Thank you for visiting our Augusta Precious Metals review (2023). In this in-depth review, we have looked into Augusta Precious Metals’ gold IRAs, complaints, ratings, IRA fees, buy-back program, pros & cons, the Joe Montana Augusta Precious Metals connection, Harvard-trained economist Mr. Steele’s webinar, and more.
If you do not wish to read the full article, let us start with a quick summary of our Augusta Precious Metals review:
We believe that Augusta Precious Metals truly lives up to being one of the best and most trusted gold IRA companies in the US. First of all, they have an excellent track record with thousands of top ratings. They also have hundreds of top reviews on trusted sites like the BBB and TrustLink, as well as an A+ BBB rating and a AAA rating with the BCA. As a matter of fact, Augusta has been rated “Best Overall” Gold IRA Company in 2022 by Money magazine and received “Best of TrustLink” 6 years in a row.
Then there’s the fact that Augusta is endorsed by celebrities like Mark Levin and Hall of Fame quarterback and multimillionaire Joe Montana. Mr. Montana asked his personal financial team to find the best gold IRA company, and they found Augusta for him.
What also stands out is that the company offers the most unique approach to customer education via its personal one-on-one web conferences designed by on-staff Harvard-trained economist Devlyn Steele. To conclude, Augusta Precious Metals has a well-oiled process for making your gold IRA rollover or transfer stress-free and easy. Plus, they also offer ZERO fees for up to 10 years (every customer qualifies). >> Get Your FREE 2023 Retirement Guide Today!
With that said, let us take a closer look at Augusta Precious Metals!
Since this is a comprehensive review, you can use the quick links in the TOC list to jump straight to any section:
Augusta Precious Metals | Products Available: |
5830 East 2nd Street Casper, WY 82609 Tel: +1 855-222-6993 www.augustapreciousmetals.com |
– Bullion Bars – Bullion Coins – Self-Directed IRA |
In 2022 and 2023, gold IRA ads seem to be popping up everywhere as Americans scramble to move retirement money into precious metals. In like manner, Augusta Precious Metals is one of these gold IRA companies hoping to win over your business.
But is the company legit?
In this in-depth Augusta Precious Metals review (2023), we will peel back the curtain and review the company’s history, fee structure, popular IRA eligible gold and silver coins, complaints and ratings, storage options, buy-back program, and much more.
In other words, pretty much everything we can dig up on this gold and silver firm so that you can make the best choice for your hard-earned savings.
With this in mind, if you are looking for an asset that can help hedge your savings against the recession and diversify your financial resources, you should consider investing in physical gold and silver.
With that brief introduction, let us move on to the crucial part of this Augusta Precious Metals review, namely what customers say about Augusta.
Online reputation is another area where Augusta Precious Metals really shines. In today’s digital era, it is very easy for dissatisfied customers to go online and leave negative reviews all over the internet.
But we are happy to report the reviews for Augusta Precious Metals are overwhelmingly positive.
As you can see, our Augusta Precious Metals review has been for the most part positive. And the fact that the company has ZERO complaints with both the BBB and BCA is rather unique.
The one complaint we have against Isaac Nuriani’s company is that their account minimum for opening a new gold IRA is $50,000. In contrast to this high account minimum, there are gold IRA companies in the market willing to work with new customers with accounts as low as $10,000.
So, this $50K minimum may disqualify some Americans from working with their team.
Augusta Precious Metals was launched in 2012 by founder and CEO Isaac Nuriani.
Endorsed by Mark Levin and Joe Montana, Augusta Precious Metals aims to be every investor’s one-stop shop when it comes to precious metal investing.
The company is headquartered in Casper, Wyoming, and specializes in facilitating gold IRAs for customers across the United States.
In their 11 years serving American retirement accounts, they have managed to build a solid reputation as a leader in the gold IRA market. They have thousands of high customer ratings and hundreds of positive reviews on consumer watchdog websites.
Additionally, they also hold an A+ by the BBB and an AAA rating by the BCA. In fact, the company acts as a “protector” of the industry with a variety of materials to help consumers, such as “Avoid Gold IRA Dealer Lies, Gimmicks & High Pressure Tactics” and “What is Stagflation?” as a warning for what to watch out for and as education.
According to Isaac Nuriani, his firm’s focus is on customer education and “ account lifetime support” far beyond the first transaction. It appears their focus is less on churning out a large volume of sales and more on building long-term, personal relationships with their customers.
This approach makes sense, as happy customers leave positive reviews. Here is, for example, a review by one of Augusta Precious Metals’ happy customers Brian Pannebecker:
Better yet, happy clients also refer friends and family and help Augusta keep their lights on.
It is just good business!
Note: *Augusta thanks customers for reviews with a free silver coin.
Augusta has some special additions up its sleeve that are unique to the company.
After requesting your free gold IRA investor kit from their website, a representative from Augusta will contact you to set up an educational web conference.
This is a 45-minute presentation where potential customers (you) can view a presentation and ask questions directly to an Augusta educator. More importantly, this presentation is a great way for you to learn about the economy and how diversification with precious metals works.
Note that most gold IRA companies handle all communications over the phone. This personal educational web conference is unique to Augusta and, in our opinion, makes them stand out.
Now, you may be wondering what Joe Montana has to do with Augusta Precious Metals, so let us look at that next.
What does Joe Montana have to do with Augusta Precious Metals, you may wonder? Let us explain the Joe Montana Augusta Precious Metals connection next.
A few years ago, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana began the search for a precious metals company. He tasked his personal financial team with finding the best gold IRA company in the US to invest safely with.
Not surprisingly, they came back with one name: Augusta Precious Metals. And because Joe Montana trusted his advisors, he started looking closer into Augusta Precious Metals.
As for many of Augusta’s clients, it was the web conference with Devon Steele that convinced Mr. Montana to become a customer. Joe Montana decided he loved Augusta’s mission so much that he also became the company’s corporate ambassador.
Consequently, you will see Joe Montana endorsing Augusta Precious Metals in their online advertisements and promotional materials, like in this short video:
To recap, here are some benefits of working with Augusta Precious Metals:
Now that you know more about the company’s history and partners, let us look at Augusta’s products and services next.
As we have noted, Augusta specializes in facilitating gold and silver IRAs. They offer an easy and stress-free IRA setup process, where they will do 95% of the paperwork with you and walk you through each step.
Here is how their simple 3-step precious metals IRA setup process works:
As simple as that!
And the precious metals IRA agents at Augusta will ensure that the entire process is done in compliance with the IRS tax rules. If you want to learn more about gold IRAs, you can watch this educational video: What Is a gold IRA?
While Augusta Precious Metals specializes in providing gold and silver for IRAs, you can also purchase non-IRA metals from Augusta in what is called a cash account.
After creating your cash account and transferring your funds, a precious metals specialist at Augusta will help you select your metals.
The investment minimum of cash sales is just like their gold IRA, $50,000. On a positive note, they offer free shipping for your metals and they will be delivered home to you in 3-10 business days.
For more information, you can watch this video on how to buy gold and silver with cash.
Additionally, for lower cash purchases, we recommend either Goldco, Birch Gold Group, American Hartford Gold or Noble Gold. As well as BullionVault for gold and silver trading.
For investments in cryptocurrencies or digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, we currently recommend BitIRA.
To provide you with as much information as possible in this Augusta Precious Metals review, we also want to walk you through the two types of gold IRAs available:
With a traditional IRA, the contributions you make are tax-deductible (subject to income limitations). When you start taking distributions from your gold IRA, the amounts withdrawn are taxable as ordinary income. And you can start taking distributions without penalty when you are age 59½.
Traditional IRAs may be good choices for those individuals who anticipate finding themselves in a lower tax bracket once they reach retirement.
That way, they can realize tax benefits from their contributions during higher-bracket working years and pay taxes at a lower rate on withdrawals once they retire.
Note that a traditional IRA – including a traditional gold IRA – comes with a required minimum distribution (RMD) mandate. This means that you must begin taking annual distributions from your IRA starting at the age of 72.
In contrast to a traditional IRA, with a Roth gold IRA, the contributions you make are NOT tax-deductible. This means there is no tax benefit generated from your account contributions that you will enjoy during your working years.
However, when you make withdrawals from your Roth IRA, you do not have to pay taxes on the distributions as you do with a traditional IRA.
Roth IRAs may be a prudent account choice for those individuals who believe the tax bracket they’re in during their working years is lower than the one they’ll be in once they retire.
They will not receive a tax benefit from their contributions while they’re still working, but they won’t pay taxes at all on their withdrawals during retirement when they’re in a higher tax bracket.
Additionally, there is no required minimum distribution feature for a Roth IRA. Something else to be aware of: As of 2023, your modified adjusted gross income must be less than $153,000 in order to contribute to a Roth IRA.
Please be aware that the guidelines presented here for both traditional and Roth IRAs are very broad. Before choosing between a traditional and Roth IRA, you should consult with your tax advisor to ensure you’re making the best decision on behalf of your own particular tax profile.
Augusta is a great choice for many types of investors, including those who:
Yes, with over a decade of helping Americans diversify their retirement savings and hundreds of 5-star reviews on popular consumer watchdog sites, we feel confident in saying that an Augusta gold IRA is a safe investment!
And there’s more…
First of all, a precious metals IRA professional at Augusta will hold your hand and walk you through the whole process of setting up your new IRA.
Second, your precious metals investments will then safely be stored with the depository of your choice, just like any other IRA asset. Gold IRA custodians specialize in administering physical precious metals retirement savings and work with secure vaults to keep your precious metals safe.
The depositories carry insurance to ensure that, in the very unlikely event that some metals get stolen or destroyed by an act of God while stored in their facilities, your investments will be made whole.
And the fact that Augusta has so many top ratings and reviews, plus an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and an AAA rating with the Business Consumer Alliance, makes them a unique company in this niche.
All things considered, we feel 100% comfortable with saying that opening up a gold IRA with Augusta Precious Metals is completely safe!
The company’s website shows a wide selection of gold and silver bars and coins. Their focus again is on IRA-eligible bars and coins, but they are able to source a wide variety of precious metals.
This list is just a small example of the gold and silver coins/bars offered:
Image Source: augustapreciousmetals.com
By now in this Augusta Precious Metals review, we bet you are wondering about fees and transaction minimums, so let us look at that next.
If you have read any of the other articles or guides on this site, you are aware of the different fees typically involved with your gold IRA. Outside of the purchase of gold and silver, the only other fees of any significance are your storage and custodial fees.
Additionally, Augusta can work with your preferred custodian or storage provider. But know that they have researched and vetted gold IRA custodians and storage options and recommend you use the businesses listed below.
Important note: Augusta Precious Metals will reimburse up to 10 years of fees to your IRA in premium silver coins. So, make sure to ask your IRA agent how much you qualify for.
Augusta Precious Metals’ vault storage provider of choice is Delaware Depository.
The annual costs to have your precious metals stored with Delaware comes out to $100 annually for commingled storage for most accounts. Or $150 annually for segregated vault storage (the specific pieces of gold or silver you buy are set aside as the exact pieces you purchased and will be returned to you when taking a distribution).
Non-Segregated Storage Fees | Segregated Storage Fees |
$100 | $150 |
Most customers are happy with commingled vault storage, but you can discuss the pros and cons of each with your IRA Specialist. For some, the additional $50 each year for segregated storage is worth it.
Augusta’s preferred self-directed IRA (SDIRA) custodian is Equity Trust. If you choose to work with Equity Trust, you can expect a one-time setup fee of $50 and an annual maintenance fee of $100.
They also have partnerships with GoldStar Trust in Texas and Kingdom Trust in Kentucky.
Initial Setup Fee | $50 (Covered by Augusta) |
Annual Maintenance Fee | $80 (Covered by Augusta) |
Total Annual Fees | $200 (Covered by Augusta) |
Investment Minimum (Precious Metals IRA) | $50,000 |
Markup on Bullion | 5% |
As previously mentioned, if you choose to work with Augusta, they now cover all fees. You can also get up to 10 years of fees reimbursed to your IRA in premium silver coins.
Also, Augusta will provide robust, professional customer service for the lifetime of your account without charging any management fees of their own.
Companies like Augusta Precious Metals are able to source their products at ‘wholesale’ bullion prices. They then mark up the price of your gold and silver IRA-eligible bullion bars and coins to competitive ‘retail’ prices.
This means that it is through this spread from the wholesale to the retail price of your investments that Augusta is able to earn a profit.
According to Augusta itself, they offer a price guarantee on all coins and competitive bullion pricing.
If you ever want to liquidate your account or sell any of your precious metals, we are convinced that you can be confident Augusta Precious Metals will offer a fair value for your gold and silver.
We reached out to the firm directly and they claim to have never turned down a buy-back request from any of their customers. This is part of their account lifetime commitment to their customers. |
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If you’re still not convinced, let’s take a look at why you may want to invest in precious metals.
2022 has been an extremely tumultuous year for investors, and hedge fund managers even predict a global societal collapse in 2023.
The Fed can’t seem to get inflation under control and a recession is lurking around the corner. We may even face another stagflation, and as a result, many Americans are moving their money out of the stock market and into safe-haven assets, like physical gold and silver.
According to US Global Investors graph below, central banks bought 400 tonnes of gold in 2022 – around $20 billion, the most in over a half-century:
As a result, 2023 marks the start of what many believe will be a bull market for precious metals as federal spending is out of control and inflation is remaining high.
Bloomberg Intelligence senior macro strategist, Mike McGlone, sees gold crossing the $2,000 mark and will never look back. McGlone said that if the US goes into recession in March, gold will rise above $2,000 to never look back again. He sees America approaching another round of economic contraction based on the yield curve. This will be good for gold.
Additionally, Ole Hansen, a renowned commodity expert from Saxo Bank in Denmark has predicted that gold prices could reach an all-time high of $4000 per ounce. Should markets conclude global inflation will continue to rise despite the monetary tightening, Ole believes the golden metal is set for gains!
Lastly, billionaires like Thomas Kaplan and Jeff Gundlach believe gold can be headed to $3000 to $5000 per ounce. The future is looking good for the yellow metal.
Now, let’s look at what precious metals can do for you.
Precious metals will help you:
Also, as living costs are increasing, the average retirement account is shrinking. For more details, you can watch this video with Harvard-trained economist Devlyn Steele and how soaring inflation and higher interest rates have intensified the retirement crisis.
In uncertain times like these, it is more important than ever to turn to assets that help you hedge against inflation and other economic stresses to help strengthen your savings.
To conclude this Augusta Precious Metals review (2023), we believe that Augusta truly lives up to being one of the best and most trusted gold IRA company in the US.
First of all, Augusta has an excellent track record, with thousands of top ratings, plus hundreds of top reviews on trusted sites like the BBB, BCA, TrustLink, and others. Also, Augusta has an A+ BBB rating and an AAA rating with the BCA.
What also stands out is that the company offers what we think is the most unique approach to customer education via its free one-on-one educational web conferences designed by on-staff, Harvard-trained economist Devlyn Steele. Devlyn Steele and his team offer a personal touch that is above what Augusta’s competitors are currently offering.
Then, there is the fact Augusta is endorsed by hall of fame quarterback and multimillionaire Joe Montana. Joe’s personal financial team chose Augusta after checking out gold IRA companies across the country.
He became a customer after attending the company’s helpful web conference. Joe decided that he loved Augusta’s mission so much he also became the company’s corporate ambassador.
Overall, Augusta Precious Metals has a well-oiled process for making your gold IRA rollover or transfer stress-free and easy. And part of that includes ZERO fees for up to 10 years (every customer qualifies).
The only downside – if you can call it that – is the $50,000 account minimum. That is higher than some of their competitors. But the company says it can best serve customers who have this much to invest in gold and silver, and that is fair.
Other than that, we can only give praise.
So to summarize our Augusta Precious Metals review, we want to say that if you are reviewing companies for your precious metals IRA, you should seriously consider reaching out to Augusta Precious Metals as your #1 option.
We highly recommend that you at least add them to your shortlist of potential providers. Better yet, why don’t you request your >>>2023 Gold IRA Investor Guide, and vet them for yourself?
If you want to look around a bit more before making a final decision on what gold IRA provider to choose, we have reviewed and rated the 7 best gold IRA companies of 2023. You can request their gold IRA kits directly from the reviews table below:
We believe it is. Throughout history, gold and silver prices have moved in the opposite direction of paper assets and can, therefore, provide a good hedge against inflation. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future gains, but the numbers show that the weaker the dollar has become in the past, the better gold generally has performed. In fact, the relationship between gold and the dollar is often seen as an inverse one.
Traditional IRA accounts may not be enough to provide for you and your loved ones, post-retirement. Not if the economy remains as uncertain as it has looked recently.
For eons, investors have looked to gold to help them potentially offset losses due to economic turmoil. A gold IRA or precious metals IRA permits you to diversify a portion of your retirement portfolio — including pre-existing IRAs and former 401k(s) with previous employers — by actually owning physical gold (and silver) within a retirement plan. As a result, you can securely possess physical precious metals in a tax-deferred account.
Indirect forms of investing in gold are much riskier than physical metal. You are relying on any third party individual or company to look after your wealth for you, and depending on the company’s success or failure, you risk losing your investment. With physical gold, you are in control of your wealth. Physical gold offers you that layer of protection and security which Gold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), gold mining stocks and funds do not.
When investing in a gold IRA, you will get the same tax benefits as a traditional IRA, while actually owning physical gold coins or gold bars.
While some coins can be included in precious metals IRAs, only certain coins are IRS approved for inclusion in IRAs. In fact, not all bars or bullion are IRS approved. The IRS maintains a list of acceptable forms of precious metals for IRAs. You can be certain that a reputable gold IRA company offers a variety of metals for IRAs within IRS guidelines.
Yes. WYes. While Augusta Precious Metals recommends Equity Trust as their preferred custodian and Delaware Depository for storage, you can choose your own custodian and storage companies.
Non-IRA precious metals, yes. Not metals for an actual IRA. IRS rules forbid keeping your IRA precious metals at home or in a standard safety security box. They must be held by an approved non-bank trustee or a bank within IRS guidelines that restricts access. In other words, just like a traditional IRA, the access to the precious metals in your precious metals IRA must be restricted in specific ways to ensure deposit and disbursement laws are followed.
No. Like all investments, the future value of precious metals is not guaranteed and can rise or fall based on a variety of market influences. But we believe physical precious metals are your safest bet to hedge against a stock market crash, inflation, and the debasing of the dollar.
At age 59½, you or the beneficiary of your precious metals IRA can start taking penalty-free distributions from the account, according to the IRS.
Usually around two-three weeks, although Augusta Precious Metals stresses that each application is different and the amount of time varies on a case-by-case basis.
The customers will receive top-notch service and specialized account setup knowledge provided by Augusta’s IRA Processing Department throughout the process from start to finish. They do 95% of the paperwork with them. Customers can feel safe knowing they will be kept up to date every step of the transfer process by daily calls or e-mails from the IRA Processing team at Augusta Precious Metals. The company also provides lifetime account support.
Augusta Precious Metals is a premium provider of precious metals products and services, with a specialty in gold and silver IRAs. The company’s reputation of a customer-first approach to sales, service and education is well-known throughout the retirement investing community. Augusta has received ZERO complaints at either the BBB or BCA since opening its doors in 2012 – and has received thousands of 5-star reviews across the most popular consumer rating platforms. And here’s a big reason for all the excitement: Augusta offers the most competitive, transparent pricing in the industry, underscored by its price-match guarantee on all coins.
Additionally, Augusta will waive fees up to 10 years for new customers (a special – ask how many years you qualify for). As much as all that is, Augusta Precious Metals offers much more to hard-working retirement savers, including a free one-on-one educational web conference designed by the company’s on-staff Harvard-trained economist. This is the same web conference attended anonymously by hall of fame quarterback Joe Montana that convinced him to become an Augusta customer. Mr. Montana’s personal financial advisors found the company for him after researching all the gold IRA companies in the U.S.! Read the full review of Augusta Precious Metals in section: Reviews.
For over a decade, our mission has been to provide investors and retirees with all the information they need when it comes to precious metals and cryptocurrency investing.
Not only do we provide a complete guide on the best ways to invest in precious metals, but we have also carefully vetted the best precious metals companies in the US to help you choose the best provider for your investment needs.
We believe that investing in precious metals and cryptocurrencies through your 401(k)/IRA is one of the best ways to invest in this asset class, due to the tax-saving component. A gold IRA or crypto IRA is the best way to protect your retirement account against an unstable market.
Disclaimer: The owner of this website is not licensed as an investment advisor and, accordingly, does not make any recommendations regarding clients’ personal investment portfolios. It is recommended that you carefully evaluate and research the risks and rewards associated with investing in alternative assets such as physical precious metals and cryptocurrencies before you make a purchase. Learn more in our Terms of Service.
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