Convert IRA to Gold

How do I convert my IRA to Gold without penalty?

Converting your IRA to Gold

You've probably arrived on this web page because the Stocks and Bonds in your IRA are losing value and you think that Gold might be a better option.

For what it is worth, you aren't alone. Most traditional IRAs and 401(k)s are down 20 to 30% since the markets peaked in late-2021 / early-2022.

In contrast to Stocks and Bonds, Gold has gained more than 10% during the same period and, more importantly, Gold has a 2600-year history (at least) of being a store of value.

In this article we are going to explore two questions:

1. Does converting your IRA to Gold make sense?
2. How do you do it?

We'll start with the first question since the "how to" part is straightforward.

Converting your IRA to Gold right now makes sense because all the assets that can be held in a tax-advantaged Retirement account are declining in value except for Gold. Only Gold is acting as a store of value and, of course, this has been Gold's role throughout history.

Before diving into Gold, we'll take a quick look at Stocks, Bonds, and cash since those are the three assets you can hold in your current IRA. (Mutual funds and ETFs are just baskets of Stocks and Bonds.)

Next, we'll talk about self-directed IRAs and how they can be used to hold Real Estate and Precious metals.

Finally, we'll summarize everything we've talked about and draw some conclusions.

Stock markets

The NASDAQ index of tech Stocks peaked in Nov 2021 and then dropped 34% over the next 12 months. The downturn was interrupted by several relief rallies but the NASDAQ index is still 20% below its peak (as of 8 May 2023).

The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average indexes peaked in January of 2022 and, like the NASDAQ, headed steadily lower. The Dow has managed to stay above the official level of a bear market (20% decline from peak) but the S&P 500 has dipped into bear territory multiple times. As of 8 May 2023, the Dow is down 9% from its peak and the S&P 500 is down 14%.

The outlook for the Stock markets is not good, to say the least. Both the United States and Europe are heading into recessions and corporate earnings are falling. Rising interest rates and Quantitative Tightening from the US Federal Reserve are placing additional downward pressure on equity markets.

Bond markets

Until March 2022, Bond markets were enjoying a 40-year bull market that started in 1981. Interest rates declined steadily throughout this period and reached near-zero levels in the United States.

Unfortunately, this long-lasting bull market has ended and it appears that we have entered a new era of persistently rising interest rates. Bond prices fall as interest rates rise so it is reasonable to expect that Bond prices will decline for years to come.

Cash (the US Dollar)

Most people don't think of cash as an Investment because it doesn't pay dividends and its nominal value doesn't increase. It's important, however, to talk about cash because it is one of the few assets you can hold in your existing IRA. If you get tired of watching your Stocks and Bonds drop in price you can sell those assets and sit in cash.

Unfortunately, Inflation is causing cash to rapidly lose its real value (Purchasing power). Think about your experience at the gas station and grocery store over the past 12 months - how much value has your cash lost?

According to the BLS (Bureau of Labor and Statistics) Inflation is about 8% but if we use gasoline or food as our guide, Inflation is far higher than that.

Bottom line: If you let your tax-advantaged retirement savings sit in cash you are locking in a loss of at least 8% per year due to Inflation.

Alternative Investments and Self-directed IRAs

We've examined the assets you can hold in your existing IRA account: Stocks, Bonds, and cash. All of those assets are currently in downtrends that are likely to continue for the next few years.

What are the alternatives? If traditional Investments don't make sense right now, where else can you put your hard-earned money?

The most common alternative Investments are Real Estate and Precious metals and both of these assets can be purchased and held using a self-directed IRA.

That means you can transfer some or all of your existing IRA funds into a self-directed IRA where you can invest in alternative Investments using your tax-advantaged savings.

The IRS allows you to transfer money from one Retirement account to another so you can setup and fund a self-directed IRA without paying any taxes or penalties.

Real Estate

Real Estate is a time-tested Investment. Many middle-class Americans have grown wealthy by purchasing Real Estate and renting it to others. If you live in an area where Real Estate isn't currently in a bubble you might want to investigate this option. If, however, you live in an area where Real Estate prices have risen substantially in recent years, be careful. Mortgage rates are rising dramatically and there are signs that the current Real Estate bubble is popping.

If you decide to invest in rental Real Estate only purchase property that is close to where you live. Being a long-distance landlord is a recipe for financial disaster. If you can’t drive to the property in less than 4 hours (preferably 2), don’t buy it.

Precious metals

Precious metals are not an ideal Investment because they don’t pay interest or dividends. They do, however, act as a store of value and their prices tend to rise as the Purchasing power of cash declines.

We saw this happen in the 1970s when Inflation and Stagflation ruled the economic world. In that environment Gold rose from $35 an ounce to $850 an ounce and Silver rose from $2 to $48 per ounce.

Is it possible that we will see this kind of performance again? Perhaps. Inflation is currently at 40-year highs and the US is heading into a recession.

On top of these negative economic conditions we have central banks around the World accumulating physical Gold while the BRICS nations talk about creating a new reserve currency to compete with the US Dollar.

There is a definite trend underway towards a multipolar World where the US Dollar is no longer King.

As the World turns away from the US Dollar and seeks alternatives, physical Gold or a Gold-backed currency will likely be the first choice. This outcome seems inevitable because Gold has been the premier form of money since 600 BC (2600 years ago) when both Europe and China issued the first Gold currencies.

If Gold becomes part of a new reserve currency or is used to back an existing currency, the value (and price in US Dollars) of Gold will rise. If Gold merely maintains its current role, it will continue to hold value and rise in price as the US Dollar loses value. That is a win-win situation.

Summary and conclusions

Because Gold acts as a store of value it is a better Investment than any of the other options we have looked at. Stocks, Bonds, and cash are all losing value and the Real Estate bubble shows signs of popping. Gold, on the other hand, is holding its value and appears to be reestablishing its role as the World’s premier form of money.

We can now return to the question we started with, “Does it make sense to convert your existing IRA to Gold?”

The question answers itself if you answer this question: “Do you want to be invested in paper assets that are losing value or do you want to be invested in tangible assets with a 2600-year track record as a store of value?”

After considering the alternatives, an Investment in Gold makes a lot of sense. The only decisions that need to be made are how much of your Investment Portfolio to place in Precious metals and how to hold those metals.

How much Gold should I own?

Only you can decide how much of your Investment Portfolio to place in Gold.

Computer models show that a traditional 60/40 Portfolio (60% Stocks - 40% Bonds) will perform better overall if it has a 3 to 10% allocation towards physical Gold. Financial advisors typically recommend a Gold allocation of 5 to 10% while Gold-bugs like myself suggest that any money you are unwilling to lose should be held in physical Precious metals (and I do follow my own advice).

How to buy Gold

Deciding how to buy and hold your Precious metals is easy in this case because we are talking about converting your existing IRA to Gold.

Unless you are willing to cash out your IRA and pay the taxes and early withdrawal fee, you only have one option: a self-directed Precious metals IRA. This is the only Investment vehicle that lets you purchase and hold physical Precious metals using your tax-advantaged retirement savings.

If a self-directed Precious metals IRA seems like an Investment alternative you would be interested in, reach out and connect with one of the companies that facilitate these vehicles. Augusta Precious Metals is the best overall Gold IRA company if you have $50,000 or more to invest. If you are investing between $25,000 and $50,000 then Goldco is your best option. For an Investment of $10,000 to $25,000 choose Birch Gold Group.

If you have questions you would like answered, contact me at bryan @ satoritraders.com. I can’t give you financial advice but I would be happy to answer your questions about Precious metals and self-directed IRAs.

In the rest of this webpage we'll answer the second question, “How do I convert my existing IRA to Gold?” We'll also provide some background information on self-directed Precious metals IRAs and give some tips on how to find the best Gold IRA Investment.

Convert IRA to Gold

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Two options for converting your IRA to Gold:

Gold IRA vs physical Gold

When you decide to convert your IRA to physical Gold you have two options

Option 1: Close IRA - Pay taxes & penalties

Obviously, you could liquidate your IRA and purchase Precious metals with the proceeds.

That’s an easy solution but it has significant tax consequences.

If you are under age 59 1/2 you will pay a 10% early-withdrawal penalty and then pay income taxes on the distributed funds.

Also, the distributed money could push you into a higher tax bracket where the overall cost of liquidating your IRA would be even higher.

Option 2: Move IRA funds into Gold IRA

The IRS made this option possible in 1997 when the Taxpayer Relief Act was passed.

This revision to the tax laws makes it possible for you to purchase physical Precious metals inside a self-directed IRA.

You are also permitted to move tax-advantaged funds from one account to another so the Taxpayer Relief Act lets you convert your IRA to Gold without facing any penalties or tax consequences.

Because of the tax consequences it can be quite expensive to completely remove money from your existing IRA until you are at least age 59 1/2. Prior to that major milestone the money in your IRA is essentially stuck.

Converting your IRA to a Gold IRA, however, lets you protect and preserve these 'stuck' funds until you reach retirement age.

How does a Gold IRA work?

Understand that “Gold IRA” is a generic term.

“Gold IRA”, “Silver IRA”, “Precious metals IRA” – all of these terms refer to the self-directed Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) established by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997.

You can hold Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium in your “Gold IRA”.

After you setup one of these self-directed IRAs you can then move some or all of the funds from your regular IRA into your Precious metals IRA.

In fact, most Retirement accounts can be transferred into a Gold IRA. If you have a 403b, 457, TSP, Annuity, Pension plan, or eligible 401(k), you can move those funds into your Precious metals IRA.

Once your Gold IRA is funded, you get to pick which Precious metals you will hold and what form you want those metals to be in.

In general you can choose Bullion bars and Coins produced by IRS-approved refineries along with Coins produced by government mints.

When it is time to take distributions from the Gold IRA you can choose to sell your metal and receive cash, or you can distribute the physical metal and have it securely mailed to you (or go pick it up in person).

Gold IRA tax rules

The Taxpayer Relief Act defines the parameters for holding physical Precious metals in a self-directed IRA.

In general, the metal must be of Bullion quality (99.95% pure) or better and come from an IRS-approved source like a government mint or third-party refinery.

Coins and bars meeting these specifications receive the same tax treatment in a Gold IRA that Stocks and Bonds receive in a regular IRA.

That means when it is time to take a distribution from your Gold IRA any capital gains will be taxed as ordinary income just like a Stock or Bond unless it is a Roth Gold IRA where capital gains are tax-exempt.

Distributions from the Gold IRA can be taken as cash or physical metal.

Gold IRA fees

There are fees in a Gold IRA that don't exist in a regular IRA.

The extra fees occur because you are investing in physical Precious metals instead of paper Stocks and Bonds.

Broker fee

To purchase or sell physical metal you have to use a licensed Broker and that professional charges a fee.

The Broker fee occurs whether you buy Gold for your IRA or Gold to bury in the garden.

Storage fee

The other Gold IRA fee to be aware of is a storage fee.

Because the IRS requires third-party storage for the Precious metals in your IRA, you have to pay a Custodian to securely store and insure that metal.

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Benefits of Gold IRA

Gold IRAs provide a unique way to combine the wealth preservation aspects of physical Precious metals with the tax benefits of a self-directed IRA.

There are three primary benefits of investing in a Gold IRA.

Benefit 1: Hold physical Gold using tax-advantaged savings

The key benefit of a Gold IRA is that it provides you with a way to own physical Precious metals inside a tax-advantaged retirement plan.

There are no other Investment vehicles that allow you to protect your retirement savings with physical Gold.

Benefit 2: Minimize taxes

You get all the same tax benefits from a Gold IRA as you do from a traditional IRA holding Stocks and Bonds.

A regular Gold IRA allows you to defer income taxes on your retirement savings and a Roth Gold IRA allows you to avoid capital gains taxes on your retirement savings.

Benefit 3: Distribute physical Gold

In a Gold IRA you can choose to distribute and take possession of your physical metals if you want - you can also sell the metals and distribute cash if you prefer.

If you distribute the metal you will then be able to do with it as you please (while abiding by all IRS rules, of course). You can sell the Gold at the local Coin or pawn shop, bury it in the garden, give it to the grandkids, or 'lose it in a boat accident'.

How to convert your IRA to a Gold IRA

Whether you have an IRA or other Retirement account, you follow the same steps to convert your paper Stocks and Bonds to physical Precious metals.

1) Choose a Gold IRA company

2) Open an account

3) Initiate a distribution or rollover from your existing Retirement account

4) Fund the Gold IRA account

5) Select the Precious metals to hold in the Gold IRA

Selecting specific Precious metals products is where the rubber meets the road in the process of converting an existing 401K or IRA into a physical Gold IRA.

The selections you make at this point can dramatically affect the value of your Gold IRA in both the immediate future and over the lifespan of the IRA. If you look at negative customer reviews regarding Gold IRAs you will find that, in most cases, the investor made a less-than-optimal choice when they selected their Precious metals products.

Which Precious metals should you invest in?

There are several factors to consider when selecting the metals to hold in your Gold IRA:

1. history as a store-of-value
2. commercial demand
3. investor demand
4. speculator demand

Gold

Of all the Precious metals, Gold is the hands-down winner as a store-of-value. In fact, none of the other metals have a long-term history of acting in this role.

Gold’s commercial demand is fairly limited because of its high cost. Less than 12% of Gold's annual production is used in industry while approximately 78% of Gold production is used for jewelry.

Investor demand for Gold is based primarily on the perceived need for a safe haven. When Inflation is raging, the economy is faltering, or geopolitical tensions are rising, investors seek the safety of Gold. When all is well in the World investors have limited interest in holding the yellow metal.

Central banks can be included in the investor category. Their demand for physical Gold has risen substantially in the past decade and after 2017 this demand surged dramatically.

There are two key factors driving the Central banks to accumulate Gold:

1. International banking rules were changed in 2017 to include Gold as a Tier 1 asset (Basel III regulations). Prior to this change banks could only count 50% of their Gold holdings as an asset for accounting purposes - no credit was given for the other 50%. Under Basel III rules banks receive 100% credit for their Gold holdings so they are incentivized to increase their stash of the yellow metal.

2. The World is moving away from the uni-polar system dominated by the United States and the US Dollar. US hegemony is being replaced by a multi-polar system where the non-Western nations (about 80% of planet Earth's population) will use some form of commodity-backed currency instead of the US Dollar. It is expected that Gold will be the commodity of choice for backing this new currency.

Silver

Commercial demand for Silver stems from the fact that it is the most electrically conductive and reflective metal known. The white metal also has anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties (i.e., it naturally kills germs). These valuable attributes make Silver highly useful in industry and, as a result, about half of Silver's annual production is used for commercial purposes.

Another interesting aspect of commercially-used Silver is that it typically gets thrown away when the commercial device reaches its end-of-life. For example, Silver is used in very small quantities in electronic devices like smartphones where it isn’t economically viable to recover and recycle the Silver. In contrast, almost all commercially-used Gold is recycled.

Commercial demand for Silver is growing because Green energy (solar panels and wind turbines), electric vehicles, and 5G technology are all highly dependent on the reflective and conductive properties of Silver.

Investor demand for Silver is motivated by the same factors as Gold but Silver is significantly less expensive than the yellow metal. While a $2000 Gold Coin may be out of reach for some, investors on a budget can purchase at least two Silver Coins for less than $100.

Speculators create another source of demand for Silver. They purchase Silver with the expectation that the price of Silver will increase more than Gold on a percentage basis. History supports this strategy - in past Precious metals bull markets the gains in Silver have been 2 to 3 times the gains in Gold.

Platinum and Palladium

The primary commercial demand for Platinum and Palladium is for catalysts in automotive catalytic convertors.

Investment demand for these white metals is limited but it does exist. The simple fact that the IRS allows the metals inside self-directed IRAs is evidence of investor demand and interest.

Whether there is significant Investment demand for the two metals is debatable. They certainly can’t compare on historic terms with either Gold or Silver.

Another point against investing in these metals is that the average human can’t tell any difference between Silver, Platinum, or Palladium. If they held Coins made of each metal they would be unable to determine which Coin was made from which metal.

Silver is under $25 an ounce currently, Platinum is just over $1000, and Palladium is around $1500 (as of May 16, 2023). So we have three Precious metals that can't be distinguished from one another yet one of them is significantly less expensive than the other two. Given the difference in cost it is hard to justify why an investor would purchase the more expensive metals as long as Silver is available.

Summary

Gold is the only Precious metal that has played a historic role as a store of value and therefore conservative investors place the bulk of their IRA funds into physical Gold.

Silver benefits from multiple sources of demand (commercial, investor, and speculator) and price gains in the white metal tend to be greater than Gold on a percentage basis. Conservative investors allocate a small part of their IRA funds towards physical Silver while aggressive investors increase this allocation based on their tolerance for risk.

Platinum and Palladium don't have the historic background that Gold and Silver enjoy. Conservative investors ignore these metals and focus their IRA funds on physical Gold and Silver.

Regardless of which Precious metals you purchase with your IRA funds, the value of your hard-earned retirement savings will be better preserved with physical assets than with the paper assets you are currently holding.

Purchase the most metal for the least amount of money

Regardless of which Precious metals you choose to hold in your Gold IRA you always want to get the most metal possible for each Investment you make.

By following this simple guideline you can avoid one of the primary risks with a Gold IRA and that is paying an excessive premium for special edition or semi-numismatic Coins.

The IRS doesn't allow Numismatic (collectible) Coins like the pre-1933 Gold Coins to be held in IRA accounts. These Coins aren't appropriate for retirement savings because they carry very high premiums over the value of the Gold they contain and their prices are quite volatile.

In an attempt to maximize profits without violating the IRS rules, most Gold IRA companies offer investors special edition and proof Coins which are allowed by the IRS. Like Numismatic Coins, these proof and special edition Coins have high premiums relative to the Gold they contain.

It is important to understand this concept so let's look at an example.

If we go to Apmex . com and shop for IRA-eligible Gold these are some of our choices (prices for single items on 05/23/2023):

random year 1 oz American Gold Eagle $2,138.99
2022 1 oz American Gold Eagle $2,372.99
2021 1 oz proof American Gold Eagle with box & certificate of authenticity $3,084.00

Each of these products contain the same quantity of Gold but there is a $946 price difference between the least expensive and most expensive Coin.

Unscrupulous salespeople will tell you that there is greater investor demand for the more expensive Coins and therefore you will have an easier time selling them when the time comes.

If you fall for their sales pitch you will eventually discover that Gold is Gold and no informed investor cares if the Gold comes in a fancy box or has a certificate of authenticity. Instead of maximizing your IRA Investment in Gold you will find that you wasted money buying premium Coins that actually have limited demand from investors

The only time it makes sense to pay an excessive premium for Precious metal Coins is when we want to appreciate them as timeless pieces of beautiful artwork. As conservative Investors we aren’t buying artwork, we are buying physical Gold.

Every time we invest money in our Gold IRA we want to get the most ounces of metal possible for every penny we invest. That means we aren’t interested in proof Coins, boxed Coins, certificates of authenticity, or any other special edition Coins.

Just remember that we're investing in Precious metals not art.

Best Gold IRA

The best Gold IRA is likely to be different for each investor depending on the factors that are most important to them personally.

Some will prioritize their selection based on the location of the Gold IRA depository. An investor in Texas, for example, may limit their candidate Gold IRA companies to the ones that work with depositories in Texas.

Investors with limited funds will focus on the Gold IRA companies with the lowest minimum Investment.

Regardless of which factors you choose to prioritize, the best Gold IRAs will have these factors in common:

A+ rating at Better Business Bureau
10 or more years in business
Insured depository
Segregated storage of metals
Regular audits of the depository

Gold IRA company reviews

One of the best ways to research candidate Gold IRA companies is to read the online customer reviews posted on these sites:

Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Consumer Affairs
TrustLink
Trustpilot

Recognize that these reviews are written by investors who interacted with the company in question and felt compelled enough by their experience to provide feedback. The most valuable reviews are actually the negative ones because they let us see how the company responds to unhappy customers.

The negative reviews are OK as long as the company responds to the complaint and makes an attempt to resolve the matter.

When you read the negative reviews pay attention to the focus of the complaint. In most cases, the customer's dissatisfaction occurs because they purchased overpriced proof Coins and then lost money when they liquidated their account.

You can avoid these potential problems by simply avoiding proof Coins. They are not a good Investment choice for most investors.

Gold IRA companies

In the mini reviews below we have listed some candidate Gold IRA companies for you to consider.

You can use these reviews to compare Gold IRA companies and focus on the factors that matter the most for your particular circumstances.

Low minimum Investment

This factor will be important to investors with limited funds. Minimum Investments are $2000 to $25,000.

Most companies offer perks like free Silver or waived fees on larger Investments.

Proof Coins

These fancy Coins are a poor choice for most investors. The fact that a Gold IRA company offers these Coins shows that they are willing to let investors make less than optimum choices.

Negative reviews about Gold IRAs usually involve these high-priced Coins. Companies who aggressively push these Coins are prioritizing their profits over helping investors.

Ask a loaded question

When you get to the point of calling Gold IRA companies ask the representatives if they recommend Bullion products or if there are better options.

The response to this loaded question may help you find the company that you will be most comfortable working with.

If a company gets pushy about 'Investment quality' Coins (proof Coins, boxed Coins, or Coins with certificates of authenticity) or mentions a lack of liquidity when it comes time to sell, immediately cross that company off the candidate list and keep shopping.

There are lots of Gold IRA companies to choose from so don't let pushy salespeople influence your Investment decisions.

Summary

In this article we've looked at how to convert your IRA to physical Gold.

We started by considering each of the assets that you can hold in your current IRA (Stocks, Bonds, cash) and then compared those assets against Real Estate and Precious metals.

Based on the comparison we arrived at the conclusion that it definitely makes sense to convert at least part of your existing IRA to physical Gold.

We then addressed some background information about self-directed Precious metals IRAs and provided some tips on how to make the best Gold IRA Investment.

A key point we covered is how to avoid overpaying for the metal inside your Gold IRA by staying away from proof Coins, boxed Coins, and any other premium Coins.

For other questions about how to convert your IRA to Gold, or whether an existing Retirement account is eligible for transfer, you can reach out to one of the Gold IRA companies. All of the reputable companies have knowledgeable representatives available to help you.

You are also welcome to reach out to me. I love to educate people about Precious metals - that's why I created this website. Use the Contact form to drop me a line or send me an email: bryan@satoritraders.com

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