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A recent survey by Liberty Insurance has shown some interesting facts about Irish homeowners and their security habits. The study carried out by Millward Brown on behalf of Liberty Insurance shows that a huge number of homeowners in Ireland have a very lax attitude to home security.

Some of the most telling facts and numbers to come from the survey are:

• 47% of people don’t have a house alarm – with only 1 in 3 who do using it regularly
• 23% of Dublin homeowners are likely to leave doors unlocked
• 22% of people rely on neighbours to watch their home
• 17% of people don’t lock their front door
• 1 in 3 people feel relaxed leaving their home unattended

With most burglaries being opportunistic crimes as opposed to planned crimes, the figures above are a stark reminder that home security should be paramount in homeowners minds, but often this is obviously not the case. With this in mind the simple 3-word message which can help you keep your home secure is:
CHECK – LOCK – LEAVE.

To keep your valuables completely safe & secure renting a safe deposit box is also a good idea. At Merrion Vaults you can rent your own private safe deposit box with access 7 days a week from less than €4 per week.
Call Merrion Vaults today on: (01) 254 7900 or go to www.MerrionVaults.ie

As gold hits a 5 month high (at time of writing) Investment commentators worldwide are all agreeing on one thing: it appears that the ‘perfect storm’ is on the horizon for this safe-haven asset.

Most investors will know, historically the price of gold rises in times of Political and Economic unease. With Geo-political tensions currently rising throughout the world due to tensions between the U.S., North Korea, and Russia, investors seem to be running to the safe-haven asset of gold.

Let’s not forget the element of Brexit, also in-motion but with no clear roadmap as to how that will pan out yet.  In France, Le Pen and the upcoming elections there, will further shake up the economic landscape depending on that outcome.

This uncertainty is supporting physical demand for gold, with holdings in SPDR Gold Shares, the largest exchange-traded fund backed by gold, rising 4.2 metric tons to 842.4 tons as of Tuesday. That’s the highest in more than a month.

The simple fact is in times of turmoil gold tends to go upwards in price. The past has shown that gold is a great hedge, when stocks & shares markets are falling your gold should then be performing well…this is the very essence of a good financial hedge.

When it comes to precious metals though, the most regular advice is to buy and own PHYSICAL metals.  With what appears to be ‘the perfect storm’ forming for the price of gold to increase, the Bulls are on the prowl and smart investors are following suit putting their money on gold.

As J.P. Morgan once said – “Money is gold, and nothing else.”

Nigel Doolin

Head of Trading

Merrion Gold.

For further information on Merrion Gold call: +353 (0)1 254 7900 or go to: www.MerrionGold.ie  

If you have valuables or irreplaceable items you need to keep safe and secure, what is the best option for you? Whether it’s cash, jewellery, gold bullion or just important paperwork you need to keep safe, there are a number of things you should consider when deciding between a home safe or a safe deposit box.

1. A Safe Deposit Box is better value. A small, mid-range home safe will cost approx. €1,100-€1,800 (before fitting costs) – whereas a safe deposit box starts at only €199 per year – giving you over 5 years total safety and security, with 7 day access for less than the cost of the home safe.

2. A Safe Deposit Box will offer better protection from fire. The aforementioned home safe would have a fire rating of Grade 1, this will only offer protection from fire for 30 minutes whereas the safe deposit box in this instance is in a Grade 8 vault, offering a hugely increased fire and security rating.

3. A Safe Deposit box offers much more protection from thieves. People believe they can ‘hide’ their home safe from thieves and burglars. The latest research and expertise from the police proves this is rarely the case.  Burglars are now breaking into homes complete with handheld metal detectors (easily available to buy online) – they can then ‘sweep’ the entire property in 5-10mins and will almost always find the ‘hidden’ safe. Thieves will then cause major destruction to property in removing these home safes.  It is also worth bearing in mind that if they cannot remove the safe, they may then wait until such time as the homeowner or family is actually in the home, to return and under use or threat of violence make the homeowner comply with their demands to open the safe.

4. Home Safes are notoriously easy to ‘crack’ open. All one has to do is watch an episode of ‘Storage Wars’ on TV, or many other similar TV shows, to see just how easy it is to open a home safe. Alternatively, a quick google search of ‘how to crack a home safe’ returns findings of over 7 million results! (a lot with videos). Safe Deposit Boxes however, are housed within a secure vault, which is practically impossible to open.

 5. You can save money on home insurance with the use of a Safe Deposit Box. If you have a home safe, your valuables will still be included in your home insurance – which means you will still be paying for their cover – especially if they are ‘specified items’. When you rent a safe deposit box you can remove these ‘specified items’ from your home insurance policy therefore lowering your premium.

While there are many more advantages to having a safe deposit box over a home safe, it is worth pointing out that any additional security measures you take with your valuables at home will normally be justified.  For more information on renting your own private safe deposit box contact: www.merrionvaults.ie or call: (01) 254 7900.

How to buy and store Gold and Silver Bullion in Ireland, Scotland and mainland UK with Seamus Fahy, Head of Trading at  Merrion

Seamus Fahy is Head of Trading for Merrion Gold in Ireland, Scottish Bullion and Newcastle Bullion in the UK. Having been a long-term personal investor in precious metals and coming from the business background of running a Vault facility, Seamus was involved in the starting-up of Merrion Gold in 2013. Since then the company has grown to include trading desks in Scotland and mainland UK. With a keen eye and interest in world economics and politics, Seamus and the team at Merrion Gold have rapidly built up a reputation for straight-talking, transparent dealings and educating investors in what is best for them when purchasing or investing in precious metals.

Where does gold / silver derive its value from?

The answer to this question stretches back thousands of years! There are Egyptian hieroglyphs from as early as 2600 BC describing gold as a valuable item. Some of the first minted gold coins to be used as currency were found to be from around 600 BC in Asia. The basic reason gold has come to be so valuable must surely derive from the fact that from days past it was an easy way to move around or travel with your wealth. Of course, it could be worn as jewellery, it is hugely resistant to corrosion and it is (relatively) light. Today the world usage and consumption of new gold produced is about 50% in jewellery, 40% in investments, and 10% in industry.

A lot of the above can be said of silver also, except the world usage and consumption figures are quite different with about 60% of silver being used in industry and teh remainder in jewellery and investment. A little known fact and probably a good way to put the price of gold and silver into perspective is that there is more Silver mined every DAY than there has EVER been gold mined in the history of records!

In general, what is the nature of the relationship between the British and Gold/Silver?

We find on the most part the British tend to move towards investing in gold in times of uncertainty – both political and economic. The Lions share of investors will look at gold as a medium to long-term investment (4-5 years+), with most happy to ride out the dips that usually come at some stage along the way and wait for their investment to top the price they bought at. We have more and more smaller investors getting interested in buying gold and these would tend to be 1-5oz buyers who will buy coins as opposed to bullion. No matter which of these brackets the buyers fall in to they tend to be more educated on the safe-haven value of gold these days.

Which is your favourite gold/silver coin and why?

My own personal favourite coin is the 1oz Gold American Buffalo. I think it is one of the most recognisable coins out there and it’s one of the few coins which I like the design on both the front and reverse. It has a great feeling of heritage and nostalgia about it, and I think it very much looks like the kind of coin one would find in a treasure chest of old!

Do you notice any difference in psychology between the silver and gold investor?

In my experience I find gold investors tend to be a little more relaxed in their attitude to their precious metals investments – most are happy to wait out a longer timescale for their investment to mature – silver investors tend to look for a quicker ‘turnaround’ on their investment. I also feel the silver investor would be more willing to take a higher risk.

What are the most common mistakes of physical Gold and physical Silver investors?

I think the most common mistake first-time investors will make is automatically opting to buy coins – we always ask the purpose of the investment so as to be able to give the best precious metals advice to the client. Clients should understand that with coins there are minting charges and you must also take into account that some coins are more in-demand than others, therefore it is possible that someone purchasing a 1oz gold coin could end up paying a lot more for that 1oz coin than they would a 1oz bullion bar. When they go to sell back to a bullion dealer it will almost always be just valued on the weight, therefore (unless you sell a coin to a coin collector) you will rarely make this difference in price back when you go to sell. There are other pitfalls involved when purchasing gold for the first time, which is why at Merrion Gold we strive to educate our clients as well as serving them in the most efficient manner possible.

Are there any tax advantages in Ireland when investing in Gold or Silver?

The most obvious is that gold is VAT Free, whereas there is VAT applied to all silver sales.

In your experience which silver/gold coin is the most difficult to fake?

The most difficult coins to fake are the newer coins – the likes of the 2017 Britannia and the Canadian Maple (from 2015 on) – these coins have laser-precission waves on the face of them which are practically impossible to fake. It must be noted however that no coin is completely impossible to fake – this is why here at Merrion Gold we have a 6-level testing set-up in-house. Buyers should always be wary of any dealer who does not have sufficient testing set-ups in their business.

Can you describe your 6-level testing set-up?

At Merrion Gold, we have a 6-level testing set-up at our disposal in-house. This enables us to test every precious metal that comes through our company, when either buying or selling. Even though we only trade in LBMA approved refineries, this testing ability means we can ensure all precious metals through our company are 100% as they should be. It is worth noting that some companies will use 1 or 2 methods of testing (some listed below), but we find when all of the testing variations below are used together, the result is as definite as you can get.

Our testing set-up includes:

1. Digital Weighing scales
2. Digital Caliper and dimension matching
3. Magnetic Balance Weighing – this measures the (apparent) weight change in the metal by use of a super-strong test magnet positioned on a digital balance.
4. Electronic Conductivity measuring apparatus
5. Fisch testing implements (for coins and used only in-conjunction with the above)
6. Use of Bullion code matching system.

Can you briefly describe the History of Merrion?

When we started Merrion Gold in 2013, we wanted to create a world-class gold bullion and coin trading service. We offer our clients the complete privacy and security they deserve, this is why we are housed within an actual vault facility. This not only offers clients an environment with total security – but we also offer them the ability to purchase, collect and store their precious metals in the one place.
Our trading volumes have increased year on year, proving to us that if you offer the right service and value to clients they will return time and again. In 2016 we opened our second trading desk in Scotland called Scottish Bullion – and in January of 2017 we opened Newcastle Bullion in the UK.

Can you tell us more about the services you offer?

We buy and sell physical gold bullion and coins. We only deal with LBMA approved refinery’s so our clients can be sure that all gold we sell is ‘good-delivery’ gold. We also have a 6-level testing set-up at Merrion Gold, where all gold moving through us (in OR out) is fully tested and verified. We do not offer any financial advice as we are not QFA’s – however we will give you the very best precious metals advice that you can get.
We also offer safe deposit box rental within the vault (through our sister-company Merrion Vaults) where you can store your precious metals and/or any other valuables you may have.

Why do customers choose Merrion?

I think customers chose Merrion because we are completely transparent and honest in our dealings. The security of being housed within a vault is also a huge plus for us. Our traders have a wealth of knowledge and we try to educate new clients as to what is the best product/s to suit their requirements. Some clients who have given us reviews and feedback online always state that our professionalism and efficiency is second to none. We enjoy what we do here at Merrion Gold and this obviously comes through in our dealings with clients.

Do you sell gold outside the UK / EU?

We can transact with any client anywhere around the world – however when you purchase from us you must collect from one of our vaults. We have vaults currently in Ireland, Scotland and UK. We do not ship to anywhere except to our vaults. If the client cannot make it straightaway for their gold collection, we will securely hold their purchase for them in our company safe deposit box within our vault for up to 30 days at no extra cost.

What are the storing costs after the first 30 free days?

We can store clients purchases within our company vault box for up to 30 days at no cost to the client, to enable them sufficient time to collect their purchase. After 30 days the cost is capped at €45 per month.

Where can potential customers find more about your services?

Potential customers can call me directly at: +353 (0)1 254 7901 – Seamus Doolin – Head of Trading or you can view our website at: www.merriongold.ie

Originally published here

With the evenings getting darker earlier coming into winter, historically home burglaries and break-ins rise in numbers.There are some simple steps we can all take to deter the burglar and make life difficult for them.