How To Choose A Gold Custodian Like A Pro

More than half of Americans remain concerned with the performance of their investments. They are constantly looking for ways to get a higher return on investments to secure their lives after retirement. Realizing the impact of inflation on their investments, more and more Americans are turning to invest in gold and other precious metals these days. Gold investment retirement accounts or gold IRAs have become very popular as people put part of their savings into these accounts. But not all gold IRAs are created equal. For your gold IRA, you need to find a broker and a custodian to look after the account. You will be able to choose a gold custodian like a pro after reading this article even if you have no idea about how to do it.

Does it Have The Necessary License?

Never be complacent when deciding on the custodian for your life savings. Check whether or not the custodian has a valid license to offer services related to gold investment. Select a gold IRA firm only when you are sure about its ability to store the physical gold of its clients. Only a select few entities have been authorized by the IRS to serve as custodians for their clients. These include banks, credit unions, loan & saving institutions, or any other organization approved by the IRS for this purpose. The IRS makes public licensing details of custodians and you can easily check whether the company is included in this list or not.

Do They Have The Experience?

Besides the license, the most important thing to know about a custodian is his experience. Would you start your gold IRA account with a custodian that has a poor track record? Shortlist only those firms that have a proven track record of opening and operating the gold IRA accounts of a large number of customers. You know the firm is experienced when you find out the number of years they have been in this field. Pay attention to the number of gold IRA accounts managed by the company as well. There are custodians managing accounts of hundreds of thousands of customers, and it is a reflection of their efficacy in operating gold IRA accounts.

Compare The Fees Charged for Services

You have found a few custodians who are licensed and also experienced. Now you need to compare their fee structure as every custodian charges fees from its clients. Gold IRA comparisons are necessary if you do not want to pay a huge amount of hard-earned money to your custodian for managing your gold IRA account. Check out fees for account setting, storage, and annual maintenance of various firms to choose the custodian who feels lightest in your pocket. You can expect to be charged anywhere between $150 and $300 for storage and maintenance of your gold IRA account per annum.  Some custodians lure customers by waiving their storage and maintenance fees for the first years. There are also custodians charging lower fees in the 2nd and subsequent years. There is no harm in paying a little bit higher annual fees if you are getting the experience and also a solid performance from a custodian.

Storage Safety and Quick and Easy Access

Safe storage of your precious gold is a very important criterion in selecting the custodian. Can you feel safe if you are not sure about the ability of your custodian to provide safe storage? Not only should your custodian provide safe storage but also provide storage at various locations within the country and globally. Also, you should have the ability to access your gold whenever you want to dispose of it for money. Some custodians store the gold of several clients at one storage location which makes it difficult for a customer to get unfettered access to his or her gold deposit. If you are concerned about the liquidity of your gold IRA account, you should check if the custodian is giving a segregated storage option or not.

Read Reviews of Reliable Custodians

You should never fall prey to mesmerizing advertisements in glossy magazines when choosing your custodian for a gold IRA account. Wise investors don’t pay attention to these advertisements though they remain at the back of their minds when shortlisting custodians. You need to look at reviews of shortlisted custodians to get down to the most reliable and trusted firms. Reviews from current and former clients are most important for you when facing a dilemma between two custodians.  You can also ask for recommendations from your relatives and friends who have invested in gold and other precious metals. You can talk to the customers of various custodians to know their views on the quality of service and performance. Believe it or not but this is the most common route taken by wise investors to reach their custodians.

The Condition of Minimum Account Balance

Make sure to read the fine print before agreeing to sign the contract with a custodian. Different custodians require maintaining a certain minimum account balance If you like everything else about the custodian but it asks you to invest a minimum of $5,000 in physical gold when you can manage only $4,000 comfortably, There is no need to stretch your limits to invest more just because your shortlisted custodian requires you to maintain a high minimum account balance. If you do your research wisely, you will find several good quality and experienced custodians having a minimum account balance requirement of just $2,500.

An Attractive Buyback Program

You are investing your savings for your retirement. And not thinking about liquidity. But you never know about the future when you might need money to meet a contingency. This is why you must find a custodian that offers a buyback program on attractive terms and conditions. Your custodian should be able to buy the precious metal from you without any delay at the current market prices.

Once you decide to invest in gold, the next important decision to make is the selection of the right custodian. You can relax and breathe easily after signing with a licensed and experienced custodian. Your investment is safe and secure and you don’t need to worry about the performance of your investment.