Jamie Lee Curtis

As much as I like to argue that you need to be hard-nosed and practical whenever you sink your hard-earned money into precious metals, I realize that most people really invest in gold because a) it's traditional to do so, and b) gold is pretty when the light hits it just right. Those aren't bad reasons, really. They're based on human nature and emotion, and every good salesman knows you have to appeal to both to make a sale. But practicality has also been a factor in the recent gold boom, especially among those who can count the cards and see what's likely to come up in the future. And that future is increasingly high-tech. Read on: High Tech: Just Another Reason to Invest in Gold