Gold IRA Guide: How Precious Metals IRAs Work
Understand Gold IRA structure, custody, eligible metals, costs, risks, and practical decision points.
A Gold IRA is commonly used to describe a self-directed IRA that can hold certain qualifying precious metals. The account is still an IRA; what changes is the range of assets the custodian permits and the operational steps required to buy, store, and later sell or distribute physical metal.
The three-part structure
In a typical arrangement, an IRA custodian or trustee administers the retirement account, a precious-metals dealer sells the metal, and a depository stores it. Those roles are different, so compare each separately.
What to evaluate before opening one
- Total account, storage, and transaction costs
- Dealer pricing and buy/sell spread
- Custodian and storage arrangements
- Liquidity and the process for selling
- How much of your overall retirement portfolio would be concentrated in metals
- Whether the sales process relies on education or pressure
What a Gold IRA does not do
It does not guarantee gains, prevent losses, or eliminate market risk. Physical gold can rise or fall in value, and the self-directed account structure can introduce higher fees and more complexity than conventional brokerage IRAs.
Primary sources
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Editorial note: Educational content only. This page does not provide individualized investment, tax or legal advice. Verify current rules and company terms before acting.