Gold and Silver IRA Reviews (2026)

As of this writing, gold prices are up over 74% from where they were just a year ago. Silver is up 138%. Why? Tariffs, economic uncertainty, and global crises. It’s been one thing after another, and investors keep turning to precious metals for protection. Our Gold and Silver IRA reviews cover what you need to know about protecting your retirement savings with physical metals.

What are Gold and Silver IRAs?

A Gold or Silver IRA is a self-directed individual retirement account that holds physical precious metals instead of traditional paper assets like mutual funds or bonds. You might also hear these called Precious Metals IRAs since they can hold gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.

These accounts work just like traditional or Roth IRAs when it comes to taxes and contribution limits. The main distinction is that you’re investing in tangible metals with intrinsic value that are completely independent of the stock market. Your metals are stored in an IRS-approved depository, and you can take possession of them when you reach retirement age.

Benefits of Gold and Silver IRAs

Owning physical gold offers the following benefits over traditional investments:

Portfolio diversification

Most retirement portfolios are heavily weighted in stocks and bonds, which means they all have risk when markets get volatile. Gold and silver move differently. When President Nixon ended the gold standard over 50 years ago, it completely decoupled precious metals from paper currency and the stock market. This independence is what makes gold and silver effective diversifiers.

When stocks drop, gold often rises or holds steady because investors look for safe-haven assets. During the 2008 financial crisis, the S&P 500 lost over 50% of its value while gold prices increased. The same pattern happened during the 2020 COVID crash.

This negative correlation to the stock market protects your retirement savings because you’re not putting all your wealth in the same type of assets that can crash at the same time.

Inflation protection

Inflation erodes your purchasing power over time. A dollar today buys less than a dollar did 10 years ago, and this trend continues. Gold and silver protect against this because there’s only so much supply. The government can’t just print more gold like it can with dollars.

When central banks increase the money supply, the value of each dollar decreases. But gold maintains its intrinsic worth because its supply remains relatively fixed. Mining companies only extract about 3,000 tons of new gold each year, a tiny fraction of existing above-ground supplies.

As the cost of goods and services rises, gold prices typically rise with it, preserving your wealth in real terms.

Central banks understand this, too. They’ve been net buyers of gold since 2010 and doubled their purchases after 2022. Overall, gold demand in 2025 exceeded 5,000t for the first time ever.

Tax advantages

A Gold or Silver IRA gives you the same tax benefits as traditional and Roth IRAs. Plus, you also avoid the higher capital gains tax rates that apply to precious metals held outside retirement accounts.

When you own gold outside an IRA and sell it for a profit, the IRS classifies it as a collectible. That means you pay up to 28% in long-term capital gains tax. But when you hold precious metals inside an IRA, you eliminate those collectible tax rates.

Tax treatment for self-directed IRAs varies depending on your account type:

• Traditional Gold IRA: Your contributions may be tax-deductible, your metals grow tax-deferred, and you only pay ordinary income tax on withdrawals in retirement when you’re likely in a lower tax bracket.
• Roth Gold IRA: You pay taxes now but get completely tax-free growth and qualified withdrawals.

Tangible assets

There’s something fundamentally different about owning physical gold versus a stock certificate or a digital balance in a brokerage account. Gold and silver are tangible alternative assets that exist independent of any financial system, government, or third party’s promise to pay.

Consider what happened to customers of FTX or other failed financial institutions. Digital balances disappeared overnight. But physical gold stored in a secure depository can’t vanish with a bankruptcy filing or cyber attack. You own the actual metal, not a promise that someone will deliver it later or a derivative tied to gold’s price.

Many investors sleep better knowing they own something real that has held value for thousands of years. You’re not relying on a corporation’s earnings, a government’s fiscal policy, or a financial institution’s solvency. The gold exists, you own it, and that’s that.

Store of value

Every fiat currency in history has eventually failed or been significantly devalued. The U.S. dollar has lost over 95% of its purchasing power since the Federal Reserve was created in 1913. Gold, on the other hand, has maintained its purchasing power across centuries and civilizations.

An ounce of gold could buy a fine men’s suit in the early 1900’s, and it can still buy a fine men’s suit today. This long-term stability makes precious metals an effective store of value for retirement funds that you may not need for years. You’re protecting your future purchasing power against currency debasement.

Liquidity when you need it

Even though they’re physical assets, gold and silver are highly liquid. They’re recognized and valued globally, so you can sell them anywhere in the world. This gives you flexibility if you need to rebalance your portfolio or access cash in retirement.

Yes, selling physical metals takes a bit longer than clicking a button to sell stocks. But reputable dealers can complete transactions within days, and the global market for gold and silver means you’ll always find buyers.

Eligible metals for your Gold and Silver IRA

There are IRS requirements for gold and other precious metals you can hold in a Gold or Silver IRA. Not every gold coin or silver bar qualifies. The metals must meet minimum purity standards and come from approved sources.

You’re buying these metals for their gold or silver content, not because they’re rare collectibles. The value comes from the purity and weight of the metal itself. Here’s an overview of the metal options:

Metal type	Minimum purity	Examples of approved products
Gold	99.5%	American Gold Eagle, Canadian Maple Leaf, Austrian Philharmonic, PAMP Suisse, Valcambi
Silver	99.9%	American Silver Eagle, Canadian Maple Leaf, products from PAMP Suisse or Valcambi
Platinum	99.95%	American Platinum Eagle, Canadian Platinum Maple Leaf, LBMA-accredited refiners
Palladium	99.95%	Canadian Palladium Maple Leaf, products from approved global refiners

Custodians, Depositories, and Storage

To set up a Gold or Silver IRA, you’ll need to work with an IRS-approved nonbank trustee and use approved storage facilities.

Self-directed IRA custodians

Every Gold or Silver IRA needs a custodian. This is a financial institution that manages your account, handles IRS reporting, and processes transactions. The custodian’s job includes buying and selling metals on your behalf, coordinating with the depository, and managing IRS paperwork to keep your account compliant.

Custodians don’t provide investment advice, and they don’t sell precious metals themselves. You’ll work with a separate precious metals dealer to decide which coins or bars you want to buy, and then the custodian makes the purchase using your IRA funds.

IRS-approved depositories

The IRS requires you to store your metals in an approved depository. You can’t keep them at home or in a personal safe deposit box. If you do, the IRS considers it a distribution, which means you’ll face taxes and penalties.

These depositories are specialized vault facilities with security features like armed guards, climate control, advanced alarm systems, and insurance coverage. They’re designed specifically for storing precious metals and are regularly audited to ensure compliance with IRS regulations.

Depositories offer two storage options to hold physical gold:

• Segregated storage: Your metals stay separate from other investors’ holdings. You own specific bars or coins with unique serial numbers.
• Commingled storage: Your metals are stored together with other investors’ metals of the same type and purity. You own a quantity of metal, but not specific pieces.

Your custodian handles all the logistics of shipping your metals to the depository and maintaining records of what you own. You’ll have access to online portals where you can check your holdings anytime.

Some of the most popular depositories are Delaware Depository, Brink’s, and Noble Gold.

Gold IRA fees

The types of fees you can expect for holding precious metals investments inside a Gold IRA include:

• Account setup: This one-time fee ranges from $50 to $150. Some Gold IRA providers waive this fee as part of promotions for new customers.
• Annual maintenance: Custodians charge anywhere from $75 to $300 per year to administer your account. These annual fees cover IRS reporting, processing transactions, and maintaining your records.
• Storage fees: You’ll pay $100 to $250 annually to store your metals in an IRS-approved depository. This covers vault space, insurance coverage, security systems, and regular audits.
• Transaction fees: Some custodians charge $40 to $95 each time you buy or sell metals. Others include a certain number of transactions in your annual maintenance fee.
• Other fees: The custodian might also have fees for wire transfers or other services like account statements or appraisals.

It pays to talk with multiple custodians and ask about pricing. Low fees can help you keep more of your hard-earned money.

Fee breakdown table

Here’s a quick at-a-glance listing of fees you might see with your Gold IRA account:

Fee type	Typical range	When charged	Notes
Setup fee	$50-$275	One-time, at account opening	Might be waived for larger deposits
Maintenance fee	$125-$275	Yearly	Charged regardless of account performance
Storage fees	$75-$300	Annually	Varies by segregated vs. commingled storage

Account minimum investments

The top Gold IRA companies require a minimum investment to open an account. These minimums vary widely depending on the company and can range from $5,000 to $50,000 or more.

Why do companies set minimums? The costs of administering a Gold IRA are relatively fixed. No matter the amount you have to invest, the custodian still has to set up your account, file IRS paperwork, and arrange secure storage.

For smaller accounts, these fixed costs eat up a larger percentage of your investment, which makes them less practical for both you and the company.

Higher minimums don’t necessarily mean better service. Some companies set $50,000 or $100,000 minimums because they focus on high-net-worth clients. Others set lower minimums to make Gosild IRAs accessible to more investors. Swiss America has a $5,000 minimum to get started, so you can begin protecting your retirement savings without a massive upfront investment.

Rollovers to your Gold IRA

If you have existing retirement accounts at a previous employer or an existing IRA, you can move those funds into a Gold or Silver IRA. This is called a rollover, and it’s one of the most common ways people fund precious metals IRAs.

You can rollover funds from several types of retirement accounts, including 401(k)s, 403(b)s, TSPs, and traditional IRAs. The process works the same regardless of which account type you’re moving money from.

Direct rollovers

A direct rollover is the best method because it’s completely tax and penalty-free. The way it works is that your current plan administrator sends your funds directly to your new Gold IRA custodian. You never touch the money, which means the IRS doesn’t consider it a taxable distribution.

Partial rollovers

You also don’t have to move all your retirement funds into a Gold IRA. You can rollover a portion of your existing accounts and leave the rest where it is. This lets you diversify with gold and silver coins or bars while keeping other investments in traditional assets like stocks and bonds.

Most experts recommend allocating 5-15% of your retirement portfolio to gold and silver. A partial rollover makes this easy to accomplish without changing your entire retirement strategy.

No limits on rollover amounts

For 2026, the IRS caps annual contributions at $7,500 or $8,600, depending on your age, but rollovers have no dollar limit. You can move as much money as you want from eligible retirement accounts into your Gold IRA. Plus, rollovers don’t count against your annual contribution limit, so you can still make new contributions on top of any funds you roll over.

Timeline and documentation

The entire process can take 2-4 weeks from start to finish, though it can vary depending on your current plan administrator and how quickly they process requests. Here’s what the timeline usually looks like:

• Week 1: You open your Gold IRA account and complete the custodian’s paperwork. This includes providing identification, account details, and signing IRS forms. Most of this can be done online or by mail.
• Week 1-2: Your chosen custodian contacts your current plan administrator to request the rollover. The current administrator verifies your account and processes the transfer request.
• Week 2-3: Your current plan administrator sends the funds to your new Gold IRA custodian. This is typically done via wire transfer or check.
• Week 3-4: Once the funds arrive, you work with your precious metals dealer to select which IRA-approved gold, silver, platinum, or palladium you want to buy. Your custodian then buys the metals and arranges shipment to the depository.

The documentation you’ll need includes:

• From your current plan: Account statements showing your balance, and any rollover request forms required by your current administrator.
• For your new Gold IRA: Government-issued ID like a driver’s license or passport, Social Security number, and account information for your current retirement plan.

The best Gold IRA companies guide you through the paperwork and help coordinate with both custodians. You won’t need to manage this process alone or figure out which forms to fill out.

Comparing Gold IRA companies

There’s many Gold IRA companies you can work with and a broad range of minimum requirements for your initial investment:

Provider	Minimum investment	Key highlights
Swiss America	$5,000	High marks for 40+ years in business, personalized guidance and education, A+ BBB, and overall 4.97/5 star rating
Augusta Precious Metals	$50,000	Education-focused, A+ BBB
Goldco	$25,000	Beginner-friendly, A+ BBB, AAA BCA, 4.8 Trustpilot
American Hartford Gold	$10,000	Competitive fees, A+ BBB
Lear Capital	$10,000	Flexible entry, 4,700+ high ratings
Birch Gold Group	$5,000	Transparent fee structure, A+ BBB, AAA BCA

Deciding on a Gold IRA company

The best Gold IRA companies guide you through the setup process, help you select metals, and should be there when you’re ready to sell decades from now. Here’s what to look for:

• Longevity in the business: Look for companies that have been around for decades, not just a few years. A company like Swiss America that’s been in business since 1982 has weathered multiple market cycles, economic downturns, and gold price fluctuations. They’ve proven they operate with integrity and will still be there when you need support or want to sell your metals.
• Reputation and reviews: Check what other investors are saying. Look at Google reviews, the Better Business Bureau ratings, and testimonials on the company website. Pay attention to how the company responds to complaints and whether customers report transparent pricing and good service.
• Educational resources: The precious metals industry can be confusing, especially when you factor in IRS regulations and tax implications. Look for a company that provides educational materials, guides, and free resources to help you make decisions.
• Industry credentials: Ask about memberships in industry organizations like the Professional Numismatists Guild or the Industry Council for Tangible Assets. These credentials show the company follows ethical standards and is committed to selling genuine, quality metals.
• Buyback programs: At some point, you’ll likely want to sell your precious metals. While you can sell anywhere, it’s convenient to work with a company that offers a buyback program.

Balancing gold and silver in your retirement portfolio

Once you’ve decided to add precious metals to your retirement savings, the next question is how much gold versus silver you hold. And what percentage of your overall portfolio should be in precious metals?

Most financial experts recommend allocating 5-15% of your retirement portfolio to precious metals. This gives you enough exposure to benefit from their diversification and inflation protection without putting too much of your wealth in non-income-producing assets.

Gold vs. silver allocation

Within that precious metals allocation, you’ll need to decide how to split between gold and silver. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but consider your financial situation and factors like:

Gold as the foundation: Most investors make gold the larger portion of their precious metals holdings, often 60-80% of the metals allocation. Gold has a longer track record as a store of value, it’s what central banks buy, and it also tends to be more stable in price.

Silver for upside: Silver prices tend to move more dramatically than gold. When precious metals rally, silver often outperforms gold on a percentage basis. This makes silver bullion bars or coins best for investors who accept the risk in exchange for more growth potential.

Allocation strategies

You can use several different approaches to build and maintain your precious metals position:

• Dollar cost averaging: Add precious metals to your portfolio in regular increments over time. You might contribute to your Gold IRA each year as long as you stay within IRS contribution limits. This smooths out price volatility since you’re buying at different price points.
• Rebalancing approach: Set your target allocation and then rebalance periodically. If gold prices rise and your precious metals allocation grows from 10% to 15% of your portfolio, you might sell some metals and buy other assets to get back to your target.
• Age-based allocation: Some investors adjust their precious metals holdings based on proximity to retirement. Younger investors might keep a smaller allocation, around 5%, in favor of growth assets. As you approach retirement, you might gradually increase to 10-15% for more stability and wealth preservation.
• Economic conditions: You might also adjust your allocation based on economic factors. During periods of high inflation or currency instability, increasing your precious metals allocation can make sense.

Drawbacks of Gold and Silver IRAs

Gold and Silver IRAs have some drawbacks compared to traditional retirement accounts that you should understand before investing.

No income generation

Gold and silver don’t generate passive income like stocks, bonds, or real estate. You won’t get dividends, interest payments, or rental income from precious metals. You make money if the metals increase in value over time.

This means you’re giving up potential income that could compound over decades in your retirement account.

Higher fees

Gold IRA accounts have higher fees than traditional IRAs. You’re not just paying for account management. You’re also paying for secure storage in the depository, insurance, and specialized custodian services. These fees typically range from $200 to $500 per year on top of the metal premiums above spot you pay when buying.

For smaller accounts, these fixed costs eat up a larger percentage of your investment. This is why most Gold IRA companies have minimum investments of $5,000 or more.

Less liquidity than stocks

Gold and silver are relatively easy to sell, but the process isn’t as fast as selling stocks with the click of a button. You’ll need to coordinate with your custodian to either sell your metals for cash or arrange an in-kind distribution where they ship the physical metals to you.

This can take several days or weeks, depending on the transaction.

Storage restrictions

You can’t take possession of your metals until you reach retirement age and take a distribution. Since your metals must remain in the depository, you can’t access them whenever you want.

Complexity and potential for scams

If you don’t work with a reputable Gold IRA company and experienced custodian, you risk not meeting IRS regulations or falling victim to scams. The precious metals industry has bad actors who use high-pressure sales tactics, hidden fees, or fraudulent schemes. Do your homework to find trustworthy companies.

Final thoughts on Gold IRA companies

With gold prices over $4,900/oz and economic uncertainty from tariffs and trade wars, investors are turning to precious metals to protect their retirement savings. A Gold or Silver IRA gives you a way to own tangible assets with all the tax benefits of traditional retirement accounts.

Yes, there are fees and IRS regulations to navigate. But the setup process is simpler than most people think, especially when you work with an experienced company that handles the paperwork and coordinates with custodians on your behalf.

If you’re ready to explore how gold and silver fit into your retirement portfolio, connect with the Swiss America team today!

Are gold and silver IRAs a good idea?

Yes, Gold and Silver IRAs can be a good investment for protecting your retirement savings. They help reduce risk in your portfolio and provide a hedge against inflation and currency instability.

• Diversification benefits: Gold and silver are independent of the stock market and paper currency, which protects your savings when other assets decline in value.
• Tax advantages: You get all the same tax benefits as traditional or Roth IRAs while avoiding the higher collectibles tax rate that applies to precious metals held outside retirement accounts.
• Tangible security: You own physical assets that can’t be erased by economic volatility, technical glitch, or financial institution failure.

Is gold and silver a good retirement investment?

Gold and silver can be excellent retirement investments when part of a diversified portfolio. Key considerations to keep in mind:

• Long-term store of value: Gold and silver have maintained their purchasing power for thousands of years, making them reliable assets for protecting wealth over the decades you’ll spend in retirement.
• Protection during crises: When stocks crash or currencies lose value, precious metals often rise or hold steady, which helps protect your retirement savings during economic downturns.
• Portfolio balance: Adding gold and silver to a retirement portfolio that’s heavy in stocks and bonds reduces overall market volatility and gives you assets that move independently from traditional investments.

Does the IRS know when you buy gold?

The IRS doesn’t track every gold transaction, so it generally doesn’t know when you buy gold unless you meet certain levels that trigger specific reporting requirements. Details include:

• Regular purchases: The IRS doesn’t monitor standard gold purchases. You can buy gold coins or bars without the transaction being reported to the government.
• Large cash transactions: If you pay more than $10,000 in cash for gold, your dealer must report the transaction to the IRS through Form 8300 for anti-money laundering compliance.
• Gold IRAs: If you hold gold in a tax-advantaged retirement account, the IRS knows about it because you’re receiving tax benefits that require reporting and documentation.

The information in this post is for informational purposes only and should not be considered tax or legal advice. Please consult with your own tax professionals before making any decisions or taking action based on this information.