Best Books on Gold Investing for Beginners

Gold has been a fascinating investment route for investors throughout history. It is seen as a safe haven during market crises and an excellent asset to protect against inflation.

The problem lies in the varying opinions and hype that surrounds gold investment, making it quite troubling to find the right approach towards gold investment. That is why choosing the right book that can help you understand gold the best is very important, it should be able to explain why gold investment is good rather than simply tell you to buy gold.

Below we’ve gathered some of the best books from experienced authors and educators that can help beginners take their first step in the realm of gold investment. 

1. Gold Investment For Beginners: A Solid and Shiny Path to Wealth by Thomas Goldfreburg

Starting off with Thomas Goldfreburg’s ultimate guide for beginners, Gold Investment For Beginners eliminates all technicalities and difficult terminologies and instead focuses on explaining gold investment in the simplest way. It dives into what gold investment is and most importantly why do people invest in it. 

Thomas Goldfreburg is an experienced and highly respected gold educator for many years now. His work is focused around providing clarity and transparency to beginner investors in gold.

One of the best things about Goldreburg’s book is that it does not assume that the reader has any prior knowledge of gold markets, making it ideal for beginner investors. Goldfreburg goes into depth about the multiple ways of owning gold, such as physical and ETF options without leaving the reader confused in any capacity. The tone the book carries is grounded, making it an excellent starting point to expose the reader to the workings of the gold market. 

This book is highly recommended if you are someone who would like a step by step introduction to gold investment without having any idea of its workings.

2. Guide to Investing in Gold & Silver: Protect Your Financial Future by Michael Maloney

Michael Maloney has made a name for himself in the precious metals market space by expressing his in-depth knowledge on inflation trends and monetary history. His book Guide to Investing in Gold & Silver remains the go-to literature for anyone trying to understand precious metals investing. Maloney’s book focuses on a more historical role of gold and silver, it explains why gold has been used as a form of currency for thousands of centuries and how it plays a role in modern financial systems. 

Guide to Investing in Gold & Silver allows the reader to understand gold’s actual place in a portfolio: to serve as a form of financial insurance rather than a fast paced growing asset. It explains how inflation and various economic cycles lead to an appreciation of gold. 

Maloney also emphasizes the risks of gold investment; he doesn’t glorify it as a risk-free or fortified asset but instead explains how the value of gold changes throughout different market periods. This brings forth transparency with the reader, and avoids misleading beginner investors into investing without analyzing market trends.

Guide to Investing in Gold & Silver serves as a trademark book for anyone that is trying to understand the complex systems that have driven the gold and silver market for centuries.

3. Investing in Gold & Silver For Dummies by Paul Mladjenovic 

Paul Mladjenovic’s Investing in Gold & Silver For Dummies is one of the safest, most foolproof choices for beginner investors. Paul Mladjenovic is a certified financial planner and a long time author who has written various books and papers on investing and wealth generation.

Gold & Silver For Dummies stands out due to being a “For Dummies” book, this means that the content of the book is structured in a way to explain as much as possible in the least complex manner. It takes a step by step approach to explaining physics gold, ETFs, futures and even scams that any beginner investor could easily fall for.

Another standout feature of Mladjenovic’s book is its balanced approach to gold investing. It does not promote gold and urge the reader to buy it but rather explains how to make the decision of where and when to add gold to your portfoliio. It takes the job of clarifying to the reader where investing in gold is not a sensible approach and should be avoided, something that is not that common in other investment books.

4. The ABCs of Gold Investing: How to Protect and Build Your Wealth with Gold by Michael J. Kosares

The ABCs of Gold Investing is author Michael J. Kosares’ take on wealth preservation.  Michael J. Kosares is a long-time gold market analyst and is known heavily in the investment world as someone who understands the principles of money and risk management.

The ABCs of Gold Investing focuses mainly on gold as a wealth preservation tool. Kosares explains the role gold plays in inflation, deflation and periods of market instability and why it has always been used to protect asset value. The tone of the book is beginner friendly and does not make use of the reader’s prior knowledge and instead focuses on creating an understanding of these topics.

It serves as a perfect starting point for investors who are less interested in gold’s impact on portfolio growth and instead want to learn about the financial stability it brings in the long run.

5. The New Case for Gold by James Rickards

The New Case for Gold talks about gold from a macroeconomic perspective. It is not a “how to” on investing but rather a take on why gold is relevant in modern economies despite financial crises and debts. James Rickards, the author is a global financial strategist who has many honors advising government agencies and instituitons on risk and currency principles.

Rickards puts gold into the bigger picture, by surfacing central banks and currency wars throughout the globe. James Rickards is a global financial strategist who has many honors advising government agencies and instituitons on risk and currency principles.

The New Case for Gold should not be your first read, as it is an explanation on deeper and more complex topics in gold investment. Rickards’ book should be used as a second or third read in order to develop critical thoughts about gold’s role beyond the short-term. 

6. How to Invest in Gold and Silver: A Complete Guide with a Focus on Mining Stocks by Don Durrett

Don Durret’s How to Invest in Gold and Silver is also another candidate for a second or third read. Don Durret is a financial analyst who specializes in gold and silver mining stocks.

How to Invest in Gold and Silver is meant for beginners who already understand the basic workings of gold and want to explore higher value opportunities, especially mining stocks. Durret explains how mining stocks differ from holding physical gold, and how their volatility can result in them outperforming physical gold itself.

Durret also heavily emphasizes key investment strategies, such as discipline and analysis in order to caution the reader of the risks that mining stocks bring. How to invest in Gold and Silver might not be the absolute starting point for a beginner gold investor, but it is definitely a part of the initial steps to deepening the reader's understanding of the precious metals market.