How to Get Gold in an IRA

Gold has long been considered an asset that offers protection, so many investors look towards physical precious metals for retirement savings investments.

Standard IRA custodians will not allow for physical gold storage as this would constitute a distribution that incurs penalties at age 59.5, however there are companies specializing in self-directed IRAs that allow customers to purchase physical gold and silver bullion bars and coins.

Self-Directed IRAs

Gold investors believe it to be an excellent safeguard against currency depreciation, rising inflation and stock market fluctuations; however, as with any IRA account there remain certain risks such as theft and storage fees that must be considered.

To hold physical gold in an IRA, an investor must find an IRA custodian who allows it as well as a dealer who will purchase it back from them at current wholesale prices when closing out the account. This requires extensive paperwork and coordination between these third-party depository sites and themselves.

Traditional, Roth and SEP gold IRAs provide three options for investment in gold: Traditional, Roth and SEP. Traditional and Roth IRAs are funded on a pretax basis so taxes will be withheld until distributions take place during retirement; SEP IRAs provide solutions to self-employed individuals or small business owners. Your decision of which gold IRA to open depends on both your financial circumstances and retirement goals.

Segregated Storage

As is true for other IRAs, precious metals IRAs may incur fees like an initial setup cost and annual custodian costs, storage charges, seller’s commission fees and cash-out expenses.

There may also be costs associated with segregated or non-segregated storage for gold bullion. With segregated storage, bullion is stored in its own private compartment at the depository while non-segregated storage involves being kept alongside other bullion.

No matter which type of IRA you select, it is vital to find a trustworthy dealer that offers a broad selection of physical metals eligible for investment at reasonable rates that align with your goals. Furthermore, search for an organization with an easy process and customer service team who are readily available to answer any queries that arise.

Gold IRAs provide investors with diversification and safety during challenging economic conditions. Due to its near-zero correlation with stocks and bonds, investing in gold can reduce overall portfolio risk significantly.

Allocated Storage

Birch Gold Group works with trusted depositories such as Brink’s Global Service and Delaware Depository that have been approved by the IRS to store precious metals safely.

Gold has long been considered an attractive retirement investment option due to its limited supply. All the gold in existence can only fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools; due to this scarcity, its appeal remains unchanged over the centuries.

Yet many IRA custodians don’t allow clients to invest directly in physical precious metals. To do so, a self-directed IRA may be your solution; only certain companies provide these accounts and understand its nuances. With one such self-directed IRA account such as American Hartford Gold’s, your funds can be used directly with dealers such as themselves to buy coins and bars directly for storage, as this storage method reduces fees like one-time setup costs, annual account maintenance fees and seller’s and storage fees significantly compared with traditional custodial IRA accounts.

Insurance

Gold investments have long been seen as a means to protect themselves against inflation; however, unlike stocks and bonds which provide dividends or yields to their owners. Gold can also act as an excellent diversifier to reduce risk and volatility in retirement portfolios.

To purchase physical gold in an IRA, it will require using a self-directed IRA (SDIRA). Traditional custodians like Fidelity or Schwab cannot hold assets such as precious metals in an IRA – they only hold stocks, mutual funds and options.

An SDIRA with a company that offers allocated storage is the ideal way to purchase physical bullion and coins within your IRA. They should be properly licensed and insured, offering free delivery or local pickup of your investments at your convenient location or a transparent fee structure – ask them for a breakdown of fees before making your purchase decision!