Gold IRA Companies Analyses, Comparisons & News
Best Gold IRA Companies
Our rankings, conclusions and recommendations about the gold IRA providers analyzed here are based largely on (but not limited to) Better Business Bureau, Business Consumer Alliance and Trustlink customer feedback, ratings, endorsements and complaints. More…
![]() | Our Top Pick | Second | Third |
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Years In Business | 11 | 16 | 8 |
BBB Rating | A+ | A+ | A+ |
BBB Customer Complaints | ZERO (all time) | 12 (closed in last 3 years) | 22 (closed in last 3 years) |
BCA Rating | AAA | AAA | AA |
BCA Complaints | ZERO (all time) | 0 (last 3 years) | 1 (closed last 3 years) |
Trustlink Rating | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Trustlink Reviews | 275+ | 250+ | 2 |
Dedicated IRA dept | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Min Gold IRA Investment | $50,000 | $25,000 | $10,000 |
IRA Transfer Process | as fast as 2 days | as fast as 2 days | as fast as 3 days |
401k Rollover Process | 7 to 14 days | 14 to 28 days | 7 to 14 days |
Segregated Storage | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Buy Back Policy | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
New Customer Incentive #1 | FREE Gold gift when you open a Gold IRA | FREE silver when you open a Gold IRA | FREE silver when you open a Gold IRA |
New Customer Incentive #2 | up to 10 years of custodian and storage fees covered | first year fees waived for IRAs above $50,000 | Up to 3 years with no IRA Fees; No Transfer, Storage or Maintenance Fees |
New Customer Incentive #3 | free one-on-one educational web conference with Harvard trained economist | ||
Full Analysis | Full Analysis | Full Analysis | |
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Gold IRA Companies Analyzed
* OUR TOP RECOMMENDED GOLD IRA COMPANY…
#1 – Augusta Precious Metals
ZERO BBB and BCA Complaints EverZERO BBB and BCA complaints since it began in 2012 (probably the only gold IRA company that can say this) and a clear commitment to education, transparency and competitive pricing landed Augusta at the top of our list. It charges only about 5% over cost for bullion and pays up to 10 years of fees for you.
Most importantly, this company stays with customers as a resource “over the entire lifetime of your account”. This begins with robust education to help consumers understand the economy and precious metals. Augusta specializes almost 100% in gold IRAs.
Augusta Precious Metals has been voted:
- “Best Overall Gold IRA Company’ in 2022 and 2023 by Money Magazine
- “Most Transparent Company” by Investopedia’
- “Best of” by TrustLink for 6 successive years
It is the only gold IRA company with a free, one-on-one web conference, hosted by an on-staff Harvard-trained economist. He and his team provide information many financial advisors won’t share. 1000s of 5-star customer ratings confirm this high level of ongoing customer service.
Augusta uses a proven, assembly-style process with teamwide support to make opening accounts easy, fast, transparent, and highly compliant – what you see is what you get.
Finally, we are impressed Augusta was hand-selected as the #1 choice of Joe Montana’s personal financial advisors who have managed his multimillion-dollar retirement savings for years. That’s about as good a recommendation as you can get!
Overall, we consider Augusta Precious Metals to be the market leader in .
#2 – Goldco
High Percentage of Satisfied Customers
Goldco state that their mission is to educate their customers on how and why to safeguard their retirements and to make it as easy as possible for them to leverage precious metals to protect their retirement nest eggs from inflation, economic uncertainties and stock market crashes.
We found that to do so they offer extensive education resources, excellent customer service and they take pride in personalizing their services in accordance with each individual customer’s circumstances, retirement goals and needs.
They started in business in 2006 focusing on cash deals for precious metals and have evolved into a company which today is 80% Gold IRA orientated.
They rate very highly on all the main independent consumer feedback portals where we found a high percentage of positive comments (93%).
Also, we noticed that Goldco are ranked among the top 3 Precious Metals Companies by multiple sites.
Customers are seen to have particularly appreciated the ease of opening and rolling over or transferring their funds into a new Gold IRA and the way Goldco took care of all the paperwork and liaisons with third parties on their behalf.
Goldco offers one of the most generous promotions in the industry to new Precious Metals IRA customers. They give them 5% of their investments between $50,000 and $100,000 back in free silver and for investments in excess of $100,000 this rises to 10%, with no upper limit.
#3 – American Hartford Gold
American Hartford Gold have only been in business since 2015 but have made rapid progress to now stand shoulder to shoulder alongside many of their more established competitors. So much so that they were rated the #1 fastest growing American private Gold Company by Inc. 5000 in both 2021 and 2022.
During their rapid growth they have served thousands of satisfied customers, as evidenced by their top rankings at the main independent consumer feedback portals. Worthy of mention is their performance and reputation at Trustpilot where they have achieved an overall 4.9/5 Star ‘Excellent’ rating based on 1000+ consumer submissions. 91% of those customers awarded them 5 Stars (the maximum) and 8% of them gave them 4 Stars.
Such positive customer feedback demonstrates that the Company’s two primary executives, Sandford Mann and Scott Gerlis are very serious in their declared intentions of providing the ultimate in customer service. Whenever they have received complaints or negative feedback there is evidence that their company has always dealt with them promptly and professionally.
Your precious metals investments are shipped to either your door if they are cash deals or to the depository if part of a Gold IRA, fully insured, tracked and free of charge.
The Company has a Buy Back Program for customers who wish to liquidate their assets and which they recommend they take advantage of as they charge no liquidation fees and assist with shipping.
The American Hartford Gold service extends no further than offering precious metals (gold, silver and platinum) to Americans either inside retirement accounts or as cash deals, such is their lazer focus on their core business. They have no other distractions.
#4 – Advantage Gold
Advantage Gold are one of the newer Gold IRA Companies, having only been in business since 2014. They have quickly made up ground on some of their more established competitors however and have carved out a solid reputation within the industry.
They put a big emphasis on educating would be customers and they provide them with a wealth of useful information about gold investing, Gold IRAs and the different types of coins and bullion that are IRS approved for IRAs. This includes their ‘First Time Gold Investor Program’ which has been very well received.
It helps that one of Advantage Gold’s co-founders is an award winning writer who has had one of his books (which is available to download free from their website) ranked #1 Financial Book in America by USA Today.
Also from their website you can access their blog which is updated regularly with topical industry news items.
Advantage Gold have excellent ratings and many positive customer reports on the main independent consumer feedback portals.
The highlight is at Trustlink where they were voted #1 Trusted Gold IRA Company for no less than 5 years in a row between 2016 and 2020.
#5 – Lear Capital
Best Online Presence
Lear Capital are one of the most established precious metal dealers in the United States, having been in business since 1997. They can assist you whether you want to buy precious metals bullion to hold, to acquire premium rare coins or to add physical precious metals to your IRA.
They are very high profile and inter-active online, which is no coincidence because they have made it their goal to maintain a greater digital presence than any other gold and precious metals company. Their website is manned from 9am to 6pm PST daily, providing real time assistance and it is updated daily and weekly with the latest precious metals, investment and retirement related information.
They provide each of their customers with a personal account representative who is there to give them real time investment assistance together with a secure online ordering facility.
Lear Capital offer either gold or silver IRAs (or a combination of both) and they have streamlined the set up process into three straightforward steps to make it as easy as possible for you to get started.
They have the highest possible ratings at the Better Business Bureau and Business Consumer Alliance and they are an Authorised Dealer with the PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service).
#6 – Birch Gold Group
Excellent Ratings
Birch Gold Group was established in 2003 and has built up a solid reputation at the main independent consumer feedback portals. They have the highest possible ratings at the Better Business Bureau (A+), Business Consumer Alliance (AAA) and Trustlink (5 Stars). At Trustpilot they are rated 4.8 out of 5 Stars. During our research we found mainly positivity and very little negativity about this Company.
They are clearly focused on Customer Service as they proclaim that it is their mission to educate their customers on all aspects of investing in precious metals, and to listen to their needs first before trying to introduce their products to them.
They offer Precious Metals IRAs which can include gold, silver, platinum and palladium, with a minimum investment of $10,000. They have an in house IRA department with specialists who will assist you with opening a precious metals IRA or rolling over your existing retirement fund.
Birch Gold Group have a high profile with a lot of exposure in the media, particularly on major news platforms. This includes regular interviews on the Ben Shapira Show at The Daily Wire, where the host makes no secret of his strong allegiances towards this Company.
#7 – Gainesville Coins
Specialist Coins
Gainesville Coins have been in business since 2000. Their core products are government-issued gold and silver coins and investment-grade precious metals. In addition they design and mint their own silver coins.
They are members of the Certified Coin Exchange (CCE), Coin Net, the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA).
They are authorized dealers for the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) and the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
The Company is an authorized distributor for a number of major worldwide government mints. These include the U.S Mint, the UK’s Royal Mint, the French Monnaie de Paris, the Royal Australian Mint, the Australian Perth Mint and the New Zealand Mint.
Because they hold such a large inventory of coins Gainesville are able to offer competitive wholesale prices and discounts for bulk purchases. They have an online shop from where you can purchase coins 24/7. Their website is updated on a regular basis with new arrivals.
They have gone to a lot of effort to ensure your online purchases are secure. Their website uses SSL 128-bit encryption, it is checked daily by Norton Secured Malware Prevention and McAfee Secure and it is verified by Network Solutions.
Gainesville Coins are also an authorized depository. This is an on-site secure vault where they store their customers’ metals. This allows them to work with IRA custodians to offer their customers a Gold IRA service.
#8 – Blanchard and Company
Long Established Gold Dealer
Blanchard and Company was established in 1975 in New Orleans, Florida and is still based there today. They are staffed by experts in precious metals and numismatics, as well as by economists, trend analysts and rarity consultants.
You possibly would not be reading this article today if it weren’t for their founder James Blanchard. Back in the day when there were government laws in the United States prohibiting private individuals from buying gold as an investment he had the vision to appreciate the benefits of private gold holdings and the determination to get those restrictive laws retracted. He founded the NCLG (National Committee to Legalize Gold) and managed to successfully get the law overturned. His endeavors are a reason why Americans can freely invest in Gold IRAs today.
Mr Blanchard’s legacy lives on. His company which survives him prides itself on giving individual attention to each of its customers and on educating them on the benefits of investing in gold.
They have a 3 Step process for rolling over an existing IRA or 401k or for establishing a new Precious Metals IRA. Firstly, they will check whether your existing IRA qualifies or whether you need to open a new one. Secondly, if you don’t already have a custodian to hold the precious metals added to your Gold IRA they will introduce you to their custodian partner Goldstar Trust Company, with whom they have a longstanding relationship. Thirdly, once your account has been funded they will help you decide on the type and quantity of metals to purchase based on your needs, personal circumstances and investment goals.
#9 – BGASC
Specialist Numismatics Coins
We have included this analysis for any of our readers who are interested in investing in numismatic (collectible) coins outside of an IRA in addition to setting up a Gold IRA, and wish to work with the same company for both.
IRS regulations strictly control the types of precious metals that can be added to an IRA and numismatics are not included. While BGASC are a specialist numismatics company they appreciate that some of their customers wish to include precious metals in their retirement accounts so they cater for those needs.
For numismatics BGASC are the ‘go to’ company. Investing in collectible coins can be risky as there are many unscrupulous companies out there who prey on inexperienced investors with the intent of scamming them. BGASC’s reputation and ratings show that they are among the good guys.
Their credentials speak for themselves. They are insured by Lloyds of London and their memberships include NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation), ANA (American Numismatic Association), PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) and CCE (Certified Coin Exchange). They purchase non-bullion coins in bulk from the US Mint
The minimum investment for a BGASC Gold IRA is $30,000. They will guide you on the eligible precious metals that can be included. They have a number of different preferred partner custodians that they will recommend if you don’t already have one.
We wouldn’t normally recommend BGASC for a Gold IRA alone as this is not their area of specialism but if you wish to invest in both numismatics and a Gold IRA and you prefer to do both under the same roof then we consider that BGASC would be a wise choice.
#10 – Goldline
Exclusive Dealer
Goldline started in business in 1960, making them one of America’s longest established precious metals dealers.
They are a Los Angeles based company. Their staff of over 160 include Personal Account Executives who assist customers individually in making their precious metals buying and selling decisions and in following the necessary procedures.
They are proud to be the exclusive dealer for a number of bullion products from some of the leading mints around the world. They are equally proud to have safely delivered precious metals valued at over $4 billion since their incorporation.
Goldline’s trademarked Express IRA® Program offers a simple 3 step process for getting started, much of which can be done online. They claim that your self-directed IRA set up and metals acquisition can be achieved in as quickly as one business day.
#11 – Rosland Capital
Supplier of Exclusive Specialty Coins
Santa Monica, California based Rosland Capital has been in business since 2008, and currently employs around 70 people.
They also have an international presence, serving overseas customers from offices in London, Hong Kong, Germany and Sweden. Their CEO Marin Aleksov has been in the precious metals industry for over 20 years.
Rosland proudly proclaim that they are the exclusive supplier of many specialty gold and silver coins. They have partnered in the sporting world with Formula 1 and the PGA tour to bring fans and customers alike a range of beautifully crafted coins which are 100% exclusive and licensed for collections. These coins are limited editions and commemorate some of the more historic moments in sport.
They have a 6-Step process for setting up one of their Gold or Silver IRAs. This includes a discussion with one of their knowledgeable representatives to discuss your individual circumstances, to determine your retirement needs and to set your investment goals.
Gold IRA Companies Research
How We Conducted Our Research For Our Gold IRA Companies Analyses
- We first identified the companies that we wanted to analyze:
- we checked out the high profile ones mentioned on TV, radio, and on social media
- we checked the ones mentioned most frequently on comparison sites
- we narrowed it down to a list of 11 companies to deeply delve into
- We checked those companies out at the main independent consumer rating sites such as Better Business Bureau, Business Consumer Alliance and Trustlink:
- we compared the ratings of each company side by side
- we checked the amount of negative comments and complaints from customers and how the companies had dealt with them
- We did extensive research into customer feedback on each company:
- we looked for mentions of high customer service levels
- we looked for recurring topics in both the positive and the negative comments
- we checked which companies had the highest percentage of positive reports
- We did extensive research into customer feedback on each company:
- We made Mystery Shopper phone calls to each company to find out how knowledgeable and helpful their representatives were
- We scrutinized each company’s website:
- we checked for USPs (Unique Selling Points)
- We scrutinized each company’s website:
- We compared the Fees charged by each company side by side
- We created our own scoring system (1 to 5 Stars) and rated each company after taking all the criteria above into account
Tips For Your Due Diligence
Sifting through the many Gold IRA Companies out there and choosing a trustworthy, reliable and reputable one to work with is the next step once you’ve made the decision to invest in a Gold IRA to protect and enhance your retirement. You’ve worked hard to provide for your latter years and it’s essential to safeguard and grow your savings and investments.
It is equally as important to understand the criteria for choosing the right company to work with and to make enlightened and informed decisions about the company that is right for you as it is to understand the process for setting up your Gold IRA.
We hope that the following tips will help you with your research and due diligence:
10 Top Tips For Comparing Gold IRA Companies… and For Identifying Ones You Can Really Trust
It is essential when researching Gold IRA Companies that you know how to identify one that is reputable, trustworthy and reliable, and one that is able to give you the comprehensive service that you require.
We recommend that in addition to reading third party reports and ratings you also call some of the companies yourself in order to get a feel for how they operate and to assess how comfortable you feel with them.
Here are some important considerations and questions to ask:
#1 – Does The Gold IRA Company Have Expertise In Retirement Funds as Well as Precious Metals?
If you choose Gold IRA Companies that have a specialized department and/or staff with expertise in retirement funds it will make the Gold IRA set up, transfer or rollover process much quicker and simpler for you since they will be able to take care of everything for you in-house.
Recommendation: IRA rules and the associated tax implications and benefits can be a bit of a minefield at the best of times, and even more so when a specialised type of IRA such as a precious metals one is involved. For this reason it is wise to work with a company that has expertise in these areas.
#2 – Is The Gold IRA Company Accessible?
It’s best to choose a company that is responsive over the phone and is available to answer your call whenever you feel the need to speak to someone (during normal business hours of course). Your retirement is important to you so it is essential that you are able to get a feel for, and feel comfortable with, both the company and the personnel. It’s difficult to do that by email alone.
Some of the better Gold IRA companies will allocate an account representative to you once you become a customer. This is the ideal scenario because they will be acquainted with your account and your individual circumstances.
Recommendation: Select a company that you can talk to and which has a good track record for customer service. Steer clear of any who appear to be ‘pushy’. You should also be wary of anyone who cold calls you and tries to lure you with all sorts of offers and ‘special deals’.
#3 – How Are Their Gold IRA Fees Structured?
Do they offer flat fees or scaled fees?.. Many new investors realize too late the impact that scaled admin and storage fees have over time. Scaled fees are a percentage of your fund (typically 0.1%).
This will not be so relevant if your account is a smaller one of say, less than $100,000 but if you are investing more than that it is essential. Bear in mind that even if your initial investment is smaller, with inflation and appreciation your account will grow naturally – and so will your fee if it is scaled. Plus you may decide to add further funds at a later date.
A retirement account such as a Gold backed IRA is normally a long term investment, and over a period of 10 to 20 years you could end up paying thousands of dollars in fees unnecessarily if they are scaled. The table below gives examples of this:
Investment Balance | Flat Annual Fees | Scaled Fees @ 0.1% |
$250,000 | $250 | $250 |
$500,000 | $250 | $500 |
$1,000,000 | $250 | $1000 |
$5,000,000 | $250 | $5000 |
Note: Some of the top Gold IRA companies will waive set up fees and storage/admin fees in year one for certain minimum investment levels.
Recommendation: Choose a company that charges low flat rate admin and storage fees and be wary of any companies who tell you that they offer flat fees just to lure you in, then slip in additional fees later on in the process. Check whether the company you are considering using will waive their set up and first year’s fees.
#4 – What Is Their Gold IRA Account Set Up Procedure and Timescale?
You want the account set up to be as effortless as possible on your part, and without it taking any longer than necessary. Some companies will do pretty much everything for you including completing all the Gold IRA paperwork on your behalf and just sending it to you to check and sign. This is the ideal scenario!
Recommendation: When speaking to a Company ask them how much involvement is required by you, what their set up process is and how long it takes. The least you have to do is obviously the better (provided of course you are entrusting an expert to do it for you) and you don’t want it dragging on for too long. Be wary of any companies who are unable or unprepared to give you a timescale. Between two and four weeks is reasonable. This will vary according to your particular circumstances and whether it’s a new IRA, a transfer or a rollover.
#5 – How Long Does The Gold Company Take to Deliver Your Precious Metals?
An important part of the process is the delivery then storage of your metals. You want the delivery to be prompt and seamless so that you can then relax in the knowledge that everything has been completed and taken care of.
One of the biggest topics for customer complaints about precious metals companies is delivery times. Some can take many months. There have even been incidences of unscrupulous dealers offering lower prices to lure customers away from their competitors by speculating on future spot prices. Then when their gamble went wrong they had to wait (and pray) for the spot price to get to where they projected in order to fulfil the contract.
Recommendation: Ask the Company what their delivery times and terms are. Some of the more trusted Gold IRA companies offer guarantees backed up by compensation schemes for late deliveries.
#6 – How Does The Gold IRA Company Store Your Precious Metals?
The Important Differences Between ‘Segregated’, ‘Commingled’, ‘Allocated’ and ‘Non Allocated’ Storage
With Gold IRAs the IRS rules dictate that up to the age of 59½ you cannot hold the metals yourself and that instead they need to be stored on your behalf at a depository.
You should always opt for segregated (dedicated) storage at the depository to ensure that your metals do not get commingled (mixed) or damaged with inferior products that have been sent there by a different company for their customers. Segregated storage is far more safe and secure.
Taking it a stage further there are some depositories that will allow segregated storage of gold but not of silver. This is relevant information you need to know from the Gold IRA company that you select because you may decide to include some silver as well as gold in your Gold IRA either from the outset or at some point in the future. (Note that the term ‘Gold IRA’ is often a generic term for a Precious Metals IRA). It may surprise you to learn that some gold IRA companies are unaware that their preferred depository differentiates between gold and silver when it comes to segregated storage!
Beware of unscrupulous dealers who try to hook you in with lower prices based on commingled storage, then try to up sell you on the benefits of (higher priced) segregated storage later on.
You also want to check whether the metals are allocated or non allocated whilst in storage. Allocated means that in effect they have your name on them. This would be vitally important in a situation whereby the storage company went out of business because metals that are allocated personally to you could not be grabbed by their creditors.
Recommendation: Only consider Gold IRA Companies that offer segregated and allocated storage as standard for all metal types and which include this in their storage fees as a matter of course. Make sure that their preferred depository is of high repute.
#7 – Are The Gold IRA Company’s Representatives Trying To Promote a Particular Type of Coin or Product?
There are pros and cons with both bullion and rare coins. Bullion coins are valued in accordance with the market price of gold. Rare coins are valued in accordance with their rarity and the demand for them. This makes bullion coins a less risky investment even though you could make more profit with rare coins.
It is important to be aware of this and not be railroaded into buying a particular type of coin by the Gold IRA companies themselves or by any of their representatives who have their own interests (higher margins and/or commissions) at heart rather than those of their customers. Typically such companies will use the ‘bait and switch’ sales/advertising approach, i.e. they hook you in with promises of special deals and low dealer fees then use clever, influential sales tactics to persuade you to buy higher priced rare coins which give them much higher profit margins.
Recommendation: Only consider gold IRA companies that have a strong reputation and which do not try to push you into buying one particular type of coin, particularly after advertising a different type. Different types of gold coins
#8 – Does The Company Have a Precious Metals Buyback Program?
There may come a time when you want or need to liquidate your precious metals investment. In these circumstances you will want to get a fair value for them and you will want the procedure to be quick and straightforward. It will obviously be easier if you already have a relationship with the company you use for liquidation and if they are familiar with your account and circumstances. You will want them to take your best interests into account rather than taking advantage of your situation to make a quick profit.
Recommendation: Start with the end in mind. Check prices and delivery times for selling your metals back to the Company at the outset when you are doing your initial research.
#9 – Are They a Well Established Gold IRA Company With a Solid Reputation?
Only consider Gold IRA Companies that have a good public reputation and have been in business for a number of years, and ones that have been endorsed by independent, reliable sources such as investment magazines and consumer advocacy sites.
Recommendation: Choose a vendor who is accredited by some sort of trade association or consumer protection organization. This is because they will have had to be vetted by the organization before being accredited and it demonstrates that the particular vendor is showing transparency. This includes disclosing publically full details of any previous customer disputes and an update on if and how they have been resolved.
There are 3 independent resources that have an excellent reputation for providing company performance data and consumer feedback, namely the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the Business Consumer Alliance (BCA) and Trustlink.
These are all third party, neutral websites which promote honest feedback from genuine customers and which have certain security measures in place to detect and prevent fraudulent reports.
Our analyses, ratings, comparisons, recommendations and conclusions regarding all the Gold IRA Companies referred to on this site take all of the information posted on these independent sites into account, as well as, amongst other things, comments, both positive and negative, posted online by consumers who have used the companies in question.
#10 – Keep Yourself Updated On Any Gold Scams Operated By Unscrupulous Gold IRA Companies
Our final tip is not in the form of a question to ask the various companies that you’re considering using. Instead it’s a recommendation that you give yourself the maximum protection against fraudsters.
Gold scams have been around for centuries, and with advances in technology and more complex rules and regulations to exploit, nowadays they are harder than ever to detect. For that reason it is essential that you guard against complacency and prevent yourself from being tricked into thinking that all the offers being made to you are legitimate and safe.
Some of the scams around today could put a serious dent into your finances by luring you (unwittingly) into an instant and significant loss.
The following video exposes some of the main Gold IRA dealer lies and scams that you really need to be aware of:
Recommendation: Remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Do your due diligence and research into a company’s reputation, compliance system, ratings and customer feedback before doing any business with them.
Our Top Rated Gold IRA Company has made compliance and transparency a major part of its business.
Summary
- Choosing the right Gold IRA company to work with is vitally important. Unfortunately there are many unscrupulous gold dealers around waiting to prey on inexperienced investors. There have been many scandals and horror stories surrounding the precious metals industry and associated with investing in gold. We hope that if you follow all the guidelines above you won’t get involved in one!
- We recommend that you don’t rely just on third party reports and ratings for your research and that you call some of the companies yourself in order to get a feel for how they operate and to assess how comfortable you feel with them. Ask them the questions we have brought to your attention above plus any others you can think of that might be relevant to your personal circumstances. If you do that you will soon get a gut feeling about which company or companies you would feel comfortable trusting your retirement to.
- By knowing the relevant questions to ask it will be easier to flush out the less professional and less equipped ones and those who have their own interests rather than yours at heart. Should you discover that a company tries to evade any of your questions that should raise a red flag.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gold IRAs
#1 – How Does a Gold IRA Work?
A Gold IRA is a self directed IRA which, in accordance and compliance with IRS rules, allows you to include gold in its physical form. This offers you the opportunity to invest in gold in a very tax effective way and to protect your retirement plan from the ravages of inflation. It can provide the security you need not just for you but for your family and loved ones too.
The top Gold IRA Companies are staffed with experts in all aspects of retirement planning and the IRS rules, particularly those appertaining to including physical precious metals in your retirement account.
Nowadays investing in gold is not a privilege confined to the rich and famous. Anyone has the opportunity to buy gold right now but the only way you could do so as part of your retirement account is to have this very specific type of IRA that allows you to hold physical gold as part of your portfolio.
#2 – Can I Only Include Physical Gold In a Gold IRA?
You’ll be able to hold other precious metals as well including silver, platinum and even palladium. That’s because gold IRA is a generic term. So this account is not just for gold, and most experts recommend including at least gold and silver into this type of precious metals IRA because of the huge growth potential for both of these commodities. In fact you are not just restricted to precious metals either (more about that below).
Most Gold IRA Companies report that normally their clients initially contact them about including just gold but end up including silver too, once they have learnt of its potential.
#3 – Why Should I Invest In a Gold IRA?
This video explains how a Gold IRA can help reduce the impact of global uncertainties on your retirement savings:
This video explains how a Gold IRA can help protect the impact of bank failures on your retirement savings:
- Protection Against Inflation, Recession and Economic Turmoil
The main reason why you want to invest in a Gold IRA is that it’s a fantastic way to protect your retirement portfolio and all of the investments inside of it from inflation and recession. The one thing that happens when our money gets inflated is that it becomes less valuable and this has a knock on effect on the value of all our traditional types of investments.
What do not become less valuable, and historically have never been affected by inflation at all, are gold and precious metals. Precious metals and gold in particular typically go up in value when the economy is struggling and as the US dollar becomes weaker and weaker. So it obviously makes sense to want to have gold as part of your retirement plan to safeguard its value and investing in gold is one of the best things to do to protect yourself against a struggling economy.
As the value of gold goes up, so does the value of your Gold backed IRA. Gold went up in value for 12 years in a row between 2001 and 2012. Although a pull back followed for a few years, by 2020 the price of gold was back up to and beyond its previous all time highs. This demonstrates why gold should be viewed as a long term investment, because the overall trend over time is always upwards. This is also why it is so suitable to be included as part of your retirement plan.
This video explains why high inflation is so complex this time around, and is likely here to stay:
- Tax Benefits
Another factor not to be overlooked with a Gold ira is the tax benefit. There are legitimately no tax consequences and no requirements to declare your precious metals IRA to the IRS. Plus there are no tax penalties or implications when you transfer assets to another suitable retirement or investment plan. Your chosen Gold IRA Company should be able to offer you advice on all of this.
- You Can Invest In Gold With No Money Down
Transferring or rolling over part or all of an existing retirement account such as a 401k into a Gold IRA effectively enables you to invest in gold without having to find the surplus cash to do so. This is because you will be using funds that are otherwise locked away from you and may well be under performing in their current investment format.
So yes, when you choose to invest in a Gold Ira you really can diversify into gold investment without having to worry about where to find the funds!
#4 – Can I Include Gold In my Current Retirement Plan?
Retirement Plan | Gold Stocks Allowed? | Gold ETFs Allowed? | Gold Bullion Allowed? | Roth Option? |
401k | Possibly | Possibly | No | Yes |
Solo 401k | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
403b | Possibly | Possibly | No | Yes |
457b | Possibly | Possibly | No | Yes |
Annuity | Possibly | Possibly | No | No |
ESOP | Possibly | No | No | Yes |
Gold/Precious Metals IRA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Keogh Plan | Possibly | Possibly | No | No |
Money Purchase Plan | Possibly | Possibly | No | No |
Profit Sharing Plan | Possibly | No | No | No |
SARSEP | Yes | Yes | Possibly | No |
SEP IRA | Yes | Yes | Possibly | Yes |
SIMPLE IRA | Yes | Yes | Possibly | Yes |
Traditional IRA | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) | No | No | No | No |
Note: ‘Possibly’ means it is at the discretion of the plan provider. Should they not allow investment in gold within your current plan you will need to make a gold IRA rollover.
#5 – Can I Transfer or Rollover My Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Into a Gold IRA?
If you’ve worked for the Government, either as a civilian or in the uniformed military then you most probably have your retirement savings invested in a Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). You might be unaware that TSPs give you very limited flexibility to diversify your savings since the government has total control over them. It might surprise you too that your TSP is most probably costing you money.
The good news is that there is a solution. You can easily and simply take the control back from the Government by transferring or rolling your TSP account into a Gold IRA. This will enable you to include physical gold and other precious metals in your retirement fund. If this is something that might be of interest to you, you will find comprehensive information on our page TSP Rollover To Gold: Converting Your Thrift Savings Plan To a Gold IRA.
It is highly recommended that you research which Gold IRA Companies have knowledge of and expertise in TSPs if you are considering this option.
#6 – What Is The Difference Between an IRA Transfer and an IRA Rollover?
Irrespective of whether your existing plan is a 401k, 403b, TSP or any other type of IRA or retirement plan it could be transferred or rolled over to a Gold / Precious Metals IRA.
There is much confusion between IRA transfers and IRA rollovers. These are quite different even though a lot of people think they are the same thing.
What is a Gold IRA transfer?
With a transfer into an IRA account you are in effect closing down one investment vehicle and moving everything from it into one centralised investment place or location. You are aggregating or grouping your investments into a different account that already exists.
What is a Gold IRA rollover?
With a rollover on the other hand you are moving one IRA into a different one.
If you confuse the two processes you could well waste money in fees and lost tax benefits. Gold IRA Companies are on hand to guide you and make sure that doesn’t happen.
With both transfers and rollovers you are moving funds from one account to another and the funding scheme is the same. The fundamental difference is that with a transfer you sacrifice one account for another whereas with a rollover the original source account can survive.
Additional funding is another important consideration. With a transfer you have the option to add new funds or just transfer across from an already existing collection of funds. With a rollover you are just taking funds that already exist and rolling them.
Transferring an IRA
Provided the assets go from one custodian to another custodian you can do this at any time with an existing plan. In this scenario the check or transfer is sent by the custodian of your existing account directly to the custodian of your new precious metals retirement account. There is no limit on the amount of transfers you can do.
Rolling Over an IRA
When you already have a 401k or IRA, irrespective of whether it is a Roth or a traditional one, you can choose to rollover just a part of it or the whole of it into a Gold IRA. Typically 401k’s are rolled over when you change employment (and you need to decide what to do with the funds that have accumulated in your retirement fund with your previous employment) or when you reach retirement.
A rollover takes place when the proceeds of your existing retirement account are withdrawn and sent to you, and you then deposit these funds into the custodial account of another retirement account. Provided you redeposit the funds within 60 days there are no tax implications or penalties on the withdrawn money. The same money can only be rolled over once in any 12 month period for the tax deferred status of your retirement fund to be preserved.
Tip: There are different regulations involved for transfers and rollovers and there are implications for getting things wrong.
It’s best to choose a Gold IRA Company which has expertise in the IRS rules and regulations governing retirement plans as well as expertise in precious metals.
This is the one we recommend.
#7 – Do I Have To Transfer Or Rollover The Whole Of My Existing Retirement Fund?
You have the option of making full or partial rollovers or transfers. The choice is yours.
#8 – What Kind Of Investments Can I Include in a Gold IRA?
This is basically going to be a self-directed IRA, so you will have the flexibility to invest in any type of company or stock that you want, as well as precious metals. You don’t have to just buy gold and put it in this IRA. You can put all of your investments in this vehicle. This is the only type of retirement account that lets you keep gold and other precious metals as part of your holdings.
You won’t be able to buy gold as a retirement option any other way, so don’t let this confuse you at all and think that you are only opening this because you’re specifically going to use it just to buy gold.
What most people like to do when setting up this type of retirement account is to buy their gold from a reputable online dealer who also specializes in retirement investing (AKA gold IRA companies). Having just one party to deal with everything makes the whole process much quicker, more convenient and more straightforward. So this is certainly something you want to keep on the lookout for.
#9 – What Types of Bullion Can I Include In a Gold IRA?
You are permitted by the US government, under the terms of the 1997 Tax Payer Relief Act, to hold certain types of bullion and rare coins in a gold / precious metals IRA. The requirement is that the bullion you hold is at least 99.5% pure and that it is held in an approved depository which is in a different location to your IRA custodian.
What Is Gold IRA Approved?
GOLD |
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SILVER |
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PLATINUM |
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PALLADIUM |
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Notes: |
*(1) Coins, including the American Eagle, that have undergone ‘certification’ (also known as ‘slabbed’ coins) are not acceptable in retirement plans at this time. *(2) bars and rounds produced by manufacturers accredited by Nymex/Comex, LME, LBMA, NYSE/Liffe//CBOT, and ISE-9000 or a national mint. The minimum finenesses for bars are: Gold: .999+ |
All the top Gold IRA Companies are fully conversant with the types of precious metals that are compliant with IRS requirements.
#10 – Am I Restricted To Just One IRA?
No, which means that if you choose you can have a gold IRA in addition to any other IRA or IRAs that you already have. The total amount that you can invest in any given year does not change however.
#11 – Can I Take Possession Of The Gold In My IRA?
Up to the age of 59½ in accordance with IRS rules your gold must be insured and stored in your name at an IRS approved depository. From that age and above you are entitled to take possession penalty free.
The Gold IRA Company that you choose to work with should be able to arrange storage at the depository on your behalf and will deliver your metals directly there.
#12 – Do I Have To Pay Any Taxes or Penalties When Transferring To a Gold IRA?
No there are no such costs associated with transferring a traditional IRA into a precious metals one.
#13 – What About Gold IRA Companies Fees?
Fees can be very reasonable provided you select the right company and you understand what’s involved and therefore know the right questions to ask them. The fees involved cover the initial set up, annual maintenance of your IRA, and insurance and storage of your metals.
We recommend that you choose a company that offers flat annual fees rather than scaled ones (fees that are a % of the value of your fund). That’s because with the latter your fees will be on the increase all the time your fund is appreciating. We also recommend that you choose a gold IRA company that offers segregated storage of your metals and who do not charge a premium for this type of storage nor an insurance premium for it.
Some Gold IRA Companies may waive the initial set up fees.
#14 – What Is The Transfer/Rollover Process For Gold IRAs?
This will differ from one Gold IRA Company to another. To see an example click here: 5 Step Process
#15 – How Long Does The Gold IRA Transfer or Gold IRA Rollover Process Take?
You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that the whole process for a gold ira can be completed very simply and quickly (around 2 weeks) if you work with a gold company that also specializes in retirement accounts (a Gold IRA Company) and can therefore handle the entire process for you.
#16 – How Do I Get Started With a Gold IRA Company and a Gold IRA?
- The first step is to choose a Gold IRA Company that you feel comfortable with. Our aim here on this site is to educate you as much as possible about gold and precious metals IRAs, about investing in gold in general and the criteria for researching and analyzing Gold IRA Companies. Plus we have shared with you the results of our own research and we have made our recommendations.
- It’s your retirement and future on the line though so we consider it essential that when doing your due diligence into a Gold IRA you don’t rely entirely on third party reports and ratings; we recommend that in addition you check out a few of the websites and speak to a few Gold IRA Companies yourself on the phone to get a feel for them and how they operate.
Relevant Gold IRA Resources
You might find the following relevant articles useful:
Everything you need to know about Gold IRAs
The reasons why including gold in your portfolio is important
The Case For Buying Gold Coins
Tips to help you make the most effective buying decisions
Why you shouldn’t overlook silver
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Physical metals shouldn’t be looked at just as an investment.
You also want to look at them the way you look at your home owner’s insurance, health insurance and auto insurance.
Precious metals are your financial insurance“.
The Top 3 Gold IRA Companies
Gold IRA Company | Our Rating | Best For | Find Out More | |
Best Overall | Augusta Precious Metals | ![]() | ZERO BBB and BCA Complaints Ever | Website |
#2 | Goldco | ![]() | High Percentage of Satisfied Customers | Website |
#3 | American Hartford Gold | ![]() | Best Gold IRA Newcomer | Website |
Want more information? Get a FREE Physical Gold IRA Investment Guide delivered direct to your door by our Top Recommended Gold IRA Company:
Author: Doug Young