Platinum and its Investment Options:
Platinum is one of the rarest (50 times rarer than gold) metals known to man. It's scarce, costly and has certain properties making it unique. It is one of the densest, heaviest metals, while also being highly malleable, soft and ductile. It is extremely resistant to oxidation and corrosion of high temperatures or chemical elements. It's also one of the best conductors of electricity and a powerful catalyzing agent. Platinum does not tarnish, and the fact being that approximately 20% of the goods manufactured in the world contain platinum or are produced using the precious metal, the demand factor is always growing, especially for modern day coinage.

There are three main investing options with platinum. We recommend the most secure option, which is to own physical platinum, but we will observe the options below:

1. Own physical platinum (recommended)
There are platinum bullion coins and bars that are made by a few countries each year. They usually come in denominations as low as 1/20 oz., with the most common being 1 oz coins. Owning physical platinum eliminates counter-party risk such as found in the other two options. The most popular platinum coin is the Platinum American Eagle (pictured to the right).

2. Buy mutual funds or ETFs
There are now some ETFs and mutual funds that seek to replicate the price of platinum on the world market. Although this an option to invest in platinum, investors should be aware that these investment carry counter-party risk and management excess fees that may reduce returns.

3. Buy stocks
You can buy stocks of platinum producers. However, investors should be aware that this is not the same as investing in platinum itself. The price of platinum could rise, but you may still lose money if the company is poorly managed.