SafeOunce checked 54 gold IRA companies as of September 29, 2026: 44 still operate, 9 failed, closed or were sanctioned since 2018, and 1 is dormant. A gold IRA company is a dealer that sells you coins and bars and handles the IRA paperwork, while a separate custodian legally holds your account.
Three of the failed firms alone left customers owed or cheated out of more than $131 million. So how do you tell the companies still worth a phone call from the rest? Start with each company's status.
This page defines a gold IRA company and lists all 44 operating companies with their minimums, fees, spread caps and court records. It explains how SafeOunce rates them, which 10 firms stopped operating normally, what companies charge, what reviews and contracts say, and which company fits you. No company can pay to change its rating or its place.
The table below sums up the gold IRA company market as of September 29, 2026.
| Item | Value and source |
|---|---|
| Companies checked | 54: 27 IRA specialists, 17 online dealers with IRA programs, 10 not operating normally |
| Still operating | 44 (2 of them with red flags on record) |
| Failed, closed or sanctioned since 2018 | 9: Rosland Capital, Oxford Gold Group, Regal Assets, Metals.com (TMTE), Safeguard Metals, Midas Gold Group, Gold Alliance, Capital Gold Group, Red Rock Secured (renamed American Coin Co.) |
| Dormant | 1: Lexi Capital (not confirmed closed) |
| Money customers are owed or lost in 3 failures | More than $131 million (Rosland, Red Rock, Regal; bankruptcy and regulator filings) |
| Publish a spread range (the markup built into the coin price) in a public contract | 4 of 15 sellers checked |
| Publish both account fees and a spread range | 1 of 15: American Bullion |
| Lowest published IRA minimum, IRA specialists | $5,000: Birch Gold Group; Swiss America (initial IRA transfer) |
| Highest published IRA minimum | $50,000: Augusta Precious Metals, per its FAQ (updated September 23, 2026) |
| BBB complaints per 100 reviews, 10 large sellers | 0 to 22.1 |
| SafeOunce scores published | None yet (company documents still pending) |
The page answers 8 questions, in the order below.
- What a gold IRA company is
- Every operating company, with its record
- How the companies are rated
- Which companies failed
- What they charge
- What reviews tell you
- What the contracts say
- Which company fits your situation
What Is a Gold IRA Company?#
A gold IRA company is a precious metals dealer that sells you IRA-eligible coins and bars and arranges the IRA paperwork, while a separate custodian holds the account. A dealer is a business that buys and sells metal at a markup. A self-directed IRA is one whose custodian lets it own assets such as physical metal.
The custodian (such as Equity Trust or STRATA Trust) holds the account, and the depository (such as Delaware Depository or Brink's) is the vault. A gold ETF, a fund that owns gold and trades like a stock, needs no gold IRA company at all.
A gold IRA is one kind of precious metals IRA, so these firms are also called precious metals IRA companies, and most sell silver, platinum and palladium too.
If the company does not hold your account, what does it control? It sets your price, picks the coins and names its buyback price. American Hartford Gold's Shipping and Transaction Agreement (September 2026) states that "no fiduciary relationship exists."
Can you hold precious metals in an IRA? Yes, if the metal is IRA-eligible under 26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3) and your custodian (the law calls it the trustee) holds it. The IRS keeps no list of approved coins, dealers or vaults. How the account works, step by step, is explained in the guide to the gold IRA.
Who holds your money: the company, the custodian or the depository?#
Your money moves from your custodian to the gold IRA company only to pay for metal, and the metal goes to a depository in your IRA's name. The custodian is the trust company that legally holds your IRA and reports it to the IRS. "Allocated" metal is metal the vault records as yours, item by item.
The three parties split the work as shown below.
| Party | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Gold IRA company (dealer) | Sells the metal, sets the price and the buyback bid, sends the purchase paperwork | Hold the IRA, report to the IRS or store the metal |
| Custodian | Holds the IRA, pays the dealer on your signed direction, sends statements and the yearly IRS forms for money in and out (Forms 5498 and 1099-R) | Check whether the dealer's price is fair |
| Depository | Stores and insures the metal for the custodian | Sell you metal or advise you |
Custodians do not check the dealer's price. The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and NASAA, the association of state securities regulators, say so in an investor alert. Custodians "generally do not evaluate the quality or legitimacy of any investment." When the SEC tried to hold custodian Equity Trust responsible, an SEC judge dismissed the case (Initial Decision No. 1030, June 27, 2016). The fees of the main gold IRA custodians are compared on their own page.
Storage is non-segregated (your coins pooled with identical coins) or segregated (kept apart): $110 or $160 a year on Equity Trust's metals-only schedule (FS-0004-05 Rev. 081726, September 2026).
When Rosland Capital failed in 2026, IRA metal already delivered sat in customers' own accounts at Delaware Depository. The customers who lost money had paid for orders never delivered, or had sold coins back and were never paid. So the vault record, not the dealer's word, shows what you own. Insurance and fees of the gold IRA depositories are compared separately.
Who owns which gold IRA brand?#
One public company, Gold.com, Inc. (formerly A-Mark), owns five brands readers often compare as rivals: JM Bullion, Provident Metals, Goldline, Monex and a majority of Silver Gold Bull. A parent company is a company that owns other companies. A-Mark Precious Metals renamed itself Gold.com, Inc. on December 2, 2025, and its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange as GOLD.
The table maps each parent to its brands, mostly from Gold.com's 10-K, the yearly report a public company files with the SEC.
| Parent | Brand or asset, and share | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold.com, Inc. (formerly A-Mark Precious Metals) | JM Bullion, 100% (its sites include ProvidentMetals.com) | 2021 | Gold.com 10-K, fiscal year ended June 30, 2026 |
| Gold.com, Inc. | Goldline, asset purchase | Closed August 28, 2017 | Same 10-K |
| Gold.com, Inc. | Monex, about $49.9 million total price | Closed January 2, 2026 | Same 10-K |
| Gold.com, Inc. | Silver Gold Bull, 55.4% | June 2024 | Same 10-K |
| Gold.com, Inc. | A-M Global Logistics vault, Las Vegas | Developed from 2015 | Same 10-K; SafeOunce depository research |
| Lone Star Tangible Assets, LP | Parent of U.S. Gold Bureau; operates the Texas Bullion Depository | Nonbank trustee since November 30, 2023 | IRS nonbank trustee list, April 1, 2026 |
Lone Star is the only metals business among the 73 names on that IRS list. A nonbank trustee is a company the IRS lets act as an IRA trustee without being a bank; that does not make its vault or coins "approved".
Shared ownership shows in small details. As read on September 29, 2026, Provident Metals' IRA page copies JM Bullion's, down to the custodian (New Direction Trust Company) and the $100 order minimum.
The filings behind each brand are in Gold.com (formerly A-Mark).
Why does the legal name matter more than the brand?#
Search court and regulator records under the company's legal name, because the brand on the ad often differs from the name on your contract. Noble Gold Investments, for example, signs as Golden Bull, LLC. "D/b/a" means "doing business as": the brand a legal company trades under. A docket is the court's case file, and it lists the legal name, not the brand.
The table below pairs 8 brands with the legal names on their contracts and court papers.
| Brand | Legal name on contracts and court papers |
|---|---|
| Goldco | Goldco Direct LLC |
| American Hartford Gold | American Hartford Gold, LLC (earlier The Hartford Gold Group, LLC d/b/a American Hartford Gold Group) |
| Noble Gold Investments | Golden Bull, LLC dba Noble Gold Investments |
| Lear Capital | Lear Capital, LLC (the bankruptcy debtor was Lear Capital, Inc.; earlier Lear Financial, Inc.) |
| Birch Gold Group | Birch Gold Group, LP |
| Fisher Precious Metals | The Liberation Group, Inc. d/b/a Fisher Precious Metals |
| GBI Direct | Hard Assets Alliance, LLC |
| U.S. Gold Bureau | USGB, LLC |
Name-alike firms create false alarms in a court search. The pairs below look related but are not.
| Name you may find in a search | Not the same as |
|---|---|
| Midas Gold, Inc. (an Idaho mining company) | Midas Gold Group |
| Landmark Capital Gold Group | Capital Gold Group |
| Colonial Metals Co. (Pennsylvania) | Colonial Metals Group |
| In re Summit Metals, Inc. (an unrelated industrial company) | Summit Metals |
| North American Gold Bureau, LLC (a 2019 bankruptcy) | U.S. Gold Bureau |
Thor Metals Group's Trustpilot profile appears as "TMG INVESTMENTS GROUP", and Patriot Gold Group's documents say LLC while its website code says Inc. Where to search each legal name, step by step, is in how to check a gold IRA company.
Every Gold IRA Company, Rated: All 44 Still Operating (September 2026)#
These 44 gold IRA companies still sell metals for IRAs as of September 29, 2026: 27 IRA specialists that sell by phone and 17 online bullion dealers with IRA programs. The tables sort by status first, then by SafeOunce Score. No company has a score yet, so rows run alphabetically within each status. Ranking by score starts when a company's documents are in; until then, sort by any column.
Which column matters most? Status, then whether prices and the contract are in writing. A spread cap is the largest share of your price a contract lets the company keep above the metal's value. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) grades how businesses handle complaints; its column counts complaints closed in the last 3 years.
The court column shows only part of the record. Every IRA-specialist agreement SafeOunce read sends disputes to arbitration, a private hearing instead of a court case, so they usually stay out of public dockets.
"Not published" means the company does not post the figure. "Not recorded" means SafeOunce has no verified value yet. Each name links to the company's review.
What do the status labels mean?#
Each company carries one status label, and the label comes before any score. A company that has failed or been sanctioned is never ranked, whatever it scored before. The 6 labels are listed below, with the evidence that triggers each.
- Active, rating pending: operating; the documents that decide its score are not in yet.
- Rated, with a score out of 100: the score from SafeOunce's method (version 1.0), once documents arrive.
- Active: red flags on record: operating, but reviewer claims of undelivered metal are on record together with a BBB F grade or an open customer lawsuit. A BBB F alone does not trigger it.
- Not rated: would not disclose: no written quote or customer agreement within 10 business days of a written request.
- Not operating normally: failed, closed, renamed and sanctioned, or dormant (see the failed-companies table).
- Out of scope: does not sell IRA-eligible metals to US IRAs.
Two companies carry red flags as of September 29, 2026. In 16 of 23 one-star reviews of Colonial Metals Group (January to August 2026), buyers say they paid for metal that never came. So do 8 of 12 negative reviews of Thor Metals Group (February to September 2026). These claims are unverified, and SafeOunce found no regulator action against either company.
Colonial has a BBB F with 14 complaints. In Leight v. Colonial Metals and Equity Trust (S.D. Fla. 9:26-cv-80545), the clerk entered a default in August 2026: the company had not answered. Its site shows a Trustpilot 5-star badge against a live 2.3 (September 29, 2026).
Thor has a BBB F with 5 complaints, yet its site claims a BBB "A rating". Three other BBB-F companies (Legacy Precious Metals, Gainesville Coins, GBI Direct) do not meet that test on SafeOunce's record.
Gold IRA specialists (27 companies)#
Gold IRA specialists sell mostly by phone, set up the IRA paperwork for you and rarely post prices online. Only 1 of the 15 sellers in SafeOunce's transparency check, American Bullion, publishes both its account fees and a spread range. Among the ten best-known specialists, account fees appear only at Goldco, Birch, Noble and, since its September 2026 FAQ, Augusta.
Promotions often tie a bonus to premium coins, which sell for more than their metal is worth. Goldco's free silver, worth 5% of purchases from $50,000 to $99,999 and 10% from $100,000 (homepage, September 29, 2026), comes only in "Goldco premium coins". American Hartford Gold advertises "Up To $15,000 in FREE Silver" with no terms stated, while its agreement (September 2026) allows spreads up to 39.99% on "exclusive" coins. What such a bonus can cost is worked out in the markup section below.
The table lists all 27 specialists: active companies in alphabetical order, then the two with red flags. Every column is as seen on September 29, 2026, except Goldco's fees (its cost page, updated February 2025).
| Company | Legal entity | Status | SafeOunce Score | IRA minimum, own page | Account fees published? | Spread range in a public contract | Custodian named | BBB grade, complaints (3 yrs) | Court or regulator record | Complaints page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advantage Gold review | Advantage Gold LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not recorded (Money.com: $5,000) | Via STRATA schedule | No | STRATA Trust | A+, 0 | None found | None |
| Allegiance Gold review | Allegiance Gold, LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | $10,000, as reported by Money.com (Sept 2026) and repeated on its site | Conflicting sources | No | STRATA Trust | A+, 0 | None found | None |
| American Bullion review | American Bullion, Inc. | Active, rating pending | Pending | Recommends $10,000 | Yes: STRATA plan $25 setup + $160/yr | Yes: typically 7%-23% (Oct 2024) | STRATA Trust | A+, 0 | Non-customer suits only (copyright, website accessibility) | None |
| American Hartford Gold review | American Hartford Gold, LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not published | No | Yes: bullion 1.00%-19.99%, up to 39.99% and 59.99% on other coins (Sept 2026) | Not recorded | A+, 111 | Mathys: arbitration compelled Dec 7, 2020; no regulator action found | is American Hartford Gold legit |
| Augusta Precious Metals review | Augusta Precious Metals, Inc. | Active, rating pending | Pending | $50,000, per its FAQ (Sept 23, 2026) | Yes, FAQ: $50 setup + $125 custodian + $110 storage | Not readable (old agreement URL "no longer available") | Equity Trust (FAQ) | A+, 1 | No customer-fraud or regulator case found; contract and name disputes (Westwood One, Orion), secondary sources | is Augusta Precious Metals legit |
| Birch Gold Group review | Birch Gold Group, LP | Active, rating pending | Pending | $5,000 | Yes: about $235/yr | No | Equity Trust, GoldStar Trust | A+, 9 | Plaintiff in a 2025 trademark suit against Bishop Gold; no regulator action found | is Birch Gold Group legit |
| Bishop Gold Group review | Bishop Gold Group LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not published | No | No | Not recorded | Not recorded | Pitts v. Bishop (TCPA): $2,000,000 fund, final approval Dec 2, 2025; sued again in 2026 (Keiffer, TCPA, filed July 20; Porter, filed May 28) | is Bishop Gold Group legit |
| Cedar Gold Group review | Cedar Gold Group LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | None stated ("many clients start $25,000-$50,000") | Ranges only: $50-$150 setup, $75-$250 admin, $100-$300 storage | No | Not recorded | A+, 0 | None found | None |
| Freedom Gold USA review | Freedom Gold USA LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not found | Not found | No | Not recorded | Not recorded | Company plaintiff only (v. Bank of America, 2024-2025) | None |
| Goldco review | Goldco Direct LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | $25,000 | Yes: $50 setup, $125/yr, storage $100 or $150 (cost page, Feb 2025) | No | Not recorded | A+, 72 | Summerton v. Goldco Direct (TCPA): $2,000,000 fund, final approval Mar 26, 2026 | is Goldco legit |
| GoldenCrest Metals review | GoldenCrest Metals LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | $10,000 | Company claim: $125 + $125 a year after the free period (conflicts with Entrust's published $219 minimum fee) | No | Entrust | A, 1 | None found | None |
| Goldline review | Goldline, Inc. (Gold.com) | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not published | No | No | Not named | No BBB profile found | CFTC order 2022: $627,801.78 in profits handed back (disgorgement) + $450,000 penalty | None |
| Lear Capital review | Lear Capital, LLC | Active, rating pending (kept off best-of lists: settled regulator cases) | Pending | Not published | No | Yes: 2%-35% (Dec 2025) | Not recorded | A+, 33 | $14.25M paid in public settlements 2021-2023, no admission; Chapter 11 filed Mar 2, 2022, plan confirmed June 12, 2023 | None |
| Legacy Precious Metals review | Not recorded | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not published | No | No | Not published | F, 5 | None found | None |
| Monetary Gold review | Not verified | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not verified | Not verified | No | Not recorded | A+ (per Money.com) | None verified | None |
| National Gold Group review | Not verified | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not verified | No | No | Not recorded | Not recorded | None verified | None |
| Noble Gold Investments review | Golden Bull, LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | $20,000 | Yes, two conflicting pages: $80 + $275/yr or $50 + $285/yr | No | Equity Trust | A+, 3 | Plaintiff only (Golden Bull v. Elliott, dismissed Sept 5, 2023) | is Noble Gold Investments legit |
| Orion Metal Exchange review | Orion Precious Metals, Inc. | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not recorded (Money.com: $5,000) | No | No (posts live prices instead) | Not named | A+, 2 | Plaintiff: Orion v. Money Group, 2026, pending | None |
| Patriot Gold Group review | Patriot Gold Group, LLC (site code: Inc.) | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not published | "No Fees for Life on Qualifying IRAs" (threshold not published) | No | Not recorded | A+, 0 | None found; excluded by Money.com for "scare tactics" | None |
| Preserve Gold review | Preserve Gold Group, Inc. | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not published | No (fees waived up to 5 years, by amount) | Yes: bullion up to 20%, others up to 34.99% (June 2025) | Not recorded | A+, 2 | None found | is Preserve Gold legit |
| Priority Gold review | Priority Gold LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not published | No | No (publishes an 18% fee to resell coins for you after 60 months) | Not recorded | A+ (not accredited), 38 | None found (limited search) | is Priority Gold legit |
| Reagan Gold Group review | Not verified | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not verified | No | No | Not recorded | Not recorded | None verified | None |
| Sanctuary Metals review | Sanctuary Metals LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not recorded | No | No | Not recorded | Not recorded | Maynard v. Sanctuary Metals, filed July 30, 2026, open, cause not indexed | None |
| Swiss America review | Swiss America Trading Corporation | Active, rating pending | Pending | $5,000 initial IRA transfer | "On average" $250 establishment fees | No | Not named | A+, 2 | Kowalke: judgment for Swiss America, affirmed 2013 | None |
| U.S. Money Reserve review | U.S. Money Reserve, Inc. | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not published ($200,000 for its fee offer) | No | No (IRA) | Equity Trust | A+, 29 | Texas AG agreement 2011: $5M restitution, no admission (news reports; text not retrieved) | is U.S. Money Reserve legit |
| Colonial Metals Group review | Colonial Metals Group, LLC | Active: red flags on record | Pending | Not recorded | "$350-400 per year" custodian fees (FAQ) | No | Not named (Equity Trust is co-defendant in Leight) | F, 14 | Leight v. Colonial Metals and Equity Trust: clerk's default Aug 2026; Fields v. Colonial filed July 1, 2026 | None |
| Thor Metals Group review | Thor Metals Group LLC | Active: red flags on record | Pending | Not recorded | "Free Gold IRA setup" (claim) | No | Not recorded | F, 5 | Dow Jones v. Thor Metals (copyright, 2026, pending); non-delivery reviews unverified | None |
Online bullion dealers with IRA programs (17 companies)#
Online bullion dealers such as APMEX, JM Bullion and SD Bullion post their prices online and sell to IRAs through an outside custodian. Most leave more of the IRA paperwork to you. APMEX names Equity Trust as its IRA custodian and requires a $2,000 IRA purchase (saved copy of its IRA page, August 17, 2026). JM Bullion names New Direction Trust Company and has a $100 minimum on every order (September 29, 2026).
Service varies. As of September 29, 2026, Gainesville Coins has a BBB F with 203 complaints, and its IRA page tells buyers to "allow approximately ten (10) weeks" for items to ship. The table lists all 17 dealers in alphabetical order, with BBB figures as seen on September 29, 2026.
| Company | Legal entity | Status | SafeOunce Score | IRA minimum | IRA custodian named | Prices online | BBB grade, complaints (3 yrs) | Court or regulator record | Complaints page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Gold Exchange review | American Gold Exchange, Inc. | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not recorded | GoldStar, STRATA, New Direction | Not recorded | A+, 0 | None found; its president is the government's expert in CFTC v. TMTE (Metals.com) | None |
| APMEX review | APMEX LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | $2,000 IRA purchase | Equity Trust | Yes | A+, 266 | Website accessibility suits; no regulatory action found | is APMEX legit |
| Blanchard and Company review | Blanchard and Company, Inc. | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not recorded | GoldStar ("longstanding relationship") | Yes | A+, 0 | See review | None |
| Bullion Exchanges review | Bullion Exchanges LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | No dealer minimum | Via a custodian or administrator link | Yes | A+, 25 | Merhi (nature of case not determined) | is Bullion Exchanges legit |
| Fisher Precious Metals review | The Liberation Group, Inc. | Active, rating pending | Pending | $5,000 first order (price sheet, Sept 28, 2026); IRA page says "no minimum" | New Direction (preferred) | Yes (printed price sheet) | A+, 0 | Named only as a third-party seller in SEC v. AmeriStar; no allegation against Fisher | None |
| Gainesville Coins review | Gainesville Coins, LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not recorded | Out-of-date Advanta fee table | Yes | F, 203 | Wage and website accessibility suits | None |
| Hard Assets Alliance (now GBI Direct) review | Hard Assets Alliance, LLC | Active (renamed), rating pending | Pending | None | Equity Trust only ($125/yr) | After account opening | F (not accredited), 2 | None found (see note below the table) | None |
| JM Bullion review | JM Bullion, Inc. (Gold.com) | Active, rating pending | Pending | None ($100 per order) | New Direction Trust Company | Yes | A+, 195 | Contract and accessibility suits; parent's Goldline CFTC settlement | is JM Bullion legit |
| Monex review | Monex Deposit Company (Gold.com) | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not published | Not confirmed | Buy and sell prices posted, commissions not | A+, 2 | CFTC consent order announced Dec 21, 2022: $33M restitution + $5M penalty, over leveraged Atlas accounts (not IRAs), no admission | is Monex legit |
| Money Metals Exchange review | Money Metals Exchange, LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not captured | New Direction (suggested) | Yes | A+, 46 | Trademark and accessibility suits; no regulatory action found | is Money Metals Exchange legit |
| Pacific Precious Metals review | Not recorded | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not recorded | Entrust, New Direction, GoldStar | Yes (buy and sell) | A+ (not accredited), 0 | None found | None |
| Provident Metals review | Provident Metals Corp. (Gold.com brand) | Active, rating pending | Pending | $100 per order | New Direction (copy of JM Bullion's page) | Yes | A+, 13 | Shugart (nature of case not determined) | None |
| SD Bullion review | SD Bullion, Inc. | Active, rating pending | Pending | "Call" | Not named ("3-in-1" IRA with its own vault) | Yes | A+, 104 | Vickery false-advertising suit: allegations, pending as of the January 2026 order | is SD Bullion legit |
| Silver Gold Bull review | Silver Gold Bull USA Inc. (55.4% Gold.com) | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not recorded | "Any of them!" | Yes | A+ (not accredited), 3 | None found | None |
| Summit Metals review | Summit Metals LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not recorded | Unnamed ("trusted partner") | Yes | A, 2 | None; name-alike firms create false hits | None |
| Texas Precious Metals review | Texas Precious Metals LLC | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not recorded | GoldStar, Digital Trust, STRATA, Horizon | Yes | A+, 0 | Trademark plaintiff: TPM v. Hancock, its preliminary injunction denied May 26, 2026, appealed; separately, State of Texas v. TPM (filed Mar 2, 2026) seeks to cancel its trademark; no customer-fraud or regulator case | None |
| U.S. Gold Bureau review | USGB, LLC (Lone Star Tangible Assets) | Active, rating pending | Pending | Not stated | Not named | No ("Call For Prices") | A+, 18 | Mugg v. Hutmacher: dismissed per the court docket (date not re-confirmed), no liability finding | is U.S. Gold Bureau legit |
GBI Direct's storage rates conflict: 0.70% a year on its fee schedule, but 0.06% a month in its FAQ.
How Are These Gold IRA Companies Rated and Ranked? 7 Criteria, 100 Points#
SafeOunce rates every gold IRA company on 7 criteria worth 100 points, using contracts, fee schedules, court records and a written price quote. Anything a company will not disclose scores zero. Price counts most, at 30 points, because the markup usually costs more than years of account fees.
Six gates come first. A gate is a pass-or-fail check applied before any scoring, as the table shows.
| Gate | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 Closed or bankrupt | "Not rated: closed" or "Not rated: in receivership"; off all best-of lists |
| 2 Sanctioned | "Not rated: sanctioned"; permanently excluded |
| 3 Settled pricing or disclosure case | Kept off best-of lists; full record on the review page |
| 4 Watch (pending regulator action, an affiliate's bankruptcy, or 3 or more non-delivery complaints in 90 days) | "Watch": temporarily unlisted |
| 5 Would not disclose (no documents within 10 business days) | "Not rated: would not disclose" |
| 6 Out of scope (no IRA sales to US residents) | "Not rated" |
The 7 criteria and their points are shown below (methodology version 1.0).
| Criterion | Points | What is measured |
|---|---|---|
| A What you pay | 30 | Measured bullion premium from a written quote, price disclosure, buyback terms |
| B Account fees and fee transparency | 10 | Published fees and the 10-year account cost |
| C Contract fairness | 15 | Cancellation, dispute terms, claim deadline, whether the contract is available |
| D Regulatory and legal record | 20 | Regulator actions, lawsuits, bankruptcies |
| E Complaint record | 10 | Serious complaint rate, answers, trend |
| F Product mix and sales pressure | 10 | Bullion versus collector coins, accuracy of marketing |
| G Custody, delivery and disclosure | 5 | Named custodian and vault, delivery time, account titled to your IRA |
The legal record starts at 20 points, and a company loses points for settlements, bankruptcies, class actions and pending fraud suits. A score band turns the number into a word: Excellent 85-100, Good 70-84, Fair 55-69 and Poor below 55.
Seven signals are shown but never scored: the BBB grade, BBB accreditation, the Trustpilot TrustScore, the BCA rating, years in business, paid spokespeople and celebrity endorsers, and the minimum. The quote works like a mystery shop: SafeOunce asks for the written quote any customer could get. Weights, gates and the evidence rules are on how SafeOunce rates gold IRA companies.
Why does no company have a score yet?#
No company has a SafeOunce score yet because two documents that decide 30 of the 100 points, a written quote and the customer agreement, are not in hand. The quote decides the 15 points for the measured markup, and the agreement decides the 15 contract points. The quote is the same for every company: $50,000 of 1 oz gold bullion coins for an IRA.
The requests had not been sent as of September 29, 2026; each review page shows the date once they go out. Until then, no total score is published. After 10 business days without a reply, the company is labeled "Not rated: would not disclose".
Which Gold IRA Companies Failed? 9 Failed, Closed or Sanctioned Firms and 1 Dormant#
Nine gold IRA companies failed, closed or were sanctioned between 2018 and 2026, and three of them alone left customers owed or cheated out of more than $131 million. They run from Capital Gold Group (stopped in 2018) to Rosland Capital (bankrupt in July 2026). The $131 million adds Rosland's $60.8 million owed, the SEC's figure of over $50 million for Red Rock and over $21 million at Regal.
If your metal sits in a depository, why does a dealer's failure matter? Customers lose orders paid for but never received, and unpaid buybacks. What happens to your account is on failed gold IRA companies.
The CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) is the federal agency that polices fraud in commodities such as gold. The legal terms in the failed-firm tables mean the following.
| Term | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| Chapter 11 / liquidating Chapter 11 | Bankruptcy that reorganizes a company; a liquidating one sells it off instead of saving it |
| Chapter 7 / involuntary Chapter 7 | A trustee closes the company and pays creditors what is left; involuntary means creditors forced it |
| Converted to Chapter 7 | A Chapter 11 case switched to closing the company |
| Receivership | A court-appointed manager takes control of the company's assets |
| Consent order or consent judgment | A settlement a court or regulator enters as an order |
| Default judgment | A judgment entered because the defendant did not answer |
| Final judgment | The court's closing decision in the case |
| Restitution | Money a court orders paid back to victims |
| Disgorgement | Profits a court orders handed back |
| No admission | The company settled without admitting wrongdoing |
The next table lists the 10 firms as of September 29, 2026.
| Company | Status | What happened (dates, case numbers) | BBB now (Sept 29, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosland Capital bankruptcy | Failed | Liquidating Chapter 11 filed July 2, 2026 (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 2:26-bk-16650-BB); about $60.8M owed to about 617 customers; cash $212,661.60 on Aug 6, 2026 | Not rated, 158 complaints |
| Oxford Gold Group | Failed | Involuntary Chapter 7 filed Aug 28, 2024 (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 2:24-bk-16947-NB); order for relief Oct 15, 2024; trustee Carolyn A. Dye; customer total not public | F, 177 complaints |
| Regal Assets | Failed | Stopped operating late 2022; CFTC complaint filed Sept 27, 2023; default judgments of about $49.2M on Oct 15, 2024 | No profile found |
| Midas Gold Group | Failed | Chapter 11 filed June 7, 2024, converted to Chapter 7 on Sept 25, 2024 (Bankr. D. Ariz. 2:24-bk-04587-DPC) | Still A+ |
| Metals.com (TMTE) | Failed (receivership) | CFTC and 30 states sued Sept 22, 2020 (N.D. Tex. 3:20-cv-02910); allegations not yet tried; civil trial set for Mar 1, 2027, criminal trial Feb 1, 2027 | Not recorded |
| Safeguard Metals | Failed | CFTC liability consent order Oct 25, 2023; SEC final judgment May 2, 2025; CFTC final judgment Sept 30, 2025 | Still B- |
| Red Rock Secured (American Coin Co.) | Renamed and sanctioned | Charged May 15, 2023; SEC and CFTC consent judgments Apr 23, 2024; the SEC said in May 2024 that it "now operates under the name American Coin Co." (LR-25996) | D-, 12 complaints |
| Gold Alliance | Closed | Closed "effective June 24, 2024", per its website; reason not public | Profile match not confirmed |
| Capital Gold Group | Closed | Stopped operating Dec 2018; Chapter 7 filed Mar 3, 2019 (1:19-bk-10501-MT), case closed Apr 1, 2025 | Not recorded |
| Lexi Capital | Dormant, not confirmed closed | lexicapital.com shows a browser security warning on Sept 29, 2026; last archived copy Sept 25, 2025; excluded by Money.com | F |
Court filings moved before the ratings did. As of September 29, 2026, Midas still shows a BBB A+ and Safeguard a B- after their failures.
A live website does not prove a live company either. As of September 2026, safeguardmetals.com still shows IRA promotions, and midasgoldgroup.com shows "Copyright 2026" with its operator unidentified. Oxford's domain now serves a betting page, and roslandcapital.com points to a creditor portal.
What did customers lose?#
Customers lost most where they paid for metal that was never delivered: Rosland owed about $60.8 million to about 617 customers. On August 6, 2026, it had $212,661.60 in cash, 0.35% of what it owed. Each figure below measures something different, so the table names the measure.
| Firm | Customers | Money figure and what it measures | Recovered so far | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosland Capital | About 617 | About $60.8M owed: about $49M paid for but undelivered, plus about $11.8M of unpaid buybacks | Cash $212,661.60 on Aug 6, 2026 (0.35% of the amount owed) | Bankruptcy declaration, 2026 |
| Red Rock Secured | At least 950 | Paid over $69M for coins worth about $30M (markups of 91.89% to 129.97% over cost) | CFTC consent order of Apr 23, 2024 totals $56,334,313.90; collections not public | CFTC release 8898-24 |
| Safeguard Metals | More than 450 | $66,948,960 received from customers (court-found) | CFTC final judgment Sept 30, 2025; collections not public | CFTC release 9139-25 |
| Regal Assets | Over 120 | Over $21M taken and used for other purposes (misappropriated) | Default judgments of about $49.2M (Oct 15, 2024); collections not recorded | CFTC release 9001-24 |
| Metals.com (TMTE) | At least 1,600 (alleged) | Over $185M solicited (alleged) | $8,000,000 interim payout (about May 2025); reported approved claims of $72,260,999 put it at 11.07% | CFTC release 8254-20; receivership filings |
| Midas Gold Group | Not recorded | Metals on hand fell from $634,210 to $59,867 in 62 days (down 90.6%) | Three customers got $54,410.60 back by court order (Oct 25, 2024) | Bankruptcy docket |
| Oxford Gold Group | Not public | Not public | Not public | Bankruptcy docket |
Markups did the damage even where metal arrived. Red Rock's customers paid over $69 million for coins worth about $30 million, so about 56.5% of their money was gone on day one. At Metals.com, the amounts it is accused of taking in remain allegations until the civil trial.
A court order is not money in hand: what Red Rock and Safeguard victims have actually collected is not public. Every case, with docket numbers, is in the tracker of gold IRA enforcement actions.
What warning signs came first?#
Court and regulator records showed trouble first and ratings reacted last: Rosland had a state order over late deliveries almost four years before it failed. The table shows 3 early signals, then 2 signs that lagged behind the failures.
| Firm | Sign | Date | What followed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosland Capital (early) | Washington's securities regulator found over $1.6 million of metal sold to at least 14 state IRA customers arrived 33 to 168 days after payment; $20,000 penalty, neither admitted nor denied (S-20-3045-22-CO01) | Aug 4, 2022 | Liquidating Chapter 11, July 2, 2026 |
| Oxford Gold Group (early) | Custodian Equity Trust ended its relationship with Oxford (ABC7) | Feb 2024 | Creditors forced it into Chapter 7 six months later |
| Regal Assets (early) | $347,724 in cash against at least $7 million of metal owed, about 5 cents per $1 | Nov 1, 2021 | Stopped operating late 2022 |
| Midas Gold Group (lagged) | BBB still shows A+ | Sept 29, 2026 | Two years after its 2024 Chapter 7 |
| CBS News (lagged) | Recommended Rosland | Aug 7, 2026 | 36 days after Rosland's bankruptcy filing |
The CFTC's benchmark for "actual delivery" is 28 days (advisory 8215-20, August 4, 2020). The 6 checks below test whether your gold is really in your IRA.
- Confirm the custodian pays the dealer only on your signed direction.
- Get your statement from the custodian, not the dealer.
- Check that the vault account is in your IRA's name, not a dealer "master account" mixing many customers' metal (Regal used them).
- Look for the metal on your statement within 28 days of payment.
- Match the statement's item list to your invoice.
- Compare the statement value with what you paid; a gap bigger than the spread you were told is a warning sign.
How to run each check is in is your gold really in your IRA.
What Do Gold IRA Companies Charge? Minimums, Fees and Markup Caps Compared#
Gold IRA companies charge you mainly through the spread built into the coin price, not through account fees. Only 1 of the 15 sellers SafeOunce checked publishes both numbers. The spread is the part of your price that is not metal: if you pay $100 and the metal is worth $80, the spread is 20%.
A markup measures the same $20 gap against the dealer's $80 cost, which makes it 25%, so contracts that state spreads look smaller. Your total cost has the 6 layers below.
| Cost layer | What it is | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Spread | The part of your price that is not metal | Day one, inside the coin price |
| Buyback gap | The dealer's bid (what it pays you) sits below its own cost | When you sell |
| Setup | Opening the IRA | Once |
| Custodian fee | Running the IRA | Every year |
| Storage | The vault | Every year |
| Exit fee | Closing the IRA | When you close |
Every custodian and storage charge is compared in gold IRA fees. The transparency check below shows what 15 operating sellers publish, as of September 29, 2026.
| Company | IRA minimum published | Account fees published | Spread range in a public contract | Live prices online | Contract readable online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Hartford Gold | No | No | Yes (1.00%-19.99% / 39.99% / 59.99%) | No | Yes (Sept 2026) |
| Lear Capital | No | No | Yes (2%-35%) | No | Yes (Dec 2025) |
| Preserve Gold | No | No | Yes (up to 20% / 34.99%) | No | Yes (June 2025) |
| American Bullion | Recommends $10,000 | Yes (STRATA plan $25 + $160/yr) | Yes (typically 7%-23%) | No | Yes (Oct 2024) |
| Goldco | Yes ($25,000) | Yes | No | No | No (customer agreement not public) |
| Birch Gold Group | Yes ($5,000) | Yes (about $235/yr) | No | No | Website terms only |
| Noble Gold | Yes ($20,000) | Yes (two conflicting pages) | No | No | No |
| GoldenCrest | Yes ($10,000) | Yes (company claim) | No | No | Website terms only |
| Allegiance Gold | Secondary ($10,000) | Conflicting sources | No | No (spread calculator) | No |
| Augusta | Yes ($50,000, FAQ Sept 23, 2026) | Yes (FAQ: $50 + $125 + $110) | Not readable | No | FAQ says a written agreement comes before purchase; old URL "no longer available" |
| Priority Gold | No | No | No (18% consignment fee published) | No | Policies only |
| Patriot Gold | No | "No fees for life" (threshold not published) | No | No | No |
| Advantage Gold | Not recorded | Via STRATA schedule | No | No | Terms only (AAA arbitration, 30-day opt-out) |
| U.S. Money Reserve | No ($200,000 for fee offer) | No | No (IRA) | No | Yes (User Agreement 2026, IRA excluded) |
| Orion Metal Exchange | Not recorded | No | No | Yes | Terms only |
Four of the 15 publish a spread range in a public contract: American Hartford Gold, Lear, Preserve and American Bullion. One, Orion, posts live prices. American Bullion alone publishes both a spread, "typically 7%-23%" (October 2024 agreement), and a STRATA plan of $25 setup plus $160 a year.
Account fees alone never tell you the total cost. A ranking by 10-year cost, markups included, is on gold IRA companies with the lowest total cost.
What are the minimums, and why do review sites disagree?#
Published gold IRA minimums run from $5,000 (Birch Gold Group) to $50,000 (Augusta, per its own FAQ) as of September 2026, and review sites often print different numbers. At Birch's minimum, yearly fees take 4.7% of the account. That share is called fee drag. The IRS sets no minimum; each company sets its own.
The table compares each company's own figure, from its own page on September 29, 2026, with what review sites print.
| Company | Minimum on its own page | Yearly fees at that minimum | Fee as % of the minimum | What review sites print |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch Gold Group | $5,000 (FAQ) | About $235 | 4.7% a year | $10,000 (Clute Journals, CNBC) |
| Swiss America | $5,000 initial IRA transfer | "On average" $250 establishment fees | 5.0% in year 1 | Not recorded |
| GoldenCrest Metals | $10,000 (homepage) | $250 once any free period ends (company claim; conflicts with Entrust's published $219 minimum fee) | 2.5% | Not recorded |
| Allegiance Gold | $10,000, as reported by Money.com (Sept 2026) and repeated on its site | Conflicting sources | Not computed | $10,000 (Money.com) |
| Noble Gold | $20,000 | $275 (support page) or $285 (gold IRA page) | 1.375% to 1.425% | About $2,000 (TipRanks) |
| Goldco | $25,000 | $275 with segregated storage | 1.10% | $10,000 (CNBC "minimum initial purchase"; Forbes table) |
| Augusta Precious Metals | $50,000 (FAQ, updated Sept 23, 2026) | $285 in year 1, $235 later | 0.57% in year 1, 0.47% later | $50,000 |
| American Hartford Gold | Not published | Not published | Not computed | $10,000 (Money.com, Yahoo, Clute Journals) |
| Lear, Preserve, Priority | Not published | Not published | Not computed | Lear $10,000 (Yahoo) |
| Patriot Gold Group | Not published | "No Fees for Life on Qualifying IRAs" | Not computed | $25,000 (Yahoo) |
| U.S. Money Reserve | Not published | "Fees for Life" needs a $200,000 rollover | Not computed | Not recorded |
Goldco's FAQ says "we generally require a minimum of $25,000", while CNBC shows a $10,000 "minimum initial purchase". Birch's FAQ says $5,000, not $10,000, and Noble's page says $20,000, not about $2,000. Review sites also print Birch as founded in 2003; its site says "In Business Since 2011", and its BBB file opens January 26, 2011. Every company's figure, with the fee drag, is in minimums by company.
Fee offers come with conditions. U.S. Money Reserve's "Fees for Life" requires a $200,000 rollover (money moved from a 401(k) or another IRA), from April 1, 2026. At least 60% must be proof coins: specially struck collector coins that carry higher premiums. Augusta's FAQ promises "up to 10 years" of custodian and depository fees paid by Augusta, without stating the conditions.
Small accounts pay the most in percentage terms: $235 a year is 4.7% of $5,000 but 0.47% of $50,000. When a gold IRA is too expensive is covered in best gold IRA companies for small investors.
What do the markup caps in the contracts cost on $100,000?#
At the highest spread cap in a gold IRA contract, the $100,000 you pay could be worth as little as $38,135 if sold back the same day. Gold would then have to rise 162.2% to get back what you paid.
American Hartford Gold (AHG) allows bullion spreads of 1.00% to 19.99% in its Shipping and Transaction Agreement (September 2026). It allows up to 39.99% on "exclusive" or semi-numismatic coins and up to 59.99% on limited numismatic (collector) coins.
Lear Capital's terms (December 2025) say its spreads "generally range between 2% and 35% of the quoted purchase price". Preserve Gold (June 2025) allows up to 20% on bullion and 34.99% on other coins. The CFTC calls "semi-numismatic" "a made-up industry term" (2024). The 23.4% row is Lear's own 2022 average from its court-filed bankruptcy plan (June 5, 2023), not an industry average. The table shows what $100,000 fetches the next day at 6 spread levels.
| Spread (source) | Rise to break even, spread only | Rise to break even, with buyback gap | Day-one sale value of $100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% (retail bullion benchmark) | 5.3% | 10.4% | $90,547 |
| 20% (about AHG's 19.99% bullion cap; Preserve's bullion cap) | 25.0% | 31.1% | $76,250 |
| 23.4% (Lear's own 2022 average) | 30.5% | 37.0% | $73,009 |
| 35% (Lear's contract cap) | 53.8% | 61.4% | $61,953 |
| 39.99% (AHG exclusive or semi-numismatic cap) | 66.6% | 74.8% | $57,197 |
| 59.99% (AHG limited numismatic cap) | 149.9% | 162.2% | $38,135 |
The table assumes a flat gold price, the full cap and a buyback at 95.3% of what the coins cost the dealer. That buyback figure comes from a sample calculation printed in both Lear's and Preserve's contracts. Your actual spread can be lower, so ask for it in writing. Why the spread outweighs account fees is explained in gold IRA markups and spreads.
Over 10 years, $100,000 at AHG's 19.99% bullion cap costs about $25,500. Plain bullion at a 5.4% round trip, with Equity Trust's fees, costs about $8,580 (SafeOunce computation, September 2026). Yet two of the five top-ranking pages for "gold IRA companies" (September 29, 2026) call AHG best for low fees, though AHG publishes no account fees.
To test the spread on your own quote, use the gold IRA break-even calculator.
Does the same coin cost the same everywhere?#
The same 1-ounce Gold Eagle cost $4,259.61 at one dealer and $4,508.06 at another on the morning of September 29, 2026, a 5.8% gap for an identical coin. The table compares each dealer's check or wire price with one bid from Kitco, a gold price website: $4,148.10 at about 6:20 a.m. Eastern time.
| Dealer | 1 oz Gold Eagle price, cash or wire | % over the Kitco bid |
|---|---|---|
| Blanchard and Company | $4,259.61 | +2.69% |
| Pacific Precious Metals | $4,278.56 | +3.15% |
| SD Bullion | $4,280.53 | +3.19%* |
| Summit Metals | $4,351.02 | +4.89% |
| Fisher Precious Metals | About $4,352.10 (spot + $204) | +4.92% |
| Texas Precious Metals | $4,508.06 | +8.68% |
| U.S. Gold Bureau | "Call For Prices" | Not posted |
| GBI Direct | Login only | Not posted |
*SD Bullion's own figure is 2.91%, because it compares against its own spot price of $4,159.52; this table uses the Kitco bid for every row.
With $100,000, you buy about 23.48 coins at the cheapest dealer but about 22.18 at the most expensive (part-coins shown only for scale). That is about 1.3 oz less gold, worth about $5,370 at the bid.
IRA specialists post no coin prices, except Orion: its 1 oz Eagle stood 5.90% over its own spot price on September 29, 2026. Whether a dealer or a full-service company costs less for your IRA is worked through in bullion dealer vs gold IRA company.
What Do Gold IRA Company Reviews Really Tell You?#
Gold IRA reviews mostly show how a company handles complaints, not what you will pay. Court and regulator records are the only signals that show serious harm. The same limits apply to gold IRA company reviews and precious metals IRA reviews on any site, as the table shows.
| Signal | What it measures | What it cannot tell you |
|---|---|---|
| BBB letter grade | How a company handles complaints | Prices, markups or lawsuits |
| BBB complaint texts | Which problems customers raise | Disputes sent to private arbitration |
| BCA (Business Consumer Alliance) grade | Complaint handling, from a group funded mainly by member dues | Complaints about purchases more than a year old, which it ignores |
| Trustpilot stars | Little for large sellers: all score 4.4 to 5.0 | Which company costs less |
| Court and regulator records | The strongest evidence of serious harm | Disputes settled in private arbitration |
Trustpilot is a review website where any buyer can post one to five stars. Complaint density is complaints per 100 reviews, which lets you compare large and small companies.
None of the nine best-of lists SafeOunce read scores regulator or court records, and they name five different #1 picks. The six sections below test each signal.
Which companies draw the most complaints?#
Lear Capital drew 22.1 BBB complaints per 100 BBB reviews and Augusta 0.7, as of September 29, 2026: about 30 times the rate, under the same A+ grade. The table lists 10 large sellers, highest complaint density first.
| Company | BBB complaints (3 years) | BBB reviews | Complaints per 100 reviews | BBB grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lear Capital | 33 | 149 | 22.1 | A+ |
| American Hartford Gold | 111 | 798 | 13.9 | A+ |
| Priority Gold | 38 | 641 | 5.9 | A+ (not accredited) |
| Goldco | 72 | 1,710 | 4.2 | A+ |
| Birch Gold Group | 9 | 227 | 4.0 | A+ |
| Preserve Gold | 2 | 123 | 1.6 | A+ |
| Noble Gold | 3 | 242 | 1.2 | A+ |
| Augusta Precious Metals | 1 | 135 | 0.7 | A+ |
| Patriot Gold Group | 0 | 80 | 0 | A+ |
| Advantage Gold | 0 | 9 | 0 | A+ |
American Hartford Gold has the most complaints in raw numbers, 111, but Lear has the most per review: 33 against only 149 reviews. Advantage Gold's 9 BBB reviews are too few to compare.
Complaint counts grow with sales volume, and arbitration keeps disputes out of view, so a low count is not a clean record. Each count is a snapshot and changes daily.
Why do almost all gold IRA companies have 4.4 to 5 stars?#
Almost every large gold IRA company scores 4.4 to 5.0 stars on Trustpilot because 89% to 99% of its reviews are five-star, so the stars cannot tell these companies apart. TrustScore is Trustpilot's star rating. The table shows each profile as of September 29, 2026; "invites reviews" means the company asks customers for reviews.
| Company | TrustScore | Reviews | 5-star share | 1-star share | Invites reviews? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Gold Group | 5.0 | 702 | 99% | 0% | Not recorded |
| Advantage Gold | 4.8 | 1,920 | 97% | Under 1% | Not recorded |
| Preserve Gold | 4.9 | 175 | 96% | 0% | Yes |
| Augusta Precious Metals | 4.8 | 371 | 93% | 1% | Yes |
| Noble Gold | 4.9 | 796 | 93% | 1% | Yes |
| Priority Gold | 4.9 | 380 | 93% | 2% | Yes |
| American Hartford Gold | 4.8 | 1,901 | 91% | 2% | Not recorded |
| Goldco | 4.4 | 1,790 | 89% | 3% | Not recorded |
| Lear Capital | 4.7 | 3,282 | 89% | 1% | Yes |
| Birch Gold Group | 4.7 | 326 | 89% | 6% | Not recorded |
The math explains why scores bunch up. TrustScore adds seven 3.5-star reviews to every profile, so 20 five-star reviews give 4.61 and 80 give 4.88. Trustpilot removed 7.4% of the reviews sent in during 2024 as fake.
Invitations move scores too: Provident Metals stopped inviting reviews, and its TrustScore is 1.6 although 90% of its 3,689 reviews are five-star (September 29, 2026).
Stars barely track complaints. Ranked by stars and by BBB complaint rate, the 10 companies line up only loosely (a rank correlation of -0.46, where -1 would be a perfect match). Patriot's 99% five-star, 0% one-star profile is unusual, but that alone proves nothing.
What does a BBB A+ grade measure?#
A BBB A+ grade mostly measures how fast a company answers and resolves complaints: 90 of the 100 points relate to complaints, and customer reviews count for nothing. An A+ needs 97 to 100 points. The 5 point blocks are listed below (BBB rating overview, read September 2026).
- Unanswered complaints: up to 40 points.
- Unresolved complaints: up to 30 points.
- Complaint volume: up to 15 points.
- Time in business: up to 10 points.
- Delayed answers to complaints: up to 5 points.
The BBB says "Customer reviews are not used in the letter-grade calculation." It also says "BBB charges a fee for BBB Accreditation", so accreditation is a paid membership, not an award.
A grade can survive a bad record. As of September 29, 2026, Lear Capital holds an A+ and has been accredited since 1997, after $14.25 million in public settlements with no admission of wrongdoing. Oxford Gold Group stayed accredited until the BBB revoked it in 2024 (ABC7, August 23, 2024).
What do gold IRA customers complain about most? 10 patterns#
The most common gold IRA complaint is markup shock: the first custodian statement shows the metal worth far less than you paid. Nine other patterns repeat, each backed by a case or contract.
- Markup shock on the first statement. Equity Trust's disclosure warns that statement values "do not include any markups, commissions or premiums from the precious metals dealer." A New York Attorney General petition (June 17, 2021) says Lear took commissions up to 33% on over $43 million of sales since 2014.
- Steering to premium or "exclusive" coins. These sell above their metal value for design, rarity or packaging, and AHG's contract allows spreads up to 59.99% on some.
- Buyback disappointment. Priority Gold charges an 18% fee to resell non-bullion coins for you (consignment) after 60 months.
- Swap churn: trading your coins for new ones, which earns a new spread. In Patterson v. Lear (2020), the customer alleged $377,375 of coins fell to about $141,527.
- Short cancellation windows. Lear and Preserve give 24 hours after the invoice.
- Delays and slow callbacks. AHG's contract allows delivery 4 to 8 weeks after your money clears.
- Telemarketing calls and texts. The TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) limits robocalls and texts. Summerton v. Goldco Direct (texts after STOP to about 19,280 people) ended in a $2,000,000 fund on March 26, 2026, and Pitts v. Bishop Gold Group in another on December 2, 2025.
- Older buyers and fear marketing. In Mathys v. The Hartford Gold Group, an 83-year-old invested $604,331.83 and alleged the coins were worth less than half.
- Disputes forced into arbitration. Courts sent Ireland v. Lear (2012), Patterson (2020) and Mathys (December 7, 2020) to arbitration.
- Marketing that conflicts with IRS rules (next section).
Where a complaint turns into fraud, the warning signs and real cases are in gold IRA scams.
Keep the invoice, the agreement and every statement, and complain to the company in writing first. If that fails, the CFTC, your state securities regulator and your attorney general take complaints; see how to report a gold IRA company.
Which company websites get the IRS rules wrong?#
At least 13 gold IRA companies' own websites state something that conflicts with the tax code or IRS rules. The most serious is the offer to keep IRA gold at home. The U.S. Tax Court treats that as a taxable withdrawal (McNulty v. Commissioner, 157 T.C. No. 10, 2021).
Required minimum distributions (RMDs) are the yearly withdrawals the IRS makes you start at a set age. The table shows 10 companies in 9 rows, as read on September 29, 2026 or on the archived date shown.
| Company | What its site says | What the rule is |
|---|---|---|
| Noble Gold Investments | Gold IRA page offers to "store your gold at home" | IRA bullion must be in a trustee's physical possession (26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3)(B)); home storage is a taxable distribution (McNulty, 2021) |
| Patriot Gold Group | About page offers help "keeping their gold metals at home" | Same rule and ruling |
| Birch Gold Group | IRA page says RMDs start at 72 | RMDs start at 73 if born 1951-1958, 75 if born 1960 or later (26 U.S.C. 401(a)(9)(C)(v)); born 1959 is 73 under proposed IRS regulations, not final |
| GBI Direct | Says RMDs start after 72 | Same rule: 73 or 75, by birth year |
| SD Bullion | RMDs "after age 70 1/2" | Same rule: 73 or 75, by birth year |
| APMEX (archive Aug 17, 2026) and Bullion Exchanges (archive Sept 9, 2025) | IRA eligibility "under age 70 1/2" | No maximum contribution age since tax year 2020 (SECURE Act sec. 107) |
| Sanctuary Metals | Metals stored in "IRS-approved depositories" | The IRS keeps no depository list; it approves only nonbank trustees (Treas. Reg. 1.408-2(e)) |
| Money Metals Exchange (archive Sept 23, 2026) | Calls funding a self-directed IRA "tax-free!" | Contributions to a traditional IRA are not tax-free |
| Pacific Precious Metals | "The metal is in YOUR control" through a self-directed 401(k) trust or LLC | McNulty taxed coins taken home through an IRA LLC |
Three more sites make the count 13. American Bullion's rollover FAQ skips the 20% withholding and the once-per-12-months limit, and Silver Gold Bull uses an "LBMA or COMEX-approved mint" test. Gainesville Coins lists the British Britannia as unacceptable, though 2013 and later Britannias qualify.
The full home-storage ruling is explained in home storage gold IRA.
Are gold IRA reviews and rankings paid?#
Many gold IRA reviews and rankings are paid for by the companies they rank: one company's affiliate contract pays 8% of premium-coin sales and nothing on plain bullion. An affiliate is a website paid when its readers buy. A qualified lead is a reader who calls or signs up and meets the company's conditions.
Four documented facts are listed below; each program's terms are on are gold IRA reviews paid.
- Money.com's paid block: its list (September 25, 2026) opens with "Ads by Money" and an "Our Partner Company Highlight" block. That block shows American Hartford Gold, Goldco, Priority, Augusta, Newport Gold and Lear above the editorial list.
- Augusta's affiliate terms (read September 29, 2026): Prime affiliates earn "8% Commission on Premium Trade Value / 0% Commission on Bullion Trade Value / $200 Qualified Lead payout." The VIP tier pays 10% on premium coins and 1% on bullion. A qualified lead must hold at least $50,000 of rollable IRA or 401(k) money; the tracking cookie lasts 90 days, and commissions are paid for life. In plain English: at every tier, premium coins pay the site far more than plain bullion.
- Lear's affiliate terms (updated August 1, 2025) forbid affiliates to claim their reviews "are neutral or independent."
- Silence: 7 of 12 IRA sellers checked publish nothing usable about affiliate pay.
The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) sets the endorsement rules. When payments "actually determine" a ranking, "a disclosure ... would be inadequate" (16 CFR 255.4(b), Example 3).
The lists also disagree. Nine best-of lists name 20 companies and five different #1 picks: Allegiance, Silver Gold Bull, JM Bullion, American Hartford Gold and Augusta. All nine are side by side in gold IRA 'best of' lists compared.
Award badges can outlive the award. As of September 29, 2026, Augusta's homepage claims Money.com "Best Overall 2022-2026", but Money.com has named Allegiance Gold Best Overall since its May 29, 2026 republish. Goldco was dropped from that list in the same republish, yet still advertises Money.com "Best Customer Service 2026".
Orion Metal Exchange has sued Money Group, alleging money.com is "paid by these companies to rank their businesses as a top choice" (C.D. Cal. 2:26-cv-07092, filed June 29, 2026). The case is pending, and its claims remain allegations.
Many review pages are paid when you contact a company. How SafeOunce is paid is explained under who pays SafeOunce.
What Do Gold IRA Company Contracts Say About Cancelling, Buyback and Disputes?#
Most gold IRA contracts give you 24 hours to 7 days to cancel and send disputes to private arbitration. They also cut your time to bring a claim (the claim deadline) to about 1 year.
The full clause-by-clause view is in gold IRA company contracts compared. Below, STA means Shipping and Transaction Agreement, JAMS and AAA are arbitration services, and a class waiver bars group lawsuits.
| Company (document) | Cancellation window | Can you cancel a bullion order? | Buyback wording | Arbitration and opt-out | Claim deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Bullion (STA, Oct 2024) | 15-day returns on semi-numismatic and numismatic coins, possible 3% restocking fee | Not stated | Law prohibits a repurchase guarantee | JAMS Los Angeles; 15-day opt-out of the class waiver only, by letter | Not recorded |
| American Hartford Gold (STA, Sept 2026) | 7 days | No: non-bullion only | "Applicable laws currently prohibit AHG from guaranteeing to repurchase" | JAMS, nearest office; no opt-out found | 1 year |
| Augusta Precious Metals (FAQ, Sept 23, 2026) | Up to 7 calendar days after confirmation | Yes: all transactions | "Cannot legally guarantee" a repurchase | Agreement not public | Agreement not public |
| Birch Gold Group (website terms) | Not recorded (returns only for counterfeit coins, within 90 days) | Not stated | Not recorded | JAMS Des Moines, Iowa law, confidential | Not recorded |
| Goldline (Account Agreement 2022) | 7 calendar days | First order only | "The law prohibits Goldline from guaranteeing to repurchase" | JAMS mediation, then confidential arbitration in Los Angeles | 1 year |
| Lear Capital (T&C, Dec 2025) | 24 hours after invoice (longer where state law requires) | Yes | "The law prohibits LC from guaranteeing" | JAMS Los Angeles; 30-day opt-out, but Lear may then cancel the sale | 1 year + 1 day |
| Preserve Gold (STA, June 2025) | 24 hours after invoice | Yes | Law prohibits a repurchase guarantee | JAMS, nearest office; each side pays its own lawyers | 1 year + 1 day |
| Priority Gold (policies) | 3 business days to 8 days, by state; for an IRA, the clock starts when Priority notifies you of the transfer | Not stated | Wholesale bid, open market or consignment (18% fee on non-bullion after 60 months) | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| U.S. Money Reserve (User Agreement) | 3 business days | Not stated | IRA buyback program covers proof and exclusive coins only | Arbitration with class waiver; 30-day opt-out by mail | Not recorded |
| Advantage Gold (terms) | Cancelling after confirmation costs any market loss plus a fee | Not stated | Not recorded | AAA consumer rules; 30-day opt-out | Not recorded |
| JM Bullion (terms) | No cancellation after confirmation | No | Not recorded | JAMS; 30-day opt-out; consumer fee capped at $250 | 1 year + 1 day |
Every IRA-specialist agreement SafeOunce read has an arbitration clause, and so do JM Bullion's terms. Some online dealers name courts instead: Texas Precious Metals, Fisher Precious Metals, American Gold Exchange and GBI Direct. An opt-out is a written notice that takes you out of the clause. Consumer filing fees are capped at $225 (AAA) and $250 (JAMS), as of September 2026.
Courts sometimes refuse these clauses. In Dennison v. Rosland (California Court of Appeal, April 1, 2020), the court found Rosland's clause unconscionable: too unfair to enforce. A Texas federal court denied arbitration in U.S. Money Reserve v. Kagan (2019).
You also have a separate right against the custodian: for the first 7 days, you can revoke (undo) the new IRA itself under Treas. Reg. 1.408-6. How to cancel a gold IRA in writing is covered step by step.
No contract SafeOunce read guarantees a buyback price. The agreements of American Hartford Gold, Lear, Preserve, Goldline and American Bullion say the law prohibits guaranteeing repurchase. Augusta's FAQ says it "cannot legally guarantee" a repurchase, yet it also mentions a "24-hour Highest Buyback Price Guarantee window".
Goldco's homepage promises a "Buy Back program guaranteed at the highest price" and Noble lists "Our guaranteed buyback program", neither with published terms. What each contract promises is in gold IRA buyback programs compared.
Which Gold IRA Company Fits Your Situation?#
The right gold IRA company depends on how much you are moving, whether you want the price in writing before you call, and how you would get out. Under about $25,000, the honest answer can be no gold IRA company at all.
A gold ETF inside an IRA you already have avoids the dealer's spread and the custodian and vault fees. It charges a small yearly fund fee instead: SPDR Gold MiniShares (GLDM) states 0.10% of your balance in its 2025 annual report (10-K).
The table matches 7 situations to the numbers that matter and the filter to use above; no row names a company.
| If you... | What the numbers say | What to filter on in the company tables | Where to read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Have under $25,000 to invest | At minimums under $25,000, yearly fees take 1.375% (Noble) to 4.7% (Birch) a year, and 5.0% in year 1 at Swiss America. A $10,000 bullion IRA can lose about $3,720 (37.2%) to costs over 10 years, against about $100 in a 0.10% gold ETF (SafeOunce estimate: 5.4% round trip, $50 setup, $285 a year, $280 exit) | IRA minimum | Best gold IRA companies for small investors (linked in the minimums section) |
| Are moving $50,000 or more from a 401(k) | One point of spread on $100,000 costs as much as 3.5 years of a $285 account fee; on $250,000, 8.8 years | Spread range | best gold IRA rollover companies |
| Want the spread in writing before you call | 4 of 15 sellers publish a spread range in a public contract; online dealers post coin prices | Spread range; online dealers | The markup section above |
| Worry about disputes | Every IRA-specialist agreement read has arbitration; 30-day opt-outs at U.S. Money Reserve, Advantage, Lear (Lear may then cancel the sale) and JM Bullion | The contracts table | The contracts section above |
| Are buying for the first time | Cancellation windows run from 24 hours to 7 days; your separate 7-day IRA revocation right applies at the custodian | Status | best gold IRA companies for beginners |
| Want silver | Which coin you pick decides how much silver you get: on September 29, 2026, IRA-eligible 1 oz silver coins ran from 3.1% (2026 Britannia) to 16.1% (2026 Silver Eagle) over spot (SD Bullion prices) | Prices online | best silver IRA companies |
| Got a call first, or hear "move everything" | The CFTC lists "Putting all your retirement savings in precious metals is safe and secure" as a lie (2024) | Status; court or regulator record | The complaint patterns section above |
In every row, you should ask for the per-coin price in writing, in dollars and as a percent over spot, and compare it with the same-coin table.
The CFTC explains why: its 2024 "Lies vs Facts" flyer says the spread "can range anywhere from 30 to 300 percent or more".
Companies ranked on published criteria, by situation, are on best gold IRA companies; no company can pay for its place there.
5 questions to ask any gold IRA company before you pay#
Ask any gold IRA company for the per-coin price, tomorrow's buyback price and the customer agreement in writing before you pay, and stop if it refuses. The 5 questions below give the exact words.
- Ask: "What is the price per coin, and the percent over today's spot price, for each item on my order?"
- Ask: "Is every item plain bullion, or is anything proof, 'exclusive' or limited mintage?"
- Ask: "What would you pay me if I sold the same coins back tomorrow?"
- Say: "Please email the invoice and the customer agreement before I pay."
- Ask: "Which custodian and which vault, and will the metal be in an account in my IRA's name within 28 days?"
All 12 questions, with good and stop-sign answers, are in how to choose a gold IRA company.
The CFTC advisory "10 Things to Ask" (March 2024) says to get "all fees, costs, commissions, and agreed retail price in writing BEFORE signing". It also says to ask "how much you would receive if you had to sell back the metal tomorrow".
For phone sales, the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule requires the total cost before you pay (16 CFR 310.3(a)(1)(i)).
Put two or three written quotes side by side in the gold IRA company comparison tool.
Gold IRA Companies vs Bullion Dealers, Custodians and Best-Of Lists#
A gold IRA company is one of three businesses in a gold IRA, next to the custodian and the vault, and an online dealer can often replace it. Best-of lists and head-to-head pages then narrow the choice. Company head-to-heads are collected in gold IRA comparisons.
Gold IRA company or bullion dealer: which costs less?#
An online bullion dealer usually costs less for plain bullion: about a 5% to 7% round trip on 1-ounce coins in September 2026. A round trip is the total cost of buying and later selling back. SD Bullion's Gold Eagle round trip was 5.39% on September 29, 2026, and Gold.com, JM Bullion's parent, reports a direct-to-consumer gross margin of 5.138% (10-K, fiscal 2026).
IRA-specialist contracts allow bullion spreads up to 19.99%-20% and other coins up to 34.99%-59.99% (AHG and Preserve contracts). The trade-off: with a dealer, you do more of the IRA paperwork yourself.
Gold IRA company vs custodian: who is responsible for what?#
The custodian holds and reports your IRA, and the gold IRA company sells you the metal. So a problem with the price is the company's, and a problem with statements or taxes is the custodian's. The custodian does not check the dealer or its price. Custodians can also close: Kingdom Trust stopped acting as a custodian on January 24, 2024. Custodians ranked on 10-year cost are in best gold IRA custodians.
Best gold IRA companies, comparisons and the comparison tool#
This page lists every company; the curated picks, head-to-head comparisons and side-by-side tool live on their own pages. Each is listed below.
- Best gold IRA companies: ranked picks by reader situation, with no paid placement.
- Gold IRA comparisons: two companies head to head, for example Augusta Precious Metals vs Goldco.
- Gold IRA company comparison tool: your own written quotes side by side.
Gold IRA companies: frequently asked questions#
These 9 questions come up most often about gold IRA companies, and each answer starts with the short version.
Who has the best gold IRA?#
No single company is best for everyone: nine major lists name five different #1 picks. SafeOunce ranks on price, contract terms and legal record, not stars. A company's score appears only once its documents are in.
Are gold IRA companies regulated?#
Partly: no federal license covers selling gold for IRAs, but the FTC, state regulators and the CFTC's anti-fraud power have all been used against dealers. In the Metals.com case, a Texas federal court ruled on July 21, 2025 that the CFTC lacked power over retail gold sales. On August 3, 2026, it reversed itself under CFTC v. Muller (5th Cir. 1978); a motion to reconsider was pending as of September 2026. The full picture is in who regulates gold IRA companies.
What happens to my gold if my gold IRA company goes bankrupt?#
Metal already delivered to a depository in your IRA's name stays yours. Orders you paid for but never received, and buybacks not yet paid, become claims in the bankruptcy. At Rosland in 2026, that meant about $49 million of undelivered orders and about $11.8 million of unpaid buybacks.
Is a "guaranteed buyback" real?#
No contract SafeOunce read guarantees a buyback price: five say the law prohibits guaranteeing repurchase. The contract wording, and the "guaranteed" claims in Goldco, Noble and Augusta marketing, are quoted in the contracts section above.
Are celebrity endorsers paid?#
Some are, by the companies' own words: Lear calls Judge Andrew Napolitano a "paid spokesman". Priority Gold says Robert Kiyosaki is "not a paid actor", which does not say he is unpaid. Who is paid to recommend which company is tracked in celebrity gold IRA endorsements.
Is the free gold IRA kit legit?#
A free kit is a real sales brochure, but you pay for it with your phone number, and the form lets the seller call and text you. Birch Gold Group's 2026 kit runs 24 pages, requires a phone number and asks you to agree to machine-dialed calls and recorded sales messages. What is inside is covered in free gold IRA kits.
What is the downside of a gold IRA?#
The biggest downside is cost: the markup on the coins usually costs more than years of account fees, and gold pays no interest or dividends. The situation table above puts one point of spread in years of fees. Every downside is weighed in the real downsides of a gold IRA.
What if I had invested $10,000 in gold 20 years ago?#
$10,000 of gold bought on September 28, 2006 was worth $68,732 at spot 20 years later. Inside a low-cost gold IRA, after its costs, it was worth about $49,929. Both figures use the LBMA PM gold price, a daily London benchmark: $603.00 in 2006 and $4,144.55 on September 28, 2026. Every year is shown in gold IRA returns since 1971.
Why does Dave Ramsey say not to invest in gold?#
Ramsey Solutions says precious metals "don't produce anything, they don't pay dividends, and they don't earn interest" (updated March 19, 2026). It adds that they "tend to violently swing upward or downward." Both points hold inside an IRA, as covered in why Dave Ramsey and Warren Buffett say no to gold.