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Why you should invest in gold this January
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When it comes to your investments, timing is everything. You don’t want to get in too late and miss out on the benefits of a particular asset. But you don’t want to get involved too early, either, and have your money locked away in an asset that underperforms for your portfolio. The timing needs to be just right to avoid either scenario.
In 2023, the timing for investing in gold was right for many people. Investing in the precious metal hit an 11-year high in September. With high inflation and elevated interest rates, it made sense for many to invest in gold, if only to help protect their portfolio as other assets underperformed.
That said, a new year provides a new time to reflect and recalibrate, leading many to wonder if they should still invest in gold this year. There are compelling reasons to get still involved, especially this month. Below, we’ll detail three reasons why you should invest in gold this January.
Start by reviewing your gold investing options here to learn more.
Why you should invest in gold this January
Here are three reasons why investors should consider gold this month.
Inflation is still a concern
Inflation seemed to be heading on a preferred, lower trajectory in recent months but progress may have stalled. Inflation rose in December and currently sits at 3.4% — that’s 1.4% above the Federal Reserve’s target 2% goal. While it’s too early to tell if that report was an anomaly or a sign of future economic concerns, it wasn’t the number economists were hoping for.
Against this backdrop, then, a gold investment this month can still be valuable. Known for its ability to hedge against inflation and maintain its value during inflationary periods, many may want to turn to gold now as the battle to rein in inflation continues into 2024.
Get started with a gold investment online today.
The price could tick up higher
The price of gold today is $2,021.70 per ounce. That’s slightly below a record high, reflecting the high demand and interest in the precious metal. But if inflation doesn’t come down or if turmoil increases — both overseas and in the United States during this election year — the demand could tick up even further and the price will inevitably rise with it.
While gold isn’t the income-generating investment other assets are, it’s still always better to buy lower and sell higher. January 2024, then, could be a great time to do just that.
It can diversify your portfolio
Take a closer look at your investments to see where your money is tied up. Chances are high that you could use some diversification in case assets like stocks, bonds and real estate take a hit in 2024. With so many factors at play — from global unrest to inflation and high interest rates at home — there’s no telling what will happen to your conventional investments.
Gold, however, tends to remain steady in the face of these developments and can help diversify your portfolio by keeping it afloat when other assets falter. While it’s true that this is a valuable benefit at any time, it can be especially helpful now in light of the above considerations.
The bottom line
Gold can be a valuable investment at any time, as investors over the last few centuries can attest. But, like any other investment, there may be better times to get started than others. For many, January 2024 could be one of those times. Due to a (still) ongoing battle against inflation — and the help it can provide in that fight — gold could be worth investing in now. Plus, the price is high with the potential to rise even higher this year (giving you a possible quick win, too). And it can still serve as the traditional portfolio diversifier it always has, which can be particularly important considering the economic headwinds coming toward investors this year.
For all of these reasons, this January could be a great time to invest in gold. Start researching your options online today.
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Syracuse, Nebraska — Gerri Eisenhauer’s father, Army Pvt. William Walters, was shipped off to World War II before she was even born.
In 1944, her family got back his body and a U.S. government letter that only said he had died somewhere in France.
“I just always wondered, where he died, how he died, it was just a little part of a puzzle piece that was missing in my life,” Eisenhauer told CBS News.
For decades, the family was resigned to the fact that it would never know. That is, until a few months ago.
Eisenhauer was at her home in Syracuse, Nebraska, this past summer when she received a message from Christophe Ligere, a French historian, from the small village of Grez-sur-Loing, in central France. The message read, in part, “On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of France, we pay tribute to Private William Walters.”
Ligere had found Walters’ name in the diary of an eyewitness to his death, and he immediately felt like he had to find Walters’ family. Ligere conducted some research and located the Walters’ family tree, and from there he found the online obituary of another relative of Eisenhauer, through which he left her that message.
“We were looking for our soldier,” Eisenhauer’s daughter, Jan Moore, told CBS News. “We did not know that he was their soldier, too.”
As Eisenhauer learned from Ligere, in August 1944, American troops began liberating the village of Grez-sur-Loing. It was a joyous day, but there was one casualty: while crossing the Loing River into town, Walters’ boat capsized and he drowned at the age of 20.
After Ligere tracked down Walters’ family, he invited them to France to honor their shared hero and the sacrifice he made here. Eisenhauer and her daughter and son, Jan and Allen, made the trip in September.
Marc Perrot had witnessed Walters’ death at the age of 13.
“They went looking for him and found him,” Perrot explained in an interview with France Télévisions. “They did a lot of things to try to revive him, but it didn’t work.”
Perrot met Eisenhauer and showed her where they laid her father to rest prior to his body being returned to the U.S.
“They covered him with flowers,” Eisenhauer said of the French. “It’s just amazing, the care that they gave him.”
This week, Eisenhauer returned to her father’s grave in Cass County, Nebraska.
“First time I’ve been here and had the answers,” Eisenhauer said.
She says she now feels at peace, and it’s all thanks to the grateful people of France, who even 80 years on, still see the U.S. through the prism of our better angels.
“It’s very important because the…young people come from the US…to battle for democracy…in France,” Ligere told CBS News.
