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There are different companies out there that allow you to open precious metals IRAs or purchase physical precious metals. But, when planning to diversify your investment portfolio with precious metals, it might be hard to choose the one that is right for you. Two major companies that you should consider working with are Augusta Precious Metals and American Hartford Gold.
Augusta Precious Metals is a top-rated company that allows you to open gold IRAs or invest in physical gold. The company has literally no negative complaints and stands out for its quality customer service. All customers can benefit from lifetime customer support and one-on-one sessions with their experts. But the downside is the high minimum investment amount.
American Hartford Gold allows you to open a gold IRA with a very low minimum investment amount of $5,000. It is a great choice for investors on a budget. The company provides its customers with unlimited education, fair pricing, and 100% customer satisfaction. It also provides a buyback program with no fees involved.
In this guide, we will compare Augusta Precious Metals with American Hartford Gold so you can make your choice. Let’s take a closer look.
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Augusta Precious Metals is a top-rated and highly experienced precious metals investment company. Since it was founded in 2012, it has remained a popular choice for people that want to invest in a precious metals IRA. The company focuses on customer education and quality service.
Aside from getting positive ratings from present and previous customers, Augusta Precious Metals has been endorsed by celebrities too. For instance, Joe Montana has endorsed the company. When you purchase precious metals from Augusta Precious Metals, you will get a lifetime account set up. And you can get lifetime customer service.
Pros
Cons
Who Is It Suited For?
Augusta Precious Metals is ideal for anyone with $50,000 or more that wants to invest in a gold IRA or purchase physical gold. As a reputable company, it provides education to customers through private video chats, guides, and one-on-one sessions. It also provides account lifetime support to its customers. Thus, it is a good choice for anyone that is new to gold IRAs.
American Hartford Gold is a relatively new company in the precious metals industry, as it was founded in 2015. Despite this, the company has become very popular nationally thanks to its referrals and advertising approach. American Hartford Gold features a price match guarantee and a very low minimum investment fee that you can benefit from.
The company has been endorsed by celebrities like Bill O’Reilly, which is a commentator and talk show host. With American Hartford Gold, you can open a free gold IRA with no fees for maintenance, storage, and insurance for the first year. If you’re buying gold in cash, you can do so with $1,500.
Pros
Cons
Who Is It Suited For?
American Hartford Gold is best suited for investors that are on a budget. With the low minimum investment amount, anyone can invest in precious metals or open an IRA. The company provides different kinds of promotions that can help you save money, like waived fees.
Comparison Between Augusta Precious Metals and American Hartford Gold
Both Augusta Precious Metals and American Hartford Gold are reliable companies, so it’s important to compare them based on important factors before making your choice. In this guide, we reviewed both companies based on their investment services, customer support, depository and storage facilities, fees and minimum amount, and online reputation. Let’s take a closer look.
Services Offered
Augusta Precious Metals and American Hartford Gold provide precious metals IRAs which is an individual retirement account that allows you to hold precious metals. All you need to do is obey the purity standards set by the IRS.
Augusta Precious Metals focuses mostly on gold IRAs which are IRS-compliant. You can also engage in the direct purchase of gold and silver, which include American Gold Eagles, Canadian Maple Leaves, Gold Canadian Eagles, Gold American Buffalo, American Silver Eagles, Canadian Silver Eagles, and more.
You can open your gold and silver IRA with Augusta Precious Metals. Their preferred partner is Equity Trust which is a self-directed IRA provider with over 45 years of experience. Equity serves all 50 states and gives you full control over your investments.
Augusta Precious Metals also provides a gold buyback service. There is no guarantee that they will always buy your gold back but from online reviews, it seems like they have not turned down any request. They provide you with competitive prices.
American Hartford Gold also provides gold and silver IRAs, and you can get IRA rollovers and transfers with this company. With their low minimum investment amount, you can open an IRA easily and choose one of their different depository options. If you already have a 401(k) account, you can hire the experts at American Hartford Gold to roll over your account.
The company also provides gold and silver bullion and allows you to purchase these investment coins. It offers gold and silver coins and bars, including the staples like the American Gold Eagle, American Buffalo, Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, Sunshine Mint bars, and even junk silver.
American Hartford Gold offers a buyback program with no fees involved. They will give you a quote based on the current spot price of the precious metals, and then you can ship the precious metals to the company. Once it is verified, you will receive your payment. The company also provides price-matching services.
Customer Support and Transparency
Augusta Precious Metals provides top-notch customer service to its clients and even those that are just prospective customers. Once you’re a customer, you will receive lifetime customer support from their full team of gold professionals. Among the team, one will be the dedicated agent that will help you with all your needs regarding the precious metals IRA.
The company does not sell you gold or open your IRA and leave you on your own. Instead, they will educate you and inform you of updates in the market, help you add more precious metals to your IRA, sell back your metals, and manage distributions during retirement.
American Hartford Gold is also pretty easy to use, with reliable customer support. The account can be set up in three days, and their representatives are always willing to give you answers to your questions. A downside is that their website does not hold a lot of information, for instance, on the custodians that they commonly use.
Depository Services
Augusta Precious Metals provides secured storage services through the Delaware Depository. This is an IRS-compliant depository that stores precious metals, and it is available in cities around the US. There is also a $1 billion all-risk insurance policy that protects your precious metals. You can also visit the storage facility to see your precious metals in person by arranging them with your custodian.
American Hartford Gold works with Delaware Depository, Brinks Global Services, and International Depository Services. Even if two of these depositories allow you to store your precious metals around the world, the company only lists facilities in some cities in the United States. You can choose between segregated and non-segregated storage.
There is no doubt that American Hartford Gold offers a more varied choice of depositories than Augusta Precious Metals.
Fees and Minimum Amount
In terms of precious metals IRAs, you need to consider some recurring costs for storage and maintenance by the custodian. It’s important to look at the fee structures before you finalize your choice. Luckily, both companies provide free shipping for your metals, which are sent to the depository to be handled by the custodian.
Augusta Precious Metals has a minimum investment amount of $50,000, which is a pretty hefty fee. It is more expensive than most of the competition, so it only works with those that make large purchases. Luckily, they make up for this with their fully dedicated customer service.
Then, there is a flat fee for setting up your IRA, which is $50. With this fee paid, they help you with your application, rollover paperwork, and purchase. You will also pay $100 per year for your storage vault, while the maintenance cost is about $80. You can simply contact the representative to learn more about the fees involved. Yearly, expect to pay about $200 for your investment.
Before you get started with American Hartford Gold, it might be hard to understand their fees because there is very little information on their website. But it has some advantages over Augusta Precious Metals. With American Hartford Gold, you get a minimum deposit of $5,000 for IRAs and even lower for cash purchases.
Aside from this, there is no setup fee required which allows you to save money. The storage fees depend on the type of depository that you will pick from. If your investment amount meets a certain level, they can waive your maintenance fees for up to three years. You can contact the representative to know the fees involved and also learn whether you qualify for this.
Reputation and Online Ratings
Both Augusta Precious Metals and American Hartford Gold have solid reputations online, so you don’t have to worry about their quality.
Since it was founded, Augusta Precious Metals has had mostly positive feedback across different channels. It has 4.8 to 4.9 stars on review sites like Trustpilot, Consumer Affairs, and Trustlink. It also has an A+ rating from Better Business Bureau and has been accredited. You can barely find complaints online, and when one is made, the representatives take care of it quickly.
American Hartford Gold also has positive reviews online. It has been accredited by the BBB and holds an A+ rating. It also has 4.9 ratings on Trustpilot and Consumer Affairs, with barely any negative reviews at all. The only complaints that you will find are those on their advertising campaigns, but they respond to each negative feedback and try to resolve it.
Who Wins Between Both Companies?
Both companies have great reputations in the industry with quality services and good value for your money. Augusta Precious Metals is our top pick despite having a very high minimum investment amount. It also has a very high level of customer service that almost no other company can beat.
The company offers one-on-one sessions that will teach you about the industry and even insights from Harvard analysts. Plus, your account representative will be with you every step of the way in handling your account.
This doesn’t mean that American Hartford Gold is not a good choice. The company has a great reputation and provides quality services to its customers. There are several promotional offers that are available, like waived fees for the first three years. If you have a small amount to invest in gold or an IRA and don’t want to spend a lot on the setup fee, then this company is a great choice for you.
Goldco As An Alternative
#1. Goldco
Goldco is another leading precious metals company in the industry that will provide you with gold and silver IRAs and physical gold purchases. It offers a minimum investment amount of $25,000, which is right in the middle of Augusta Precious Metals and American Hartford Gold, and a strong buyback program.
Goldco is very affordable to work with as it charges a flat annual account service fee, although you need to pay for storage and maintenance. The company offers segregated and non-segregated storage services, but you can only purchase gold and silver.
Conclusion
If you’re confused about choosing between Augusta Precious Metals and American Hartford Gold, it’s best to consider them based on your budget and what you can afford. Both companies are well-known in the industry with a high-quality reputation and have received top marks from organizations and other customers. You can contact representatives from either company to learn more before making your choice.