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Augusta Precious Metals Review: Best Gold IRA Company For Professionals
Best overall for professionals and Serious Investors
Excellent leadership and personalized service for account set-up
Total transparency
Outstanding customer service & reviews
ZERO complaints since 2012 in business
Are you wondering how you can get involved in this gold investment rush but aren't quite sure if it is the best financial move for you? Have you been hearing good things about investing in precious metals like gold, silver or platinum and how they are a great way to diversify your investment portfolio?
Whether you're ready to make a move, or just looking to learn a little more about investing in precious metals, you'll want to check out Augusta Precious Metals.
With nearly a half-century of leadership in a highly competitive market, Augusta Precious Metals (APM), is one of the most popular firms of its kind. APM sells gold IRAs and precious metals of various kinds.
They're located on Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills, California, and their main website displays a prominent photo of Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Joe Montana, who they list as their "paid ambassador." (It's noteworthy that Mr. Montana possesses business acumen of his own, having earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame in 1979.
What's behind the glossy image and slick website besides a famous name and a list of services? The following review attempts to find out what APM is all about, what its positive and negative qualities are, and whether it's a good idea for precious metals investors to use their services.
In a Nutshell: Augusta Precious Metals is one of the leading companies to consider when looking into rolling over your 401k to a gold IRA account. It prides itself in helping individuals build and protect wealth with gold and silver IRAs while providing great customer experience.
About Augusta Precious Metals
For nearly a decade, the company has focused on assisting retired individuals, or those planning for retirement, to boost the stability and earnings of their IRA accounts by adding physical precious metals to the mix, primarily gold and silver. Keep in mind that even a so-called "gold IRA" can hold several forms of precious metals.
Isaac Nuriani, the company’s CEO, started Augusta Precious Metals in 2012. The stated goal of APM is to make retirement investing in a gold IRA simple and fully transparent. They advertise life-long client support and help all customers manage portfolios over the entire length of ownership. The firm has attempted to carve out a niche for itself as a customer-focused organization.
Two ways they do this is by making sure that each client has their own investing agent assigned to them. Second, APM has created a proprietary, super-simple method of creating gold IRAs for clients who want them.
APM has built a unique partnership with Canada's government entity, the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM). The result is the company's ability to offer coins and bullion that are exceptionally pure and often cost less than those sold by competitors.
Some gold IRAs are tough to work with because they have no ready source of top-purity bullion. APM has worked through that challenge by teaming up with the RCM.
Gold IRA Investment Options Offered By Augusta Precious Metals
Like all the major players in the gold IRA segment, Augusta Precious Metals (APM) offers several key services investors typically search for. That includes IRA planning assistance for simple, Roth, or precious metals (gold) IRAs. They'll even help you understand the limits and other unique factors about rolling over a 401k, SEP, Roth, or traditional IRA into a precious metals IRA.
Of course, their core business service is walking customers through the simple process of opening a gold IRA with any of the precious metals they offer. Their professional team members do the paperwork for you, explain every step, and fully answer any questions you have about the process.
Gold And Silver IRA Rollover
If you have a retirement account or investment portfolio and considering converting part of it to bullion coins or bars, then you may want to speak with the specialists in Augusta Precious Metals.
One of the primary services Augusta Precious Metals offers is helping individuals set up a new Gold or Silver IRA or rollover an existing retirement account into a Gold or Silver IRA. Investing in gold and silver can help diversify your portfolio and protect you against the volatility of the stock market.
Precious metals investments may not necessarily pay dividends so to say, but they are hard assets that continue to grow in value and can provide a volatile market safety net.
Setting up a Gold or Silver IRA with Augusta Precious Metals is quite simple and they've made the process as streamlined as possible. Being self-directed, investors have full control over all the sales and purchasing decisions regarding their IRA.
If you aren't sure whether your existing retirement account is eligible for a rollover, contacting a member of the team at Augusta Precious Metals will be advisable as they will help you determine if it is eligible. Augusta Precious Metals chose the best Gold and Silver IRA custodian companies to work with their clients. The available custodians include: Equity Trust, GoldStar Trust Company, and Kingdom Trust.
Rolling Over 401(k) To IRA
Rolling over your 401(k) can be a very good way to gain tax benefits. Consumers can gain a greater level of control when they roll over 401(k) to IRA, because unlike a company-sponsored plan, an individual retirement account (IRA) allows for a wider field of investments, including stocks, bonds, precious metals, ETFs, etc.
One of the main reasons why soon-to-retire individuals go down this route is because rolling over existing funds and setting up a Gold IRA rather than simply purchasing gold to hold at your home is that the value of the precious metals in your account are tax-advantaged. Depending on the type of account you set up, you may not even be taxed on the gains on your investment.
Before rolling over or setting up a new self-directed IRA, take some time to read up on the IRS guidelines, rules, and penalties regarding IRAs. First, learn the contribution limits for an IRA based on your age. Exceeding these limits will result in a 6% fee each year until the mistake is corrected.
You also won't be able to withdraw any funds from your account before you reach at least 59 ½ years old. Removing funds before this will lead to a 10% fee, and you'll also owe income tax on the money you withdraw. There are a few exceptions to this rule, which includes death or disability.
Augusta Precious Metals will help you navigate through these guidelines with their streamlined, simple and fully transparent process. A team member is always available to answer any question you may have and offer assistance throughout the process.
Approved Self Directed IRA Gold Coins From APM
Gold And Silver IRA Coins Offered By Augusta Precious Metals
Gold American Eagle Coins
Gold American Eagle Proofs
Gold Canadian Eagle Coins
Gold American Buffalo Coin
Gold Canadian Maple Leaf Coins
Silver Canadian Soaring Eagle Coins
Silver Canadian Eagle with Nest Coins
Silver American Eagle Coins
Silver Canadian Maple Leaf Coins
Why Invest In Gold With Augusta Precious Metals?
With Augusta Precious Metals (APM), the setup for gold IRAs is as simple and hassle-free as you can get, and the APM team always explains each step of the process as they walk customers through it.
The guarantee of lifetime customer support is a winning addition to an already strong lineup of pros and you get some of the best educational materials in the industry at no extra cost.
The availability of an analytics team that is second to none, a wide range of precious metals products of the very highest purity, low fees, and unrivalled third-party storage for IRA metals are some of the benefits you receive when you choose to invest with APM.
Pros
Excellent customer service
Low fees
Secure storage facilities
Hassle-free account setup
Top analytics team
Comprehensive educational materials
Lifetime customer support
Cons
The minimum investment is set to at least $50,000 in a qualified retirement account.
It's nearly impossible to find a "con" for a top company in the industry like APM, but there are a couple, and both are related to minimum account deposits.
To open a gold IRA, there is a $50,000 minimum. For non-IRA metal purchases, the minimum is also $50,000. In fact, the IRA requirement is not all that high, when you consider that a large number of investors are rolling over other IRA accounts that contain that much or more capital.
The more unexpected minimum is the one for non-IRA investors, who often search for excellent companies from whom to purchase precious metals. These types of investors usually do not want to spend $50,000 on an initial purchase.
Getting Started With Augusta Precious Metals
Once you decide to invest in a gold IRA or rollover an existing 401(k), Getting started is simple with Augusta Precious Metals.
You simply fill out a one-page online form, open your account, fund the account, and buy eligible silver and/or gold to put into the account.
The company assigns you a personal agent who can walk you through each step while online. The whole process can be completed in less than 15 minutes. And, if you have any questions, your agent will answer them fully and honestly.
How Does A Gold And Silver IRA Work At APM?
Here is APM's simple and straight-forward 5-step process to get you all set-up
Augusta Fees And Account Minimums
Fees: The quoted metals prices include zero commission fees. The company, APM, pays for all liability insurance and shipping of metals until the customer takes possession or the metals are in the depository. The annual custodial fee is $80 per year and $50 for the application.
Yearly depository fees vary, but are usually around $100 per account. There's about a five percent markup on bullion products, which is low for the industry. Additionally, the company has a plan that allows for a large discount on fees if customers pay them in advance for the expected life of the account.
Minimums: As noted above, gold IRA minimum is $50,000 for account opening. The minimum for non-IRA metals purchases is also $50,000. Here's a bit more information from the company's website FAQ page:
"We do have a minimum order of $50,000 for cash (non-IRA) purchases and $50,000 for IRA purchases. The minimums may be met by purchasing any combination of items you choose.
APM Fees For Precious Metals IRAs
One - Time Fees
Set-up fee for IRA - $50
Annual Fees
Custodian Maintenance fee - $80 - $125 depending on amount invested
Depository fees - $100
APM Fees For Non-IRA Investments Plus APM Investment Minimums
Fees
One time set-up fee- $0
Annual maintenance fee - $0
Storage fee - $0
Investment minimums
Precious Metal IRA - $50,000
Non- IRA Investment - $50,000
Precious Metals Storage With APM
For customers who open gold IRAs, APM deposits the physical metals in one of several locations, primarily the Delaware Depository. If you don't have an IRA, you need to tell APM where to deposit your metals, whether in one of their depositories or to send the metals directly to you. After you finalize your purchase, the precious metals will be at the storage facility in 7 to 10 days.
The locations of the secure depositories as shown above include:
Los Angeles, California
Las Vegas, Nevada
South Fargo, North Dakota
Nampa, Idaho
New Castle, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
New York, New York
Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Jackson, Ohio
Salt Lake City, Utah
What Makes Augusta Precious Metals Unique?
Augusta Precious Metals (APM) can help you set up a self-direct Gold or Silver IRA and they can also help you rollover an existing 401(k).
APM offers a large selection of IRA-approved coins and other gold and silver bullion and premium coins available for purchase.
The company's setup is highly efficient and every step of the process has been streamlined and made simple for an effective collaboration with customers.
APM has built a unique partnership with Canada's government entity, the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM). The result is the company's ability to offer coins and bullion that are exceptionally pure and often cost less than those sold by competitors.
There is a choice of about 10 IRS- approved storage facilities for your IRA gold and silver coins when you choose to invest with Augusta Precious Metals.
Who is Augusta Precious Metals Best For?
APM is a great option for many types of investors, including:
Anyone planning for retirement is the most suitable customer for APM.
Anyone who'd like to rollover part of their 401k to a gold IRA.
Wise young people who know the power of starting and funding a gold IRA while in the early stages of their careers.
In fact, APM has customers of all ages. However, people close to retirement and those already retired tend to be the largest demographic of IRA buyers in the U.S.
Final Thoughts on Augusta Precious Metals
It's difficult to not give APM a five-star rating. Even taking into account their account minimums, the only "negative" factor we could identify, they're still far ahead of their closest competitors in quality of service, purity of precious metals offered, ease of account setup, transparency of fees and charges, expertise, educational materials, pricing of precious metals, overall expertise, and general customer satisfaction.
Frequently Asked Questions About Augusta Precious Metals
Is Augusta Precious Metals legit?
Yes, Augusta Precious Metals is a legitimate company and one of the best in the industry. The United States Mint recognizes it as a bullion dealer. They are rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau and rated Triple A by the Business Consumer Alliance.
What is a gold IRA account?
A gold IRA account is a specialized individual retirement account (IRA) where instead of money or stocks you invest in precious metals like gold, silver, platinum and/or palladium. These physical precious metals are held in a IRS-approved secure storage facility or vault.
What types of silver and gold does the company offer?
Augusta Precious Metals offers silver and gold in forms of bullion bars and coins to premium collectible coins. They do have a wide variety to choose from.
Who is Isaac Nuriani?
Isaac Nuriani, founder and CEO of Augusta Precious Metals started the company in 2012. His main goal for APM focuses on helping American investors make informed decisions with their retirement assets through the purchase of physical precious metals.
The company will handle all the paperwork on your behalf.
Nuriani's passion for integrity is what makes APM stand out as one of the best in the industry.
How is the customer service at Augusta Precious Metals?
APM IRA specialists offer high level expertise in the field. The customer service department are always available and will be more than happy to walk you through the process of buying precious metals or rolling over a 401k. Best of all, Augusta Precious Metals offers customer support for the lifetime of your account.
Can I monitor the performance of my gold IRA?
Yes, you can check the performance of your IRA investment online whenever you want. APM will also send you quarterly account statements to review your IRA investment performance..
What does an IRA specialist at APM do?
The IRA consultant or specialist will help you through the whole process. They will help you setup your precious metals accounts or rollover your existing IRA accounts as fast as possible. There is a choice of gold, silver, platinum and palladium precious metals or you can choose to hold all of them in your account.
What is the benefit of investing in physical gold and silver?
The value of silver and gold often remain stable or increases when conventional financial markets are declining and for this reason, many retirement investors have taken a special interest in precious metals as they seek to safeguard their portfolios through effective diversification.
Augusta Precious Metals
