5 Best Gold IRA Companies for September 2023

Pricing is critical when reviewing gold IRA companies. Many companies say they have a low-cost fee structure, but few actually reveal all their costs. Augusta Precious Metals offers customers a transparent and straightforward fee structure, making it our choice for the best gold IRA for transparent pricing. As with almost every Gold IRA, you do have to search around to find the pricing, but at least with Augusta it exists online.

Augusta has built its reputation for transparency and integrity since opening in 2012. Augusta further reinforces its customers' confidence by offering a 100% money-back guarantee for new customers and guaranteed fair pricing along with seven-day price protection.?Augusta also has a clear disclosure explaining their margin on gold and silver sales with some refreshingly honest numbers (up to 10% for common bullion and 66% or higher on premium products). Many gold IRAs are hesitant to disclose their markups, so Augusta gets an extra point on transparency there.

For details on setup, annual, storage, and other fees, you are directed to contact the company, although there is a sample fee guide showing the $250 total set-up fee for year one and then a recurring annual fee of $200 made up of the custodian maintenance fee ($100) and storage facility fee ($100). Augusta also has an excellent buy-back program and, although they retain the right to do so, they state that they have not refused a buyback to date.

Augusta works with highly reputable Delaware Depository for its customers' storage needs, with vault locations throughout the U.S. Since the account is self-directed, there are no management fees. As with many of the gold IRA companies, they are acting primarily as the dealer and you may have separate custodian fees depending on the custodian you are working with.

Overall, Augusta's customer service is top-notch, as its high consumer ratings indicate. Augusta's onboarding and transaction processes are turnkey, with specialists assisting customers with all the necessary paperwork. However, customers are not able to make purchases online.

Augusta's two significant drawbacks are its limited choice of metals and its high minimum order for adding gold or silver to your self-directed IRA. Customers who want to invest in platinum or palladium will have to go elsewhere as Augusta focuses on gold and silver bullion and coins.

Established in 2016, Noble Gold is a relative newcomer to the gold IRA space. Still, with its low minimum investment requirement and extensive educational resource, it has quickly become a favorite as the best gold IRA company for new investors.?While the account minimum at Noble Gold is widely reported as $2,000, there are no company disclosures confirming these figures. Alas, the lack of standardized disclosure forms is one of the clearest indicators that gold dealers and custodians are operating in a largely unregulated space.

In its short history, Noble Gold has also gained traction with the consumer rating agencies, garnering a five-star rating with Consumer Affairs and a A+ rating with BBB.

In addition to its comprehensive offering of educational resources, Noble Gold provides each potential customer with an initial consultation for a mutual understanding of the customer's needs, preferences, and objectives. After that, customers are assigned a trusted advisor who guides and educates them the rest of the way without resorting to high-pressure sales tactics.

Noble Gold's fees are competitive. New customers aren't charged a setup fee, but all accounts are charged an $80 annual service fee. In addition, all customers pay a $150 annual storage fee. The good news is those are flat fees charged to all accounts regardless of size, and the storage fee covers the cost of segregated storage. (Noble Gold doesn't offer commingled storage.)

Because of Noble Gold's extensive network of partners and suppliers, customers are afforded competitive pricing on gold purchases. Noble also offers a "no-questions-asked" buy-back service.

Noble Gold's custodian is Equity Institutional. You can see your account information at any time on its site. Noble uses International Depository Services (IDS) for storage. It has two locations in the U.S. and one in Canada. Storage at the high-tech IDS facility comes with a Lloyd's of London insurance policy.?

Potential customers can spend all the time they need on Noble Gold's website, browsing educational materials and gathering the information they need before contacting a representative to open an account. You can complete a part of the account registration process online, but you will need the assistance of a representative to complete the process.

Goldco aims to present investment information in an organized and objective way to gain customers' full confidence. It also leans heavily on its endorsement by Sean Hannity, a television host. Founded over a decade ago, Goldco Precious Metals stands out in many ways, but it has built a reputation for providing superior customer support.?

From account setup through their most recent transaction, customers are treated to Goldcos "white-glove service," which includes direct access to a specialist to guide them every step of the way. While Goldco encourages its customers to take full advantage of the extensive education center on its website, this resource mainly contains articles focused on a current event and why owning more gold is the solution. Investors would be well served by re-reading the disclaimer in the footer every time they read one of the blog pieces.

That being said, Goldco's customer-centric focus has earned Goldco excellent reviews from online sites. In terms of key information, however, the site is lacking in details with important information like the storage fee ($100 or $150 for segregated), the annual admin fee ($80), and the minimum investment ($25,000) covered in a single post rather than a formal pricing disclosure. Again, it must be noted that the industry as a whole struggles with basic disclosure and Goldco is not alone in this.

For more information about fees, account minimums, custodians, and storage, you'll need to contact Goldco. The company also offers a free guide if you are willing to provide your name, email, and phone number. Account setup is quick and easy, completed primarily online. Goldco also offers IRA and 401(k) rollovers to transfer your existing retirement accounts.

Advantage Gold has made its mark as the best gold IRA company for first-time buyers with hands-on customer support and comprehensive educational platform. Advantage Gold is the dealer in the Gold IRA arrangement, with Strata Trust Company recommended for custodian services at a $50 setup fee, $95 annual account fee, and either commingled ($100) or segregated storage ($150). Processing fees will apply to the account with $40 on purchase, sale, or exchange. No mention of account minimums are made with Advantage Gold, but they are acting as dealer rather than a custodian. There appears to be no minimum order value.

Since its founding in 2014, Advantage Gold has strived to build a top-notch reputation by providing superior customer service. What the company lacks in terms of time in the business, it makes up with the collective experience of its management team and its highly trained staff.

While Advantage Gold appeals to gold IRA investors of all types, it has a particular appeal to first-time buyers. It offers extensive resources and educational materials that can help new investors get off the ground with gold and other precious metals. At no time are investors exposed to high-pressure sales tactics. One standout feature is the asset comparison tool that shows you how different investment amounts performed in different time periods, comparing gold to the S&P 500, NASDAQ, Dow Jones, oil, and a savings account. Investors can view for themselves the period of underperfomance or overperformance versus other assets over time.

Advantage Gold has a liberal buy-back program, reportedly offering repurchases at the going market rate, which is higher than the spot price offered by some competitors. There is a 24 hour cancellation policy on transactions and the detailed disclosure of the mark up cited figures lower than many of the gold dealers we reviewed.

For its customers' storage needs, the company works with Brink's Global Services USA, Inc., and Delaware Depository, both highly reputable vault companies.

Patriot Gold Group is a gold dealer that has forged a long track record of helping investors secure their financial future through gold IRAs, earning high marks from consumer groups along the way. The business has done so by delivering superior customer service while keeping its pricing competitive.

Patriot Gold has built a stellar reputation with top marks from key consumer rating agencies, including an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and a five-star rating with Consumer Affairs.

Patriot Gold is a dealer-direct company, which means customers avoid the fee typically charged for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bullion or coin purchases with investor-direct pricing. Not much information about fees, account minimums, and other details is offered on Patriot's website as it works with other entities as custodians. There is a minimum investment of $50,000 disclosed in the marketing materials, but you will have to contact them before signing up to learn this important information.

Patriot Gold prides itself on its long track record of delivering superior customer service. Account managers closely tend to customers' needs from account setup, which you can complete online or over the phone, through each transaction. The account reps seek to understand their customers' financial objectives to offer recommendations.