Gold has recently shot up the ranks as one of the best and safest investments to make this year. With the gold price expected to reach at least $1,000 per troy ounce before the decade is out we can see why.

A WHOPPING 78 per cent of Australians believe houses are overvalued and many report their homes have fallen in value, according to a survey of NEWS.com.au readers. So far, 34 per cent of people reported the value of their property had decreased while two in 10 had either bought or sold properties at lower than expected prices. The survey of 1181 NEWS.com.au readers conducted from 31 August to 4 September found there is a much lower intention to buy or invest in residential property than in recent years. The survey of readers was conducted by polling firm Coredata. Given the downturn in the housing market, a large number of people (50 per cent) expected property prices to fall over the next quarter. Only 19 per cent of respondents expected house prices to improve over the next quarter. The majority of respondents said falling house prices did not harm them. "Comments from the majority of respondents show that these decreases are not having any real impact on their financial security," said Hendrik Vos, partner at Coredata. However, some people have been hurt by falling prices. "I overextended my financial resources to get into the property market and may end up in a 'negative equity' situation," said one respondent.