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Personal Finance Gold

Best Roth Gold IRAs

A Roth independent retirement account (IRA) allows tax-free withdrawals once you hit retirement age. You might consider a Roth gold IRA, which allows you to invest your funds in precious metals, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.

These investments can be smart ways to protect against inflation, grow your retirement account, and diversify your overall portfolio.

Company
Best for…
Rating (0-5)
Best overall
Best investment support
Best buy-back guarantee
Best for long-term IRAs

Reviews of the best gold Roth IRAs

If you opt to open a Roth gold IRA, several companies can help you do it. Each one offers different services, fees, and terms, so compare your options before you choose.

American Hartford Gold

Best Overall

4.9 /5

Why it’s one of the best

American Hartford Gold has been in business since 2016 and can help you open a Roth gold IRA in just three steps. First, you’ll speak with a representative to complete the necessary paperwork. Next, you’ll transfer the funds to your account. Last, you’ll purchase your desired metals and store them in IRA-approved vaults.

The company has ratings of 4.89 out of 5 with the Better Business Bureau and 4.9 out of 4 from customers on Trustpilot as of April 2024.

  • Excellent customer service ratings
  • Lowest price guarantee & no buyback fees
  • Up to $10,000 in free silver

Lear Capital

Best Investment Support

4.2 /5

Why it’s one of the best

Lear Capital offers a precious metals IRA and silver, gold, and platinum products. It stands out for the multiple benefits it offers. These include a price-match guarantee where the company will consider matching better prices found elsewhere, a 24-hour risk-free period to consider your purchase, and online portfolio tracking.

Lear boasts a flat fee structure and a quick account opening process. It earns 4.8 out of 5 stars from customer ratings on Trustpilot as of February 2024.

  • Take up to 24 hours after placing an order to reconsider without any penalties
  • Offers a price-match guarantee
  • Free evaluation of metals from other companies

Patriot Gold Group

Best for Long-Term IRAs

4.2 /5

Why it’s one of the best

Patriot Gold Group is a California-based company that offers gold IRAs and a variety of precious metals, coins, and bullion. You’ll need at least $50,000 in precious metals to open an account. If your account is valued at over $100,000, Patriot Gold Group will waive your setup, storage, and shipping fees.

The company earns positive customer reviews: 5 out of 5 on Trustpilot as of March 2024.

  • Opening a new IRA account can qualify you for free gold
  • Requires a minimum of $50,000 in metals to open an account

Goldco

Best Buy-Back Guarantee

4.2 /5

Why it’s one of the best

Goldco is another well-rated gold IRA company, boasting customer ratings averaging 4.81 out of 5 with BBB and 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot as of February 2024.

The company offers solid resources and educational content to help you learn about gold and precious metals investing. Customer service is available via several venues, including email, online chat, and over the phone.

  • Open a gold IRA account and purchase gold and silver coins or bars
  • First-year fee of $260, subsequent $180 annual fees
  • Minimum investment of $25,000 required

How does a gold Roth IRA work?

A Roth gold IRA is a self-directed IRA you can use to invest in various tangible assets, such as gold and other precious metals, art, antiques, collectibles, and even real estate.

With a Roth gold and silver IRA, your contributions are post-tax—meaning you’ll pay taxes on the money before depositing it into your IRA account. This tax model is different from a traditional IRA, which taxes the money upon withdrawal.

Typically, a Roth IRA is your best option if you expect to belong to a higher tax bracket once you retire.

To open a Roth gold IRA, you’ll need a self-directed IRA custodian. They’ll help you open the account, purchase your metals, and handle all the reporting the IRS requires. Once your account is open, you can fund it in a variety of ways, including with cash or via a rollover or transfer from another retirement account, such as a 401(k).

Gold Roth IRA guidelines

In addition to the post-tax rule, Roth gold IRAs come with other guidelines you must follow. For one, there’s a limit to how much you can contribute. With Roth and traditional IRAs, you can only contribute up to $7,000 per year if you’re 49 or under and $8,000 annually if you’re 50 or older.

You can continue contributing to your Roth account as long as you would like, even well into retirement. Before 2020, contributions phased out at age 70.5.

Just remember: These contributions aren’t tax-deductible. Because the money has already been taxed, you can’t write Roth IRA contributions off on your tax returns as you can with traditional IRAs.

You’ll also face penalties if you withdraw funds before reaching retirement age. If you take distributions before hitting age 59 and a half, you’ll owe a 10% penalty on the amount withdrawn. The withdrawal may also be taxable as income.

Roth gold IRA vs. other account types

Roth IRAs aren’t your only option for retirement savings—or investing in precious metals. Want to be sure you’re choosing the right one?

Here are two tables that can help you compare a Roth gold IRA to a traditional IRA and a simplified employee pension (SEP) plan.

Roth gold vs. traditional IRA

 Roth IRATrad. IRA
Open to anyone?
Pre- or post-tax?PostPre
Contribution limits*$7K (under 50); $8K
(50 & up)
$7K
(under 50); $8K
(50 & up)
Tax-deductible?
BenefitsUntaxed withdrawals in retirementLower taxable income now
What’s required?Max. income to contribute full amount: $138K (single)*; $218K (married, filing jointly)* Max. income to deduct full amount: $73K (single)* ; $116K (married, filing jointly)*
*2024 limits

Roth gold IRA vs. SEP plan

Roth IRASEP plan
Open to anyone?❌ For self-employed & small business owners
Pre- or post-tax?PostPre
Contribution limits*$7K (under age 50); $8K (50 & up)Lesser of $66K or 25% of annual pay
Tax-deductible?
BenefitsUntaxed withdrawals in retirementHigher limits
What’s required?Max income to contribute up to limit: $138K (single)*; $218K (married, filing jointly)* Must be self-employed or have worked for a self-employed person for at least 3 of the last 5 years
*2024 limits

Is a Roth gold IRA worth it?

Opening a Roth gold IRA offers many benefits. It can allow you to avoid high taxes in retirement and wealth in the long run.

A Roth gold IRA is a smart way to diversify your portfolio and mitigate risk in an economic downturn. It can also work as a hedge against inflation should the value of the U.S. dollar decline over time.

If you’re considering a Roth gold IRA as part of your retirement plan, shop around to minimize the fees you may be charged. Check out our picks for the best gold IRA accounts for more details.

How we selected the best Roth gold IRAs

LendEDU evaluates gold dealers to help readers find the best precious metal IRAs and inventories for direct purchase.

Our latest analysis reviewed 550 data points from 25 dealers, with 22 data points collected from each. This information is gathered from company websites, public disclosures, customer reviews, and direct communication with company representatives. These star ratings help us determine which companies are best for different situations.

We don’t believe two companies can be the best for the same purpose, so we only show each best-for designation once.

Recap of the best Roth gold IRAs

Company
Best for…
Rating (0-5)
Best overall
Best investment support
Best buy-back program
Best for long-term IRAs