Advantage Gold Review
Advantage Gold ‘At a Glance’ analysis followed by in depth review:
Advantage Gold |  |
|---|---|
| Website | www.advantagegold.com |
| Phone No. | 1-800-341-8584 |
| PERFORMANCE:* | |
| BBB (Better Business Bureau) Rating (Scale of A+ to F) | A+ |
| BBB Complaints | 2 |
| BCA (Business Consumer Alliance) Rating (Scale of AAA+ to F) | AA |
| BCA Complaints | 0 |
| Trustlink Rating | 5 out of 5 Stars 400+ reviews |
| RETIREMENT FUNDS: | |
| Gold IRAs Offered (US) |  |
| Crypto IRAs Offered (US) |  |
| Gold RRSPs Offered (Canada) | |
| GENERAL: | |
| Preferred Depository | DDSC |
| Preferred Custodian | Strata Trust Company |
| Minimum IRA Purchase Amount | $5000 |
| Physical IRA Application | |
| Digital IRA Application | |
| FEES: | |
| Set Up | $295 |
| Admin (annually) | $175 |
| Storage (annually) | $100 |
| TIMESCALES: | |
| IRA Transfer Process | 3 to 5 business days |
| 401k Rollover Process | 7 to 10 business days |
| Delivery of Metals | up to 28 days days |
| PEACE OF MIND | |
| US Mint Listed Dealer | |
| ICTA Member | |
| TRUSTe Verified | not sure |
| Norton Secured | not sure |
| Special Offers | Year 1 Set Up and Storage Fees waived |
Background
Los Angeles based Advantage Gold are relative newcomers to the precious metals industry, having been in business since just 2014.
In that relatively short period they have carved out a solid reputation. The company proudly proclaims that their main area of specialisation is the conversion of existing traditional IRAs into Precious Metals IRAs. For that they maintain a dedicated, fully staffed department.
Advantage Gold put a big emphasis on education and ensure that all their customers are given the opportunity to learn as much as they desire about all aspects of Gold IRAs and the different types of coins and bullion that can be included in them.
In that respect they have created a ‘First Time Gold Investor Program’ which provides information about precious metals investment and the IRA rollover process.
The Advantage Gold Management Team bring with them a wealth of experience.
Co-founder Kirill Zagalsky started his career in the precious metals industry, working for a national US Minted listed dealer. From there he climbed the ranks to the position of Vice President with an established commodity brokerage firm, before returning to his precious metals roots when Advantage Gold was incorporated.
Joint co-founder Adam Baratta worked as a Senior Account Executive for a well known US Mint listed dealer before joining forces with Zagalsky. There he specialised in Gold IRA Rollovers. During his entrepreneurial career he has helped pioneer multiple ventures in the entertainment industry as well as co-founding a motion picture production company in partnership with NBC Universal and NHL. Mr Baratta is also an award winning writer. His book ‘Gold Is A Better Way‘ sold over 10,000 copies in the first week of publication and has been ranked #1 Financial Book in America by USA Today. You can get a free copy here.
Advantage Gold’s Website
The Advantage Gold website provides you with a wealth of information. It is clear that one of the website’s main objectives is to educate.
The Gold IRA section explains all about the Gold IRA process, investing in gold, different types of retirement accounts and details of all the IRS approved gold and silver.
The Learning Centre provides broader information about IRAs in general, Retirement Tools, investment charts and videos. A particularly interesting and informative video to look out for is the one where the Advantage Gold co-founders interview ‘Gold Evangelist’ Jim Rickards.
(**Although is it not available via the website, during our research we discovered how to get a free copy of Jim Rickards’ new book ‘The New Case For Gold’ including a Secret Chapter that is not generally available. It would appear that Advantage Gold only want a select few to have access to this but we are spilling the beans! Here is the link. )
From the website you can access the Advantage Gold blog. This is updated around twice a week with relevant and topical information.
Free Gold Guide
You don’t have to be connected to the internet and Advantage Gold’s website to continue your education.
You can request a comprehensive Gold IRA Investment Guide from Advantage Gold here
Products
In line with their focus on precious metals IRAs the products that Advantage Gold offer are exclusively gold, silver, platinum and palladium IRA approved coins.
And in line with their focus on educating their customers, on their website they provide images and comprehensive information about each coin that they offer.
Advantage Gold Company Video
Reputation and Ratings
Disclaimer: We are simply reporting here our findings on the consumer advocacy sites mentioned below. None of this information represents our opinion and we cannot verify the accuracy of what is published on these independent portals.
Advantage Gold Better Business Bureau
At the Better Business Bureau Advantage have achieved an A+ Rating, which is the highest accolade. That’s no mean feat in just 5 years.
At the time of our most recent BBB check there had been 2 closed complaints recorded against Advantage Gold in the previous 3 years and none in the previous 12 months. Both of the complaints were to do with a product or service problem and were answered by Advantage Gold.
Also at the time of our most recent check there were 24 customer reviews. The vast majority of those were very positive and contributed towards an overall 5 star rating.
Advantage Gold Business Consumer Alliance
Advantage Gold have not performed quite as well at the Business Consumer Alliance as they have at the Better Business Bureau. We state that based on them being given an AA rating as opposed to the top one which is AAA.
On delving deeper we couldn’t ascertain why they weren’t awarded the top rating. There had been no complaints recorded against them in the previous 3 years and although only 2 customers had posted reviews, both of those were very positive. We can only assume that the relatively short time Advantage Gold have been in business is a factor the BCA took into account when rating them.
Advantage Gold Trustlink
It’s at Trustlink that Advantage Gold come into their own. There, they have been voted #1 Trusted Gold IRA Company in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
It’s not surprising therefore that the vast majorty of customer reviews posted at Trustlink (of which there are over 400) are very positive and communally give them 5 out of 5 stars.
Summary
Despite being a relative newcomer into the industry Advantage Gold have grown their business and their reputation at a rapid pace. They provide first time investors with a wealth of information, putting a strong emphasis on education, and they specialize in precious metals IRAs.
Conclusion
Advantage Gold are most definitely a company worthy of consideration for your Gold IRA. You can check out your eligibility here.
They haven’t quite made it to our top spot of most recommended company but they have come a very close second. You can judge for yourself and draw your own conclusions by checking out our side by side comparison here.
Reviewed by: Doug Young
