Because hedge funds deal with very large sums of money, the person or persons running the fund needs to have some sort of protection. This is where hedge fund insurance comes into play. Hedge fund insurance products aim at protecting managers from a host of different problems. Errors and omissions insurance is one such product. This type of insurance protects managers from any claims made against the fund by investors. These claims can originate due to a misstep on the behalf of the manager and will cover the defense and judgment of any case brought to court up to the limit agreed upon by the manager and the insurance company being dealt with.

Another important insurance product that all fund managers will wish to have is a fidelity bond. This will protect hedge fund investors from any dishonest act made on behalf of the fund’s employees. If money is mismanaged or stolen from the fund, this insurance will repay the amount lost to the investor that was harmed. This will also protect investors from wire transfer and computer fraud.

Hedge fund managers will also want to insure the lives of their partners. Life insurance is applicable because the manager will have an insurable interest in the fund partner’s lives. If one partner were to die, the life insurance benefit amount would be necessary to pay for the buying and selling of shares within the fund. This is true especially when there are several owners of the hedge fund and dividing up the deceased partner’s share would be extremely difficult without the compensation of a life insurance benefit.

Finally, for managers and partners that wish to have the maximum protection, an umbrella policy is usually added on top of all the other policies owned. Umbrella policies are repetitive policies because they will cover areas that already possess coverage. Umbrella insurance cannot be overlooked however, especially for hedge funds with extremely large amounts of investment capital. An umbrella policy will provide partners with larger amounts of protection for a low premium cost.

…to which I responded “broke is a mindset”

He says “Broke Is a Fact!”

This intrigued me, so I did an experiment.

The other week was really interesting.

In one day I spoke to a Banking & Finance billionaire…

…a millionaire…

…a million pound bonus CEO…

…a six figure salary Investment Banker…

…200 interns at most major banks…

…7 graduates on my facebook group that could not get a job…

…and 1 student that said he was too broke to invest in one of my training programs.

Now although this is a normal week for me in my line of business,

but this time I was looking through different glasses.

I remember what it was like to be short of cash, but broke has never been in my vocabulary.

Even when I had £100,000 debt, I still thought I was rich.

Everybody else thought I was deluded.

I spent and spent and spent on training, business ideas, professional qualifications and things that I knew would further my life.

I have never used the words “I can’t afford it”, because it is so limited in terms of mindset.

…so when I had a conversation with a student that said he could not afford it, he was offended by my broke is a mindset comment.

And it set my brain thinking that particular day…

What is the difference between a Banking & Finance billionaire…

…a Banking & Finance millionaire…

…a £100,000 salary in Banking & Finance…

…a £25,000 salary in Banking & Finance…

…and broke with a Banking & Finance Masters?

Interesting?

…so interesting, I thought I would share the results with you here…

So, I decided to speak to them all in one day.

First, the broke student.

His belief was that money is scarce…

…and that he is ‘just’ a student…

…and students don’t have money!

When I was a student I was self funded, had a job and owned a business because I wanted to have all the money I needed at uni.

Just because I was a student, didn’t mean I wanted to be broke for a second.

Why did we both have two different realities?

Interesting?

A few hours later I met an Investment Banker with regards to raising finance for a private equity deal.

I don’t know for sure, but my guess is that he might be on £100,000 plus bonus.

As an Investment Banker, you get to meet serious business geniuses and Venture Capitalists.

In my Investment Banking days, When I was raising finance for them, I always used to ask myself “How did you start this”

I was always curious about the founder, how it began, the inspiration, the vision and the mission behind the idea.

This particular Investment Banker never thought about those things.

He was focused on sealing the deal and moving to the next stage.

Interesting?

I then got on the phone to my business partner Peter Hargreaves, he owns Hargreaves Lansdown, a FTSE listed Wealth Management Company with his own personal net worth of £500 million, in the Times Rich List.

I was excited about a new project I was working on in October where I was going to run a Bank sponsored day for students and graduates who want to work in Banking & Finance with all proceeds going to a charity I am a volunteer and fundraiser for called “Peace One Day”.

The day is going to hook students and graduates up with the biggest influencers in Banking & Finance and tell them about new opportunity in the new economy with billionaires and inspiring leaders. (Put November 22nd in your diary)

Immediately Peter asked me about how profitable the event will be. I told him I don’t know, he said get back to me when you have thought about it.

Interesting?

Then on the same day I met Mike Harris, who created three multi billion pound businesses in a row, two of them in Banking and Finance.

I asked him about two of his Banking & Finance businesses…

…he told me they were both born out of his mission to “Transform Banking”.

In his mission to transform banking, he created First Direct, the first telephone bank and Egg, the first online bank.

I asked him, how do you create a multi billion pound business.

His response…

“You need to have a mission, you need to transform something, you need to revolutionise, you need passion”

There was a bit more to the four hour conversation than that, but that is the essence.

Interesting?

I immediately gave Mike Harris a value proposition and we agreed to do a consultancy swap for half a day each.

We agreed that I would consult him for half a day on my value proposition and he’ll consult me for half a day on building an iconic brand.

(I’ll teach you how to get a result like this in another conversation!)

To which I immediately accepted.

Consulting from a multi billionaire on building an iconic brand…

Result

Then later that evening I went to a party I had organised with over 200 interns from every major Bank in the world.

‘The Banking & Finance VIP Party’

At the party there were a few people that didn’t recognise me and asked me where I was interning.

I told them I owned Benedix and I was here to meet and network with my clients who have secured their first job in Banking & Finance and discuss next steps to turn it into more.

He was shocked!

He though I was too young to own a company.

Interesting?

I spoke to hundreds of interns that evening from Goldmans, Citi, Deutsche, Barclays Capital and every major bank.

The theme of their conversation with me…?

Simon, how can I turn this into a full time offer and they were buzzing over the £25-£35k salary they were receiving.

Interesting?

You see, I could of told them about how to build an iconic multi billion pound brand, from the conversation I was having earlier that day, but there mind was not thinking higher than getting the £30k job.

Interesting?

So what is the point in all this, Simon?

OK.

The results of my interesting day?

We get paid what we believe we should be paid.

We tend to earn the same amount of money as the people we spend most of our time with.

We all have unlimited potential, but limited beliefs.

What if I introduced the broke student to the billionaire and they hung out for three months.

Do you think the broke student might see things differently, meet some new contacts, be introduced to a new way of thinking, come up with an idea?

They say our income is the average of the 5 people we spend most of our time with.

The Take away

Billionaires think differently from millionaires…

…millionaires think differently from £100k salaries…

£100k salaries think differently from £25k salaries…

£25k salaries think differently from broke students.

Students who can afford our programs think differently from those who can’t?

So we all have unlimited potential, but the only thing that determines our result is our belief.

Mike Harris believes he can transform.

And he transforms.

Peter Hargreaves believes profit is king.

And he profits in a huge way.

The Investment Banker believes he can seal the deal.

And he sealed the deal.

The interns believe £25k is amazing.

And they got their internship.

The student that can’t afford to invest in the training to get his career moving believes he is broke.

And he still has not enrolled on my Banking & Finance Professional Program, to get a different result.

I believe anything is possible, we have unlimited potential and everything is belief, combined with strategy.

Get the belief and strategy right and anything can be done.

The strategy comes from those who have achieved the result you want to achieve.

Nowhere else.

The belief is from within.

But there are ways of increasing your belief.

Hang out with those who believe differently.

Skeptics are controlled by fear.

Opportunists, feel the fear and do it anyway.

Being skeptical is easy.

Taking a risk means you grow and learn.

You risk looking foolish if it goes wrong, but the alternative is being a skeptic and never trying.

Opportunists have the same fear.

But that fear is the fear of not achieving the result they want.

That fear drives both the skeptic and the opportunist.

They both get different results.

I think it’s interesting anyway?

Surround yourself with people who have the result you want and eventually you will have that result.

Please comment and let me know your thoughts.

To your success

Simon

According to a recent survey, a real estate property remains one of the safest investments to make despite all the negative media report about the housing market. As long as you are using the right strategy and are using precautionary measures, you don’t have to fear losing your funds or run the risk of filing for bankruptcy.

If you want to ensure that you won’t commit a major blunder when , here are some factors that you should consider when buying investment properties:

The place where to invest in. According to real estate veterans, the city or county where your real estate investments are located can help determine the amount of profits that you are going to make. When buying an investment property, choose a city with a diverse economic base and lots of employment opportunities. The reason for this is that consumers will need sources of income in order to pay rent or buy a house. By choosing a place that can sustain the basic needs of your target “customers,” it would be easier for you to find buyers or tenants for your investment properties.
The type of investments. There are lots of properties to choose from when going a property investment buying spree. You can invest in vacant land, rental houses, apartment buildings, commercial properties, and mobile homes among others. Investing in each of these investment properties has its own advantages and disadvantages, which is why you need to carefully choose the one that suits your budget and your capabilities.
Availability of funds. Your budget is important when investing in real estate as it can determine the type of properties that you can buy. If you don’t have enough funds to buy a property you can always get a loan from banks and mortgage companies. There’s also hard money or for those who couldn’t qualify for traditional loans.

Cayman banking  could be very confusing for a normal installation individual and that is a reason for people to seek help from qualified investment deals. Really good suppliers of the various global financial services should a solid foundation in terms of dealing with the international market. Must also available in a situation, in time for global financial services and solutions Customers can ask of them. A few features that a good international Financial services is to be able to offer for sale, trade, Advice and above all, the various strategies to improve a company’s Capital.

Cayman Banks are the first order must also be supported by competent persons who offers a high level of playability, along with a wide and the impressive performance. Must correctly distinguish the exact Needs of each customer, as the financial proposals made, and offer tailored financial strategies. First-class international financial services Doctors also maintain good corporate governance. These companies are trying meeting all their social responsibility to their shareholders, and other interested groups. Improve the corporate values and to convey in this its employees and provides market-based financial solutions and advice their customers.

Some global financial markets, investment banks are higher than those in New address York, Tokyo and London, among others. global investment banking actually works for

Provision of high-quality service for a wide range of clients around the world. Customer’s international investment banks including public sector, large enterprises,

Hedge funds, financial institutions and other organizations.

Cayman banking  is very important for many customers around the world. If a many things for them and offers flexibility for customers. Primary the aim of the international deal to ensure financial success their customers. This is the reason why these banks offer a lot Solutions, strategies and services that require the raising of capital Public and private sector, restructuring and financial solutions or financial advice. Ensured through the provision of these services that these international investment banking units offer a broad knowledge of financial markets and coordinated implementation of their worldwide customers.

You can choose any investment solutions UK according to your choice and investment plan. These days various financial solution companies are offering numerous investment products like ISAs, unit trusts, investment bonds, capital protected products, investment trusts and shares. In fact, nowadays millions of UK citizens hold investments in unit trusts and OEICs, aka., open ended investment companies.

These days unit trusts are proving to be one of the best extensively used investment solutions UK. These are collective investment funds which allow investors access to numerous shares, bonds, gilts or property. One of the major features of unit trusts is that the funds are open-ended allowing units to be created when people invest and cancelled when individual investors cash in their investment. The unit price fluctuates up and down to reflect the exact value of the investments held in the fund and prices usually change daily.

Furthermore, OEICs also work in a similar fashion to unit trusts but they issue shares in a fund, rather than units. The shares move up and down in line with the fund’s underlying assets and the fund is owned collectively by all investors. And the key difference between an OEIC sub-fund and a unit trust is that OEICs are ‘single-priced,’ while unit trusts have a buy price and a sell price.

Thus, you are required to read all the pros and cons of unit trusts and OEICs and in fact about any investment solutions UK which you want to opt for. This you can do by searching about an investment product of your choice on the Internet as these days various financial solutions companies have online presence that can be used by you.

Decide On Your Investment Strategy?

For successful property investment you need to decide on a strategy, this can vary over time. Much depends on your initial budget as to whether you buy single apartments, a house to let, or a block of apartments.

What Type of Tenants Do you Want?

Think about the types of tenants you hope to gain, when you are considering the “Buy To Let” option. Obviously, there is a quite a bit of money in renting apartments for singles and couples without children, so this is something to keep in mind when selecting your best strategy.

What you are looking for are either long-term stable tenants for a house to let or a plentiful supply of shorter-term renters for one-bedroom apartments such as students.

Obviously, your risks vary depending on the type of tenants you are targeting.

Financing Your Property Investment

One of the aspects you should be aware of with the mortgage industry being what it is, that you will most likely be required to have a deposit equivalent to 25 per cent of the property valuation in order to qualify for a mortgage on a “Buy To Let” property.

If you decide on the “Buy To Let” option for your property investment business, you should know that mortgage lenders will be looking for your rental income to be roughly 120 per cent of the loan repayments, this protects the lender and some lenders require more. When you are purchasing “Buy To Let” properties, you are still required to go through the normal mortgage loan qualifying process.

Where To Buy Your Property Investment

The best strategy for purchasing “Buy To Let” is to make certain your purchase is in areas where you are likely to find quality tenants. It’s the same with buying your own property to live in, location, location, location.

Obviously, you do not want to purchase a property that is in an area that no one would ever rent it. If for example, your strategy is to rent to singles or couples, the best options are to purchase the properties close to places of employment, near universities, or in other popular spots where people are continually looking, to rent apartments.

Final Thoughts

There is a lot of money to be made by purchasing “Buy To Let” properties, but it pays to be smart about it and purchase those properties that will gain you quality tenants as well as a good return on your investment. If you are new to purchasing investment properties, it is probably best to take it slow until you get some experience of the best areas to purchase.

Remember, “Buy To Let” is not just about the rental income that you need to sustain your property investment business, long term your objective has to be to leverage the capital gain. So do your homework before you buy, find out the average capital gain over the past 10 years or more for similar properties in the areas you are looking to buy.

Not all annuities are the same.  Fixed annuities provide safety from volatile stock markets, unlike variable annuities.  This safety can be affected by the insurance company providing the guarantee.  Immediate annuities have predetermined contract terms, but does that make them safe?  

Safe means different things to different people.  Also, you need to ask yourself what you are seeking safety from.  Are you looking for safety from the market fluctuations, the economy, or the economic system as a whole?

Different types of annuities carry different levels of safety.  While a variable annuity carries some risk associated with the market, some offer death benefits which are guaranteed to not be below your original investment.  Fixed annuities on the other hand do not carry market risk as your money is protected from market losses.  However, you may own a 2-3% annuity and inflation rises above 20%.  So, again safety is relative.

You should conduct your own research and find the product that is right for you when choosing an annuity.  While one product may be marketed as “safe”, the meaning of safety could very well be different from the safety you are looking for.  You should research not only the annuity product itself and how it matches your retirement needs, but also research the company that is providing the annuity.  

Do not rely on credit ratings alone.  A simple statement to remember is that if you do not want to lose your initial investment, a variable annuity is not safe for you.  Just as if you need to make high returns like you can in the stock market, a fixed annuity may not be the “safe” vehicle you need it to be.

It is important to match your personal financial goals with the annuity you are purchasing. Your money is most important to you and you alone.  So do your own research and don’t be talked into products you are not comfortable with.  Only you can decide what is safe for you.  Head over to Annuity StraightTalk.com for more info on picking annuities safely.

One of the most popular forms of gold investment is buying gold coins. You can find gold coins in many sizes and from different counties. Usually people buy the US Dollar old coin however there are other countries that offer gold coins which are considered valuable for investment purposes. Investors buy gold coins because they can use it as a hedge against inflation.

. Learn all that is required to invest into gold coins. There are many types of gold coins and each has a history behind it. The value of a gold coins is based on when it was minted and also the country whose currency it represents. You should check out on the se factors before investing.

. You can invest in commemorative or numismatic coins, else you can opt to invest in bullion coin. Numismatic coins are valued based on their rarity, condition, age and yea of mintage. On the other hand, bullion coins are purchased as a form of investment, like investment into stocks and other commodities. Bullion gold coins are made according to the specifications denoted by federal governments.

. If you choose to buy bullion gold coins, decide on how much you want to buy. You can get gold bullion coins in the form of one ounce, ½ ounce, 1/4 ounce, 1/10 ounce and 1/20 ounce coins. Each country has its own design for such coins and usually the design is the same. Popular gold bullion coin types are South African Krugerrands, Gold American Eagle, Gold Buffalo, Canadian Maple Leaf and Chinese Pandas.

. You can find many internet sites selling gold coins, but since this is a high value investment you should seek a reputable dealer. Do not buy gold coins from any dealer. Ensure that the dealer you select has been dealing for a long time and has a good reputation in this business. In case of numismatic coins, you need to be very clear on this as the history of the coins determine its value.

. If you are looking for gold bullion coins that are slightly lower in price than normal one ounce gold coins, check out South African Krugerrands. They are available in large quantities and their production quality is good. Small investors will find it ideal to buy them, even though they are as good as sovereign god bullion coins.

A good investment portfolio will spread your risk

It is an almost universally accepted concept that most portfolios should include a mix of investments, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles. A portfolio should also be balanced. That is, the portfolio should contain investments with varying levels and types of risk to help minimize the overall impact if one of the portfolio holdings declines significantly.

Many investors make the mistake of putting all their eggs in one basket. For example, if you invest in one stock, and that stock goes through the roof, a fortune can be made. On the other hand, that stock can lose all its value, resulting in a total loss of your investment. Spreading your investment over multiple asset classes should help reduce your risk of losing your entire investment. However, remember that there is no guarantee that any investment strategy will be successful and that all investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.

Asset allocation: How many eggs in which baskets?

Asset allocation is one of the first steps in creating a diversified investment portfolio. Asset allocation means deciding how your investment dollars should be allocated among broad investment classes, such as stocks, bonds, and cash alternatives. Rather than focusing on individual investments (such as which company’s stock to buy), asset allocation approaches diversification from a more general viewpoint. For example, what percentage of your portfolio should be in stocks? The underlying principle is that different classes of investments have shown different rates of and levels of price volatility over time. Also, since different asset classes often respond differently to the same news, your stocks may go down while your bonds go up, or vice versa. Though neither diversification nor asset allocation can guarantee a profit or ensure against a potential loss, diversifying your investments over various asset classes can help you try to minimize volatility and maximize potential .

So, how do you choose the mix that’s right for you? Countless resources are available to assist you, including interactive tools and sample allocation models. Most of these take into account a number of variables in suggesting an asset allocation strategy. Some of those factors are objective (e.g., your age, your financial resources, your time frame for investing, and your investment objectives). Others are more subjective, such as your tolerance for risk or your outlook on the economy. A financial professional can help you tailor an allocation mix to your needs.

More on diversification

Diversification isn’t limited to asset allocation, either. Even within an investment class, different investments may offer different levels of volatility and potential . For example, with the stock portion of your portfolio, you might choose to balance higher-volatility stocks with those that have historically been more stable (though past performance is no guarantee of future results).

Because most mutual funds invest in dozens to hundreds of securities, including stocks, bonds, or other investment vehicles, purchasing shares in a mutual fund reduces your exposure to any one security. In addition to instant diversification, if the fund is actively managed, you get the benefit of a professional money manager making investment decisions on your behalf.

Note: Before investing in a mutual fund, carefully consider its investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses, which are outlined in the prospectus that is available from the fund. Obtain and read a fund’s prospectus carefully before investing.

Choose investments that match your tolerance for risk

Your tolerance for risk is affected by several factors, including your objectives and goals, timeline(s) for using this money, life stage, personality, knowledge, other financial resources, and investment experience. You’ll want to choose a mix of investments that has the potential to provide the highest possible at the level of risk you feel comfortable with on an ongoing basis.

For that reason, an investment professional will normally ask you questions so that he or she can gauge your risk tolerance and then tailor a portfolio to your risk profile.

Investment professionals and advisors

A wealth of investment information is available if you want to do your own research before making investment decisions. However, many people aren’t comfortable sifting through balance sheets, profit-and-loss statements, and performance reports. Others just don’t have the time, energy, or desire to do the kind of thorough analysis that marks a smart investor.

For these people, an investment advisor or professional can be invaluable. Investment advisors and professionals generally fall into three groups: stockbrokers, professional money managers, and financial planners. In choosing a financial professional, consider his or her legal responsibilities in selecting securities for you, how the individual or firm is compensated for its services, and whether an individual’s qualifications and experience are well suited to your needs. Ask friends, family and coworkers if they can recommend professionals whom they have used and worked with well. Ask for references, and check with local and federal regulatory agencies to find out whether there have been any customer complaints or disciplinary actions against an individual in the past. Consider how well an individual listens to your goals, objectives and concerns.

Stockbrokers

Stockbrokers work for brokerage houses, generally on commission. Though any investment recommendations they make are by the SEC to be suitable for you as an investor, a broker may or may not be able to put together an overall financial plan for you, depending on his or her training and accreditation. Verify that an individual broker has the requisite skill and knowledge to assist you in your investment decisions.

Professional money managers

Professional money managers were once available only for extremely high net-worth individuals. But that has changed a bit now that competition for investment dollars has grown so much, due in part to the proliferation of discount brokers on the Internet. Now, many professional money managers have considerably lowered their initial investment requirements in an effort to attract more clients.

A professional money manager designs an investment portfolio tailored to the client’s investment objectives. Fees are usually based on a sliding scale as a percentage of assets under management–the more in the account, the lower the percentage you are charged. Management fees and expenses can vary widely among managers, and all fees and charges should be fully disclosed.

Financial planners

A financial planner can help you set financial goals and develop and help implement an appropriate financial plan that manages all aspects of your financial picture, including investing, retirement planning, estate planning, and protection planning. Ideally, a financial planner looks at your finances as an interrelated whole. Because anyone can call himself or herself a financial planner without being educated or licensed in the area, you should choose a financial planner carefully. Make sure you understand the kind of services the planner will provide you and what his or her qualifications are. Look for a financial planner with one or more of the following credentials:

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®)
Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) and Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®)
Accredited Personal Financial Specialist (PFS)
Registered Financial Consultant® (RFC®)
Registered Investment Advisor (RIA)

Financial planners can be either fee based or commission based, so make sure you understand how a planner is compensated. As with any financial professional, it’s your responsibility to ensure that the person you’re considering is a good fit for you and your objectives.

Gold is an investment that’s both tangible and liquid. You can hold it in your hands and buy or sell gold with ease.

People often think that buying gold shares (gold mining shares) are shares of gold itself, but if you buy and sell shares, you’re actually buying and selling shares in a gold mining company as opposed to selling gold.

Gold shares are the shares of gold mining companies, companies that explore for and produce gold.

There are several forms of gold which can be taken as an investment. Gold bullion bars, gold coins, even certificates of ownership. The standard gold price is set twice daily by the Gold Fixing of London. You can refer to: Gold Fixing Daily Price.

This is a very treacherous time for gold investing, and you must weigh all options and seek as much professional advice as possible in order to emerge on top. It is easy for you to sell gold right now, but should you hold on for a bit longer? Will the demand rise even higher? Gold investing, like all other forms, is complicated and filled with debate.

The ease with which you can sell gold will depend largely on how easily the content of the pure gold can be determined in the bar or gold coin in your possession. This is one reason why gold bullion has become so popular for gold investing. People are able to sell gold better as coins because the quality and quantity of pure gold coins is guaranteed. This guarantee makes it easy to sell gold to gold dealers like us. We are familiar with the current value of gold.

Gold Bars Weights & Purities

Gold bars are normally classified into two broad categories of weight. Large bars weigh more than 1000 gram and small bars weigh 1000 gram or less.

Gold bars are manufactured in different millesimal gold purities (or fineness), mostly range between 965 and 999.9 in purity.

Around the world, gold bars can be denominated or traded in different units of weight to accommodate the preferences of regions or countries. The most prominent units are measured in gram, troy ounce, tola, tael, baht, chi (or cay or luong), don and mesghal.

Although the London Good Delivery 400 oz bar is the world’s most important large bar, it is traded in troy ounces on the London Bullion Market, and the international gold price is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce. There is a worldwide trend for small cast and minted gold bars denominated in grams.

Although the table below provides a broad indication of where the listed units of weight for small gold bars which are widely used, in many countries a variety of units is used.

(*) In South Korea, the weight in don is expressed in grams according to government regulations.

There are three prominent large gold bars:

400 oz: Approximate weight. London Good Delivery, if manufactured by a LBMA-accredited refiner.

100 oz: Approximate weight. COMEX Good Delivery, if the brand is accredited to COMEX.

3000 g: Shanghai Gold Exchange Good Delivery, if manufactured by a SGE-accredited refiner.

Some refiners advise that other large bars are also occasionally made to precise or approximate weights. For example, in ounces (250 oz and 50 oz) and in grams (2 kg, 5 kg and 10 kg).

Among surveyed manufacturers, small gold bars around the world are available in a diverse range of more than 50 different cast or minted weights.

However, by far the most important small gold bar, widely used by fabricators and investors around the world, is the cast kilobar (1000 gram).

Before you decided to sell your gold jewelry, gold bullion bars or any gold items, you need to provide the weight and purity of your gold item you intend to sell.

Karats (Carats outside of the United States, ) in gold jewelry refers to the amount of gold that is present in the jewelry piece. Europe describes the karatage of gold jewelry in ‘fineness’, which is the gold content expressed in parts per thousand.

The purer the gold content in a piece of jewelry, the more valuable it is. Gold is mixed with alloys, metals added to strengthen the gold to create more durable jewelry, particularly in gold rings and gold bracelets.

24 Karat Gold Jewelry, where 24 of the 24 parts are gold, 99.99% fine gold.
22 Karat Gold Jewelry, where 22 of the 24 parts are gold and 2 parts are one or more additional metals, making it 91.7% gold.
18 Karat Gold Jewelry, where 18 of the 24 parts are gold and 6 parts are one or more additional metals, making it 75% gold.
14 Karat Gold Jewelry, where 14 of the 24 parts are gold and 10 parts are one or more additional metals, making it 58.3% gold.
12 Karat Gold Jewelry, where 12 of the 24 parts are gold and 12 parts are one or more additional metals, making it 50% gold.
10 Karat Gold Jewelry, where 10 of the 24 parts are gold and 14 parts are one or more additional metals, making it 41.7% gold.

10 Karat gold is the minimum karat that can be called “gold” in the United States. Some other countries, such as Australia, sell 9 Karat gold jewelry as “gold” jewelry

9 Karat Gold Jewelry, where 9 of the 24 parts are gold and 15 parts are one or more additional metals, making it 37.5% gold.

European gold jewelry indicates the gold purity as a 3 digit number.
24 Karat Gold Jewelry is marked 999 to show a 99.9% gold purity.
22 Karat Gold Jewelry is marked 917 to show a 91.7% gold purity.
18 Karat Gold Jewelry is marked 750 to indicate 75% gold purity.
14 Karat Gold Jewelry is marked 585 for 58.5% gold purity.
12 Karat Gold Jewelry is marked 417 for 41.7% gold purity.

The declared purity (or fineness) of gold bar’s gold content is important as it enables its weight of “fine gold” to be calculated.

The purity is normally marked in parts gold per 100, 1,000 or 10,000 parts.

For example, the same gold purity (99.99% by weight) can be expressed as follows:

9999 9,999 parts gold in 10,000 parts
999.9 999.9 parts gold in 1,000 parts
99.99 99.99 parts gold in 100 parts

Although there is generally a widespread preference for small gold bars with a precise millesimal purity of 995 or 999.9, gold bars are also manufactured in other purities.

You can determine the Gold bar bearing the “hallmark” (logo) of internationally recognized refiners. Gold bars with hallmark (logo) are the easiest to sell.

These refiners “assay” or test the metal for its purity or fineness. The gold bars are generally stamped .995 (99.5% pure gold) or higher purity, along with the individual bar’s weight. Gold bars can be purchased from selected commercial banks, brokerage houses, and precious metals dealers. 

A very popular gold bar for gold investment is the Credit Suisse one ounce with fine gold to 99.99% certified and preserved in a plastic ingot card to protect and preserve your gold bars.

Like other precious metals, gold is measured by troy weight and by grams. When it is alloyed with other metals the term carat or karat is used to indicate the amount of gold present, with 24 carats being pure gold and lower ratings proportionally less. The purity of a gold bar or gold coin can also be expressed as a decimal figure ranging from 0 to 1, known as the millesimal fineness, such as 0.995 being very pure.

The price of gold is determined through trading in the gold and derivatives markets, but a procedure known as the Gold Fixing in London, originating in September 1919, provides a daily benchmark gold price to the industry. The afternoon fixing was introduced in 1968 to provide a price when US markets are open.

Historically gold coinage was widely used as currency; When paper money was introduced, it typically was a receipt redeemable for gold coin or gold bullion. In an economic system known as the gold standard, a certain weight of gold was given the name of a unit of currency. For a long period, the United States government set the value of the US dollar so that one troy ounce of gold was equal to .67 (4.56/kg), but in 1934 the dollar was devalued to .00 per troy ounce of gold (25.27/kg). By 1961 it was becoming hard to maintain this gold price, and a pool of US and European banks agreed to manipulate the market to prevent further currency devaluation against increased gold demand.

On March 17, 1968, economic circumstances caused the collapse of the gold pool, and a two-tiered pricing scheme was established whereby gold was still used to settle international accounts at the old .00 per troy ounce of gold (.13/g) but the price of gold on the private market was allowed to fluctuate; this two-tiered pricing system was abandoned in 1975 when the price of gold was left to find its free-market level. Central banks still hold historical gold reserves as a store of value although the level has generally been declining. The largest gold depository in the world is that of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank in New York, which holds about 3% [citation needed] of the gold ever mined, as does the similarly laden U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.

In 2005 the World Gold Council estimated total global gold supply to be 3,859 tonnes and demand to be 3,754 tonnes, giving a surplus of 105 tonnes.

Since 1968 the price of gold has ranged widely, from a high of 0/oz (,300/kg) on January 21, 1980, to a low of 2.90/oz (,131/kg) on June 21, 1999 (London Gold Fixing). The period from 1999 to 2001 marked the “Brown Bottom” after a 20-year bear market. Prices increased rapidly from 1991, but the 1980 high was not exceeded until January 3, 2008 when a new maximum of 5.35 per troy ounce was set (a.m. London Gold Fixing). Another record price was set on March 17, 2008 at 23.50/oz (,900/kg)(am. London Gold Fixing). In the fall of 2009, gold markets experience renewed momentum upwards due to increased demand and a weakening US dollar. On December 2nd 2009, Gold passed the important barrier of US00 per ounce to close at 15.

Since April 2001 the gold price has more than tripled in value against the US dollar, prompting speculation that this long secular bear market has ended and a bull market has returned.

offers comprehensive live gold chart which gives you price of gold in real time on your screen.