. A number of Swiss banks provide gold accounts in which one can instantly buy or sell gold just similar to any foreign currency. The Digital gold currency and Bullion Vault gold exchange functions almost the same. A so-called ?digital gold? provider since 2001, the Gold Money stores gold accounts with various intermediation levels between their clients and its gold.

?Gold exchange-traded fund (GETF) ? similar on how shares are traded and are available in major stock exchanges such as in New York, London and Sydney. It was on the Australian Stock Exchange in March of 2003 when the first GETF was ever traded. GETFs are completely backed by gold that is both insured and deposited.

?Spread betting ? if you have the ability to foresee the price of gold maybe because of luck, experience, and any other legal means or if you have third eye then you should try this type gold investment. UK firms Cantor Index and IG Index allows bettor to take a stake on gold price with a minimum bet of $2 per point. Let's say you bet that price of gold will sell at $480.25 and it closes at $483.25, your bet of $2 will make you $600 richer because of the 300 points gain. Added information, no commissions and taxes are imposed in UK spread betting.

?Other gold investment. systems are gold forwards, futures and options and investing in gold mining companies. If you can't decide which type of venture method to take, well you are still lucky at least you've got money to invest? happy gold investing!