Gold IRA investing is absolutely critical at this point in time. Why? The US and world economies are falling apart because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Unfortunately, although many biotech firms are working hard to develop a vaccine, we’re at least a year away or longer. This means companies will struggle to make ends meet. Businesses will have to continue to lay off their employees. And we’ll likely see another rise in unemployment very soon.
Do you know what else happens during a recession? In recent history dating back to 2008, recessions mean pumping stimulus into the economy. Stimulus is a fancy term that some people don’t understand. It’s another way of saying that the US government gives money to people and organizations to keep the economy afloat.
Where do they get the money from? The Federal Reserve prints more money and gives it to the US government as a loan. Our national debt goes up higher and the value of the US dollar falls.
Gold IRA investing is possibly the best safe haven investment against a struggling US dollar. The only other recommendation I would make is investing in a cryptocurrency IRA. But today we’re here to focus on gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, so that’s where we’ll direct our focus.
The Biggest Reasons to Invest in Gold IRA Companies
To briefly help you understand the value of gold IRA investing, we’ll quickly look at a few of the biggest benefits. They include:
- Gold is gaining more value each and every day. In the past year, the price of gold has risen by $370 per ounce.
- Gold is an impeccable hedge against inflation. As the coronavirus rips through the upcoming winter, you can bet that inflation will continue to rise. Gold tends to gain value parallel with rising inflation. This makes it a great hedge against the diminishing value of the US dollar.
- Gold is in high demand right now. The United States, Germany, Italy, France, Russia, China and more have huge gold reserves on hand.
- Gold IRA investing is a great way to protect your retirement portfolio during an economic downturn. This recession isn’t going away anytime soon. As you can see over the past few months, the stock market is very vulnerable right now. Your investments have likely lost a great deal of value. With the impending presidential election and other outside forces, the market likely won’t recover anytime soon. This is a boon for gold IRA investors because the value of gold should continue on its upward trajectory. And it should continue for the foreseeable future.
The Gold IRA Litmus Test: Discover the 7 Critical Factors Used to Evaluate These Companies
I understand that my readers are busy and they can’t afford to spend weeks of their life researching gold companies. To help you along the way, I’ve evaluated the top 10 gold IRA companies in business right now. And I accomplished this evaluation using the 7 Critical Factors Litmus Test.
I believe an explanation of the 7 critical factors is in order. Keep reading to better understand my precious metals IRA evaluation and rank determination process.
1. Online Peer-Reviewed Ratings
More than anything else, I like to start out by reading online peer-reviewed ratings from the top rating agencies. Why? This gives us a glimpse into the past experiences that other customers had with each company.
For example, when looking up a company on the Better Business Bureau website, you’ll discover a number of important things. You’ll learn information like:
- How many complaints the company has closed over the past 3 years
- How many complaints the company has closed over the past 12 months
- A star rating based on customer reviews
- Business details and contact information
I personally like to focus on customer reviews. This provides insight into the previous customers experience with each organization. You’ll discover what each customer liked, what they didn’t like, and more while reading these reviews.
2. Types of Precious Metals: Coins and Bullion
Opening a precious metals IRA means you can invest in gold, silver, platinum, and palladium for retirement. But some investors fail to realize that not all precious metals are eligible for an IRA account. The IRS must approve every precious metal eligible for a gold IRA. And their requirements are strict. They require nearly 100% gold, platinum, palladium, or silver for these investments to qualify.
It’s also important to note that certain gold companies sell precious metals that fail to meet the minimum requirements. So, do your due diligence before making any purchases. Make sure the precious metals you intend to buy qualifies for your IRA.
3. Precious Metals Buyback Program
Prior to ranking my top 10 gold companies, I also wanted to find out if each one of these companies had a buyback program. This program allows customers to sell their precious metals back to the broker at current market value. This is very important because you’ll occasionally need quick cash and this program virtually guarantees it.
So, before choosing a broker, consider the following questions:
- Is my precious metals broker willing to buy back my precious metals investments?
- If so, are they willing to pay fair market value?
- Will I have to go elsewhere to sell my precious metals in a pinch?
The top precious metals brokers offer their customers a buyback program. In fact, they are willing to pay fair market value because they have so many customers looking to make purchases.
The best buyback programs are willing to pay their customers within 24 hours of receiving the precious metals. This is very fast and it’s great for anyone looking to put money in their “pocket” relatively quickly.
Visit the websites of my top 3 favorite gold brokers to sign up for their free investor’s kits. Regal Assets, Goldco, and Birch Gold are my best recommendations.
4. Stockpiling: Your Options and Fees
Stockpiling, otherwise known as storing your precious metals, can happen using two different options. You can take advantage of co-mingled stockpiling or segregated stockpiling depending on your preference. The differences between the two choices include:
- Co-mingled stockpiling: with this option, you’ll store your precious metals in a vault shared by other investors. Although certainly safe and effective, it’s not as comforting knowing your investments are mixed in with the investments of others. Although, the storage facility and IRA custodian keep dedicated records of your investments and where they are stored.
- Segregated stockpiling: this option is my personal preferred recommendation. With this storage method, you can buy all of the IRA approved gold and silver coins and bars you want. They will be safely stored in a dedicated vault that only houses your precious metals investments.
Stockpiling fees can really add up depending on the precious metals broker you choose. The average IRA custodian charges $325 per year for the privilege of storing your investments. The top IRA brokers and custodians are willing to give their customers a break at nearly a fraction of the cost. On average, you’ll pay about $150 per year when doing business with our favorite gold IRA companies and their providers.
5. IRA Fees
A gold IRA rollover or transfer will not cost you a penny with the majority of the top gold companies. But they don’t provide their services for free. So, after the initial transfer or rollover, you’ll need to begin paying yearly fees for storage, upkeep, and administration.
The best companies to choose provide their administration fee at a flat rate. Other gold IRA custodians charge on a sliding scale. Siding scale pricing is an unscrupulous practice that could potentially cost a fortune over the years. The more money you have invested, the more expensive the administration fees become.
The fee structure for my top three recommendations is as follows:
Regal Assets Fees
- Segregated stockpiling for $110 per year
- Flat rate administration fee at $80 per year
- They pay for 1-3 years of stockpiling and administration expenses based on the size of your account
Goldco Fees
- Segregated stockpiling for $150 annually or co-mingled stockpiling for $100 annually
- Flat rate administration fee at $80 per year
- Wire transfer fee costs $30
- Precious metals IRA setup fee at $50 (one time)
- Goldco waives the first year’s fees if $50,000 or more is invested
Birch Gold Fees
Segregated stockpiling for $150 annually or co-mingled stockpiling for $100 annually
- Flat rate administration fee at $80 per year
- Wire transfer fee costs $30
- Precious metals IRA setup fee at $50 (one time)
- $10,000 minimum investment
- Free shipping for cash purchases over $10,000 (not applicable for IRA accounts)
6. Service and Delivery Time Satisfaction (or Lack Thereof)
Some gold brokers aren’t going to meet your highest levels of satisfaction. That’s par for the course with just about anything in life. At other times, you’ll find gold IRA companies that deliver the goods time after time and surpass customer expectations.
The best companies in the business work efficiently, quickly, and go above and beyond to keep their customers satisfied. They’ll set up your IRA account within 48 hours. And when they deliver your precious metals to the depository, they’ll get the job done in seven days or less.
7. Customer Support & Salesmanship
Some gold IRA companies are really well-rounded and have excellent customer support and salesmanship practices. Other companies tend to fail in both of these areas. I’ve reviewed hundreds of gold brokers throughout the years. One of my main criteria for this top 10 list is that they have excellent customer support. And their sales staff cannot be overly pushy or too aggressive.
And now, what you’ve all been waiting for…
