Traditional IRA portfolios experience market volatility and inflation, which affects the hard-earned investments of people but gold has over time proven to be stable and steady in its growth, making it a safe and reliable hedge against inflation compared to the more volatile stock market.
This has naturally drawn a lot of investors to seek out gold investment companies with the best deals to invest in gold. If you are looking for the best way to diversify and secure your finances against crisis, gold is the best bet and a number of companies are reputable for helping customers realize their dream of having gold stored up.
Gold IRAs cater to investors who want to diversify their wealth as they save for retirement. Precious metals like silver and gold, platinum and palladium are considered hedges against inflation and stock market volatility, gold IRAs allow you to hold these precious metals in an individual retirement account. The accounts offer the same tax benefits as IRAs invested in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs.
As with many things, investments are equally fraught with risk although the severity varies from portfolio to portfolio. Questions have been raised over and over again about the best investment for retirement and very consistently Gold has always come up and for good reason.
With various good options available, choosing and recommending select precious metals IRA companies becomes difficult. The best gold IRA companies provide objective educational materials, investing information, and prompt customer service to their customers.
This review of the Best Gold IRA Companies is simply an effort to do the heavy lifting for you. This selection takes into consideration customer reviews, ratings, pricing, customer service, years of operation, and more.
So if you’re looking to diversify your financial portfolio, one of these companies is a fantastic option for new and experienced investors alike. Just before highlighting the Best Gold IRA Companies, you need to have a good knowledge of what a Gold IRA company is especially if you are new to this.
What is a Gold IRA Company?
A gold IRA company is a company that specializes in self-directed individual retirement accounts designed to hold precious metals.
A gold IRA allows pre-tax contributions, and the investment earnings can then accumulate tax-deferred. The contribution and income limits are the same. But unlike a traditional IRA, which typically holds paper assets such as stocks, bonds, funds, ETFs, and cash equivalents, a gold IRA is set up strictly to hold physical gold or other approved metals.
A gold IRA company’s role is to facilitate setting up the IRA and purchasing the gold coins or bullion. The investor must still find a custodian and a secure depository for their gold.
Having now known what a Gold IRA company is, here are the Best Gold IRA Companies according to our pick.
The Best Gold IRA Companies
Precious metals like silver and gold, platinum and palladium are considered hedges against inflation and stock market volatility. These qualities tend to attract more attention during times of geopolitical uncertainty and gold IRAs allow you to hold physical gold in an individual retirement account.
After much research into Gold IRA Companies, here are the Best Gold IRA
Companies.
- Augusta Precious Metals
2. Goldco
3. American Hartford
4. Birch Gold
#1 Augusta Precious Metals
Augusta Precious Metals has come to be known as a Gold IRA Provider with Deep Experience and Dedicated Service to customers. Augusta Precious Metals is considered by many experts as one of the top gold and silver IRA companies in the precious metals IRA industry and they carry our number one spot today. They have a stellar reputation and great customer service.
Augusta Precious Metals is recognized for providing clients with the finest silver and gold pension investments available. It also helps customers to protect their assets by allowing them to diversify their profiles. Once you’ve established an account with Augusta, you’ll be entitled to first-rate assistance as long as you stick with them. If you have questions regarding certain items or want more details on your retirement funds, their experienced team is ready to help.
Services
Augusta offers a variety of precious metals IRA options, all of which are designed to help clients find a way to avoid the risks of inflation or even just diversify their portfolio. Buyers are required to have a minimum of $50k in savings for their retirement accounts before starting with Augusta, like 401ks or traditional IRAs. A gold IRA isn’t the same as a regular IRA, which is why Augusta Precious Metals designed a straightforward way of onboarding clients for the purchase of precious metals.
Storage
Rest assured, Augusta has done its due diligence on behalf of customers to find the best secured private depository in the United States. This company works with a reputable depository, the Delaware Depository. Unless you have a specific preference, the company will usually recommend that you use their preferred storage facility which is in Delaware.
There are other depository options in California, Idaho, North Dakota, Nevada, Massachusetts, Ontario, Utah, New York, and Ohio, as well as several in Delaware.
Your precious metals are safely stored in a highly secure non-government depository storage facility. They are legally documented and inaccessible by the facility’s creditors, far away from financial and political centers.
● $1 billion all-risk insurance through London underwriters
● Exchange-approved depository for CME & ICE
● IRS compliant (IRC – 408n) depository for IRA assets
● Bullion fully allocated and held off-balance sheet
Conclusion on Augusta Precious Metals
Augusta Precious Metals is a highly rated, reputable company that can assist you in setting up self-directed IRAs and sending out IRS-approved silver and gold to depositories. Those who have more than $100,000 in savings also get access to a free webinar tailored to them. Augusta donates some of its net proceeds to charity, namely K9s for Warriors.
If you’re looking to diversify your investments with gold and silver, then Augusta Precious Metals is a great choice. Click the button below to get navigated to the Augusta Precious Metal homepage and once there click the “Get Started” button on the top right to begin.
#2 Goldco
Goldco is a privately held company in the Los Angeles area with over a decade of experience in helping customers protect their retirement savings. Whether you want to diversify your retirement assets into a Precious Metals IRA or buy gold and silver directly, a Goldco Specialist can help you seamlessly navigate the process from beginning to end.
The company’s long-standing reputation for excellent customer service, and high ethical standards, along with precious metals education and resources position Goldco as a preferred precious metals provider.
If you have an IRA, 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or similar tax-advantaged retirement account, a Goldco Specialist can help you protect those assets with a Precious Metals IRA.
Goldco also offers direct sales of gold and silver to their customers. If you have a savings account, a Goldco Specialist can help you diversify those funds with precious metals. Whether you want to roll over retirement assets into a Precious Metals IRA or buy gold and silver directly, a Goldco Specialist can help you navigate each step of the process seamlessly.
Goldco is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau and Triple-A by Business Consumer Alliance. Their quality customer service, dependability, and ethical business practices have resulted in thousands of satisfied customers and numerous positive customer reviews.
Goldco has also received honors, awards, and accolades from various business publications recognizing the company’s successful expansion. For the last six years, Goldco has been featured on Inc 5000’s prestigious list of Fastest Growing Private Companies. It has been awarded “Company of the Year” for two years straight from the American Business Awards. And the Los Angeles Business Journal has ranked Goldco as one of the top 25 fastest-growing private companies in Los Angeles.
Goldco Services
Goldco offers the most stable gold and silver coin choices available. Their inventory contains over fifteen coins from government mints worldwide. All these offerings are IRA-eligible.
All IRAs require a custodian to manage account assets, and Goldco assists with the related paperwork for smooth processing. Clients also receive a great deal of assistance rolling over an existing retirement account into a precious metals IRA.
If you choose to invest in a gold IRA, you can purchase a range of gold IRA-approved coins to fund your account. Goldco works with mints to source high-quality coins eligible for gold IRAs.
Goldco Fees
Goldco’s required minimum purchase is not stated on the official website. However, there are more details in the information kit when you sign up. The company charges a flat annual fee rather than a percentage of assets. Goldco does not publish fees on the website but mentions frequent fee refund promotions. Gold storage and custodian fees depend on the company you choose to handle these services (required by the IRS). Average storage fees can run from $10 to $60 per month or as a percentage of assets ranging from around 0.35% to 1% annually.
If you contact customer care, they’ll give you a clear outline of the fees, which is as follows:
- A yearly administration cost of $80
- The one-time startup cost of $50
- Segregated alternatives storage fee of $150
- Non-segregated alternatives with a $100 storage fee
Storage
- IRA gold and silver from Goldco are stored in a few depositories
- DDSC is preferred — $100 for non-segregated (recommended)
- Brinks Salt Lake City — $100 for non-segregated
- IDS Texas — $150, offers segregated only
- Free storage for non-IRA transactions if the customer prefers not to have them delivered to their home
Conclusion on Goldco
Goldco is a reputable precious metals dealer offering products to enhance your retirement savings strategy. This company is one of the leaders in the precious metals industry and has received numerous awards and recognitions. So if you are looking to diversify, Goldco will be an unregrettable choice.
If you are interested in choosing Goldco then click the link below to get started.
#3 American Hartford Gold
American Hartford Gold is a company dedicated to helping individuals and families invest in precious metals. This includes Gold, Silver, and Platinum in both bars and coins. They provide both physical deliveries to one’s doorstep or inside of a retirement account like an IRA, 401K, or TSP.
American Hartford Gold helps clients achieve greater security for their future by adding “safe haven” assets to their portfolio. Investors receive only the highest quality gold and silver coins, offered at competitive prices with 100% customer satisfaction guaranteed.
American Hartford Gold has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has a 5-star customer satisfaction rating on multiple review platforms like Trustpilot and Google. Additionally, American Hartford Gold has been ranked as the #1 Gold Company by the prestigious Inc. 5000’s 2021 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies.
Services
Their main services are:
- Selling precious metals like gold, silver, platinum, and palladium
- Offering Gold IRAs
You can buy precious metals from American Hartford Gold with perks like free insured shipping, price matching, and a buyback commitment.
Fees
To open a Gold IRA with American Hartford Gold, the account minimum is one of the lowest minimums in the industry. You also get the tax advantages of investing in an IRA.
American Hartford Gold has a couple of options to roll over your current IRA into their Gold IRA. You can use their 60-day rollover option or choose the trustee-to-trustee option. You’ll have no penalties or taxes with either of these methods.
Conclusion on American Hartford Gold
Overall, American Hartford reviews are overwhelmingly positive. If you want to learn more about investing in gold before taking the plunge, you can request the company’s free guide. This 25-page guide includes valuable information about taking control of your savings with precious metals IRAs.
Altogether, American Hartford Gold is a reputable gold IRA company offering top-tier gold IRA investment products.
#4 Birch Gold
Birch Gold places high value on customers and believes in empowering their customers through knowledge. They are headquartered across the street from the Warner Bros. Studios in the Golden State of California—Burbank, specifically—from where they proudly serve a diverse base of Americans from all 50 states. Birch Gold is also regularly featured on major news and media outlets.
Since 2003 and with over 14,000 customers, Birch Gold group has become a leading dealer of physical precious metals in the United States. Their dynamic team of former wealth managers, financial advisors, and commodity brokers continues to help customers diversify their portfolios with gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.
With your retirement and life savings, you want to be confident in the financial services companies that you work with—including whom you choose for purchasing physical precious metals. Birch Gold Group has distinguished itself in the management of Gold as a portfolio for retirement investments.
Birch Gold Group proudly maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, an AAA rating from the Business Consumer Alliance, and numerous other 5-star ratings on top review websites, including Consumer Affairs and GoldDealerReviews.com.
Birch has a dedicated team of professionals with decades of combined experience, including past positions with Citigroup, Dun & Bradstreet, and IBM. This expertise, combined with the customer care process, will make your purchase or IRA setup feel smooth and simple.
Why Birch Gold Group?
Birch Gold Group aims to educate its customers on the unique benefits of investing in precious metals. They do this by walking customers through various types of precious metals that suit their personal retirement goals, including the potential rewards and risks associated with each.
Diversifying your portfolio minimizes your risk when markets get volatile. But who you choose to help you do that is key. Trust is earned and Birch says customers can count on them to help diversify their investment portfolio.
Cost of Precious Metals in Birch Gold
Birch recommends you start with a minimum of $10,000 in a retirement account to set up a Birch Gold precious metals IRA.
Below is a list of fees for the custodian and depository that most customers of Birch Gold Group use.
One-Time Fees:
Account Set Up Fee: $50
Wire Transfer Fee: $30
Annual Fees:
Storage/Insurance: $100
Management Fees: $100
Storage Options in Birch Gold Group
Birch Gold group also ensures that your precious metals are placed in an
appropriate facility—the depository, chosen by you. The 2 depository options
popular with customers are:
- The Delaware Depository
- Brink’s Global
Customers opting to store their precious metals with the Delaware Depository can
pick between two facilities, one located in Wilmington, Delaware, and the other in
Seal Beach, California. Both locations are rigorously fortified using cutting-edge
security.
Brink’s is an industry leader in a wide range of secure logistics at a global scale, with over one thousand facilities worldwide.
Benefits of Using Birch Gold
● Hedge Against The Dollar
● Protect From Stock Market Volatility
● Safeguard From Geopolitical Instability
● Diversify Savings
● Private Ownership
Conclusion on Birch Gold
Birch Gold is one of the foremost precious metals IRA companies in the world and they have a good reputation for helping a lot of customers realize their dream of diversifying their savings and becoming proud owners of gold.
Birch Gold Group is known throughout the industry for its exemplary track record. The reputation they’ve earned for nearly two decades is evident in their many accolades and positive ratings from independent business review organizations.
So if you are considering an investment in gold, then Birch should be high on your list.
What to look For in Gold IRA Companies
Expertise in precious metals investments
This is perhaps the most important factor that should influence which gold IRA companies you choose, and which you avoid. The firm should have significant experience in gold investments with a track record of helping all types of clients, from first-timers to high-end investors.
When speaking to a firm, always ask questions: what options they offer, what they specialize in, what their experience is, how they can help you, and so on. If you receive vague answers that reveal a very limited knowledge of gold investing, then it’s time to find another company.
Multiple investment options
A wide range of investment options, such as gold coins, silver and other precious metals, is often a sign that the firm has significant experience and knowledge of the industry. Even if you are only interested specifically in gold-backed IRAs, you want to make sure that you’re dealing with professionals who will recommend the best options for your goals.
Excellent Rating
As with any type of business, you should check the Better Business Bureau to see how various gold IRA companies are rated. An A+ rating typically signifies that a business is established, credible and has a clean track record with little to no customer complaints.
No High-Pressure Sales Tactics
Avoid any company that puts pressure ahead of making informed decisions. When making an investment of any kind, you shouldn’t feel pressured to make quick decisions that you’re unsure about. An ideal precious metals company is one that takes the time to educate you on your options, makes sure you understand your choices, and provides strategies based on your individual goals.
Simple Rollovers
If you plan to roll over an eligible 401(k) or IRA into a gold IRA, then it’s important to choose a company that makes this process simple and guides you through every step.
Why Diversify to Gold
There is an old proverb (of Spanish or Italian origins): “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” No matter the context, this phrase means don’t risk losing everything by only having one plan or idea and then depending on that one thing entirely for your success.
This is particularly true when it comes to saving for retirement.
Leverage a safe-haven approach
According to Forbes, “buying metals represents a safe-haven approach to diversification.” These additional investment “baskets” provide diversity and act as a shield against an unpredictable stock market, fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar, and other economic uncertainties.
Gold can be used to diversify several categories of investments, including equities, bonds, and cash, like the U.S. dollar.
Gold’s performance endures when the dollar doesn’t
Time and time again, gold’s performance has been demonstrated to correlate inversely with that of equities, bonds, and cash. When the value of the dollar or a bond goes down, the value of gold tends to increase. Because of this, diversifying a portfolio by investing a portion of it into precious metals such as gold can help round out a portfolio’s value over time.
The fact that gold is a tangible item of value—as opposed to a printed promise of value—adds another layer of diversification and security to your portfolio. People may lose faith in stocks or in the dollar, leaving you holding a piece of paper with no value. Since precious metals have tangible worth and have historically carried intrinsic value, they’re effectively guaranteed to have lasting value.
Precious metals retain value
Historically, gold, silver, and other precious metals tend to hold their value in the face of inflation. If your retirement includes precious metals, this can provide some peace of mind that your current lifestyle could be preserved without having to continue working long past your target retirement date.
If you need more convincing, take a look at some statistics demonstrating the endurance and consistency of precious metals.
From 2007 to 2009, the U.S. stock market faced one of its worst crashes ever, dealing a massive blow to as much as 60% of some Americans’ retirement savings. But while the S&P 500 continued to crash, gold’s price rose—and effectively rewarded anyone who had diversified their portfolio.
Of course, gold is not the only precious metal that you can place in your precious metals IRA; diversification of the precious metal types held in the IRA can help your portfolio’s value to endure.
Diversity extends through the metals in your portfolio
This diversification has played out positively in previous periods of economic difficulty. For example, during the 2008-2012 recession, not just gold but also silver showed off its ability to endure economic crisis; even in the most harrowing conditions, it continued jumping up in value by almost 450%.
And more recently, a scientific study showed that diversification in precious metals helped investors endure the economic volatility in 2020 during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bottom Line – Best Gold IRA Companies
After you have determined which option is best for you, simply reach out to any of the above companies through any of the links provided. After that, you’ll receive delivery and take physical ownership of your gold and silver. And just like that, your future has become more secure.
If you’re unsure which IRA provider is the best gold IRA company for your needs, you can always get a free booklet from any of the companies listed above and compare the benefits and drawbacks of each organization.
Wanna go with our number 1 pick? Then you can’t go wrong with Augusta precious metals