Should I Invest in Gold?

Proponents of owning physical metals cite that the gleaming yellow metal is a scarce commodity and has no counter party risk. Gold’s value is inherent.

While many investors claim to have indirect exposure to precious metals, there is comparison to owing physical gold and silver.

Benefits in owning physical Gold:

• Portfolio diversification
• Hedge against a down economy
• No credit risk
• Outperformed fiat currencies
• Liquid asset
• Opportunity for gains

Statistics:

• Worldwide demand has increased an average 18% since year 2000.
• It has had comparatively good returns compared to other investment assets.
• World banks and billionaires are accumulating physical metals while major countries are “reacquiring” what they own.
• The yellow metal is a proven portfolio diversifier.
• It holds value as fiat currencies like the US dollar fall in value.
• The Fed continues the dollar devaluation while the US government can’t stop its endless borrowing and spending policies.

Billionaires John Paulson, Thomas Kaplan, Paul Tudor Jones, Eric Mindich and Carlos Slim all own a lot of the precious metal. Do they know something we don’t?

Combine Fed Policy, the federal deficit and federal government spending, many experts believe that eventually, something has to give. A financial day of reckoning if you will. Whether it be a dollar collapse, hyper inflation or something else, they like the peace of mind knowing that not all of their assets are dollar based.

Why Precious Metals for Your Golden Years:

It is a frequent message being broadcast to investors nowadays with some allure. Recent shocking fluctuations on Wall Street may have you believing it is an appealing alternative for you, too. However, is buying gold shrewd  today? As it happens, you will find IRS-approved techniques for investing in gold.

Gold Individual Retirement Accounts (Gold IRAs) combine the comparative stability of gold and silver with all the advantages of a modern IRA. But that gold or precious metals IRA is ideal for your present situation?

One way to secure your life savings is with a Gold IRA. Investors with various financial goals will find it an appealing investment. By diversifying your retirement savings with a gold IRA, you may be able to attain wealth preservation, portfolio growth and even tax benefits. All of this with a smaller risk than many other investments.

This type of account might be the perfect solution for any investor looking to diversify their life savings, however there are multiple companies offering  Gold IRAs. With so many options readily available, it is important you consider the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Just because a Gold Investment firm advertises doesn’t mean it it is legit. To this point, there are quite strict regulations which IRA firms should follow. This includes the storage and transfer of the precious metals which we will discuss further.

Most financial advisors advocate that you allocate 5-15% of your retirement portfolio to  precious metals, with a few more bearish experts  suggesting around 20 percent. Considering these guidelines should help you make the right investment decision.

When properly invested in gold, silver and platinum, an IRA could certainly protect your nest egg and demonstrate support your purchasing power.

What is a Gold IRA?

A Gold IRA is a self directed retirement account aka precious metals IRA, that allows individuals to hold precious metals in their retirement accounts to protect them from “paper” fiat dollar denominated investments that they own. Similar to standard IRAs, tax deferment is possible on earnings. Gold IRAs can be purchased through authorized Investment Companies.

And just like any other Individual Retirement Account, a precious metals IRA allows Internal Revenue Service permitted annual deposits into a brand new investment company account or transfers and rollovers for existing IRAs.

Custodians are required by the IRS to oversee the process. Once the Gold IRA firm receives your investment funds they can convert the dollars to real money, aka gold.

Code requires that your precious metals are stored by an approved facility either overseas or domestically. Overseas storage is the choice of investors looking distance from the government.

If you are like most most retirees, your main focus when starting a retirement account is to make sure your portfolio produces income. How is that accomplished? That, of course, happens by adopting the correct portfolio strategy.

While stocks, bonds and even the US Dollar might look attractive while you compose a multi source income plan, these conventional investments are not always enough to attain proper diversification. Consider how diversified your investment portfolio could be if you invested in gold?

A Gold IRA is not complex but is an effectual alternative for retirement investing. Combining the yellow metal with silver, platinum and even palladium further increases hedging your life’s savings against financial disaster.

Can I Hold Physical Gold in my IRA

In a word, YES, you can hold precious metals in your retirement account through Gold IRAs.

With the passing of the Taxpayer Relief Act in 1997, the IRS allows investors to own approved Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium bullion in a self directed retirement account from precious metals investment companies.

The setup of an IRA must be handled in accordance of IRS rules and regulations by authorized IRA firm. You may either open a self directed physical precious metals IRA outright, do a transfer or rollover funds from an existing 401k, SEP, TSP, 403b, etc into your new account.

Transfer: If you have an existing IRA, you can “transfer” funds directly from your current custodian to the new ira custodian. The government requires that the disbursement check must be made out to the new custodian or trustee. You do not take possession of the funds and can do a transfer as often as you like.

Rollover: If you receive a distribution from a retirement account and move the funds to an IRA custodian, this would be considered a rollover. To avoid IRS taxes and penalties, the transfer must be made within 60 day window. You are allowed to rollover the same funds once in twelve months to keep your retirement account tax deferred.

Bonus: With a gold IRA you only get to claim ownership of precious metals but you’ll have the right to access them. Realizing that you don’t have direct access to your stock portfolio, the plusses of the gold IRA move becomes clearer. Making the bold choice of investing in a Gold IRA will likely preserve and expand your wealth.

What Precious Metals are IRA Approved?

Some of the approved coins for a precious metals IRA :

Gold:

• American Eagle
• Canadian  Maple Leaf
• Austrian  Philharmonic
• Australian Kangaroo/Nugget
• Chinese  Panda
• American  Buffalo uncirculated coins

Silver:

• American Silver Eagle
• American Silver Eagle
• Mexican Libertad
• Canadian Silver Maple Leaf
• Austrian Silver Philharmonic
• Australian Silver Kookaburra
• Chinese Silver Panda

Platinum:

• American Platinum Eagle
• American Platinum Eagle
• Australian Platinum Koala
• Australian Platinum Emperor Penguin
• Canadian Platinum Maple Leaf

Palladium:

• Canadian Palladium Maple Leaf

Note: Other bars and rounds are permitted  and all bullion must meet with IRS issued requirements of fineness. The best precious metals dealer can help you choose the right precious metals for your needs.

What You May Not Invest in:

For Self-directed IRAs, just like conventional IRAs, you cannot invest in artwork, rugs or antiques, alcoholic beverages, gems and most metals, stamps, and most coins as these are considered collectibles by the Secretary of the Treasury. Any investment like the above would be subject to any relevant taxes while being treated as a distribution.

How to Vet Gold IRA and Gold Investment Companies

If you are trusting your hard earned investment or retirement funds with a bullion dealer, you want to make sure that firm is a trusted and reliable source. The investment firm should provide a physical office address (no PO box), email contact and phone number with office hours.

Questions to Consider Before Opening a Gold IRA:

Fees for Buying and Selling Precious Metals:

As with any financial product purchase, you should know about any commissions, transaction fees or purchase premiums involved. These fees will vary from firm to firm and if are not stated on their website, you may have to ask their representative.

For the most part, lower premiums will be charged on larger bars compared to coins. Similarly, fees for selling your precious metals holdings would be lower compared to coins, etc.

Other Fees:

There can be other costs when buying precious metals from investment companies, including ongoing management, storage, delivery, insurance, administration fees and even currency exchange. These fees vary from product and dealer and are often figured as a percentage of your precious metals account holdings.

Consult with your tax adviser, but any gains from your Gold IRAs could be taxed with capital gains or income tax like your other investments.

Storage fees differ on Gold IRAs as well and are based on the products you invest in. Vault or segregated storage will be more expensive and a preferred method by serious investors. Costs for pool allocated precious metals will be lower.

What is the Best Gold IRA?

Goldco Precious Metals is the #1 rated Gold IRA firm online. Based in Woodland Hills California, the firm has been helping clients add gold and silver to their IRAs since 2006. Goldco’s expert advisers will work with you to develop a plan that will help you reach your retirement goals via precious metals. With hundreds of satisfied client reviews available online, Goldco Precious Metals is a safe choice to help you with your Gold IRA.