Goldbug's Daily Digest is published by Center Street Gold & Silver, a coin and bullion dealer. We sell metals and we're not financial advisors. This is general information about how people in different situations think about metals, not advice about your money. For what's right for you, talk to a licensed advisor who knows your whole picture.
◀ GOLDSILVER ▶
Where people with answers like yours usually land. A tendency, not a split, and not a target for you.
Keep it balanced
- Most outlets that write about this put metals at 5% to 15% of your savings. Some go to 20%. Nobody reputable says 100%. (Sources below.)
- Keep about three months of bills in cash so you never have to sell metal on a bad day.
- Federal tax treats both the same: long-term gains on physical metal are taxed as collectibles, up to 28%. Short-term gains, state tax and paper products differ. Ask a tax person, not us.
- Gold and silver drop together on bad days. Owning both isn't the same as being spread out.
The numbers behind this · prices as of Fri Oct 23, 2026, 8:40 AM PT
2×
Silver swings about twice as much as gold, day to day and year to year
~60%
of silver is used by industry (solar, electronics). Gold: almost none
75 : 1
Ounces of silver per ounce of gold at today's prices
13 lb
What $10,000 of silver weighs today. $10,000 of gold: 2½ coins
Where the numbers come from:
Morgan Stanley (silver swings 2–3× gold; industrial demand),
iShares (Jan 30 drop; ~60% industrial; 2× volatility over 20 years),
Empower (2025 returns; collectibles tax),
APMEX (allocation ranges; three months' cash).
Weight and ratio figures are arithmetic from the prices shown.
This is general information for people in a situation like the one you described. It is not advice about your money. Talk to someone who knows your situation.