When it comes to purchasing precious metals, most people automatically think of purchasing gold because of its high value and versatile uses. However, buying silver is also a worthwhile investment. In fact, the value of silver is actually more stable than the value of gold. For this reason, many savvy investors actually prefer silver to gold for a number of reasons.

As an investment, silver is less expensive to acquire than gold. Over the past 5-6 years, silver has increased in value 3 times more quickly than gold. Silver can be sold more easily than other precious metals because the market for silver is less competitive. And finally, crashes and value-dips with silver have far less often than with other precious metals.

Similar to investing in gold, there are also several ways to invest in silver all of which can be financially beneficial for the investor.

Physical Silver

Purchasing physical silver is like opening a savings account. As a universal currency, silver can always be traded for other types of currency or sold for cash. When investing in physical silver, the amount you buy will determine the form that you wish for the investment to take. In other words, if you invest in large quantities of silver, you may wish for it to be in the form of silver bars. On the other hand, if you are investing in smaller quantities of silver, getting bags of junk silver or silver coins is the best approach. This type of investment is cheap, easy, stable, and almost always yields a return.

Collectors Market

If you are new to the silver market, you would be wise to avoid the collectors market. The collectors market is complex; and takes a great deal of specific industry knowledge to avoid getting ripped off.

Government-backed certificate programs are an inexpensive and secure way to invest in precious metals, including silver. The top choice is a Perth Mint Certificate. Through this program, you can rest assured that you are buying the best silver certificates in the world. They have triple-A ratings from both Moodys and Standard and Poors (the two top credit-rating entities in the world). Furthermore, the process of obtaining a precious metals certificate is easy and relatively safe. Because they are liquid, certificates can be traded or sold quickly for currency.

All told, silver is often overlooked because of a reputation as being the cheap mans gold. But do not let yourself be duped. If you are serious about building a precious metal portfolio, silver is one of your best available options.