Happy Tuesday, GoldBuzzers!

Introducing a new feature where we move from "what's happening" to "what you can actually do about it"

One of the most common email questions I’m getting is: "I'm convinced - but how do I actually buy?"

Fair question. The precious metals world can feel intimidating if you're used to clicking "buy" on a stock app. There's no single "gold button" - instead, there's many different options, each with different benefits and tradeoffs.

Today I'm launching Take Action Tuesday - a regular feature where we'll get practical. Less macro, more mechanics. I’m currently testing many different alternatives so I can review specific platforms, compare dealers, and walk you through exactly how to execute different strategies.

But first, let's map the terrain.

Let's dive in.

🔥 GOLD & SILVER EXPLODE AS VENEZUELA CRISIS ROCKS MARKETS

Holy smokes! Gold surged almost 3% to $4,448 per ounce on Monday, while silver absolutely ripped over 5% higher to $76.61 as the shocking weekend capture of Venezuelan President Maduro sent shockwaves through global markets! The US military operation "Absolute Resolve" involved more than 150 aircraft bombing infrastructure across northern Venezuela, with Maduro and his wife flown to New York City to face narcoterrorism charges.

President Trump's statement that the US would "run" Venezuela until proper political transition has investors scrambling for safe havens faster than you can say "geopolitical chaos." But Secretary of State Marco Rubio is already walking back those claims, saying the US would push for change through an oil blockade rather than directly governing the country.

With Friday's non-farm payrolls looming and the Fed still playing the rate-cut guessing game, both metals look primed for more fireworks. Gold ended 2025 with its strongest annual gain since 1979 at 65%, while silver's jaw-dropping 148% moonshot last year marked its strongest performance on record. Wall Street's calling for gold to hit $4,800-5,000 by year-end, but with China controlling 60-70% of global refined silver and imposing export restrictions, the white metal's structural deficit could send it absolutely ballistic in 2026! 🚀💰

If you've been watching this bull market take shape and feel like it's passing you by, it's not too late. The fundamentals driving this move will play out over years, not months - plenty of time to get positioned.

Let’s look at your five main paths:

1. Physical Delivery (Coins & Bars)

It’s as simple as - you buy it, they ship it, you hold it. No counterparty risk, no password to remember.

Most investors start with 1oz sovereign coins - American Gold Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, Britannias, or Krugerrands. These carry guaranteed weight and purity, and are recognized worldwide. You'll pay a premium over spot (typically 3-6% for coins, less for bars from refiners like PAMP or Valcambi).

Silver is bulkier - $10,000 of gold fits in your pocket, while $10,000 of silver weighs close to 10 pounds. Silver premiums have also been elevated since 2020, often quite a bit higher than gold premiums for popular coins.

Storage is the main consideration. Home safes, bank deposit boxes, or simply a well-hidden spot - each has tradeoffs around security, insurance, and accessibility.

Best for: Core holdings, "sleep at night" insurance, those who want metal in hand

2. Allocated Storage (Domestic & Offshore)

You own specific, serialized bars in a professional vault - but never touch them. The vault handles security, insurance, and auditing. Storage fees typically run 0.12-0.5% annually.

Why offshore? Jurisdiction diversification. Holding metal in Switzerland, Singapore, or the Cayman Islands means not having all your eggs in one political basket. This isn't about hiding assets - it's about spreading geographic risk in uncertain times.

Most platforms let you take physical delivery later if you want, though you'll pay shipping and potentially lose VAT-exempt status.

Best for: Larger positions, international diversification, avoiding home storage hassles

3. Gold & Silver ETFs

The easiest on-ramp. Buy through your regular brokerage - Fidelity, Schwab, whatever you use. Trade like stocks, easy tax reporting.

The big physically-backed funds are GLD and IAU for gold, SLV and PSLV for silver. They hold actual metal in vaults - you own shares in a trust that owns bars. For trading and retirement accounts, this works fine. For "the system is collapsing" scenarios, the distinction between owning shares versus owning metal matters more.

Expense ratios (0.25-0.50% annually) compound over time but aren't catastrophic.

Best for: Trading positions, retirement accounts, those who want exposure without learning a new ecosystem

4. Mining Stocks

When gold rises, quality miners amplify the move through operational leverage. A miner producing gold at $1,400/oz profits $600 per ounce at $2,000 gold, but $2,600 per ounce at $4,000 gold. Gold up 100%, margins up 333%.

The flip side is brutal - mining is a tough business fighting geology, governments, and costs simultaneously. A rising gold price doesn't save a badly-run operation.

The sector is divided into different tiers: Majors (Newmont, Barrick) offer stability and dividends. Mid-tiers (Kinross, Gold Fields) offer more growth potential. Juniors are where 10-baggers happen - and where companies go to zero. Royalty companies (Franco-Nevada, Wheaton) finance mines rather than operate them, offering lower risk but less leverage.

I cover individual miners regularly and you can follow the main mining ETFs in The Scoreboard.

Best for: Growth-oriented investors comfortable with equity volatility

5. Digital Gold

Blockchain-based tokens backed by physical gold in audited vaults. Each unit represents real metal - Tether Gold (XAUT) and PAX Gold (PAXG) are backed 1:1 by ounces in Swiss and London vaults respectively. Kinesis (KAU) adds a yield mechanism and spending card.

You get 24/7 trading, global transfers, and fractional ownership. But you need to understand crypto wallets and security, and you're trusting the issuer's audits and solvency.

Best for: Crypto-native investors wanting gold's properties with digital flexibility

WHAT'S COMING

Over the next few Tuesdays, I'll go deep on each category - platform reviews, fee comparisons, and which options work best depending on where you are - especially for US, UK, and Canadian readers.

If there's a specific "how do I..." question you want answered, hit reply. These Tuesday editions are built around what you actually need.

That’s all for this Tuesday, folks. I’ll see you on Thursday.

Before you go, please take a moment to rate today’s newsletter and tell us how we did.

Rick Adams
Founder, GoldBuzz
rick@goldbuzz.com