Just a few decades ago, holding gold in a retirement account would be unthinkable. But the IRS changed all of that in 1997. Since then, many companies have been created to help with the paperwork and purchasing of precious metals IRAs.
Augusta Precious Metals is one of these companies. It's one of the most popular choices for people in the US, boasting hundreds of online ratings and reviews. Their reputation is solid, but it's important to have all the facts before you choose whether to purchase.
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About Augusta Precious Metals
Augusta Precious Metals is a gold IRA company. Basically, they function as a gold dealership, but they sell IRA-approved precious metals. They also have a setup process to help people create a new self-directed IRA to hold their metals.
Most Americans don't have thousands of dollars in savings to invest in gold. But what about your retirement account? If you've been adding to it for a few decades, you probably have quite a bit of money there. And precious metals can help to diversify your portfolio.
Investors recommend purchasing precious metals because they're a hedge against stock market crashes. When the economy is volatile, the price of precious metals tends to soar. With so many people worried about inflation, recessions, and other financial issues, it just makes sense to safeguard a portion of your retirement.
You can roll over funds from your existing retirement account into a self-directed IRA without incurring any penalties. But the process of doing so can be complicated, especially if you don't have a financial background. That's where Augusta Precious Metals comes in.
Augusta is far from the only company to offer this service. But there are some features that make them unique. Most importantly, there's the company's overall employee setup.
Instead of having employees be a jack-of-all-trades, Augusta has specialized departments. Every department focuses on just one aspect of the IRA process. That way, each team member is an expert in their specific niche. No matter what questions you have, there's always a staff member around who's knowledgeable enough to answer.
In addition, every person who invests with Augusta is given a dedicated representative. This person handles communication with other employees, with your account custodian, and with your storage depository. They'll build up a rapport with you over time by learning about your goals and your needs.
Many customers have praised this system, saying that they feel like their account representative really cares. They appreciate the level of service and the fact that they don't feel like just another number. Another factor that often receives praise is the way that Augusta aims to have lifelong relationships with clients, rather than just selling you gold once and then moving on.
Augusta's website has a solid breakdown of the different aspects of the company. They say that they're built on a foundation of simplicity, transparency, and lifetime service. Their goal is to give you prices that are low enough for you to keep buying from them for life. You'll also receive customized advice for how to optimize your precious metals portfolio for your specific needs.
Augusta is endorsed by Joe Montana, an NFL quarterback who has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. According to Montana, he first discovered Augusta upon asking a financial advisor to show him the best gold company in the country. He liked their services enough to become an ambassador for their cause.
Company Commitments
According to the Augusta Precious Metals website, the company is committed to a set of key values. They operate with an in-depth knowledge of the precious metals industry, and they streamline their processes to make account setup super easy.
Augusta's main focus is on precious metals IRAs. They have an in-house team of precious metals and tax experts that know everything there is to know about the paperwork. These professionals eat, sleep, and breathe gold IRAs. Their entire function is to help you manage yours, rather than to just sell gold.
Transparency
One of the major company commitments is to transparency. When you go to the website, you can find information about how the company operates, who the managers are, and what the company's policies are. There are no hidden fees or commissions. Augusta makes sure that every customer has all of the relevant information before making any purchase.
When you work with Augusta, you also get continual updates on your accounts. You'll be able to find out about the value of your holdings, talk about making future purchases, and work with the company when the time comes to take distributions. You'll also receive multiple tracking updates as your order is packaged and shipped, so you know exactly when it arrives safely at the depository.
Some companies claim to be transparent without really following through. But that isn't the case with Augusta. They've been voted one of the most trusted companies by independent reviewers like Gold Advisor. In addition, Trustlink has named them as one of the most honest gold IRA companies in the US for several years running.
Customer Service
Every company says that they put customer service first. But Augusta actually puts its money where its mouth is. The company's entire setup is designed specifically to be as convenient as possible for customers. And that seems to have worked well for them -- they've received universally positive reviews, and they have no complaints filed with the BBB.
Augusta is one of the best companies to set up a gold IRA with because of the streamlining. You never need to talk to anyone except your account representative. You can tell them exactly what you want, and they'll take you through the paperwork. What might take hours on your own only takes a few minutes with Augusta.
Augusta is also dedicated to resolving any potential issues before they arise. On their BBB page, there's a phone number and email listed for people to contact if they run into problems. As no complaints have ever been filed, it seems that Augusta is great at resolving any problems behind the scenes. And there don't seem to be many problems to begin with.
The low cost of Augusta's precious metals is also a key part of their customer service. They're able to offer metals at such a low cost because they operate with low overhead and don't charge commissions. The lack of commissions also means that salespeople are motivated only by what you want, not by what's most expensive.
Education and Knowledge
Education is another big commitment of Augusta's. When you sign up, you'll be able to ask your account representative any questions you have. If they don't know the answer, they can ask one of the dedicated departments in the company. You'll be able to get information about current economic events, the precious metals market, and the value of different precious metals items.
Augusta also has multiple educational tools available to people for free. In fact, there's an entire resources section available on the website. Just a few of the pages include:
In addition, there's a page called Bad Reasons to Buy Gold. This lists out some of the worst reasons to purchase precious metals. For example, if you want to make a huge amount of money in a short amount of time, this investment won't be for you. Precious metals tend to show long term growth over time, but they're far more stable than some stocks or other alternative assets.
Who Is Eligible for Augusta Precious Metals IRAs?
Augusta Precious Metals has IRA services available to anyone in the US who wants to open a precious metals IRA. However, it should be noted that they have a minimum investment amount of $50,000.
That's significantly higher than what you get with a lot of other gold IRA companies. If you haven't been growing your retirement account for a long time, you might want to work with a company with a lower minimum investment.
Augusta is a good choice for people who want a gold IRA company with a good reputation, high level of transparency, and low prices. It's also ideal if you don't know much about precious metals but would like to have your questions answered by knowledgeable professionals.
As mentioned, there are free educational tools available through the website. Some of the educational resources have been put together by Harvard economists and analysts.
Company Management
Augusta Precious Metals is led by a team of people with years of experience in finance, taxes, and precious metals. As mentioned, the company is then divided into different departments. Each department focuses on a certain aspect of the IRA process.
The company's CEO is Isaac Nuriani. He has spent his entire career helping with retirement planning. He first entered the precious metals industry during the 2008 financial crisis, when precious metals became a vital part of a retirement portfolio.
Isaac Nuriani has built his career on values of honesty and transparency. He runs Augusta Precious Metals with a strong focus on low pricing and good customer service.
The company's CFO is Howard Smith. Prior to his work at Augusta, Smith had over 20 years of career experience working in banking and capital markets. He first joined Augusta back in 2018 with the goal of helping Americans create stable retirement portfolios.
The Senior Economic Analyst for the company is Devlyn Steele. During his long career in finance, Devlyn Steele has handled over $2 billion in assets for his clients. His main purpose at Augusta is to create educational materials and head the team of individuals who focus on education. He is a Harvard economist and analyst who also offers webinars about precious metals investment.
Pricing and Fees
The price of different precious metals will fluctuate depending on the day. It is calculated based on the spot price for gold and silver, which changes from minute to minute. Augusta's formula takes multiple economic factors into account, but the most relevant is the spot price.
Augusta publishes transparent information regarding how high their prices are marked up over spot price and cost. They also don't have hidden commission fees. Many precious metals dealers don't offer information about how they calculate their prices, so this level of transparency is a point in Augusta's favor.
Silver and gold coins tend to be priced at around 5% higher than the cost for the company. Since Augusta often gets coins at discounted prices, this markup is often not much higher than the spot price. The cost of the precious metals also includes free shipping (on qualifying orders) and free insurance on your package.
If you want to open a precious metals IRA, you must have a minimum of $50,000 to invest. You can take this money out of your existing retirement accounts without any penalties. There is an account setup fee of $50. This is significantly less than what you'll find at most of the competition, which often charges $100 to $250.
When you invest in a precious metals IRA with any company, you'll need to pay custodian and storage fees. The custodial fees are given to the custodian that manages your account. The storage fees go to the depository where your items are held. You are legally obligated to have both a licensed custodian and depository for your IRA.
If you work with Augusta's preferred custodian, the annual maintenance fee is $80. Most depositories have a storage fee of $100. However, if you choose to have segregated storage instead, your cost might be $150 or more. Segregated storage means that your items are kept separate from everybody else's.
Gold and Silver Products
Since Augusta Precious Metals specializes in IRAs, their inventory is made up of IRA-approved precious metals. In order to qualify for an IRA, the metals must meet strict IRS regulations regarding purity and type of metal.
There are both gold and silver coins available. You can also purchase premium coins, which are rarer. The premium coins available may vary depending on the day.
Some of the gold coin options include:
There are also gold bars from Credit Suisse and Pamp Suisse, both of which are available to put into a precious metals IRA.
Some of the silver coin options include:
There seem to be more gold coins and bars available in the company's inventory than silver. Because of this, if you're really wanting to invest in silver alone, you might want to work with a company with more diverse inventory. But their gold coins represent the most popular IRA products available.
Is Augusta Precious Metals a Scam?
Augusta Precious Metals is definitely not a scam. The company has an excellent reputation throughout the US. They have the most streamlined IRA process on the market, and their expert staff are able to answer any question. They also focus fully on consumer education, with multiple educational materials available for free.
It's a good sign when a company wants to educate customers about the precious metals market. That indicates that they truly want their clients to be able to make the best decisions for their financial future. Augusta Precious Metals tries to empower potential clients, even if those people don't actually choose to work with them.
Augusta's reputation can be seen in the ratings and reviews of the company online. The Better Business Bureau gives them an A+ rating, and they have been accredited since 2015. There are over 100 reviews with an average star rating of 4.97 out of 5, indicating universally positive feedback.
Perhaps even more impressively, there haven't been any complaints filed with the BBB. Sometimes the content of a complaint tells you a lot about a business. But the fact that Augusta doesn't have any indicates that they work hard for customer satisfaction. If you are unsatisfied for any reason, it seems like the company makes sure to resolve the issue quickly and easily.
There is also a notice from the business on the BBB website. Augusta has shared the contact information of their main conflict resolution specialist. They emphasize that customers are welcome to file complaints, but that reaching out to the company itself will result in much faster resolutions.
Are There Any Red Flags?
Augusta Precious Metals doesn't have any red flags that would discourage us from recommending them. In fact, they outperform basically every other gold IRA company on the market. By uniquely segmenting their staff, they ensure that everyone covers every part of the IRA process. Customers praise their service, honesty, and general setup.
The only potential issue with Augusta is that there was one action taken against the company back in 2019. This doesn't appear to have been because of any malice, though. In Minnesota, you need a special license to sell bullion. Minnesota is the only state that requires this. It seems that Augusta shipped precious metals to Minnesota without realizing this rule.
Augusta paid a civil fine to settle the issue and has not had any problems with the state of Minnesota since. There have also not been any general complaints or apparent patterns of mismanagement.
Pros & Cons of Augusta Precious Metals
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Final Thoughts
Augusta Precious Metals has everything that you could want from a precious metals IRA company. The staff have given high marks on Glassdoor, indicating a positive work environment. Thanks to the streamlined setup, every staff member is an expert in one specific part of the process.
When you sign up, you're given a dedicated account representative. This person will establish a rapport with you. They'll find out about your goals for the future and help recommend the right precious metals for you. Then they'll give you periodic updates as time goes on.
This company has one of the easiest IRA setup processes in the industry. Not only that, but they also have universal praise from customers for how good the service is. Customers say that they are honest and that they demystify the process of managing a self-directed IRA.
All in all, if you're going to invest in a gold IRA, Augusta Precious Metals is one of the best places you can turn to. There's not a single negative thing to be said about the business or how it runs.
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