Augusta Precious Metals
Available Metals
Gold, Silver
Minimum IRA Investment
$50,000
Custodian
Equity Trust
BBB Rating: A+
BCA Rating: AAA
Fees
Account setup fee: $50
Annual account maintenance fee: $100
Annual storage fee: $100
Augusta Precious Metals has over 11 years of experience handling precious metals IRAs and selling gold and silver bullion. Many investors consider Augusta Precious Metals the best gold IRA custodian in the U.S. due to lifetime customer support and helpful educational materials that really benefit investors.
You can also choose between 10+ storage locations while opening a self-directed precious metals IRA. As for initial investment requirements, Augusta Precious Metals allows a minimal contribution of $50,000.
Overall, Augusta Precious Metals caters to investors who want to diversify large portfolios and protect assets against economic downturns. Due to an instant buyback policy, you can cash out your investment whenever you want.
Pros:
- Customers get free lifetime support.
- Fixed storage fees benefit $100,000+ investments.
- Augusta emphasizes continuous learning and puts customer education and well-being first.
- You will get professional paperwork support.
- Augusta offers a buyback policy.
Cons:
- It’s available only in the U.S.
- It has a high account minimum.
GoldBroker
Available Metals
Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium
Minimum Investment
$5,000 (USD/EUR/GBP/CHF/CAD) for the first order with secure storage, $0 for all subsequent orders with secure storage and for shipping orders
Custodian
Malca-Amit
Fees
Annual account maintenance fee: $125 for a deposit under $20,000 / $0 for a deposit over $20,000
Annual storage fee: 1.10% – 1.50%
GoldBroker is a British precious metals firm with over 4 years of experience. GoldBroker’s customers invest in gold and silver coins and bars in Europe, the United States, Asia-Pacific, and other regions. GoldBroker operates worldwide and partners with secure and reliable precious metals custodians. You can store precious metals in Zurich, Toronto, New York, or Singapore Freeport. You can invest in precious metals without opening an IRA account.
GoldBroker offers a buyback guarantee, allowing you to sell gold at the most favorable rates. Also, GoldBroker stores precious metals in private vaults, securing your investment from risks typically associated with the banking industry.
Pros:
- You can avoid high capital gain taxes by storing assets in offshore jurisdictions.
- GoldBroker allows investment buyback.
- GoldBroker uses a private custodian outside the banking system.
- You can choose from 4 vault locations.
- You own physical assets.
Cons:
- Storage fees are calculated as a percentage of your investment.
Goldco
Available Metals
Gold, Silver
Minimum IRA Investment
$25,000
Custodian
Delaware Depository
BBB Rating: A+
BCA Rating: AAA
Fees
Account setup fee: $50
Annual account maintenance fee: $100
Annual storage fee: $100
Goldco is a California-based precious metals firm with over 12 years of experience. At Goldco, you can buy gold & silver coins and bars and invest in gold and silver IRAs. Goldco provides help with transferring funds from regular IRA or 401(k) accounts to gold and silver IRAs. It might be one of the best silver IRA companies due to a fee advantage. Goldco silver storage fees are the same as gold commissions, while other precious metals IRA companies set higher commissions for silver storage.
Goldco provides comprehensive assistance in IRA rollover so customers don’t pay rollover fees. Goldco’s professionals guide customers through the gold & silver buying process, making Goldco one of the easiest ways to secure your funds against economic downturn.
Goldco has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and an AAA rating from the Business Consumer Alliance (BCA). Goldco is one of the most reliable gold IRA companies as it partners with Delaware Depository, one of the biggest precious metals storage facilities in the U.S.
Pros:
- Delaware Depository is a reliable custodian insured up to $1 billion per customer.
- Goldco’s customer service guides on every investment step.
- Goldco offers instant buyback.
Cons:
- The official website doesn’t feature information about service conditions, including account maintenance fees and deposit limits.
Birch Gold Group
Available Metals
Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium
Minimum IRA Investment
$10,000
Custodian
Delaware Depository, Brink’s Global Services, Texas Precious Metals Depository, IDS Group
BBB Rating: A+
BCA Rating: AAA
Fees
Account setup fee: $50
Annual account maintenance fee: $100
Annual storage fee: $100
Birch Gold Group is a California-based precious metals firm with 20 years of experience. It offers gold, silver, platinum, and palladium coins and bars. The main advantage of Birch Gold Group is that you can open platinum and palladium IRAs alongside gold and silver.
Birch Gold Group’s dedicated managers assist customers in each buying step. You will receive qualified help in transferring your assets from a traditional IRA to a precious metals IRA. Additionally, Birch Gold Group features interviews with industry experts, how-to guides, and educational pieces about investments and precious metals.
Birch Gold Group partners with well-established precious metals vaults, including Delaware Depository, Brink’s Global Services, Texas Precious Metals Depository, and IDS Group. Customers can choose between several private, fully segregated, and insured storage vaults. With the Delaware Depository, customers’ assets are insured up to $1 billion per account.
Pros:
- Several precious metals custodians are available.
- You can invest in platinum and palladium alongside gold and silver.
- Birch Gold Group’s service fees benefit large investments.
Cons:
Noble Gold Investments
Available Metals
Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium
Minimum IRA Investment
$20,000
Minimum Survival Kit Investment
$2,000
Custodian
IDS Group
BBB Rating: A+
BCA Rating: AAA
Fees
Gold annual account maintenance fee: $80
Gold annual storage fee: $150
Silver account annual maintenance fee: $225
Silver annual storage fee: $250
Noble Gold Investments has over 20 years of experience in precious metals deals. It offers gold and silver IRAs and many coins for purchase, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.
Noble Gold Investments offers a Noble Ambassador Survival Pack for international investors, allowing them to secure assets in North American vaults. You can also purchase precious metals for as low as $2,000 under the Royal Survival Pack program, which doesn’t require a precious metals IRA. Due to the Noble Gold Investments buyback program, you can instantly sell your investment.
Noble Gold Investments partners with the IDS Group depository with storages in Delaware, Texas, and Mississauga. You can also order a home delivery if you reside in North America. Overall, Noble Gold Investments is a safe haven investment company that primarily caters to gold investors.
Pros:
-
- A buyback program is available.
- Noble Gold Investments operates worldwide.
- You can open an account with as low as $2,000.
- The IDS Group is 100% insured up to $1 million per customer, with extra insurance available.
Cons:
- The website doesn’t feature coin prices.
- Account storage fees are relatively high.
BullionVault
Available Metals
Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium
Minimum Trade Size
$0
Custodian
BullionVault
BCA Rating: AAA
Fees
Buy & sell fee: 0.05% – 0.5%
Gold annual storage fee: 0.12%
Silver, platinum, and palladium storage fee: 0.48%
BullionVault is a London-based precious metals firm with over 18 years of experience. You can use BullionVault to buy, sell, and store precious metals, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium without opening a precious metals IRA. It’s a reliable platform for investors and traders who don’t plan to convert retirement savings into precious metals. At BullionVault, you can speculate on the prices of precious metals on the live trading board. It features bullion prices from 5 vaults: London, Zurich, Toronto, New York, and Singapore.
BullionVault charges some of the lowest storage fees. You can pay as low as $48 for holding $48,000 at BullionVault vs. $100 at other precious metals companies. This storage fee structure benefits smaller investors.
Pros:
- You can store precious metals without opening an IRA.
- Trading with daily charts and best prices is available.
- Storage fees benefit smaller investors in the $50,000 – $100,000 range.
- Transparent precious metals prices and detailed fee charts.
- Customers can choose between 5 storage vaults.
Cons:
- Storage fees for a $250,000 investment are higher than average.
GoldRepublic
Available Metals
Gold, Silver, Platinum
Minimum Investment
€50
Custodian
G4S
Fees
Buy & sell fee: 1%
Gold annual storage fee: 0.5%
Silver and platinum annual storage fee: 1%
GoldRepublic is an Amsterdam-based precious metals provider with over 13 years of experience. You can buy, sell, and store gold, silver, and platinum without opening a precious metals IRA.
One of the primary GoldRepublic benefits is that you can open a precious metals savings account with just €50. Customers can choose between private vault locations in Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. Or, you can order a home delivery. You can also instantly sell assets due to a buyback program.
GoldRepublic’s features make buying, selling, and storing precious metals simple and convenient for investors and traders. Due to low service fees and investment thresholds, GoldRepublic caters to small and medium investors.
Pros:
- You can invest in precious metals without an IRA.
- Gold Republic has low service fees that benefit small and medium investors.
- You can trade precious metals.
- You can sell assets at any time due to a buyback policy.
Cons:
- Precious metals offerings are visible for registered users only.
American Hartford Gold
Available Metals
Gold, Silver
Minimum IRA Investment
$10,000
Custodian
Delaware Depository, Brinks Global Services, Equity Trust, IDS Group
BBB Rating: A+
BCA Rating: AAA
Fees
Annual account maintenance fee: Varies
Annual storage fee: Varies
American Hartford Gold has over 8 years of experience securing customers’ precious metals. With American Hartford Gold, you can buy gold and silver coins and invest in respective IRAs.
American Hartford Gold offers 4 custodians, depending on your location, accepting overseas clients. It is known for stellar ratings, premium customer support, and beneficial welcome promotions. Thus, you can get free account maintenance for 3 years, depending on your initial investment size, and get up to $15,000 in silver for free.
Due to the Delaware Depository, your assets are insured up to $1 billion with American Hartford Gold. Overall, American Hartford Gold offers reliable gold storage services and suits both small and big investors.
Pros:
- Customers get account maintenance discounts.
- You can choose from many vault locations.
- You can choose from over 40 coins, including IRA-approved ones.
- American Hartford Gold offers a buyback policy.
Cons:
- The website doesn’t feature details on coin prices and storage fees.
- Percentage-based storage fees may not benefit big investments.
What is a Gold IRA Company?
A gold (silver, platinum, palladium) IRA company is a firm that allows you to open a self-directed precious metals Individual Retirement Account (IRA). A gold IRA firm helps investors manage precious metals IRAs, diversify investment portfolios, and secure retirement savings. With gold and silver IRA companies, you can buy precious metals in various physical forms, such as coins and bars. Some precious metals firms on our list allow you to buy, sell, and trade precious metals without opening an IRA.
You can store precious metals coins and bars in secure vaults managed by precious metals custodians on behalf of a gold IRA company. One company may partner with several custodians, allowing you to choose storage vaults based on your preferences. Some companies allow customers to store assets in home depositories. However, the top-rated gold IRA companies prefer privately managed secret vaults for security reasons.
How Does a Gold IRA Work?
A precious metals IRA is a retirement account approved by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This retirement account operates similarly to a traditional IRA and has the following conditions, restrictions, and requirements:
Contribution limits. As of 2024, you can contribute up to $7,000 per year if you are under 50 years and $8,000 if you are over 50 years. The contribution limits are subject to change by the IRS for a given year. However, you can invest more than that if you convert your 401(k) account or traditional IRA into a gold IRA. That is why many gold IRA firms have initial investment minimums of $10,000, $20,000, or $50,000.
Withdrawal age. You cannot withdraw assets from a gold IRA without a penalty until the age of 59 ½. Early withdrawals incur a 10% tax penalty.
Tax benefits. You can lower your taxes for a given year since gold IRA contributions are tax-deductible. You can contribute or withdraw assets tax-free, depending on your account type (traditional or Roth). Or, you can avoid a buy & sell tax entirely with offshore storage.
The primary difference between a traditional IRA and a gold IRA is that the traditional IRA only allows you to invest in cash, stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and certificates of deposit (CDs). With a gold IRA, you can put your savings in IRA-eligible precious metals, such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.
Gold Storage Types
Precious metals companies allow investors to choose from several storage options:
How to Open a Gold IRA Account?
You can follow these steps to open a precious metals IRA:
- 1
Reach out to a precious metals IRA firm. You can contact one of the firms on our list. The firm’s customer support representatives will guide you on every step of the process.
- 2
Open a precious metals IRA. You can transfer traditional savings to a gold IRA. Eligible accounts include traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans. You can’t open a gold IRA without a traditional IRA rollover with most precious metals firms.
- 3
Select precious metals. A precious metals IRA firm will help you purchase IRA-eligible bullion with the transferred funds. Afterward, you can have peace of mind. The world’s best bullion storage providers will hold your assets in highly secure vaults.
Gold IRA Fees
Precious metals companies may charge several fees for managing customer assets.
| Precious metals fee |
Description |
Example |
| One-time account setup fee |
Applies when a gold IRA company creates your account and deals with the necessary paperwork |
Augusta Precious Metals charges a $50 one-time account setup fee |
| Annual account maintenance fee |
Covers the costs of keeping your account active |
Noble Gold Investments charges a $80 annual account maintenance fee |
| Annual storage fee |
Covers the costs of storing bullion, including security expenses and regular inspections |
GoldRepublic charges a 0.5% annual storage fee.
- You will be charged $500 annually for holding $100,000 worth of bullion.
|
| Buy & sell fee |
Applies when you buy and sell physical assets at investment service firms like BullionVault. |
BullionVault has a 0.05% – 0.5% buy & sell fee.
- You will be charged $50 – $500 for buying & selling $100,000.
|
| Bullion transportation fee |
Covers bullion transportation expenses. It’s optional in most gold IRA companies. |
Gold Republic charges $140 for delivering 12.5 kg (27.5 lb) of bullion. |
Is It a Good Idea to Invest in Precious Metals?
Gold, silver, platinum, and palladium have always been reliable investment vehicles. Precious metals are much more stable than currencies, stocks, or cryptocurrencies. Bullion is also less prone to inflation and economic downturns. Therefore, precious metals, particularly gold, have several advantages over currencies and securities.
Hedge against inflation. Due to inflation, the U.S. dollar has lost 92% of its purchasing power since 1933. As a result, the absolute value of dollar deposits made in 1933 may be negative in 2022. Meanwhile, gold has increased by over 5,000% in value since 1968. Although gold is not 100% immune to inflation, you can preserve a much higher absolute value of your investment if you hold your money in it.
Portfolio diversification. Holding 100% of your money in one or a few assets puts your investment at substantial risk. Since precious metals respond to economic events differently, they are a secure way to diversify your portfolio. Experts recommend allocating approximately 5% – 10% of your portfolio to alternative assets, such as precious metals.
Scarcity and demand. According to Yahoo Finance, the demand for gold peaked in 2022, while gold mining will likely become unsustainable by 2050. High demand paired with scarcity will benefit gold investors as gold will rise in value in the future.
Gold Price Chart
Risks of Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals investments carry the following risks:
Short-term volatility. Although the price of gold can grow steadily over 5, 20, or 30 years, it can experience price spikes and drops in 1-2 years. In the middle of 2021, gold plummeted 18% but recovered by early 2022.
Precious metals IRA restrictions. You may be subject to a 10% penalty if you liquidate your investment from a gold IRA early. Also, you may have difficulties finding a buyer in some instances. It’s advisable to find a precious metals IRA company with a buyback policy, which allows you to liquidate your assets instantly.
No dividends. You will not receive dividends for holding physical bullion. It means you can’t rely on income generation with your gold IRA. Instead, you can treat a gold IRA as the least risky way to preserve the value of your money during economic headwinds.
How to Choose the Best Gold IRA Company?
You can consider the following criteria while selecting a gold IRA company.
Accreditation
Check if the company is accredited by trusted organizations like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or the Business Consumer Alliance (BCA). The accreditation seal means the company is licensed and follows good business practices. An accredited gold IRA company is more likely to deliver a positive customer experience.
Selection of Precious Metals
A wide selection of precious metals and their physical forms ensures better diversification. It’s better to consider IRA companies that sell silver, gold, platinum, and palladium in many different coins and bars.
Service Fees
Please note that storing precious metals costs money. It’s advisable to consider service fees while purchasing precious metals and opening gold, silver, platinum, and palladium IRAs. A gold IRA will cost you $200 a year on average (account maintenance + storage fees). Some companies charge storage fees based on your total investment, which may benefit small investors.
It’s advisable to select the lowest fees available while considering storage duration and applicable taxes. You can compare a fixed vs. percentage-based fee and see what works for your investment.
Buyback Policy
A buyback policy means the precious metals IRA company instantly buys your bullion at market value when you cash out your investment. It is more beneficial than if you search for a third-party buyer. Consider gold IRA companies that offer buyback policies.
Track Record
Reliable precious metals IRA companies have a positive track record with minimal customer complaints. Consider precious metals firms with high ratings on review platforms like Trustpilot and Consumer Affairs. The higher the rating, the higher the chance of a positive customer experience. Also, consider the review count. High ratings with high review counts are more likely to reflect the actual situation around the discussed company.
Example:
- Augusta Precious Metals has 4.9 stars on Consumer Affairs based on 130+ reviews.
- Noble Gold Investments has 5 stars on Consumer Affairs based on 690+ reviews.
- Gold Republic has 4.6 stars on Trustpilot based on 200+ reviews.
Storage Options
It’s advisable to prioritize precious metals firms offering multiple storage locations, including offshore vaults. You may want to have several options to choose from due to the following:
Is Gold IRA Good for You?
A precious metals investment, including a gold IRA, can be beneficial if you want to do the following:
Diversify your investment portfolio.
Preserve wealth during economic uncertainties.
Protect your money from inflation.
Secure your retirement savings.
FAQ
You can look for the following aspects while selecting a gold IRA company:
- Accreditations.
- Selection of precious metals.
- Service fees.
- Buyback policy.
- Track record.
- Storage options.
A gold IRA is a good investment for seniors since precious metals secure money against inflation. Individuals over 50 can contribute up to $7,500 to their gold IRAs annually. A gold IRA is a reliable investment for seniors who want to protect their money against inflation and during economic uncertainties.
The value of gold has increased by over 5,000% since 1968. It often serves as a hedge against inflation, preserving the value of your investment. It’s a good idea to invest a portion of your portfolio (5% – 10%) in a gold IRA.
The best gold IRA companies are the following:
- Goldco: It has the lowest silver IRA fees. Goldco offers instant buyback at the highest price and multiple IRA rollover options.
- Augusta Precious Metals: It has best-in-class customer service, offers comprehensive educational content, and charges low fees.
- GoldBroker: It is the cheapest in the short term due to tax-free offshore storage and has an instant buyback policy.
