Several prominent billionaires invest in gold, primarily viewing it as a long-term hedge against inflation, currency devaluation, and economic instability. These investors often hold physical gold, gold-related derivatives, or significant stakes in gold mining companies.
More billionaires are bullish on bullion. Why it matters: Some of the most successful investors in the world are now signaling that the powerful rally in gold prices has more room to run.
Warren Buffett avoids investing in gold due to its lack of practical uses and inherent value. Buffett favors silver because it fulfills value investing principles, with its use in industrial and medical applications.
If you invested $1,000 in gold 10 years ago (around late 2015/early 2016), your investment would likely be worth significantly more today (late 2025), potentially in the range of $2,000 to over $3,000, reflecting substantial price appreciation, though less than the S&P 500 but outperforming during certain periods of market stress, acting as a hedge against uncertainty, with returns varying based on exact entry/exit points and premiums/spreads.
Elon Musk does not hold significant investments in gold, but he should. Musk's focus is largely on technology. His investment strategy aligns with his innovation-driven approach.
If You Bought Tesla Stock 10 Years Ago
Currently, shares trade at $429.52, meaning your investment's value could have grown to $297,658 from stock price appreciation. Tesla has never paid dividends. If you had invested $10,000 in Tesla stock 10 years ago, your total return would have been 2,876.58%.
Bill Gates has made it clear—he's not a fan of cryptocurrency. And he's not just skeptical; he flat-out thinks it has no value. "None," he told The New York Times in a January interview. That's a pretty bold stance coming from one of the most successful tech minds in history.
Investing $1,000 in Coca-Cola (KO) stock 20 years ago (around early 2006) would have grown to roughly $6,000 to $8,000 by late 2025, assuming reinvested dividends, but it significantly underperformed the S&P 500 index, which would have turned $1,000 into about $20,000 over the same period, highlighting that while Coca-Cola offers stability, diversification and broader market index funds often yield better long-term returns.
For $10,000, you can typically buy around 2 to 2.2 ounces (oz) of gold, depending on the current market price (spot price), the type of product (bars vs. coins), and retailer premiums, with bars generally offering slightly more metal for the same money. Expect to pay a premium above the spot price for physical gold, with coins having higher premiums (3-8%) than larger bars (2-5%), reducing your total ounces slightly.
Despite extreme volatility, Bitcoin's price has skyrocketed 1,060% in the past five years as I write this. This monster gain would've turned a $10,000 initial capital outlay in October 2020 to a whopping $115,700 on Oct. 6.
Because, as J.P. Morgan stated in his testimony before Congress in 1912, “Gold is money. Everything else is credit.” This letter looks to describe the terms of the competition and identify the best moments to buy currencies rather than gold.
In 1957, Buffett, in a letter to limited partners, suggested that 70% of his company's capital was invested in stocks and 30% in corporate work-outs.
This man was Mansa Musa, the 14th-century ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa, and he's often considered the richest person in human history. His wealth came from Mali's abundant gold and salt resources, making him richer than any modern billionaire.
No single entity owns 90% of the stock market, but the wealthiest Americans own the vast majority of it, with the top 10% holding around 90-93% of U.S. stocks, while the bottom 50% own only about 1%, according to Federal Reserve data analysis from early 2024. This concentration of ownership is primarily held by high-net-worth individuals and their investment vehicles, not one owner.
That's where gold comes in. "Gold can help you build wealth in several ways due to its unique characteristics as a store of value, as a hedge against inflation and as a diversification tool/strategy," says Paul Williams, managing director at Solomon Global and a specialist in the supply of physical gold bars and coins.
Gold's 20-Year Return
Through the end of 2024, gold had posted a 20-year average annual return of 9.47%. If you had invested $10,000 at the start of this period, you'd have $65,967 in your account, a total gain of roughly 560%.
If you are asking, “How much gold can I buy with a million dollars,” you want math, not noise. The short answer is a range: roughly the high three hundreds to low four hundreds of ounces, depending on your all-in price, the products you choose, and transaction friction.
The gold price in Australia for 10 grams fluctuates but is around AU$2,000 - AU$2,400+ for 24k/9999 pure gold for a bar, while 22 carat gold might be around AU$2,095, with actual prices depending on purity (carat), form (bar, coin, jewelry), dealer, and market conditions (buy vs. sell). For example, a 10g Britannia bar might sell for over AU$2,400, while 22ct gold is listed around AU$209.50 per gram, totaling AU$2,095 for 10g, as per recent data.
If you had invested $1,000 in Apple stock on Feb. 4, 1997, today, you would have $1,343,269. Likewise, if you had invested $1,000 in an index fund replicating Nasdaq, you would have $11,038. A similar $1,000 investment in an index fund that replicates the S&P 500 would be worth $6,140.
Turning $1,000 into $10,000 in one month requires high-risk, high-reward strategies, often involving aggressive business ventures like high-volume flipping (e.g., window washing, retail arbitrage) or online businesses (dropshipping, e-commerce) where you reinvest profits quickly, or trading volatile assets like crypto, but success isn't guaranteed and carries significant risk, so consider diversifying into safer options like starting a service business (lawn mowing) or freelancing high-demand skills.
Meta (META) co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is ambitious about experimenting with cryptocurrency. His company once ventured into cryptocurrency development with a project called Diem, initially known as Libra. However, mounting regulatory pressures forced the premature shutdown of the initiative.
Where It's Going Instead. Bitcoin is down around 30% from its early October record high of over $126,000. Standard Chartered's Geoff Kendrick revises his year-end Bitcoin forecast to $100,000 from $200,000 by late 2025. Kendrick maintains a long-term Bitcoin forecast of $500,000, now expected by 2030 instead of 2028.
Created by mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin runs on open-source code governed by global consensus, not one owner. Uncover the full story here.