Is silver a good long-term (5- 10 years) investment?

[KelleyNice]

Silver

Every year, for the last dozen years, my parent have bought for me a certain dollar amount of silver rounds, coins, or bars (more when the price is low and less when the price is high which makes cost averaging less). They will be available to me at age 21 or when I’m in college. However, the current value is not much more than what they cost while the S&P 500 and DJIA have had a substantial increases.

Another Question: Should I ask my parents to buy stock or some other investment? They will if I ask.

Lately, while most commodities have increase in price precious metals including silver has fallen. My parents selected silver because historically silver is very cheap. However, that is because there is very little demand. Seventy years the USA, Canada, and most countries in world had silver coins as money. Now none do. Every middle class family had a set of Sterling silverware. Now almost no one does. And, now silver is not used in photography; once a very big use for silver. Even silver in jewelry may be less. Even solar panels the only other big use, possible big use for silver are manufactured using less silver. And, when they are replaced, the silver will be recovered.

Updates

+1 y

@BillyBalls That doesn't tell me much. According to the Silver Institute, 70 years ago (1952), silver was $0.85 per ounce. It is now 22 times higher but, according to my grandfather, so are most prices.

[DWornock]

Historically, from the Roman empire until now, compared to gold, silver has not been a good investment. Since, like you pointed out in the text of your question, there are no large demands for silver. Although, there are dozens of uses for silver, except for silver stackers, the amount used is far below silver production. And, silver is too expensive, to substitute silver for copper.

Also, even if the price of silver drop enough so that silver mines close, most silver is produced from mining copper and other metals. Furthermore, if silver stackers stop buying silver, currently the biggest demand, likely, the price of silver will fall below $10 until the dollar loses 1/3rd of its value. Unless, someone finds a use for silver that creates a very large demand for silver, I recommend you replace you silver with gold or some other investment.

[abc3643]

Precious metals are always a decent investment because... you can't make any more of it.

Silver and gold are good because they have metallurgical properties that other things don't.

For instance, both are "soft metals" - they are easily malleable.
Gold and silver are both good, but very expensive, conductors of heat or electricity. If it wasn't so expensive, wires would be made from silver and not copper because silver is the best electrical conductor. (Sometimes, in special or old equipment, you may find silver wires. I think I had some when I was a kid, but maybe they were aluminum wires but they weren't copper.)

http://www.americanplatingcompany.com/most-conductive-metals/

[KelleyNice]

Maybe silver coated copper wire. www.informasix.com/index.php

[susanbrown]

Yes, silver can be a good long-term investment. Its industrial demand, affordability, and potential for price appreciation make it appealing. Plus, it’s a great hedge against inflation. Just remember, like any investment, it carries risks and requires patience.

[Adaeva]

Silver and gold have always had value while paper money always becomes worthless.

[HighValue]

Silver is worth less now per ounce than it was close to 20 years ago. When I sold the few silver coins I had before they were worth $50 each and were one ounce coins.
It will still always have some value.

What I would invest in is reputable brand firearms. They never seem to lose value and often increase over time. Just leave them locked in a box for 10 years and then sell them. The longer you keep them, the more they will be worth. If you keep them until something happens in society to cause many people to start buying them again, wait until there is a shortage and then sell them at increased prices.
Some of the ones I bought 1 1/2 years ago have already increased in value by $40.

[Chazmatazz269]

Yes, valuable resources not based on faith in an economic institution. If the institution that “backs” your currency crumbles or devalues it for any reason, you can go broke in an instant. For whatever reason, shiny things like gold and silver have always been almost universally valuable. I, however, think the future looks more like “Mad Max”.

[Sixgunsound]

Metals prices are artificially controlled right now, because they are trying to prevent bank runs and panic. Silver should actually be over $100 US right now, so absolutely keep stacking it. I wish my parents would’ve had the foresight to do something like that for me when I was your age. Stocks are artificially controlled too, but they swing a lot more wildly than metals, and at the end of the day coin can’t go bankrupt or close shop.

[ArtemisSilver]

Silver has spiked in a slightly odd way in the last few years, and I think it's a bit of a bubble right now. Gold would be better, but honestly even so it's a better store of value than fiat right now so good on them.

[Guy13]

Metals are always long-term. I've see receipts for 800.00 ounce for Gold...

[IsoUser]

I would tend to think so given that it is hard cash.

[IsoUser]

Given that the price of precious metals has exponentially essentially exploded I would tend to take my payment in Diamonds personally easier to hide 😉😁😁

[BillyBalls]

Not Really.

Look at the price of silver over the last 70 years.

[KelleyNice]

I meant to reply but I put the reply in update.

[Agape93]

Sure. Long as there's a market for it, yeah

[Celticwolf78]

Not really but I know gold is worth more

[roy_ricky09]

Yes...

[RuthlessAggression]

Nope

[Preeti161101]

Good option