After a record-setting 2025, both gold and silver prices have hit new highs of over $5,100 and $100, respectively.

Gold, silver and other precious metals saw this growth in part due to geopolitical tension. Metals are also often considered a safe-haven asset, as they generally retain their value over time better than stocks or other investments.

While purchasing physical gold or silver is always an option, doing so can come with high fees and storage problems. CNBC Select covers why you may want to invest in gold or silver, three methods for investing in precious metals and which is right for you.

If you’re interested in investing in a precious metal, gold and silver are the most well-known. But there are a few things to consider when investing in either of these two metals:

• Accessibility: Gold is a lot more expensive than silver, so it can have a higher barrier to entry. The spot price of gold (roughly $5,050) at the time of writing is over 4,600% higher than that of silver (roughly $106). Since silver’s spot price is significantly lower, it’s easier to find opportunities to invest without large funds upfront.

• Volatility: Historically, silver is considerably more volatile over time, or over 10% more volatile compared to the price of gold over the past 60 years. While this isn’t inherently negative, it makes it harder to estimate silver’s value over shorter periods.

• Desired benefits: What is your goal when investing in metal? Are you looking for ways to help protect your current wealth, or are you hoping your investment will grow? Typically, gold holds its value better, but silver is more likely to offer growth opportunities.

If you’re interested in investing in a precious metal, both are well-performing options right now. Though silver is less expensive to start investing in, gold is less likely to fluctuate, which could be a good option if you’re closer to retirement.

Investing in gold or silver doesn’t always mean buying coins or other physical options. Here are three additional ways to invest in these precious metals:

Mutual funds and ETFs

Both mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer options for gold and silver, and these vehicles are very liquid options for investing. E*TRADE charges no commission fees on all ETFs and for over 4,400 mutual funds, helping you keep more of your money.

Stocks of mining companies

In a similar vein, you can also directly invest in the public companies that mine these resources; mining company performance is often closely tied to the performance of the metals they mine. If you’re interested in S&P 500 mining stocks,Charles Schwab lets users purchase fractional shares starting at $5, meaning you can get a piece of a more expensive stock without having to buy a whole share.

Precious metal IRA

If you’re considering investments geared toward retirement, there are types of accounts that let you hold precious metals (gold, silver, platinum and palladium) while receiving the same tax benefits as a traditional IRA. For example, Gold IRA company American Hartford Gold offers some of the lowest fees available, with no liquidation or buyback charges. Investors with accounts valued at $100,000 or less pay only $75 in management fees per year.

While you can also invest in gold futures or options, both typically involve using leverage, which is substantially riskier. If you’d prefer to have your gold on hand, you can still purchase physical gold products, even from some wholesale stores like Costco.

Like any investment, it’s important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of investing in gold or silver, but also your specific needs at the moment.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every investing article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of investing products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

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