Opinions Needed: Should I go into debt to buy more silver?

Discussion in 'Silver' started by ThisIsJoe, Apr 22, 2011.

  1. ThisIsJoe

    ThisIsJoe Active Member Silver Stacker

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    Would love some stackers thoughts on this. I've heard one camp say don't ever go into debt, but I've also read on here that a lot of you guys have done so, maxing out credit cards, etc.

    I have an OK stack, but would like to double it to be sufficiently happy. I'm considering borrowing $25k from the banksters.

    Thoughts? Yay or nay? Reasons with your answer would be great. And can anyone reccommend a "good" bank/lending outfit to go with?

    Cheers guys!
     
  2. goldpelican

    goldpelican Administrator Staff Member

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    I would say maybe 3 members have publicly claimed this, not a lot. Some people did it when silver was $10 cheaper too.

    Can you afford the hit if silver was to drop say 20% or even more?
     
  3. gbickle

    gbickle Member

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    Yes I was one... back in beginning of Feb when it went below $30 I maxed out $35,000 on a credit card....
     
  4. ThisIsJoe

    ThisIsJoe Active Member Silver Stacker

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    Well I'm very long on silver so if the price drops I'll probably buy more (if I can afford it). I'll ride the pullback waves. When silver bull has run its course and if somehow I end up 20% down from where I started (very hard to believe but of course it COULD happen), its no huge loss.
     
  5. Citizen

    Citizen Member

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    If you can't cover the downside, then don't.

    How would you deal with the possibility of having to liquidate part of your (possibly devalued) stack to cover payments on your loan?

    Hopefully it wouldn't come to this, but you do have to ask yourself such questions, I think.
     
  6. Citizen

    Citizen Member

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    :eek:

    Sheesh - you would want to be VERY confident that the % gains in Ag exceed the exorbitant interest on your plastic debt?

    Wouldn't a bank loan have been a more efficient way to do that?
     
  7. goldpelican

    goldpelican Administrator Staff Member

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    The biggest risk is ending up with negative equity - either silver drops in price, or it doesn't rise as fast as the interest you're being charged.

    If we all definitively knew what the silver price was going to do, then the answer would be easy.
     
  8. millededge

    millededge Active Member

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    I'm aversive to debt, in the full knowledge of how it is created from nothing.

    As soon as you give them your work, which is the only "real" part of the contract, they are free to do whatever they wish with your work. They can short the very thing you are working for.

    When a lot of people are going into debt to buy metal, I know we are well into phase III

    Sure, you could frontrun the herd, and some will.

    Silver is extremely volatile as an investment. If, as James Turk suggests, we are now near the end, then yes, now is a good time. You will only be proven right in retrospect.
     
  9. gbickle

    gbickle Member

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    $300 / month Interest on the credit card = approx $1000 interest so far .... vs over $20,000 gain in Silver value if I choose to cash out now .. :)
     
  10. millededge

    millededge Active Member

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    As for debt, so long as you have the capacity to repay, then long term it might work out well.

    But you are becoming part of a system. A system most of us despise.
     
  11. goldpelican

    goldpelican Administrator Staff Member

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    Exactly.
     
  12. thatguy

    thatguy Active Member

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    If you intend to pay back the loan purely with income and not the silver and or proceeds from the silver then yes go for it. But if the silver is part of the repayment plan then no, forget it
     
  13. Citizen

    Citizen Member

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    :eek:

    Fair play. A serious pullback would be a nasty look, still. I'm sure that you have calculated various contingency plans.

    Still, I'm curious. If it is not too rude to ask :p - of all the forms of debt you could have utilised, you chose to use credit cards? Why not use another form of loan that would perhaps not incur such heavy interest?
     
  14. fishball

    fishball New Member Silver Stacker

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    Some credit cards such as Bankwest's offer a 5.99% for 9 months... that's better than most personal loans out there.

    I'm sure there are a few even better offers but I've never really gotten myself into debt just to buy PMs :)
     
  15. ThisIsJoe

    ThisIsJoe Active Member Silver Stacker

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    That's the plan to pay the loan back only with income. That's why I thought it might work out.

    CONSIDERING a low rate credit card but I'm finding most places I buy my silver from don't take credit card or charge an extra % on top.
     
  16. bsides

    bsides Active Member Silver Stacker

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    what if you got 2 credit cards... take a cash advance on the first one, then balance transfer at say 2.99% (or as low as possible) to the second? :)

    edit: i personally wouldn't be doing that at this price.
     
  17. JulieW

    JulieW Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Good advice.
     
  18. Turk

    Turk Active Member

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    Hi Joe,

    Good question. I would advise you to go for it - provided that your loan term is more than 12 months.

    Also, take a look at this thread where the same question was answered, a few months back:
    http://forums.silverstackers.com/topic-5938-buying-silver-with-a-personal-loan.html

    (In the above example BellInvest covered his interest in a very short time - and was soon talking about going back for more!)

    I believe you will do very well.

    Best Regards
    Turk

    (P.S. I have done this successfully with larger amounts already - and I'll soon be making a further VERY large purchases (with partial credit) over a further 12 months.)
     
  19. aleks

    aleks Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Six months interest free on balance transfers. You don't actually need to have purchased anything with your existing card to recieve a balance transfer from a new account.

    So I am told.

    The house always wins
     
  20. bellinvest

    bellinvest New Member

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    I highly advise it.

    I have made great gains over the last few months. Have not looked back!

    if YOU believe it will go much higher and the repayments are within your means then go for it.

    Credit cards, personal loans, overdrafts there are plenty of option.

    If you do take the dip look for flexibility.

    Bellinvest
     

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