As an IRA Custodian, Preferred Trust Company does not sell any investments or offer any investment, tax or legal advice. While we do not recommend any investment we do want our clients to be educated on the type of investments that a Self-Directed IRA can facilitate. We strongly recommend that the investor seek professional advice from the appropriate legal, accounting and/or tax professionals of their choice prior to making an investment decision to ensure that they fit your retirement goals.

As a passive custodian Preferred Trust does not endorse or offer investments.

Precious Metals

Asset diversification is crucial when it comes to selecting the investments that will create a strong and viable retirement portfolio. Precious metals are one type of asset that provides you with the opportunity to invest in something tangible that can weather a financial crisis. Investing in gold, silver, platinum and/or palladium minimizes your exposure to losses when other types of investments lose value. Unlike stocks and bonds, precious metals have inherent value and, metals can be held for an infinite amount of time. You control the ability to purchase and sell the metals in a tax-deferred or tax-free (Roth IRA) environment until which time you decide to withdraw your bullion or coins and take direct physical possession of them.

In 1997, Congress passed the Taxpayer Relief Act which expanded the precious metals holdings allowable in IRAs. Your IRA can invest in one, one-half, one-quarter, or one-tenth ounce US gold coins, or one-ounce silver coins minted by the Treasury Department. It can also invest in certain platinum coins and certain gold, silver, platinum and palladium bullion. Proof coins must be encapsulated in complete, original mint packaging and include the certificate of authenticity. Small bullion bars must be manufactured to exact weight specifications and non-proof bullion coins must be in brilliant uncirculated condition and free from damage.

Gold

Gold

Gold must be 99.5% pure and must be produced by a refiner/assayer or manufacturer that is certified/accredited by NYMEX or COMEX and meets minimum fineness requirements. Below is a list of acceptable gold products.

American Eagle bullion and/or proof coins
American Buffalo coins
Canadian Maple Leaf coins
Austrian Philharmonic bullion coins
Australian Kangaroo/Nugget coins
Australian Lunar series coins
PAMP Suisse bars
Chinese Panda coins
Other products that meet the minimum fineness requirements

Silver

Silver

Silver bullion bars must have a minimum pureness of 99.9% and must be produced by a refiner/assayer or manufacturer that is certified by NYMEX or COMEX. Below is a list of acceptable silver products.

American Eagle bullion and/or proof coins
Canadian Maple Leaf coins
Austrian Vienna Philharmonic coins
Australian Kookaburra coins
Mexican Libertad bullion coins
Chinese Panda coins
Other products that meet the minimum fineness requirements

Platinum

Platinum

Platinum bullion bars must have a minimum pureness of 99.95% and must be produced by a refiner/assayer or manufacturer that is certified by NYMEX or COMEX. Below is a list of acceptable platinum products.

American Eagle bullion and/or proof coins
Australian Koala
Austrian Philharmonic
Canadian Maple Leaf
Other products that meet the minimum fineness requirements

Palladium

Palladium

Palladium bullion bars must have a minimum pureness of 99.95% and must be produced by a refiner/assayer or manufacturer that is certified by NYMEX or COMEX. Below is a list of acceptable palladium products.

Canadian Maple Leaf

Precious Metals Dealers and Depositories

Selection of the metals dealer and the storage facility is an important part of the investment process. It is up to the account owner to perform all necessary due diligence related to the dealer and the depository. Websites such as www.usmint.gov and www.money.org can help consumers research information about metals dealers. Specific factors to consider when selecting a dealer include pricing, fees and delivery time. You can also verify if the dealer is a member of any industry trade groups such as American Numismatic Association. The US Commodity Futures Trading Association issued the a report to help consumers identify fraud related to precious metals investments.

Per the IRS, precious metals invested using your IRA must be held in the physical possession of a bank or an IRS-approved nonbank trustee. You may not personally store the precious metals that are owned by your IRA. This rule also applies to indirect ownership through an IRA owned LLC. Specific factors to consider when selecting a depository include location, security, licensing, insurance, storage fees and types of storage offered; segregated vs. non-segregated.

Preferred Trust Company will work with any dealer and depository that the IRA owner selects. For additional information related to the dealers and depositories that Preferred Trust clients have worked with, please visit our Resource page.

Depository Storage Options

Segregated vs. non-segregated. Some depositories only provide segregation storage options for certain types of coins and bullion. It is important to understand the different storage options based on depository availability.

With segregated storage the bullion is inspected, packaged, labeled and stored, physically separate and apart from the bullion of other Preferred Trust Company clients.  Typically the cost of segregated store is more than the cost of non-segregated store. Account owners are guaranteed that they will receive the same exact bars or coins that were originally deposited upon distribution.

With non-segregated storage, fungible bullion products (which by nature are commercially interchangeable) are inspected and stored in high-security vaults. Clients that select non-segregated storage benefit from significant cost savings because the bullion is stored in bulk.

You may have a Self-Directed IRA but do you know all the alternative investment options available? The companies currently listed below are some options that our clients have engaged to help them diversify their investment portfolio. Click on the company name to view more information about the company.

Strategic Wealth Preservation (SWP) is an offshore precious metals dealer and secure storage facility located in the Cayman Islands. We specialize in the sale and secure storage of precious metals for individuals, companies, and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).

We have partnered with major US wholesalers and mints to create a highly liquid two-way market for precious metals trading within our vault. We are an approved distributor of the Royal Mint, Perth Mint and several LBMA approved refineries. We offer our clients access to a full range of pure gold, silver and platinum bullion products at premiums competitive with the US domestic market. Benefit from the advantages of holding precious metals in your self-directed IRA in the best offshore jurisdiction in the Western Hemisphere.

St. Joseph Partners is an active proponent of our military, police and first responders, leading a volunteer brigade of over 100 nationwide who weekly endeavor to support and protect those who risk their lives for us.

Our investment platform is a competitively priced gold & silver dealer offering IRAs, domestic and international storage, safe installations and the full spectrum of precious metals brokerage services. We actively buy all forms of precious metals.

If you are interested in buying or selling gold or silver, compare us with other dealers – we will make your precious metals experience convenient, efficient, safe and pleasant.

Resources are provided for general information and do not represent tax, legal and/or investment advice. Account usage, selection of investments and the performance of those investments are the sole responsibility of the investor and not Preferred Trust Company. Presence on our Resource page does not constitute a recommendation. 

Preferred Trust Company strongly recommends that the investor seek professional advice from appropriate legal, accounting and/or tax advisors of their own choosing prior to making investments.