Saving for retirement needs good planning based on one’s financial goals and then choosing the best ways to invest by diversifying the retirement portfolio. Maintaining a diversified portfolio helps to mitigate risks and allows the investments to grow faster. All retirement investments are long-term and need close monitoring, even if you follow some specific strategies and formulas for investing.
Conventional retirement investments only require a little thought, as most people know about 401(k) and IRA accounts. However, to plan for maintaining a diversified investment portfolio, it is essential to understand the available options and look at the bigger picture by taking a step back, which helps in better decision-making.
Protecting against inflation should be the top priority, but only some traditional retirement accounts, such as traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, and Simple IRAs, can serve the purpose. The other options of investment in Mutual funds, stocks, bonds, Dividend Retirement Plans (DRIPS), and Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) do not help to take care of inflation either. However, the best and only way to ensure steady investment growth by protecting against stock market crashes and inflation is to invest in precious metals like gold, silver, palladium, and platinum instead of paper assets.
This article should help you understand the techniques of investing in precious metals by knowing the available options. Choosing the suitable types of metals and the right investment company that acts as a custodian is essential to make a good beginning. Companies like Goldco offer various investment options in precious metals, especially gold and silver, in the form of a Goldco IRA.
- What is Gold IRA or Precious Metals IRA?
Interest in gold is increasing as the price of gold has risen steadily through the years. Within two decades, the gold price has grown beyond all expectations. In September 1999, gold was $255 per ounce and peaked at an all-time high of $2020 in August 2020. Currently, the price of gold is $1843 as on March 2023. In 1997, the US Congress created an IRA with the possibility of using gold and other precious materials as securities.
Gold IRA is a self-directed retirement account for an individual that allows the physical holding of precious metals, mainly gold, silver, palladium, and platinum. No other IRA has such a unique feature as all of these allow investment in the usual paper assets like stocks, bonds, and cash. The company that offers Gold IRA acts as the custodian of the metals on behalf of investors as a qualified retirement investment.
Investors with Gold IRAs actually hold physical metals such as coins or bullion, and securities related to precious metals are also part of the portfolio.
Although investors hold Gold IRA accounts separately from traditional IRA accounts, the contribution limits and distribution rules are the same. Investors must approach a custodian or broker-dealer to open a Gold IRA account. The dealer or custodian manages the account.
- The high appeal of the Gold IRA
Investors keen on maintaining a diversified retirement portfolio take particular interest in Gold IRAs, which are ideal long-term investments because they are secure. Gold IRA is a smart choice because it smoothens out risk by balancing risk and return. The specialty of the gold price is that it moves in the opposite direction of paper assets, thus making Gold IRA a kind of insurance policy against inflation.
Despite the superiority of the Gold IRA over traditional IRAs in mitigating risk and countering inflation, there needed to be more demand for these initiatives. To invest in Gold IRA, you must find a custodian or trustee, usually the company that offers the IRA together with an approved depository. The complicated transaction process differed from the average investor’s liking, which preferred some easy ways of investing. Only persistent investors were ready to go through the process.
The continued inflationary trend that only worsened with time, especially in the post-Covid19 economy, boosted the popularity of Gold IRAs. However, the financial crisis of 2007-2008 that led to the Great Recession turned the investors’ attention toward gold, which resulted in record gold sales. Along with it, many new companies came into existence to facilitate investing in Gold IRA while simplifying the process of transactions. As a result, investing in Gold IRA became more evident for prudent investors, triggering tremendous growth of the Gold IRA.
- Setting up Gold IRA
Conventional brokers who deal in traditional IRAs can’t help you to set up a Gold IRA account. Instead, you must search for a specialty custodian or company with the necessary infrastructure to handle all the tax-related documentation and reporting to maintain a Gold IRA. The custodian or company that helps you set up a Gold IRA has adequate facilities for the safe storing of the physical assets. They will even allow you access to the assets should the need arise. The company or custodian will apprise you about the rules and regulations involving distributions during withdrawals.
- Rules and regulations for contribution and distribution
In 2022, the contribution limit for Gold IRA was set at $6,000, which went up to $6,500 in 2023. The IRS sets the boundaries for contributions and distribution every year. Anyone who is 50 years or older can contribute an additional $1,000. For them, the contribution limit in 20222 was $7,000; in 2023, it was $7,500.
To start taking distributions from your IRA without any penalties, you must be 59 years and six months. However, withdrawing before the specified age would make you liable to pay an additional tax of 10%.
Gold IRA holders must consider the aspect of storage when deciding to invest in precious metals. It would help if you keep your physical gold in an IRS-approved storage facility; the custodian should help.
Investors seeking physical storage of gold can also choose approved third parties. They usually have arrangements with some depository or bank to store gold in compliance with the law. It means you can hold gold at home, but it has a downside. Holding gold at home would amount to withdrawal; depending on your age, you might have to pay taxes.
- Types of Gold IRAs
Investors can choose from three types – Traditional Gold IRAs, Roth Gold IRAs, and SEP Gold IRAs.
- Traditional Gold IRAsare tax-deferred retirement accounts meaning that the contributions should come from pre-tax dollars. However, you must pay tax on withdrawals at retirement. The earnings, as well as gifts, grow without attracting any tax interim.
- Roth Gold IRAs– Contributions made to the Roth Gold IRA account comes from after-tax money. Once you pay a tax on some money, you can use it to fund your Roth IRA account. Moreover, you start paying taxes when you begin withdrawing at retirement. Therefore, there is no instant tax advantage.
- SEP Gold IRAs– Self-employed individuals and employees of small businesses can set up SER Gold IRA accounts. There is no tax on your contributions, but taxation is payable only on withdrawals during retirement. However, the IRS has set limits for gifts for any SEP IRA. This means individuals can set aside 25% of their compensation or $61,000 or $65,000 for 2022 and 2023, respectively.
- Custodians have a significant role to play
Unlike other investments and traditional IRAs, where you manage everything independently, the custodians work your Gold IRA account. Therefore, choosing the proper custodian is critical to ensure a smooth investment compliant with the laws.
The custodians are no ordinary brokers but experts in administering Gold IRAs. They help you manage the tax reporting and paperwork for your gold transactions while ensuring compliance with IRS rules and regulations related to retirement planning.
Most importantly, they manage the unique storage needs as applicable for holding physical gold bullion and coins. Your home is different than the place for storing the gold purchased with your Gold IRA stipulated by the IRS. Although the IRS does not prevent you from taking physical control of the gold purchased through your Gold IRA, the activity amounts to withdrawals. Hence you must pay taxes along with penalties for early withdrawal. In some extreme malpractice cases, the IRS might even freeze your account and shut it down.
Your custodian will provide all support and guidance in handling gold according to the law and refer you to an approved facility for setting up your Gold IRA account.
- Forms of gold that you can own
Follow the IRS rules carefully to decide which form of physical gold you would like to possess with the help of your Gold IRA account. Firstly, you can purchase gold bars with a minimum purity of 99.5%. You can also buy various gold coins such as the American Buffalo, the American Gold Eagle, The Australian Kangaroo coins and gold nuggets, and the Canadian Maple Leaf. You cannot invest in gold collectibles, and the IRS disallows buying the United Kingdom Sovereign coins and the South African Krugerrand.
Review your gold inventory periodically to ensure you only have the permissible type of gold. The IRS will not allow even any accidental improper transaction. If you are under 591/2 years, you will be liable to pay income tax on the item’s value together with a withdrawal penalty of 10%.
