Can You Buy Gold With A Traditional IRA?
Thursday, September 12th 2024
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are popular vehicles for retirement savings in the US. Offering several tax advantages and enabling individuals to invest in various assets ranging from stocks, bonds and mutual funds; an often-asked question among investors is if an IRA allows for purchasing gold directly or if other methods of adding it could be better options for investing. In this comprehensive article we explore whether traditional IRAs allow investors to buy gold directly.
Before diving into gold investments, it’s essential to grasp the fundamentals of traditional IRAs.
An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a tax-advantaged savings account designed to help individuals save for retirement. Contributions made pre-tax reduce your taxable income and your tax liability; funds in an IRA then grow tax deferred before withdrawals in retirement are taxed as ordinary income.
What Investment Options Exist for Traditional IRAs?
A traditional IRA provides for many investment choices, including:
- Stocks
- Bonds
- Mutual Funds
- Exchange-traded Funds (ETFs)
- Certificates of deposit (CDs).
- Money market accounts: Although money market accounts are the most frequently chosen investment options, the IRS does not specify exactly which types of investments can be placed into an IRA. There are, however, certain prohibited transactions and investments – including collectibles (artwork, rugs, stamps etc.) and life insurance contracts that should not be included within an IRA.
Can You Purchase Gold With a Traditional IRA?
Unfortunately, no. You are unable to directly purchase physical gold through a traditional IRA; however, there may still be ways you can include gold into your retirement portfolio via self-directed IRA or by investing in gold-related stocks and ETFs. Let’s explore these options further in detail.
Self-Directed IRAs and Gold Investments
A self-directed IRA (SDIRA) gives investors greater control over their investments, including access to alternative assets like real estate, private placements and precious metals. You can purchase physical gold through an SDIRA as approved coins or bullion. However, it is crucial to understand its rules and requirements prior to investing through this vehicle.
First, gold must meet certain purity standards set by the IRS. For coins and bullion containing 99.5% pure gold (0.995 fineness requirement). Some examples of approved coins/bullion include:
- American Gold Eagle coins (1)
- Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coins (2)
- Austrian Philharmonic coins (3)
- American Buffalo coins (4)
Gold bars and rounds produced at a NYMEX or COMEX approved refinery must also be stored with an approved trustee or custodian, as the IRS prohibits individuals from taking personal possession of it. A trustee or custodian is responsible for safeguarding its safekeeping by way of storage and insurance – some reputable gold IRA custodians include:
- Equity Trust Company
- GoldStar Trust Company
- New Direction Trust Company
- The Entrust Group
It’s essential to keep in mind that setting up and selecting a custodian for a self-directed IRA with gold can be more complex and time-consuming than with traditional IRAs, not to mention more costly in terms of storage and insurance fees.
Gold-Related Securities
For investors who prefer traditional IRAs, there are still ways to gain exposure to gold through gold-related stocks and ETFs that provide investors with exposure without direct ownership of physical gold. By doing this, investors can still participate in the gold market and benefit from any price increases that occur over time. Below are some popular gold investments options:
- Gold mining stocks: One way of gaining exposure to gold prices is investing in gold mining companies. Gold mining stocks tend to track with gold prices closely but may also be affected by other factors, including performance of company management and costs related to mining operations as well as geopolitical risks. Well-known examples include Barrick Gold, Newmont Corporation and Agnico Eagle Mines.
- Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs): ETFs which track the gold price provide investors with a simple and easy method to invest without the need to own physical gold bullion. Gold ETFs are traded on the major stock exchanges and can be bought and sold like any stock. One of the most popular ETF is the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD), which seeks to mirror its performance in the bullion market.
- Gold mutual funds: Like gold ETFs, gold mutual funds invest in a diversified portfolio of gold-related securities like mining stocks and futures contracts to gain exposure to the market while taking advantage of professional management and diversification benefits. Some highly acclaimed examples of such mutual funds are VanEck International Investors Gold Fund and First Eagle Gold Fund.
Pros and Cons of Gold Investments
Gold investments can bring many advantages to an investor’s retirement portfolio, including diversification, inflation hedging and potential capital appreciation. But before deciding to add gold investments to your retirement portfolio it is essential to carefully weigh their pros and cons before making your final decision.
Pros:
- Diversification: Gold has low correlation with traditional asset classes like stocks and bonds, providing diversification benefits while decreasing overall risk exposure in your portfolio.
- Inflation hedge: Gold has long been considered an inflation hedge because its value tends to increase when purchasing power declines.
- Capital appreciation: Gold offers investors potential capital appreciation if its price appreciates over time, often turning it into an appealing safe haven investment in times of economic instability or market instability.
Cons:
- Withdrawal costs and storage and insurance fees: When investing in physical gold through a self-directed IRA, additional storage and insurance fees may incur, leading to higher fees than with traditional IRAs.
- Gold may provide only limited income: unlike stocks and bonds, which offer regular dividends or interest payments to their investors, gold does not offer consistent cash-flow streams that could provide retirement investors with any stable source of revenue. This can be problematic for those relying on their investments for this source of income in retirement.
- No tax benefits: While traditional IRAs provide tax-deferred growth and possible deductions for gold investments held within self-directed IRAs, they do not extend to gains realized from gold investments held within self-directed IRAs.
Conclusion
Although it’s impossible to buy physical gold directly through a traditional IRA, there are other means for including gold in your retirement portfolio. By setting up a self-directed IRA and investing in physical gold subject to certain rules and requirements; or through gold-related securities like stocks and ETFs in traditional IRAs – both offer exposure. When considering any gold investment strategy, it is wise to carefully weigh its advantages and disadvantages, as well as to consult a financial professional in order to find what approach best fits your retirement goals and risk tolerance.
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2 Comments
Very informative article and video Chris!
Thank you Karen and happy investing!