What is a Precious Metal IRA?

Investing in Precious Metals

Investing in precious metals—like gold, silver, platinum, and palladium—has long been a trusted strategy for preserving wealth and diversifying investment portfolios. Here’s why many investors choose to invest in physical precious metals with their retirement account.

🛡 Hedge Against Inflation

When inflation eats away at the value of paper currency, physical metals often shine. Gold, in particular, has a long history of retaining its value, offering a powerful shield against the rising cost of living.

🌍 Stability in Uncertain Times

Market crashes, political instability, and global crises can wreak havoc on traditional investments. Precious metals act as a safe haven—providing stability when stocks, bonds, and currencies are in turmoil.

📈 Strengthen Your Portfolio

Diversification is key to managing risk. Precious metals often move independently of the stock market, helping to balance your investment strategy and reduce overall volatility.

🔒 Own Real, Tangible Assets

Gold and silver are not just numbers on a screen—they’re real, physical assets you can hold in your hand. They carry no digital risk and are immune to cyber threats.

⛏ Finite Supply, Rising Demand

Precious metals are rare, and global demand continues to grow. From industrial applications to investment-grade bullion, this increasing demand supports long-term value growth.

If you are relying solely on your brokerage account, perhaps managed by a financial advisor, you are at the sole reliance of the stock market. Volatility, as we’ve seen lately, as well as account fees, can eat away at your retirement assets.

The best investment advice we’ve compiled is that high net worth individuals should have up to 40% of their portfolio in gold. This is why many billionaires are holding precious metals in massive quantities.

Other investors should eye to keep 5-15% of their portfolio in precious metals.

Most people ignore this time-tested advice and have to live with the stock market volatility (paper assets) controlling their financial security!

Why Physical Gold?

When you buy physical gold coins and bullion, as well as silver coins, platinum bullion, and other IRA approved precious metals, you own a tangible asset outright. There are zero annual fee’s to manage it, just storage fees with the gold IRA custodian that you choose. You have to legally store precious metals in a depository (not in your own possession per IRS rules.)

The Role of Precious Metals IRA Companies

When setting up precious metals IRAs, you’ll have to follow the steps below.

Choose from one of the precious metals IRA companies we’ve fully vetted below.

Each company has different investment minimums, storage fees, and offerings of precious metals investments. Choose the company you feel most comfortable with. A specialized individual retirement account representative will walk you through the process of setting up a gold IRA account as well as which physical metals are allowed in your roth IRA, traditional ira, or other qualified retirement account.

Approved Precious Metals

When you purchase gold, you have many options. Gold coins, bullion coins, platinum coins, and more. They do have to meet minimum fineness requirements in order to precious metals allowed in your IRA. Every company we recommend only sells physical precious metals that meet the minimum fineness requirements, so don’t go rogue and trust another vendor or you risk buying non-approved precious metals which will eliminate your tax benefits!

Gold and Silver Account Fees

A gold ira (or silver ira – both names are interchangeable and synonymous with precious metals iras) offers many tax benefits with very minimal annual fees. Some providers will have an account set-up fee while others will waive this fee with a qualified investment. They are very nominal, starting at only $50. Compared to a financial advisor, this is a very small fee to hold gold and other precious metals.

You’ll also have annual storage fees. These start at $100 per year and ensure that your precious metals are held in an IRS approved depository. That’s less than what a bank account costs!

Again, this only applies if you buy inside your traditional or roth ira, 401k, or other approved retirement savings account. We exclusively cover precious metals iras on this website, but we did make a gold buying guide in case you are looking to purchase for your own vaulting.

Why Choose Precious Metals IRAS?

Precious metals IRAs help you safeguard your portfolio against market turbulence and economic uncertainty. We’ve been advocates of investing in precious metals since 2012 -back when gold traded around $1,600 per ounce – and keep a firm watch on the market.

Precious metals, in our professional opinion, will always be a store of value and highly tradable on a global scale. One ounce silver coins aren’t going anywhere. Gold bars aren’t going anywhere. Gold and silver have multiple use cases and are very difficult to produce.

Consider a gold IRA to help you invest in precious metals with your most important asset – your retirement.