Quick Start

If you are looking to get started investing in precious metals right away checkout our top companies list. We did hundreds of hours of research and testing to find the top companies for this year...

>> Click Here For The Top Precious Metals Investment Companies For This Year <<

What is a Precious Metals IRA?

A precious metals IRA is simply an IRA purchased with assets that are in precious metals. These assets may be physical bars, cash coins, private investment accounts, digital assets like digital books or stock certificates, or other options.

What is a Precious Metals Company?

A precious metals company is a company that buys and sells precious metals for the purpose of holding or investing them. These companies provide the ability to purchase physical gold bars, silver bars, cash coins, or digital assets like stocks through their websites. The idea behind this option is that you will have substantially more options with the company providing your precious metals than you would have if you were buying from another person directly yourself. This provides you with the benefits of buying from someone who already has some experience in this industry as well as being able to take advantage of their reputation for being reliable and responsive to customer issues.

How Much Should I Invest?

The amount that you should put into a precious metals IRA depends on many factors of your financial situation, but generally speaking, the general rule is to put at least 10% of your monthly income into the investment. If you have retired from work, then you should put in even more. If you are extremely young and have a very low income, then you can consider putting in as little as 5% per month. Just be sure that whatever percentage you decide upon, you are willing to live a comfortable life every month (without touching any investments) and will not be able to withdraw money in the future.

Are There Different Types of Precious Metals?

There are two types of precious metals: physical and non-physical. Physical metals are those that are held in a vault, and you can actually go to the bank and hold them in your hand. Some examples of physical metals include gold bars and silver bars. Non-physical or digital assets, on the other hand, refer to assets that you cannot hold in your hand but are handled by an online computer system. These include things like stocks, coins and certificates, and electronic books. Some of these are handled by banks or brokers, while others can be handled through a specialized company whose only business is to help with investments like this.

What Are Gold Bars?

Gold bars are typically round and rectangular in shape, but they may have different designs depending on what country they were produced by and what they were used for. The weight will vary as well, and bar sizes range anywhere from one gram all the way up to one kilogram. Both types of bullion are made of precious metals, but gold coins come in different colors, while gold bars tend to come in solid colors with a yellow or gold tinge. You will also find some gold bars that have a mint mark or assay mark, which is used on the bar to indicate the purity of the gold.

Gold Bars As an IRA

Gold bars are by far the most common type of physical precious metals investment. There are thousands of gold bars in the world with an average value of approximately one ounce each. Many people will purchase at least one bar so that they have a physical asset that can be kept in their possession, but others will purchase gold bars as well as other types of precious physical metals like coins or certificates.

Gold Bars vs Silver Bars

Gold bars and silver bars are similar in the sense that they are both precious physical metals. However, silver generally trades at a lower value than gold and is typically less prevalent. This means that while you might be able to buy more silver bars with the same amount of money, it will take more of them to equal the same value as a gold bar.

Why Gold Bars?

Gold bars are much more common than silver bars and are easier to use. For example, a gold bar can be used to pay bills, while a silver bar is more common for investing purposes. Gold can also be melted down and poured into a coin, but this is not possible with silver.

Where to Buy Gold Bars?

Gold bars can be purchased at any bank or credit union, as well as some pawn shops, if they have a gold desk. You will also find multiple online stores that sell gold bars as well, such as BullionVault, Canadian Precious Metals Investment Trust (CPIM), Kitco, or Coins & Paper Money Auctions.
Gold bars can be bought at several locations, including specialized gold dealers and bullion dealers.

You can also purchase them online, which is another great way to purchase gold bars with the added bonus of not having to leave your house! It is important to note that when you purchase gold bars online, there will be no physical payment for the bar itself, and instead, there will be an immediate transfer between your bank account and your broker's account. 

This means that if you do not have enough money in your account, the transaction will fail, and you will be required to deposit more money into your bank account before the broker can proceed with the transaction.

Benefits of Gold As An IRA

Gold is one of the most valuable investments you can make in the world today. The United States is a major producer of gold, and here are some of the benefits you will receive when using gold to purchase precious metals:

1. Gold is a long-term investment

Gold is a long-term investment. Gold bars, for example, will maintain their value over the years due to their limited supply and small demand. You may buy gold from banks and from credit unions, but gold bars are usually kept in vaults or storage facilities. The reverse is also true; you cannot melt down gold bars or sell them for cash because they are not fiat money. So if you want to sell your gold bar, then it has to be turned into something else that can be sold for cash, such as physical bullion like one-ounce coins or an allocated account of gold.

2. Gold can be turned into cash

When you purchase gold bars, you will pay the price per bar, and they cannot be turned into cash. In other words, if you buy one ounce of gold and do not want it, then you can sell it for a specific amount of money or, in some cases, exchange it for another type of bar. This is not true for silver bars; the value does not have to equal the purchase price per ounce. You can also buy silver strategically in small increments, such as one penny at a time, so that even if you do decide to sell your bars at some point in time, you will always have the option to reinvest in another smaller amount.

3. Gold is very liquid

Gold bars are extremely liquid, which means they are easy to move into and out of the market. Whether you need cash or want to use gold to invest in something else, you can do so quickly and easily. The process of melting down a gold bar and pouring it into a coin or another type of physical bullion is also very easy.

4. Gold has a history

Gold has been around for thousands of years, making it one of the oldest precious metals on earth. The first known use was at least 7,000 years ago in ancient Egypt, where people mined gold from lumps of ore and shaped them into blades for weapons. In India, gold is also mined and used in both jewelry as well as coins.

5. Gold is a metal of respect

Gold has been revered for centuries. As a precious metal, it has been used for thousands of years to make jewelry, electrum, and coins, in addition to being used for other purposes that are not as practical as jewelry or currency. For example, gold was used to paint statues and monuments such as the Parthenon. The Ancient Greeks also believed that gold had healing properties, while the Egyptians believed it could help with longevity.

Gold Bars vs. Gold Coins

Gold bars and gold coins are both types of gold bullion, but they serve different purposes. When you invest in gold, you want a safe place to store your precious metals, and this is why many people purchase both types. With that said, there are distinct differences between the two types of bullion that should be considered when investing in precious metals or deciding how to spend your IRA:

1. Price

Gold bars will typically be less expensive than gold coins because they will weigh less and therefore take up less space. This means that you are getting more gold bars for your buck.

2. Value

Gold bars will trade at a lower value than gold coins due to their uniform size and weight. This means that the precious metals market will determine the price, while gold coins will be fixed at a certain price based on their market value.

3. Storage

Gold coins can be stored in vaults but only for a certain length of time before you will have to pay fees in order to store them longer. This is not true for gold bars which are much easier to store over the long run.

4. Storage fees

Storage fees are determined by weight and will be higher for gold coins than for gold bars. This is due to the fact that coins weigh more than bars, so it takes more money to store them.

5. Age and variety

Gold bars are typically older, which means that they have been in circulation for hundreds of years longer than gold coins. The rarity of gold bars also depends on the particular country in which they are mined. You can also expect to find more variety in gold bars because they can be melted down or used to make other physical bullion.

What Are Gold Coins?

Gold coins are typically round and are produced by many countries, including krugerrands, palladiums, and other popular currencies. Many of these coins have been in circulation for hundreds of years, making them a very valuable piece of history. While you can purchase gold coins with bullion value, you can also purchase them with face value and make them legal tender by placing a stamp on them. Gold coins also have a value in the market, which means that you may have to pay a premium for them if you purchase them from a dealer.

How to Buy Gold Coins?

Gold coins can also be purchased online or at a bullion dealer or a specialized gold dealer, which is something you want to consider when buying gold coins. If you are purchasing bullion instead of collectible coins, it is important to note that they will determine the price based on their own rates. You also have more freedom buying bullion from a private individual because there are no fees and taxes as long as you purchase less than 500 ounces.

Final Verdict

Gold is one of the most valuable metals on earth and has been used for thousands of years, even going back further than the Ancient Romans. Many people choose to invest in gold, but you may need to decide which type is right for you, which is why it's important to know what each type of bullion offers.