When you
invest in a Gold IRA, you diversify your retirement portfolio on a deferred basis and maintain preferential tax treatment. This means that transferring or transferring part of your existing IRA account to a Gold IRA has no tax impact. Investing in a gold IRA is a good way to diversify and balance a retirement portfolio. Experienced investors who are familiar with the nuances of the gold and precious metals markets can benefit greatly from diversifying their retirement portfolio through a gold IRA.
Gold IRAs are a special type of self-directed IRA that allows you to invest in physical gold and other precious metals, such as silver, platinum, and palladium. Investing in a gold IRA requires the services of a custodian bank, a broker to purchase gold, and an approved depositary to store gold. Like other self-directed IRAs, Gold IRAs can be Traditional or Roth. By holding physical gold and silver in a self-directed precious metal IRA to diversify your retirement portfolio away from more traditional assets such as stocks, you can increase your chances of surviving volatile markets and turbulent times.
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 fiat currency and stocks. All Gold IRA rollovers follow the same rules as converting to a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. Self-managed precious metals IRAs generally receive the same major tax benefits as traditional IRAs. According to the World Gold Council (WGC), gold yields have not only been positive over various periods of time, but have also exceeded inflation and short-term bonds.
Remember that not every self-governing IRA custodian bank offers the same investment options. So make sure that physical gold is among their offerings before you open an account. The rules for withdrawals (selling the gold for cash) depend on whether the gold IRA is a traditional or a Roth IRA. If you want to hold physical gold in an IRA, the first step is to open a self-directed IRA (SDIRA), which you manage directly with a custodian bank. Those who prefer to invest in gold company stocks (such as Barrick Gold), in mutual funds of such companies (such as Fidelity Select Gold Portfolio), or in ETFs that track the performance of a gold index (such as SPDR Gold Shares) can do so with a mainstream IRA.
Popular gold IRA companies include Orion Metal Exchange, Birch Gold Group, Red Rock Secured, Gold Alliance, Oxford Gold Group, and Goldco. In addition, although the IRS allows gold coins such as the American Gold Eagle, the American Buffalo, the Canadian Maple Leaf and the Australian Gold Nugget, it does not allow investments in South African Krugerrand or British state gold coins. However, instead of holding paper assets such as stocks and bonds, the Gold IRA is intended to hold physical gold bars, i.e. coins or bars made from gold and other approved precious metals, including silver, platinum, and palladium. Like all IRA holdings, writes the Journal of Accountancy, gains from gold sold within an IRA are only taxed when cash is distributed to the taxpayer, with distributions taxed at the taxpayer’s marginal tax rate.
