I’ve been thinking, recently, about my retirement strategy: I have a 401(K), of course, and I do own some stocks – though they aren’t performing that well – but I want something more stable, something that I know will hold its value over the long term. And I keep coming back to thinking about gold as an investment strategy.

Buying gold is simple: you can go into a local precious metals dealer in most cities and purchase some in smaller quantities. For larger purchases, buying online is the way to go. But is gold as an investment strategy one that will pay off in the long run?

I’ve been reading about gold at BullionVault.com, and they are arguing that yes, thinking of gold as an investment is an excellent way to approach things. According to the site, “Gold is the proven, quality, long-term wealth store during a slide into deep crisis – the one which everyone else comes to in a bit of a panic.”  The article goes on to explain that while some buyers turn to gold investments as a move to protect their existing money, they are making the right move by considering gold as an investment because gold is proven over time to be a safe investment.

Therefore, gold as an investment is a good idea, especially if you are buying for the long-term, which is precisely what I am doing. Now, I’m not only investing in gold, of course – I believe in the importance of a diversified, stable portfolio – but gold is the precious metal that I am leaning toward buying.

In today’s world, with the mess of national and international financial crises, the geopolitical instability, and the emerging powerhouses of China and India (both of which are investing heavily in gold), I’m thinking that gold is the most stable precious metal on the market: therefore, approaching buying gold as an investment in the future is the right decision for me.

I’m leaning toward buying gold bullion, because it’s pure gold and is easily sold, should I need to convert some of the metal into cash. Not that there’s anything wrong with the collector’s series and coins, but I want gold that is solid, tangible, and which I can sell for cash value.

As for where I’m thinking about buying the gold as an investment from, I’ve been doing some online research, looking at companies, their reputations, their markups, their shipping policies, and the variety of gold that they offer, and I’ve settled on Merit Gold. I like what they offer, their prices and shipping guarantees, and I am reassured that the company has been in business for so long.

So, yes, I’ve decided that I should be thinking about gold as an investment.