When countries run into trying times their first impulse may be to print more currency, but in most instances that triggers inflation making their paper money worth less than the value of any precious metal standard their currency value is based on. Many governments are currently suffering from huge deficits and continue printing this lower valued currency while making precious metals as an investment even more precious.

Investors need to really be cautious when buying silver as an investment, especially if they are receiving certificates of ownership without actually putting their eyes on the silver they are said to own with these certificates. With gold, when someone purchases it and has it kept in a vault, their certificates will not only provide the weight of the gold they own, but also the serial numbers of the bars the certificates represent. These investors have the opportunity to visit the vault and actually lay eyes on their  Alternative investment.

Certificates of silver ownership are a convenient method of investing in silver but only the Perth Mint Certificate Program (PMCP) offers guaranteed ownership. There is the potential that an investor could buy silver certificates without the silver actually being available or that unscrupulous persons could sell the certificates to multiple buyers. Without the government-backed guarantee, as represented by PMCP the investors could find their investments do not actually exist.

Exchange and trader programs do exist to help those interested in silver investments without many of the risks. Exchange and traded products offer investors a convenient method to invest in silver without the need for physical transfer of the silver and the newer iShares Trust holds the largest Exchange-Traded Funds (EFT) in the market. ETFS physical silver and ETFS Silver Trust also offer a safe haven for investors in the silver market. Just about a year ago, in November 2010, Sprott Asset Management created its physical silver trust, a closed-end fund, to manage silver for investors.

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