An easy way to buy gold and silver without having to pay large fees charged by mutual fund companies is via an ETF. There are many types of Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) that are related to gold and silver.  You can choose ETF's that focus solely on the metals only ones that focus on the gold and silver mining sectors.  Many etf's have 1 to 1 leverage, however there are some gold and silver etf's that use leverage.  We suggest doing some research on each etf and if it is appropriate for your investment objectives. Many gold and silver etf trade like a typical security on an exchange, thus purchase costs and management fees can be very low as compared to mutual funds.  You can also choose diversified etf's that focus on a basket of goods or companies in the metals (gold and silver) and mining industry, this helps reduce risk while still giving you great exposure to this sector.

Here are a few Canadian based companies that have ETF's focused on Gold and Silver.

The iShares™ CDN Gold Sector Index Fund seeks to provide long-term capital growth by replicating, to the extent possible, the performance of the S&P®/TSX® Global Gold Index through investments in the constituent issuers of such index, net of expenses. The Index is comprised of securities of global gold sector issuers selected by S&P using its industrial classifications and guidelines for evaluating issuer capitalization, liquidity and fundamentals.

http://ca.ishares.com/product_info/fund_overview.do?ticker=XGD

The iShares™ CDN Materials Sector Index Fund seeks to provide long-term capital growth by replicating, to the extent possible, the performance of the S&P®/TSX® Capped Materials Index through investments in the constituent issuers of such index, net of expenses. The Index is comprised of the securities of Canadian materials sector issuers listed on the TSX, selected by S&P using its industrial classifications and guidelines for evaluating issuer capitalization, liquidity and fundamentals.

http://ca.ishares.com/product_info/fund_overview.do?ticker=XMA

HORIZONS BETAPRO ETFS

Horizons BetaPro Exchange Traded Funds (HBP ETFs), a unique series of alternative Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), are designed to help investors achieve their investment goals in all market conditions. HBP ETFs go beyond traditional index funds. HBP Bull Plus ETFs seek to double the daily performance of a market index. HBP Bear Plus ETFs seek twice the daily returns opposite those of an index. Combined, Horizons BetaPro ETFs allow investors to profit or protect in all market environments.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Horizons BetaPro S&P/TSX Global Gold Bull+ ETF (HBP Gold Bull+ ETF) and the Horizons BetaPro S&P/TSX Global Gold Bear+ ETF (HBP Gold Bear+ ETF) seek daily investment results equal to 200% the daily performance, or inverse daily performance, of the S&P/TSX Global Gold Index™ , before fees and expenses. The Index consists of securities of global gold sector issuers listed on the TSX, NYSE, NASDAQ and AMEX.

http://reports.theglobeandmail.com/jcap/en/66038/html/jovianf/

HBP COMEX® Gold Bullion Bull+ ETF (HBU)

HBP COMEX® Gold Bullion Bear+ ETF (HBD)

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The HBP COMEX® Gold Bullion Bull Plus ETF seeks daily investment results, before fees, expenses, distributions, brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, that endeavour to correspond to two times (200%) the daily performance of the COMEX® Gold Bullion Index. If the HBP COMEX® Gold Bullion Bull Plus ETF is successful in meeting its investment objective, its net asset value should gain approximately twice as much, on a percentage basis, as the COMEX® Gold Bullion Index when the index rises on a given day. Conversely, the HBP COMEX® Gold Bullion Bull Plus ETFs net asset value should lose approximately twice as much, on a percentage basis, as the index when the index declines on a given day.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY
The HBP COMEX® Gold Bullion Bull+ ETF and the HBP COMEX® Gold Bullion Bear+ ETF take positions in financial instruments and/or equity securities to seek daily investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to twice the daily performance or inverse performance of the COMEX® Gold Bullion Index®. On specified dates these futures contracts are rolled mechanically into a subsequent futures contract before the current position expires according to a defined schedule. This mechanism also allows the investor to maintain an exposure to commodities over time.HBP ETFs are rebalanced daily, so risk is limited to the initial invested capital. As a result, 200%/-200% benchmark tracking over a longer period is dependent upon the extent of compounding and the underlying benchmark volatility. To minimize these effects, longer term investors should rebalance their HBP ETF holdings periodically.

http://reports.theglobeandmail.com/jcap/en/68300/html/jovianf/

HBP COMEX® Silver Bull+ ETF (HZU)

HBP COMEX® Silver Bear+ ETF (HZD)

HORIZONS BETAPRO ETFS
Horizons BetaPro Exchange Traded Funds (HBP ETFs), a unique series of alternative Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), are designed to help investors achieve their investment goals in all market conditions. HBP ETFs go beyond traditional index funds. HBP Bull Plus ETFs seek to double the daily performance of a market index. HBP Bear Plus ETFs seek twice the daily returns opposite those of an index. Combined, Horizons BetaPro ETFs allow investors to profit or protect in all market environments.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The HBPCOMEX® Silver Bull ETF seeks daily investment results, before fees, expenses, distributions, brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, that endeavour to correspond to two times (200%) the daily performance of the COMEX® silver futures contract for the next delivery month. The HBP COMEX® Silver Bull ETF is denominated in Canadian dollars. Any U.S. dollar gains or losses as a result of the ETF's investment will be hedged back to the Canadian dollar to the best of the ETF's ability.

http://reports.theglobeandmail.com/jcap/en/72645/html/jovianf/