How does one actually buy gold
noonespecial: If you want real metal, your best bet is probably US Mint "gold eagle" coins.http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/?action=american_eaglesYou can also by stocks (in a gold mining company) or futures in a commodity market. There's also a dizzying number of derivatives.I gotta say though, its far from a certainty that now (or any time) is a "good" time to buy gold. Its just a commodity (and not a particularly useful one) that has some elements of currency because of its relative scarcity. It can suffer a plunge in value from a crisis in confidence like any other currency. It seems like a good bet against inflation, but if you took that bet in 1980 (the last historic high driven by inflation fears) you didn't recover until 2007!If you want a precious metals hedge, getting some silver (low value, easy to trade) or some platinum (actually useful for many things as well as valuable) wouldn't be a bad idea.One final thought, it is good to value food, shelter and clothing, but don't forget tools and weapons. If you get to the point where your food and clothes are a deciding factor, a good saw and a strong, sharp knife will be just as precious.