If I have about $1000 to invest, should I buy 2 shares of Amazon ($569/share) or buy $1000 worth of silver? Just a hypothetical.?

frankly I don't think you can buy one share at a time like that. For the more expensive shares you have to buy in bulk (from what I know). If you bought silver and then had tough times then who would you sell it to to get your money out of it (it would be difficult, and no gas station would accept a piece of silver). Keeping that thousand dollars in a bank and borrowing against it at a low interest rate might be a good idea if you're stuck someday, or removing it if you get wind there will be a crash. On the other hand we're expecting another recession (just around the corner) and you might need that money for food or rent, so maybe it's best to just keep it in your bank account and occasionally check to make sure it's still there.

Two shares of Amazon.....because THEIR future value will be tied to how well that company performs in the future based on what they do, whereas the silver will just "sit there" and do NOTHING AT ALL to generate any additional future value....

Adjusted for inflation to 1998 dollars, silver's most recent "high" was US$806/ounce in the year 1477(!) and it has been trending down ever since, because we keep digging more up faster than the world population is growing!

Precious metals are a HEDGE, not an investment!

Investing means putting your money in for a decade or two. Trading is just gambling. Someone with $1k to invest should open an account with a good small mutual fund which could be researched at Morningstar.com.

you'll need $1138 + sales commission to buy 2 shares of Amazon at that p[rice

Amazon stock.

Precious metals are not a suitable investment for those who have to ask if they are such.

amazon.

A decision that you should make for yourself so you would not beat yourself up...

You should kill yourself