Augusta Precious Metals — Best Orion Metal Exchange — Best for Low Fees Birch Gold Group — Best for Fear Transparency Augusta Precious Metals offers plenty of customer information on its website. Ironically, one of the features that make this company the best of our favorites is their video blog series with reasons why you shouldn’t own gold. Many gold IRA companies use scare tactics or exploit investors’ fears of a (highly unlikely) collapse of the entire financial system and a full-scale US collapse. Five companies have made it onto the list with the most reliable and overall best investor satisfaction.
They are Lear Capital, Goldco, Orion Metal Exchange, and Patriot Gold Group. The Oxford Gold Group is also a well-known company that should be on your radar. Here’s what we did to make our best Gold IRA decisions. Gold IRA companies are not investment companies that have a fiduciary obligation to act in your best interest.
If you’ve decided that a Gold IRA is right for you, you can contact your retirement plan administrator to initiate the rollover, or let the Gold IRA company do a direct rollover between the two companies. Gold IRA companies typically have a number of distinctive traits, but the ones discussed here are characterized by trust, professionalism, transparency, and experience. Many of these companies allow investors to buy precious metals, which include silver, platinum, and palladium in their IRAs in addition to gold. Gold IRA companies are essentially brokers that sell IRS-approved coins and bars of gold and other precious metals so you can invest a gold IRA.
We’ve reviewed more than a dozen Gold IRA companies and identified the best options for investors with different needs and financial sophistication. We took into account the reputation, transparency, and quality of the online education and resources they offer from each Gold IRA company. We’ve rated the websites of Gold IRA companies together with consumer protection organizations Better Business Bureau and Business Consumer Alliance, as well as websites with customer reviews such as TrustPilot. Some investors think this is safer, an opinion that gold IRA companies sometimes misleadingly hold.
Many Gold IRA companies work with a custodian, and either the custodian or the Gold IRA company may select a custodian bank. Most gold IRA companies buy back gold that they originally sold to you, but repurchases are generally made at the wholesale price, which is often around 30% below the prevailing retail price. Mint, the corresponding authority of certain other countries, or named private minting companies can be held in a gold IRA. Gold IRA companies differ in that some allow you to choose between multiple custodian firms and depositories, while others require that you hire a custodian and custodian of your choice.
Most gold IRA companies buy back gold or other precious metals they’ve sold you, but buybacks are generally made at the wholesale price, which is around a third cheaper than the retail price.
