Buying Gold Bars in 2026 - Everything You Must Know (Beginner's Guide for Singaporeans)

I'm honored to present Chloe with her first silver bar purchase. >> OH MY GOSH. >> SO this is 1 kilo. Bullion bars that are produced by LBMA refiners are GST exempt. >> Oh. >> You would not incur the 9%. Since Chloe has bought [music] the price has actually gone up. >> This one week, I think gold price went up 5%. >> So it is limited. >> This is insane. >> They contain some Bitcoin within the coin. >> What? >> Yes. >> Today is my birthday and guess what gift did I give myself? Another two pieces of gold bar. I'm Chloe. Welcome back to another episode of Aligado Tip Dive and today I am super super happy because it's my birthday and on top of that, I actually invited a very special guest to come here. He himself has been a gold investor for many many years. He's a gold dealer right now. Selling really good gold bar, high quality gold bar to people who are interested in investing. So after I purchased a gold bar from him, I was thinking, why not I interview him to see what kind of golden insights that he has for all of you guys because I know a lot of you are probably interested in learning about buying physical gold and my friend Joshua is here. >> Hi everybody. >> Can you share with us a little bit more about yourself? Like how long have you been investing in gold and what made you get into this gold dealer business? >> I actually started in this business in June of 2012. So >> So yeah, it's just slightly over 14 years now. >> It sounds very short but actually it's very long, 14 years. >> Got into this business was because I got married and my in-laws are in this street. Just recently this year, I came out to start my own bullion dealership. >> Previously you were helping your in-laws company. >> That's correct. >> I see. So this is the gold bar that I purchased from Joshua, right? And I got two pieces of gold bar this time. And the reason why I decided to do that is because I felt like the gold price has actually dropped a lot lately. Almost like 30% in the last 6 months. From your own insights, right? How is it like investing in gold? Like is it a volatile journey? What are the things that investors should take note of before they even decide if they should buy a gold bar or not? >> We often forget that before this drop, right? Gold had actually a banner year last year. Both gold and silver it rallied. Yeah. It was I I believe silver was actually the best performing asset class last year. >> I think so, too. Better than stocks. >> I would say yes, it's a bit painful if you are investor holding on from all time highs to see it. But but if you had been investing over a period of time, for example, from last year onwards, you would still be actually in profit even today. >> That's true. So, for yourself, when was the first time that you bought your first piece of gold bar? >> This is an interesting story. I mentioned that I've been in this business for 14 years. What people see as gold, I see as inventory. >> I got you. >> [laughter] >> It's It's kind of like you touch it every day. You don't think it's very special. But it was one of my customers that came to me who was buying from me quite regularly. Yeah, and she said, "You know, you should buy some for yourself." I'm not really smart. I actually learn from my customer. >> Wow. So, for those who are curious about like physical gold bar investing, right? How do you know whether it's legitimate? How do you know whether is it real? Because there are also many scams out there right now. One bar that I purchased was it's 17,000 about 17,000 dollars for this 100 100 gram gold bar. So, how do you see whether is it real or not? >> Important thing you actually should find out first is where is the right place to buy in Singapore, which is a very regulated country. My [clears throat] industry is actually regulated by the Ministry of Law. You should firstly look for a regulated dealer, you know, that has that license. From there, most dealers will carry an assortment of physical bullion from reputable refineries. So, different brands that you would see such as this example, Heraeus, uh >> Heraeus >> PAMP Metrologists, a few examples. So, these would be the ones that are genuine. They typically come if Chloe, if you could show it to the camera. Yes. They come with a unique serial number over here. So, the the certificate or the pack- the packaging actually acts as a certificate guarantee. >> So, this is a certificate. >> In itself. So, do not open it. >> Do not open it. >> Yes, correct. >> Oh my god, luckily tell me, if not, I was about to open it. But, this packaging is different from the gold bars that I bought uh when I first purchased. Okay, by the way, guys, okay, these are the first two pieces of gold bar that I bought. And back then, I think I bought them at $12,000 per piece. It's once again, it's a 100-g gold bar. And then, it's actually from the same refinery. >> Exactly. >> Okay, it's called heavy Heraeus. >> Heraeus, yeah. So, this is a German refiner, and Chloe's exactly right. It is actually If you look at the bar itself, the two bars are The gold bar itself is the same. Uh Heraeus has so-called upgraded their packaging. Yeah. So, so, this is the new packaging. >> I see. >> Yes. >> So, right now, they don't give this this this piece of certificate license any- or like paper anymore? >> Yeah, no. So, previously, because there was no packaging per se, so, you you have the certificate here. But, right now, this bar packaging itself as the certificate. >> Ah, wow. This is definitely way way nicer. I thought when I bought like a you know like when you see this you wouldn't think that this cost $12,000 >> [laughter] >> but it is. I was like how come they don't even give me a nicer packaging. Okay, but at least right now I felt that this one is more premium looking. Okay, so if you buy from this refinery right now it's actually a very nicely packaged. And second thing I also note that you know there are many jewelry stores out there >> That's right. >> that sell gold bar, right? And then their gold bar is very fancy looking like wow sometimes got dragon on it and then if you're buying the rabbit year they must say wow you can buy this rabbit year gold bar. Um, what is the difference between we buying those like from jewelry stores which they I can also say it's 999 pure gold, right? >> Yes. >> Versus this for example it's a L LBMA certified gold bar. What's the difference? >> That's a good question. So >> Before we continue I have to share with you this. Imagine waking up every morning in the next 9 days and LongBridge gives you a free piece of top US stocks. One day could be Nvidia, the next Apple, then Microsoft, Google, Meta and more. 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So, make sure to click on the link in the description box below to get started right away. >> in short, LBMA is short form for London Bullion Market Authority. So, they are like the global standard for precious metals refineries in Singapore specifically. Bullion bars that are produced by LBMA refiners GST exempt. Yeah, so you you would buy and sell and you would not incur the 9%. So, this is a important thing to note when you are buying precious metals for investments. As Chloe mentioned those unique designs like for example the zodiac and all of that. If you see it in the jewelry shop, very likely they they would have a workmanship additional charge on top of the gold price and you would also be liable to pay GST because this is considered that you are purchasing it for the aesthetic and the design and not purely for investment. So, therein lies the difference. >> So, there will be additional cost and usually do you know how much they charge for workmanship? >> The weight of this right now, let's say yeah, you bought it for 17,000 for something like that. >> Okay. >> You should expect to pay an additional 15% at least on top of if you were to purchase the same weight but with the design. >> So, additional 15% that is inclusive of GST or not? >> Inclusive yeah. Because GST is 9% >> Right. So, workmanship that's probably another 6 7% >> That's on the conservative side. >> On the conservative >> side. Well, there are some jewelry shops that may charge you 10%. Depending on how how how intricate, you know, they are in terms of the carvings and all this. Wow, and that is a lot because if you are buying let's say if like a $20,000 gold bar and you pay additional 15 to even 20%. That's a lot of your own margin being so-called robbed away. The moment that you purchase, actually you are paying a lot more than people who actually choose to go for LBMA. So, I think another very important point is if you want to become a gold collector for investing purposes, not so much for why you want to admire how beautiful this gold bar aesthetically is, then the better choice will be actually go for the LBMA certified gold bar. How about workmanship? Do they charge you for workmanship? >> Going back to this example, that these molds are very similar. So, they it's almost like they can be mass-produced except for the unique serial number. So, therefore, the workmanship or what we in the industry we call premium brought down to a very manageable level. The premiums will be lower, so your price per gram is lower for the higher weights. The heavier the bar, the lower the premium or price per gram. And the second maybe more interesting thing is that you can actually still purchase a zodiac themed bar or coin >> Okay. >> from the LBMA refiner. >> Oh. >> And you will not need to pay >> that much. >> the GST because they are LBMA. Yes. >> That is true. >> Yeah. So, uh >> Oh, that is really smart. >> I brought that up because I personally bought something like that and I could show it to you. >> Okay, why not? Shall we like open this box? Okay, this is actually right in front of us for the longest time. Maybe some of you are wondering. Actually, this is the collections that Joshua has and um he's nice enough to bring it to us today so that all of us can see what are the choices available when it comes to gold or even silver investment as well. >> Okay. Yeah. Let's start. >> Okay. So, uh this year is 2026 and I'm 14 years in the industry. Well, one of my personal favorites, not a recommendation, >> Yeah. >> uh is I actually like gold coins that are 1 oz uh in weight. So, 1 oz is 31.1 g and gold price uh is always quoted in oz. >> I see. >> Yeah. So, for example, if you say gold today is 4,200 US dollars, that's 1 oz. >> That's 1 oz. >> Yes. >> That's why you were saying that you like to buy 1 oz because that is the so-called the >> It's a standard measurement. >> Oh, wow. >> So, this is a normal 1 oz coin. Uh it's from the Australian mint. They call it the gold kangaroo. >> Okay. >> And the gold kangaroo is produced every year but with a different design. So, collectors like to collect because you get a different kangaroo or different look every year. >> Oh. >> Yeah. But this year >> Horse year. >> Yes. So, um over here you can see >> 2026. >> Exactly. So, maybe you can see over here. It's a 2026 version. Uh zodiac. So, this year is the year of the horse. >> So, you buy this because you are a horse. >> Uh no, but >> [laughter] >> not exactly, but um well, but one of my children >> Oh. Okay. So, you actually want to give it to your children when your child grows up. >> Yeah, but I don't want to tell her this. So, uh audience, please keep this a secret. >> Then me sure your children will not be able to see this video. [laughter] When you are comparing, let's compare the difference in terms of premium, right? >> Yes. >> If people buy like a gold bar like without special design versus like a gold coin like this, what is the premium difference? >> 100 g is equivalent to 3.215 oz. The premium will definitely be lower for the 100 g >> Mhm. >> than for the 1 oz. >> Mhm. >> Another difference to note is that the premiums for bars tend to be lower >> Mhm. >> than gold coins. >> Why? >> The intricacy of the design. >> Oh. >> Even for 100 g, right? If it's a minted finish >> Yeah. >> versus like this, this is called a cast bar. Uh there is a slight difference in price. So, the cast bar will be uh more effective if you're looking to stack many pieces. >> This is called cast bar. >> Correct. >> Uh >> Let me show you a minted. This is a 1-oz minted bar. >> Mhm. >> So, from a different refiner, it's also LBMA >> Okay. >> refinery. But >> So, this is nicely finished, I have to say. >> Yes. So, >> You can see it's nicely finished. >> and >> Yeah. Compare and then they even have very nice design at the back. >> Yeah. >> Right? But then for mine, it's just you can see the the side of the bar is very bare. Like it has nothing. But then this one has really nice um Okay. So, this minted means polished. Can I say that? >> Yeah, like like a polished finish, yes. >> Mhm. So, what makes you want to buy a minted finish then like uh normally finished >> [laughter] >> bar? >> Sometimes my wife likes to buy a more expensive bag maybe because it's of a certain brand. >> Okay. >> Yeah, so I would relate that to this. Sometimes people like to pay a bit more because they are they they think that they are spending money and they want to buy something that they like. If you are looking purely for investment, actually what Chloe is buying is I would personally recommend that. >> The most cost effective. >> Yes. >> But then when it comes to like reselling, right? The value of the gold, is any certain option that is more easy to trade, like more liquid? Like is it like 100 g or like a like a 1 oz gold coin? Which one actually is better when it comes to liquidity? >> A 50 100 g is quite an optimal size in the Singapore market. >> Okay. >> It's at the level that people will consider, okay, I may be able to invest this amount in gold. >> Mhm. >> So for reference, today um a 50 g would be anywhere between maybe 8,800 to 9,000 odd, depending on the kind of design that you choose. Um this today would be closer to 18,000 already. Since Chloe has bought, the price has actually gone up just this week. [applause] >> Just like yeah, just this one week I think gold price went up 5%. Lucky me. >> [laughter] >> Congratulations. >> So that's why anything between 50 g to 100 g in the Singapore context is actually considered quite liquid as well. >> That's not to say that uh you can't yeah, because the reason why you would pay more for a higher price per gram is simply to enter. If for example, I want to buy my first gold bar, but I'm not prepared to >> Mhm. Invest so much gold. >> sum of money. Yes, then uh for example, a 1 oz coin would be more for 5,000, right? So what I wanted to say is that what's the smallest amount that you could potentially buy? A 1 g bar would be the base >> True. >> to enter, yeah, and >> So >> you think that it's worth it even though it's just 1 g? >> Uh again, it depends on what's your pocket size. So, I do have buyers who specifically like to buy one or two gram. And to them, that is their form of monthly saving. I would say that if you could afford it an ounce to 50 g would be a good uh optimal place to start, but be- below that, then even 10 or 20 is good just to get started. >> So, I think at the end of the day, it's really about like you starting this journey. It's very similar to like stocks or ETF investing, right? You you might not have like a lot of money to get started right away, but at least you can start with your first one share, you know, or first 10 share, you know, and then as your portfolio compound, you also have more confidence to buy more. Then you can start buying more shares uh one one at one go, right? Rather than just stopping yourself and not even starting because I think it's the journey that matters more. You're talking about brands, right? What are the few brands that uh actually are well-recognized in the world and it's easy for people to uh buy and eventually sell? >> M- Most LBMA refineries are extremely well-recognized and liquid. Uh Heraeus, for example. >> Heraeus? >> Yeah, they also have uh sister company called Argor-Heraeus uh in the local market. I showed you some examples that I have, so maybe let me just >> Sure. >> Yeah, so this is from uh Metalor. >> Metalor. >> And then my coin is from the Perth Mint as well as uh >> So, they're all LBMA? >> Exactly. Yes. And uh this is the probably the most common one that you have heard of is called PAMP. PAMP Suisse. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, and uh so this this one was where I broke my own rules because I bought a smaller bar. And the reason is because I really liked it. It was a special design which has uh since basically gone out of stock because it was a limited release. >> So, this is like the Christianity bar. >> Sorry, I I realized I didn't show you the bar. So, it's just a 5-g bar. >> It's beautiful. >> Yeah. So, uh >> Wow. It's a Christian bar. >> So, they actually Pam actually made it for various religions. >> Yeah. >> So, they have it for all the different religions that you will find in Singapore. Maybe before we move on, let me just allow me to show one more. So, >> this? >> This is uh also from Pam and uh this is a 1-oz gold bar which uh is American themed because this year uh the United States is celebrating their 250th year of independence. So, they released uh something like a American series to commemorate their independence. So, I will call this my guilty pleasure whereby I purchased them for the design. >> Well, I think at the end of the day, it's just really personal preference. But, regardless, when gold price goes up, all this goes up together. >> Totally. >> It's just whether at the end, do you make more or slightly less because of the premium difference that you make or what you have that you have to pay when you purchase it. How long do you think people's investing horizon should be for gold? >> I would say you should continue to hold gold until money stops being printed. >> Huh? How can money be stopped being printed though? >> Because gold cannot be printed. >> True. >> But, fiat money continues to be printed. >> Yeah. >> And that's why gold is an effective hedge against inflation. So, if you see the central banks continuing to buy gold >> Mhm. >> uh with their fiat money, >> Mhm. >> then I would follow the central banks. >> And I actually interviewed this fund manager as well in this another episode which I will link or inside the link description as well. So where he also talked about China is trying to divest away from the US dollar and that's why they are buying more and more gold over time. So and this is the currency that cannot be printed and that's why it not only hedge against inflation but also hedge against the devaluing of dollar be it whichever currency that you are holding on. Shall we go to the very interesting next metal which is silver and I'm sure today you also have some silver collection to showcase and I also bought my first silver guys. The first silver bar. Let's unbox it. >> I'm honored to present Chloe with her first silver bar purchase. >> excited. OH MY GOSH. >> SO this is 1 kilo. >> And how come this one no packaging ah? >> [laughter] >> Cuz it's so big. Even a gold kilo bar doesn't come with packaging. >> Oh really? >> Yes. >> So if it's a 1 kilo gold bar it also looks like this like a raw >> Yes. >> Like that. >> Oh my gosh. Well this is so heavy. Right? >> So it's from the same refinery. >> It's it's the same the same refinery. So one is the gold bar and then one is the silver bar and you can see the size is a lot of difference because this is 100 g but this is 1 kg. The reason why like buy 1 kg for silver because it's a lot more affordable when it comes to price. This one is about $3,000. >> Yeah. >> About that. >> Slightly below but yeah. >> Slightly below yeah. I think 2,000 ish you know. And then but this itself this 100 g gold bar it's when I first bought it it was 17 about $17,000 slightly above because the price of silver is a lot lower in general compared to gold. Do people usually go with 1,000 g like a 1 kg right away or do people go for slightly lower amount. >> It comes to individual allocation. Can Can I show them mine? >> Yes, please. I would love to see that as well. >> They also come in 10 oz, so that is 311 g. Costs you um maybe divided by three of this. So So just uh below $1,000. >> Interesting. >> We could even go right up to 1 oz. So I mentioned I do like 1 oz coins personally. >> Yeah. >> I purchased this uh in earlier of last year. They launched a Bitcoin series and and so this This is a Yeah. >> Oh my god, so pretty. It's so pretty, guys. Look at this. >> So I bought it because I'm also a believer in Bitcoin. >> do? Oh my gosh. So do you have more digital gold or do you have more gold? >> [laughter] >> Yeah, I would say that I actually started buying digital gold and then my customer told me I should buy some physical. Uh this Bitcoin silver coin is a bit more different. >> How come this one packaging so nice? >> Okay, and the reason is because they contain some Bitcoin within the coin. >> WHAT? >> YES. >> GOD, this is so cool. >> So it is limited uh edition. I I believe it is 0.001 Bitcoin within the >> Uh 0.001? >> Yes. >> Wow, that is so nice. >> So you could even start buying your first silver coin um from sizes of half or 1 oz and it would just be Half oz is about 100 and uh and then 1 oz would be slightly over $100. >> So that How do we know, like for example today, how do we testify? Is it indeed legitimate in terms of like 999 pure gold, 999 pure silver, and all this? Do you have anything to to prove that it's real material. >> Perhaps, allow me to demonstrate. >> Oh, wow. You have You have equipment. >> Yes. So, um this here is a precious metals verifier, and we typically use this uh at the point of purchase to show our buyers what they are buying. >> I know the pro- Okay, so we are going to test if I the gold bar. >> So, it's it's showing that it's higher than triple nine, 999 plus. This bar here says it is four nines. Let me just put this over here, and you will see the square appearing directly within the bracket, which shows that the composition of the metal fulfills the criteria. >> Ah, I see. So, it has to be falling within this bracket. If anything outside, then it's not not pure 9999. >> Yes. This is the way that you are able to test the gold without removing it from the packaging. >> I can also use it to test my own gold bar. Okay, so I can >> Why don't you do it? Yes. >> Okay, I'm just going to leave it here. >> See it? >> Yes, it's already inside. So, I don't even need to press. >> Correct. Because uh I think it will go back to default mode after a while, but Chloe, why don't you try putting the silver on and see what >> Make sense. Okay, because right now it's testing gold, uh. So, if I Okay, this bar really very heavy. >> So, you would see that >> Oh. >> that you you will not get a result. The square will not appear within the bracket. And we want to change the mode. >> Uh-huh. >> Uh the selection of the metal. >> Yeah. So, your silver bar is triple nine, 99.9. >> 99.9. Oh, that's what you mean by triple nine. Okay, got it. >> pure. I'm going to press this start button. >> Okay, good. Ooh, right away it fell in. This is Joshua's own silver coin, and then it also fall inside the bracket. So, does it Does it say that anything if it's outside slightly, like for example, right in the center is the best, and then like right hand side it's it's like not as good as the best? No, it doesn't matter. >> I get that question a lot, but often the way the way the square lines within the bracket has to do with sometimes the packaging itself, the the distance between the metal from the packaging. >> We It's already testified that all these new precious metal that I bought are are real 999 pure gold and then 999 pure silver. Oh, I'm also very curious, right? For gold, I know they would not tarnish, right? So, I just keep it as it is. They will still look nice uh 10 20 years down the road. >> If it's pure gold. >> If it's pure gold like this, okay? But for silver, because of the property of the metal, they do tarnish. Is that right? >> Yeah, so they may lose a bit of the luster. >> Okay. >> Or some silver we have seen the coins turn milky. So, what it means is that you'll see whites uh patches or spots on them. >> Uh So, it's not mold? >> No, it's almost looks like milk, that's why we describe it as milky. And Singapore tends to be humid. >> Yes. >> So, we always recommend for customers to keep place that is uh more dry. For most people, they could actually invest in a home safe. One of the good things about uh buying precious metals is the whole idea of um ownership. That you There is no counterparty risk because you are the custodian of your own wealth. >> True. >> Of course, if it was a bigger amount that you don't feel comfortable keeping at home, uh you could potentially then invest in a safe or vault facility and store it off-site. >> Mhm. >> I would compare this to, for example, your bank account. >> Mhm. >> So, some of you, maybe you keep your cash at home. >> Yep. >> Uh but, you probably don't keep your entire net worth at home. But, you would keep it So, it would be the same with precious metals perhaps above a certain quantity, then you might want to explore vaulting or storage elsewhere. >> So, let's say uh eventually when this gold lose its uh shine, right? It doesn't make this less valuable, isn't it? >> No. >> Okay. So, if someone who is new to precious metal investing, which metal would you suggest them to get started with first? >> Gold is stability because you have central banks that are buying. >> Mhm. >> So, it is a monetary metal as well. Whereas, silver is both a monetary as well as industrial metal. >> True. >> So, it has dual usage. Some people would prefer to buy gold because they know they are following uh so-called smart money. >> Mhm. >> But, some people prefer to buy silver because they think that it could potentially outrun gold. >> Ah. >> Because of the industrial usages. I would say it's it's good to have a balance of both, but definitely um you it still has to fulfill your own personal investment objective. >> When it comes to selling, is it easy? >> For both gold and silver, you you would be able to sell it very readily. Yeah, liquidity is not really an issue. It's very similar to how you would expect to be able to sell, buy and sell your shares on a brokerage. >> So, even a 1 kg silver bar is quite easy to sell. >> Uh yes. >> Oh, wow. Okay, now I'm I'm very happy to hear that because at least I know eventually if I were to sell away, there will be liquidity for this. What is one thing that you wish every investor to know? >> Ask yourself, what is your objective of purchasing the metal. I remember at the beginning of the year there was a phenomenon where people were queuing up outside shops. >> Yeah, that was crazy. >> And so I hope they they had an objective in mind and because subsequently we we know what happened was that the prices corrected quite sharply. So so before you want to dive in, ask yourself, okay, is this an amount that is suitable based on my entire liquid assets and then what is the objective of it? Am I buying it because I I want to hedge against inflation? Am I buying it because perhaps I want to leave something for for my children maybe in X number of years. >> So it's once again like every form of investment, there's volatility, right? So you want to make sure you don't buy based on you're chasing the hype, right? You want to buy based on whether does it really suit your long-term firstly portfolio planning, right? And what is your objective that Joshua mentioned? I think that is so so important. Wow, thank you so much Joshua. I think I learned a lot from today's conversation and I'm pretty sure our audience here also learned a lot. So if they want to contact you to find out more about what kind of potential investment that they can go in, be it is it like looking at the gold bar or like a silver coin or gold coin, how should they contact you? >> I'm reachable via my via WhatsApp. >> I will make sure I will leave all Joshua's contact details at the at the description box. Thank you so much once again for coming down here and I hope you guys enjoyed this episode as much as I do. So make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so that you will not miss out any of my future updates. And last but not least, if you actually want to reach out to Joshua, I will make sure to leave all his contact details below and feel free to just reach out to him if you have any questions about precious metal investing. >> Hi everyone. >> 1 2 3 go!