Yes, you can invest in real gold or other precious metals for your IRA. Learn about the special rules for gold IRAs and what you should consider before investing. Storage locations used by the best IRS-approved Gold IRA companies provide the security and insurance to protect your precious metals investment. A gold IRA is a type of IRA that allows investors to own physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.
The IRA for precious metals does not store your purchases, so you must choose an IRS-approved custodial facility. This is a type of IRA that the investor manages directly and is allowed to own a wider range of investment products than other IRAs. As a result, gold IRAs require the use of a custodian bank, usually a bank or brokerage firm, to manage the account. Gold IRAs are generally more expensive than traditional IRAs. Account holders should therefore be prepared for a number of fees in addition to account setup costs and the purchase price for eligible precious metals.
Investors planning to add a Gold IRA to their portfolios should be aware of the various additional costs associated with this type of account. One option is to set up a self-directed gold IRA, which allows you to buy physical gold and silver with retirement funds. Opening a precious metals IRA can be a bit more complicated than setting up a standard IRA due to various differences. The company is proud to offer coins and bars with a purity of 99.5%, with the exception of the American Gold Eagle coin, which has a purity of 91.67%.
The rules for withdrawing from a Gold IRA are similar to other individual retirement accounts. Since you won’t own the money, the rollover is a direct transfer from your existing IRA to your Gold IRA account, which can take up to two weeks. Make sure you do this through unbiased third-party sources (not Gold IRA companies that have a financial interest in selling you a Gold IRA). Setting up a checkbook IRA is complicated because you must be a limited liability company (LLC) and have a business current account, to name just two of the requirements.
If gold seems like a solid choice for you, Sentell suggests investing no more than a third of your retirement savings in a gold IRA.