These days many people are looking for safe investments in order to save up for a nest egg. But it’s hard to know what is safe. Should I invest in stocks and bonds? Mutual funds? What about precious metals? I’ve heard an awful lot about the rising value of gold from people who don’t seem to realize they’re obnoxiously bragging about having bought in at the right time. The reality is investing is probably not a prudent option if you’re living on the edge of your income. But if you have a few thousand or even just a few hundred bucks squared away, many market analysts think metals are a good play. Here’s why:

Metals have surged many times. Gold’s all time high of $1,252 per ounce prompted many to engage in cash for gold trades. Up 300% in five years is not bad. Platinum and silver are both have both hit highs in recent years too. This is not infrequent. History as seen several recent incidents of the value of metal soaring.

Metals are actually used. As opposed to bills, which are simply pieces of paper that represent financial assets, metals have real-world applications. Gold, platinum, and palladium are all widely utilized in electronics, computers, medical equipment, fuel cells, and raw material processing. While its value may waver on the market, just like other commodities, it will always have monetary value in the real world.

Many ways to buy. There are at least five ways to purchase metals: investing in stocks and mutual funds that have shares in mining companies; Exchange Traded Funds that own bullion; antique coins; newly minted coins; and billion bars produced by either the government or private companies.

The demand for metals is on the rise, but that’s no guarantee prices will remain high. The best bet for a new metals investor interested in purchasing gold, silver, platinum, or palladium is to research the financial option best suited to your income and financial situation. Compare the prices of the purchasing options listed above. If you’re planning to get coins or bullion, make sure you’ve looked into how to secure and store them. If you’re planning on buying shares of a stock or mutual fund you’ll want to look into the strength of the mining company of which they are shareholders. Just because gold is doing well doesn’t mean all gold companies are doing well, nor all stocks and mutual funds who own gold.

This is a guest post.