Planning my retirement well has been my top priority over the past few years.
I had seen enough retirement blues among family and peers to be conscious of avoiding them.
I wanted to go in for a solid investment scheme that would add diversity to my portfolio and empower me with financial knowledge to build a robust IRA.
I obviously did not want to face any retirement blues.
The funny is I’d always had an inclination towards precious metals. These seemed to be the safest bet against market volatility and uncertainties.
To avoid being left high and dry, I went online and did a search for the best ones.
After 4-5 hours of intensive research, I decided to go with
What I find interesting about Augusta Precious Metal is that they are actually a family-owned, A+ rated company with 50+ years of experience backing them.
But the MAIN reason I decided to go with them was that the reviews on their BBB page were all positive. I did not see a single negative review.
You can check it out yourself.
Once I decided to invest with Augusta, I placed a call to their customer service and was given a link to attend a webinar.
I was surprised to find out that former legendary quarterback Joe Montana had already invested a ton of money in the company.
They even played a video of him recommending the IRA.
Whether he was paid for the advert or not, as a BIG NFL fan who watched him like crazy in his heydays, that got me even more motivated to dip my toes in and try them out.
The steps that followed were surprisingly smooth…
The Process
1) Opening my self-directed IRA
Augusta offers three types of investment – Equity Trust, Goldstar Trust, and Kingdom Trust for the best investment experience.
Each of these comes with experience, integrity, and compliance.
2) Filling in funds
I chose to transfer funds from my bank account. I must say here that at least $50,000 is needed to get started on precious metal IRAs (this might have changed since I last wrote this article).
3) Purchasing gold or silver IRA
The next step is to buy metal IRAs per eligibility. These precious metals that are bought are then stored in a secure and insured facility of choice.
Disclaimer: The processes might have changed a little or drastically since I wrote this article.
Forms of Precious Metal With Augusta IRA
Readers who are with me up to this point must have a fair idea that precious metals like gold and silver IRAs are available in different forms.
It is also true that different IRA companies offer investments in different forms.
I came to know from Augusta representatives that their investment opportunities come in gold and silver in different weights in the form of:
- Bullion.
- Bars.
- Rounds.
- Premium coins.
- Commemorative coins.
- Collector sets.
- Certified coins.
- Proofs.
How’s my investment with Augusta?
Augusta has a wonderful instrument called the Augusta 7-Day Price Protection Program for its investors.
Under this scheme, the company proceeds to lock the rates of purchase as soon as I confirmed over the phone.
I must clarify here that with bullion, the rates are locked once the company receives payment.
I went on to open a gold IRA once the rates were locked.
The 7-day program is for premium purchases of gold or silver, wherein the company allows cancellation of the order within 7 days.
This is true for the first purchase only though. All subsequent deals get finalized as soon as confirmation of order is done.
Augusta provides safe and secure storage facilities for your gold and silver purchases.
If you are the one who has purchased gold and silver, not within IRA, the metals will be shipped to the home or post office box details provided.
Other than this, all precious metals inside IRAs are stored at a highly secure facility of choice among many, situated across the country.
I was notified of the arrival of my purchase within 7 days.
Also note that these storage facilities are not directly owned by Augusta but are privately owned.
They have their own storage fees and one may arrange to visit their storage in order to physically see or withdraw investments as desired.
All of these storage facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art security and monitored access.
Not only that, these storage facilities are heavily insured to the tune of $1 billion.
This means great relief in terms of knowing that my precious investments are safe and can be accessed by me when I actually need them.
In a nutshell, here are a few things I liked about Augusta…
1) Specialization…
Augusta Precious Metals specializes solely in precious metals investment products and services unlike most financial service firms who offer precious metals and gold IRA as part of a wide range of products and services.
2) Complete Transparency & Integrity
Augusta is recognized for their commitment to transparency, honesty, and integrity in the way they do business.
They are quite forthcoming with information on IRA account fees, precious metal prices, and transaction status updates.
3) Top-Notch Customer Service
There is a reason why Augusta Precious Metals attracts loyal customers with perhaps the highest client retention rate in the industry.
Augusta’s experienced IRA staff, led by Harvard-educated economic analytics experts, are trained to go the extra mile in serving their customers.
Augusta starts by appointing personal customer success agents to help investors identify the best products that meet their retirement plan objectives.
4) Comprehensive Consumer Education
You will also find economic analytics and current market news which are helpful for those looking to diversify their retirement portfolios by investing.
The company makes available a wealth of information that may help customers understand the advantages and disadvantages of investing in gold and other precious metals IRAs.
5) Competitive Prices
Augusta’s precious metal prices may be lower than what you’ll find with any other precious metals company.
I was impressed by the kind of guidance I received from their representatives.
Although I thought I had equipped myself with all knowledge, they helped me with the in-depth working knowledge to ensure I got the best returns for my investment.
That said, here are a few things I didn’t like and you should take note of…
- It carries risks like most market-driven investments do.
- Past performance does not ensure present or future performance.
- One may lose money depending upon the market.
- A minimum of $50,000 savings is needed to get started. (this might have changed since I wrote this article)
My personal advice before joining Augusta or any other gold IRA company…
It is clearly stated on their
So, make sure to clarify all your doubts and get queries answered to your satisfaction before investing.
(Please read the last sentence again…)
I went into detailed studies on my own to have a robust understanding of what I was getting into.
My advice to you would be the same.
Speaking with an accredited representative of Augusta Precious Metal is the best way to get started on your investment.
Choose a plan depending upon the amount you are ready to invest as well as your retirement needs.
Following purchase and setting up accounts, make sure to monitor the account online from time to time.
In Conclusion…
If you’re seriously interested in diversifying and protecting your retirement investment in alternative assets, then a gold IRA or silver IRA, in my opinion, is suitable.
I recommend trying out Augusta Precious Metal management group first, then see how things go.
My experience with Augusta was a very professional process.
They answered all my questions and were very friendly and courteous.
I would highly recommend them for anyone wanting to invest in a precious metals IRA.
It’s a family-owned gold IRA provider that operates differently from all the gold companies I had researched and has demonstrated the highest levels of work ethic standards, awesome customer service, total transparency, and uncompromising integrity.
Augusta Precious Metals excels at almost everything I’d like to see in a gold company that claims to be the trusted partner for Americans looking to invest in gold and silver.
So if you’re ready to get started,
Best of luck,
David Puell