What is a Gold IRA?
Which Precious Metals Qualify for a Gold IRA?
Is Gold IRA a good investment?
Gold IRA is a retirement investment that allows you to purchase and hold physical Gold bullion in your own Gold IRA. Gold IRA has become extremely popular over the last few years as it offers investors a way to diversify their portfolios without worrying about storing or insuring the Gold. The benefits of owning Gold include:
What Forms of Gold Can You Own in a Gold IRA?
You can own physical Gold in the form of coins, bars, and bullion. When investing in Gold, it’s important to understand that there are different ways to get your hands on it. Here are some of the different forms of Gold you can buy while investing in a Gold IRA:
- Gold Coins: There are several different types of Gold coins available today. Some coins feature designs like flowers or animals, while others have intricate designs like arches or castles. You’ll find them in denominations ranging from 1/10 oz to 1 kg Gold coins.
- Gold Bars: Gold bars vary in size depending on how much Gold they contain. The most common type is 10 kilos (22 lb) bars, while smaller sizes include 1-kilo bars and 2-kilo bars (1/2 oz). Most dealers sell one-fifth ounce bars and 1/10 ounce bars at different prices.
- Gold Bullion: The most common form of Gold is bullion, which is also known as numismatic coins. These coins look like bullion, but they contain a high percentage of Gold, which makes them worth more than the same amount of bullion. You can buy pure Gold bullion if you want to invest in large amounts of the precious metal at once.
How does a Gold IRA work?
A Gold IRA is a retirement account that can be used to buy and own Gold bars, coins or other precious metals. Unlike most IRAs, which are typically funded with stocks, bonds and other investment products, the Gold IRA can be funded only with precious physical metals.
The Gold IRA concept was developed by a group of investors in the 1980s who wanted to invest their retirement funds in something other than stocks and bonds. Since then, many people have adopted this strategy as an alternative way to diversify their retirement portfolios.
A Gold IRA works like any other traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA) with some significant differences:
It’s limited to purchasing only physical Gold bullion. No paper certificates or ETFs may be purchased with a Gold IRA. There is no minimum initial or annual contribution amount for a Gold IRA, but you must sign up for one before opening one up at any financial institution. And unlike regular IRAs, no penalty-free withdrawals are allowed from a Gold IRA.
Using Self-Directed IRAs to Buy Gold
A self-directed IRA using checkbook control provides an affordable and versatile way to invest in precious metals. This kind of IRA uses a dedicated LLC as the primary investing platform. The LLC becomes the investment platform for the IRA and, as such, makes the precious metal purchase. Using a self-directed LLC professional setup, the investor can easily shop for Gold suppliers and choose a suitable one that best fits the needs of the IRA.
It enables one to get personal possession of the qualifying metals. This eliminates transaction fees and holding costs that are associated with depository institutions, which can be expensive for small investors. A reputable precious metals dealer will advise you which purchases can be held either personally or through a depository institution.
Finding a Broker or Custodian
The first step in opening an IRA is finding a qualified custodian. A custodian is responsible for holding your investments and paying their taxes. You don’t want to use an unregulated broker, because they won’t be able to help you with all of the legal issues involved in opening an IRA.
A qualified custodian can help you set up your Gold IRA and manage all of your transactions. They’ll also ensure that everything is done correctly so that you don’t have any penalties or fines when it comes time to sell your Gold coins.
You should check with several banks before choosing one to do business with. Some banks are better at handling precious metals than others, so it’s important to look into their services before choosing one as your primary account holder for this type of account.
Special Costs of owning a Gold IRA
If you’re considering a Gold IRA, it’s important to understand the costs involved.
Required Minimum Distribution Problems with Gold IRA
After you reach age 72, the IRS requires that you take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from a traditional IRA (though not Roth IRAs). Metals are not particularly liquid, so finding cash for those distributions could be a problem, causing you to have to sell some of your Gold when it may not be advantageous to do so. This problem can be reduced by taking the total amount of your RMDs from other traditional IRAs.
Best Gold IRA companies
While several companies are offering Gold IRAs, only a few are leading in this segment. Have a look at the Top 5 Gold IRA Companies below:
- Goldco
- American Hartford Gold Group
- Lear Capital
- Augusta Precious Metals
- Patriot Gold Group
Gold and Silver are considered to be two of the safest investments of all-time due to their ever-increasing value and obsession among people. Investing in precious metals utilizing a Self-Directed IRA LLC through any of the above methods should provide safety and growth and great diversification.
Rick Pendykoski is the owner of Self Directed Retirement Plans LLC, a retirement planning company based in Goodyear, AZ. He has over three decades of experience working with investments and retirement planning, and over the last ten years has turned his focus to self-directed ira accounts and alternative investments. If you need help and guidance with traditional or alternative investments, call him today (866) 639-0066.
