Gold coins are small, easy to store safely and highly liquid. Gold bullion coins are recognized around the world and they’re easier than ever to purchase today. By contrast, gold bars are larger, more difficult to store and involve more complicated buying and selling procedures.

These are all great reasons to invest in gold bullion coins, but there’s one more reason that’s often overlooked by potential buyers. Buying gold bullion coins is like a form of forced savings, and you’re much more likely to hold on to them longer than you might other types of investments or assets.

If you own stock and you begin to feel uncomfortable about the market or nervous about the economy, it’s incredibly easy to pick up the phone and arrange a sale. It’s also very easy to cash in certificates of deposit, borrow against retirement savings and sell valuable jewelry you may no longer like or wear.

Gold bullion coins on the other hand are an investment people tend to hold onto. If you store your gold coins yourself, simply holding them in your hand and looking at them is a keen reminder of their actual worth. You can’t get the same sense of value from holding onto a paper stock or looking at an antique necklace or ring. Gold coins remind you of their worth and parting with them tends to be something people find too distasteful to carry out.