Precious Metals Allowed In An IRA
If you have an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), you can invest in precious metals. However, you will not have access to these metals, and though there are many precious metals you can choose to invest in, there are guidelines about which metals you are allowed to hold.
To invest in precious metals, you will need to set up a Gold IRA. In this article, we will explore which precious metals you are able to invest in according to Gold IRA rules and regulations.
Table of Contents
What Is A Gold IRA?
A Gold IRA is a retirement account that you can hold your precious metal investments in.
You can open a Gold IRA with any authorized Gold IRA administrators. There is a choice of various assets that can be converted into precious metal investments.
When you set up a Gold IRA, you are not responsible for sourcing the precious metals you invest in. Instead, you will work together with an IRA Administrator and a precious metals dealer to help you come to an informed decision.
Which Precious Metals Can You Hold In An IRA?
When you want to invest in precious metals, you are limited to gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Within these four categories, the IRS still heavily regulates the type of precious metals you can invest in.
Here are the allowable gold coins and bullions that you can hold in your IRA.
- American Gold Eagle Coins
- American Gold Buffalo Coins
- Australian Gold Kangaroo Coins
- Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins
- Credit Suisse Gold Bars
- Johnson Matthey Gold Bar
- Valcambi Gold Combibar
Here are the allowable silver coins allowed in your IRA.
- American Silver Eagle Coins
- Australian Kookaburra Silver Coins
- Canadian Silver Maple Leaf Coins
- Mexican Silver Libertad Coins
- Johnson Matthey Silver Bar
Here are the allowable platinum coins and bars allowed in your IRA
- American Eagle Platinum Bullion Bars
- Australian Koala Platinum Coins
- Canadian Maple Leaf Platinum Coins
- Isle Of Man Noble Coins
Here are the allowable palladium coins in your IRA
- Canadian Palladium Maple Leaf Coins
- Credit Suisse Palladium Bars
This is not an exhaustive list of the precious metals allowable in an IRA, but it does cover the most popular options. You can inquire from your preferred Gold IRA company on other precious metals allowed by the IRS.
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Rules And Regulations Surrounding Precious Metal Investment
Level Of Purity
For precious metal bullions or coins to be allowed as investable in an IRA, they need to meet set purity levels.
According to the IRS, gold bullions or coins allowed in IRA must have a .995 purity level or higher. Though there are other ways of you investing in these bullions or coins, those that don’t meet this purity level are not allowable to be held in an IRA.
Silver allowed in an IRA must have a .999 purity level, while platinum and palladium must meet the .9995 purity levels.
These purity levels are in place to help you as an investor, as they ensure that you are putting your money into a real asset that will maintain and build value over time.
Investing in fake precious metals could cause you to lose your retirement funds quickly, so ensuring that your precious metals dealer is helping you to invest in metals that meet these purity standards is paramount.
Your IRA Manager Must Have A Custodian
To begin investing in a Gold IRA, you need to find a precious metal dealer. Make sure that you choose an accredited dealer to protect your investment.
Purchase your precious metal through or from your dealer. They will then help you to open a Gold IRA for your investment with a custodian and depository.
The custodian or depository will then store your gold or other precious metals for you. You cannot store your precious metals yourself, so having a trusted custodian is a crucial part of the investment process.
An Approved Depository
Depositories are secure storage facilities for precious metals. Whether your Gold IRA invests in gold, silver, platinum, or palladium, the IRS requires that they are deposited with an approved depository.
The IRS is responsible for approving depositories that can hold IRA precious metals.
Most precious metal dealers work with approved depositories and custodians, which makes your investment in Gold IRA pretty simple to carry out. It is worth checking their accreditations, however, to ensure that your precious metals are well protected.
Are Collectibles Allowed In An IRA?
The IRS doesn’t allow you to hold collectibles in an IRA. This is because collectibles don’t meet the set purity levels.
Buying collectibles for your IRA is considered a withdrawal. It is taxed and penalized if you are not 59.5 years.
Dealers who advise you otherwise may not have the proper knowledge, and it is worth speaking to another Gold IRA Administrator and precious metals dealer. After all, this is your retirement fund, and you want to make sure it is in the right hands.
However, you can invest in collectibles on your own if you would like. You can keep them separate from your IRA.
Conclusion
When you open a Gold IRA, make sure to invest only in allowable precious metals. Carry out extensive research and get your Gold IRA manager to give you more information on allowed precious metals. There are set purity standards for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Your Gold IRA Administrator and precious metals dealer should be familiar with these, and they should only choose metals that meet these standards to hold in an approved depository for you.
It is always worth asking your Gold IRA Administrator and precious metals dealer about the purity of the metals you are investing in, even though you do not get to see and store them yourself. Investing in fake precious metals could cost you your retirement fund and cause penalties and unnecessary taxation, so the time spent checking what you are investing in is well worth it.