How to Invest in Gold Royalties

A gold royalty company invests in gold mines in exchange for future payments or for bargain-priced gold that it can sell for sizable profits. If you want to receive a portion of the royalty income, you can buy the stock of the royalty company. These companies typically pay out about 20 percent of the royalties as dividends to stockholders. To invest knowledgeably, you need to research the royalty companies, understand how they make money and consider the risks.

A typical gold royalty company will invest in 10 to 50 different mines at one time. The company pays the mine an upfront amount in exchange for either a percentage of sales or for the opportunity to buy gold from the mine at a deep discount -- an arrangement called a metal stream. These deals give the royalty company income that isn't affected by the costs that the gold mine experiences, reducing the risk of the investments. However, if the mine goes bankrupt or reduces production, the royalties will cease or decrease. Profits from metal stream deals may decline if the price of gold falls.

You can buy shares of gold royalty companies through a regular brokerage account. Morningstar, an advisory firm, listed 19 gold royalty stocks as of this article's publication date and offers investment advice on each. Prudent investors read the prospectus before buying stock in any company.