Gold futures: These contracts are a derivative (i.e., their value depends on an underlying asset—gold in this case) that allow you to buy or sell a specific amount of gold at a specific price at a specific date in the future. Futures contracts have the advantage of attempting to directly track the price of gold (compared with, say, gold stocks that are influenced by a number of factors). However, futures are generally a bit more complex than stocks. For example, gold futures allow you to take physical delivery of the metal, although most gold futures traders do not take delivery. Instead, they will settle in cash for whatever the difference is between what they paid and what the current value of the futures contract is, or roll over the contract into a longer-dated futures contract. If this sounds complex, that’s because it can be if you don't know how the process works, relative to simply buying physical gold or a gold stock. Note that Fidelity does not offer futures trading., Portable and easy to trade, gold has been a popular tool for storing wealth for much of human history. Even though we have substantially better-performing investment options today, gold remains a , To invest in gold, you might consider buying physical gold or financial investments targeted to the gold industry or price of gold. Here's what you need to know..