By Kayla McBride
Silver investing is becoming almost as noteworthy and popular as Gold investing has become. A timeless metal, investing in Silver is fascinating because the metal is pleasant to look at and provides an uncanny outlook in any investor's portfolio or in any collectors' collection. Here are the top 10 secrets if you want to be a successful silver investor.

--Read up on investing in silver - while not as common as its counterpart, gold, knowing as much as you can about any kind of investing prohibits and limits risk, bad investing and overall problems that may be avoided.

--Know your options - speak with another investor about the varying types you can purchase. Investing in silver as with gold comes in a variety of options including coins and bars, silver ETF's and mining stocks, just to name a few.

--Investment Goals are a must - knowing why you want to purchase silver is the most important thing to consider when becoming a successful investor. This is one of the best kept secrets because many investors buy silver because they want it in their portfolio. Understanding how investing in silver and owning it will benefit you is the key in your investment strategy.

--Research - knowing the best kinds of silver coins and bars to buy is vital. How will you know if you are buying reputable silver investments if you do not research who sells it and the best kind of silver to invest in.

--Finding an honest dealer - as with any investment, know who you are dealing with. This secret is often the most hidden because there are many dealers who are charging too much premium and might not be very honest.

--Keep to your investment budget - do not go overboard in your Silver purchasing. If you considered buying 5% of your portfolio, do not buy more to increase investment risks. Stick to what you know and with the goals you have set for a successful silver investment experience.

--Finding the right form of silver to buy - as with knowing the options, this particular secret allows you to view the differences between silver coins and silver bars. Why would you purchase a silver coin if you wanted more risk with another form of silver like silver mining stocks, for example?

--Strategize - as with all markets, knowing the right timing and having a proper strategy is the key to success. This of course, is the key with anything. Know what you are getting into before you do with an investing in silver strategy. It will aid and help you in the long run to get a lucrative return on your purchase.

--Do not risk something you cannot afford to risk - while investing in silver is considered the less volatile of most precious metals, it is important with any purchase or investment to know the risk involved.

--Compare investment costs across all silver investing mechanisms such as silver coins, silver ETF's, silver mining stocks or silver futures. Every mechanism has costs attached to it that should be carefully considered.