The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that gold prices hit an all-time high this month. The Globe's Rob Carrick writes that think of it as a diversifier or a speculative holding suitable for maybe 5 per cent of your portfolio. Buying actual gold is one way to get exposure, but that can be problematic. In a sense, gold as the world's oldest investment is much like one of the newest, cryptocurrency. They are both a pain to own directly because you need to store them securely, and you have the challenges of buying and selling at consistent, transparent, competitive prices. Mr. Carrick says you might consider exchange-traded funds that hold gold bullion. Crypto ETFs are a good comparison. The ETF format turns crypto into something you can slide in and out of your investment account any time during the trading day, and it does the same for gold. Some of these include Purpose Gold Bullion Fund (KILO): Assets of $480-million and a management expense ratio of 0.28 per cent; holds gold bullion stored at the Royal Canadian Mint. Also, there is a closed-end fund called the Sprott Physical Gold Trust (PHYS). This fund has assets of $8.7-billion and a MER of 0.41 per cent. Gold generates no revenues, profits or dividends.