The term Gold IRA refers to a specialized individual retirement account (IRA) that allows investors to hold gold as a qualifying retirement plan. Investors with gold IRAs can hold physical metals such as gold bars or coins as well as securities associated with precious metals within the portfolio. A Gold IRA must be kept separate from a traditional retirement account, although the rules for contribution limits and distributions remain the same. Investors can open Gold IRAs via a broker-dealer or another custodian bank.
Gold IRAs are usually defined as “alternative investments,” meaning that they are not traded on a public stock exchange and require special expertise to be valued. While gold has the potential of high returns, it is easy to be dazzled by its glitter. As gold rises, you must also decide whether to buy at or near the top of the market if you invest at that time. To be eligible for an IRA investment, a gold bar product must meet the minimum purity requirement for IRA gold, which is set at 0.995 pure.
In other words, a gold coin or gold bar must be at least 0.995% pure to be deposited into an IRA. During his tenure as director of the Mint, Moy said there was little demand for Gold IRAs as it was a very complicated transaction that only the most stubborn investor wanted to pursue. Investing in gold within a precious metal IRA can be beneficial to the bond investor in several ways. Precious metal IRAs are usually self-regulated IRAs, a type of IRA in which the custodian bank allows more diverse investments in the account.
First, the account isn’t backed by dollars like a 401,000 or other type of retirement account, so the ongoing depreciation of the dollar doesn’t adversely affect the value of the gold held in your IRA. IRA-eligible gold coins, bars, and rounds must meet a number of Internal Revenue Code requirements to be held in a self-directed IRA. Products that fall outside of these areas, with the exception of American Gold Eagles, are not eligible for IRA contributions. The ability to use gold and other materials as securities in an IRA was created by Congress in 1997, says Edmund C.
For a gold IRA, you need a broker to buy the gold and a custodian to create and manage the account. To own gold, whether in coins or gold bars, in an IRA, you need a genuine self-regulated IRA, which is offered by some custodian banks. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows holders of self-managed IRA accounts to purchase bars and coins minted from gold or other approved precious metals such as silver, platinum, or palladium. As long as there is gold on this earth, it is not too late to open your own Self-Directed Precious Metals IRA.
Gold American Eagle Bullion Coins, however, are the only gold coins that are an exception to the purity guidelines. Storing your IRA gold at home can be considered a distribution, meaning you lose your tax-deferred benefits and could face a penalty if you are under 59 ½ years of age.