Dr. Russell McDougal is someone who knows what he is talking about when it comes to commodities. He has dedicated years of study and investing in the natural resources exploration sector. During that time he has closed out DOZENS of gains of 500%... 1,000%... 2,000% and more! Currently he is sitting on multiple thousand percent winners, including one stock that is up a whopping +5,000%.

So, when I read the latest article by Russell in today's Investors Daily Edge I was very pleased to see that he is trumpeting the need to hold physical gold and silver as part of a portfolio. He, as many other commentators, believes that the US policy of printing more money is a road to inevitable disaster. Holding physical quantities of gold and silver provides some defence against the problems to come.

He recommends buying metal in the form of coins where you pay a premium over the spot price but this should easily be compensated for as the value of the underlying metal rises.

Interestingly he makes the point that the current price of precious metals is being manipulated by the market to keep it low. Future predictions see the price rise significantly as the currency woes unwind even further. I'm probably beginning to sound a bit like a broken record about this subject but I feel that everyone should hold some gold and silver in their portfolio (actually I hardly have what could be called a portfolio, more a varied collection of investments that I hope will flourish when I need the funds!).

I purchase gold from BullionVault where your metal is held in vaults of your choice (London, Zurich or New York). As this is a way to buy gold directly the cost is very competitive and you can rest easily knowing that your investment is held securely. I prefer this over buying coins for two reasons. Firstly I don't have to worry about keeping them safe and secondly the price I pay is less than I would have to pay for the equivalent amount of gold in coins.

To my knowledge there isn't a similar service for silver bullion so I have to purchase coins. Again, this is done on a monthly basis and my collection is beginning to grow nicely.

So, it's good to note that my liking for precious metal is endorsed by an expert in the field. I'd encourage you to read the article as it contains some very useful insights into why precious metal should be a key element in your investment strategy. I'd also recommend signing-up for the Investors Daily Edge daily newsletter as it provides an excellent source of reference for anyone interested in learning about investing in a range of markets.