About Us
If you’ve suspected that public interest in so-called alternative assets such as physical gold and silver metals is on the rise, you may be onto something.
There’s a growing trend on the part of elite companies, such as Tesla, and even some U.S. state governments, to effectively diversify their reserve funds using alternative assets such as gold and silver metals. Last year, a New York Times article reported on survey results revealing that roughly half of all Americans were “seriously thinking about buying gold.”1 And in a more recent survey conducted by global analytics firm Preqin, 81% of respondents said “they expect to increase allocations to alternatives” because of “the promise of…diversification and lower correlation with public markets.”2
It’s not difficult to understand why corporations and states might consider precious metals as a way to help diversify their reserves. Gold is fundamentally uncorrelated with popular asset classes. And last year, as the global economy was subject to significant turmoil at the hands of the pandemic, silver climbed nearly 50%.3
But if individual retirement savers are going to embrace alternative assets, they have to give some thought to just how they will access them. Savers have the option to purchase assets such as physical gold and silver metals outside of a retirement account. But if they want to own these assets on a tax-advantaged basis, that means buying them through a self-directed individual retirement account (SDIRA). Unlike the IRAs retirement savers normally encounter at banks and brokerages, self-directed IRAs allow the purchase of nontraditional assets such as physical gold and silver metals and real property.
Although self-directed IRAs have been around since the 1970s, a great deal of confusion persists about what they are and how they work. One reason for this is that the accounts are not nearly as prevalent as “regular” IRAs or non-SDIRAs. But another reason is that there’s a lot of “bad data” out there about the accounts. Whenever I encounter Internet articles about SDIRAs, I sometimes cringe at how poorly explained the accounts are, even by those who self-identify as “experts.”
I’m hoping to end at least some of the confusion with this article. As interest in physical gold and silver metals continues to mount, many retirement savers likely will view self-directed IRAs as prospective account options. But the degree to which one feels comfortable with SDIRAs will depend largely on having a solid understanding of what they are – as well as what they aren’t.
Let’s start with what a self-directed IRA isn’t. It’s not a “type” of IRA in the way that traditional, Roth, SIMPLE and SEP IRAs are “types” of IRAs. Those IRA types are distinguished by varying rules about contribution limits, distribution requirements, participation, early withdrawals and other technical features.
Self-directed IRAs, instead of referring to a kind of IRA, refer to a type of IRA custodian.
Part of an IRA custodian’s job is to execute the purchase and sale decisions made by a customer on behalf of his account. But another part of the custodian’s job is to perform the important administrative functions required to preserve the account’s tax-advantaged status with the Internal Revenue Service. The recordkeeping and reporting requirements necessary to ensure an IRA remains compliant with the IRS can be as tedious as they are numerous.
When a retirement saver opens an IRA at a bank or traditional brokerage, he’s limited to purchasing the kinds of assets available at those institutions. And if he wants to purchase a so-called “alternative” asset for his IRA, such as physical gold and silver metals or real property? In that case, he must use the services of another kind of IRA custodian, one that specializes in performing the administrative functions unique to nontraditional assets: a self-directed IRA custodian.
The term “self-directed” refers to the ability of an IRA owner to purchase any alternative IRA-eligible assets for his account at his or her own discretion. Again, this differentiates the account from the “regular” IRA a person might buy at a bank or brokerage, limited only to the assets available at those institutions. “Self-directed” means, with SDIRAs, buyers enjoy greater autonomy and independence in asset selection.
I want to underscore that a SDIRA is not another “type” of IRA. It’s simply a type of IRA account that allows greater flexibility in the kinds of assets you can purchase. This means self-directed IRAs can be set up as your choice of traditional, Roth, SIMPLE or SEP IRA, as any IRA can be so configured. For example, just as a retirement saver can have a Roth IRA at his bank, brokerage or credit union (all different sources of IRAs with specific IRA options depending on the institution), he can own a self-directed Roth IRA containing alternative assets such as physical gold and silver metals. As always, before you purchase any long-term savings asset, be sure to consult with your financial advisor.
In my opinion, greater interest in alternative assets such as precious metals indicates a growing distrust in the financial system.
I’m not saying people distrust the system entirely. But concerns about such factors as negative real rates, potentially overvalued financial markets and the long-term effects of unrestrained monetary and fiscal policies seem to me to be increasing. You can certainly find a lot of articles about these topics out there. It stands to reason that people, companies and even governments will take steps to diversify their risk.
According to data accompanying the previously referenced Preqin survey, alternative assets under management worldwide is expected to reach 17 trillion dollars by 2025. That figure would represent a 60% increase from present levels and a 325% increase from the dollar value of alternative assets under management in 2010. To me, that speaks volumes about asset management professionals’ concerns regarding economic uncertainty. It also says a great deal about their faith in the potential of alternative assets to help mitigate risk.
For retirement savers who envision themselves participating in the global trend toward alternative assets such as physical gold and silver metals, self-directed IRAs could be a key component of their savings regimes. Hopefully, you now understand the SDIRA at least a little better than perhaps you did before. Retirement savers who would like to know more about self-directed IRAs in the context of purchasing physical gold and silver metals can review this brief but informative video from Augusta Precious Metals. And if you still have questions about SDIRAs, please call 800-700-1008 to speak with an Augusta Precious Metals customer success agent.
1 Danielle Braff, The New York Times, “Where Is All That Gold Being Stored?” (July 28, 2020, accessed 3/4/21).
2 Preqin, “The Future of Alternatives 2025” (November 2020, accessed 3/4/21).
3 Portfolio Visualizer, Asset Class Correlations (accessed 03/04/21).
Augusta cannot guarantee, and makes no representation, that any metals purchased by a customer will appreciate at all or appreciate sufficiently to make a profit, and there is no certainty that any metals can be sold for a profit. The future value of the coins you purchase cannot be predicted. You could lose money. Don't purchase Augusta products with money you can't afford to lose. Prices may rise and fall over time or rapidly. Past performance of any coin does not guarantee future results. Premium coins are sold for more than the spot price of the precious metal they contain. Augusta's sale prices and buy-back prices are determined and controlled by Augusta. The value assigned to the coins you purchase at any given time may vary from retailer to retailer and Augusta cannot guarantee another retailer will value the coins at the same rate as Augusta would in any given circumstance. Augusta cannot guarantee buy-back of any item it sells and cannot guarantee another retailer will purchase coins purchased through Augusta. Augusta cannot guarantee another retailer will value a premium coin at the same rate as Augusta would in any given circumstance. In a worst case scenario, you might have to sell your precious metals at “melt value,” which is the value of the products determined solely by their intrinsic metal content, which could result in a significant loss. This purchase is speculative. Any opinions offered by Augusta are Augusta's opinions and not to be relied on by anyone for any purpose. Seek your own legal, tax, investment, and financial advice before opening an account with Augusta. Augusta’s content may contain errors, Augusta is not qualified to offer legal, tax, investment, or financial advice. You should not base any purchasing decisions on the content Augusta provides. All decisions regarding the purchase or sale of precious metals, including the decision of which precious metals to purchase or sell, are your decisions alone. Precious metals investment involves risk and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience and risk appetite before making a decision to purchase Augusta products.
We have thousands of satisfied customers. Please give us the opportunity to make you one of them.