Physical gold vs. a gold ETF
Both track the price of gold. They aren't the same asset.
A share of a fund isn't the same as a bar in your hand
A gold ETF like GLD gives you exposure to the price of gold through a brokerage account. You own shares of a fund built to track that price, not a specific coin or bar you can take possession of. When you buy physical gold, you own the metal itself, delivered to you directly or held on your behalf in an IRA's depository. That's a different kind of ownership, not just a different way to buy the same thing.
An ETF runs through more hands than a coin in a vault
A gold ETF depends on a structure of trustees, custodians, subcustodians, authorized participants, and exchanges to function. None of that makes a major gold ETF unsafe, but it does mean more parties stand between you and the underlying metal. Physical gold held directly removes most of those intermediaries. It doesn't remove all risk, since stored or IRA-held metal still involves a custodian and a depository, but the asset itself exists independently of a brokerage account or a digital ledger.
ETFs trade faster. Physical gold has no ongoing expense ratio.
A gold ETF can be bought or sold in seconds during market hours, and it generally carries an ongoing fund expense. Physical gold has no expense ratio for continuing to exist in your possession, but it does involve dealer premiums, and selling it means a buyer has to receive and authenticate the product before paying you, which takes longer than a market order. What you buy today, meaning its recognition, purity, and dealer demand, affects how quickly and easily it resells later.
Convenient exposure, or a tangible asset you control directly
If your priority is fast, liquid exposure to gold's price inside a brokerage account, an ETF does that well. If your priority is holding an actual physical asset with fewer intermediary dependencies, physical gold does something an ETF can't duplicate. Some investors hold both for different reasons. We deal exclusively in physical metals, and our role is to make sure you understand what that ownership actually looks like before you buy.
See live pricing on physical gold and silver
A complimentary consultation covers current pricing, delivery or storage options, and how physical ownership compares with what you already hold.