iTrustCapital Review: Pros and Cons of the Crypto IRA Provider

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Crypto and Precious Metals IRA

• Trade more than 40 cryptocurrencies
• Choose from multiple retirement accounts
• Invest in precious metals

• High transaction fees
• No stocks and bonds
• Minimum deposit required

Self-directed retirement accounts such as the ones available at iTrustCapital allow you to accumulate cryptocurrency, gold, and silver. More than 200,000 people use iTrustCapital, but the self-directed IRA provider has mixed reviews, including an “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau. 

iTrustCapital is a competitive option for crypto IRAs, but gold and silver investors may want to consider better options, such as American Hartford Gold and Anthem Gold. 

What does iTrustCapital offer?

iTrustCapital caters to investors who want to accumulate alternative assets in their retirement accounts. These are the investments you can access with an iTrustCapital IRA:

iTrustCapital gold and silver IRA

iTrustCapital allows clients to trade gold and silver 24/7. The firm holds investment-grade gold and silver at the Royal Canadian Mint. The minting company produces Canada’s coins and holds an ISO 9001-2008 certification, which means it follows internationally recognized standards for quality and consistency in its operations.

Tradewind’s VaultChain platform tracks the ownership of physical gold and silver among investors through a secure blockchain distributed ledger. This arrangement digitally tracks the ownership of precious metals. 

Buying gold gives you an ownership stake in the physical precious metals stored with the Royal Canadian Mint. Investors can trade assets without having to store them. 

Gold and silver transaction fees

Kitco Metals executes the gold and silver orders placed on iTrustCapital’s platform. The arrangement results in a premium for gold and silver. Gold is priced at $50 over its spot price per ounce, while silver is priced at $2.50 over its spot price per ounce.

iTrustCapital’s gold fees are competitive. Most gold IRAs assess transaction fees ranging from $10 to $100 for each gold trade. 

However, you might get a better deal on silver with another company. Most IRAs’ silver transaction fees range from 4% to 8%. Meanwhile, iTrustCapital’s $2.50 fee represents a 7% premium compared to silver’s current price (in late October 2024). 

iTrustCapital crypto investing

iTrustCapital enables 24/7 crypto trading for more than 40 cryptocurrencies, a benefit that’s unique to gold IRA. The few gold IRAs that offer crypto trading tend to limit their investors to Bitcoin and Ethereum. 

iTrustCapital includes popular choices, bitcoin and ethereum, but you can also trade smaller altcoins such as dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and polkadot.

You don’t need to pay a setup fee or a monthly maintenance fee. iTrustCapital charges a 1% transaction fee each time you buy and sell crypto. These examples demonstrate how much you may end up paying in transaction fees:

• Buy $10,000 worth of bitcoin: $100 transaction fee
• Sell $15,000 worth of ethereum: $150 transaction fee

The IRA provider claims to charge lower fees than most other self-directed IRA platforms. Bitcoin IRA charges a much higher 2% transaction fee and has additional setup fees and monthly fees. Meanwhile, with Coin IRA, you’ll pay a 1.25% transaction fee for buy trades plus a 1% fee for sell trades.

iTrustCapital offers unlimited storage and never takes custody of your assets. (Unlimited storage and preserving custody of your assets are common benefits within the industry.) The company also handles all necessary IRS and tax reporting through a regulated, state-chartered trust company.

Is working with iTrustCapital safe? What customer reviews say

Platform	Rating	Number of reviews
Trustpilot	4.9/5	3,960
Better Business Bureau (BBB)	2.33/5	3
Google	3.6/5	33

iTrustCapital earns mixed reviews. Most BBB reviewers express dissatisfaction with the company. According to the BBB, iTrustCapital has also received six complaints over the past 12 months.

Google Play reviewers are more neutral, with an average rating of 3.6 stars. However, Trustpilot is by far the most positive. iTrustCapital earns an impressive 4.9 rating from almost 4,000 Trustpilot reviews. 

More than 80% of Trustpilot reviewers give the company five stars, while less than 5% rate it lower than three stars. 

Common praise

Many Trustpilot reviewers mention representatives who gave them a good experience. iTrustCapital’s support line is available on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific, with a break from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific. You can also submit an online request.

Positive reviews tend to focus on customer support solving problems. Fewer positive reviews mention the firm’s crypto offerings or precious metals. 

Common complaints 

Not everyone has had a positive experience with iTrustCapital. Some negative reviews from the Better Business Bureau cite the firm’s distribution process. Other customers have said they have had issues initiating buy/sell orders and navigating the platform.

The most recent BBB review is a 4-star review, and it’s the only review in 2024. Trustpilot reviewers who left low marks also cited issues with requested early distribution and not hearing back for a few days. 

Some reviewers have also cited bad customer support, demonstrating how much customers’ experiences can differ. iTrustCapital has responded to most of the negative reviews on Trustpilot. 

How much does it cost to work with iTrustCapital?

iTrustCapital does not charge setup or maintenance fees. However, you will pay a transaction fee for every buy and sell order. 

You’ll see significant savings on transaction fees if you stick with stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Many IRA providers don’t charge transaction fees for those assets. 

You will pay a 1% transaction fee each time you buy or sell crypto in an iTrustCapital IRA. Those fees can add up in a hurry, but it’s common to see crypto IRA providers charge elevated fees. 

Gold trades cost an extra $50 per ounce on the platform, while silver costs an extra $2.50 per ounce. You won’t pay additional storage costs.

How do you open an account with iTrustCapital?

iTrustCapital makes it easy to get started. 

1. Start by clicking the “Open Account” button: 

2. Fill in several basic details to create your account:

3. Before proceeding, you must accept the terms and conditions.
4. iTrustCapital will then send a verification email that allows you to set up two-factor authentication.
5. Select the type of IRA you want to open. A $1,000 minimum deposit is required to open any iTrustCapital IRA. Investors can choose between partial and full transfers. iTrustCapital lets customers roll over 401(k), TSP, 403(b), 457, and other retirement plans.
6. You can open one of the following retirement accounts with iTrustCapital, depending on which tax advantages you want:

• Traditional IRA: contribute with pretax dollars
• Roth IRA: contribute with post-tax dollars
• SEP IRA: contribute with pretax dollars

7. You can fund these accounts with a rollover, IRA transfer, or ACH cash contributions. iTrustCapital only accepts contributions in U.S. dollars. 

Rollovers typically take five to 15 business days but can take up to four weeks, depending on the current institution. Conversions take around one to three business days and come with a one-time $75 conversion fee.

How can you see how your account is performing?

iTrustCapital provides a dashboard that lets you monitor your IRA’s historical performance. You can also track historical inflows and outflows to see how your contributions are adding up. 

It’s smart to periodically check in with your IRA. Tracking your performance can help you adjust your investment strategy and asset allocation.

Can you withdraw from an iTrustCapital account?

You can withdraw funds from an iTrustCapital account by submitting a “Distribution/Transfer Out Request” with the following information:

• Your email address
• ITR account number
• Whether you are transferring out to another IRA provider or taking a distribution
• Email subject line
• Reason for request
• Description

Customers can also add screenshots to their requests. After submitting the form, iTrustCapital will send a DocuSign document within the next two business days. It can take seven to 14 business days to receive the distribution after signing the DocuSign.

Pros and cons of working with iTrustCapital

Pros

• Trade more than 40 cryptocurrencies

  Investors can buy and sell more than 40 cryptocurrencies—more than most crypto IRAs—on iTrustCapital while enjoying tax advantages.

• Choose from multiple retirement accounts

  Elect to open a Roth IRA, traditional IRA, or SEP IRA. You can make post-tax contributions to avoid taxes on capital gains and dividends or make pretax contributions to reduce your current tax bill.

• Invest in precious metals

  iTrustCapital customers can trade gold and silver without needing to store it. (This is a standard feature for gold IRAs.) You can enjoy tax advantages on alternative assets instead of being limited to stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

Cons

• High transaction fees

  Each crypto trade incurs a 1% transaction fee, while gold and silver trades also have expensive trading fees. You will save money on transaction fees if you stick with traditional investments.

• No stocks and bonds

  While your iTrustCapital account allows you to access alternative assets, it doesn’t offer much flexibility if you also want to buy stocks and bonds. (Most gold IRAs don’t let you trade stocks and bonds.)

• Minimum deposit required

  You must make a minimum deposit of $1,000 to open an iTrustCapital account. Some IRAs are more generous and don’t require an initial deposit to get started.

Alternatives to iTrustCapital

iTrustCapital allows investors to accumulate crypto and precious metals in tax-advantaged accounts. However, it’s not the only personal finance company you should consider if you want to buy alternative assets in a tax-advantaged retirement account. 

Here’s how iTrustCapital compares with our highest-rated gold IRA company.

Feature	iTrustCapital	Anthem Gold
Free consultation?	✅	✅
Metal types sold	2	4
IRA minimum	$1,000	$10,000
Years in business	4	2
Best for	Best for crypto trading	Best intro offer

American Hartford Gold (AHG)

American Hartford Gold offers more retirement account options than iTrustCapital’s three choices. You can open any of the following accounts with AHG:

1. Traditional IRA
2. Roth IRA
3. Thrift Savings Plan
4. 401(k)
5. 403(b)
6. 457 account

AHG lets you choose from several gold and silver coins and bars for its IRAs. You can also buy physical gold and silver and have it delivered to your home. 

In addition, AHG has been in business longer than iTrustCapital. AHG was founded in 2015, and iTrustCapital was founded in 2018.

However, AHG requires a $10,000 minimum deposit to open an IRA. That’s a much higher barrier to entry than iTrustCapital’s $1,000 minimum deposit requirement. Furthermore, AHG customers can’t trade cryptocurrencies, while iTrustCapital offers more than 40 cryptos.

How we rated iTrustCapital

We designed LendEDU’s editorial rating system to help readers find companies that offer the best gold and silver IRAs. Our system awards higher ratings to companies with affordable solutions, positive customer reviews, and online transparency of benefits and terms.

We compared iTrustCapital to several precious metals companies, using hundreds of data points from company websites, public disclosures, customer reviews, and direct communication with company representatives. We weighted, scored, and combined each factor to produce a final editorial rating. This rating is expressed on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score.