Should you buy Gold from Banks ??

The dream run up in Gold prices in last few years has enticed all and sundry as an attractive investment asset class. It has not only proved to be an excellent hedge against inflation a, reputation it holds with elan since time immemorial, but also, has delivered returns in excess of debt, equity etc as an asset class. Thus , it has emerged as the Best Investment Option in last few years. However, skeptics believe that gold has had its share of dream run and may not be possible for investors who are entering into now, to expect the same kind returns in future .

But, if you are on of those who believe that best years of gold as an asset class is still ahead of us and want to invest in physical gold then you must be pondering where should you buy the gold from? These days we have seen most of the banks aggressively positioning them as place where one can buy physical gold bars/coins etc. The other option is offcourse our old Jeweller , both unorganized and large organised players like Titan, TBJ etc.
Before deciding to buy Gold , ponder on these points:-

1. Purity of the Gold:- The singlemost important factor that must guide your decision is the purity of the metal. Most of small Jewellers dont have the track record to write home about on thei account. Banks can give you complete assurance on quality. They give you 24 Carat Gold as against 22 Carat that Jewellers sell. Besides it is 999 Gold with Certificate of Purity. Some Large Jewellers also give the same.

2. Premium Charged- Banks generally charge a premium on the price of Gold over what is the prevailing rate. Simply put, the Gold that you will buy from Bank will be costlier than  what you wil get in the market.

3.Resale Option - Most of Banks DO NOT buy back the gold that they sell. However, Jewellers normally will take back the gold in case you were to sell it back to them.

You must ,therefore, carefully weigh your options before rushing to buy Gold as an investment asset.

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