GoldStar Trust Review: Precious Metals IRA Fees, Storage Options, Pros and Cons (2026)

GoldStar Trust Company is a real, regulated gold IRA custodian in Amarillo, Texas, owned by Centennial Bank. It has an A+ grade from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and 3 complaints in three years (September 29, 2026). Its shared-storage price of $215 a year is the lowest flat metals price among published custodian schedules on that date. So the real questions are what it costs at your balance, what it costs to leave, and what unhappy customers report.

A gold IRA is an individual retirement account that holds physical metal, such as coins and bars. A custodian is the bank or trust company that legally holds your IRA, pays for your metal and sends your tax forms. GoldStar is one of the gold IRA custodians SafeOunce checks with the same fee, charter and complaint questions.

This GoldStar Trust review covers its owner and regulators, the full 2026 fee schedule and 10-year costs at $50,000 and $250,000. It then covers the $150 exit, four vaults, refused coins, complaints and who GoldStar suits. It covers GoldStar Trust Company (goldstartrust.com), the IRA custodian, not a gold dealer or any other business named Gold Star.

The 13 facts below come from GoldStar's fee schedule and website, SEC filings, the BBB and Trustpilot, each dated.

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

Our GoldStar Trust Verdict: Is It Legit, and Is It Cheap?#

Yes, GoldStar Trust is legitimate: it is a trust company inside Centennial Bank, a Federal Reserve member bank. It is also the cheapest published choice for shared storage, but not for segregated storage above $125,000. The BBB grades GoldStar A+ with 3 complaints in three years, as of September 29, 2026.

Commingled storage means your coins sit with other customers' coins of the same type, and you get back the same type and amount. Segregated storage means your own coins or bars are kept apart and returned as the same pieces. Both types are held for you alone.

With shared storage, GoldStar costs $215 a year at any balance (fee schedule GTC Rev. 01/2026). Segregated storage costs $315 a year up to $125,000 and $540 at $250,000. Equity Trust's metals-only schedule totals $285 a year with segregated storage ($125 account fee + $160 storage) at any balance (FS-0004-05 Rev. 081726, read September 29, 2026).

What should you confirm before you sign? Ask which vault and storage type the dealer picked, and get the exit cost in writing. Being legitimate does not mean GoldStar checks the gold company or its prices: its schedule says it is not your fiduciary.

Who Is GoldStar Trust? Bank Ownership, History and Regulators#

GoldStar Trust Company is a self-directed IRA custodian in Amarillo, Texas, that holds precious metals, church bonds and other alternative assets, and it is part of Centennial Bank. A self-directed IRA is one that can hold assets beyond stocks and funds, such as gold, silver and church bonds. Home BancShares' 10-K calls GoldStar "a limited services trust company" for "assets not generally held by traditional brokerage and investment firms".

Why does the bank matter to you? The bank's charter is what lets GoldStar act as an IRA custodian under the tax code, and a bank regulator supervises it.

Who owns GoldStar Trust Company?#

GoldStar Trust Company is owned by Centennial Bank, whose parent is Home BancShares, Inc. of Conway, Arkansas, a bank holding company that files annual reports with the SEC. The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) is the federal markets regulator. GoldStar's site footer says "a division of Centennial Bank". Its About page says it "operates as a subsidiary of Centennial Bank". The parent's annual report for 2025 names "Centennial Bank and its trust operating subsidiary, GoldStar Trust Company".

All three name the same owner. Home BancShares completed its purchase of Happy Bancshares on April 1, 2022, and Happy State Bank "merged with and into Centennial" (8-K, April 1, 2022).

Centennial Bank and GoldStar together held about $7.46 billion of assets under management and custody on December 31, 2025 (10-K). That figure is not GoldStar's size alone.

How long has GoldStar Trust been in business?#

GoldStar says it began as Colonial Trust Company in Phoenix in 1989 and took the GoldStar name in 2004, when Happy State Bank of Amarillo bought it. The four dates below come from GoldStar's About page and the parent's SEC filing.

The BBB lists "business started" as March 16, 2022. That date falls around the 2022 bank merger, not the brand's 2004 start, and the BBB does not explain it. GoldStar's About page gives two size figures that do not match: "Over $6 billion in assets" and "more than $4.5 billion in assets under custody". It also claims "over 60,000 customers" (read September 29, 2026). SafeOunce has not checked these figures.

Is GoldStar Trust an IRS-approved custodian?#

No IRS list approves GoldStar, and it does not need one: it qualifies as an IRA custodian because it is part of a bank, which 26 U.S.C. 408(a)(2) allows. The tax code also requires IRA bullion to be "in the physical possession of a trustee" (408(m)(3)(B)).

No major metals custodian is on that list, including GoldStar, Equity Trust and STRATA. What the IRS list covers is explained on IRS-approved gold IRA custodians.

What GoldStar does for your IRA, and why it is not your fiduciary#

GoldStar holds the IRA, pays the dealer on your written order, records the metal and sends your tax forms. It does not check the dealer, the coins' price or the buyback price. Its five main duties are listed below.

• Account opening and ID check, under the USA PATRIOT Act (Part 5 of the fee schedule)
• Receipt of transfers, rollovers and contributions into the IRA
• Payment to the dealer when you sign a purchase direction
• Records, statements and IRS Forms 5498 and 1099-R (26 U.S.C. 408(i))
• Distributions, sales and closings, each priced on the fee schedule

A fiduciary is someone legally bound to act in your best interest. GoldStar's schedule, Part 4, says "GoldStar is not a 'fiduciary' with respect to your IRA or ESA under applicable state law." It adds that "GoldStar will not exercise any investment discretion". The SEC's 2011 investor alert says self-directed IRA custodians "generally do not evaluate the quality or legitimacy of any investment".

Why most sellers are not your fiduciary either is explained in our glossary.

GoldStar Trust Fees in 2026: The Full Precious Metals Fee Schedule#

GoldStar's 2026 metals fees are $50 to open, $90 a year, and $125 a year for shared storage or from $225 for segregated storage. These amounts come from GoldStar fee schedule GTC Rev. 01/2026, read September 29, 2026. Buying, selling or exchanging metal costs nothing, so the yearly total is $215 with shared storage.

A fee schedule is the custodian's price list, printed with a revision date. The table lists every precious metals fee on GoldStar's January 2026 schedule.

GoldStar's $90 yearly fee is the lowest account fee among published metals schedules, as of September 29, 2026. At the other end, Madison Trust charges $556 a year (schedule effective January 1, 2026). These gold IRA custodian fees come before storage, and they differ by hundreds of dollars.

Every custodian is compared line by line on gold IRA custodian fees.

Commingled vs segregated storage: the fee that grows above $125,000#

Commingled storage at GoldStar costs a flat $125 a year, while segregated storage costs $225 a year up to $125,000 of metal and 0.18% of the metal's value above that. The schedule prints "$1.80 per $1000 of precious metals value greater than $125,000 (18 basis points)" on the segregated storage line (GTC Rev. 01/2026). A basis point is one hundredth of 1%.

The table shows GoldStar's yearly account and storage cost at four balances (GTC Rev. 01/2026).

Shared storage gets cheaper as a share of your account as it grows. Private storage at GoldStar does not: it stays near 0.2% of value. Over 20 years with fees held flat, segregation costs $2,000 extra below $125,000, but $15,500 extra at $500,000 ($775 a year). What each storage type means for your coins is on segregated vs commingled gold IRA storage.

Ask GoldStar to confirm the segregated charge in writing before you choose it.

Segregated storage is flat at other custodians, such as $160 on Equity Trust's metals-only schedule and $175 at STRATA (September 29, 2026). Every custodian's vault prices are compared on gold IRA storage fees.

Service fees: wires, distributions, Roth conversions and late fees#

GoldStar's service fees run from $0 for a recurring ACH payment to $150 to close the account, and they apply to every IRA on the schedule, including metals IRAs. ACH is an electronic bank transfer, cheaper than a wire. A recharacterization is a change of an IRA contribution from one IRA type to another. The table lists GoldStar's Part 2 service fees (GTC Rev. 01/2026).

Choose electronic statements ($0) and ACH instead of wires ($50) where you can. Paper statements cost $40 a year, and a wire costs $35 more than a one-time ACH payment ($15).

A Roth conversion moves money from a traditional IRA into a Roth gold IRA, and you pay income tax on the amount moved. Converting at GoldStar costs $100 per conversion; the tax side of a Roth gold IRA is explained on its own page.

Billing on your anniversary, not prorated#

GoldStar bills its yearly fees in advance on your account's opening anniversary, and it does not refund part of a year if you close early. The schedule says fees are "billed annually thereafter on the account opening anniversary date. Annual Fees are not prorated." GoldStar's precious metals page says: "Storage fees are assessed annually in the month the depository first received the metals."

Those two GoldStar documents give two different billing dates for storage. Ask GoldStar which date applies to your storage fee.

Closing two weeks after a billing date can cost you a full year. That is $215 with commingled storage, $315 segregated, or $540 segregated at $250,000 (GTC Rev. 01/2026).

A fee change takes effect "on the 30th day after mailing the notice". An account with two or more asset types pays one maintenance fee: the one for "the asset type with the greater fee".

What GoldStar does not charge, and what it earns on your idle cash#

GoldStar charges no fee to buy, sell or exchange metal and prints no minimum balance, but it keeps part of the interest on cash left in your IRA. Its precious metals page says: "GoldStar is not affiliated with any precious metal dealers and receives no compensation from investments made for your account."

The schedule, Part 3, places it at Happy State Bank, a division of Centennial Bank, where the FDIC insures it up to $250,000. The gap between what that bank pays and what your IRA is credited "will be considered GoldStar's compensation for performing such services." No interest is paid for the month you close.

The no-trade-fee rule matters. STRATA charges $75 per purchase or sale, and New Direction Trust Company (NDTCO) charges $130 (September 29, 2026).

Why other GoldStar reviews show different fees#

Most GoldStar reviews that rank on Google were written between 2016 and 2022, so they print fees and ratings that are out of date. The table sets four ranking reviews against the January 2026 schedule and the September 29, 2026 ratings.

None of the four prints the current $150 termination fee, the $75 in-kind fee or the 0.18% segregated charge. Always check the revision label on the schedule: GoldStar's current one reads GTC (Rev. 01/2026).

GoldStar Trust Fees at $50,000 and $250,000: Year 1 and 10 Years#

A $50,000 gold IRA at GoldStar costs $265 in year one and $215 a year after that with commingled storage, or $365 and then $315 with segregated storage. At $250,000 the commingled cost does not change, but segregated storage rises to $540 a year. The table adds up GoldStar's fees for two account sizes, including the cost of closing after 10 years.

The math assumes a flat metal value, one purchase, electronic statements and fees paid from IRA cash. It leaves out the dealer's markup, a separate and usually larger cost. A 1% dealer spread on $100,000 is $1,000, equal to 4.7 years of GoldStar's $215 fee.

These gold IRA fees change with your balance and storage type. Run your own numbers in the gold IRA fee calculator.

GoldStar vs Equity Trust and STRATA: where each one is cheapest#

GoldStar is cheaper than Equity Trust and STRATA for commingled storage, at any balance. For segregated storage, Equity Trust's metals-only schedule is always cheaper, and STRATA is cheaper above $130,556. The table compares yearly account and storage costs on the three custodians' current schedules (September 29, 2026).

Equity Trust fees depend on which of its schedules your account uses. Its dealer and direct schedules are explained on our page about Equity Trust fees.

GoldStar's segregated total never falls below $315, so it is always at least $30 a year above Equity Trust's $285. Against STRATA's $325, it is $10 cheaper up to $125,000 and $215 dearer at $250,000.

GoldStar charges $0 per trade, while STRATA charges $75 per purchase or sale. That matters if you buy every year. STRATA's $75 trade fee is covered in our STRATA Trust review.

What a small, contribution-only gold IRA pays at GoldStar#

A single $8,600 contribution, the 2026 maximum at age 50 or older, pays $265 in first-year fees at GoldStar, which is 3.08% of the account. The $8,600 is the $7,500 IRA limit plus the $1,100 catch-up (IRS Notice 2025-67). The table sets GoldStar against two peers for this small account.

Year 2 shows why buying each year matters. GoldStar charges nothing per purchase, while STRATA's $75 per purchase keeps its cost at $340.

GoldStar Trust Exit Fees: Selling, Taking Coins Out and Termination#

Closing a GoldStar gold IRA costs a $150 full termination fee (GTC Rev. 01/2026). Add $50 for a wire and $10 plus shipping when metal moves. Taking the metal out in kind can add $75; ask GoldStar whether that fee applies to a full exit. Termination means closing the account. In kind means you receive the coins or bars themselves, not cash.

The table prices three ways out of a GoldStar metals IRA on the January 2026 schedule, next to Equity Trust and STRATA.

GoldStar's exit is among the cheaper published ones; Horizon Trust's January 2025 schedule (archived May 2025) lists $500 to close. Gold IRA termination fees are worth checking before you open. Every custodian's exit charges are compared on gold IRA termination fees.

Taking coins out is a distribution. In a traditional IRA, it is taxed as ordinary income at the coins' value on the day it is processed (26 U.S.C. 408(d)), and that value goes on Form 1099-R. Before age 59 1/2, the 10% additional tax applies to coins taken out, not only to cash (26 U.S.C. 72(t)).

A later sale outside the IRA has its own tax rules. How the coins' value is taxed is explained on taxes on taking physical gold out of an IRA.

Taking an RMD from a GoldStar gold IRA: cash or coins#

A $100,000 GoldStar gold IRA owner who turns 73 must take out $3,773.58, and selling metal for that cash costs far less than taking coins. An RMD, or required minimum distribution, is the amount you must withdraw each year from a traditional IRA. The RMD age is 73 if you were born 1951 to 1958, and 75 if born 1960 or later.

Ages, divisors and deadlines are on gold IRA required minimum distributions.

One ounce of gold was priced at $4,144.55 on September 28, 2026 (LBMA Gold Price PM, the London afternoon benchmark). A single 1-ounce coin is worth more than this whole RMD. Taking that coin pays out more than required, and the extra does not count toward next year.

Cash versus coins, step by step, is on gold IRA distributions.

Moving a GoldStar gold IRA to another custodian in kind#

You can move your metal from GoldStar to another custodian without selling it, by a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer that is not taxed and does not count as a rollover. IRS Publication 590-A says a transfer, "either at your request or at the trustee's request, isn't a rollover". The four steps are listed below.

1. Open the new IRA at the receiving custodian.
2. Sign its transfer form, listing each coin and bar to move in kind.
3. Ask GoldStar in writing for the exit cost: $150 termination, plus whether the $75 transfer fee and shipping apply.
4. Check that the depository shows the metal under the new custodian.

Send the request just after an anniversary bill, not just before one, because yearly fees are not prorated. Timelines for switching gold IRA custodians are compared on our switching guide.

GoldStar Trust Storage Options: 4 Depositories and What Each Offers#

GoldStar stores IRA metal at four depositories: the Delaware Depository by default, plus International Depository Services, Texas Precious Metals Depository and A-M Global Logistics. A depository is the private vault that stores IRA metal for the custodian. GoldStar's page says: "Default Depository is DDSC located in Wilmington, Delaware with Commingled Storage." DDSC is the Delaware Depository; IDS, TPMD and AMGL are the short names of the other three.

The table lists GoldStar's four vaults, the storage each offers, who owns each one, its audit and its published insurance.

GoldStar's schedule prints one storage price for all four vaults: $125 commingled, or the segregated formula (GTC Rev. 01/2026).

Segregated silver at GoldStar: which vault can do it#

If you want your own silver coins kept apart, GoldStar's default Delaware vault cannot do it: segregated silver there is limited to 1,000-ounce bars. GoldStar's page says: "Segregated storage is not available for Silver products smaller than 1000 oz. bars." A 1,000-ounce bar weighs about 68.6 pounds (31.1 kilograms).

Ask the dealer to use IDS, TPMD or AMGL instead. All three offer segregated storage for all metals on GoldStar's list, but all three are owned by dealers, so this route puts your silver in a dealer-owned vault.

Silver coins and smaller silver bars therefore stay in shared storage at Delaware under GoldStar's rules. Bar sizes and refiners are listed on IRA-eligible silver bars.

Who picks the depository, and how the metal is insured#

The gold company you buy from usually picks the depository, so ask which vault and which storage type before you sign. GoldStar's page says: "The dealer you buy precious metals from usually determines which depository will be used."

Depository insurance pays the metal's spot value, not the premium you paid, and it has exclusions. The Delaware Depository carries $1 billion of all-risk cover per claim plus $100 million contingent cover, excluding war, terrorism, cyber attacks and government confiscation (its FAQ, September 29, 2026). Its COMEX gold and silver alone were worth about $1.77 billion on September 28, 2026, before any IRA coins, so one total loss could exceed that limit.

Gold.com, which owns AMGL, reports a shared group program of $50 million primary cover with excess layers to $500 million across its sites (10-K, fiscal 2026). The filing does not say how much of it covers customer IRA metal.

The FDIC never covers the metal itself. Limits and exclusions vault by vault are on how gold IRA storage is insured.

Which Precious Metals GoldStar Trust Accepts, and Which It Refuses#

GoldStar accepts gold of at least .9950 fineness, silver of .9990, and platinum and palladium of .9995, from accredited refiners or national mints, plus American Eagle coins. Fineness is the share of pure metal, so .9950 means 99.5% pure. The four accepted groups are listed below (allowable metals page, read September 29, 2026).

• Gold coins, such as the American Eagle, Maple Leaf, Philharmonic, Kangaroo, Panda, Britannia (2013 and newer) and Buffalo bullion.
• Silver coins, such as the American Eagle, Maple Leaf, Britannia (2013 and newer), Libertad and America the Beautiful.
• Platinum coins, such as the American Eagle, Koala and Maple Leaf.
• Bars and rounds from refiners accredited by NYMEX, COMEX, NYSE/Liffe, LME, LBMA, LPPM, TOCOM or ISO 9000, or a national government mint.

A graded coin is a coin sealed in a plastic holder with a grade from a grading service. The five refused groups are listed below.

• "Rare or collectible coins, including certified or 'graded' coins"
• "U.S. Buffalo Proof"
• "U.S. Liberty"
• "South African Krugerrand" and the Mexican 50 Peso
• "British Britannia (pre-2013)" and old European gold coins, such as francs, lira, guilders and korona

The statute behind these lists explains which precious metals the tax code allows. GoldStar's refiner list is custodian policy, not tax law.

Proof American Eagles pass only if "ungraded, complete with certificate of authenticity and in original mint packaging". GoldStar does not say why it refuses the proof Buffalo. One difference: the Eagle is named in the tax code (26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3)(A)), while the Buffalo qualifies only as bullion under 408(m)(3)(B).

GoldStar lists "U.S. Liberty" as unacceptable without saying which coin it means. Ask before buying any Liberty coin.

Why custodians refuse slabs is covered in proof and graded coins in an IRA.

GoldStar Trust Complaints and Reviews: BBB, Trustpilot and Court Records#

GoldStar's record shows an A+ BBB grade with 3 complaints in three years and a 4.2 Trustpilot score from 804 reviews (September 29, 2026). SafeOunce found no customer lawsuit or regulator action on that date. The table sums up the GoldStar Trust complaints and reviews record, with the date and source of each line.

BBB and Trustpilot numbers, and their limits#

GoldStar has an A+ from the BBB with 3 closed complaints in three years, and a 4.2 on Trustpilot from 804 reviews, as of September 29, 2026. The table sets GoldStar next to the two peers it is most often compared with.

A BBB grade mostly measures complaint handling: 90 of its 100 positive points relate to complaints, and reviews are not used (BBB rating overview). Accreditation is a paid membership. Trustpilot marks GoldStar's profile "No recent history of asking for reviews" and shows replies to all negative reviews, typically within a week.

What these scores can and cannot tell you is explained in BBB, BCA and Trustpilot ratings.

What unhappy GoldStar customers report: slow exits and fees#

Fifteen of GoldStar's latest 20 one-star Trustpilot reviews are about getting money out: slow sales, transfers or withdrawals, or fees. The main topics, counted by SafeOunce on September 29, 2026, are listed below. A review can touch more than one topic, and all are reviewer statements, not checked facts.

• Slow sales, transfers and withdrawals. One reviewer, on June 25, 2024, reports seven months to liquidate an account.
• Fees, mostly at exit.
• Service and phone replies, and account errors.
• Forced liquidation. A reviewer, on August 26, 2024, reports metals sold to pay more than $2,500 in fees.

The same count is 64% at Equity Trust (22 reviews) and 74% at STRATA (19 reviews). Slow exits are an industry pattern, not only a GoldStar one.

Each pattern has a simple defense. Ask for the sale-and-wire timeline in business days, in writing. Get a written exit quote. Keep one year of fees as cash, so metal is never sold to pay fees, and pay bills before the $50 late fee applies after 30 days.

Lawsuits and regulator actions#

SafeOunce found no lawsuit by a precious metals IRA customer and no SEC, CFTC or state regulator action against GoldStar Trust in searches on September 29, 2026.

The one federal case found names GoldStar as plaintiff, acting as trustee for church bondholders. It is GoldStar Trust Company v. The Apostolic Church of New York, Inc., E.D.N.Y. No. 1:25-cv-05396, filed September 25, 2025, a foreclosure case, according to the Justia docket listing. It concerns church bonds, not metals IRAs.

Rosland Capital's 2026 bankruptcy filing names GoldStar as one of two custodians its IRA customers used (Bankr. C.D. Cal. No. 2:26-bk-16650-BB, declaration of July 2, 2026). The filing does not accuse GoldStar of wrongdoing. What Rosland customers can do is on Rosland Capital bankruptcy.

How to report a problem with GoldStar Trust#

Complain to GoldStar in writing first, then to the bank regulators if it is not fixed. The three steps are listed below.

1. Write to GoldStar at 701 S Taylor, LB 110, Amarillo, TX 79101, or call (800) 486-6888, and keep copies.
2. Contact the regulator GoldStar's complaint page names if the problem stays unresolved: the Texas Department of Banking, 1-877-276-5554, consumer.complaints@dob.texas.gov.
3. Send the same complaint to the Arkansas State Bank Department and the Federal Reserve Board, which the parent's 10-K names as Centennial Bank's supervisors.

GoldStar's complaint page still describes the Texas Department of Banking as the regulator of "Happy State Bank". Happy State Bank merged into Centennial Bank, an Arkansas state bank, on April 1, 2022. The two sources name different regulators, so sending to both is the safe choice.

Which agency handles which problem is explained on how to report a gold IRA company.

Is Your Gold IRA Safe at GoldStar Trust? FDIC, Bank Ownership and Custodian Failure#

Your metal at GoldStar sits in an outside vault, held for your IRA and kept apart from the bank's own assets, but it is not FDIC-insured. Only uninvested cash is, up to $250,000. The FDIC is the federal insurer of bank deposits; it covers cash, never coins.

Three protections do exist. The tax code keeps IRA assets apart from the custodian's property (26 U.S.C. 408(a)(5)), and the vault lists your holdings in the IRA's name. The Federal Reserve Board and the Arkansas State Bank Department also supervise Centennial. FDIC insurance, SIPC coverage and the BBB grade do not protect the metal.

Accounts usually move to a successor when a custodian is sold or quits, and the metal stays in the vault. Kingdom Trust's accounts moved to Digital Trust on January 24, 2024, and Midland's to Equity Trust on July 15, 2024. Keep your own copies of statements and the holdings list.

What if the vault itself fails? The Delaware Depository, GoldStar's default, told the SEC in a 2016 letter that customer bullion stays out of its bankruptcy estate. Even then, expect delay and cost before your metal moves.

What happens to your metal if your custodian quits, is sold or fails is on our custodian failure guide.

Download Your GoldStar Statements Before the October 2026 Portal Change#

GoldStar is moving clients to a new online portal in October 2026, and statements and tax forms created before then will not carry over, so download them now. Its homepage says: "Documents generated prior to October 2026 will not be available in the New Client Portal" (read September 29, 2026). The three actions are listed below.

1. Download every year-end statement and each Form 5498 and Form 1099-R.
2. Save the holdings list that names each coin and bar.
3. Note your account number and the depository name.

These papers help document the value of an in-kind distribution and your Roth history, and they show that every coin you paid for is in the vault.

Why a gold IRA statement shows less than you paid is explained on our statement guide.

How to Open a GoldStar Gold IRA in 5 Steps#

You open a GoldStar gold IRA in 5 steps, usually through the gold company you buy from, and GoldStar's schedule prints no minimum balance. The steps are listed below.

1. Choose the dealer, and ask which custodian, vault and storage type it uses.
2. Complete GoldStar's application with ID, for the USA PATRIOT Act check.
3. Move money by a direct transfer or a rollover; the $50 setup fee is due at opening.
4. Sign the purchase direction for each coin or bar, and GoldStar pays the dealer.
5. Check that the vault's holdings list matches your invoice.

How much money do you need to start a gold IRA at GoldStar? The January 2026 schedule prints no minimum. Its flat fees make balances under about $20,000 expensive, at roughly 1% to 3% a year. What each step costs at other firms is on how to open a gold IRA.

Step 3 matters most for taxes: a transfer moves money straight from your old custodian to GoldStar, so you never hold the check.

A gold IRA transfer between custodians has no 60-day clock and no once-a-year limit.

GoldStar also lists SIMPLE IRAs, which carry one trap. Within 2 years of your first SIMPLE participation, a withdrawal before age 59 1/2 carries a 25% additional tax, not 10% (26 U.S.C. 72(t)(6)), and the money may roll only into another SIMPLE IRA (408(d)(3)(G)). Use a transfer to a self-directed SIMPLE IRA in that window.

GoldStar Trust Pros and Cons#

GoldStar's strengths are low flat fees, no trading fees and bank ownership; its weaknesses are segregated storage that rises with value, slow exits reported by customers, and billing without refunds. The table sets six pros against six cons (September 29, 2026). Which side weighs more for you depends on your storage type and balance.

Who GoldStar Trust Suits, and Who Should Pick Another Custodian#

GoldStar suits a buyer who is happy with commingled storage at any balance, or segregated storage under about $130,000, and who buys or sells often. Buyers who want segregated storage on larger balances pay less on Equity Trust's metals-only schedule, if their account uses it. The table matches eight reader situations to the better fit, on schedules read September 29, 2026.

You should ask GoldStar and your dealer five questions before you sign. They are listed below.

1. Ask which depository and storage type the dealer chose.
2. Ask for GoldStar's written exit quote for your route.
3. Ask which date your storage fee is billed on.
4. Ask how many business days a sale and wire take.
5. Ask whether your segregated fee uses the 0.18% above $125,000.

Should you avoid GoldStar if you may leave soon? Its exit is cheap, but fees are not prorated, so leaving right after a billing date wastes a full year of fees, $215 to $540.

The best gold IRA custodians for you depend on storage type and balance, as the table shows. Rankings by total cost are on best gold IRA custodians.

How Does GoldStar Trust Compare With Other Gold IRA Custodians?#

GoldStar is one of three metals custodians that gold companies often use, next to Equity Trust and STRATA, and it is the cheapest of the three for shared storage. Which company is best for a gold IRA depends on the dealer's prices more than on the custodian. SafeOunce tracks 21 custodians, and the hub page shows every gold IRA custodian compared by fees, charter and exit cost.

GoldStar Trust vs Equity Trust#

GoldStar is $20 a year cheaper than Equity Trust's metals-only schedule for commingled storage, and Equity Trust is cheaper for segregated storage (September 29, 2026). Equity Trust also requires individual arbitration unless you opt out within 65 days of opening (Clark v. Equity Trust, D.N.M., October 29, 2024). It had 139 BBB complaints in three years against GoldStar's 3. The arbitration opt-out is covered in our Equity Trust review.

GoldStar Trust vs STRATA Trust#

GoldStar costs $50 a year less than STRATA for commingled storage and charges nothing per trade, against STRATA's $75 (September 29, 2026). STRATA's flat segregated price wins on larger balances. Every STRATA line item is on our page about STRATA Trust fees.

Which gold IRA companies use GoldStar Trust?#

Birch Gold Group names GoldStar as one of the two custodians it uses most. Its FAQ says: "We most frequently use Equity Trust Company and Goldstar Trust Company" (read September 29, 2026). Dealers such as Blanchard ("longstanding relationship"), Texas Precious Metals and Pacific Precious Metals list GoldStar too (read September 29, 2026), as did American Gold Exchange (archived page, February 16, 2025). GoldStar says it is not affiliated with any dealer. Company reviews: Birch Gold Group review; Blanchard and Company review; Texas Precious Metals review; Pacific Precious Metals review; American Gold Exchange review.

Does GoldStar Trust sell gold or recommend coins?#

No: GoldStar is a directed custodian that holds what you buy from a dealer, and its site says it "does not provide tax, legal or investment advice". A directed custodian acts only on your signed instructions. You choose the dealer, the coins and the price.

Can you keep GoldStar IRA gold at home?#

No: GoldStar's page says "IRA assets must remain in the custody of the IRA custodian until distribution", and the Tax Court treated home-stored IRA coins as distributed. That case is McNulty v. Commissioner, 157 T.C. No. 10 (2021). The court case is covered on home storage gold IRA.

Is GoldStar Trust related to other "Gold Star" companies?#

No: searches for "gold star" also return unrelated results, such as airline "Star Alliance Gold" status. GoldStar Trust Company is the IRA custodian at 701 S Taylor in Amarillo, Texas. Check the full name and address before you sign any form.

What is the downside of a gold IRA at GoldStar Trust?#

The main downside is total cost: $215 to $540 a year in GoldStar fees, plus a usually larger dealer markup. Gold also pays no interest or dividends. Those fees come from GTC Rev. 01/2026 at balances up to $250,000. The general case is on gold IRA pros and cons.