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Thinking about a gold IRA? Here's what you need to know first.
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TL;DR
- A gold IRA is a self-directed account, not an add-on to existing 401(k)s or IRAs.
- Only gold meeting specific IRS purity standards (at least 99.5%) qualifies.
- Physical gold must be stored by an IRS-approved custodian and depository; you cannot store it at home.
- Gold IRAs have a more complex fee structure including setup, custodian, storage, and metal markups.
- Taxation on gold IRAs is similar to traditional IRAs (tax-deductible contributions, taxed withdrawals) or Roth IRAs (after-tax contributions, tax-free qualified withdrawals).
- Gold IRAs should be part of a diversified retirement portfolio, not the sole investment.