When is a good time to invest in gold?

When is a good time to invest in gold, and how would you do it? Would you buy gold bars and coins or invest in gold stocks? And if stocks, which ones?

Public Comments

1. I remember after the war in Europe. Gold was useless, people where bartering a handful of gold for a soup.
2. NEVER, GOLD IS A TERRIBLE INVESTMENT.
3. Never. Gold is a terrible investment; it isn't even really an investment per se, as it contributes nothing to advancing society's productive capabilities. It gets dug out of the ground in Africa or Canada or some damn place, melted down, and put back into a hole in the ground in New York or London or Zurich, where we pay people to stand around and guard it. There's no value added, no production taking place - people watching from another planet would be scratching their heads. If you buy gold, you will underperform every other type of investment vehicle over the long run, of that you may be assured. If you don't want to think and you're investing for 10 or more years out, I'd suggest just buying into an S&P 500 index fund. It's a fire sale right now - stocks haven't been this cheap in 25 years.
4. i think now, i would buy gold bars and hide them somewhere, but i love the gold coins too, don't know much about stock
5. Some people think that times of inflation are ahead, which would mean it's a good time to buy gold. You can buy gold coins or gold bullion, or if you like stocks, check GG or CEF, which invest in gold. Grandpa