SafeOunce's editorial policy is 10 rules: no company can pay for or approve our pages, every fact comes from a primary source, and every mistake is corrected in public. An editorial policy is the set of rules a publisher follows when it decides what to write and how. Where do our numbers come from, and what happens when one is wrong?
A gold IRA decision can cost you tens of thousands of dollars. On a $100,000 purchase, Lear Capital's own stated 2022 average spread of 23.4% comes to $23,400. A spread is the gap between your price and the metal's value.
Yet only 5 of the 43 ranking gold IRA pages we checked on September 29, 2026 link to a primary source. A primary source is the original document, such as the IRS notice or the court order itself, not an article about it.
This page gives the 10 rules, starting with who writes our pages and the 5 rules that keep them independent. Then come the line between information and advice, the 4-step source order, the 6 writing standards and the recheck schedule. It ends with how corrections work and 6 questions you can use to check any gold IRA website, this one included.
The table below lists all 10 rules and how you can check each one yourself.
| # | Rule | How you can check it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No company can pay for coverage, a rating or a place on a list | Ratings follow the published method; who pays SafeOunce is set out on the advertiser disclosure |
| 2 | No company sees, edits or approves a page before it is published | No page carries a company's edits; a change prompted by a company's document is dated and logged |
| 3 | No payment, request or threat removes a verified finding | Findings change only when a document proves them wrong, and the change is logged |
| 4 | Negative findings get the same care as positive ones | Complaints, lawsuits and contract terms carry the same dates and sources as fees and awards |
| 5 | Companies appear on rule, fee and tax pages only as dated sources of a number, never as recommendations | Every company number names the company, the document and the date |
| 6 | General information only: no personal advice, no price forecasts | No page says what you personally should buy or where gold is going |
| 7 | Facts come from primary sources, named in the text | Links go to irs.gov, the U.S. Code, eCFR, courts, the CFTC, SEC, FTC, state regulators and company documents |
| 8 | Every value that changes carries its date, and metal prices name their price series | "As of September 29, 2026"; "LBMA PM price" |
| 9 | Allegations stay allegations until a court or regulator decides | Case numbers and status words (pending, settled, sanctioned, closed) on every case |
| 10 | Mistakes are fixed, dated and listed in a public corrections log | The corrections log and the dated note on the page |
What Is SafeOunce's Editorial Policy?#
SafeOunce's editorial policy is the set of rules we follow when we decide what to publish about precious metals IRAs, which sources to trust, and how to fix errors. The policy applies to every page on the site: every article, table, rating and calculator text, with no page exempt.
A rating is SafeOunce's 0-100 score for a gold IRA company. SafeOunce rates gold IRA companies under this policy too, and those ratings follow one more set of rules. That extra set is published in full in how SafeOunce rates gold IRA companies.
The 10 rules follow the page title: rules 1 to 6 cover independence and advice, 7 to 9 cover sources, and 10 covers corrections.
This page changes whenever a rule changes. The "Reviewed" date at the top shows the day the whole policy was last checked.
Who writes and publishes SafeOunce pages?#
Every SafeOunce page is written and published by the SafeOunce Editorial Team, and we do not show personal titles or credentials. A byline is the line that says who wrote a page. Ours reads "SafeOunce Editorial Team" on every page, with no individual names. We never imply that an expert wrote or checked a page.
Why no named expert? Letters after a name can be invented, and you cannot check them from a web page. On September 29, 2026, the top-ranked page for "free gold ira kit" showed an author with CFP and ChFC letters and a former Vanguard title. CFP stands for Certified Financial Planner, a financial-planning certification. That lead-generation page showed no registration you could verify.
So we ask you to check sources, not titles. Every fact links to its source, and a link to the IRS notice or the court order takes one click to check.
You may also want to know more about SafeOunce itself. Who runs the site and why it exists is on about SafeOunce.
What does SafeOunce cover in precious metals IRAs, and what does it leave out?#
SafeOunce covers holding physical gold, silver, platinum and palladium in US retirement accounts, and leaves out crypto, real estate IRAs, price forecasts and personal advice. A self-directed IRA is an IRA where you can choose assets that big brokers do not offer, such as physical metal. We cover self-directed IRAs only from the metals angle.
The 2 columns below show the borders of our coverage, as set on September 29, 2026.
| Covered | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Gold, silver, platinum and palladium in IRAs and other US retirement plans | Crypto IRAs |
| Rollovers from 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), TSP and pension plans | Real estate and other self-directed IRA investments (loans, private placements, business ownership) |
| IRS rules and taxes | Price forecasts |
| Fees | Personal advice |
| Companies, custodians, depositories and IRA-eligible products | Coin collecting and jewelry |
| Scams, enforcement and how metals have behaved for retirement savers | Non-US accounts (RRSP, SIPP, SMSF) and spot-price tickers |
Everything in the left column belongs to one subject: the precious metals IRA. If you are new to the topic, start with the precious metals IRA guide.
How Does SafeOunce Stay Independent? 5 Rules#
SafeOunce stays independent by never letting a company pay for, approve, edit or buy changes to what we publish. The 5 independence rules are listed below, in the same order as rows 1 to 5 of the table above.
- No payment for coverage: no company can pay for a review, a rating or a place on a list. Ratings come only from the published method.
- No approval before publishing: no company sees, edits or approves a page before it goes live.
- No paid removals: a verified finding changes only when a document shows it is wrong, and the change is logged.
- Negatives get the same care as positives: complaints, lawsuits and contract terms are sourced and dated like fees and awards.
- Companies as sources, not recommendations: on rule, fee and tax pages, a company appears only as the dated source of a number, such as a fee.
Two common ways a website gets paid are affiliate links and leads. An affiliate link is a link that pays a website when you contact or buy from a company. A lead is your name and phone number, passed to a salesperson.
The full answer to who pays SafeOunce, and how that would be shown if it ever changes, is in our advertiser disclosure.
Can a gold IRA company pay SafeOunce to change or remove a review?#
No: a gold IRA company cannot pay SafeOunce to change, soften or remove a review, and only a document that proves a finding wrong can change it. Federal rules take the same line. The FTC's Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR 255.4(b), Example 3 (eCFR version of September 1, 2026), call rankings that payments decide deceptive. They add: "A disclosure that the website operator receives payments ... would be inadequate because the payments actually determine the ... relative rankings."
Gold IRA companies get one route to change a finding: a document that proves it wrong, such as a newer contract, a court order or a corrected fee schedule. We check it, date it and log the change. The same rule covers every one of the gold IRA companies SafeOunce reviews, including those that failed.
Do companies see SafeOunce pages before they are published?#
No: companies never see a SafeOunce page before it is published, but any company can send documents afterwards, and we check every one we receive. No company gets a preview, a draft or a veto.
SafeOunce asks each rated company in writing for its customer agreement and a written price quote. A customer agreement is the contract you sign with the dealer. The details of that request, and the deadline for replies, are on the methodology page.
A company can send documents at any time after a page goes live. We check every document a company sends and update the page if it proves a point. A phone call, a complaint about tone or a request without a document changes nothing.
Which contract terms would SafeOunce never sign?#
SafeOunce will not sign any agreement that stops us from calling ourselves independent, gives a company a say over our reviews, or limits what we can publish about it. Affiliate terms are the contract a website signs to be paid for sending customers. The 4 terms we treat as red lines are listed below.
- Independence gags: any term that forbids SafeOunce to call itself independent.
- Approval rights: any say over reviews, ratings or wording.
- Naming limits: any term that limits what we may write about a company, including negative facts from public records.
- Product-based pay: pay that depends on which products a reader buys.
Lear Capital's affiliate terms were last updated August 1, 2025 (read September 29, 2026). An affiliate may not "Claim or imply that You, Your site, or any content (including reviews and recommendations) are neutral or independent." The terms' sample disclosure says such reviews "are not neutral or independent."
Is SafeOunce Financial Advice? What a Publisher Does and Does Not Do#
No: SafeOunce publishes general information about precious metals IRAs for everyone who reads it, and never tells you what you personally should buy, sell or move. The table below shows what that means in practice.
| What SafeOunce does | What SafeOunce does not do |
|---|---|
| Explains IRS rules with citations | Tell you whether to open a gold IRA |
| Shows costs in dollars with worked examples | Look at your accounts, quotes or tax return |
| Rates companies from documents | Sell metal, open accounts or hold money |
| Reports court and regulator records | Call, email or text you to sell anything |
| Shows how metals have behaved in the past, with dates | Forecast prices |
An investment adviser is a person or firm paid to give investment advice, usually registered with the SEC or a state. The Investment Advisers Act, 15 U.S.C. 80b-2(a)(11)(D), leaves out of that definition "the publisher of any bona fide newspaper, news magazine or business or financial publication of general and regular circulation." Physical bullion is not listed as a security in 80b-2(a)(18).
In Lowe v. SEC, 472 U.S. 181, decided June 10, 1985, the Supreme Court said a bona fide publication would "contain disinterested commentary and analysis as opposed to promotional material." The newsletters in that case did "not offer individualized advice attuned to any specific portfolio or to any client's particular needs."
Commodity law has a similar exclusion for publishers of general information from the term commodity trading advisor, its version of an adviser (7 U.S.C. 1a(12)(B)(iv)). It applies "only if" the publishing "is solely incidental to the conduct of their business or profession" (1a(12)(C)).
A fiduciary is someone legally bound to act in your best interest. Personal advice comes from a fee-only fiduciary adviser, from a CPA or tax attorney for your own taxes, and from your custodian for your own account.
Does SafeOunce predict gold prices?#
No: SafeOunce never predicts where gold, silver, platinum or palladium prices are going, and never says a metal will rise. We show dated history instead. The LBMA PM price is the afternoon gold benchmark price set in London each business day.
On the LBMA PM price, gold fell 26.1% peak to trough in 2026. It went from its record of $5,405.00 on January 29 to $3,993.55 on July 16. Forecasts by others, such as a metals consultancy's supply-deficit forecast, appear only as dated, attributed forecasts, never as facts.
Where Do SafeOunce's Facts Come From? The 4-Step Source Order#
Every fact on SafeOunce is compiled from primary sources, such as IRS notices, the U.S. Code, court orders and company contracts, and when they differ, a fixed order decides. The 4 steps of that source order are listed below, highest first.
- The law and the regulator: the statute, the regulation, IRS guidance, a court order or a regulator's order, newest version first.
- The company's own current documents: its contract, fee schedule or website page, attributed and dated ("according to [Company]'s FAQ, read September 29, 2026").
- Other official records: older official versions, bankruptcy filings and BBB complaint texts, each used with its date.
- Everything else: news reports, other websites and rankings, used only to find a record to check, never printed as fact.
A statute is a law passed by Congress, such as 26 U.S.C. 408. A regulation is a rule an agency writes to carry out a law. Regulations are published in the eCFR, the official online Code of Federal Regulations.
"Compiled from primary sources" means a news story about an IRS notice points us to the notice, and the notice is what we cite. What if the IRS itself says two different things? The sections below show the order at work.
Which primary sources does SafeOunce use?#
SafeOunce uses 8 kinds of primary sources, from the IRS and the U.S. Code to company contracts and BBB complaint records. The table below lists each one, what we use it for and an example.
| Source | What we use it for | Example on SafeOunce |
|---|---|---|
| IRS (publications, notices, forms, FAQs) | Contribution limits, rollover and distribution rules | The 2026 IRA limit of $7,500, or $8,600 at age 50 and over, from IRS Notice 2025-67 |
| U.S. Code (via law.cornell.edu) | The law itself | 26 U.S.C. 408(m) on which metals an IRA may hold |
| eCFR | Federal regulations | The IRA revocation right of at least 7 days in 26 CFR 1.408-6; the FTC's review rules |
| U.S. Tax Court and other federal courts | How the rules are applied | McNulty v. Commissioner, 157 T.C. No. 10 (2021), on home storage |
| CFTC, SEC and FTC | Enforcement orders and consumer warnings | Consent orders against metals sellers, with amounts and dates |
| State regulators and attorneys general | Settlements and orders | State settlements with metals sellers, with dates |
| Company contracts, fee schedules and FAQs | Prices, fees, minimums, cancellation terms (always dated) | A minimum quoted from a company's FAQ, with the date we read it |
| BBB | Complaint texts and business details | What a customer complained about, and when (never the letter grade as proof of quality) |
Each kind of source has a job. IRS pages give the rule, courts show how the rule is applied, and company documents show what a company charges. The IRS Retirement Plan Investments FAQs are a typical example of the pages we cite.
What happens when two official sources disagree?#
When two official sources disagree, SafeOunce uses the document that actually sets the rule or price, prints its date, and explains the other number. Two dated examples follow.
The IRS disagrees with itself on one fee. A private letter ruling is a written IRS answer to one taxpayer's request. The user fee for a ruling that waives the 60-day rollover deadline is $3,500 under Rev. Proc. 2026-4, effective January 1, 2026.
A revenue procedure is an official IRS document that sets procedures and fees. IRS Publication 590-A (2025 edition) prints $18,500, which is the fee line for all other letter rulings. An IRS FAQ page (last reviewed July 20, 2026) still says $10,000, an outdated fee. SafeOunce prints $3,500, because the revenue procedure sets the fee. Self-certification under Rev. Proc. 2020-46 costs $0.
The second example is not two official sources: it sets a company's own page (step 2) against another website (step 4). Goldco's FAQ (SafeOunce earns nothing from this link.) says "we generally require that you have at least $25,000 available to roll over into a gold IRA" (read September 29, 2026). A review site last modified January 14, 2026 still shows $10,000. SafeOunce prints $25,000 from the company's own page, with its date.
In both cases the losing number is explained, never hidden.
How does SafeOunce handle company claims and single-source figures?#
A number that only a company states is printed with the company's name and the date we read it, and a number nobody can document is left out. The 3 rules for company claims are listed below.
- Single-source figures: a figure only the company states is attributed and dated.
- Undocumented figures: a figure no document confirms is left out, however often other sites repeat it.
- Company claims: a claim never becomes a finding, so a "buyback guarantee" stays in the company's own words, in quotes.
The spread figure from the introduction shows why exact wording matters. Lear Capital's 23.4% is Lear's own 2022 average spread, with a maximum of 33%.
Lear stated it in its Chapter 11 plan, the court-filed plan a company in bankruptcy proposes to pay its creditors (Doc 694, June 5, 2023). The 23.4% is not sworn testimony, not a court finding and not an industry average.
Which sources never count as fact?#
Rankings, star ratings, press releases, forum posts, sales calls and forecasts never count as fact on SafeOunce, although they can point us to a record worth checking. The 6 kinds of source that never count as fact are listed below.
- Rankings and "best" lists from other websites.
- Star averages and BBB letter grades, used as proof of quality.
- Press releases and paid articles.
- Forum posts.
- Sales calls and "free kit" materials, unless the claim is also in a document the company stands behind.
- Forecasts, which appear only as dated, attributed forecasts.
Any of these can point us to a record, such as a court docket or a contract. The record is what gets printed.
How Does SafeOunce Write Numbers, Dates and Legal Rules? 6 Standards#
SafeOunce writes every number and rule to 6 standards: date it, name its price series, quote the law then explain it, show the math, label estimates, and use plain English. The 6 standards are listed below.
- Date every value that changes. Fees, minimums, prices, ratings and complaint counts carry their date, such as "as of September 29, 2026."
- Name the price series. A price series is the benchmark a price comes from, such as the LBMA PM price or a futures price. The January 29, 2026 gold record is $5,405.00 on the LBMA PM price and $5,501.70 on the LBMA AM price. It is $5,586.20 intraday (during trading, not at the close) on COMEX futures. A price without its series can be off by nearly $200.
- Quote the law, then say it in plain English. A short quote from the statute, regulation or court comes first, then "In plain English:". This covers all gold IRA rules we explain, on every page of gold IRA rules, from contribution limits to home storage.
- Show the math. Every computed number states its inputs, so you can redo it: the gap above is $5,586.20 minus $5,405.00, or $181.20.
- Use compound returns and label estimates. A compound annual return is the steady yearly rate that turns the starting value into the ending value. Gold returned 9.0% a year from 1971 to 2025, or 5.0% after inflation (LBMA PM year-end prices). We never print a simple average as a return. Any estimate carries the label "SafeOunce estimate" with its basis.
- Write for any reader. The plain answer comes first, in short sentences, with every term explained, at about a 9th-grade reading level.
Why does SafeOunce say "IRA-eligible" instead of "IRS-approved"?#
SafeOunce writes "IRA-eligible" because the IRS approves no coin, bar, dealer or vault, and "IRS-approved" makes a sales claim sound like a government check. The IRS Retirement Plan Investments FAQs say "there is no list of approved investments for retirement plans." IRA-eligible means allowed in an IRA by the tax code, under 26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3).
The only IRS approval list covers nonbank trustees, companies the IRS allows to hold IRAs although they are not banks. That nonbank trustee list had 73 entities as of April 1, 2026.
The table below shows 5 sales words we avoid, the dated evidence, and what we write instead.
| Word we do not use | Why not (dated evidence) | What we write instead |
|---|---|---|
| "IRS-approved" | IRS: "there is no list of approved investments for retirement plans" (FAQ, read September 29, 2026) | "IRA-eligible under 26 U.S.C. 408(m)(3)" |
| "Guaranteed buyback" | Augusta Precious Metals' own FAQ (last updated September 23, 2026): Augusta "cannot legally guarantee it will purchase or trade metals you own, or repurchase metals it sells" | The company's buyback terms, quoted and dated |
| "No fees" or "fees for life" | U.S. Money Reserve's "fees for life" offer covers up to $300 a year of setup, annual and non-segregated storage fees. It is for first-time customers, is valid 30 days, and requires a $200,000 rollover (from April 1, 2026), at least 60% proof coins and an Equity Trust account (company page, read September 29, 2026) | The fee, the conditions and the date |
| "Tax-free" for a traditional gold IRA | Traditional IRA withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income; only qualified Roth withdrawals are tax-free (IRS Publication 590-B) | "Tax-deferred" for traditional IRAs |
| "Safe haven" or "risk-free" | Gold fell 26.1% peak to trough, from $5,405.00 (January 29, 2026) to $3,993.55 (July 16, 2026), on the LBMA PM price | The dated price history |
Company website links in this table: SafeOunce earns nothing from these links.
A proof coin is a specially struck collector version of a coin, sold at a higher price.
In the phrase "IRA-approved precious metals", "approved" means only "allowed by the tax code." Which gold, silver, platinum and palladium the tax code allows is on IRA-approved precious metals.
How does SafeOunce write about lawsuits, enforcement actions and failed companies?#
SafeOunce calls a charge an allegation until a court or regulator decides it, and names the case number, the date and the exact status, such as "liquidating Chapter 11." An allegation is a claim not yet proven. The table below shows the words we use at each stage of a case, with a dated example.
| Stage of a case | Words we use | Dated example |
|---|---|---|
| Complaint filed, case pending | "alleges", "the case is pending", "allegations not proven" | CFTC and 30 states v. TMTE (Metals.com), N.D. Tex. 3:20-cv-02910-X: pending, civil trial set for March 1, 2027 |
| Settled without admission | "settled", "no admission" | Lear Capital: $6 million New York Attorney General consent decree (filed on or about December 30, 2021, announced January 3, 2022) and $2.75 million Los Angeles City Attorney settlement (December 30, 2021), plus a $5.5 million bankruptcy customer pool; $14.25 million in total, no admission |
| Consent order or final judgment | "ordered", "sanctioned", with the amount | Red Rock Secured: charged May 15, 2023; CFTC consent order April 23, 2024, $56,334,313.90 in total |
| Bankruptcy or closure | The exact chapter and date | Rosland Capital: liquidating Chapter 11 filed July 2, 2026, case 2:26-bk-16650-BB |
These 4 examples come from a longer record of enforcement actions against metals sellers. Every case since 2008 is listed in gold IRA enforcement actions.
A consent order is a court or regulator order the company agrees to, often without admitting wrongdoing. A liquidating Chapter 11 is a bankruptcy in which the company sells what it has and closes.
Tense matters too. Lear Capital's bankruptcy plan was confirmed on June 12, 2023, and Lear is operating today, so we never call it bankrupt. Rosland's case is never called Chapter 7.
Four status words (failed, closed, renamed and sanctioned) always come with a case number or a date. The SEC said on May 7, 2024, for example, that Red Rock Secured "now operates under the name American Coin Co." What happened to customers of each of these failed companies is on failed gold IRA companies.
How Often Are SafeOunce Pages Checked? Prices, Fees, Ratings and IRS Limits#
SafeOunce rechecks prices, fees, minimums and ratings when a page is published and then at least every quarter, and updates IRS limits when the IRS publishes each year's notice. Quarterly means every three months. An IRS notice is the yearly IRS document that announces new limits, such as IRS Notice 2025-67 for 2026.
The table below shows what changes, when we recheck it and what you see on the page.
| What changes | When we recheck it | What you see on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Metal prices, premiums, fees, minimums, promotions | At publish, then at least quarterly | The "as of" date in the sentence |
| Company ratings and complaint counts | At publish, then at least quarterly; status events, such as a bankruptcy, sooner | The score date and the method version |
| Contracts | Each new version, and at least quarterly | The version date of the contract we read |
| IRS limits and rules | When the IRS publishes each year's notice | The tax year and the notice number |
| This policy | Whenever it changes | The "Reviewed" date |
The 2027 IRA limits are not announced as of September 29, 2026 and are expected in October or November 2026. Until then, our gold IRA contribution limits stay at the 2026 values. The 2027 numbers go onto gold IRA contribution limits the day the IRS notice is out.
The "Reviewed" date in each byline is the date the whole page was last checked against its sources, even if nothing changed. A fact that was wrong also gets a correction note. Rating updates follow their own schedule on the methodology page.
How Does SafeOunce Correct Mistakes?#
When SafeOunce gets a fact wrong, we fix it on the page, add a dated note that says what changed, and list the correction in our public corrections log. The 4 steps of a correction are listed below.
- Check the report against the primary source.
- Fix the page, and every other page that uses the same number.
- Add a dated correction note at the end of the page: what was wrong, what is right, and the source.
- List the correction in the corrections log, and record any rating change, with the new score and the reason, in the ratings changelog.
Every correction note follows one format. The example below uses placeholders, not a real company or a real error.
The corrections log is a public list of every correction SafeOunce has made, with dates. Every correction since launch is in the corrections log.
What counts as a correction, and what is only an update?#
A correction fixes a fact that was wrong when we published it; an update records a later change, such as a new IRS limit, with a new date. The table below sorts the 4 kinds of change and what you see for each.
| Type | Example | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Correction: a fact was wrong when we published it (a number, date, citation, case status or calculation) | A wrong fee amount or a miscounted total | A dated correction note and a corrections log entry |
| Update: the world changed after we published (a new IRS limit, fee schedule or court order) | The 2027 IRA limits, once announced | A new "as of" date and "Reviewed" date; no correction note |
| Clarification: the fact was right but could be misread | "Up to" added before a contract's spread cap | A dated note |
| Rating change: a score moves because a document changed | A new contract with different cancellation terms | A ratings changelog entry with the criterion and the reason |
A spread cap is the most a dealer's contract lets it charge over its cost. Without "up to", a cap can read like a fixed charge on every order. Why keep these types apart? An update means the world changed, while a correction means we were wrong, and you deserve to know which.
How can you report an error to SafeOunce?#
Report an error through the contact page, and include the page address, the exact sentence and a link to the source with the right value. The 3 items that make a report quick to check are listed below.
- Page address: the URL of the page.
- Sentence or number: the exact words you think are wrong.
- Source: a link or document that shows the right value.
Companies use the same route and may attach documents, such as a newer contract or fee schedule. We check every document we receive and update the page if it proves a point. To contact SafeOunce about an error, use the form on contact SafeOunce.
How Can You Check Any Gold IRA Website, Including This One?#
You can check any gold IRA page, including this one, with 6 questions about its author, sources, dates, money, lawsuits and corrections. We put these questions to 43 ranking gold IRA pages on September 29, 2026, and 38 of them fail question 2 alone (43 minus the 5 that link to a primary source).
You should ask any gold IRA page the 6 questions below.
- Does the page say who wrote it, and can you check what it claims about the author?
- Does it link to the IRS, the law or the court record behind its rules?
- Do its fees, prices and limits carry dates, and is the IRA limit $7,500 for 2026?
- Does it say whether it is paid when you call or buy?
- Does it call pending lawsuits allegations and give case numbers?
- Does it show its corrections?
The table below shows what those 43 pages had for each question.
| Question | What we found on 43 ranking gold IRA pages (September 29, 2026) |
|---|---|
| 1. Author | Not counted; the top "free gold ira kit" page showed CFP and ChFC letters with no registration you could verify |
| 2. Sources | 5 of 43 link to a primary source (government pages not counted); 0 cite 26 U.S.C. 408(m); 1 mentions IRS Publication 590 |
| 3. Dates and limits | 5 of 43 state the 2026 limit of $7,500; 4 still give the old $7,000; 11 of 33 dated pages were last changed before 2026 |
| 4. Pay | Not measured |
| 5. Lawsuits | 7 of 43 mention any lawsuit or settlement; 2 mention the CFTC |
| 6. Corrections | Not measured |
Checking a gold IRA company is a different job. To check the company itself rather than the website, see how to check a gold IRA company.
A page that fails a question is not proof of fraud, but you should check that number against its source.
This page answers all 6: team byline, source links, dates, disclosure, case wording and corrections log.
Question 4 asks: are gold IRA reviews paid? Why a page may skip it is explained in are gold IRA reviews paid.
How does SafeOunce rate gold IRA companies?#
SafeOunce rates gold IRA companies on 7 criteria worth 100 points, using only documents you can check, and a company that will not share its documents is not rated. Those documents include contracts, fee schedules, written quotes and court and regulator records. Every rating follows one published SafeOunce methodology. The criteria, weights and document rule are in the SafeOunce methodology.
Who pays SafeOunce?#
SafeOunce takes no money from any company named on this page. No company can pay for a review, a rating or a place on a list. Question 4 above asks every site how it is paid, so SafeOunce answers it too. Any payment would appear in our advertiser disclosure first. Details are in our advertiser disclosure.
Editorial policy frequently asked questions#
The 5 questions below cover reviews, your own account, fraud reports, rating changes and reader details.
Does SafeOunce publish customer reviews, testimonials or star ratings?#
No: SafeOunce publishes no testimonials, pays no one for reviews, and never treats star ratings as proof of quality. The FTC's 16 CFR 465.2 bans fake reviews and testimonials, and 465.4 bans paying for reviews "expressing a particular sentiment." Under 16 CFR 255.0(f), "ordinary consumers" include older adults when they are the audience, so we write for them. Why star ratings cannot separate these companies: BBB, BCA and Trustpilot ratings.
Can SafeOunce look at my own account or quote?#
No: SafeOunce gives general information only, so for your own account you should ask your custodian, and for your own taxes a CPA or tax attorney. No SafeOunce page looks at your account, quote or tax return, or offers "individualized advice attuned to any specific portfolio," in the words of Lowe v. SEC (1985).
Where should you report a problem with a gold IRA company?#
Report suspected fraud to the CFTC, the SEC or your state securities regulator, and send SafeOunce the documents if a page of ours is affected. As of September 29, 2026, the CFTC tip line is 866-366-2382 and SEC tips go to sec.gov/tcr. FINRA's Senior Helpline is 844-574-3577 (weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET). Every agency is on how to report a gold IRA scam.
How are changes to SafeOunce ratings recorded?#
Every score change is logged with its date, the criterion that moved and the reason. A score moves only when a document changes, such as a new contract or a regulator's order. Every change to SafeOunce ratings is listed in the SafeOunce ratings changelog.
Does SafeOunce collect your details for gold IRA companies?#
SafeOunce has no lead forms as of September 2026, so no page collects your name or phone number for a gold IRA company. Before you fill in a "free kit" form anywhere, know that its job is to set up a sales call.