Moving Part of an IRA Into Metals, One Step at a Time

We help Lancaster County savers move a slice of an IRA or an old 401(k) into gold and silver. We show every date and every fee before you sign anything.

See My Timeline

IRA specialist showing a retired couple a gold coin in a capsule across a walnut desk in Lancaster

Before You Start

Custodian setup: About $50 once
Custodian yearly: About $100 to $300
Storage yearly: About $100 to $300
Our price over spot: Shown on every quote

How Long Will the Move Take?

Pick how the money moves and the day you start. You get a dated list of each step, who does it, and the one deadline you cannot miss.

General information, not tax, legal or investment advice. Times are typical, not promised, and depend on your old custodian or plan. Custodian and storage fees apply every year. Metals prices go up and down, and you can lose money. Ask your tax preparer before you move retirement money.

What Can Go in a Metals IRA

Not every coin qualifies. The IRS sets purity rules, and the metals must sit in an approved vault.

Depository worker counting silver bars on a steel shelf in a vault — Stored in an Approved Depository
Your metals sit in a vault in your custodian's name. You pick commingled storage, or pay more for segregated, where your exact bars and coins are kept apart.

Gloved hands setting one ounce silver coins in capsules on a velvet tray — Bullion That Meets the Purity Rules
Gold at 99.5% pure or better, silver at 99.9%, plus some platinum and palladium. Most collectible and rare coins do not qualify.

Every Fee, Named

A metals IRA costs more to hold than a regular IRA. Here is each charge, who takes it, and about how much. Your written quote has the exact numbers.

Woman on the phone at her farmhouse desk, going over a statement with a notepad

Our price over spot: About 4% to 8%; What we charge above the market price on common bullion coins and bars. Proof coins cost more, and we will tell you why most savers skip them.
Custodian setup: About $50 once; Paid to the IRA custodian to open your account.
Custodian yearly fee: About $100 to $300; Paid every year the account is open, for records, statements and IRS filings.
Depository storage: About $100 to $300 a year; Paid to the vault. Segregated storage costs more than commingled. Some vaults charge a percent of value instead.
Selling back: Below the buy price; Any dealer buys below what it sells for. We post our buy back price daily, and you can sell anywhere.

We are paid from our price over spot, and nothing else. We never take a cut of the custodian or vault fees.

Retired farmer reading paperwork at his kitchen table with farmland through the window

Who We Tell to Wait

A metals IRA is not right for everyone. We say so on the first call when it does not fit.

If you need the money within a few years. Metals can drop, and selling costs you the spread.
If the account is small. Yearly fees eat a bigger share of a small balance.
If someone called you out of the blue. Hang up, then call us or anyone else back yourself. Scammers love gold.
If it would be most of your savings. Most of our clients keep metals to a small slice.

Brick row houses in downtown Lancaster with a horse drawn buggy passing in the fall

Serving Lancaster County

Lancaster, Lititz, Ephrata, Manheim, Millersville, Strasburg, Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Columbia, Willow Street, Leola and New Holland. Meetings at our King Street office or at your kitchen table.

What Clients Say

4.8★★★★★from 57 Google reviews

The timeline sheet had every date on it. The old custodian was slow, and they called them for me twice.
Harold W. Lititz

They talked me down from half my IRA to about a tenth. I liked that they did not push.
Joan S. Strasburg

Storage, custodian, their markup. All on one page before I signed. No surprise bill in January.
Ray M. Elizabethtown

Sample reviews written for this demo. Your site shows your real Google reviews, word for word.

Questions Savers Ask Us

Can I keep IRA gold at home?

No. Metals in an IRA must be held by an approved depository in the name of your IRA custodian. Home storage of IRA metals is treated as a distribution, which can mean taxes and penalties. If you want coins in your own safe, buy them outside the IRA.

Should I put all my retirement money in metals?

We do not tell anyone to do that. Metals prices go up and down, sometimes a lot, and metals pay no interest or dividends. Most of our clients move a small slice. Talk it over with your tax preparer or financial planner first.

Are you the custodian?

No. We sell the metals and help with the paperwork. An independent IRA custodian holds the account, and an approved depository stores the metals. You get statements from the custodian, not from us.

What does it cost to sell later?

We post our buy back price every business day, and it is below what you paid, because every dealer buys below spot plus premium. You can also sell to any other dealer. The custodian may charge a small fee to process the sale.

Is this investment advice?

No. We explain how transfers, fees and storage work, and we sell metals. We do not give tax, legal or investment advice. The timeline on this page is general information.

Talk It Through Before You Move Anything

A first call takes about 20 minutes. There is no charge and nothing to sign.