I guess the first question should really be, “Do you want to buy gold?”  Full disclosure, I myself have a little bit of gold stored away, and not because I thought it was a great investment, but, because I thought owning some gold coins would be cool.  It is less than one percent of my net worth, but, I do have a little. So, before we dig into if you should, you need to find out if you even want to. 

As a general rule for me, if you have the money and want to purchase something, feel free.  If you think gold is going to help you out, diversify your portfolio and even make you some money, go for it. So, if you decided you want to buy gold, let’s find out what’s what. I will bullet point it, because that is my thing:

1. Gold is often marketed as a hedge against inflation, but, does that make it a solid investment. You may have heard the idea if you took a one ounce gold piece into a store in the 1800s, you could get a decent suit. Well. one ounce of gold today would also get you a decent suit, so it appears to be an almost perfect hedge against inflation, but, also a horrible investment if you are looking to build wealth. 
2. The next way companies get you to buy gold is a scare tactic that if everything goes to pot with the economy, gold will still be a viable option for commerce. I’m going to take a little bit of license here, but, have you ever watched a zombie apocalypse movie? No one is buying necessities with gold in them.  If it all falls apart, people aren’t making due with gold. No one is selling food or medicine with shiny coins.  If Armageddon hits, having a stockpile of gold is not going to save you.
3. Finally, the idea is pushed that gold is easy and simple. It’s not complicated like ETFs, mutual funds, crypto, or any other investment. That may be true, it’s simple, gold is just gold and it is worth whatever it is worth that day. Easy is another thing. You can’t take a gold piece to the grocery store and buy groceries. You can’t pay back that twenty bucks you owe your buddy with gold. Gold can be pretty hassle free to buy and sell after an initial set up, but, to use for any other purpose, it becomes a real burden.

So, if you want to buy a little gold on the side, buying coins can be a fun hobby and will probably not lose you any money in the long run. If, though, you are looking for long or short term investments for financial gain, gold is has never been the most lucrative option.