December 22, 2025
American Bullion is proud to announce the winner of the 2025 Annual Scholarship Essay Program! A college scholarship of $1,000 has been awarded. Well over 3,400 applications were received in total, and the talented student below was awarded a scholarship worth $1,000. Applicants were asked to write an essay answering the question, “What Are The Benefits Of Gold In An Investment Portfolio?” Participating students offered a wide range of viewpoints, each with its own approach and opinion.
If you are considering entering or wondering how to win a scholarship of your own next year, read the essay below to learn more. Winners are selected from ORIGINAL essays by qualified entrants each year, and the entry of a winning student can help you learn how to get a scholarship of your own. American Bullion is proud to award this scholarship to the deserving student below. The 2025 winner is:
Tim (Kiet) Nguyen – Arizona State University, Tempe
Nevtan Akcora, Co-Founder and President of American Bullion said, “I am very happy to see the number of applicants to our annual scholarship contest continue to increase each year. Moreover, I am very excited to see that so many Generation Z members understand the importance and potential of alternative investments, such as gold and other physical precious metals. Again, I’d like to thank all of the participants for their submissions in this year’s competition and wish the best for all in their academic endeavors and beyond.”
Winners’ Thoughts & Essay
“I’m a freshman majoring in Accounting at Arizona State University. With a passion for finance and technology-driven practices, I’ve sought opportunities in these fields through clubs, internships, competitions, and scholarships, and I’m extremely grateful and honored to have been selected as the winner of the 12th Annual American Bullion Scholarship Essay Contest. This scholarship not only reinforces my passion for what I’m pursuing but also eases my financial pressure and encourages me to move forward. I’d like to thank the American Bullion Scholarship Team for their thoughtful consideration and for this generous $1,000 award.
Go Devils!”
Winning Essay:
Why Gold Should Always Exist In Every Investor’s Portfolio
Gold, as my grandfather always told our family, is the most sustainable and best asset that one can ever have. Obviously, at his time, other assets such as ETFs, crypto, and stocks didn’t even exist, let alone being popular. However, in today’s time, no matter how diverse an investor’s portfolio is, among that mix, you’ll likely find the investment of gold. Gold, along with goods, emerged as a foundation of purchasing power thousands of years ago and has stood against the erosion of time and the fluctuating economic market to become an indispensable asset in any investor’s portfolio. In this essay, I will discuss the pivotal role that gold plays and how it benefits your investment portfolio.
Diversification
“Don’t put all the eggs in one basket,” my parents told me when I was a child. Back then, I just thought that they didn’t want their eggs ruined by me on the way home after shopping at the market. Now, however, as a young investor, I understand that golden rule more than ever. Gold, like any other investment, is a different basket that investors typically put their eggs in. For example, an investor might put their eggs in different baskets: “stocks, gold, real estate…” This practice protects investors from the effects of an economic crash. In case one basket falls and breaks all the eggs, the other eggs are still safe, and their values are hopefully still appreciating.
Gold: The Lifebuoy Of Investing
In times of economic recessions and inflation, the government and central banks handle this problem by raising interest rates or reducing the money supply to encourage people to save their money instead of spending it. During such times, while typical assets like savings, stocks, and real estate usually decline in value, gold often remains stable or even appreciates, thanks to its limited amount. A decade of high inflation during the 1970s, for instance, gold prices surged from about $35 to over $800 per ounce, and have now reached around $4,200 per ounce – a record in recent years. This negative correlation makes it an extremely appealing asset for investors to buy – gold serves as a lifebuoy for their portfolio. With that being said, the value of gold doesn’t always remain unchanged or appreciate throughout history. When the government and central banks successfully control inflation, investors tend to sell gold to buy other high-risk, high-return assets like stocks and bonds that make gold’s value depreciate.
Liquidity – Like Water – But Can Be Exchanged For Money Instantly
Another prime benefit of gold is its liquidity – not in solid, liquid, or gas form, but in how easily it can be turned into cash. Since the history and value of gold are rooted in most countries around the world, together with goods, gold was the foundation of monetary exchange. Most people around the world are familiar with the value of gold and are willing to exchange it for equivalent value, which makes it one of the most liquid assets. In World War II, for example, when paper money became valueless, refugees used gold in their jewelry to exchange for food, water, and shelter. In the present day, you can go to most countries in the world and use gold to exchange for goods or money instantly without any translation, while other assets are often tied to local markets and can’t usually be sold immediately. Additionally, gold can now be traded instantly on global markets through gold-backed ETFs and futures contracts. Gold may not flow like water, but with its high liquidity, it moves just as fast when you need to convert its value.
The Timeless Asset
Gold, as critics argue, doesn’t have interest rates or dividends like other assets, which makes it unattractive. However, this is offset by its long-term value generation, which is gold’s greatest strength. Specifically, gold cannot surge 30% in profit overnight like stocks or crypto, but it also doesn’t collapse after a CEO’s tweet or a market crash, and often grows in value over time. In a world where high-risk, high-return investments are so appealing, gold continues to stand as a timeless symbol of stability.
The views and opinions expressed in the above essays are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of American Bullion, Inc., its affiliates, or its employees. American Bullion does not guarantee the information’s accuracy or completeness, and does not recommend that the information serve as the basis of any investment decision. Although the information in this commentary has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, American Bullion does not guarantee its accuracy, and such information may be incomplete or condensed. The opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. American Bullion will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information, nor for the availability of this information. All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and should not be used to make buy or sell decisions for any type of precious metals.