Best Gold IRA Investment Companies

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#1. Augusta Precious Metals

Augusta Precious Metals was established in 2012 with the primary objective of providing a better investment experience to those interested in adding gold and silver to their retirement account portfolio. Gold and silver bullion and coins are available for you to invest in. With a competitive fee structure and transparency throughout your entire investment experience, Augusta Precious Metals makes it easy for today’s investors to make savvy, well-informed decisions. This gold IRA company also has a great reputation for providing elite customer service from day one.

Reviews and Ratings

Augusta Precious Metals is endorsed by former NFL quarterback Joe Montana, and it has an impressive list of satisfied customers. Because of its focus on supporting its customers throughout their account setup and investment experiences, this company has earned and maintained an A+ score through the BBB. It also has received the BCA’s highest score. To learn more about the experiences that other investors have had with Augusta Precious Metals, you can check out the five-star reviews on Google My Business, Facebook and Consumer Affairs. TrustLink and Trust Pilot also are great resources for information about this company. Augusta Precious Metals is a proud member of the National Ethics Association.

Getting Started

If you are interested in learning more about Augusta Precious Metals before opening an account, you can conveniently order a free gold IRA guide online. When you are ready to open a new gold IRA, you can do so without a hassle through the website. In fact, you can get the ball rolling online, and you can complete the rest of the paperwork on the phone with assistance from a friendly customer service representative. This phone call usually takes about 15 minutes, and it covers 95% of the account setup process. Augusta Precious Metals focuses on creating a great customer experience, and it offers reliable, knowledgeable support for as long as your account is active. The minimum account balance is $50,000.

Buying and Selling Gold

While some gold IRA companies enable investors to buy and sell commodities online, Augusta Precious Metals wants to provide white-glove service to customers at every turn. Because of this, transactions must be completed over the phone with personalized support from a customer service representative. In fact, when you set up a new account, a dedicated agent will be assigned to assist you throughout the life of your account. A variety of IRA-eligible gold and silver coins and bars are offered. Additional precious metal products are available for non-IRA investment accounts.

The Fees

Augusta Precious Metals maintains transparency throughout its fee structure. When you open a new gold IRA, you will be responsible for a $50 account setup fee. Account management and storage fees total approximately $180 per year. Transaction pricing is equally transparent and affordable. All fees will be disclosed to you before you make your purchases over the phone with a customer service agent. The company’s fees are waived for the first 10 years that your account is open.

The Strengths

The team at Augusta Precious Metals wants you to feel completely confident about each investment that you make. Because of this, it takes pride in maintaining the highest standards for customer service. More than that, this gold IRA company offers many educational resources. In addition to the introductory kit for new investors, it has a range of market news stories and educational videos on the website. You can also take advantage of the newsletter, the webinar and other resources as you continue to refine your knowledge of gold and silver investing. A private web conference is available with a Harvard-educated economist, Devlyn Steele.

Many customers at Augusta Precious Metals appreciate the company’s focus on transparent pricing and competitive fees. Transparency is combined with a 7-day money-back guarantee to elevate investors’ confidence when making purchases. There is also a strong buyback program for your convenience.

The Downsides

While Augusta Precious Metals excels in many areas, there are a few drawbacks worth considering. For example, some investors may find that it is inconvenient to make investments over the phone rather than online. In addition, other investment options like palladium and platinum are not available. Furthermore, not all of the gold and silver products that it offers are IRA-eligible products. There is a $50,000 account minimum for gold IRAs.

#2. Goldco Precious Metals

Goldco Precious Metals is located in Calabasas, California, and it has been meeting the investment needs of its many satisfied customers since 2006. It offers both gold and silver IRAs, and investors can choose from a wide range of gold and silver coins and bars. Goldco Precious Metals is widely recognized for its hands-on approach to serving its customers’ needs. This is achieved through its exemplary customer service and its many online educational resources.

Reviews and Ratings

Goldco Precious Metals has proudly served many happy customers over the years, and this is evident in the many positive reviews and ratings that it has garnered. For example, it has many five-star reviews from past and current customers available for you to read on Google. This gold IRA company also has earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and it is accredited with Consumer Affairs. It also has an AAA rating with Business Consumer Alliance. On top of these accolades, Goldco Precious Metals is highly recommended by Trustpilot and TrustLink. Throughout its history, Goldco Precious Metals has been featured in many shows and publications. These include Fortune, The Sean Hannity Show, Breitbart News, Gingrich 360, Daily Caller and more.

Getting Started

The first step to take if you are interested in opening a new account with Goldco Precious Metals or even if you would simply like to learn more is to order a free kit. This kit includes a written guide as well as a CD and a DVD, and it serves as a complete resource to help you get started with Goldco Precious Metals. You can conveniently request the kit online, but you will need to confirm your mailing address through a quick phone call. To open your account, you simply complete a few fields on the Goldco Precious Metals website. Then, you can work with one of the company’s customer service representatives to finalize the process. When you open a new account, you will receive a lucrative gift. This equals 10% of your initial investment amount in silver coins. The minimum account balance is $25,000.

Buying and Selling Gold

Goldco Precious Metals enables investors to purchase a great selection of both gold and silver coins and bars. The company also has wonderful relationships with many mints located around the world, and it offers personalized assistance with searches for specific investment options. Metals purchased through an IRA will be stored in the approved depository that the company works with. While some other gold IRA companies offer a buyback program, Goldco Precious Metals goes a step above in this area by offering a high-price guarantee.

The Fees

This gold IRA company has competitive fees. Depending on the account balance and other pertinent factors, you will be responsible for an annual fee that ranges from $175 to $225.

The Strengths

When you look at how Goldco Precious Metals ranks against competing gold IRA companies, you will find that it excels in customer service. This may begin before you open your account when you contact the company for more information about its investment options and other pertinent factors. It will continue as the customer service agents assist with your purchases of gold and silver coins and bars.

In addition to being treated to exceptional customer service, you can appreciate easy access to many educational resources. The website is rich with dozens of articles covering a variety of topics. It also has a beginner’s guide to investing that you can utilize to get started. Storage is also handled conveniently through the company so that you can enjoy a turnkey investing experience.

The Downsides

While investing in gold and silver through Goldco Precious Metals has many benefits, it also has a few downsides. For example, its minimum account balance of $25,000 can be inhibitive to new and smaller investors. In addition, some investors may wish to invest in other precious metals as well, such as platinum and palladium. These options are not available through Goldco Precious Metals.

#3. American Hartford Gold

American Hartford Gold is a family-owned business enterprise founded in 2015. The company is found in Los Angeles, California. American Hartford Gold aims to assist different groups of people in realizing the need to invest in precious metals. Some of the precious metals include gold and silver IRAS which are far better than the traditional IRA. Also, as an investor, you can access these precious metals in coins, bouillons, and bars. American Hartford Gold offers reliable, efficient, and effective customer care services. The company perfects its customer services through home deliveries and 401K, TSP, and IRA accounts. With this investment company, you can be certain of wealth creation and steady investment growth.

Reviews and Ratings

Regardless of its few years in the market, American Hartford Gold has emerged as one of the most regarded and admired leading private finance investment companies in the U.S. The company enjoys an excellent rating from customers on its service delivery and quality metal products. The Los Angeles-based company has five-star reviews from over 1000 plus customers. In addition, the gold IRA company earned an A+ rating by to Better Business Bureau ratings. And by the Business Consumer Alliance scorecard, American Hartford Gold scored A.A. The company also enjoys good ratings by Trustlink and Trustpilot, with the former giving it a five-star rating and the latter awarding it 9.5 out of 10 scores from over 357 reviews.

Getting Started

Access the Company Form

Before any step, access the company's gold IRA account form via the company website or over a phone call. Fill out the form, then follow the below steps.

Open a Self-directed IRA Account

The second stage is to open a self-directed IRA account with them. The process is simple and basic. Besides, applicants with retirement accounts can automatically convert their account to America Hartford Gold Group's Gold IRA.

Fund Your Gold IRA Account

Once you’ve completed the account opening stage, you can proceed and wire funds into your account. Visit the company website and earn about the various payment methods. As for account transfer or rollover of an IRA, you will be guided by one of the company Account Executives to ensure seamless and right procedures are followed.

Purchase Precious Metals for Your Gold IRA

After funding your account, you are at liberty to purchase American Hartford Gold Group's precious metals. Reach out to the company Account Executive via 800-462-0071 to help your make profound decisions on your purchase.

Buying and Selling Gold

American Hartford Gold provides its customer with options on the kind of gold metals. Investors looking to buy and sell gold can choose from various gold collections such as America Buffalo gold coins, American Gold Eagle gold coins, and 1-ounce gold bars. Visit the company website to discover more about how you can sell precious metals for your well-being and double your wealth. Remember, precious metals can be used to cushion the economy when the local currency drops.

Fees

Like other financial investment companies, Hartford Gold places a minimum investment of $2,500 for a client to be able to make cash purchases. The minimum amount for those transacting through 401k and IRA accounts is $10,000. The fees charged for these transactions are not levied by Hartford Gold but by an IRA institution of your wish. The fee is about $180 (on the maximum) yearly.

The Strengths

Hartford Gold relies heavily on its well-trained and knowledgeable staff members. The team educates clients with little knowledge of precious metal investment; coaching them until they are confidence enough to run their investments. The company has over the years bank on an effective onboarding culture by its employees. And because such quality and talented workforce, the company has witnessed a huge number of new registered members.

At Hartford Gold, convenience is key. The company employees provide services that are client-based. Also, the company uses the best unique price match to offer clients a more decent and reasonable prices in the competitive market. Lastly, the company offers tax advantages to its members.

The Downsides

Even though Hartford Gold is known for its great performance in the financial investment industry, the company suffers some downsides. For instance, the cap rate of $2500 as the minimum client’s account balance may prove challenging to small but ambitious investors. In addition, the company limits its metal investment to gold which locks out other clients interested in other metals.

#4. Birch Gold Group

Birch Gold Group, which is based in Burbank, California, was established in 2003. In addition to being one of the most well-established gold IRA companies available for you to choose from, this company has supported more than 13,000 customers with their precious metals investment activities. Notably, Birch Gold Group offers its customers convenient access to a range of commodities to choose from. On top of the gold and silver products, platinum and palladium investments are available. Through these options, the company supports more substantial portfolio diversification.

Reviews and Ratings

Birch Gold Group is accredited by the Better Business Bureau, which has given it an A+ rating. Through Business Consumer Alliance, this gold IRA company has an AAA score. A large variety of positive reviews about this company are also found on TrustLink, Trustpilot, Consumer Affairs, GoldDealerReviews.com and Google. In addition, Birch Gold Group has an affiliated partnership with Rand Paul.

Getting Started

You can easily learn more about Birch Gold Group and about gold IRAs in general by ordering the company’s free kit. This is a 20-page informational pamphlet that is available without cost or obligation. Once you decide to open a new account, you will need to choose between several types of IRAs. These include SEP, SIMPLE, traditional and others. Your customer service representative will support you throughout the full setup process. Birch Gold Group has a minimum account balance of $10,000, so funds must be transferred to the new IRA as soon as it is opened.

Buying and Selling Gold

Birch Gold Group offers more than a dozen IRA-eligible precious metals products for you to consider investing in. While many of these options are gold and silver bars and coins, there are also platinum and palladium coins and bars available. After purchase, the precious metals will be transferred to either Brink’s Global Services or the Delaware Depository for secure storage.

The Fees

This gold IRA company has competitive account setup and storage fees. The cost to set up a new account is $50. The annual storage fee is $180. In addition, you will not be responsible for an account maintenance fee throughout the life of your new account.

The Strengths

There are many factors to consider when you choose a gold IRA company, and you may discover that Birch Gold Group excels in the areas that are most critical for you. For example, it has a great reputation for delivering premium customer service to each customer. This begins when you receive expert-level support with the setup of your new account, and it continues with the knowledgeable support of Birch Gold Group’s representatives throughout each new investment.

Birch Gold Group wants its customers to make well-informed investments. In addition to providing a free information kit upfront, this company provides online resources like a tax-planning guide, expert interviews, links to related articles and more.

While there is a minimum investment requirement, you may discover that this minimum is significantly lower than what many other companies require. In addition, portfolio diversification is supported through available purchases of gold, silver, palladium and platinum. Once purchased, these assets may be stored in your choice of two depositories.

The Downsides

Birch Gold Group is a strong option to consider when selecting a gold IRA company. However, it has some weak points. For example, its transaction fees may be difficult to pinpoint. Another example is the minimum investment amount. While this requirement is comparatively low, it may still be inhibitive for some smaller or new investors.

#5. Noble Gold Investments

Noble Gold Investments first started serving its valued customers in 2016. While this is one of the newer gold IRA companies available for you to consider working with, it has a wonderful reputation and many positive attributes. In fact, it has become notably popular with smaller investors as well as with first-time gold investors.

Reviews and Ratings

This popular gold IRA company focuses on both investor education and customer service. Between these attributes and its flat-rate fee structure, Noble Gold Investments maintains a great reputation with gold and silver investors. In addition to the many reviews posted online from happy customers, this company is strongly affiliated with the Business Consumer Alliance and the Better Business Bureau. It also has been a top-rated company with Consumer Affairs for the last four years, and it has solid standing with TrustLink.

Getting Started

Getting started with Noble Gold Investments is easy to do. While other companies require you to order a starter kit by mail, this gold IRA company’s beginner’s guide is available for immediate download. Opening an account is easy to do as well. In fact, you can walk through the process online in a few minutes. Noble Gold Investments has a minimum investment requirement of $2,000, which is the lowest of any company listed here.

Buying and Selling Gold

Noble Gold Investments offers an excellent selection of IRS-approved precious metals. This includes both gold and silver coins and bars in a range of sizes. This precious metals investment company also offers palladium and platinum coins. You also have the option to invest in rare coins through your IRA. To make a purchase, you must contact your account representative at Noble Gold Investments by phone for personalized assistance. All precious metals will be transferred to a secure depository located in Texas for safe storage. This gold IRA company also offers a solid buyback program.

The Fees

Regardless of the size of your IRA with Noble Gold Investments, you will be responsible for two low fees. These include a service fee of $80 and a storage fee of $150. These low annual fees are competitive compared to the fees charged by many other gold IRA companies.

The Strengths

Noble Gold Investments offers its customer a wealth of educational resources online. These include investment basics, a downloadable starter guide, a library of articles and recent financial news and tips. In addition, this company excels in the area of customer service. Its representatives are both knowledgeable and friendly.

With Noble Gold Investments’ low account minimum, this gold IRA company is well-suited for investors who are getting started with precious metals investments and who may not be interested in investing a large sum of money in gold, silver and other metals at this time. The low, flat-rate fee structure is also advantageous for investors because it enables investors to maintain and grow their account balances more easily.

The Downsides

The most significant downside associated with having a gold IRA with Noble Gold Investments is the fee structure. Because the fees are the same regardless of the account balance, the fees may be disproportionately high for those who have a smaller account balance. Some investors may also find it to be inconvenient to make purchases over the phone rather than online.

Gold IRA Guide

It is important to note that not all gold, silver, platinum and palladium products that you find available through precious metals companies are suitable for IRA investing. The IRS requires gold bars and coins to have a purity grade of 0.995 or higher. There are also requirements for other types of precious metals. Because some gold IRA companies offer precious metals for direct purchase outside of an IRA, you should pay attention to the purity grade of the products that you purchase. Collectibles are not permitted for gold IRAs.

Important Tax Rules and Regulations

There are different gold IRA taxation rules in place that you should be aware of before you open a new account. Like a traditional IRA, a gold IRA is tax-deductible. When you remove physical assets from the depository, you are taking a distribution. This impacts your income tax liability, but it is not considered to be a capital gains liability.

If you take a distribution from your gold IRA account before the age of 59.5 years old, you may be assessed a 10% tax penalty. However, there are some exceptions to the rule that your tax accountant can help you to explore in detail. Some of these are distributions that will be used for a first-time home purchase, to cover medical expenses and for various other approved purposes.

There are also contribution limits for a gold IRA. Those who are younger than 50 years old are limited to a contribution of $6,000 annually. This bumps up to $7,000 annually for those who are older than 50 years. You can also fund your gold IRA through a rollover from another retirement account. To avoid triggering distribution-related taxation, all precious metals must be stored in an IRS-approved depository.