How to Choose a Gold IRA Company: A 25-Point Due-Diligence Checklist (2026)

That paragraph is the whole method. The rest of this guide turns it into a 25-point checklist you can work through with a pen, a notepad and a phone. Each point explains why it matters, what a good answer sounds like, and what a red flag looks like.

We wrote this for people in their fifties, sixties and seventies who are thinking about moving part of a 401(k), IRA or TSP into physical gold or silver. Often that is a large share of a lifetime of savings, and the decision is usually made over the phone with a friendly, well-trained salesperson. A checklist slows the process down to your speed, not theirs.

Why a checklist, and why 25 points?

Most people choose a gold IRA company based on an advertisement, a radio host they trust, or a single phone call that went well. None of those tells you what you will actually pay, or what you will get back when you sell. The checklist forces those answers into the open.

Twenty-five sounds like a lot, but many points take only a minute. The points that take real effort - a written quote, comparing it to spot, and buyback terms on paper - protect the most money.

How this guide is organized

• The basics: what a gold IRA company actually is and how it earns money.
• The 25-point table: the whole checklist on one screen.
• Six deep-dive groups: (A) legitimacy and track record, (B) pricing and transparency, (C) account costs, (D) custodian and depository, (E) the sales process, and (F) service and exit.
• Applying it: how the four companies on this site measure up, what our ranking does and does not measure, a first-call script of 20 questions, what to get in writing, and a side-by-side quote template.
• Lessons and wrap-up: real enforcement cases, when to walk away, a printable recap and answers to common questions.

If you are still deciding whether a gold IRA makes sense for you at all, start with what a gold IRA is and whether a gold IRA is a good investment. This guide assumes you have decided to look, and now need to pick a company.

The phrase "gold IRA company" makes it sound as if one firm holds your retirement account, buys your gold and keeps it safe. That is not how it works. A gold IRA always involves three separate roles, and the company you see advertised usually fills only one of them.

So when you "open a gold IRA with" a company, you are really doing three things: opening a self-directed IRA with a custodian, buying metal from a dealer, and arranging storage at a depository. The dealer coordinates it so it feels like one step. Our explainer on gold IRA custodians covers the custodian side in depth.

No dealer is "IRS-approved"

You will sometimes hear a salesperson say, or imply, that their company is approved by the IRS. The IRS does not approve, license or endorse precious metals dealers. What the tax code does set are rules for the metal (it must meet fineness standards or be a specific coin such as the American Eagle) and for who holds it (a bank or an approved trustee, not you). Those rules are covered in our gold IRA rules guide and our list of IRA-eligible precious metals. If a company leans on the words "IRS-approved" to describe itself, treat it as a small warning sign about how carefully it chooses its words.

How the company really earns money: the spread

This is the single most important idea in this guide. Most gold IRA companies do not charge you a visible commission. Instead, they build their profit into the price of the metal.

Here is how it works. Gold has a spot price: the price for immediate delivery of large quantities on the wholesale market. On October 19, 2026, spot gold was about $4,170 an ounce (Kitco). A dealer buys coins and bars at or near wholesale, then sells them to you at a higher price. The difference, expressed as a percentage, is the spread, markup or premium. People use those three words loosely; in this guide we use "spread" for the dealer's total markup over spot.

Ranges from our research notes (Oct 2026): online premiums from findbullionprices and SD Bullion; phone-dealer example from American Bullion's disclosed schedule (7% bullion, 20% collectible, 23% proof, 10% bullion inside an IRA, as reported by LendEDU). Enforcement figures are from CFTC, SEC and state releases discussed later in this guide.

Notice the difference in scale. A $100,000 rollover with a 10% spread costs $10,000 the day you buy. Annual fees of $250 would take forty years to add up to the same amount. That is why our gold IRA fees guide treats the spread as the main event and the annual fees as a side issue.

Why "no fees" or "free" offers deserve a second look

Because the spread is invisible, a company can advertise waived fees or free silver and still make a healthy profit, as long as the spread is wide enough to pay for the gift. That does not mean every promotion is a trick. It means the promotion has to be judged together with the price you pay for the metal, not on its own. We work through the numbers in the account costs section.

What the company is good for

None of this means gold IRA companies add no value. A good one can:

• Help you open the self-directed IRA and fill out transfer forms correctly.
• Chase a slow 401(k) administrator so your rollover does not stall.
• Explain which coins and bars are IRA-eligible.
• Place the order, arrange shipping to the depository, and later buy the metal back.

Those services are real. The checklist is not about finding a company that charges nothing; it is about knowing what you pay, in writing.

Here is the full checklist on one page. Each row gives the point, why it matters, what a good answer looks like, and the red flag to watch for. The sections that follow explain each group in plain English, with worked examples where numbers are involved.

Group A: Legitimacy and track record

Group B: Pricing and transparency

Group C: Account costs

Group D: Custodian and depository

Group E: Sales process

Group F: Service and exit

Do not panic if a company falls short on one or two points. Few firms publish everything. What matters is the overall picture, and especially points 7, 10 and 11: the written spread, the comparison to spot, and the written buyback terms. Those three determine most of your cost.

Group A answers a simple question: is this a real, established business with a clean record? These checks are the quickest on the list. You can do most of them in an afternoon with a web browser.

Point 1: Years in business

A long history is not a guarantee of good behavior. Some of the companies in the enforcement cases later in this guide had been operating for years. But a long history does give you more to check: more complaints, more reviews, more chances for regulators to have noticed problems. A brand-new company simply has no record to read.

How to check:

1. Note the founding year the company states on its website or in its ads.
2. Look up the company in its home state's business registry (the secretary of state's website). The registration date should roughly match the founding year it claims.
3. Check whether the company has changed its name. A firm that recently rebranded may be perfectly fine, but it is worth asking why, and searching the old name too.
4. Look at the BBB profile, which usually lists a "business started" date and sometimes alternate names.

For reference, the companies on this site are reported to have started in these years. These dates come from third-party sources and we could not confirm all of them against state records:

What good looks like: several years of operation under the same name, with the founding date matching public records.

Red flag: a company that cannot or will not tell you when it started, a registration date much later than the year it advertises, or a pattern of name changes after complaints.

Point 2: Ownership, address and real people

You are about to send a large part of your retirement savings through this company. You should know who runs it and where it is.

Check that you can find:

• A physical street address, not just a P.O. box or a "suite" at a virtual office or mailbox store. You can look up the address on a map; an office building or warehouse is what you would expect.
• Named leaders. The website or the BBB profile should name the owner, chief executive or principal officers.
• State registration. The company should be registered to do business in its home state. Some states also require precious metals dealers to hold a license or register as a dealer; ask which licenses the company holds and where.
• Consistent details. The name, address and phone number should match across the website, the BBB, review profiles and the paperwork you receive.

What to ask about ownership

On your first call, ask: "Who owns the company, and has it ever operated under another name?" A good salesperson will answer immediately. You might also ask who the owners were before, if the company was sold. Ownership changes are normal in business, but they can reset the track record you were relying on.

Also ask whether the salesperson is an employee or an independent agent, and how they are paid. Many phone-based dealers pay their representatives partly on commission. That is not unusual, but it explains why a representative might prefer products with wider spreads. You are entitled to know.

Why this matters even for big, well-known brands

Large advertising budgets make a company feel established. National radio and TV spots, celebrity endorsements and full-page ads all create a sense of size and permanence. But advertising spend tells you nothing about pricing or about how complaints are handled. Lear Capital, for example, had operated for many years and advertised widely before the New York Attorney General sued over undisclosed markups (covered in the enforcement section). Familiarity is a reason to check, not a reason to skip checking.

What good looks like: a named owner or leadership team, a real office address, registration you can verify, and straight answers about how the salesperson is paid.

Red flag: no names anywhere, only a P.O. box or virtual office, reluctance to say where the company is based, or details that change between documents.

Points 3 and 4 of the checklist are about reputation. Almost every gold IRA company advertises a top rating somewhere. The trick is knowing what each rating actually measures, and where to look past the headline number.

Point 3: The BBB rating and the complaint pattern

The Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) gives businesses a letter grade from A+ to F. Three things are worth knowing about it:

• The letter grade is not a customer satisfaction score. It reflects factors such as how long the business has operated, how it responds to complaints, and whether the BBB has information about government actions or licensing problems. A company can have an A+ and still have unhappy customers, as long as it answers their complaints.
• Accreditation is paid. "BBB Accredited" means the business has agreed to the BBB's standards and pays a fee. It is a commitment worth something, but it is not an independent investigation of pricing.
• Customer reviews are separate from complaints. Many BBB profiles show a star rating from customer reviews alongside the letter grade. These are two different measures.

The letter grade is the least useful part. The most useful part is the complaint text. Here is how to read it:

1. Open the "Complaints" tab and read the most recent 10 to 20 complaints in full, including the company's response.
2. Look for a repeated theme. One complaint about a slow shipment is normal. Five complaints saying "I was told my coins were worth X, but the buyback offer was far lower" is a pattern.
3. Pay special attention to complaints about pricing, buybacks, proof coins, and pressure. Those are the themes that show up in enforcement cases.
4. Read how the company responds. A specific, polite reply that fixes the problem is a good sign. A copy-and-paste reply, or one that blames the customer, is not.
5. Check whether complaints are marked resolved, and whether the customer accepted the resolution.
6. Compare the number of complaints with the size of the company. A firm that has served tens of thousands of customers will have more complaints than a small one.

BCA ratings

The Business Consumer Alliance (BCA) is a separate organization that also rates businesses, on a scale from AAA down to F. Several gold IRA companies advertise a BCA AAA rating; Augusta Precious Metals, for example, is reported to hold BBB A+ and BCA AAA ratings. Like the BBB grade, the BCA rating mainly reflects complaint handling and business information, not an audit of prices. Treat it as one more data point, and read any complaints listed there the same way.

Point 4: Trustpilot and other review sites

Trustpilot is the review site most often quoted in gold IRA ads. Its star score (out of 5) is easy to understand but easy to misread. Before you trust it, check these five things:

Trustpilot's labels and wording change from time to time, so read whatever transparency information the page shows rather than relying on any one term.

How to spot curated or one-sided reviews

Most reviews are real. But a review profile can still be one-sided, simply because of when and how customers are asked to write. Watch for these signs:

• Timing. Most gold IRA reviews are written within days of buying, when the customer has had a friendly experience and has not yet sold anything. Very few reviewers have tested the buyback. That is not dishonest, but it means a high score mostly measures the buying experience.
• Bursts. A sudden spike of five-star reviews in a short period, often after a run of complaints.
• Same names, same words. Many reviews praising the same representative by name with similar phrasing ("Sarah was so patient and knowledgeable") can mean customers were asked by that rep to leave a review.
• No detail. Short reviews that say "great company, highly recommend" but nothing about prices, products or the process.
• Silence on price. Almost no reviews mentioning the price paid or the buyback offer. The few that do are often the most informative.

The US Federal Trade Commission's rules on reviews and endorsements (updated in 2023, with a separate rule on consumer reviews and testimonials in 2024) prohibit fake reviews and require disclosure of paid endorsements. Those rules help, but they do not make every profile balanced. Read the low ratings, read the most recent ones, and read the ones that mention money.

The four companies on this site, by the numbers

For reference, here is what the Trustpilot profiles showed when we checked on October 19, 2026:

Snapshot from the live profiles on Oct 19, 2026. Scores and counts change daily; check the profiles yourself before deciding.

Notice how much the volume differs. Goldco's score was reported at 4.8 from about 1,585 reviews in March 2025 (Finder) and was 4.4 from 1,791 in October 2026, which shows how a profile can move over time. That is exactly why recency matters.

What good looks like: hundreds or thousands of reviews over several years, a steady score, detailed reviews that mention products and prices, and specific company replies to critical reviews.

Red flag: very few reviews but a perfect score, bursts of short five-star reviews, or a cluster of recent low ratings mentioning buyback prices or pressure.

Point 5 is the check most people skip, and it is one of the most valuable. A company's past dealings with regulators and courts are the closest thing you will get to an independent audit of how it treats customers.

Who regulates gold dealers?

This surprises many people: physical gold and silver dealers are lightly regulated compared with stockbrokers or insurance agents. There is no single federal license for selling coins. Instead, several agencies can step in when something goes wrong:

A note on FINRA BrokerCheck

Gold IRA companies usually are not registered with FINRA, because physical metals are generally not securities. So you should not expect to find the company itself on BrokerCheck, and its absence there is normal.

BrokerCheck is still useful in one way. Some metals salespeople previously worked as stockbrokers. If your representative says they have years of "financial industry" experience, you can search their name on BrokerCheck. A former registration is fine. A record of customer complaints, firings for cause or industry bars is worth knowing about before you take their advice.

How to search in 15 minutes

1. Search the company name plus "attorney general", "CFTC", "SEC", "lawsuit", "settlement" and "class action". Try any former names too.
2. Open results from government websites (ending in .gov) first. News articles are helpful, but go to the original release when you can.
3. Search the CFTC and SEC sites directly for the company name.
4. Check the BBB profile, which sometimes notes government actions.
5. Search the salesperson's name on BrokerCheck if they claim brokerage experience.
6. Write down what you find, with dates and links.

How to weigh what you find

Not every lawsuit is a red flag. Large companies get sued over employment disputes, contract disagreements and advertising claims. Online rumors are not court records; for example, our research found claims about Augusta Precious Metals circulating online but no court record to support them. Focus on:

• Who brought the case. A state attorney general or federal regulator acting on behalf of customers carries more weight than a single private suit.
• What it was about. Cases about undisclosed markups, misleading sales pitches, or targeting older investors go straight to the heart of this checklist.
• How it ended. Settlements often say "no admission of wrongdoing". That is common legal language. The terms of the settlement, such as refunds or required disclosures, still tell you what the regulator was concerned about.
• What changed afterwards. Has the company started publishing spreads, or adopted new disclosures? Ask.

Among the companies on this site, our research notes one review site (BestGuide) scoring American Hartford Gold 3.2 out of 5 and citing whistleblower complaints and advertising practices. We report that as a third-party view, not a finding of wrongdoing; ask the company about it directly if it concerns you. We did not find government enforcement actions against the four companies in our research, but you should run your own search, because records change.

What good looks like: no regulatory actions, or old ones that were resolved with clear changes in practice.

Red flag: any action by a state attorney general, the CFTC or the SEC involving markups, misrepresentation or elderly customers.

Group B is where the money is. Points 6 through 11 cover how the company prices metal, whether it tells you its markup, what it tries to sell you, and what it will pay you back. Spend more time on this group than on any other.

Point 6: Prices published or quoted in writing

Some online bullion dealers publish live prices for every coin and bar. Most phone-based gold IRA companies do not. That is not automatically a problem, but it means you must get a written quote before you agree to anything.

A useful written quote shows, for each product:

• The exact product name and year (for example, "1 oz American Gold Eagle, bullion, random year").
• Whether it is bullion or proof.
• The price per coin or bar, and the quantity.
• The spot price used and the time it was taken.
• Any shipping, handling or insurance charges to the depository.

Prices move every minute, so the quote will only hold for a short time. That is fine. You are not trying to freeze the price; you are trying to see the markup, which tends to stay similar even as spot moves.

Point 7: A written spread disclosure

Ask this question word for word: "What is your markup over spot, as a percentage, on each product you are recommending?"

A good company will answer with a number. A few dealers have published their spreads; American Bullion, for example, disclosed 7% for bullion, 20% for collectible coins and 23% for proof coins, and 10% for bullion inside an IRA (as reported by LendEDU). You do not have to agree with a number to appreciate a company that gives one.

None of the four companies on this site publishes its product spreads. That is typical of the industry, not unique to them. It means the burden is on you to ask, and to calculate the spread yourself from the quote (see the worked example in the next section).

Point 8: Bullion offered first, not proof coins

Gold coins come in two main finishes:

A proof coin contains the same ounce of gold as a bullion coin. You are paying extra for the finish, the packaging and the story. Inside an IRA, where you will never hold or display the coin, that extra cost is hard to justify for most savers.

What good looks like: the representative offers common bullion first and explains the premium difference if you ask about proofs.

Red flag: the representative only discusses proof or "premium" coins, or says bullion is "not recommended for IRAs".

Point 9: No product push and no "IRA-exclusive" coins

Be careful with coins described as "exclusive", "limited mintage", "only available through us", or specially designed for IRAs. These coins may be perfectly legal to hold, but they have one big problem: you cannot easily price-check them. If no other dealer sells the same coin, you cannot compare the price, and you cannot be sure another dealer will pay a premium for it when you sell.

The same applies to coins sold on a story: "this coin will become rare", "collectors will pay more", or "this one is protected from confiscation". Those claims are about future demand that nobody can promise. Our guide to IRA-eligible metals lists widely traded products you can compare across dealers.

Ask: "Is this product sold by other dealers, and if so, which ones?" If the answer is no, ask for a widely traded alternative.

Point 10 is where the checklist turns into arithmetic. You do not need a financial calculator. You need the quote, the spot price at the time of the quote, and a pencil.

The formula

Premium over spot (%) = (Price per ounce you pay - Spot price per ounce) / Spot price per ounce x 100

For a 1 oz coin, the price per coin is the price per ounce. For a coin that contains less than an ounce (such as a 1/2 oz coin), divide the coin price by its gold content first.

Worked example: three quotes on the same day

Assume spot gold is $4,170 an ounce (roughly the price on October 19, 2026). You are considering a $90,000 purchase and receive three different suggestions.

Hypothetical illustration. Prices are invented for the example and are not quotes from any company.

Look at the last row. For roughly the same check, Quote C buys you four fewer ounces than Quote A. On day one, the gold in Quote C is worth about $66,720 at spot - roughly $23,000 less than you paid.

What the price would need to do to break even

Now imagine you want to sell back. Suppose the dealer bids 1% under spot for bullion Eagles, and that a proof coin sells back at only a small premium over the bullion price (often the case). How much would gold have to rise before you get back what you paid?

Rough illustration ignoring account fees. Assumes a buyback at 1% under spot. Real buyback prices vary by dealer and product.

Gold has risen by more than 35% in some years - 2025 was up about 65% - and fallen sharply in others. From the January 2026 record near $5,595, it fell to a low near $3,995 within months. A wide spread does not guarantee a loss, but it means you need a big move in your favor just to get back to even. Our article on whether a gold IRA is a good investment covers the price history in more detail.

How to get the spot price yourself

• Check a live price on a major financial news site or a large bullion dealer's website at the moment you receive the quote.
• Write down the time. Gold can move $20-$50 or more in an hour on a busy day.
• Ask the representative what spot price they are using. If it is very different from what you see, ask why.

What counts as a "fair" premium?

There is no official answer, and we will not pretend there is. For reference, our research found these premiums at retail online dealers in 2026:

Sources: findbullionprices.com premium history, SD Bullion (Oct 2026). Online dealers do not usually provide IRA paperwork help, which is part of what phone-based IRA companies charge for.

Phone-based IRA companies typically charge more than these online figures, partly for the service of setting up the account. A common rule of thumb among consumer writers is to push back hard on anything above roughly 10-15% for ordinary bullion. That is a heuristic, not a rule, but a premium well beyond it on plain bullion deserves a clear explanation.

Silver: same math, bigger percentages

Silver works the same way, but premiums are higher as a percentage because each coin is worth much less. With spot silver around $57.70 (Oct 19, 2026), a Silver Eagle priced at $62 has a premium of about 7.5%. The same coin at $70 has a premium of about 21%. Run the numbers for every product on your quote, not just the gold.

Use our gold IRA fee calculator to see how a given spread and annual fees add up over 10 or 20 years.

Point 11 is the one most buyers forget, because selling feels far away. But every ounce you buy will be sold, distributed or inherited one day. The price you get then matters just as much as the price you pay now.

Buyback "guarantees" are usually not guarantees

Many gold IRA companies advertise a buyback program. The wording varies a lot, and the differences matter:

Summarized from third-party sources and company advertising (Oct 2026). Ask each company for its current terms in writing.

"No buyback fee" and "we will buy back" are useful promises. But neither tells you the price. A dealer can charge no fee and still offer a price well below what you paid. That is not a trick; it is just how the spread works. You need to know how the buyback price is set.

What to ask for in writing

1. The buyback formula. "If I sold these exact coins back to you today, what would you pay, and how is that price calculated?" A good answer is specific: for example, "spot minus 1%" for bullion Eagles.
2. A same-day buyback quote. Ask for the price the company would pay today for the products on your purchase quote. The gap between the buy quote and the sell quote is your round-trip cost.
3. Proof and premium coins. Ask specifically what premium, if any, the company pays back on proof or "exclusive" coins. Often the answer is close to the bullion price.
4. Timing. How long from your sell order until the cash lands in your IRA?
5. Freedom to sell elsewhere. Confirm that you can sell to any dealer through your custodian. You should always be able to.

Worked example: the round-trip cost

Using the same spot price as before ($4,170), here is what buying and immediately selling back would cost on $87,600 of bullion Eagles bought at a 5% premium, compared with proofs bought at a 34% premium.

Hypothetical. Assumes the proof coins are bought back at the bullion price, which is common but not universal. For comparison, one bullion dealer (GoldSilver, June 2026) estimated a typical Gold Eagle round trip at about 4-8%.

You would not normally sell the next day. But the round-trip cost is the clearest single measure of how much a purchase is costing you, and it is the number to compare across companies.

What good looks like: a written buyback policy that explains how the price is set, plus a same-day buyback quote on request.

Red flag: "We always buy back at the best price" with nothing written, or a refusal to quote a buyback price until you actually want to sell.

Group C covers the costs you can see: minimum investment, setup fees, annual custodian fees and storage. Points 12 to 14 make sure you know all of them, and that you understand what any promotion is really worth.

Point 12: A clear minimum investment

Minimums vary widely, and they tell you something about who the company is built for. Here is what our sources report for the four companies on this site:

A higher minimum is not better or worse. But if you only plan to move $15,000, a company aimed at $100,000 accounts may not be the right fit, and flat annual fees will eat a bigger share of a small account.

Point 13: The full fee schedule, in writing

Most gold IRA companies do not charge annual fees themselves. The custodian and depository do. So the fee schedule you need is the custodian's, plus the depository's storage rate. Ask the company which custodian and depository it will use, then get those schedules.

Here is a real example. Equity Trust, one of the largest self-directed IRA custodians, publishes this retail fee schedule (Rev. 11/06/2025):

Notice that Equity Trust's annual fee is tiered by account value. Many review sites quote "$75-$225 a year" for Equity Trust, which our research found to be wrong for any account over $15,000. This is exactly why you should ask for the actual document rather than a number someone repeats on the phone.

Other custodians use flat fees. Our research notes STRATA Trust at a reported $150 a year for its precious metals tier (from September 2026), GoldStar Trust at a reported $90, and Preferred Trust at $300 for a metals-only IRA on its own site. Fees change, so confirm them yourself. Our gold IRA fees guide compares custodians in more detail.

The companies on this site are reported to have the following all-in yearly costs, though none publishes a complete fee schedule on its own website:

Third-party figures (Oct 2026), which often conflict. The custodian's own schedule is the final word.

Point 14: Promotions explained with math

Gold IRA advertising is full of offers. Here is what the four companies on this site advertise, presented as the companies' own claims:

• American Hartford Gold advertises up to $25,000 in free silver on qualifying orders, storage fees waived for 1 year at $50,000+ or 3 years at $100,000+, a 7-day full refund and 100% satisfaction guarantee, and a lowest price guarantee.
• Goldco advertises up to 10% back in bonus silver and up to 3 years of fee waivers for eligible accounts.
• Augusta Precious Metals offers fee waivers on qualifying accounts; one source says "up to 10 years", disclosed only on a call.
• American Gold and Silver Group advertises a 7-day refund, up to $15,000 in free silver and no buy-back fees.

These offers can have real value. But the dealer has to pay for them somehow, and the most likely source is the spread on the metal you buy. So the only fair way to judge a promotion is to compare the total value you end up holding, not the size of the bonus.

Worked example: is "free silver" really free?

Assume you roll over $100,000. Company X offers 5% back in free silver ($5,000 of silver, valued at its own retail price). Company Y offers no bonus but charges a lower spread. To keep it simple, we look at what your metal is worth at spot on day one.

Hypothetical illustration. Spreads and bonus valuation are assumptions for the example and do not describe any named company. Ignores account fees.

Two lessons jump out:

1. At a 10% spread, the bonus roughly cancels out the extra markup. You end up in about the same place as a company with a 5% spread and no bonus.
2. At a 15% spread, you are about $4,100 worse off despite the "free" silver. The bonus was funded by the spread, with money to spare.

The same logic applies to fee waivers. Storage and custodian fees of $200-$300 a year add up to $600-$900 over three years. On a $100,000 account, each 1% of extra spread costs $1,000. So a three-year fee waiver is worth less than a single percentage point of spread. Waivers are nice to have; they are not a reason to accept a higher markup.

Questions to ask about any promotion

• "What is the exact dollar value of the bonus for my account size, and what products does it come in?"
• "What are the spreads on the metal I am buying, with and without the promotion?"
• "Is the bonus silver valued at spot or at your retail price?"
• "If I cancel within the refund window, do I have to return the bonus?"
• "Are there conditions, such as a minimum purchase, specific products, or a holding period?"

Plug your own numbers into our gold IRA fee calculator to see how spread, fees and promotions interact over time.

What good looks like: written promotion terms, with the metal prices shown so you can see what the bonus costs.

Red flag: a bonus that grows bigger as the salesperson steers you toward pricier products, or terms that are only explained verbally.

Group D, points 15 and 16, covers the two partners who will actually hold your account and your metal for years. The dealer may only be involved for the purchase and the sale. The custodian and depository are involved every single year.

Point 15: Choice of custodian

Most gold IRA companies work with one or a few preferred custodians. Equity Trust is the one most often reported for the companies on this site; STRATA Trust and GoldStar Trust are also common in the industry. Working with a preferred custodian is normal and can make paperwork smoother, because the dealer knows that custodian's forms and staff.

What matters:

• Is the custodian an established, regulated trust company or bank? Custodians must be banks or IRS-approved non-bank trustees. Ask the custodian's full legal name and look it up yourself.
• Can you choose a different custodian? Ask. Some dealers will work with any custodian you bring; some prefer not to. Either answer is acceptable, as long as it is honest.
• Is the custodian independent of the dealer? A custodian owned by, or closely tied to, the dealer is a reason to ask more questions.
• What are its fees, in writing? As the Equity Trust example shows, annual fees can rise with account size.
• How do you contact it? You should be able to log in or call the custodian directly to see your holdings. That independent statement is one of your best protections.

Our full guide to gold IRA custodians compares fees and services across the main options.

Point 16: Choice of depository and storage type

IRA metal must be held by the trustee, which in practice means a professional depository. Common choices include Delaware Depository, Brink's and the Texas Bullion Depository. Ask:

Storage pricing varies more than most people expect. Our research found Delaware Depository rates quoted on one custodian form at $0.80 per $1,000 a year commingled (with a $95 minimum) and $1.60 per $1,000 segregated (with a $190 minimum), while Brink's was quoted at about $1.50 per $1,000. Many dealers simply quote a flat $100-$150. Ask which applies to you.

Home storage is not an option

If anyone suggests you can keep IRA gold at home or in your own safe-deposit box, usually through an "IRA LLC" or "checkbook IRA" structure, be very careful. In McNulty v. Commissioner (2021), the US Tax Court treated metal held at home this way as a taxable distribution, with penalties. Our gold IRA rules guide explains the storage requirements.

What good looks like: a named, established custodian and depository, fee schedules for both, a choice of storage type, and direct access to your account statements.

Red flag: a custodian you cannot find independent information about, a "secure facility" that is never named, or any suggestion of home storage for IRA metal.

Group E, points 17 to 22, is about how you are sold to. This matters because most gold IRA purchases are made over the phone, often after a series of calls, with a trained representative who is very good at what they do. You can learn a lot about a company from how its salespeople behave.

Point 17: No pressure and no deadlines

Gold is traded around the clock, and prices change all the time. There is almost never a genuine reason you must decide today. Watch for:

• "This price is only good until the end of the call."
• "The bonus offer ends Friday."
• "Inventory of this coin is almost gone."
• "If you wait, you'll miss the next move up."
• Repeated follow-up calls after you have said you are thinking it over.
• Discouraging you from talking to a spouse, adult child, accountant or adviser.

A good representative will send you everything in writing and tell you to take your time. If they do not, that tells you something about the incentives inside the company.

Point 18: No scare scripts or fear marketing

Fear sells gold. Some of it is reasonable: inflation, market drops and government debt are real concerns, and gold has a long history as a hedge. But fear becomes a sales tactic when it is used to shut down your questions. Common scripts include:

A balanced representative will tell you gold can fall, that it pays no interest or dividends, and that most guides suggest it be one part of a diversified retirement plan. Our article on whether a gold IRA is a good investment covers both sides.

Point 19: Endorsements are advertising

Many gold IRA companies use well-known spokespeople: former athletes, TV and radio hosts, and political commentators. These endorsements are almost always paid advertising. The spokesperson is compensated for promoting the company. That is legal and common, and it is not a reason to avoid a company. But it is also not an independent review.

The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on endorsements (FTC Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking) requires that material connections between an endorser and a company be disclosed. On a radio show, a host reading an ad, or talking warmly about a sponsor, is being paid for that time.

Keep these points in mind:

• A famous name tells you the company has an advertising budget. It does not tell you the spread, the fees or the buyback price.
• The spokesperson is unlikely to have reviewed the company's pricing or complaints in depth.
• The cost of celebrity advertising has to be paid for, ultimately, by customers.
• Run the same 25-point checklist on an endorsed company as on any other.

The same goes for websites like this one. We disclose that we may earn compensation from companies we cover; see what our ranking does and does not measure below.

What good looks like: calm, patient representatives who put everything in writing, discuss risks honestly, and treat endorsements as the advertising they are.

Red flag: deadlines, crash predictions used to rush you, discouraging second opinions, or "our spokesperson would never endorse a bad company".

Point 20: The fine print on "lowest price guarantees"

A "lowest price guarantee" sounds like protection against overpaying. In practice, these guarantees tend to have conditions. Before you rely on one, ask for the written terms and look for:

• What it compares against. Often only identical products, from certain competitors, at the same moment, including all fees.
• Who has to do the work. Usually you must find the lower price and prove it, often before you buy.
• What is excluded. Proof coins, "exclusive" products and promotional bundles may not be covered, and those are exactly where prices are hardest to compare.

A guarantee you cannot test is worth little. The written quote compared with spot (point 10) protects you far more.

Point 21: Refund and cancellation windows

Some companies advertise a refund window; American Hartford Gold and American Gold and Silver Group both advertise a 7-day refund. That can be a genuine safety net. Ask how it works in writing:

• When does the window start: when you sign, when the order is placed, or when the metal arrives at the depository?
• Is the refund the full amount you paid, or the current value of the metal? If gold falls during the window, who bears the loss?
• Are any custodian setup or wire fees refunded?
• Does any bonus silver have to be returned?
• For an IRA, does the refund go back to your IRA (so it stays tax-deferred)?

Without a written policy, assume that once a trade is placed, any later sale will be at the current buyback price.

Point 22: Education vs sales

Many companies offer free guides, webinars or one-on-one sessions; Augusta Precious Metals, for example, is known for a one-on-one web conference. Good education is valuable. To tell education from a sales funnel, ask whether the materials:

• Explain the spread and how the company earns money.
• Admit gold can fall, and show years when it did.
• Mention lower-cost alternatives such as gold ETFs.
• Can be read without giving your phone number.

What good looks like: written guarantee and refund terms, and education that covers the downsides.

Red flag: guarantees no one can explain, a refund policy that only exists verbally, or a "free kit" that leads straight to a high-pressure call.

Group F, points 23 to 25, covers the parts of the relationship that happen after the sale. These matter more as you get older.

Point 23: How the rollover is handled

The safest way to move money is a direct rollover (from a 401(k), 403(b) or TSP) or a trustee-to-trustee transfer (from another IRA). The money goes straight from your old plan to the new custodian. If a 401(k) pays the money to you instead, 20% is withheld for taxes, and you have 60 days to redeposit the full amount. Indirect IRA-to-IRA rollovers are limited to one per 12 months across all your IRAs. Our gold IRA rollover guide walks through every step.

Ask: "Will you set this up as a direct transfer, and will you help me with my old plan's paperwork?" Any suggestion to "cash out and send us a check" is a serious red flag.

Point 24: RMD and distribution help

Required minimum distributions start at age 73 for people born 1951-1959 and 75 for those born in 1960 or later (Roth IRA owners have none). Metal does not pay out cash, so you will need to either:

• Sell some metal inside the IRA and take the cash, or
• Take coins in kind, shipped to you and taxed at their fair market value.

Ask the company how it helps with RMDs, and ask the custodian what it charges for in-kind distributions (Equity Trust lists $50 per transaction, plus shipping). Some savers keep some cash in the IRA to cover fees and RMDs.

Point 25: Liquidation speed and shipping in kind

• How many business days from a sell order until cash appears in the IRA?
• Is the sell price locked when you place the order?
• Who handles shipping and insurance for an in-kind distribution, and what does it cost?
• Can heirs sell easily? Will the company work with a beneficiary's inherited IRA?

What good looks like: clear timelines, direct transfers, and a plain explanation of RMD options.

Red flag: vague answers about selling, or no one who can explain RMDs with metal.

Here is how the four companies we cover look on the checklist points we can check from public and third-party information. We report only what our research found; advertised offers are the companies' own claims. Blank or "not published" does not mean bad. It means you need to ask.

Third-party snapshots and company advertising (Oct 2026); sources often conflict. Confirm every figure with the company, its custodian, bbb.org and Trustpilot.

A few neutral observations:

• All four fit the industry norm of not publishing spreads, so points 7 and 10 depend on the written quote you request.
• Minimums differ a lot, from $10,000 to $50,000, which affects who each company fits.
• American Gold and Silver Group has the least public information. That makes your own first-call questions especially important.

For details, read our reviews of American Hartford Gold, Goldco, Augusta Precious Metals and American Gold and Silver Group, and the head-to-heads: American Hartford Gold vs Goldco, Augusta vs Goldco and Augusta vs American Hartford Gold.

We publish a ranking of gold IRA companies on our home page. You should know how it works and where its limits are.

Disclosure: Gold IRA Planet may receive compensation when readers contact or open accounts with companies through links on this site. That compensation can influence which companies we feature and where they appear. It does not change the facts we report, and we label company claims as claims.

What it measures

• Publicly available information: minimums, reported fees, ratings, review volume and advertised terms.
• Consistency of information across sources.
• How clearly each company explains its products, process and fees.

What it does not measure

• Your actual price. None of the four companies publishes spreads, so we cannot rank them on the cost that matters most.
• Your salesperson. Experience varies by representative.
• Future behavior. Ratings and policies change.
• Whether gold suits you. That depends on your whole financial picture.

The full method is on our how we rank page. Use any ranking, including ours, as a shortlist. The checklist and written quotes are how you make the final choice.

Print this list and keep it next to the phone. Write the answers down, with the representative's name and the date.

About the company

1. When was the company founded, and has it ever operated under another name?
2. Who owns the company, and where is your office?
3. Are you an employee, and are you paid on commission?
4. Has the company ever been subject to action by a state attorney general, the CFTC or the SEC?

About pricing

5. What is your markup over spot, as a percentage, on each product you recommend?
6. Can you email me an itemized quote with the spot price and time used?
7. What bullion coins and bars do you offer, and what are their premiums?
8. Are any recommended products proof, "exclusive" or only sold by you?
9. If I sold these products back to you today, what would you pay?
10. How is your buyback price calculated, and is that in writing?

About account costs and promotions

11. What is your minimum for an IRA?
12. Which custodian and depository will you use, and can I choose others?
13. Can you send me the custodian's and depository's fee schedules?
14. What exactly is the promotion worth for my account, and how is bonus silver valued?
15. What are the terms of your price guarantee, in writing?

About process and exit

16. Will my rollover be a direct transfer, never a check made out to me?
17. What is your refund or cancellation policy, and who bears a price drop during it?
18. How long does a sale take from order to cash in my IRA?
19. How do you help with RMDs and in-kind distributions?
20. Is there any reason I cannot take a week to compare your quote with others?

Question 20 is the most revealing. A confident company will say "of course".

Phone conversations are friendly and forgettable. Paper is not. Before any money moves, ask for these documents by email:

When your first custodian statement arrives, check it against the trade confirmation: same products, same quantities. If anything differs, call the custodian directly.

The single best protection against overpaying is a second quote. Ask two or three companies for quotes on the same products on the same day, ideally within the same hour. Then fill in a table like this:

The row that usually decides it is total ounces for my budget, adjusted for promotions valued at spot. More metal for the same money, with fair buyback terms, is the goal. Our fee calculator can fill in the 10-year fee line, and our fees guide explains each cost.

If a company will not quote the same products, or will not quote at all until you open an account, write "no quote" in its column. That is an answer too.

Regulators have brought several cases against precious metals sellers that targeted retirement savers. None involves the four companies on this site. We include them because they show exactly which checklist points protect you.

Sources: CFTC release on Red Rock Secured; SEC litigation releases LR-25708 and LR-25996; New York Attorney General on Lear Capital.

The regulators' own checklist

In March 2024 the CFTC, FINRA and the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) published a joint advisory, 10 Things to Ask Before Buying Physical Gold, Silver, or Other Metals. It covers many of the same themes as this guide: know the markup, be wary of pressure and fear, and understand storage and resale. It is short and worth reading in full. Our gold IRA scams and red flags guide covers more warning signs.

Some answers should end the conversation. Walk away, or at least pause and get a second opinion, if a company:

• Will not give you a written, itemized quote.
• Will not tell you its markup or explain how its buyback price is set.
• Steers you only toward proof, "exclusive" or "confiscation-proof" coins.
• Gives you a deadline, or calls repeatedly after you said you need time.
• Uses crash predictions or fear about your bank or 401(k) to rush you.
• Discourages you from talking to family or an adviser.
• Suggests cashing out a 401(k) yourself, or storing IRA metal at home.
• Calls itself "IRS-approved".
• Has regulator actions over markups or misleading sales.
• Delivers paperwork that does not match what you were told.

Walking away costs you nothing. Gold will still be for sale next week.

Tick each box as you go. Aim for clear answers on every point, and insist on points 7, 10 and 11.

A. Legitimacy

• [ ] 1. Years in business confirmed with state records
• [ ] 2. Owners, address and registration verified
• [ ] 3. BBB complaints read; no repeated pricing or buyback theme
• [ ] 4. Reviews checked for volume, recency, labels and low ratings
• [ ] 5. Attorney general, CFTC, SEC and court searches done

B. Pricing

• [ ] 6. Itemized quote in writing
• [ ] 7. Spread disclosed as a percentage
• [ ] 8. Bullion offered
• [ ] 9. No "exclusive" or story-driven coins
• [ ] 10. Premium over spot calculated and compared
• [ ] 11. Buyback terms and today's buyback price in writing

C. Costs

• [ ] 12. Minimum confirmed
• [ ] 13. Custodian and storage fee schedules in hand
• [ ] 14. Promotion valued at spot

D. Custodian and depository

• [ ] 15. Custodian named, verified and independent
• [ ] 16. Depository named; storage type and insurance confirmed

E. Sales process

• [ ] 17. No deadlines or pressure
• [ ] 18. No scare scripts
• [ ] 19. Endorsements treated as advertising
• [ ] 20. Price guarantee terms read
• [ ] 21. Refund window in writing
• [ ] 22. Education covers downsides

F. Service and exit

• [ ] 23. Direct rollover or transfer confirmed
• [ ] 24. RMD and in-kind options explained
• [ ] 25. Sale timelines and shipping costs known

No company is trustworthy in every case, and no independent body certifies dealers. The most trustworthy company for you is the one that passes the checklist: a verifiable track record, a clean regulatory history, a written quote with a reasonable premium over spot, written buyback terms and no pressure. Use rankings, including ours, as a starting shortlist and let written quotes decide.

Partly. Most reviews are genuine, but they are usually written soon after buying, before the customer has ever sold. Many profiles are claimed by the company, which may invite customers to review. Look at review volume, recency, the one- and two-star reviews, and any that mention prices or buybacks. Many review websites, including this one, may earn affiliate compensation, so check how a site ranks companies (ours is explained on how we rank).

You can do either. Some self-directed IRA custodians let you choose any dealer, including large online bullion dealers that publish prices, and place the order yourself. That can mean lower premiums but more paperwork on your side. A gold IRA company charges more but handles the rollover forms and coordination. If you go with a company, use its quote and an online dealer's published price as a benchmark. Our complete gold IRA guide covers both routes.

Not necessarily. Celebrity, TV host and radio host endorsements are paid advertising. They show that a company has a marketing budget, not that its prices or buyback terms are better. Run the same checklist on an endorsed company as on any other, and compare its written quote with at least one competitor.

There is no official standard. For reference, large online dealers charged about 2-6% over spot for common gold coins and bars in 2026, and one phone-based dealer disclosed 10% for bullion in an IRA. Many consumer writers suggest pushing back on anything above roughly 10-15% for ordinary bullion; that is a rule of thumb, not a rule. Proof and "premium" coins often cost far more. What matters most is that you know the markup and have compared it.

It depends on the company and the stage. Before money moves, you can usually stop the account opening. After a trade is placed, you are typically relying on the company's refund policy; some advertise 7-day windows. Ask in writing when the window starts, whether you get the full price back or the current value, and what happens to fees and bonus metal. Without a policy, a cancellation is effectively a sale at the buyback price.

Choosing a gold IRA company comes down to three habits: check the company's record, get everything in writing, and compare at least two quotes against the spot price. The dealer's spread is usually your biggest cost, bigger than years of fees, and it is the cost companies are least likely to volunteer.

• Use the 25-point table to organize your research.
• Ask the 20 first-call questions and write down the answers.
• Fill in the side-by-side quote template.
• Walk away from pressure, fear and anything that will not go on paper.

Consider talking with a fee-only financial adviser or tax professional about how much, if any, of your retirement savings belongs in metals. For the rules and costs, see our guides to gold IRA rules, rollovers and custodians. When you are ready to compare, start with the reviews of American Hartford Gold, Goldco, Augusta Precious Metals and American Gold and Silver Group.

This article is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Fees, minimums and promotions change often and vary by custodian and account size - confirm current terms in writing with the company and your custodian before you invest.