Learn
How gold and silver prices work, how metals compare with other investments, and related topics such as crypto and retirement saving.
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Gold vs. silver: how the two metals compare as investments
How gold and silver compare on price swings, demand, buying and selling costs, storage and taxes, with figures from 2026.
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How gold and silver are taxed when you sell
Gains on gold and silver are taxed as collectibles, at up to 28%. How the rate works, what counts as your cost, and how IRAs, ETFs and inherited metal differ.
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The gold-to-silver ratio: what it is and how investors use it
How many ounces of silver buy an ounce of gold, where the ratio stood in September 2026, how far it has swung since the 1970s, and what it can tell you.
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What is a troy ounce? How it compares with a regular ounce
A troy ounce is 31.1 grams, about 10% heavier than a kitchen ounce. How troy weights work, why metals use them, and a table for grams, kilos and pounds.
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How interest rates affect gold prices
Why gold usually weakens when real interest rates rise, why that pattern broke down after 2022, and what the Fed’s September 2026 rate hike means for gold.
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Gold ETFs vs. physical gold: costs, risks and taxes compared
What a gold ETF actually holds, what it costs next to coins and bars, the risks of each, how both are taxed, and how to decide which suits you.
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What moves the price of gold
What drives the gold price: interest rates, the dollar, central banks, investment flows, jewelry demand, mine supply and fear, with 2025 and 2026 data.
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What was the Washington Agreement on Gold?
In 1999, 15 European central banks agreed to cap their gold sales. Why they did it, how the four agreements worked, and why they ended in 2019.
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Gold vs. stocks: returns, risks and how they fit together
How gold and stocks compare decade by decade since 1972, why they often move differently, and how taxes, income and costs differ between the two.
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How bitcoin is taxed: selling, spending, earning and the new Form 1099-DA
When you owe tax on bitcoin and other crypto, how gains and income are worked out, what the new Form 1099-DA reports, and which records to keep.
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Ways to invest in gold, compared
Coins and bars, gold IRAs, gold ETFs, mining stocks, futures and digital gold compared on cost, risk, taxes and how easy each is to sell.
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How much should you put in your 401(k)?
The 2026 401(k) limits, a common savings target, the order to prioritize the match, debt and an IRA, how to invest the money, and where gold fits.