Jan 22

While starting a savings account may be a common rite of passage, it’s not necessarily the best way to teach young people about saving. For starters, banks give very low interest on standard savings accounts and a good part of the reason behind saving is actually growing one’s money. Savings accounts are also intangible things, where one’s wealth is stored but never seen. As anyone knows, patience and an accommodating attitude toward abstract concepts are not the hallmarks of youth. Young people, however, will likely have a much easier time grasping the idea of saving money in bullion form and will, of course, also enjoy returns.

While gold is likely well out of the range of those saving a bit of their allowance here and there, buying silver coins is easily affordable to most anyone. Current series of bullion coins produced by the US Treasury are very affordable and even those who get a small allowance should have no trouble purchasing at least one bullion coin every month. Aside from the investment value, a young person encouraged to save in this way learns a lot about money and how certain investments pay off.

While saving accounts and bonds are fine, they both represent paper forms of wealth. Silver, on the other hand, is tangible and useful and, really, there is no separation between the material and its value. A silver bullion coin could be melted down into high-end electronic components, into scientific equipment or even into jewelry. While this may seem obvious to adults, understanding the difference between a material that has inherent wealth and fiat currency is an important part of growing up. It represents understanding stable investments versus investments that are more temporary and volatile in their nature.

Silver, because it is tangible, also allows an individual to store their wealth in a form that is completely under their control. While this may seem a minor thing, it means a lot to people, especially young people, to see results from their actions. While depositing money into a savings account really represents nothing more than storing currency in a safe place where it may gain or lose value, buying silver means having actual wealth in one’s hands. For those trying to instruct young people in sensible saving habits, the fact that there is something of an instant gratification aspect to buying precious metals is a benefit.

 

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