Lear Capital Analysis ‘At a Glance’:

Lear Capital
Analyzed

Websitewww.learcapital.com
Phone No.1-800-576-9355
PERFORMANCE:*
BBB (Better Business Bureau) Rating
(Scale of A+ to F)
A+
BBB Complaints38
BCA (Business Consumer Alliance) Rating
(Scale of AAA to F)
AAA
BCA Complaints7
Trustlink Rating4.5 out of 5 Stars
300+ reviews
RETIREMENT FUNDS:
Gold IRAs Offered (US)
Crypto IRAs Offered (US)RedCross
Gold RRSPs Offered (Canada)RedCross
GENERAL:
Preferred DepositoryBrinks Los Angeles
Preferred CustodianSelf Directed IRA Services
Minimum IRA Purchase Amount$10000
Physical IRA Application
Digital IRA Application
FEES:
Set Up$275
Admin (annually)$100
Storage (annually)$150
TIMESCALES:
IRA Transfer Process5 to 30 business days
401k Rollover Process30+ business days
Delivery of Metals15 days
PEACE OF MIND
US Mint
Listed Dealer
ICTA MemberRedCross
TRUSTe Verified
Norton Secured
Special Offers30 Day Price Guarantee

$500 Bonus on account opening

buyer beware

Lear Capital Review:

Lear Capital’s Background

Lear Capital was founded by their current chairman, Kevin DeMeritt in 1997. Mr DeMeritt is well known for predicting the market crash of 2001 and the subsequent emergence of gold as a safe haven investment in his book ‘The Bulls, The Bears and The Bust‘.

Lear Capital is based in Los Angeles and has around 120 employees.They also trade under the alternate business name of The Metal Exchange.

They claim to have more live Web presence than any other gold site, with their site being manned by specialist staff daily between 9am and 6pm PST.

Mr DeMeritt is backed up in an executive role by their CEO John Ohanesian. Mr Ohanesian is an active member of the philanthropic community and is best known in the international business world for developing a small hair restoration company, Bosley, Inc. into a global name and an international brand.

Lear Capital’s Website

Lear Capital WebsiteThe Lear Capital website claims, not unreasonably, to be a one stop shop for learning about and setting about investing in gold and other precious metals.

The website includes a section where you can buy gold and silver coins online, another covering Gold IRAs and retirement accounts and a comprehensive News and Investor Resources section. There really is a wealth of information available, all of which is regularly updated.

By navigating around the site, which is well designed and user friendly, you will find access to live market charts for gold, silver, platinum and palladium, an option to get price notifications emailed to you by Lear Capital, an option to request a free investor kit, an online Learning Centre, a place where you can sell any coins that you might already own, a ‘Precious Metals Encyclopedia’ and a ‘Keeping You Informed’ video series.

Overall, this is an excellent website.

Products

Exclusive to Lear Capital are certain gold and silver coins such as the Orca, Snowy Owl, Arctic Fox , Falcon and Grizzly Bear. Lear are the only authorized US retailer of this coin series. These are issued by the Royal Canadian Mint, come in quarter and one and a half ounce sizes and are struck in .9999 pure gold and silver. They are eligible to be included in a precious metals IRA.

Lear Capital offer live coin pricing and 24/7 availability via their website. There they claim that nearly 99% of orders are shipped within 15 days.

Standard coins they have for sale include Eagles, Maple Leafs, Sovereigns and Kruggerands. Their premium coin selection includes Liberty Series, Indian Series and Modern.

Comprehensive information is given about each individual coin that they offer. This includes the coin name, the name of the designer, the issue date, and details of the composition, diameter, weight, bus mint and proof mint.

Lear Capital Reputation, Ratings & Complaints

Disclaimer: We are merely reporting below our findings on the consumer advocacy sites mentioned. None of this constitutes our opinion and we cannot verify the accuracy of the information shown on these independent portals.

A+

Lear Capital BBB – Better Business Bureau

Lear Capital has been an Accredited BBB Business since 1997 and on a scale of A+ to F they have gained the highest possible A+ rating.

This excellent rating is somewhat marred by the fact that on our most recent check there had been 38 complaints closed within the previous 3 years and 13 closed within the previous 12 months. All of these complaints had been raised by customers about either issues concerning Advertising/Sales, Billing/Collections or problems with a Product or Service.

A closed complaint is one that has been raised by a customer then subsequently dealt with by the company to the customer’s satisfaction.

Also at the time of our most recent check 13 customers had posted reviews on the BBB site about Lear Capital, with an average rating of 4.15/5.

aaaLear Capital BCA – Business Consumer Alliance

Lear Capital has been a BCA member since 1997 and has achieved the top AAA rating there.

At the time when we last checked there had been 7 closed complaints recorded over the previous 3 years. The outcomes were that in 4 cases Lear Capital agreed to make an adjustment, in 2 cases they refused to adjust in accordance with the terms of the agreement and in 1 case they refused to make an adjustment. BCA’s conclusion is that the company gave proper consideration to complaints presented to them.

Also at the time of our last check just 1 customer review had been posted on the BCA site. This was very positive, giving a 5/5 rating.

Lear Capital Trustlink

Based on over 300 customer reviews Lear Capital come out with an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars at Trustlink. Very few recent reviews had been posted when we last checked but that should not distract from the fact that the majority of the reviews that were posted in the past were very positive.

Summary

There is a lot going for Lear Capital. The positives are that they have an excellent website, a varied and comprehensive product list and they are rated highly at the main independent consumer advocacy sites.

The negative is their track record of customer complaints, as evidenced at the Better Business Bureau and the Business Consumer Alliance. It is admirable that they have demonstrated their desire and determination to resolve all of these but it is inevitable that questions will be asked about why there were a considerable number of dissatisfied customers who felt the need to complain in the first place.

Our Rating

See How Lear Capital Compares Side By Side With The Best Gold IRA Companies

Reviewed by: Doug Young

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