Last Updated on March 9, 2023 by George
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Opening a gold IRA account is an option if you’re looking to diversify your financial portfolio or safeguard your retirement from inflation. A precious metals IRA is backed by actual gold and silver, unlike conventional retirement plans, which store paper assets.
Finding a gold IRA custodian, identifying an authorized depository to keep your gold, and understanding the IRS tax regulations on gold IRA accounts can make setting up a gold IRA difficult. Due to the difficulty of the process, many investors are turning to reliable gold IRA businesses for assistance.
We’ve analyzed the top gold IRA providers in the market to assist you in selecting the finest precious metals IRA. Gold IRA providers were compared based on various criteria, including reputation, fees, experience, customer feedback, and precious metal selection.
- Augusta Precious Metals: Editor’s Choice – Reputable Gold Investment Company
- Goldco: Runner up – Best Gold IRA Company Overall
- American Hartford Gold: Reputable Leader in Gold IRA Investing
- Birch Gold Group: Gold IRA Rollover Specialists
- Noble Gold: Best Customer Support
- Oxford Gold Group
- Patriot Gold Group
- Advantage Gold
- Lear Capital
- Regal Assets
#1 Augusta Precious Metals: Reputable Gold Investment Company
Why We Chose It
Joe Montana, a quarterback in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and his financial advisors established Augusta Precious Metals, a renowned gold IRA business. Since 2012, this business has accumulated thousands of five-star reviews and garnered numerous accolades for its IRA services.
You’ll first get to speak with a live agent who can help you with your gold or silver purchase. To inform you about precious metals IRAs, your representative can provide practical financial advice.
You can then establish your new IRA with the aid of your live representative. You must have at least $50,000 available for investments to be eligible for an Augusta Precious Metals IRA account.
You must transfer funds from your current retirement account into your newly formed account after it has been created. Then, you can place an order with Augusta’s order desk to purchase gold or silver.
Additionally, you can purchase actual gold and silver through Augusta without utilizing an IRA. If you choose this option, you will still be given free and secure delivery, advice from the company’s gold and silver experts, and total control over your precious metal holdings.
To purchase gold or silver on your own, you need to carry out the following steps:
- Make a cash transfer to your account to add money.
- Choose from the gold and silver variants.
- Pick your desired location to sign for the delivery.
- You can buy gold and silver bullion and coins directly from Augusta or use them to fund your IRA.
These items made of gold and silver include:
- Maple Leaf coins from Canada
- U.S. Eagle coins
- United States of America coins
Your new IRA can be administered by one of the reputable custodians that Augusta works with, including Equity Trust, Gold Star Company, and Kingdom Trust. Additionally, Augusta may act as your custodian’s point of contact, providing you access to them whenever you need them.
An economist with Harvard training named Delvyn Steele has a video resource library on the Augusta Precious Metals website full of valuable films. These videos are a fantastic resource to review if you want to understand what’s happening in the economy.
Overall, we advise anyone wishing to start a precious metal IRA with a trustworthy organization to do so with Augusta Precious Metals.
#2 Goldco: Best Gold IRA Company Overall
Why We Chose It
Privately held company Goldco focuses on wealth and asset protection. You can move assets to a precious metals IRA from a tax-advantaged retirement plan, such as an IRA, 401(k), or 403(b), with the assistance of this reputable gold IRA business. Additionally, Goldco provides direct sales of gold and silver to customers.
Goldco offers silver and gold IRAs. If you decide to invest in a gold IRA, you can fund it with various coins. Goldco works with mints to identify superior coins that are allowed for gold IRAs, including:
- American Eagle gold coins in gold
- Maple Leaf gold coins
- Freedom and Hope gold coins
- Bars of gold
- Even more
If you’d prefer to buy silver coins, you can select from options like:
- American Eagle silver coins
- Maple Leaf silver coins
- Lucky Dragon silver coins
- Metallic bars
A gold IRA can be opened quickly and easily with Goldco. You can start your IRA by executing a contract on the Goldco website. You can get assistance from a company person who will lead you through each step and explain the service conditions.
The next step is to fund your IRA by transferring funds from an active 401(k) or another qualifying account. Rollovers of gold IRAs often don’t incur any tax penalties. You can also start a new precious metals IRA if you don’t currently have one and want to transfer money from one.
You can select the gold or silver you want to buy with your funds once you’ve financed your precious metals IRA.
On the Goldco website, you may purchase actual gold and coins and have them shipped to your house or your preferred depository if you’d instead invest in your retirement savings directly. Additionally, Goldco offers free storage to some investors.
For direct purchase, Goldco provides a large selection of precious metal products. You can purchase these coins by signing a contract on the Goldco website and funding your account with a bank wire or postal check.
To learn more about working with Goldco, if you’re on the fence about it, obtain a free kit. This kit includes written instructions, audio instructions, and video instructions covering the following topics:
- How to make precious metal investments
- How to increase your retirement savings
- How precious metals can increase your level of asset control
You can get 10% of your purchase price back in free silver if you make a qualified transaction. Goldco, a significant provider of gold IRAs, provides a variety of gold and silver investments to meet your retirement requirements.
What we value most about Goldco is as follows:
- For a free gold IRA information packet, request one.
- Many gold coins, silver bullion, and other precious metals are available.
- Experience setting up precious metals IRAs for several years
- The most dependable gold IRA provider, with an A+ BBB rating
- Provides gold IRAs in addition to direct precious metal transactions
- Free silver worth $10,000 or more with eligible accounts
- Guarantee of the highest buyback price
#3 American Hartford Gold: Reputable Leader in Gold IRA Investing
Pros
- A firm that a family runs
- A firm having an A+ rating and BBB accreditation
- A pledge to buyback and a price-match promise
- An organization that makes donations to charitable community groups
Cons
- Does not provide detailed charge information or precious metal price information.
- Imposes yearly maintenance fees; no international shipping is offered.
What does this analysis of American Hartford Gold conclude? Investors favor this company because of its excellent reputation, a wide array of gold and silver assets, and buyback guarantee. You must pay the company’s depository fees and speak with customer care to find out the price of the gold. Investors who want to add gold investments to their wealth portfolio may want to consider American Hartford Gold.
Why We Chose It
Since 2015, American Hartford Gold has been a provider of precious metals and metal IRAs. The business consistently receives 4.9 and 4.8 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot and Google, respectively. It also maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. The reputation and integrity of American Hartford Gold are worthy.
The Los Angeles-based business gives clients the option of directly purchasing precious metals or investing through a retirement plan. These consist of the following:
- Silver and gold coins
- Platinum
- Coin Collectibles
- Bars of Gold
- Metallic Bars
Investors can buy precious metals from American Hartford Gold and deliver them to their homes. But precious metal IRAs must be kept at a third-party depository, like Delaware Depository Service or Brinks Global Services, for which you’ll need to pay storage costs.
Follow these three steps if you’re interested in buying precious metal from American Hartford Gold:
- Ask for help when completing the new investor account forms by calling.
- Transfer money to your newly created account. You can roll over money from an existing IRA if you’d like.
- Choose the precious metals that are IRA-eligible and buy them.
American Hartford Gold provides a buyback pledge and price matching. You can avoid paying liquidation fees through the buyback program by selling your gold bullion back to American Hartford Gold (or another company).
For creating a gold IRA or delivering your gold to the depository, American Hartford Gold charges nothing. It includes protection and tracking, but you’ll also have to pay annual maintenance costs and storage fees if your investment is in a warehouse. You’ll need to speak with a salesperson because there is no pricing listed in the company’s online precious metals catalogs.
#4 Birch Gold Group: Gold IRA Rollover Specialists
Why We Chose It
Physical precious metals broker Birch Gold Group has been in operation since 2003. Since its inception, the business has served more than 13,000 clients and established a solid reputation, earning an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
The Birch Gold Group offers coins, bars, and rounds of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium for sale. You can open a precious metals IRA or buy precious metals directly from the company.
If you wish to start a gold or silver IRA, you can open an account and select your financing option. You can increase your budget by moving money into a new, self-directed IRA from an open IRA or rolling over a 401(k). You may monitor your accounts, transmit money, and consult a precious metals expert.
You can select the precious metals you want to acquire and choose how much of each once you have funded your precious metal investment account. Your professional will check your order after you buy your precious metals and send you a final confirmation. Your storage options might also be explained to you by your specialist.
You can choose one of the trustworthy depositories Birch Gold Group works with to keep your gold, silver, platinum, and palladium coins safe inside your IRA. The company most frequently collaborates with Delaware Depository and Brink’s Global Service, providing insurance coverage of up to $1 billion.
To examine your precious metals’ performance or make adjustments to your account, you are always welcome to speak with your precious metals specialist. These experts are instrumental in guiding you through the procedure and assisting you in keeping your investment portfolio lucrative.
You can also buy gold, silver, platinum, and palladium directly from this company if you’d prefer to avoid investing in a gold IRA. Wire money into your account or use a personal cheque to finance it. The Birch Gold Group will then use fully insured delivery options to transfer your metals in discrete packaging to the destination you specify.
You can visit the Birch Gold Group website to request a free information kit if you’re interested in learning more. An informational brochure about using precious metals to diversify your savings is included in this bundle.
In conclusion, Birch Gold Group is the most significant gold IRA provider, delivering specialized advice and support from experienced experts.
A Gold IRA: What is it?
401(k)s and traditional IRAs are undoubtedly familiar to you. Using these retirement accounts, you can fund your retirement account with index funds, stocks, and other paper investments. Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) for gold, on the other hand, offer an alternative to most traditional retirement investing accounts.
Specialized individual retirement accounts known as “gold IRAs” are used to store precious metals like gold, silver, platinum, or palladium. These accounts, like standard IRAs, often permit pre-tax contributions and have comparable income and contribution ceilings.
On the other hand, Gold IRAs hold actual precious metals as opposed to conventional IRAs and 401(k)s, which retain paper assets. It would help if you keep your precious metals outside your house, with a custodian, and in a secure depository when you buy them with a gold IRA.
You may help expedite your gold purchase and be guided through opening your new gold IRA account by working with a trustworthy gold IRA business, like one from our list. Because they are knowledgeable about the intricacies of IRS requirements for retirement accounts, these companies can provide you with the guidance you require to make your portfolio profitable. Several custodians work with gold IRA companies.
Investing in gold IRA accounts can offer some advantages for your retirement aspirations. Gold frequently offers more consistent growth than paper assets, allowing you to diversify your portfolio with less risk.
Additionally, gold IRAs have unique tax advantages. Your contributions and earnings are not taxed; you can deduct donations from your taxes in many situations.
Overall, investing in a gold IRA is an excellent consideration if you want to diversify and stabilize your portfolio. Alternatively, consider rolling over money from your current IRA into a gold IRA. More on this idea will be covered below.
How We Determined the Best Gold Investment Firms
Use a respected, reliable business to streamline the procedure if you’re trying to start a gold IRA or other precious metals IRA. Investments in gold IRAs can be pricey, and selecting a shady source could prove to be a costly error.
When selecting the top five gold IRA providers to include on our list, we looked for various characteristics that suggest a business is dependable, competent, and respectable.
We specifically looked at the following elements when making our list.
Reviews and Reputation
Companies frequently acquire favorable or unfavorable reputations for a cause. A good industry reputation might help you have an excellent overall experience while looking for a gold investment business to support your IRA.
Checking a company’s rating with the Better Business Bureau is one way to assess its reputation. The Better Business Bureau is a company that enables customers to submit online reviews and, frequently, complaints about companies. Organizations are rated by the Better Business Bureau on a scale of A+ to F, with A+ being the highest score.
We looked at the Better Business Bureau reviews and ratings for each organization before selecting the top five gold IRA providers to include on our list. All businesses on our list have higher BBB ratings and tend to receive more favorable gold IRA reviews than unfavorable ones.
Setup is Simple
Reputable precious metal IRA providers go above and beyond to attract new customers, simplifying and streamlining the establishment procedure. These businesses provide competent guidance from investment professionals and enable new clients to set up gold IRAs in a matter of days or less.
The gold IRA providers on our list have simple setup procedures. During the account-opening process, many businesses also let you speak with a specialist immediately, ensuring that you may swiftly get the assistance you require.
Fees and Expenses
The majority of gold IRA providers have fees for their services. These charges pay for the expenses related to starting your account, keeping it open over time, and safely storing your precious metals.
If an IRA company offers its services for free, you might not be able to trust that it will put the necessary effort and time into establishing a trustworthy gold IRA. Free service providers typically only supply you with the extra assistance and knowledge you would receive from a higher-quality provider.
Conversely, businesses that demand exorbitantly high prices could also be unreliable. These businesses might be more concerned with increasing profits than satisfying customers’ needs.
We concentrated on companies that charge reasonable rates for their services while selecting the gold IRA companies to include in this list.
Gold and Silver Product Options
Diversifying their financial portfolios is one of the main reasons why many people decide to open gold IRAs. Working with a gold IRA firm that provides a broad range of gold, silver, and other precious metal goods makes sense.
While many of the businesses on our list only provide silver and gold coins, others offer a wide variety of each coin kind. You can purchase coins or bars of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium from other businesses. Additionally, you can invest in cryptocurrency through one of the businesses on our list, Royal Assets.
You may be sure that all the businesses on our list provide a wide range of precious metal products.
Buybacks
Work with a company that offers future buybacks if you need clarification on the kind of precious metal to acquire within an IRA or are apprehensive about the procedure. Customers of these businesses are permitted to sell their precious metals back to them without paying any further costs.
The top gold IRA providers provide buybacks and make the buyback procedure as simple as possible. If you bought your precious metals directly from these businesses, they might even offer to ship them back to their facilities at no cost.
Several businesses on our list provide simple and trustworthy buybacks, giving you a safety net in case you wish to return your precious metals to them.
A Gold-based IRA Broker or Custodian Can be Found Here
You are responsible for keeping the precious metals when you buy precious metal IRAs. The IRS does not, however, permit owners of gold IRAs to store their precious metals in their residences. Instead, keeping your money with a gold IRA custodian is the wisest action.
Most of the time, custodians are banks, brokerage houses, credit unions, or other financial entities that have received federal approval to offer asset custody services. Although some gold IRA providers may suggest particular custodians, their clients can keep their precious metals with any reputable custodian.
Choosing the best custodian for your gold IRA storage may take time and effort. We advise taking the time to investigate some custodians, paying close attention to their credentials. Custodians must be appropriately licensed, insured, and registered to deliver dependable services and safeguard their clients’ assets.
To assess a custodian’s dependability, you can also consider its reputation. You can gain insight into other clients’ dealings with custodians by reading reviews on the BBB website, which will give you a sense of your experience.
You’ll need to engage with a broker to invest in a gold IRA, just like standard IRA alternatives. Fortunately, the businesses on our list serve as brokers by simplifying all the steps necessary to buy precious metal IRAs.
Gold Types that are Permitted in a Precious Metals IRA
According to IRS regulations, consumers can only hold certain kinds of precious metals in precious metal IRAs. In particular, the silver in IRAs must be 99.9% pure, and white gold, platinum, and palladium metals must be at least 99.5% pure.
Additionally, it would help if you acquired the gold for your IRA in coins weighing one, one-half, one-quarter, or one-tenth of an ounce.
By working with a professional gold IRA provider, you may be sure that the precious metals you buy comply with IRS requirements. However, before buying gold for your IRA, it always helps to double-check it with IRS laws.
The Benefits of Gold Investments for Retirement
You may be wondering if investing in gold for retirement instead of keeping a typical IRA or 401(k) is beneficial (k). Is it worthwhile to put the time and effort into moving money to a gold IRA?
However, there are several reasons why buying gold can be a smart move. Here are some of the most convincing arguments favoring gold investments for retirement.
Gold Keeps its Price
Due to its propensity to hold its value well over time, gold is a relatively stable investment. Consumer perception of gold as one of the most valuable commodities has mostly stayed the same over the past few centuries. Gold also withstands time well because it doesn’t tarnish and keeps its lovely color throughout time.
An Effective Inflation Hedge is a Gold
You’re undoubtedly familiar with inflation, the process by which the dollar value gradually decreases over time. For instance, purchasing a 1,000-square-foot home now is far more expensive than it was 50 years ago. As a result, for all your paper investments to continue to be profitable, their value must grow at a pace more significant than the inflation rate.
Gold, on the other hand, protects against inflation. Because of supply and demand, the amount of gold in bank reserves, and investment activity, gold prices are highly volatile. As a result, rising dollar values typically cause gold prices to rise.
Gold Offers Deflation Protection
Along with protecting your assets against inflation, gold may also protect them from deflation when prices drop sharply due to a loss in demand. During the Great Depression, people usually look for a safe place to spend money.
Gold’s value increased throughout the Great Depression and the following significant deflationary periods because of its relative stability as a store of money.
You Can Diversify your Financial Portfolio with Gold
If you invest in one sort of product, you may be more subject to unsystematic risks, which could cause the value of your investments to plummet substantially.
However, portfolio diversification can assist you in risk management and lower asset price volatility. Adding a gold IRA to your traditional retirement assets is a simple method to diversify your investments.
Knowing How to Roll Over a Gold IRA
Most of the gold IRA providers on our list prevent you from starting a gold IRA from scratch. Instead, some organizations demand that you remove money from an existing account and deposit it in a new IRA or transfer money from an existing IRA. The last choice is referred to as a rollover into a gold IRA.
Specific IRS rules and restrictions apply to IRA rollovers. For instance, you can only store money in your account for 60 days before transferring it to a new IRA if you choose to roll over money from an IRA. In contrast, the money would only leave your bank account after going to your new IRA if you assisted someone in moving money from one IRA to another.
Transferring money from one IRA to another is more straightforward than rolling over an IRA. On the other hand, rollovers typically occur in 60 days or less and are more rapid than transfers. The businesses on our list may assist you with gold IRA rollovers to make the procedure as simple as possible and ensure you don’t incur any additional fees due to poor planning.
Precious Metals IRA Frequently Asked Questions
What is the bare minimum required to open a gold IRA?
When starting a gold IRA, the IRS does not specify a minimum investment amount; however, you must meet their minimum investment requirements to operate with many gold IRA businesses. As an illustration, Augusta Precious Metals demands that customers invest at least $50,000 when purchasing gold and other precious metals.
Other businesses have substantially higher minimum investment requirements. Consider looking for a gold IRA business with a modest minimum investment requirement if your existing retirement accounts have yet to gain much value since you started them.
Can I maintain my gold IRA at home?
Many customers ask whether they can install a home storage facility for the gold they buy using a gold IRA. Unfortunately, you cannot keep the actual gold bullion at home when you invest in a gold IRA.
Instead, the IRS mandates that holders of gold IRAs store their gold with a custodian approved by the agency, such as a bank, credit union, or another type of financial organization.
If you disregard this guideline and retain your gold at home, it will count as a distribution, and you can be subject to a 10% tax penalty. Furthermore, you’ll have to pay income taxes on the distribution, which reduces the overall value of the gold you receive.
Even worse, keeping your gold investment at home could result in an IRS tax audit and further fines.
Purchase gold bullion directly from one of the gold IRA suppliers on our list if you prefer to own it and keep it wherever you please. These businesses offer insurance to lower risk during transit and will ship your gold right to your door. Once you have this gold, you can do whatever you wish, including keeping it at home or with a custodian.
Which IRS-accepted coins are permitted to be held in a gold IRA?
As previously indicated, the metals you buy for an IRA investment must meet certain IRS quality and purity requirements. Silver must be 99.9% pure, whereas gold, platinum, and palladium must be 99.5% pure.
Some gold bullion and other precious metal coins are accepted as meeting these standards by the IRS. For gold IRAs, the IRS, for instance, agrees with the following gold coins:
- Bullion and proof American Gold Eagle coins
- Uncirculated American Gold Buffalo coins
- Gold Panda coins from China
- Kangaroo/Nugget coins from Australia
- Gold Maple Leaf coins made in Canada
- Gold Philharmonic coins from Austria
You may be sure that the gold you buy will meet IRS requirements if you engage with a reputable gold IRA supplier.
What Costs are Associated with Establishing a Gold IRA Account?
When you invest in a gold IRA, at least three separate fees will likely apply
First, to cover the cost of setting up your investment account, most IRA providers charge an upfront account setup fee. Usually, this cost is between $50 and $150. Some businesses do not charge this fee for higher investment deposits, though.
The cost of maintaining your account over the long term is covered by an annual administrative fee levied by many IRA providers. This charge, which usually varies based on your account size, can be anywhere from $50 to $150.
Last, you’ll have to pay a storage fee to the depository where your money is kept. The amount of gold in the account determines certain custodians’ storage fees, while others impose a single annual rate.
IRA providers may decide whether to charge a commission for purchasing gold for their clients in addition to these everyday expenses.
Unfortunately, costs for gold IRAs are frequently higher than those for standard IRAs and 401(k) plans. According to many investors, the advantages of gold investing make these increased fees worthwhile.
Where are the Precious Metals Kept that are Part of your Gold IRA?
A custodian, such as a bank, must hold your investment when you open a gold IRA account. However, you have the choice of which custodian will keep your gold.
Transferring your money to particular depositories is simple because several gold IRA firms partner with them. You may, however, select different custodians in place of these.
In either case, before entrusting a depository with your gold investment, we advise asking about the depository’s licenses and registrations. You must conduct these background checks to avoid losing your money.
Final Thoughts – Best Gold IRA Companies
A gold IRA investment is an excellent method to diversify your retirement portfolio and reduce asset volatility. Fortunately, working with one of the trustworthy gold IRA firms on our list allows you to benefit from a simple setup procedure, interact with an advisor who knows the industry, and select from a large variety of precious metal coins and bullion.
If you’re still trying to figure out which IRA provider is the best gold IRA firm for your needs, request the free pamphlet from each and weigh their benefits and drawbacks. Since all providers offer equivalent services, you can select whichever one you like to facilitate your gold IRA investment.
A gold IRA could be your solution if you’ve been worrying about your retirement savings. To begin transferring cash from an existing retirement account to a more reliable gold IRA, look into the businesses on our list immediately.
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