ok, this might be face-punch worthy, but I'm going for it anyway. about 2 years ago I wanted to start investing, and had an interest in precious metals. I didn't want to buy gold and didn't have a grand to my name, so I bought maybe 20 ounces of silver in bars and coins a little at a time. The going rate here was like spot plus $3 an ounce, so I'm into them for $23 or so an ounce.
Now that I'm learning a lot more through here and a bunch of other sights, I know that 15% is crazy to be paying for transactions, and I should have been buying vanguard. Oh well, too late for that. but silver is at a long time low at $14.60 or so, and I think it might be the best time to average down, bring my per-unit cost down lower buy buying an equal number at a lower price.
So is there a good place to buy online that's reputable and don't tack $3 an onto each ounce? is it worth it to both getting my cost brought down? or should I just suck it up and buy maybe one gold coin to sit on for a while now that it's $1050 and the lowest it's been in years?
or is precious metal stupid? Some of it does still appeal to me, as it's a physical thing. We're also about to have a kid, so I think giving them a gold coin or pile of silver I bought when they were born would be a cool college age gift 18 years from now. I could just keep what I have and buy VOO instead (early next year goal is to become admiral on vanguard and start buying VSTAX or whatever it is instead).
money won't be coming out of 403 investments, no CC debt, and is basically part of a "found money" pile, now that I'm cutting down on an expensive hobby to work towards FIRE.