Some investors are so worried about the prospect of economic collapse that they are buying gold and having it delivered to them, rather than holding the precious metal in the form of futures contracts or other securities. That’s the conclusion of a recent article in the Wall Street Journal.

Perhaps more interesting, however, was the informed discussion that followed on the WSJ’s site, in the “Comments” section.

“Why place your trust in paper that is printed by the government?” asks reader Linda Hawkins. “Gold has been serving as money much longer than governments have been printing fiat currency. The risk is that the government may print so much of it, that we end up like Germany in the 1930s, or Zimbabwe right now.”

Gold, as commenter Avery Goodman went on to explain, “is not bought for “end of the world” planning. It is bought for preserving wealth when the financial system is working incorrectly … People are buying gold to have a thing of value that has no counter-parties, and, in that manner, protect themselves from a collapsing financial system, and a probable depression and/or hyperinflation.”

I particularly liked that point about gold having no counter-parties. That is, of course, assuming we are talking about real physical gold bullion, not about paper or virtual gold like ETFs. I have blogged over on my personal site before about the dangers of investing in GLD ETF, and – for that matter – other commodity ETFs. Journal reader Alex Vasilyevich points out: “I personally believe that the gold short trades on COMEX are not backed by any physical delivery capability. If there is a sudden spike in the deliveries demanded by buyers, the game will be exposed, just like what happened with Madoff and Stanford.”

Of course, regular Q Wealth readers will see nothing new in this discussion, but sometimes it is reassuring to know that even the mainstream financial press reports and respects our views, and that onshore Gold dealers in places like London and New York City are doing a roaring trade. It follows on from the article in January in London’s Daily Telegraph about Why the Rich are Running to Gold Bullion.

We do take matters one step further, however, by suggesting international diversification for your gold bullion holdings. Why? For example, there have been many rumors that the US might once again prohibit private ownership of gold, and confiscate – or, purchase at an artificial exchange rate – existing gold bullion held by individuals onshore. The same applies to many European governments, some of which only legalized private gold ownership in the last decade or two.

There’s also the important matter of how to buy gold bullion. Most gold sales go through a cartel of international bankers and precious metal traders. It is however, possible to go direct to the source and buy pure gold direct from the producers.

All these aspects of buying gold offshore and more are covered – together with step-by-step practical instructions and contact details – in the new Gold Report – otherwise known as How to Buy and Hide Gold Bullion Offshore. Of course we must stress what we are suggesting is a perfectly legal form of offshore asset protection. Unlike bank accounts, or ETFs held through brokerage accounts, real gold bullion is not subject to reporting requirements. If you want to keep it secret you can – legally. That personal and financial privacy aspect is just one more reason why we are so bullish on gold bullion right now. It is a secure, private store of wealth management with a view not just to asset protection but to really creating wealth in a secure, offshore environment. And that is what The Q Wealth Report is all about.

Would you like to obtain your copy of The Gold Report while the unique information in it is fresh and bang up to date? Well the good news is – it’s FREE. It’s available for download right now in our Members’ Area. The bad news, of course, is that you have to be a member to access it. But a membership still costs just $87 per year and brings numerous other benefits. What are you waiting for? Join Q Wealth today!

Peter Macfarlane’s long-awaited Gold Report is now available for download in the Members’ Area here at Q Wealth Report.

If you have been looking into options for buying physical gold bullion but have been put off by the difficulty or the extra costs involved in buying gold bullion through local gold dealers, this report was written for you, by Q Wealth’s Offshore Banking and Asset Protection expert Peter Macfarlane.

As the gold holdings of the Barclays Gold Trust (Gold Exchange Traded Funds or ETFs for short) and the World Gold Council across the globe grew larger than the gold holdings of Switzerland this week, in this 11,000 word report Peter looks at the outlook for Gold during 2009 and beyond. Peter explains why in his view investing in anything other than real physical gold bullion is unsafe because of exposure to the global banking system. The importance of this cannot be stressed enough in the current climate. He explains why the whole point of gold is a safe haven and why owning gold through an ETF or through substitutes like Perth Mint Certificates is just not the same as owning real gold bullion! (Not that it’s necessarily bad, says Peter… but nobody should mislead you into believing you are really buying gold)

Many people, however, are mystified when it comes to buying gold bullion offshore. Gold bullion kept in an offshore safe deposit box does not trigger any reporting requirements, but if you want to keep your gold ownership secret, then there are certain do’s and don’ts you need to know about before you buy a single ounce of gold. Peter explains in detail three strategies for buying gold offshore, privately and even anonymously if you wish. Whether you want to invest just a few thousand dollars or a few million, one of these three techniques will probably work for you.

Peter also talks about buying gold direct from the producers who own the gold mining assets. This is a way of cutting out the middleman – the gold and banking cartel. He touches too on how the Federal Reserve might be manipulating the gold price. Gold Price Manipulation is a big issue for all gold bugs to be aware of – and yet another reason why real physical bullion is the way to go!

Finally, where can you store your gold safely? Peter looks at different options in depth and reviews the pluses and minuses of each, from storing gold in a safe at home or a local bank, to storing bullion in tax free vaults at Zurich Airport in Switzerland. Little known secure safe deposit storage options where you can hide your gold safely in Austria, Switzerland and the Caribbean are also reviewed – and there’s a dire warning about why you should not hide your gold in the United Kingdom!

The Gold Report is essential reading for anyone interested in buying gold offshore or overseas. Best of all, The Gold Report is yours FREE! If you are a Q Wealth member, you can simply log in right now and download your copy. If you haven’t yet joined, take advantage of the opportunity to join online right now and download not just The Gold Report but also Peter’s Practical Offshore Banking Guide 2009 and a host of other goodies available exclusively for members!

For Press Enquiries or Interviews with Peter Macfarlane, please contact Q Wealth Limited in London, preferably by e-mail.