Best Gold IRA Companies

With Patriot Gold Group, you can work directly with one of the company’s owners to open or roll over a precious metals IRA. With a minimum investment of $50,000, most IRA account holders will pay no annual fees in the first year, and then $200 per year in combined storage, insurance and administration fees after that. Qualifying IRAs can receive the benefit of “no fees for life,” meaning Patriot Gold will reimburse or pay the rollover fees, storage and insurance fees. Plus, you will be able to set up your account within 24 hours.

As an investor, you can choose between a precious metals IRA or non-IRA gold, silver, platinum and palladium investments. Shipments of non-IRA precious metals are free, and free storage is provided to investors who purchase around $100,000 or more in precious metals.

Gold and silver prices are not posted directly on the site, and you will need to request a quote on the pieces you want to invest in. This part of the website seems clunky and hard to navigate. Customer service is available through phone, email or online chat.

Top factors of using Patriot Gold Group include:

• Work directly with a company owner
• Low fees for those with significant investments in precious metals

Some concerns of using Patriot Gold Group:

• No prices posted
• Website is difficult to navigate

Many felt that Patriot Gold Group answered all of their questions and took an interest in each investor. Customer service received praise from many ConsumerAffairs readers. One New York reviewer said: “All of my questions and concerns prior to purchasing as a new customer were promptly and honestly answered by knowledgeable representatives. The transfer of money was simple via ETF. Delivery of the gold and silver was completed quickly. I am completely satisfied with PGG's performance and would recommend them to future buyers.”

There are no negative reviews of Patriot Gold from ConsumerAffairs readers in the past four years.

Advantage Gold is based in Los Angeles and offers IRS-approved gold, silver, platinum and palladium for self-directed retirement accounts. Investors can see which coins Advantage Gold has to offer online, but all purchasing has to happen over the phone or in person.

It works directly with STRATA Trust Company and Equity Trust as its IRA custodians. STRATA charges $95 annually for precious metals IRAs, either $100 or $150 annually for storage (depending on the type of storage you choose), and a $50 account setup fee. Equity Trust charges $50 for an account setup fee and $80 annually for account management. Investors can choose nonsegregated storage for $100 per year or segregated storage for $150 per year.

You must keep your self-directed gold IRA stored in an IRS-approved third-party depository. Advantage Gold uses Brink’s Global Services, which is located in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, and Delaware Depository in Wilmington, Delaware.

Advantage Gold customers have the option of a simple buyback process. At any time you wish to sell back metals bought from Advantage Gold, it will pay the fair market value for them. All it takes is a quick form via fax or email, and the process should be complete within 24 hours.

Our favorite features of Advantage Gold include:

• Guaranteed buyback program
• Platinum and palladium IRA options

Some downsides of using Advantage Gold:

• Limited storage locations
• Coin prices not online

Many chose Advantage Gold because the employees were patient and did not rush the sale. Many who chose Advantage Gold said they were new to this area of investing, and Advantage Gold answered all questions thoroughly and took the time to make sure each customer felt confident in their decisions. One Oregon reviewer who was new to gold investing said: “I found Teddy to be very knowledgeable, patient, articulate and joyful. He helped me to feel confident and excited about my first experiences with investing in gold, both buying gold coins and bullion, and transferring my self-directed traditional IRA into metals. I look forward to continuing my investing relationship with Teddy and Advantage Gold. Much respect and gratitude!”

Negative reviews are minimal with Advantage Gold, with one customer upset about the minimum purchase point. Another felt that Advantage Gold was a little too pushy to get them to buy products.

Orion Metal Exchange, started in 2017, has co-founders with over 40 years of combined experience in the precious metals industry. Orion Metal Exchange is a full-range gold dealer offering precious metal IRAs and non-IRA investments for personal purchases. Nonretirement purchases can be stored in an insured storage vault or delivered with insured home delivery.

Orion Metal Exchange offers a full-service, in-house IRA department for the life of the account. Every IRA commercial depository and third-party storage facility is insured by Lloyd’s of London for the value of the precious metal holdings. A precious metals IRA is subject to a one-time setup fee of $50. Annual storage and insurance fees range from $170 to $270, depending on the type of storage facility chosen (though higher fees are charged for investment values of $500,000 or more).

Customers can choose from several coin options online. You must make a minimum purchase of $10,000, and shipping is a flat-rate cost of $39. Investing a minimum of $30,000 will help you take advantage of all the promotions the company offers. For IRA-approved coins and precious metals, you will need to call customer service and lock in a rate. Investors can add gold, silver, platinum and palladium IRA-approved metals to their IRA.

When you are ready to sell or liquidate your precious metals, Orion Metal Exchange can help with that, too. It offers fee-free buybacks for its customers. To do this, customers need to do a 30-second phone call with the company for a guaranteed buyback price.

Orion Metal Exchange Gold is a good choice for:

• Low annual fee for storage and insurance
• No-fee buyback policy

Be aware of the following:

• Many transactions over the phone
• $39 shipping fee

Orion Metal Exchange is recommended by reviewers for its friendly and helpful customer service. Most felt comfortable and confident buying through the company. “I researched the other metal firms and found Orion to be reputable, responsive and professional. Four times this year I’ve rolled over sizable assets from my 401(k), where it has a -26% rate of return, into a metal IRA,” said a reviewer in Wisconsin. “I have full access to my metals IRA account. … Never has there been any kind of ‘bait and switch’ or misleading information. Very trustworthy and upfront. Transactions are easy and straightforward.”

The company has minimal complaints, especially when it comes to IRA investing. Some customers wished for more variety in personal purchases.

Established in 2012, Augusta Precious Metals helps investors diversify their portfolios with gold and silver investments. Investors must purchase at least $50,000 in either non-IRA purchases or IRA purchases. There is no maximum purchase limit.

All purchases must be made over the phone, and both bullion and premium prices are locked in once your order is confirmed via phone and payment is received. For IRA investments, your precious metals will be delivered with free shipping and insurance to one of 11 storage facilities within the U.S. You can choose the facility location and even visit it if you make arrangements with the custodian. All precious metals are insured against covered losses.

Custodians charge $250 for the first year to administer your gold or silver IRA and $200 for each year after that. Your annual fee does not change no matter how large your investment account becomes. Additionally, fees may apply for Augusta to serve as a liaison between you and the IRA storage facility.

Augusta offers buybacks, though it will not guarantee buybacks.

Augusta Precious Metals is a good fit because it has:

• Many storage facilities available
• Free shipping and insurance

Before using Augusta Precious Metals, consider the following:

• Only gold and silver
• High minimum purchase amount

Many chose Augusta Precious Metals based on a knowledgeable presentation the company gave. Reviewers learned a lot about investing and precious metals IRAs without feeling like they were being sold to or pressured into making a decision. A Wisconsin customer said: “I'm new to precious metals and transferring part of my IRA to a new precious metals IRA was a scary thought. These folks put my mind at ease and made the transaction seamless!”

Some customers identified the price of the gold and silver as a drawback; others felt Augusta fees were high.

Goldco, a popular pick in the precious metals industry, allows investors to roll over their 401(k), 403(b), 457 plan and pensions worth at least $25,000 to a precious metals IRA. Goldco has made over $1 billion in precious metals placements within the past decade.

Goldco works with all major self-directed IRA custodians. All metals owned by your IRA are stored securely in a depository until you are eligible to take distributions at age 59 ½. At that time, you will be able to choose your distributions as cash or in the form of precious metals.

A one-time startup fee of $80 is charged for new self-directed IRAs, and the annual IRA storage fee is $200. Goldco does not charge an additional wire transfer fee or annual maintenance fee.

Since Goldco is a full-service precious metals firm, you can also buy gold and silver to keep in your home, though no prices are listed, and these investments will not be part of your IRA. It also offers a buyback program that is guaranteed to give you the highest offer for your precious metals. However, be sure to review all the terms and conditions and clarify with the company that the buyback is guaranteed.

You can sign up for a free investment kit if you’d like to learn more about investing in precious metals.

We like Goldco for its:

• Wide range of eligible retirement accounts for rollover
• Guaranteed buyback program

Be careful of the following:

• Only gold and silver are available for purchase outside an IRA
• Pricing unavailable for direct purchases of precious metals

Customers chose Goldco because they were given an extra 10% of silver for free with their investment. Many customers felt valued and treated like Goldco’s most important customers. An Arkansas reviewer said: “Everyone was very friendly and professional. Our questions were answered satisfactory. We were so satisfied with our purchase that we called back to roll over part of our 401(k) and also had our daughter call them to make a purchase.”

Some investors were upset over Goldco’s fees, reporting that there were no clear prices listed and that employees contradicted themselves on different costs. Others felt that Goldco overcharged them for their coins.

Noble Gold Investments was established in 2016, and its founders have over 20 years of combined experience in buying gold and silver. It specializes in IRA-approved metals, such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium. New investors can receive a free investment kit to better understand how Noble Gold works and which precious metals are best for their retirement portfolios.

Getting started with Noble Gold is simple; it takes about five minutes to fill out your application. Within 24 hours, a Noble Gold advisor will contact your new custodian to get your account set up. At this point, you will know if there is any special additional paperwork you need to submit.

All IRA-approved metal investments are stored in a secure, IRS-approved vault in a segregated storage system. Storage locations are in Texas, Delaware and Mississauga, Ontario. You can view your investments online 24/7, 365 days a year. Additionally, you can schedule to see them in person.

The first-year IRA opening fee is $50, and there’s also an initial wire transaction fee of $30. Annual account maintenance costs $100, and the annual storage fee is $150. So, combined annual fees for a precious metals IRA with Noble Gold are $330 in the first year and $250 per year after that.

Gold and other precious metals are also sold directly to investors using a flat fee structure, but actual prices are not posted online. Investors can choose between coins and bars. The company offers a buyback program for investors who want to liquidate their precious metals in the future.

Noble Gold Investments is good for the following:

• Affordable segregated storage
• 24/7 access to investments online

Before choosing Noble Gold, consider these factors:

• Prices for direct purchases of precious metals are not published online
• Limited storage facilities

Customers love Noble Gold for its easy, transparent transfer process. Many reviewers were able to quickly roll over their accounts without issue. “When navigating the procedures of moving a traditional securities IRA to a precious metals investment/hedge, there are several hurdles to clear. … Noble Gold made this maneuver almost effortless,” said a Texas customer.

A few customers were disappointed with customer service and felt the reps did not follow up with them in a timely manner.

Established in 1997, Lear Capital offers IRA-approved metals, such as gold, silver and other precious metals. What we appreciate most about Lear Capital is the hands-on customer service it provides to its clients. Not only can you get help with purchasing precious metals, but Lear Capital also assists with IRA rollovers or transfers. If investors are looking to convert their 401(k) retirement accounts to gold and silver, it can handle the process for you.

The Lear Advantage IRA, which is a self-directed IRA, can be backed by gold, silver and platinum. It offers free setup and storage charges depending on your investment amount. Invest or roll over $75,000 or more and you will get your first three years of storage fees waived.

All buyers get a 24-hour risk-free purchase guarantee, meaning you can review and cancel your order within 24 hours of purchase — no questions asked or fees charged.

We prefer Lear Capital for the following:

• Fees waived
• 24-hour risk-free purchase guarantee

Before choosing Lear Capital, consider these factors:

• No palladium options

Reviewers said they appreciated the level of interaction and customer service from Lear Capital. Kelly from Florida said, “I love the fact that Morrey is so personally involved in the transactions. He phones regularly to let me know what is going on in the market or if it is a good time to buy. Excellent customer service.”