Every review and comparison on this site uses the same fact sheet for every company. Here is what we collect, where it comes from, who decides the order - and how we get paid.
Last updated: Oct 12, 2026
Edited by Gold IRA Planet Editorial Team
Fact-checks this site’s content · How we review
The ranking order is set by our editors, and some companies pay us. When you request a kit or open an account through our links, a company may pay us. That can affect which companies we list and where they appear.
The facts are the same for every company. Minimums, fees, buyback terms, ratings and regulator actions are reported identically for companies that pay us and companies that do not.
For every company we collect the same eight things and date them:
Minimum investment
The smallest IRA balance or purchase the company accepts. It is the first filter for most readers, so it sits at the top of every comparison.
Setup and yearly fees
One-time setup or application fees, yearly custodian or admin fees and storage fees - and whether they are charged by the company or the custodian.
Fee and price transparency
Whether the company publishes its fees and metal prices online, or will state its markup in writing before you pay.
Buyback terms
What the company says about buying your metal back - a written guarantee, a program, or "in practice" only - and any liquidation fee.
Storage options
Which approved depositories the company works with, and whether segregated storage is offered.
Years in business
How long the company has been operating, as reported.
BBB, BCA and Trustpilot ratings
Better Business Bureau and Business Consumer Alliance ratings, and Trustpilot score with its review count - always as a dated snapshot.
Regulator and court actions
Actions by the CFTC, SEC, state attorneys general or courts that we can find in public records. Rumors without a record are not reported as fact.
In its favor
Against it
No invented figures. If we cannot find a fee or rating, the page says so. Where sources disagree, we show the range and label it approximate.
No fake reviews or social proof. We quote customer reviews only verbatim and linked to the source, and we never publish invented testimonials, "people viewing now" counters or countdown timers.
Every promotion carries its condition. Fee waivers and free-metal offers are shown with the account size they require.
Rules come from the source. Contribution limits, rollover rules, eligible metals, storage rules and RMDs are checked against IRS publications and the tax code.
We don’t repeat what we can’t verify. Lawsuits and regulator actions appear only when there is a public record, no matter who they help or hurt.
Published fees, minimums, promotions, buyback and storage policies from each company's own site and disclosures, where available.
Fee and minimum snapshots from established review sites, plus BBB, BCA and Trustpilot profiles. Where sources disagree, we show the range.
IRS publications and the tax code for IRA rules, and CFTC, SEC and state regulator releases for enforcement actions and investor alerts.
Court filings and settlements that we can verify. We do not repeat lawsuit rumors that have no record behind them.
The score out of 10 next to each company is our editorial rating, tied to its position in our ranking. It summarizes our view of the facts above; it is not a customer rating, a measure of investment performance or a recommendation to buy. Customer ratings (BBB, BCA, Trustpilot) are always shown separately and attributed to their source.
In a head-to-head comparison we go category by category - minimum, fees and transparency, buyback and promotions, and track record - and name the company that comes out ahead for most readers. We always say where the other company wins, because the better choice depends on your amount and what you value.
Fees, minimums and promotions change often. We re-check them on a regular cycle and when we learn of a change, and every review and comparison shows when it was last updated.
The researchers and editors behind our gold IRA company comparisons and reviews. Every ranking and review is produced and checked by this team.
Editorial & Research
Our editorial team researches gold IRA companies, reads their published fees, minimums and policies, checks regulator actions and complaint records, and writes plain-English guides for retirement savers. We are not financial advisers, and nothing we publish is investment advice.
Gold IRA Planet is not a broker, dealer or custodian and does not sell precious metals. Nothing on this site is financial, tax or legal advice. Fees and minimums are approximate and change often - the company’s and custodian’s written terms determine what you pay. See our full disclaimer.
Our editors. We weigh the facts above, but the final order is an editorial judgment, not the output of a formula. Some companies we list pay us, and that can affect which companies appear and where. We say so on every page with affiliate links.
No. Minimums, fees, buyback terms, ratings and regulator actions are stated the same way for every company, paying or not - including complaints, high minimums and fees a company does not publish.
They are dated snapshots, mostly from third-party reviews, because gold IRA companies rarely publish full fee schedules. Sources often disagree, so we show ranges and label figures as approximate. Always confirm current fees, minimums and the markup on your metals in writing before you invest.
Because almost no company publishes it, and it varies by product and by day. We explain how markups work and what to ask in our fee guide instead of guessing a number.
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