Frequently Asked Questions on Buying Gold

• Starting Right
• Setting Objectives
• Online Resources
• Risk
• Rewards
• Gold as Insurance, Asset Management and Savings
• Coins
• Bars or Ingots
• Bullion
• Buying Gold/Where to Buy
• Gold IRAs
• Placing Your Order

You will want to find a firm that has a good track record and accreditations from reputable organizations such as theBetter Business Bureau and the Business Consumer Alliance. Look for a gold firm that has been in business for a solid amount of time. In addition, look for a firm that offers an information-based website that reflects their understanding of what you will need to know as a purchaser of gold. In other words, choose a firm that shows genuine interest in keeping you informed. Be wary of finding a “start-up” style of firm. These are not always easy to spot due in part to the ease of designing a professional website; however, you can find information on the website that will give you insight into how long they have been in business and the types of information they can provide.

Gold coins and bars of all sizes can be purchased through sources including government mints, online and via phone from gold coin sellers such as Sterling Apex Capital.

The price of gold varies. Per ounce, kilo and gram, pricing is updated real time and so you'll see a difference in pricing basically day-to-day, and even minute-to-minute. If you would like to stay current on the price of gold, visit our page for Gold Prices with metrics that reference gold price trends.

Bear in mind that the cost of the gold itself is not the only factor in the price of premium, collectible, or ‘numismatic’ coins. For these types of coin, history, esthetic appeal, rarity, condition and ‘grade’ will tend to be much more important.

Gold can be a sensible purchase to help protect what you have. There are a number of reasons why gold makes sense including: 1) helping to protect against the insidious effects of the dollar’s declining purchasing power, 2) helping to reduce asset portfolio volatility and 3) helping to minimize losses during periods of market shock.

In addition, gold is often seen to lack correlation with other assets so it can be used to diversify a portfolio and to hedge against currency risk. Gold is best seen as a long-term, historically proven purchase that offers potential benefits to those who understand and who are willing to consider the issues involved.

The biggest mistake that most first-time gold buyers make is seeking advice from the wrong people or purchasing through the wrong firm. This can be avoided by doing research on which company you choose to consult and, ultimately, purchase with.

Seek out advice from people who have been in business for a good, long time, who are in it for the long haul and whose information can be trusted. Conduct research on the people whom you’re considering seeking advice from and follow-up your discussions with additional research to verify the information. If you are interested in learning more about your buying options, you can contact us directly at Contact Us.

Back to Top

There are a number of different types of gold which are all available to purchase – you'll want to base your purchasing decision on what your objectives are. There are ETF's, future contracts, gold mining stocks, gold certificates and mutual funds, but Sterling Apex Capital’s customers prefer to buy physical gold - gold bars and coins - both bullion and premium formats.

This depends on your reasons for being interested in buying gold in the first place. Many people start with the thought that gold bars make most sense, but the really big ‘good delivery’ bars that they’ve seen in the movies are beyond most people’s reach, and beyond most organizations other than central banks. It’s worth considering that coins first came into being as a way of certifying provenance and therefore value. Even today it’s easier to sell a coin than the equivalent bar, whose gold content can be an unknown quantity to the buyer.

This depends on your level of interest in gold, and the reasons why you would like to purchase gold in the first place. The short answer may be: right now. If you've decided that you need and are going to purchase gold, then there is no real reason to delay your purchase. Understand that gold does not act the same way as a traditional stock or real estate; it's unrealistic to base your purchase on expectations that gold's price may quickly adjust in your favor.

Many people say buyers should aim to have between 5%-15% of their portfolios in gold, with 20% being the highest level that most would consider, though of course, individual circumstances and preferences will vary.

Back to Top

There are a number of online resources that can help you better understand gold and what it means to be an owner including Bloomberg.com, Forbes.com, Money Week, The FTC Consumer Information on Gold, among others. Tap into the information these websites offer to become knowledgeable and understanding of gold as a purchase.

If you would like to track the price of gold then you can visit our page for Historical Gold Prices. Use this to keep pace with changes in the market. You can also find accurate pricing on the different types of gold that you are interested in.

Back to Top

Buying gold does have some risks that need to be understood by any purchaser. Your biggest risk is, of course, losing money, and depending on what type of gold you purchase, whether coins or an ETF, you are at greater risk if you fail to set personal objectives and/or lose sight of them. The price of gold is subject to movement – down as well as up – because of the uncertain nature of the global economy and the workings of supply and demand in the US and overseas, both for gold coins and for jewelry. For premium coins the prices are subject to related but separate issues of supply and demand affecting this specialist field. There are no guarantees with the purchase of gold; the decision to make any given purchase comes down to your own best judgment. You should understand that precious metals should be considered a long-term purchase of at least 3 to 5 years.

You can protect yourself by staying informed from the onset of your purchase. First understand why you would like to purchase gold, set personal objectives, and stick to them. The right type of gold can be purchased for the wrong reason, and the wrong type of gold for the right reason, so it's important to have a clear understanding of what each type of gold is purchased for. You may also speak with a Sterling Apex Capital representative – no commitment - to help you figure out what type of gold is best to accomplish your goals.

From the perspective of Sterling Apex Capital scams can best be avoided by research and preparation. The most important thing is to make sure you’re dealing with a reputable company that is dedicated to customer service.

Always ask for a full written Customer Agreement. Don’t sign it until you’ve read it and make sure you get a receipt for any purchase. A firm like Sterling Apex Capital will not consider you a customer, or process your order, till they have your signed Customer Agreement - neither side wants any uncertainty in an important transaction like a purchase of gold.

Be clear about any fees or commissions that you’ll be paying - different companies have different practices.

Make sure you get a written copy of the company’s return policy, and make sure you understand whether fees or commissions will be charged if you sell back to the company you’re buying from.

If you’re not taking delivery of your precious metals, with an IRA transaction for example, make sure you know the arrangements for custodianship of the metals.

Research spot prices and wholesale prices. As an individual buyer you won’t be paying either spot or wholesale prices - that’s how dealers make a living - but they’re a useful point of reference.

You’ll want to understand whether you’re buying bullion, whose value is driven by its metal content, or "numismatic" coins that, as the FTC puts it, "have a market value that exceeds their face value or their metal content".

In the opinion of Sterling Apex Capital scams may arise in the context of grading. Grading is always somewhat subjective, but some companies will do their grading in-house or through one of the less reputable grading services. Others, as the FTC warns, create counterfeit grading documents or place lower grade coins in cases labeled with a higher grade. You’ll want to know that what you buy has been graded by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) or the Numismatic Guaranty Service (NGC). Each coin they grade has a serial number so you check its authenticity, if you have any doubts, and they come in sonically-sealed, tamper-proof containers or "slabs."

Consider the tax implications of what you’re doing. Coin sellers are not typically able to give tax advice, so make sure you understand the issues.

Sterling Apex Capital was established in 2008 and has since helped many thousands of customers seeking to protect their asset portfolios by acquiring gold and silver. Sterling Apex Capital has earned an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau and a AAA rating from the Business Consumer Alliance, reflecting the company's focus on customer service. You can read customer reviews of our dedicated precious metals specialists on sites like Reach150 and on our customer reviews page.

As well as its Los Angeles headquarters, Sterling Apex Capital now has affiliated offices in London, Hong Kong, and Munich, Germany. Sterling Apex Capital is proud to have forged relationships with bodies including the British Museum, Formula 1®, the International Tennis Federation, and the PGA TOUR®, enabling Sterling Apex Capital—aside from its other products—to offer its customers unique coin collections under these exclusive multi-country licenses.

Back to Top

Gold is acquired for many different reasons. If you are a first-time buyer, then consider the amount of gold you wish to purchase and how diversified your portfolio currently is. A diversified portfolio can help protect wealth in the long run and even a small purchase of gold can help. Additionally, gold can potentially help you hedge financial uncertainty because gold does not depend on a third party's ability to pay, which is the case with other capital assets such as bonds or bank savings. Gold can also be a way to protect wealth for future generations.

You should not expect gold to make you wealthy. The reasons for buying gold are different from other goods because it is used more as a means of protection against financial uncertainty rather than a means to accumulate rapid wealth. One of the main reasons people buy gold is to help protect their retirement funds against inflation.

Back to Top

Gold can be purchased as a means to potentially protect yourself, and your money, against a financial downturn, and/or a crisis. A purchase of gold as insurance is also a purchase made for the long-term. Meaning, use gold for its ability to help survive small corrections. You may experience losses, but you should not assume that your gold becomes worthless as a result of them – gold has been a trusted store of wealth for thousands of years.

The best way to save gold is to buy it and not sell it. Many first-time buyers will make the mistake of selling gold if the market is performing poorly; however, a purchase in gold can only benefit those looking for a way to protect their savings if it is held on to during times when the price dips. Precious metal should be considered a long-term purchase of at least 3 to 5 years.

The price of gold is determined by the supply (the amount at which all holders of gold are selling) and the demand (the amount which buyers are making their purchase). When trading opens, the supply and demand of gold converge on a market-clearing price. There are a multitude of factors that influence the price of gold such as global money supply and inflation, though it does not tend to react to temporary disruptions of physical supply.

The answer depends on why you’re buying gold in the first place. An ETF allows you to buy and sell gold without physically touching or storing it. ETF funds are backed by gold, but there is probably less gold behind them than you might think. The principle is the same as the way banks operate - if they have $1mm on deposit from customers, they can lend a multiple of that amount to other customers.

If everyone turns up at the bank on the same day and asks for their money, there’s not enough to go around. So, a fund might claim to be worth a trillion dollars, but no one believes there’s actually a trillion dollars of physical gold behind it.

Back to Top

• You could think of gold coins as the way in which sovereign states give their endorsement to a physical commodity. Without coins gold would only be available in the form of bars, and no one but the maker or seller knows the gold content of a bar, unless they weigh and analyze it.
• Coins take the uncertainty out of buying gold. Apart from relatively rare incidences of counterfeiting, a coin is what it purports to be. An additional level of certainty is supplied by the independent, professional grading companies who will assess the nature and quality of a coin, from which its value can be derived, and then seal the coin in a tamper-proof container that preserves its condition indefinitely.
• Among the most popular bullion coins are the American Eagle and Canadian Maple Leaf gold coins which have a high level of gold purity and are easy to buy and sell. A quick stroll through our website will give you all of the information that you need on the different types of gold coins.

Prices of gold bullion coins tend to fluctuate with movements in the price of gold, which can happen unexpectedly and often. Premium coins’ prices may be influenced by the price of their gold content, but they also have a value derived from their rarity, condition or history, and they are cushioned against movements in the spot price of gold. In general, they are not meant to be traded.

Gold coins can be purchased through government mints, or online or via phone through specialized gold sellers like Sterling Apex Capital. Contact us or Contact Us today to learn more.

Back to Top

Gold bars are perhaps the most basic form of gold a purchaser has the option of buying. Bars are favored by traders and short-term investors, particularly bars containing 32.15 ounces and above, which are beyond the means of most people. The thing to remember is that if you spend money on a single bar, you cannot sell back only a part of it as you can with coins. In addition, you'll often find that if you wish to sell your bar, you'll have to sell it back to the dealer through which you made the purchase.

This depends on what your objectives are. If you're looking for a tangible, small-scale purchase then gold bars are a good option, but you need to recognize that the value of what you buy will fluctuate with the spot price of gold. Be sure that you arrange a means to store the gold that you purchase either with a safe at home or with a bank that has a vault.

An ingot is a type of gold bar produced by casting molten gold in an ingot-shaped mold. By contrast, bars are rolled, cut, then any distinguishing marks are pressed into their surface. This method is commonly used for heavier bars.

Back to Top

Buying gold bullion means buying a bulk quantity of gold, which is measured by weight and sold as bars or coins. The simple idea is to buy bullion when prices are low, and to sell when prices are high. Generally, gold bullion, and precious metals in general, are more attractive as a long-term purchase. A purchase of bullion makes most sense as a potential means to 1) hedge against currency risk, 2) hedge against inflation risks, 3) hedge against geopolitical risks, and 4) diversify a financial asset portfolio.

Gold bullion can be purchased through a number of online and local dealers, but selling can prove to be a bit more challenging. Look through our products section to see the wide variety of bullion bars and coins that we can supply. You can talk to a knowledgeable Sterling Apex Capital representative directly by Contacting Us.

To find the value of gold bullion you'll have to look at the precious metal content, generally assessed by its purity and mass.

Back to Top

Most first-time buyers opt to purchase gold from an accredited seller such as Sterling Apex Capital. To get started, we offer a free gold and precious metals kit that can be requested on our website. This kit will give you all of the information that you'll need before making your first purchase. Before making a purchase, prepare any and all questions that you might have about your options and what type of purchase will best suit your interests. A good gold firm can be the difference between success and failure as a buyer and so you'll want to find a company that can offer you the type of support and information as we do here at Sterling Apex Capital.

Back to Top

A gold IRA works the same way a regular Individual Retirement Account (IRA) does, but instead of storing paper currency or paper-based assets, a gold IRA holds gold or other approved precious metals, also known as precious metals IRA.

Gold, silver, platinum, and palladium are accepted, gold being the most commonly purchased of the four. These are also referred to as gold IRA, silver IRA, platinum IRA and palladium IRA.

A gold IRA does not generate interest or income. Instead it has a value tied to the price of the coins and bars that are placed within it.

When you set up or convert your existing assets into a gold or silver rollover IRA you are helping protect your retirement savings from unforeseen economic factors and financial losses. Precious metals are often used as a potential long-term hedge against inflation. In uncertain economic times and with the declining US dollar, retirement assets risk losing value. For example, the purchasing power of the dollar has declined by over 25% since the turn of the century, while the price of gold has tripled. No one knows what will happen in the future, but we at Sterling Apex Capital can’t imagine a world in which gold does not act as a trusted protector of wealth.

You should consult your tax advisor about any tax implications. Sterling Apex Capital and its people are not qualified to advise, but in general Gold IRAs follow the same tax rules as other IRAs.

Gold is perhaps best seen as a protector of wealth, rather than a way to get rich. If some of your assets are in physical gold, you’re potentially insulating part of your wealth from the uncertainties inherent in paper-based financial instruments.

You can buy physical gold and put it into an IRA, or transfer an existing IRA into gold, but the gold itself must be in the custody of an independent third party – Sterling Apex Capital can help with this. IRS regulations won’t allow an individual to hold the gold in their own IRA.

1. When you call, a Sterling Apex Capital representative explains how a Gold and Precious Metals IRA works, so you can decide if this option is right for you.

2. If you’re interested, your representative will send you the necessary forms from Equity Institutional, the IRA administrators, together with Sterling Apex Capital's own customer agreement.

3. If you wish to proceed, and send in the signed and completed forms, your Sterling Apex Capital representative will create an account for you and discuss with you various options for your IRA, including which coins qualify for inclusion.

4. After Equity receives funding, either from you or via transfer of an existing IRA, Sterling Apex Capital arranges with Equity for the precious metals to be moved directly to the depository in Delaware, where each IRA-holder's gold is kept in separate, secure storage.

5. You are then a client of Equity Institutional, and will pay the appropriate fees for administration and storage.

6. When you reach 70.5 years of age and must, by law, take distributions, you may chose to take distributions in physical gold, provided the IRA contains precious metals of the appropriate value.

Sterling Apex Capital does not charge IRA customers any fees for establishing precious metal IRAs. There are fees payable by IRA customers to Equity Institutional.

Currently, Equity charges:

• A one-time $50 set-up fee.

• An $80 Annual Maintenance fee.

• Storage Fees of $100 or $150 per year, depending on the type of storage chosen.

• Paper Statement Fee is $40 for customers who wish to receive a paper copy of their statements, but eStatements (digital copies of statements) are free for those who enroll.

Back to Top

Contact Us and our Representatives will be happy to help you.

Certainly. Our representatives are here to answer your questions and assist with placing your orders.Contact Us from Mondays to Fridays between 7AM and 6PM PST. If you are new to buying gold, everyone you speak with is more than qualified to walk you through the buying process vis-à-vis your goals and questions.

Due to market fluctuations, beyond movements in spot price, values of premium products go up and down throughout the day. Speaking with a representative will help ensure you get the most up-to-date and best pricing.

The most popular size for gold and silver coins is 1 oz for bullion and often smaller for premium coins because purchasers are not buying for the metal content alone, but are considering their "numismatic value". The ‘ounces’ quoted in relation to gold are usually ‘Troy’ ounces. 1 Troy Oz. is the standard weight at which gold is sold in the international market, and it equals 31.1035 grams.

This is a matter of individual preference - only you can decide what's right for you.

Many people are attracted to silver because it has a lower price per ounce - it’s seen as a great, low-cost way to get started in precious metals. There are many attractive silver coins available, both historic and modern, and Sterling Apex Capital is a leading source of those coins.

On the other hand, gold has attracted buyers since the earliest days of civilization – it has served as a trusted store of wealth and a potential hedge against inflation. As well as recently minted coins, Sterling Apex Investment offers gold coins that have great beauty and historic significance, as well as the intrinsic value of their metal content.

Shipping time takes about 14 business days. This is faster than most of our competitors’ shipping times – they can take up to 28 days.

Email us at Sterlingapex001@gmail.com

Sterling Apex Capital provides its customers the right to receive a full refund of the purchase price for the return of undamaged and unused products if written notice of the intention to return the products is received by Sterling Apex Capital within seven (7) days after the date of receipt of the products. Sterling Apex Capital will issue a full refund, provided all requirements are met, within thirty (30) days of the return of the products. Call us at Contact Us and we can assist you through the process.

Back to Top