Customer Reviews

Buy Gold Now: How a Real Estate Bust, our Bulging National Debt, and the Languishing Dollar Will Push Gold to Record Highs

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most of the current crop of books about investing in gold are written by people with a vested interested in selling gold. This author is not such a person. He is a respected investment adviser.

The first part of the book deals with the reasons leading up to who you might consider investing in gold. The times we're living in are unlike any previous times. His case for owning gold is valid. And the history lesson is keenly interesting.

The author also advises how to invest in gold and silver. He also touches on rare coins. He makes suggestions as to how much of your portfolio should be in gold. But his advice is tempered with the understanding that everyone is different and each person has different needs, goals and ability to withstand risk.

This is a very complete book. It covers just about everything you might want to know about trading or investing in gold and I didn't find one thing not to like about the book.

I liked the book very much and highly recommend it to you.

-Susanna K. Hutcheson

This is not a "the world is ending now, so sell everything and buy gold and canned food" type of book. The author, Shayne McGuire, is a mainstream investment adviser and NOT a gold bug. He examines the potential for gold in the coming years and finds it attractive, in much the same way that he did *not* find gold attractive during the stock bull-market of the 80's and the 90's.

The book has 5 sections.

In the first section, McGuire talks about our ballooning debt levels and the risks posed by it.

In the second section, he talks about the just-burst real estate bubble, the crazy things that went into it (like the negative amortization loans etc.) and also about how Americans are (or were!) using their houses as an ATM. Now that it has all come to an end, what is the risk of the fallout? McGuire writes about it all in this section.

In the third section, McGuire discusses how our phony economic "boom" has now run its course and the implications for the US dollar on the Fed's and the government's attempts to revive the moribund economy.

Having laid the groundwork in the above sections, in the fourth section, McGuire makes the case for gold by examining supply and demand at the international level, and also demonstrates the unattractiveness of investing in stocks and bonds in general at current valuations.

Finally, in the fifth section, McGuire lays out the various alternatives for the gold investor - ETFs, mining stocks, GoldMoney ([...]), bullion coins, rare coins etc. He also has a chapter on why silver is likely to be even more profitable than gold.

McGuire rounds out the fifth section with a chapter warning investors to not be "gold bugs" and to sell their gold investments when it is time to sell.

Overall, this is a very good book for any investor to read in order to be convinced of the attractiveness of gold (and silver) investments in the coming years.

If you are not financially nervous after reading this book, you are not facing reality. This however is not a book about fear, but how to respond to
a very real situation that our national and world is in. Well written and supported by unarguable data. My tip, is to buy Gold Now, not convinced?..buy this book and you will be.

Bought this book because of all-5-star reviews. It turns out this book is not worth the money.

The book is VERY dangerous, because it reaches right conclusion (buy gold) for all the wrong reasoning. Author either has no clear understanding of the processes that are going on around money, credit and debt, or believe what he's read in multiple economics schoolbooks on subject. He bases his analysis on Government-supplied economic numbers and NEVER QUESTIONS THEM (we all know there's lies, damn lies and Government statistics, especially since 1980th). He doesn't understand that the Federal Reserve is a privately owned enterprise, and that The Federal Reserve and Government together are responsible for inflation and other economic turmoil United States has found herself today.

If you want to stay in the bubble media, economists and politicians have created for you, this is "your" book - lots of graphs and statistics based on false or fake economics. Ironically, author still reaches right conclusion - BUY GOLD. For the rest of us who want to REALLY UNDERSTAND what is going on behind the scenes - don't buy it, there are much better books out there.

I would recommend starting with "The Revolution Manufesto" by Ron Paul and many other Gold books, for example "The Collapse of the Dollar and How to Profif from It"

Buy Gold Now is an easily digestible investment guide for people, like me, who like to be taken by the hand and led step-by-step when it comes to the world of finance. McGuire makes a very convincing case that as the dollar continues its long decline, fuelled by a ballooning government deficit and sinking trade imbalance with China and elsewhere, gold provides the safest of havens. Indeed, gold seems likely to repeat the fantastic gains it posted between 1971 and 1980, when it rose from $35 to $850 an ounce. Already it's climbing again - from around $300 in 2000 to close to $900 now - and the run looks set to continue for a number of years.

Gold's prospects are fueled not only by the dollar's decline but also by the dismal state of other investment options (the real estate bubble is deflating, stocks are yielding disappointing returns) and by the fact that there's simply not that much gold out there. New supply from top producers South Africa, Australia and the U.S. has been falling for more than 10 years, and demand from Asia's newly affluent consumers is booming.

McGuire's analysis is spread across short, accessible chapters, well illustrated with charts, which also offer key insights about the subprime meltdown and China's hoarding of dollars to maintain its export economy (you may think that hoarding helps keep the dollar from free-fall, but as McGuire points out, China is going to have to hoard less in the future because the more greenbacks it buys, the greater the inflationary impact on its own economy). McGuire concludes with several chapters of practical tips on how and where to buy gold, whether physically or via internet accounts.

Written with jargon-free facility, a reassuring awareness of gold's history, and enough repetition of key points to keep you from losing track of the main arguments, Buy Gold Now is a very welcome guide to financial planning in these troubled times.

Since gold has moved up quite this past year, I decided to read it and educate myself on the subject of precious metals. The author starts off by admitting even he did not recommend buying silver and gold until he saw the Mexican economy almost collapse. Since our country and most of the global economy is based on fiat currency, the author points out the real value of our dollar. Nixon removed the backing of our dollar by gold when France was asking for the money back that we borrowed from them years ago. Our government is devaluing the dollar and it continues to be propped back up by the Fed. Recently, with the almost collapse of Bear Stearns, we may have seen the beginning of the end of the almighty dollar. The author explains how our dollar affects our economy and how China has no choice but to keep buying our currency, which is losing more ground than it has gained. Finally, the Romans devalued their currency and tried conquering the world. No fiat currency in the history of the world has ever survived. That's why you should by the currency that has been accepted around the world since the beginning of local and global commerce, silver and gold. The dollars in your possession won't be worth the paper it's printed on.......read this book.

I liked this book. The author is not too opinionated and not dogmatic. He acknowledges that historically gold has NOT been a good investment over the long run, but makes a compelling case why he thinks it is a good investment now. He is also not emotionally attached to gold, and in fact hopes to sell it someday; he proffers that it could peak at ten thousand an ounce, which would be ten times its current price or about a 90 percent devaluation of the dollar. I think he offers a balanced analysis from a backround as a professional money manager. There are a number of books like this currently for sale, however I think this one is particularly thoughtful and worth reading, even though I have read several others on the subject. However, one complaint I do have is that book would have been much better if it had been published 2 to 5 years ago. At this point, gold is already up to four fold in that period of time. Several of the other books on this subject were more prescient and timely in their release. If one already has had gold investments, this books reinforces your strategy, however recommending investing in sectors that have already risen substantially lends less credibility and profit not to mention risk. Had he written the book when gold was $300, that would be a 33 fold profit if it goes to ten thousand. Gold at $1,000 is a ten fold profit, considerably less.

It was a good, balanced book. Most of what I have read on gold is generally over-the-top doomsday type....more about dire predictions then about actual facts. This one was a refreshing change.

The only slight negative about the book was the author's writing style...which was a little bit of drag at times. Long sentences, with more than one point stressed in them.

But overall, I would recommend this book to everyone. Pls insure your future against the excesses of US paper currency. The situation is far worse than what we think it is, not only for US citizens, but for the entire world. This book will help you plan for your and your family's safety in such extreme times.

Oh yes I do believe this is a Must Read for those that truly want to understand what is going on in America today (June 2008 as I write this). This author gave great thought into the material and conclusions he includes in his book. It surprises me that for a book out now for four months that I am only the 6th review. There's been no press or publicity on this book and if I didn't happen upon it at the bookstore I would never have found it. The book helps you truly understand what all the numbers mean and you will also comprehend the futzing around by the government of the distortions with the numbers 'the public' gets. This book will open your eyes to what is REALLY going on and more importantly, what can we, the average citizens of America, do to protect ourselves in the coming years; talks solely about the gold aspect which is so very important in my opinion, as part of a strategy that should also include foreign holdings. BUY GOLD NOW is not an easy read so I have to disagree with the 5 other reviews. I'm smart and I had to read most chapters twice to really 'get it' but get it I did. BUY GOLD NOW was just totally fascinating.

I recommend this book. I really really recommend this book. I think we average Americans owe it to ourselves to protect our assets and futures and this book will help you do that. You may or may not agree with the actual gold recommendations but don't let that put you off. The first 4 parts of the book are invaluable in understanding the history of the country, what we've done as a nation, and what we are contining to do as we head down the path of destruction.

Enjoy the book and tell your friends because this book deserves more promotion.

Whether you are interested in buying gold or not, this book is of value for its general explanation of the world economy. If you are interested in such things as the housing market crash, dollar devaluation, trade deficits and the role of the American consumer in the world economy, you will enjoy this book. It explains and ties all these things together in clear and easy to understand reading.