Goldco vs Lear Capital: Fees, Minimums, Buyback and Complaints Compared (2026)

Goldco and Lear Capital charge almost the same yearly account fees, $225 and $235 with pooled storage, but they differ sharply on paper and in their records. Lear Capital, the Los Angeles precious metals seller, publishes its spread range and full contract, and it paid $14.25 million to settle three government cases. Goldco publishes neither. Its record shows two class actions over sales calls and texts and no regulator action found. Which of those facts matters for your money?

A gold IRA is a retirement account that holds physical metal through a custodian, the trust company that holds the account for you. Both are among the gold IRA companies SafeOunce checks with the same records, fees and contract questions. The largest cost at both is the spread, the part of your price that is not metal. Pooled storage means your coins sit with other owners' coins of the same type.

This page covers fees and the spread, the minimum, buyback and cancellation, then complaints and court cases. It ends with a verdict by situation, including which is safer, but no overall winner.

The five numbers that separate the two companies most are listed below.

• IRA minimum: $25,000 at Goldco vs $10,000 in one Lear article, none in Lear's FAQ or contract (read Nov. 6, 2026).
• Account fees, pooled storage: $275, then $225 a year, at Goldco vs $315, then $235, at Lear (Sept. 29, 2026).
• Spread published: no at Goldco vs 2% to 35% at Lear (terms last updated December 2025).
• Cancellation window: not published at Goldco vs 24 hours after the invoice at Lear (Sept. 29, 2026).
• BBB complaints per 100 reviews: 4.2 at Goldco vs 22.1 at Lear (Sept. 29, 2026).

Goldco vs Lear Capital at a Glance: 18 Facts Side by Side#

The table below compares the same 18 facts for Goldco and Lear Capital, with the date we checked each one. Each fact comes from the company's own page, a court or regulator record, or the BBB, the Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit that grades how firms handle complaints.

The depository is the vault. Segregated storage keeps your own coins apart. BBB accreditation is a paid membership, separate from the BBB grade.

Company website links in this table: SafeOunce earns nothing from these links.

Table T1: Goldco vs Lear Capital: 18 facts, checked September 29 to November 6, 2026. The official-site row is not counted in the 18.

"Not published" means the company's website did not show the figure on the date given. Our Goldco review covers the company alone, and the Lear Capital review does the same for Lear, case by case.

The two companies publish opposite halves of the picture. Goldco prints a minimum and its account fees, but no spread, coin prices, contract or cancellation window. Lear prints its account fees, a spread range, live coin prices, its full contract and its buyback method, but its pages disagree on a minimum.

How Do Goldco and Lear Capital Fees Compare?#

Goldco's published account fees are $10 a year below Lear Capital's, or $130 over 10 years, which is less than one-seventh of a point of spread on a $100,000 order. Over 10 years with pooled storage, Goldco's fees total $2,300 and Lear's $2,430. So where does the real cost difference come from?

It comes from the spread, which Lear prints as a range and Goldco does not print at all. Account fees are flat yearly bills for the custodian and the vault; the spread is a share of every dollar you spend on metal. On $100,000, one point of spread cuts your day-one sale value by about $953. All cost layers are compared on gold IRA fees.

One comparison page that ranks for this pair says Goldco's lower fees save "hundreds or even thousands of dollars"; the companies' own figures do not support that.

Account fees: $225 vs $235 a year with pooled storage#

With pooled storage, Goldco lists $275 in year one and $225 after, and Lear lists $315 and then $235, as of September 29, 2026. Goldco's cost page (updated February 2025, re-read November 6, 2026) lists "a one-time fee of $50" and "$125 per year". Storage is "$100 per year" pooled or "$150 a year" segregated.

Lear's IRA FAQ says: "The fee for the first year is $315 and $235 each subsequent year." That price assumes "electronic statements and non-segregated storage", and "If you choose different options, your fees may be higher." A Lear article dated July 27, 2026 lists the lines: "$50 application fee, a $30 wire transfer fee, $125 in annual maintenance, and $110 to $160 in annual storage." A wire fee is the bank charge to move money by wire.

Table T2: Goldco cost page (updated February 2025); Lear IRA FAQ (September 29, 2026) and Lear fee article (July 27, 2026). Lear's segregated column comes from the article; its IRA FAQ does not print it. Ten-year sums by SafeOunce.

Goldco's FAQ said "around $80" a year (September 29, 2026); this page uses its newer cost page's $125. Neither company lists exit fees; the custodian's schedule does.

Same custodian, same vault schedule: where the $130 ten-year gap comes from#

Both companies point to Equity Trust as custodian; Lear's fees match its metals schedule line for line, while Goldco lists storage $10 a year lower and no wire fee. Lear's rollover page and IRA FAQ both name Equity Trust Company (FAQ read November 6, 2026). Goldco told one customer "Your custodian is Equity Trust" (BBB reply, March 12, 2026). But its gold IRA page says it "works with all major Self-Directed IRA custodians" (October 2, 2026).

A custodian fee schedule is the custodian's own price list. The table sets Equity Trust's metals schedule against each company's figures.

Table T3: Equity Trust's metals-only schedule (FS-0004-05 Rev. 081726, read September 29, 2026) against Goldco's cost page (February 2025) and Lear's fee article (July 27, 2026).

Lear's $315 is Equity Trust's $50 setup, one $30 wire, the $125 yearly fee and $110 of pooled storage. Goldco's page matches the setup and yearly fee and lists storage $10 lower, figures Lear's own comparison table (August 25, 2026) repeats. A dealer can agree its own prices with a custodian, so ask each for the schedule with its revision date.

Equity Trust's metals schedule charges $30 per sale, $125 for an in-kind transfer out (moving the coins themselves) and $250 to close, so selling everything and closing costs $280. The full Equity Trust precious metals IRA fees, including exit charges, are on its review.

The markup: Lear Capital prints a 2% to 35% range, Goldco prints none#

Lear's contract says its spreads generally range from 2% to 35% of the price, and its own 2022 average was 23.4%; Goldco publishes no spread and no coin prices. Lear's terms (last updated December 2025) read: "LC's Spreads generally range between 2% and 35% of the quoted purchase price." Its reputation FAQ puts the low end differently: metal-related fees "start at 1%" (read October 2, 2026).

Lear confirms the exact spread on the invoice and on a recorded call where you answer yes or no. Its Chapter 11 plan (Doc 694, filed June 5, 2023) says the spread "can be as much as 33%" and that "in 2022, the average spread was 23.4%". Lear "contends its spreads are consistent with its competitors".

Goldco lists no coin prices and quotes by phone (September 29, 2026). Lear shows live prices, one of 4 of 15 operating sellers that did on October 2, 2026. Ask both for the per-coin spread before the confirmation call. The spot price is today's market price for one ounce of raw metal. A 20% spread equals a 25% markup over the metal's cost to the dealer.

For scale, the CFTC, the federal commodities regulator, puts bullion at 5% to 10% over spot (release 8215-20, 2020) and says legitimate spreads are often under 20% (10 Things, 2024). Every published range is compared on gold IRA markups and spreads.

How much must gold rise to cover the markup?#

At Lear's 2022 average spread of 23.4%, gold must rise about 37% before a customer who sells back gets back to even. That is about 6.4 years if gold gains a steady 5% a year. The rise covers the spread and the buyback gap, because the dealer's bid sits below its own cost. The table shows nine spreads.

Table T4: Break-even rise by spread, and the years it takes at a steady 5% or 8% gain a year (ln(1 + rise) / ln(1 + yearly gain)). Buyback gap from Lear's own contract example ($32 cost, about $30.50 bid, 95.3%). Goldco's spread and bid are not published. Illustration, not a quote and not a forecast.

Gold does not rise at a steady rate, and the table is not a forecast.

New York buyers get this number in writing. Lear's Chapter 11 plan says the New York consent decree requires Lear to disclose how much the metal must rise to break even. The state's 2021 petition alleged the old break-even receipt came after payment "in tiny, faint font", with figures "often approaching 50%" (¶6).

Test your own spread in the gold IRA break-even calculator.

What a $100,000 gold IRA costs over 10 years at each company#

At the same spread, a $100,000 account costs $130 more at Lear over 10 years with pooled storage, so the spread you are charged decides the total. The table assumes a flat metal price and a buyback bid of 95.3% of the dealer's cost, from Lear's own contract example. Fees are paid from outside the IRA, exit fees are left out, and storage is pooled at both.

Table T5: Scenarios at Lear's own published levels, not either company's actual spread on your order, and not a forecast. Metal price flat. With segregated storage, add $500 to both totals.

Your first statement shows a drop like the day-one sale value, because Equity Trust's statement values "do not include any markups, commissions or premiums from the precious metals dealer". At a 23.4% spread, $100,000 shows as about $76,600 of metal.

New York's 2021 petition against Lear alleged customers were "shocked" when first statements showed about a third less (¶6); Lear settled without admitting wrongdoing. One Goldco reviewer reports losing about $38,000 on a $123,000 rollover (unverified). Why a gold IRA statement shows less than you paid is explained step by step.

For a benchmark, buying and selling a 1-ounce Gold Eagle the same day at a large online dealer cost about 5.39% (SD Bullion prices, September 29, 2026).

Promotions: Goldco's free silver vs Lear Capital's fee reimbursement#

Both offers are tied to dearer coins: Goldco's free silver needs "Goldco premium coins", and Lear's free IRA fees need "Limited Mintage coins". Both kinds come from small production runs and sell above plain bullion prices. Goldco's homepage (re-read November 6, 2026) offers "up to 5% back in FREE Silver" on "$50,000 - $99,999 in Goldco premium coins", and "10%" at "$100,000 or more". Its promotion terms page leaves out the premium-coin condition and says "up to 10%" (October 2, 2026).

Lear's IRA FAQ reads: "$25K - $50K First year fees free. Reimbursement check sent after first month in storage." Two years are free from $50,000 and three from $75,000, all under "*Limited Mintage coins only". A reimbursement means the fee is charged, then paid back.

The table costs each offer against what it requires.

Table T6: Promotions at Goldco and Lear Capital, read September 29 to November 6, 2026 (price matches and generator: Lear IRA FAQ and Goldco promotion terms, October 2, 2026); break-even spreads computed by SafeOunce.

Lear's fee article values three free years at "$705 to $855" of maintenance and storage. Its affiliate contract (updated August 1, 2025) subtracts "the cost of any giveaways provided to induce the sale (e.g., reimbursed IRA custodial fees, bonus precious metals)" from gross profit.

The FTC's guide on "free" offers (16 CFR 251.1(b)(1)) says a seller should not recover the cost "by marking up the price of the article which must be purchased".

How free silver and bonus metal gold IRA promotions are paid for is explained on our promotions guide.

Minimum Investment: $25,000 at Goldco vs $10,000 in a Lear Capital Article#

Goldco generally requires $25,000 to open a gold IRA; Lear's IRA FAQ and contract name no minimum, but one Lear article says $10,000 (read November 6, 2026). Goldco's FAQ says: "we generally require that you have at least $25,000 available to roll over into a gold IRA." Its cost page repeats "a minimum of $25,000".

Lear's pages disagree. Its IRA FAQ offers only set sizes: the "$50 set-up fee covered" above $10,000 and fee reimbursement from $25,000. But a Lear knowledge-base article dated December 17, 2025 says: "For Gold IRAs, the company requires a $10,000 minimum contribution to open and fund an account."

The IRS sets no gold IRA minimum. The 2026 IRA contribution limit is $7,500, plus $1,100 at age 50 or older (IRS Notice 2025-67). So most accounts start with a transfer, which moves money directly between custodians, or a rollover from a 401(k). We list the gold IRA minimum investment for every company we track.

Ranking pages print Lear's minimum as "$7,500-$20,000" or "$20,000" (read November 6, 2026); Lear's own pages show neither figure. Forbes Advisor's $10,000 for Goldco (captured August 17, 2026) is an initial-purchase figure, not the IRA minimum.

What the minimum means for fee drag#

At Goldco's $25,000 minimum, yearly account fees take 0.90% to 1.10% of the balance at Goldco and 0.94% to 1.14% at Lear, before any spread. Fee drag is the share of your account the yearly fees take. At $10,000, Lear's fees take 2.35% to 2.85% a year.

Table T7: Yearly account fees as a percent of the balance, from fees published September 29, 2026 (Lear segregated from its July 27, 2026 article); $10,000 is the minimum in Lear's December 17, 2025 article. SafeOunce computation.

Goldco's cost page calls $225 on $25,000 "an 0.90% annual fee" and compares it with fund expense ratios, the yearly fee a fund charges, without the spread.

Less than $25,000? A gold ETF may cost less#

With less than $25,000, Goldco generally will not open a gold IRA, and Lear's $235 a year takes 2.35% of a $10,000 balance before any spread. A gold ETF is a fund that trades like a stock and holds gold for you. Expense ratios were 0.10% for GLDM, 0.25% for IAU and 0.40% for GLD (September 29, 2026). The costs are set out in gold IRA vs gold ETF.

Buyback and Cancellation: What Each Company Puts in Writing#

Lear Capital puts its buyback method, a 24-hour cancellation window and its dispute rules in a public contract, while Goldco publishes none of the three. Why does the written wording matter more than the sales call? Disputes are decided on the signed documents. Goldco's footnote points to "your customer agreement", and Lear's complaint replies point to "the range that appears on his signed contract".

Buyback wording: "guaranteed at the highest price" vs "the law prohibits LC from guaranteeing"#

Goldco's homepage calls its buyback "guaranteed at the highest price" without terms, while Lear's contract says the law prohibits it from guaranteeing a buyback and states how it prices one. A buyback is the dealer buying your metal back, and the bid is the price it pays you. The highest list bid is the top buying price a large wholesaler, the firm that supplies dealers, posts. The table quotes each buyback line.

Table T8: Buyback wording on Goldco's and Lear Capital's own pages, read September 29 to November 6, 2026.

The contracts of American Hartford Gold, Preserve Gold, Goldline and American Bullion make the same "law prohibits" point as Lear's. Forbes Advisor still labeled Goldco "Best for Buyback Guarantees" in a list captured August 17, 2026. Our guide on how to sell gold in your IRA explains bids and custodian fees.

Other firms' wording is in gold IRA buyback programs compared.

Selling back in early 2026: delays alleged at both companies#

Customers of both companies allege that selling metal back was slow in early 2026, and each company answered publicly with its own explanation. SafeOunce has not verified these customer statements.

In 12 texts on Goldco's BBB complaints page, dated January 8 to April 13, 2026, customers allege delays in selling, withdrawing or getting a buyback price. Several describe waits of three to six weeks. Goldco's replies cite "unusually high call volumes and longer response times", and 3 of the 12 were marked resolved (October 2, 2026).

Three other complaints allege a larger deduction for selling early. One, of February 10, 2026, says you must wait "3 years for it to be 'vested' or they take an additional 13%". Two older ones (2024 and 2025) allege a 25% charge and a "20% penalty". Goldco's replies do not mention a deduction; it told the 2026 customer the offer "would nearly double your initial purchase amount".

At Lear, a Trustpilot reviewer alleges Lear told him on February 27, 2026 that it was "not doing buy backs at this time". Lear replied that demand surged and "liquidity and processing timelines were affected across the industry, not just at Lear".

Ask each company in writing whether the buyback price depends on how long you have held the metal.

Cancellation: not published at Goldco vs 24 hours after the invoice at Lear Capital#

Lear gives you 24 hours to cancel after it sends the written invoice, and Goldco publishes no cancellation window, as of September 29, 2026. Lear's terms read: "Customer then has 24 hours to cancel the transaction without penalty." They add: "Certain states require longer cancellation periods, which LC honors." The right came from Lear's 2021 agreement with the Los Angeles City Attorney.

Goldco states no window, but one court record shows how it handled a cancellation. In Goldco Direct, LLC v. Wilson (N.D. Ala. No. 4:18-cv-850, opinion of March 27, 2019), a customer's last order, $159,901.72, was refunded when cancelled within 24 hours. Goldco "did not agree to cancel or repurchase" the two earlier orders, worth more than $240,000. Goldco was the plaintiff there, suing a competitor, and the court made no finding on its prices. So at Goldco, assume you have one day unless your agreement says more.

Treasury Regulation 1.408-6 gives a separate right: at least 7 days to revoke a new IRA. It runs against the custodian, not the dealer, so it may not undo a metal purchase. Our page on how to cancel a gold IRA separates the IRS right from the dealer's terms.

Contracts and delivery: Goldco's unpublished agreement vs Lear Capital's public terms#

Lear publishes the full contract you sign (last updated December 2025); Goldco publishes website terms, but not the customer agreement its promotion footnote refers to. Arbitration is a private hearing instead of court, and JAMS is a company that runs those hearings. The table sets 10 terms side by side.

Table T9: Contract and delivery terms at Goldco (website terms and gold IRA page, read September 29 and October 2, 2026) and Lear Capital (terms, last updated December 2025).

An opt-out keeps your right to go to court; to rescind is to cancel the sale and refund you. So at Lear, opting out can cost you the purchase itself. Lear's contract also waives class actions, where customers sue together as one group. Our table of gold IRA company contracts compared shows these clauses at every firm that publishes them.

Good funds means money that has cleared. The Do-Not-Call Registry is the federal list that blocks most sales calls, and a liability cap limits what a company owes you.

Goldco's gold IRA page says "you are guaranteed to receive your metals once your order is finalized", a company claim. For metal bought on credit, the CFTC treats it as actually delivered only within 28 days (release 8215-20, 2020). Goldco's 45 business days and 12 weeks run well past that benchmark, so check your custodian statement after 28 days.

Our checklist shows how to check delivery on your statement.

Custodians and depositories: Equity Trust at both#

Lear names Equity Trust Company as custodian and the Delaware Depository as its vault, while Goldco's website names neither; Goldco told one customer his custodian is Equity Trust. Lear's IRA FAQ says "Lear Capital ships (insured) all metals directly to the Delaware Depository", and its fee article lists that vault's 2026 rates as $110 pooled and $160 segregated. Fees, insurance and audits are on our Delaware Depository profile.

The Delaware Depository carries $1 billion of all-risk cover plus $100 million of contingent cover. It pays metal value, not premiums, and excludes war, terrorism, cyber events and confiscation. FDIC and SIPC, the bank and brokerage protection funds, never cover IRA metal.

Goldco's website names no vault. One customer's BBB complaint (February 11, 2026) names a Delaware depository as a buyback shipping address; review sites name the Delaware Depository or Brink's, unconfirmed by Goldco.

Ask Goldco in writing which custodian and vault city will hold your metal, and ask both whether the account is titled to your IRA.

Complaints, Lawsuits and Regulatory Records Compared#

Lear Capital paid $14.25 million to settle three government cases over undisclosed fees and markups, while Goldco has no regulator action found (September 29, 2026). Lear settled without admitting wrongdoing and kept operating after its 2022 Chapter 11 (Bankr. D. Del. No. 22-10165). Goldco "denies the allegations and any wrongdoing" in its 2026 settlement (W.D. Wis. No. 3:23-cv-00238).

Each Goldco complaint and case is read in full on Goldco complaints, lawsuits and BBB record.

Which has fewer complaints? 72 vs 33 BBB complaints, 4.2 vs 22.1 per 100 reviews#

Goldco has more BBB complaints in number, 72 against Lear's 33, but Lear has far more per review: 22.1 per 100 BBB reviews against Goldco's 4.2 (September 29, 2026). Complaint density is complaints per 100 reviews, so big and small sellers can be compared. The table measures both records several ways.

Table T10: Complaint yardsticks for Goldco and Lear Capital; BBB and Trustpilot read September 29, 2026; Brandwave is a third-party estimate; ratios by SafeOunce.

So the answer depends on the yardstick. Per BBB review, Lear's rate is the highest of the ten sellers SafeOunce tracks, and Goldco's sits fourth. Brandwave, a search-data firm, estimates equal search interest for both, so Goldco draws 2.2 complaints for each one at Lear.

A closed complaint is one the BBB has finished handling, not one resolved in the customer's favor. Arbitration keeps serious disputes out of view: Lear's contract sends them to JAMS, and Goldco's agreement is not public. The BBB's rating overview says 90 of 100 points relate to complaints; reviews are not used.

Trustpilot adds seven 3.5-star reviews to every score, and five-star shares run 89% to 99% across ten sellers. Why star ratings barely separate these firms is covered in BBB, BCA and Trustpilot ratings.

What unhappy customers report: the sale at Goldco, the spread at Lear Capital#

Lear's newer complaints are mostly about the size of the spread at purchase, while Goldco's 2026 complaints are mostly about how long a sale takes. Lear's BBB complaints filed from October 2023 to March 2026 allege spreads of 30% to 38% that were not clearly explained. One customer wrote on January 24, 2026 that "a 7% markup was discussed on multiple occasions", then 30% was charged.

Lear replies that these customers were told on the recorded call and agreed. One reply (December 24, 2024) says the fee "falls within the range that appears on his signed contract". The BBB marks all 33 complaints answered or resolved (October 2, 2026).

Older files on 2014-2020 conduct alleged yes-or-no confirmation calls, low first statements and swaps into platinum. Lear agreed to change them, without admitting wrongdoing.

At Goldco, one-star reviews make up 3% of its 1,790 Trustpilot reviews (September 29, 2026). They repeat four themes: steering to "exclusive" limited-mintage coins, a large first-statement drop, slow callbacks and unmet buyback or promotion promises. These are reviewer statements, not SafeOunce findings.

Lawsuits and settlements: Goldco's TCPA cases vs Lear Capital's $14.25 million#

Lear paid $14.25 million in 2021-2023 to settle three government cases without admitting wrongdoing; Goldco's two class actions were over sales calls and texts. Lear's settlements covered the Los Angeles City Attorney, New York's Attorney General and fee-disclosure claims from at least 42 regulators. A consent decree is a court-approved settlement. Chapter 11 is court-supervised reorganization, and Subchapter V is a faster track for small businesses. The TCPA is the federal law on sales calls and texts (47 U.S.C. 227).

Table T11: Court cases involving Lear Capital and Goldco, with outcomes; searches of September 29 and October 2, 2026.

Lear's plan set up the Customer Fund for refunds on purchases from January 1, 2016 to March 3, 2022. Each customer who filed a claim got back the spread paid minus a hypothetical 12% spread: $8,000 on a $100,000 purchase at 20%, and $11,400 at 23.4%. Every Lear case, with the court documents, is on our Lear Capital complaints, lawsuits and bankruptcy review.

Summerton concerns texts sent after STOP; final approval, the judge's last sign-off, came on March 26, 2026, and any money left "shall be returned to Defendant", meaning Goldco. Judson was a TCPA case whose order SafeOunce has not read. In Wilson, Goldco was the plaintiff, the side that sues, and won injunctions (court orders to stop) against a competitor.

Regulator actions: state and city cases against Lear Capital, none found for Goldco#

Every regulator action against Lear came from states and a city; SafeOunce found no federal action against either company and none of any kind against Goldco. Our searches (September 29, 2026) covered CFTC and SEC releases but not yet all 50 states, so "none found" is limited to them. Lear's three cases sit in our list of precious metals IRA enforcement actions.

DC's Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking announced the multistate settlement on October 19, 2023 (DISB release). It says "Lear Capital urged investors to liquidate their traditional retirement savings and buy precious metals without proper fee disclosures." That is a regulator's statement; Lear neither admitted nor denied the claims.

Website statements vs the rules: purity, old limits and "IRS-approved"#

Both companies' websites contain statements that IRA rules do not support, from purity standards to calling a vault "IRS-approved". Fineness is the share of pure metal in a coin or bar. A nonbank trustee is a firm other than a bank that the IRS lets hold IRA assets. The table checks four statements.

Table T12a: Website statements at Goldco and Lear Capital checked against IRA rules, September 29 to November 6, 2026.

Goldco's .995 line is right for gold bars, but silver needs .999, and platinum and palladium need .9995. The exact gold IRA purity requirements differ by metal.

Both companies get home storage right: in McNulty, the tax court held that IRA coins kept at home count as a taxable distribution. The law, not an IRS approval, decides which coins qualify; our page on IRA-approved precious metals lists them.

Goldco or Lear Capital: Which Company Fits Your Situation?#

Neither company is better for everyone: Lear Capital puts more of its terms in writing, Goldco has no pricing case on its record, and your situation decides between them. The table matches 13 situations to the better fit and the dated fact that decides it.

Which is safer depends on the risk you mean. On written protection, Lear is ahead: a public contract, a 24-hour cancellation window and a stated buyback method. On legal record, Goldco is ahead: no settlement over prices, against Lear's $14.25 million. On complaints per BBB review, Goldco is ahead; on complaint count, Lear is.

Table T12: Verdict by reader situation for Goldco and Lear Capital, from facts checked September 29 to November 6, 2026.

Our ranked list of best gold IRA companies uses the same records, with the spread counted.

Where Goldco and Lear Capital stand in SafeOunce's ratings#

Both ratings are provisional: Goldco has earned 26 of the 42 points checked so far and Lear Capital 19 of 56 (Goldco as of October 2, Lear as of November 6, 2026). A provisional result has no band and no score out of 100 until all 100 points are checked. The table shows points earned of points checked.

Table T13: SafeOunce rating evidence for Goldco and Lear Capital, points earned of points checked, as of October 2, 2026.

The remaining points, 58 for Goldco and 48 for Lear, are not yet checked; 19 at each need the buyer-style written quote test. Gate 3 keeps a company with a settled pricing or disclosure case off SafeOunce's best-of lists for 5 years from the settlement date. Lear's 2021-2023 settlements trigger it; Goldco meets no exclusion gate.

Neither company is on watch, and we name no overall winner until both have a full score. Weights, gates and evidence rules are on how SafeOunce rates gold IRA companies.

What Should You Ask Goldco or Lear Capital Before You Sign?#

Ask both companies the same six questions in writing, on the same day, before any retirement money moves. The six questions are listed below.

1. Ask for the price of each coin and its spread in dollars and in percent.
2. Ask what the company would pay for the same coins tomorrow, and how many business days a sale takes.
3. Ask which custodian fee schedule applies, with its revision date, and for every exit fee.
4. Ask for the cancellation window and the moment it starts.
5. Ask for the purchase agreement by email before the confirmation call.
6. Ask what the bonus or fee reimbursement requires you to buy, and that coin's spread.

All 12 questions are in how to choose a gold IRA company.

Federal law backs the first question. The Telemarketing Sales Rule, 16 CFR 310.3(a)(1)(i), requires a telemarketer to disclose the total cost before you pay. Section 310.6(b)(5) keeps precious metals investment sales under the rule even when you called first.

Put both written quotes, with their dates, side by side in our gold IRA company comparison tool.

SafeOunce takes no money from any company named on this page. Many review pages are paid when you contact a company; see who pays SafeOunce.

How are review sites paid to recommend Goldco or Lear Capital?#

Lear's affiliate contract pays review sites $175 to $225 per qualified lead plus a share of its gross profit, while Goldco's affiliate program does not publish its pay. An affiliate is a site paid for sending customers. Lear's contract (updated August 1, 2025) counts a lead only after "a Lear Capital sales representative" has spoken with you, and excludes New York leads.

The share is not settled: the contract's words say five, six and seven percent, while its figures say 8%, 9% and 10%. Affiliates must tell readers their reviews "are not neutral or independent". Goldco's program, run on the Everflow platform with a 90-day cookie, publishes no amounts (September 29, 2026).

On November 6, 2026, Lear's own pages held 5 of the 9 organic places on Google for "goldco vs lear capital". The only page built for the pair named Goldco the winner with wrong fees for both companies and showed no disclosure in the text we read.

We explain the whole system in are gold IRA reviews paid.

Who endorses Goldco and Lear Capital?#

Goldco's homepage features Sean Hannity, Donald Trump Jr., Lara Trump, Tom Selleck and Dennis Quaid, and Lear's features Judge Andrew P. Napolitano, whom Lear describes as a paid spokesman. Lear's site also announces an endorsement by radio host Glenn Beck (September 29, 2026). Goldco shows a "Money.com 2026 Best Customer Service" award, though Money's editorial list dropped Goldco on May 29, 2026. The CFTC's general warning about ads on "political or religious programming" (release 8881-24) is not an allegation against either company. Who is paid by whom is listed under celebrity gold IRA endorsements.

How do Goldco and Lear Capital compare with other gold IRA companies?#

Each company has its own head-to-head pages against the other large gold IRA sellers. The eight pages are listed below.

• Augusta Precious Metals vs Goldco
• Goldco vs Priority Gold
• Goldco vs American Hartford Gold
• Noble Gold Investments vs Lear Capital
• Lear Capital vs Priority Gold
• Augusta Precious Metals vs Lear Capital
• Birch Gold Group vs Lear Capital
• Goldco vs Birch Gold Group

Who owns Goldco and Lear Capital?#

The BBB names Trevor Gerszt as Goldco's founder and CEO; Kevin DeMeritt founded Lear Capital and owned 100% of Lear Capital, Inc. when it filed Chapter 11. Neither LLC publishes its owners today. JD Koehler is Goldco's president and John Ohanesian is Lear's CEO, per the BBB (September 29, 2026). Goldco's leaders and legal names are in our Goldco review 2026.

Is Lear Capital legitimate?#

Yes: Lear Capital is a real company operating since 1997, but it paid $14.25 million in 2021-2023 to settle fee and markup cases without admitting wrongdoing. Its BBB complaint rate, 22.1 per 100 reviews on September 29, 2026, is the highest of the ten sellers SafeOunce tracks.

It still holds an A+ grade and publishes its contract and spread range. Lear Capital, Inc. emerged from Chapter 11 and operates today as Lear Capital, LLC.

What are the common complaints about Goldco?#

Goldco's complaints center on slow sales and withdrawals in early 2026, alleged early-sale deductions, steering toward premium coins and low first statements. Goldco had 72 BBB complaints in three years as of September 29, 2026; all are customer statements, with Goldco's replies on the BBB page. The full list sits on our Goldco complaints page.

Does Goldco sell physical gold, and does Lear Capital sell silver?#

Yes to both: Goldco sells coins and bars for home delivery as well as for IRAs, and Lear sells gold, silver and platinum coins and bars inside and outside IRAs. Direct sales made up 63.6% of Lear's $146.6 million 2022 revenue and IRAs 36.4%, per its Chapter 11 plan. For an IRA, bars must be at least .995 gold, .999 silver or .9995 platinum (26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3)(B)).

Bought from Lear Capital between 2016 and 2022: can you still get a refund?#

Probably not: refunds came from a fixed $5.5 million fund for purchases from January 2016 to March 2022, and SafeOunce found no open claims process as of September 29, 2026. Contact your state securities regulator. Vermont's alert of June 29, 2023 said it "does not believe that any Vermont investors filed proofs of claim" (Vermont DFR). Whether you can get your money back from a gold IRA company depends on cancellation, arbitration and restitution.

What is the downside of a gold IRA with either company?#

The main downside at both is cost: $225 to $285 a year in account fees, plus a spread that at Lear's 2022 average needs a 37% rise to break even. Gold pays no interest or dividends. Lear's own contract says to keep metals under 20% of available funds and hold them 3 to 5 years, preferably 5 to 10. The general case, with the real downsides of any gold IRA, is on our pros and cons guide.

Can you move from one company to the other later?#

Yes: metals can move between IRA accounts in kind through a trustee-to-trustee transfer, but exit fees apply, and Goldco's $25,000 roll-over minimum may apply, so ask in writing. A transfer has no 60-day clock, no once-per-year limit and no withholding (IRS Publication 590-A). Equity Trust's metals schedule lists $125 per in-kind transfer out and $250 to close. If both accounts sit at Equity Trust, ask it in writing what a move requires. Steps and costs are in switching gold IRA custodians or companies.