Chances are that you are one of the many investors that are battening down the hatches amid the worst economic times in generations. Stocks are plummeting, currencies are hemorrhaging value every day, all over the world, and rising deficits stand poised to choke off any possible recovery before it can even get started. Investors are rightly panicked by the current malaise suppressing the economies of the nations of the world, where safe havens are few and far between.

However, there is a bright, shining beacon on the hill for the weary investor hoping to protect the value of his investment – gold.

Gold has long been a bastion of financial security, and this has been true through nearly every civilization in human history. When investors seek safe harbor for their holdings, amid harsh economic times that make any fiscal growth impossible, they invariably turn to the precious metals that hold their value, and find moderate growth. Here is a primer for some of the ways that you, as an investor, can utilize the power of gold to shore up your investment portfolio.

Gold Possesses Inherent Value

Gold, unlike paper currencies and intangible stocks or bonds, is a metal that possesses its own inherent value beyond its simple spot price. Gold, along with other precious metals, can be used for things in a variety of industries. It can be pressed into jewelry, formed into replacement teeth, used in cancer screenings and utilized in high-end electronics. Even in the rare event that gold loses its monetary value, it will still be useful. This is what has kept investors flocking to it for centuries.

It Can Be Purchased In Bar or Coin Form to Maximize Your Flexibility

Despite popular convention, gold can be an extremely flexible investment. Larger bars can be purchased to concentrate value into a single unit for long-term investment. In addition, smaller denomination coins can be used to keep smaller amounts of your holdings available in case you need to make them liquid.

Sure and Steady Trumps Volatility of Big Gains and Bigger Losses

Gold, especially during the past decade, has been an incredibly stable investment platform. Though its spot price has exploded recently, in inverse proportion to the value of the stock market, the last time that the spot price of gold has seen a major correction was in the 1980s.