Nate Willardson, CFP®, Managing Partner at Currents Wealth Strategies, was recently quoted in USA Today sharing his insights on investing in silver bars. As a retirement and financial planning expert, Nate gives it to you straight, silver bars aren’t for everyone, and for most investors, there are better uses of your time and money.
On the practical downsides: “Silver is bulky. You get far less dollar value per pound compared to gold, which makes storage and transport a logistical nightmare.”
On divisibility: “You can’t sell half a bar by taking a chainsaw to it.”
On storage: Nate advises clients to seek out allocated storage — meaning you retain ownership of specific bars with their own serial numbers, rather than a general claim on a shared pool of silver. He recommends large established dealers and banks with dedicated vaults, like JP Morgan, over storing silver at home.
His bottom line: Silver bars can play a role in a diversified portfolio, but they come with real challenges — bulk, volatility, illiquidity and ongoing storage costs. If you’re not fully committed to the investment thesis, there are likely smarter places to put your money.
Bonus: A Few Extra Thoughts From Nate (Not in the Article)
“While buying silver or gold at Costco with your rotisserie chicken might be fun, I’d avoid storing it at your own home.”
“I’ve actually seen a giant block of silver sitting on someone’s mantelpiece, please don’t do that.”
“If the world actually ends, your silver bars won’t stop a nuclear bomb or grow your crops.”
