The global economy took a wild ride in the past year, and in response many investors began to look at buying and selling gold as a good investment strategy. In fact, there are more individual investors getting into the gold market every year. In the recent past, gold wasn’t something most people considered for their portfolio because it wasn’t something individual investors were familiar with and it seemed like you needed to purchase a lot of gold to get a reasonable return on your investment.

In fact, buying and selling gold has been popular for thousands of years as a way to increase your wealth. From ancient Egypt through today, gold has always been coveted as a sign of wealth, privilege and power. In the past, many people invested in gold jewelry because it made their wealth both obvious and portable. Today, you can invest in gold by buying and selling gold jewelry, gold coins or gold bullion. You can even purchase gold EFT’s, or exchange traded funds, without ever having physical possession of the gold itself.

With the economic crisis hanging over us, however, more and more people have begun to realize that investing in gold is a safe long-term strategy. If you do decide to dabble in buying and selling gold, you’ll see the best return on your investment if you hold onto your gold for several years. The price of gold overall has been steadily climbing, but the climb is slow and you want to give your gold time to appreciate noticeably in value.

Fortunately, there are several reasons gold is a good investment that also virtually guarantees that it will be worth more five years down the line:

• Gold appreciates in value over time because it is one of the few commodities that is recognized, traded and in high demand in virtually every country.

• Gold demand far outstrips current gold supplies. Every year, the world’s gold mines are producing less of this precious metal, yet the demand is increasing every year. With more people wanting to buy gold and less of it being produced every year, the price will naturally continue to rise.

• Gold is seen as a guaranteed, stable investment during uncertain economic times. Because the world economy is in turmoil, gold prices are bound to go up as more and more people decide to purchase gold as a hedge against weak currency.

Fortunately, buying and selling gold as an investment is now easier than it has been in the past. You no longer have to buy gold bullion or stacks of gold coins to hold gold as a long-term investment. If you want, it’s certainly fine to purchase the actual gold, but many people now buy and sell gold EFT’s. It’s an easy way to trade gold without having to store and protect it yourself.

The one drawback to investing in gold EFT’s or bullions is that you do need to purchase a fair amount of it to make the investment worthwhile. If you want to hold just a small amount of gold as protection against inflation or a devalued dollar, consider gold coins or even gold jewelry. This way you can actually enjoy the beauty of your gold until you need it. Then if the day comes when you need some extra cash, you can sell your gold. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much your gold jewelry and coins are worth after you’ve had them a few years. In fact, selling gold jewelry is one of the easiest ways to make some quick cash.