Still, a gold IRA can be a good option for investors who want to diversify their retirement accounts and also take advantage of the hedging benefits that the yellow metal offers over other financial assets, such as paper currency and stocks. Many financial experts recommend holding 5 to 10% of a portfolio in gold. In retirement, you need an investment that either generates current income or that is reasonably expected to increase in value so that you can sell it and use it for consumption in the future. You’re essentially wasting deferred tax space on something that doesn’t generate income. As a result, you are not protected against taxes.
As with any other traditional IRA account, the value of the account is taxable upon withdrawal. Unlike owning stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, etc., many online gold IRA providers have streamlined systems and work closely with established custodian banks to take the guesswork out of making these decisions. While the majority of IRAs invest in more traditional assets such as stocks, bonds, and cash equivalents, tax legislation also allows “self-directed instruments” that can hold precious metals such as silver or gold.
The advantage of gold ETFs is that you can buy and sell stocks like a stock and hold them in a conventional IRA or 401 (k). No special account is required. This can be a challenge for gold IRAs and may require you to sell inventory to meet RMD rules. To properly set up an individual retirement account (IRA), you’ll need to find a custodian bank that allows you to keep precious metals, such as gold, within the IRA. Examples of accepted forms include the American Eagle and Canadian Maple Leaf gold and silver coins, the Austrian Philharmonic Mint, PAMP Suisse gold bars and most platinum bars.
To help customers avoid this threat, some IRA companies, for example, are buying back their gold at the wholesale price that was in effect at the time. In addition, the IRS provides guidelines on what type of gold can be purchased for an IRA and how it should be held. However, since the Great Recession, there has been a wave of advertising encouraging retirement savers to convert their savings into precious metals within an individual retirement account or Gold IRA. These companies go through an audit process to ensure that the gold they receive is the gold you ordered.
Including gold or other precious metals as a significant part of your IRA is usually a long-term mistake due to their high costs, relative volatility, and mixed investment balance. Proponents of gold IRAs argue that these costs are worth the peace of mind of being protected from a potential financial apocalypse. While regular IRAs are limited to securities such as stocks and bonds, the IRS allows alternative investments in self-directed IRAs.
