What Is A Precious Metals IRA?
A Precious Metals IRA is similar to a traditional IRA. However, as the name suggests, a Precious Metals IRA allows for physical gold, silver, platinum or palladium to be held in a tax-deferred retirement account under your name and overseen by a third-party custodian.
Physical metals can offer an additional layer of protection, helping to maintain the value of your hard-earned dollars. Diversification of assets outside of stocks and mutual funds can help guard against market volatility. Periods of inflation, economic downturns, and unexpected geopolitical events are a few examples when metals have historically shined.
The law allows for both transfers from traditional IRAs as well as rollovers from qualified retirement plans such as 401(k), 401(a), 403(b), 457 and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). In order to invest your IRA in physical precious metals, you have to open a special type of IRA called a “Self-Directed IRA” and you should work with a company who contracts with an IRS-approved storage facility with experience managing physical assets. The Oxford Gold Group has dedicated IRA specialists who manage this process should you decide to diversify into precious metals.
If your current IRA account is invested in stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds (or other traditional investment vehicles), then it is highly unlikely that your current IRA provider is able or willing to manage a physical asset such as precious metals.