By Doug Young

Doug YoungI have over twenty years of personal experience in the precious metals and gold IRA fields to draw upon, and I have thoroughly evaluated a large number of gold IRA companies over the past 10 years.

Here I have compared the best gold IRA companies of side-by-side in respect of years in business, minimum IRA investment levels, complaints received, ratings, fees, preferred custodians & depositories and new customer incentives.

My desire is to pass on the benefit of extensive research I have conducted, combined with knowledge and experience I have gained over the years to help you make informed decisions when choosing a gold IRA company you can trust.

How I conducted my research.

My 3 Best Gold IRA Companies

Gold IRA Company My Rating Best For Find Out More
Best Overall ZERO BBB and BCA Complaints Ever Website
Read My Review
#2 High Percentage of Satisfied Customers Website
Read My Review
#3 Best Gold IRA Newcomer Website
Read My Review

Reviews:

Side-By-Side Comparisons of the Best Gold IRA Companies:

Years in Business / Minimum IRA Investment

My many years of experience working in the precious metals field have taught me that these are particularly important considerations for first time customers when researching Gold IRA Companies. That’s why I am displaying them for comparative purposes.

 

Gold IRA Company

 

Started in Business

 

Min. IRA

Investment

Advantage Gold 2014 $5,000
American Hartford Gold
2015 $10,000
Augusta Precious Metals 2012 $50,000
BGASC 2012 $30,000
Birch Gold Group 2003 $10,000
Blanchard & Company 1975 Not Specified
Goldco 2006 $25,000
Goldline 1960 On Application
Rosland Capital 2008 $10,000

Complaints History 

I’ve constantly found that most people researching Gold IRA Companies tend to focus more on the number of positive reviews recorded than the number of complaints revealed. In my opinion the latter, and the way they were dealt with, are equally important and sometimes more significant.

In this table I am displaying what I discovered at Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Business Consumer Alliance (BCA) during my extensive research into the number of complaints made about all the Companies referred to.

 

Gold IRA Company

 

BBB

 

BCA

Advantage Gold 0 complaint closed in last 3 years

0 complaint closed in last 12 months

0 in last 3 years
American Hartford Gold
36 complaints closed in last 3 years

21 complaints closed in last 12 months

2 in last 3 years
Augusta Precious Metals ZERO (All Time) ZERO (All Time)
BGASC 2 complaints closed in last 3 years

2 complaints closed in last 12 months

Not Listed
Birch Gold Group 8 complaints closed in last 3 years

4 complaints closed in last 12 months

0 in last 3 years
Blanchard & Company 0 complaint closed in last 3 years

0 complaints closed in last 12 months

0 in last 3 years
Goldco 48 complaints closed in last 3 years

28 complaints closed in last 12 months

1 in last 3 years
Goldline 13 complaints closed in last 3 years

5 complaints closed in last 12 months

0 in last 3 years
Rosland Capital 22 complaints closed in last 3 years

12 complaints closed in last 12 months

9 in last 3 years

Independent Ratings 

I have listed below comparisons of the ratings awarded by Better Business Bureau, Business Consumer Alliance, Trustlink and Consumer Affairs during my most recent inspection of these authoritative independent review sites.

Drawing from my extensive experience in the precious metals industry I can confidently assert that these are the sites that command the most respect from customers.

 

Gold IRA Company

 

BBB

 

BCA

 

Trustlink

 

Consumer Affairs

Advantage Gold A+ AAA 5 out of 5 Stars 5 out of 5 Stars
American Hartford Gold A+ AAA 5 out of 5 Stars 4.8 out of 5 Stars
Augusta Precious Metals A+ AAA 5 out of 5 Stars 4.9 out of 5 Stars
BGASC A+ Not Listed Not Listed Not Listed
Birch Gold Group A+ AAA 5 out of 5 Stars 4.9 out of 5 Stars
Blanchard & Company A+ BBB 1 out of 5 Stars Not Listed
Goldco A+ AAA 5 out of 5 Stars 4.9 out of 5 Stars
Goldline A A 2.5 out of 5 Stars Not Listed
Rosland Capital A+ AAA 3.5 out of 5 Stars Not Listed

Fees 

In this table I have shown comparisons of the various fees charged by each company. Below it I have explained what I consider to be the vital importance of understanding the different storage options available, and the significance of understanding the impact that different fee types can have.

Gold IRA Company Set Up Fees  

Admin Fees (annually)

 

*Storage Fees (annually)

 

**Fee Type

Advantage Gold $295 $175 $100 Flat
American Hartford Gold $50 $100 $150 for segregated
$100 for non-segregated
Flat
Augusta Precious Metals $50 + $30 wire fee $80 $150 for segregated
$100 for non-segregated
Flat
BGASC Not divulged Not divulged Not divulged Not divulged
Birch Gold Group $90 Not divulged $160 Flat
Blanchard & Company $25 $60-$250 (scaled) $100 (scaled) Scaled
Goldco $50 + $30 wire fee $80 $150 for segregated
$100 for non-segregated
Flat
Goldline $125 $60-$250 (scaled) $100 (scaled) Scaled
Rosland Capital $50 £225 Not divulged Flat

Notes:

  • ** Some Gold IRA Companies charge flat fees and some charge scaled fees. The latter are a % of the fund value. Experience has taught me that it is essential to understand the implications of these two types of fees because doing so can save you thousands of dollars over time.

Preferred Custodians and Depositories

From many years of evaluating Gold IRA Companies I have learnt that typically, strong working relationships will have been built up between them and their preferred Custodians and Depositories over a number of years. I suggest that you consider working with their preferred and recommended partners to get the smoothest operation.

Gold IRA Company Preferred Custodian
Preferred Depository
Advantage Gold Self Directed IRA Services (SDIRA) DDSC and Brinks Global
American Hartford Gold Equity Trust Company Equity Trust, Brinks, Delware Depository, IDS
Augusta Precious Metals Equity Trust Company Delaware Depository Services (DDSC)
BGASC GoldStar Trust Company Brinks Global
Birch Gold Group Self-Directed IRA Services Delaware Depository Services (DDSC)
Blanchard & Company GoldStar Trust Company HSBC Bank NYC
Goldco Equity Trust Company Delaware Depository Services (DDSC)
Goldline GoldStar Trust Company Delaware Depository Services (DDSC)
Rosland Capital Equity Institutional Delaware Depository Services (DDSC)

New Customer Incentives 

As with many businesses it’s normal for companies to make special offers to new customers. The Gold IRA space is no different. This is how the various offers compare.

 

Gold IRA Company

 

Incentive #1

 

Incentive #2

 

Incentive #3

Advantage Gold Year 1 Set Up and Storage Fees waived
American Hartford Gold Free Silver – Receive up to $10,000 in FREE silver delivered to your front door, on qualifying purchases Up to 3 years with no IRA Fees; No Transfer, Storage or Maintenance Fees
Augusta Precious Metals Free Gold – choose from 3 Gold Coins Up to 10 years of custodian and storage fees covered by Augusta Free one-on-one educational web conference with Harvard trained economist
BGASC Rare coins available
Birch Gold Group None advertised
Blanchard & Company None advertised
Goldco 5% back in FREE silver when you invest $50,000-$100,000 10% back in FREE silver when you invest $100,000+ (no maximum) First year fees waived for IRAs above $50,000
Goldline Free bullion coin on $10,000+ investments Free shipping to the depository of your choice
Rosland Capital None advertised

Due Diligence Resources

I am happy to share my research and personal experiences to benefit others. I hope you find the following articles that I have personally written helpful when conducting your own further research into Gold IRA Companies and Gold IRAs:

10 Top Tips For Comparing Gold IRA Companies

How to identify ones you can really trust

Gold IRA Investing Guide

Comprehensive guide on Gold IRAs

mistakesGold Investing Mistakes To Avoid

How to avoid some of the common mistakes that inexperienced investors make

Gold Dealer Lies and Scams

Forewarned is forearmed! Avoid a big dent in your finances

Understanding The Importance of Silver

Why you shouldn’t overlook silver

What Makes a Good Gold and Silver IRA Provider?

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About the Author: Doug Young
Doug YoungDoug is a highly experienced professional and widely trusted authority in financial investing, commodity trading, and precious metals. With over 20 years of expertise, he helps others make informed decisions by sharing a combination of personal experience, extensive knowledge and meticulously researched information on gold IRAs, precious metals investing and retirement planning. He regularly writes news items on these topics. He has considerable experience of evaluating Gold IRA and Precious Metals Companies, gained over a period spanning more than a decade.

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