Gold and silver, over the long run
Prices move year to year. The trend line is what matters for a retirement account or a long-term hold.
A quarter-century of appreciation, with real volatility along the way
Gold has averaged roughly 10.9% in annual price appreciation from 2000 through 2025, or about 6.7% a year after adjusting for inflation. That average masks real swings: gold gained more than 25% in some individual years, like 2007, 2010, and 2024, and it also went through a multi-year decline after its 2013 peak. Gold rewards investors who hold through those swings rather than trying to time them.
More volatile, with a similar long-run direction
Silver has returned roughly 6.7% a year on an annualized basis since 2007, but its year-to-year swings are typically larger than gold's in both directions. That volatility is part of why we generally position silver as a complement to a gold allocation, not a replacement for it.
Neither metal depends on a company's earnings or a government's credit
Stocks and bonds are claims on someone else's performance. Physical gold and silver are not. That's what makes them a useful counterweight to paper assets, particularly inside a retirement account that would otherwise be entirely dependent on the stock market.
See whether a metals allocation fits your portfolio
A complimentary consultation covers current pricing, storage or delivery options, and whether a Gold IRA rollover makes sense for you.