Thank you for visiting our Birch Gold Group review (2023). In this in-depth review, we have looked into Birch Gold’s precious metals IRAs, complaints, ratings and customer reviews, annual fees, gold coins and other products, storage options, pros and cons, and much more.
Since this is a comprehensive review, feel free to use the quick links in the TOC list to jump straight to any section:
Birch Gold Group | Products Available: |
309 Court Avenue, Suite 809, Des Moines, IA 50309 www.birchgold.com |
– Bullion Bars – Bullion Coins – Self-Directed IRA – Cash Sales of Precious Metals |
Birch Gold Reviews & Ratings
As a natural and essential part of our review, we have looked into Birch Gold’s reviews and ratings.
Firstly, Birch Gold is known throughout the industry for its exemplary track record. Second, the reputation they have earned for nearly two decades is evident in their many accolades and positive ratings from independent business review organizations.
Birch Gold Group BBB Rating And Reviews
Here is a selection of Birch Gold Group’s BBB ratings and BCA ratings, plus customer reviews from popular consumer watchdog sites:
Better Business Bureau: Birch Gold Group currently holds an A+ rating and a 4.63/5 star rating based on 126 reviews with the Better Business Business Bureau |
Business Consumer Alliance: BGG holds an AAA rating (their top rating) and a 5/5 star rating based on 7 reviews with the BCA |
Consumer Affairs: BGG is an accredited partner with Consumer Affairs. The company has a 4.9/5 star rating based on 126 verified customer reviews |
TrustLink: Birch Gold Group holds a 5/5 star rating based on 134 customer reviews |
TrustPilot: Birch boasts a 4.0/5 star rating with TrustPilot based on 128 client reviews |
Yelp: The company also has a 4/5 star rating on Yelp based on 4 reviews |
Google Reviews: BGG has a 4.8/5 star rating on Google. This is based on 251 customer reviews |
Here are a few screenshots of Birch Gold Group’s A+ BBB rating, AAA BCA rating, and recent customer reviews:
Birch Gold Group Complaints

>>> If you’re ready to take action, request a FREE Info Kit On Gold Today!
With that said, let us take a closer look at what Birch Gold Group is and who they are best for next.
What Is Birch Gold Group (BGG)?
Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, Birch Gold Group’s executive team of former wealth managers, financial advisors, and commodity brokers have helped thousands of Americans diversify their savings with physical precious metals, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.
During the 19 years, Birch Gold Group has been in business, they have grown into one of the more recognized gold IRA firms in the US. A big part of the company’s success comes from their belief in empowering customers through knowledge and having a no-pressure sales approach.
With the help of the Precious Metals Specialists at Birch Gold Group, investors can roll over an eligible tax-deferred retirement account into a precious metals IRA with zero tax implications or penalties.
Additionally, accounts that are eligible for a rollover include Traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs. Also, many employer-sponsored retirement savings plans, such as a 401(k) and 403(b) are eligible to be transferred to a gold IRA as well.
Except for the traditional precious metals IRAs, BGG also offers cash sales of metals for physical possession. Get an introduction to Birch Gold Group and learn how to protect yourself from gold scams in this video:
Ben Shapiro & Birch Gold – What’s The Connection?
Ben Shapiro claims to have the ‘fastest growing’ conservative podcast in the US with millions of downloads each month and multiple sponsors advertising on the popular program.
And Birch Gold Group has been endorsed by Ben Shapiro and featured regularly in major news and media outlets. The company has been advertising with Shapiro since 2016, even sticking with the outspoken thought leader during times of controversy.
This partnership allows the public to learn more about their retirement savings options since Mr. Shapiro’s thoughts are that …”it is foolish not to have some assets in the one area of human activity that has never been worth zero.”
In fact, he even helped bring to the fore the option to roll over an IRA or eligible 401(k) into an IRA backed by physical gold and silver.
>>> If you’re ready to take action, request a FREE Info Kit On Gold Today!
Who Is Birch Gold Group Best For?
BGG is a great choice for many types of investors, including those who:
- Want to own a physical asset: Unlike companies that could go under at any moment, precious metals have been and will be around forever. So if you want a tangible asset in your investment portfolio that will never go out of style, precious metals should be your choice
- Want to protect their wealth from market volatility and inflation: If the market makes you a little queasy, you should minimize your risk with precious metals. In 2021, gold’s average annualized growth rate was 8.8% vs 5.1% for the S&P 500 and 5.0% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Gold’s long-term growth is therefore appealing to many investors
- Are nearing retirement and fear what the COVID crisis has done to the economy: Precious metals add stability when you need it the most, and serve as financial insurance
BGG Offers The Following Services/Products
Let’s take a look at the services or products offered by Birch Gold Group:
1. Non-IRA Precious Metals
There are a few ways to invest in precious metals, for example, direct cash purchases, gold and silver mining stocks, ETFs, and buying physical precious metals with your IRA.
While Birch Gold Group can handle direct purchases delivered directly to your home, their bread and butter are in facilitating gold IRAs.
2. Precious Metal IRAs/Gold IRAs
The IRS considers most precious metals that are not permissible in your IRA as “collectibles.” But thanks to the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, Americans are able to diversify retirement accounts into a wider selection of investments.
These include certain gold, silver, platinum, and palladium products that meet the IRS specifications and minimum purity requirements. As a result, Birch Gold Group is able to source just about any IRA-eligible bullion bar or coin for your IRA.
>>> If you’re ready to take action, request a FREE Info Kit On Gold Today!
Annual IRA Fees And Transaction Minimums
BGG helps clients open their new IRA accounts and facilitates the purchase of gold and silver through World Mints and other reputable sources.
The company prices its precious metals based on the current spot market price. They are able to source their metals at a low wholesale cost and then sell them at a premium over spot. This spread between Birch’s wholesale cost and your retail purchase price is how they get paid.
When it comes to precious metals IRAs, there is a one-time setup fee, plus annual fees for storage and maintaining your IRA with the custodian.
1. Birch Gold Group Fees
Here is a summary of the fees you can expect when opening a gold IRA with Birch Gold Group:
One-Time Setup Fee | $50 (waived on IRAs over $50,000) |
Wire Transfer | $30 (waived on IRAs over $50,000) |
Annual Admin Fee | $100 (waived on IRAs over $50,000) |
Annual Storage Fee | $100 (Non-Segregated) / $150 (Segregated) |
Annual Total Fees | $100-$330 |
In contrast to many other gold IRA companies, Birch Gold allows for purchases as low as $10,000 for both IRA and cash sales. Most other companies in this space have transaction minimums of $25,000 and up.
2. Transaction Minimums
Here are the transaction minimums for a precious metals IRA/gold IRA and regular cash purchases:
Minimum Purchase Amount Gold IRA | $10,000 |
Minimum Cash Purchase Amount | $10,000 |
BGG waives all setup fees for new accounts over $50,000, plus shipping fees on all cash purchases of $10,000 and more. And for precious metals cash sales, the metals are shipped fully insured directly to the customer’s location of choice.
3. New Customer Specials
Birch Gold Group offers new customer specials that can save you a great deal of money:
- First-year fees waived on IRAs over $50,000
- Free shipping for cash purchases over $10,000
- Plus, up to $10,000 in free precious metals on qualified purchases
4. Buy-Back Program
When you are ready to sell any of your holdings, Birch Gold Group will buy back your precious metals at zero additional charges.
>> If you’re ready to take action, request a FREE Info Kit On Gold Today!
Custodians And Storage
The gold IRA company has secured relationships with top-rated self-directed IRA custodians and SDIRA gold vault storage companies to ensure low-cost solutions for your gold IRA rollover.
Birch works closely with Equity Trust and STRATA Trust. And both custodians charge a low annual fee of $100 to administer your IRA.
In addition, BGG works with both Delaware Depository and Brinks Global Services for your storage needs. As a client, you can expect to pay an annual fee of $100 to securely store your precious metals with either storage provider.
When compared to competitors, Birch’s custodial and storage fees are reasonable and in line with other gold IRA companies. Note that some of their competitors have also secured relationships with Equity, STRATA, Brinks, and Delaware Depository.
The bottom line is that BGG does not add any fees on top of what these companies charge. Your custodial and storage payments are billed directly to the providers you choose to work with for your gold IRA rollover.
Popular Precious Metals Coins And Bars
To give you an overview of the products Birch Gold offers, we have divided examples of popular precious metals coins and bars for IRA investments and cash sales, starting with Birch gold coins and gold bars.
Birch Gold Coins & Gold Bars
- American Buffalo Gold Coins
- American Gold Eagle Coins
- American Gold Eagle Coins
- Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins
- Austrian Philharmonic Gold Coins
- Australian Nugget/Kangaroo Gold Coins
- Gold Gyrfalcon Coins
- Gold Polar Bear and Cub Coins
- Gold Rose Crown Guinea Coins
- Gold Twin Maples Coins
- Valcambi Combi Gold Bars
- A Variety of Gold Bars and Rounds
Birch Silver Coins & Silver Bars
- American the Beautiful Silver Series Coins
- American Silver Eagle Coins
- Canadian Silver Maple Leaf Coins
- Austrian Philharmonic Silver Coins
- Australian Kookaburra Silver Coins
- Mexican Libertad Silver Coins
- Silver Gyrfalcon Silver Coins
- Silver Polar Bear and Cub Coins
- Silver Rose Crown Guinea Coins
- Silver Twin Maples Coins
- A Variety of Silver Bars and Rounds
Birch Platinum Coins & Platinum Bars
- American Platinum Eagle Platinum Coins
- A Variety of Platinum Bars and Rounds
Birch Palladium Coins & Palladium Bars
- Canadian Palladium Maple Leaf Coins
- A Variety of Palladium Bars and Rounds
In addition, Birch Gold Group regularly purchases a large volume of bullion bars and coins for clients. This leverage allows them to source and deliver a wide selection of products for self-directed IRA clients across the United States.
>>> If you’re ready to take action, request a FREE Info Kit On Gold Today!
Birch’s Gold IRA Setup Process
For an easy, stress-free setup process, Birch will help you set up your new IRA. As well as assist in the transfer of funds to your new IRA custodian and ensure that the entire process is done in compliance with the IRS tax rules.
To give you a better overview, here is how the gold IRA setup process works:
- Step 1. To get started, request your Free Birch Gold IRA 2023 Info Kit. This detailed guide is your introduction to the company and how to best invest in precious metals.
- Step 2. In the next step, you’ll be contacted by a Precious Metals Specialist at Birch, and you get to explain your motivations for your interest in gold and silver.
- Step 3. If you want to move forward, you’ll then speak with an IRA Specialist who will ask about your current retirement account and help to confirm rollover eligibility.
- Step 4. And if eligible to convert your existing retirement funds into a gold IRA, you’ll need to create an account with a custodian capable of handling self-directed IRAs. Do not worry, Birch Gold will suggest a few options and assist with completing the paperwork.
- Step 5. Once the paperwork is done, Birch will help you roll over funds from your existing retirement account to a new self-directed IRA.
- Step 6. With the funds in your new self-directed IRA, Birch’s Gold IRA Specialists will facilitate the purchase of your desired precious metals.
- Step 7. Lastly, your precious metals will then be stored at an approved depository and will be insured for up to $1 billion.
And that’s it!
Birch Gold does most of the heavy lifting and walks you through each step of the setup process.
>>> If you’re ready to take action, request a FREE Info Kit On Gold Today!
Pros And Cons Of Birch Gold Group
To recap this Birch Gold Group review, here are some pros and cons of the company:
- With 19 years in business, BGG is an established gold IRA company
- A+ rating by the BBB and AAA rating by the BCA
- Great customer reviews
- Educational, no-pressure sales approach
- Easy and stress-free gold IRA setup
- $10,000 investment minimum (less than most competitors)
- Waives shipping fees on all cash purchases
- Offers a buy-back program
- On-going promotions
- BGG only does business in the United States
- Cannot set up an account online, just request a free Gold IRA Guide
Why Invest In Precious Metals?
If you are like us, you are concerned with the current state of affairs in regard to US politics and the economy. You can easily say that 2022 has been an extremely tumultuous year for investors, and hedge fund managers even predict a global societal collapse in the end of 2023.
Inflation, war, high gas prices, and the Fed’s interest rate hikes are all hitting the wallets of everyday Americans and millions are watching their retirement savings disappear as the market continues to take a nosedive.
The Fed can’t seem to get inflation under control and a recession is lurking around the corner. According to research firm Ned Davis, there’s now a 98% chance of a global recession. We may even face another stagflation, and as a result, many Americans are moving their money out of traditional investments and into safe-haven assets, like physical gold and silver.
The global spot price of gold has risen significantly over the past 30 years, which shows it’s an asset class investors can rely on:
Besides, the precious metals market is also projected to hit $403.08 billion in 2021-2028 and shows a CAGR of 5.6%.
While there are pros and cons to investing in gold (as with any asset class), 2023 marks the start of what many believe will be a bull market for precious metals.
2023 Gold Price Prediction
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 take a look at what precious metals can do for your investment portfolio.
What Precious Metals Can Do For You!
Precious metals can help you:
- Hedge against a weaker dollar and the rapidly increasing inflation
- Protect from market volatility
- Limit exposure to economic uncertainty
- Mitigate the effects of geopolitical instability
- Diminish negative fallout from the coronavirus economic crisis
- Diversify your portfolio
- Take private ownership of your financial future
As you can see, investing in physical gold and silver or other precious metals can help you protect your retirement savings, as well as diversify and grow your wealth. Not coincidentally, gold IRA companies have exploded on the scene to meet the demands of worried investors across the US.
Gold companies like Augusta Precious Metals, Goldco, and American Hartford Group appear to be advertising everywhere. And one prominent company that advertises almost daily on, for example, the Ben Shapiro Show is Birch Gold Group.
Verdict: Birch Gold Group Review (2023)
Is Birch Gold Group A Leader In The Gold IRA Industry?
From researching and writing our Birch Gold Group review, we believe that Birch Gold Group is an established and reputable gold IRA company and one of the leading companies in the industry.
For one, they have an A+ rating with the BBB and an AAA rating with the BCA. They have also managed to earn thousands of 5-star reviews, with more than 12,000 clients across the United States.
And with almost twenty years in business, it’s most likely that BGG will continue to service US retirees for decades to come. Additionally, their educational, no-pressure sales approach and easy, stress-free gold IRA setup make them an excellent choice for a gold IRA company.
When it comes to rolling over retirement funds from traditional IRAs into precious metals, it can require a bit of paperwork and effort. Needless to say, this can be confusing for most people, especially for those not well-versed in financial matters.
Thankfully, Birch has a team of IRA Specialists that will help new clients set up a new self-directed IRA with ease and hold their hands through the whole process.
Besides, BGG waives all setup fees for new accounts over $50,000, plus shipping fees on all cash purchases of $10,000 and more. Their buy-back program also makes it easy to liquidate your metals when it is time to sell.
With this in mind, we would highly recommend Birch Gold Group as an excellent choice for setting up your gold IRA. So, fill in the online application and Birch Gold Group will pay your account fees during your first year when you open an account with at least $50k.
Or if still not convinced, you can start by requesting your >>>FREE Info Kit On Gold to learn more!
Birch Gold Group Alternatives
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 best gold IRA companies of 2023. You can request their gold IRA kits directly from the reviews table below:
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About the Author
Stina is an entrepreneur who's passionate about personal finance, investing, and digital marketing. She's been a writer in this space for over a decade.