Can You Buy Physical Gold With IRA?
Physical gold can be an attractive asset for retirement accounts, yet investors must carefully consider various factors before investing in an IRA-eligible coin or bar.
Investment in precious metals through an IRA can be expensive. There are annual account maintenance fees, storage charges and insurance fees; in addition, any coins or bullion eligible for inclusion must meet purity standards.
Storage Options
Most precious metals IRA companies provide administrative support and let you select your own metals instead of purchasing them on your behalf. Furthermore, they act as custodian for the account to ensure compliance with IRS rules.
For your IRA gold investment, many depository facilities adhere to appropriate storage standards, which could cost you more than keeping it at home as you must pay annual storage fees to the company managing your IRA.
However, certain companies may use questionable tactics to pressure you into purchasing particular types of metal or rare coins. They could offer excessive free silver when opening an account – this would not only breach trust but would be an indication that their inventory was overpriced as well. It is best to work with an established precious metals dealer instead.
Taxes
Standard custodians will not accept physical gold and precious metals due to IRS classification as collectibles; thus, for best results it is essential that you find one who specializes in self-directed IRAs with physical assets management capabilities such as American Bullion or APMEX.
Custodians that specialize in physical bullion may charge higher fees than you’d find with traditional IRAs, including an account setup and monthly storage fee for physical bullion storage. There may also be seller markup on sales costs that varies depending on whether or not you choose bullion bars, coins or proofs as the base asset class for investment.
When the time comes for you to cash out your investment, a gold IRA company will purchase your bullion at current wholesale prices – but this may take some time – in the meantime, you must keep tabs on gold prices to make a return on your initial investment – something which may present problems if your short-term goals require selling before taxes become due.
Withdrawals
People often select physical precious metals for their retirement portfolio because they believe it’s safer than investing in stocks, mutual funds or ETFs. Unfortunately, storing and insuring precious metals can be expensive; additionally, taking required minimum distributions or selling the assets creates additional complications and hassles.
But there are ways to mitigate some of these disadvantages by investing in physical gold with a self-directed IRA account. With this type of account, investors are free to invest in various assets – from stocks and bonds, through real estate and beyond.
For purchasing physical gold with an IRA, it’s essential that you find a custodian who specializes in precious metals. Since standard IRA custodians do not accept this investment type, alternative custodians may better suit your goals. Some providers charge various fees such as account setup costs, annual maintenance charges, seller fees and storage/insurance premiums; though these charges may be waived or reduced depending on your account balance size.
Rollovers
If you already have an existing retirement account and would like to use it for gold investing, a self-directed precious metals IRA (often called “gold IRA”) may be opened through either direct or indirect rollover.
Rollovers allow you to transfer money from an old retirement account directly into a gold IRA company, where they will then be available for purchasing physical gold or other approved precious metals, then stored and protected by this provider.
Your first step toward opening a gold IRA should be finding an account provider that offers products you wish to invest in, with most charging setup fees, storage charges and annual custodial fees. But investing in gold may prove well-worth your while given its history as a hedge against inflation and potential for wealth creation over time.
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