Beware of new gold dealers who don’t have a long tradition. If you take possession of gold and precious metals eligible for the IRA even for just one day, the IRS may regard it as a distribution. In certain circumstances, that could mean that you end up paying heavy fines and taxes. Normally, the IRS defines gold as a collectible.
You can’t keep collectibles in retirement accounts, even an IRA. However, an exception to these IRS rules was introduced in 1986 that allowed investments in gold coins at certain IRAs. It was later expanded to allow investments in 99.5% pure gold bars. A gold IRA is that special type of IRA account that allows you to buy real gold and certain other precious metals within an IRA. These IRAs are also sometimes referred to as silver
IRAs.
Believe it or not, some actually don’t do it, but advertise it to give buyers false guarantees. To add gold and other precious metals to an IRA, you’ll need to open an account called a self-directed IRA, unless you already have one. You may be able to hold a gold ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) within most IRAs, as long as it’s an investment that your broker offers. In practice, this means that the minimum requirements of many gold IRA companies would require you to invest much more than the 5% or less that financial advisors generally recommend investing in precious metals, which could put your nest egg at too
much risk.
Regardless of which option you choose, the contribution limits for both types of IRAs are the same for a gold IRA as for a regular IRA. This severely limits the usability of physical gold in case you need to trade in goods and services if the economy collapses. The custodian is responsible for keeping your gold and precious metals safe until you ask your Gold IRA custodian to sell or distribute your gold to you. If you want to have your gold valued, it’s usually better to wait until you’ve liquidated your IRA assets and taken possession of your metals
.
They sell gold coins, gold bars, and the like, but they don’t offer IRA investment advice (although their websites or other marketing materials might suggest so). If you’re not sure whether a gold IRA or a silver IRA is right for you, contact a fee-based financial planner who isn’t affiliated with a gold IRA company to determine whether it would be a good addition to your portfolio. As in all areas of precious metals investing, there are a number of traders who lead people down the wrong path with their hard-earned retirement money. Gold is a highly illiquid asset, meaning it can be difficult to find a buyer for big sales without
discounting the price.
Gold and other precious metals are regarded as inflation protection and can increase in value in times of volatile stock markets. You can’t add gold or precious metals to your Gold IRA yourself, even if you already own IRA-eligible metals or plan to buy them for investment purposes. With these accounts, you can invest in unconventional investments such as real estate and gold. The decision to buy, sell or borrow precious metals and which precious metals to buy, borrow or sell is at the sole discretion
of the customer.
