Gold
Is gold really a safe investment? It is probably safe as long as you can keep it from being stolen, but how good an investment is it?
People in the gold business claim that the same 20 dollar gold piece that bought you a nice suit in the early 1800s will still buy you a nice suit today. True, but investors claim if that 20 dollar gold piece had been properly invested in the early 1800s the returns would allow the owner to buy the entire clothing store today.
Then there are a few other anoyances regarding ownership of gold. Takes money to buy gold. Money that has been taxed as income. When you sell your gold, the money it brings is treated as income and is subject to tax as well. Conceivably, if you sell and buy gold often, you may end up loosing a lot of money through taxation.