One path to golden riches, the magazine found, was the most old-fashioned - prospecting for gold in streams and other potentially gold-rich locations. The Gold Prospectors Association of American, based in Temecula, California, says that its membership jumed 93 percent in 2008, with more than 62,000 members around the country.
Others have taken a more modern, entrepreneurial approach, as is the case with the magazine's profile of Arizona Gold Adventures founder Terry Soloman. The idea behind his company is simple - gold prospecting tourism, taking visitors out around Congress, Arizona to do a some prospecting for $350 daily fee.
The magazine also identified some more esoteric ways of playing the rise in gold, such as Hon Corporation's gold "vending machines." It has installed 20 machines in retail establishments around Korea, selling card-sized wafers of gold that weigh between .5 and 10 grams. It's trying to expand into the U.S. and Europe.
BusinessWeek also identified an interesting niche market that's benefited from increasing investment in gold - safe manufacturers. When buying physical gold, owning a safe and secure location that is easily accessible in case of emergency is an important consideration.
A high-end safe, proof against all but the most dedicated burglars, as well as natural disasters like flood and fire, is necessary if investors want to store their physical gold holdings on their own property. Dean Safe of Arleta, California told the magazine that 2009 brought the best sales in the company's 35-year history.
Overall the magazine paints a picture of an intriguing "gold economy" springing up as the metal generates fresh opportunities. With some analysts predicting gold prices as high as $2,000 or even $5,000 per troy ounce in the next five years, many investors are choosing this moment to diversify their investment portfolios with precious metals.
Add in fears of inflation, or worse, hyperinflation, and the economic picture being painted makes a pretty good case for the yellow metal.
