There are several reasons why investors may want to add gold to their portfolio. Not only can gold rise in value over time, but it can be a hedge against inflation and can add diversification.
Having said that; gold doesn’t fit into Warren Buffett’s investing philosophy and this is a fact.
The central investing principle that has allowed Buffett to build Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A) (NYSE:BRK-B) into the massive conglomerate it is today excludes gold and most other assets that are considered to be stores of value.
Here’s a brief overview of Warren Buffett’s investment style, as well as his opinion on gold in particular, which should help paint a clear picture of why you shouldn’t expect to see gold bullion in Berkshire’s investment portfolio anytime soon.
Why Buffett Does NOT Invest in Gold: The Short Answer
Warren Buffett doesn’t invest in gold because he generally does not invest in what are called “unproductive assets.” We will see what this means soon.
There are three main things Warren Buffett does invest in, both with Berkshire Hathaway’s capital and his own money:
- entire companies,
- stocks of public companies, and
- cash equivalents that are waiting to be invested in those two.
If you take a look at Berkshire’s investment portfolio, you’ll find plenty of subsidiary companies and stock investments, but gold is nowhere to be found.
Buffett’s Three Categories of Investments
Before we dive into why Warren Buffett doesn’t invest in gold, it’s important to discuss how Buffett thinks about investments.
Specifically, the Oracle of Omaha groups all available investments into three categories:
- Currency-denominated investments:
- This includes things like savings account deposits, money market funds, bonds, and other similar investment types.
- These are assets that are generally thought of as “safe” by investors.
- Unproductive assets:
- This is the category that gold falls into.
- Essentially, the investment thesis behind unproductive assets is that someone else will be willing to pay more for the asset in the future than you’re paying for it today.
- Other precious metals such as silver and platinum are also examples of unproductive assets, as are collectibles and cryptocurrencies.
- Productive assets:
- Not only can productive assets rise in value over time, but they can generate other assets of value along the way.
- Stocks are an example: if you own a stock, it can generate dividend income for you while the stock itself can increase in value over time.
- In addition to stocks, examples of productive assets are businesses and rental real estate.
Buffett Uses Currency-Denominated Investments Regularly
Buffett views the first category, currency-denominated investments, as perhaps the riskiest of all.
Specifically, while these assets are virtually guaranteed not to lose their value, they also tend to generate minuscule returns.
In fact, the returns are so small that they don’t even keep up with inflation over time and erode the investor’s purchasing power. (However, Buffett isn’t opposed to these investments when the interest rates make up for inflation risk – as they did in the early 1980s.)
For example, let’s say that you put $10,000 in a savings account paying 1% interest (for simplicity, we’ll assume annual compounding).
After 30 years, your deposit will be worth $13,478. Not bad for a completely safe investment, right? Wrong.
Assuming a long-term inflation rate of 3%, the actual purchasing power of your $13,478 account balance (in today’s dollars) will be just $5,404. So while your account balance is slowly increasing, you’re actually losing money on a real basis.
Having said all of that, it may surprise you to learn that Warren Buffett uses these types of investments frequently.
In fact, Berkshire Hathaway currently invests $116 billion of its capital in these currency-denominated investments, such as short-term treasuries.
Simply put, currency-denominated investments have the advantage of liquidity. This means they can be quickly sold at their full market value if necessary.
Buffett lets Berkshire’s cash accumulate until he finds an attractive investment opportunity. Even the minuscule returns of short-term treasuries and money market funds are better than nothing at all.
Warren Buffett Loves Productive Assets
You won’t be surprised at Buffett’s favorite category – productive assets
Not surprisingly, Warren Buffett’s favorite thing to do with Berkshire Hathaway’s capital is to invest in productive assets.
Specifically, Buffett’s No. 1 preference is to find entire businesses to acquire. As an alternative, he is willing to invest in the common stocks of other companies.
As of April 2018, Berkshire has more than 60 subsidiary companies, as well as a closely followed stock portfolio worth about $176 billion.
Warren Buffett likes assets that create wealth. Gold and other unproductive assets may hold wealth, but they don’t create it.
Here’s a quick example of a wealth-creating asset. Let’s say that you own 1,000 shares of a stock that pays a 4% dividend yield.
Over the next 30 years, assuming that you reinvest all of your dividends, your 1,000 shares can turn into 3,240. By then, you have then more than tripled the size of your investment, before considering any stock price appreciation.
The point is that Warren Buffett invests Berkshire Hathaway’s capital in productive assets. Next, he invests in currency-denominated investments while he’s waiting to find more productive assets to buy.
He doesn’t invest in unproductive assets like gold.
Buffett’s Opinion on Gold
While Buffett isn’t a fan of unproductive assets of any kind, he has discussed his reasons for avoiding gold in particular.
In his 2011 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Buffett pointed out that gold is a “huge favorite of investors who fear almost all other assets, especially paper money.”
And to be fair, Buffett acknowledges that investors are right to fear paper money as a store of value, specifically because of inflation.
Buffet’s View: Gold Has Two Shortcomings
In regards to gold, Buffett discussed two major shortcomings.
First, like all unproductive assets, gold is not “procreative.” In other words, gold will never produce more gold, or anything else of value, for that matter.
In contrast, an oil well Berkshire buys will produce a stream of valuable oil. A clothing factory will churn out clothing for as long as it’s in operation.
A stock investment can pay dividends, which you can then use to buy even more shares. However, an ounce of gold you buy today will still be just an ounce of gold in 400 years.
The second shortcoming Buffett discussed is the lack of much practical use for gold. Sure, it’s used to make jewelry and has some other applications, but widespread demand for gold just isn’t there.
Buffett’s point is that unproductive assets with widespread industrial applications, such as copper or steel, can at least rely on this demand to boost prices.
In a 1998 speech at Harvard, Buffett said:
It gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head.
Warren Buffet
Buffet’s Riddle: Which Would You Rather Own?
To illustrate his point, Buffett used an example of two hypothetical groups of investments.
The first group contained all of the world’s gold supply, worth about $9.6 trillion at the time Buffett wrote the letter.
The second group contained assets of equal value- all of the crop-producing farmland in the U.S., 16 Exxon-Mobils, and $1 trillion in working capital. (Note: At the time Buffett wrote the letter, ExxonMobil was the world’s most profitable corporation.)
Here’s the idea. Not only would these assets increase in value over time, but the farmland would generate $200 billion in annual income.
Also, the 16 Exxon-Mobils would each produce profits of $40 billion per year. That is a total annual production of $840 billion per year, which could then be invested in other productive assets.
In fact, it is this logic of production and reinvestment that has allowed Berkshire Hathaway to come this far. It has grown from a struggling textile manufacturer in the 1960’s to one of the world’s largest companies today.
Suffice it to say that the same wouldn’t have happened if Buffet had simply invested Berkshire’s capital in gold after he took the helm of the company.
So Why Invest in Gold?
Not a great investment and hence, Warren Buffett doesn’t invest in gold.
However, that doesn’t mean that gold and other precious metals don’t have a legitimate purpose in a well-rounded portfolio.
Specifically, gold can be useful (in relatively small amounts) as a hedge against inflation and stock market crashes.
Gold tends to keep up with inflation — better than cash, at least — so during periods of high inflation, gold can help preserve your purchasing power.
Furthermore, gold tends to outperform stock during crashes, as investors seek safer assets. For example, the S&P 500 fell by 38% in 2008 when the financial crisis hit. However, gold actually gained more than 4% for the year.
Buffet: Notes On Inflation
Here are some other thoughts from Buffett on investing during inflationary periods.
1. When You Are Doing Great, Remember Inflation
Buffett wrote at a moment of good performance for Berkshire,
“Before we drown in a sea of self-congratulation, a further — and crucial — observation must be made.
A few years ago, a business whose per-share net worth compounded at 20 percent annually would have guaranteed its owners a highly successful real investment return.”
Warren Buffet
2. During High Inflation, Earnings Are NOT the Dominant Variable for Investors.
“Unfortunately, earnings reported in corporate financial statements are no longer the dominant variable that determines whether there are any real earnings for you, the owner.
For only gains in purchasing power represent real earnings on investment. If you:
(a) forego 10 hamburgers to purchase an investment;
(b) receive dividends which, after tax, buy two hamburgers; and
(c) receive, upon sale of your holdings, after-tax proceeds that will buy eight hamburgers, then
(d) you have had no real income from your investment, no matter how much it appreciated in dollars.
You may feel richer, but you won’t eat richer.”
Warren Buffet
3. Understand the Math of the ‘Misery Index.’
“The inflation rate plus the percentage of capital that must be paid by the owner to transfer into his own pocket the annual earnings achieved by the business (i.e., ordinary income tax on dividends and capital gains tax on retained earnings) — can be thought of as an ‘investor’s misery index.’
When this index exceeds the rate of return earned on equity by the business, the investor’s purchasing power (real capital) shrinks even though he consumes nothing at all.
We have no corporate solution to this problem; high inflation rates will not help us earn higher rates of return on equity.”
Warren Buffet
Conclusion: Include a Gold IRA in Your Portfolio Along With the Productive Assets
The bottom line from learning from Warren Buffet’s example is that the majority of your portfolio should be invested in productive assets.
Cash and equivalent assets are secondary. Our recommendation is to forego the risky cash assets entirely and use that portfolio space to invest in a Gold IRA.
It’s good to start with investing a small portion of your portfolio in gold or other precious metals. We recommend investing in a Gold IRA to protect against inflation and to add diversification. Read more about why we think so here.
Meanwhile, wait patiently to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities in other productive assets that come up.
Warren himself may not invest in gold, but remember what he said to those investors who are doing so or who are considering doing so as a hedge against inflation:
“Gold is a huge favorite of investors who fear almost all other assets, especially paper money.”
Warren Buffet
If you are ready to invest in a gold IRA now, view our List of Top 10 Gold IRA Companies. You will see for yourself why we highly recommend and encourage working with Regal Assets.
Do you have any questions on why Warren Buffet’s advice on gold and investments is more reason to own a Gold IRA? Ask below!
I have always loved the idea of investing in gold and I really say this blog has helped me to think and see the importance of gold investment and will be putting gold into my portfolio my country currency is not reliable and inflation is all time high but investment in gold is the sure way of keeping my investment stable
I am glad you are considering investing in gold! Be sure to choose the option of investing in a gold IRA and choosing the best company in our List of Top 10 Gold IRA Companies. It’s important that you invest in gold bullion with the best gold IRA custodian in the industry.
I always find this your articles on Gold so full of informative ,educative and enlightenment on Gold as an investment and store of values.
Warren Buffett it is really surprising uses only 3 types of investments frequently,i must say this is my first-time of reading about his investment.but all the same it depends on an individual prospective on what we see as good investment either for long time or short time. But all the same profit is the most important thing for any investor
Hello Ajibola, indeed profit is the end desire of any investor, but gold is meant to be kept for the long-term and is not something you should expect to be producing a residual income for you. It’s main purpose in a portfolio is to serve as a hedge against inflation as the part that you invest in gold will still maintain its value regardless of the rate of inflation. Thank you for dropping by!
I have read one of your writeup that expantiated extensively on Gold IRA, This is another eye opener article and I must appreciate you for putting this lovely post together. My team and I are planning to invest in Gold and I am very sure you will be of help to us.
I have bookmarked the article so I can show it to my team. This will be a subject for professional development meetings we have regularly, and the article will be useful for discussion. Thanks for your effort putting this together, you did well with the subject matter!
I’m glad the posts on my website were very helpful to you! Here are a few of our most notable pages:
Best Gold IRA Options – this outlines why having a gold IRA is the best investment choice out of all the ways to invest in gold
Top 10 Gold IRA Companies – outlines how we chose the best gold IRA companies
Regal Assets – page of our best gold IRA company
Self-Directed IRA and Gold – information about rolling over any retirement plan to a gold IRA
Thank you for your awesome comments!
I can understand Warren Buffet angle about gold. However, gold can be used as a source of security in time of inflation. The very basis of paper money we have today, comes from exchange of gold for paper. I personally believe that, in the face of inflation and lower value of our currencies, gold investors will be really happy they invested in gold because the value of gold practically never diminishes.
Yes, Louis! I am glad we agree completely. The only part about Warren’s overall investing strategy I agree in is investing in productive assets and I didn’t write it down in the article but even a gold jewelry manufacturing business can be a productive asset while the bullion in stock remain as unproductive assets. I’m glad you came by with your insightful analysis!
Thanks for sharing this article on gold again. I have been following your post regularly especially on investing on Gold IRA. Your post has caught my interest and I have begin to plan on how to invest in it for a long term purpose. I may have to revert back to your post on this so I have bookmarked this page for further consultation. You are doing a great job with this information you are giving us for free. Thanks man.
Thank you again for your comment, Achievers! I am glad that you are considering investing in a Gold IRA for your portfolio. A gold IRA is the best option among all the ways of investing in gold. All you have to do is look through our List of Top 10 Gold IRA Companies and see for yourself why we recommend Regal Assets as the best gold IRA company. They even give a completely free gold IRA investment kit that you can grab here if you give them your contact information. I hope I can be of much help in your gold investing experience!
I absolutely love this insightful article because it is full of great information. This is fascinating and intriguing to me.warren buffett doesn’t have believe in unproductive asset.i have seen reason to invest in gold mainly it’s better than keeping cash,Gold are also useful. This post really changed my view about gold.thanks for the insight
Thank you very much, Adamu and I am glad that my post was helpful! I hope to see you around again and that I can continue to be of help in your investment journey.
Warren Buffet has given his own reasons for not including gold in his portfolio of investments. I don’t have any knowledge or practical experience in stocks or shares but I still believe that gold is a good hedge against inflation. The metal’s scarcity itself will guarantee it as an haven in times of crisis when the its price will spike. The currencies of many nations like China and Russia are backed by gold.You will recall that corrupt leaders who fled South Vietnam when it fell to the Vietcong took with them gold bars and not the US currency.In third world countries, people still hoard the metal which can be readily exchanged for cash. They don’t have any faith in their national currencies.
The website is clean and simple and is easy to navigate. There are many authoritative articles on financial matters for the layman like me. I can find some sound advice from the piece on crypto currencies.
Hello Rubicon! Yes indeed, gold is still the best hedge against inflation and no fiat currencies in the world are based on gold yet, but many countries like the ones you indicated do show movements that they would prefer a gold standard.
Thank you also for the compliment about my website! Yes, you can navigate through many cryptocurrency-related pages and articles here as well. I hope to see you around more! Thank you for dropping by!
Hi there, this is really an opener story from you about GOLD investment and also the take of Warren buffet on GOLD investment even though he he’s not investing into Gold because he sees it as unproductive assets. Well, let me say personally here, am investing in Gold when I have the opportunity and needed capital from me, I have check the list of GOld IRA u shared and I will take my time to read it
Hello Yormith, thank you for dropping by! Yes, investing in a Gold IRA is the best way to protect yourself from inflation. I am glad my article was helpful to you. Thank you for bookmarking my website!
I have once heard about this Gold IRA
This article is a revelatory one, I can see why Buffet often uses currencies- denominated investment despite the fact it is the riskiest of all. So surprising to know gold investment is seen as unproductive one even though it increases value over the time.This article has got me exposed to new set of educative information.
Hello Michael! Yes, it is surprising that he does so, but that’s just his personal favorite, and if you look at many of his videos it’s because he invests in companies that he predicts will do well because they have a productive and trustworthy administration. However, since we are not all Warren Buffet’s, it’s best that we take his advice to shield ourselves from inflation by adding physical gold to our portfolio.
I once had stock trading experience years ago but never had an idea that gold can be invested in one’s portfolio. This article is such an eye-opener. After all, gold has always been a measure of stability compared to other assets. Savvy investors that are knowledgeable in the nuances of the gold and precious metal markets can now greatly benefit from diversifying their portfolio through a Gold IRA.
Indeed they would benefit greatly! They should first read through the List of Top 10 Gold IRA Companies and choose from the best after reading the reviews. Thank you for sharing your insight about the article!
I’ve always wondered why Warren Buffet does not invest in gold, now I know.
When it comes to investing, Warren Buffet is someone most people look up to, myself included. We find his investment strategies and words of advice credible because he has proven himself to be one of the most (if not the most successful) investor up until today. I mean, who does not know who Warren Buffet is?
And so I’ve never really thought of buying gold and adding them into my asset portfolio. Don’t get me wrong, I know that gold is an asset and I think it’s one precious metal that will not devalue even after many, many years. On the contrary, it can even cost a lot more in the future.
Having read what you have to say, I now have more reasons to invest in gold. I especially like what you said about gold as our protection against inflation and market crashes.
Hello Alice! I’m glad that you are now considering investing in gold. Even when you do so, remember that it is best to invest in physical gold bullion, and not in paper options such as stocks, ETF’s and futures. Indeed, gold plays as a good hedge for your portfolio in market crashes. Thank you for coming by!
Any topic on gold is indeed my favorite. Your analysis is indeed superb. This write-up is informative and enlighten. My earlier perspective on gold was that, apart from being a store of value and controlling inflation,it can also rise over time and increase ones income. Am surprised now seeing Buffet perspective on gold. Though he didn’t discourage it.
When I was small, my parent bought me gold. I so much adore the gold and put it on regularly. When she sold it, she sold double the price she got it for me. If shows its value rise over time. This is the reason why I had the impression of investing in gold. I have gotten some already. And planning to get more.
So , I don’t understand when you say gold is only a store of value and can not rise over time.
Hello NiceAngel, gold indeed does rise in value over time, but it’s mostly known for storing its original value. It tends to rise over time, especially now, because of all the inflation with mass printing of untraceable fiat-currency, especially the US dollar. Thank you for dropping by with your comments!