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Best gold IRA companies of July 2024

Compare our top picks for gold IRA companies & start saving for your retirement today.

3 best gold IRA accounts for 2024

Goldco – Best for IRA custodian flexibility

Goldco IRA

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Goldco has placed more than $2 billion in gold and silver since launching its precious metals offerings in 2006. Gold, silver, platinum and palladium investments, a metals buyback program and your choice of IRA custodian are just some of the reasons retirement-minded investors may want to consider Goldco as their precious metals dealer of choice.

iTrust Capital – Best for 24/7 gold and silver trading

iTrustCapital (Crypto and gold IRA)

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iTrustCapital's blockchain-driven precious metals investing includes 24/7 gold and silver trading with a minimum investment that comes in way below the competition. This digital precious metals platform offers several IRA funding methods, charges no storage fees and is fully backed by physical gold and silver.

Silver Gold Bull IRA – Best for free storage

Silver Gold Bull IRA

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Established in 2009 and based out of Alberta, Canada, Silver Gold Bull offers gold, silver, platinum and palladium for IRA investors. Bring your self-directed IRA custodian and enjoy the first three months of free storage.

How to set up a gold IRA

  1. Choose a specialty custodian. Choose a bank, trust company or broker-dealer licensed and registered with the IRS to custody the precious metals in your gold IRA. You can compare providers below.
  2. Choose a precious metals dealer. If your IRA custodian isn’t a precious metals dealer, you must select a dealer from which to purchase your gold or precious metals. Some metals dealers use preferred IRA custodians, while others require you to bring your own IRA custodian. To see if a dealer is legitimate, check that they are registered with an industry trade group like the American Numismatic Association (ANA) or the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC).
  3. Fund your account. Deposit money with your gold IRA custodian, and then purchase IRA-eligible bullion products from your choice of precious metals dealers.
  4. Select the metals you’d like to purchase. Decide whether you want gold, silver, platinum or palladium.

Compare Gold IRA providers

1 - 5 of 5
Updated regularly
Name Product Account types Available metals Standard storage fees Markup fees
Lear Capital IRA
Lear Capital IRA
Roth, Traditional
Gold, Silver, Platinum
$280 for first year, $200 annually thereafter
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Preserve IRA
Preserve IRA
Roth, Traditional, SEP, SIMPLE
Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium
No fees
Go to siteMore Info
Goldco IRA
Goldco IRA
Roth, Traditional
Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium
$250 in first year for account set up, storage and insurance
Varies
Go to siteMore Info
iTrustCapital (Crypto and gold IRA)
iTrustCapital (Crypto and gold IRA)
Roth, Traditional, SEP, Rollover
Gold, Silver
None
$50 over spot, per ounce for gold
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Silver Gold Bull IRA
Silver Gold Bull IRA
Roth, Traditional
Gold, Silver, Platinum, Copper
First 3 months free
Varies
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Gold IRAs at a glance

  • Gold IRAs let you hold gold, silver, platinum and palladium in certain forms in a retirement account.
  • Only IRS-approved custodians can offer gold IRAs, but many brokerages do not permit these types of investments.
  • Gold IRAs are more costly to open and manage than regular IRAs and often include account setup fees, transaction fees and storage/custody fees.
  • Not every precious metals dealer is approved by the IRS to custody your IRA assets. In these cases, the metals dealer may partner with a third-party custodian to offer gold IRAs.

Pros and cons of Gold IRAs

Pros

  • Gain direct exposure to gold. Invest directly in gold with your retirement account instead of buying shares of a gold exchange-traded fund (ETF), a gold mutual fund or a gold mining company.
  • Own a physical asset in a tax-advantaged account. Most IRA accounts don’t allow you to hold physical assets in them. With gold IRAs, though, you can hold gold, silver, platinum or palladium in your account.
  • More control. All gold IRAs are self-directed, which means you get to manage what, how much and when you buy and sell your precious metals.

Cons

  • High fees. A number of different fees are typically associated with gold IRAs, including account application fees (around $50), transaction fees (about $40) and annual account fees (from about $75 to $300).
  • No tax-advantaged yield. Gold and precious metals don’t produce interest or dividends. For this reason, you can’t take full advantage of tax-free growth in your IRA.
  • Price mark-ups. Gold IRAs often charge over the current spot price of gold.
  • Complex tax rules. Purchasing gold or another metal that the IRS doesn’t approve can result in extra taxes or the loss of your account’s tax-advantaged status.

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