Augusta Precious Metals Review
Augusta Precious Metals Review: are you in search of a company that can handle all your gold IRA needs and not rip you off in the process? It can be a challenge because there are some unscrupulous players in the niche (and that’s putting it in G-rated language).
The good news is that there are several honest gold ira companies in this very crowded, highly competitive industry. The main thing for prospective customers is to make a smart selection right off the bat. If you choose wisely, everything else is smooth sailing.
Our team heard plenty of positive comments about Augusta Precious Metals, so we chose to do a deep dive into what they’re all about. We’ve been analyzing firms like APM for more than a decade and decided to put them through our multi-step analysis so you don’t have to spend hours (like we did) slicing and dicing the data and the information.
We culled through thousands of online Augusta Precious Metals review reports, BBB (Better Business Bureau) reports, news articles, and more to come up with our final report, which appears below. Our goal is to arm you with enough information so you can ”pass or play” on Augusta Precious Metals, based on your decision about whether they fit into your financial goals or not.
Our Augusta Precious Metals Review
We have no axes to grind, scores to settle, or any financial stake in the company. In fact, our analysis proved to us that APM can be perfect for some investors but is not necessarily ideal for everyone. Like all their competitors, they have plenty going for them but also fall short in a couple of areas. Nobody, and no company, is perfect.
If you read our entire Augusta Precious Metals review, you’ll be in a much better position to choose whether or not to use Augusta Precious Metals as the company for your gold IRA. Remember, it’s *your* money, and you worked hard for it. Read the review and then do your own research if you feel the need.
Here’s what our Augusta Precious Metals Review is all about.
But first, a few core facts to give you a taste of what’s included in our in-depth Augusta Precious Metals review:
Augusta Precious Metals complaints, based on our research of more than 1,000 verified customer reviews, are rare. Among the sparse negative comments are several that are based in an incorrect understanding of what IRAs are, how precious metals are taxed, and other factors unconnected with the actions of APM or its representatives.
The Augusta Precious Metals location, with a headquarters office on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills, Calif., serves thousands of customers all over the world.
The Augusta Precious Metals BBB rating is A+, the bureau’s highest designation, which represents no significant complaints, lawsuits, legal action, or substantive allegations about the company. Few businesses in operation as long as APM, and with as broad a base of customers, earns an A+ rating from the BBB.
Company Summary: Augusta Precious Metals Review (APM)
Augusta Precious Metals is one of the top rated and most popular companies that offers precious metals IRAs (aka ”gold IRAs”) to the investing public. Their customer service is unusual in that every new account holder is assigned a permanent rep that works with them and the company offers a lifetime service guarantee.
Their onboarding system is fully streamlined and the core values of APM include total transparency, complete simplicity and unmatched customer service.
Based in California and founded in 2012, the company’s spokesperson, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, is also a loyal customer. It’s noteworthy that Mr. Montana also possesses financial acumen of his own, having earned a degree in Business Administration from a top school, the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
APM works one-on-one with new customers to get accounts set up quickly and without any hassles or snags. The sell gold and silver, but not platinum or palladium.
Pros & Cons
Augusta Precious Metals experts know their stuff. They walk every new customer through everything, including paperwork and complete account setup. They guarantee customer support for the lifetime of your account. The company’s educational resources are excellent and informative. APM has a full-time team of analysts and offer pure, high-quality metals suitable for any kind of IRA. Their fees are transparent and low, and their storage and custodial services are unrivaled in the industry.
The Upside
Here’s the short-list of pros:
- Top-notch customer service
- Fees that are competitive and generally low
- Storage vaults that are IRS-approved and come with low fees
- Simple setup for new accounts
- A team of analysts that is unmatched in this niche
- Helpful, informative educational resources and materials
- Client support for the lifetime of your account.
The Downside
Both negatives (yes, there are only two), pertain to minimum account requirements. Compared to competitors, APM’s $50,000 opening balance is high. Additionally, the non-IRA minimum is also high, at $25,000.
- High account minimums
- The company does not sell platinum or palladium, just silver and gold
Getting Started As an Investor With APM
Augusta Precious Metals has one of the simplest account setup systems in existence. All new customers need to do is complete an online form that consists of a single page. After that, the next steps are opening a gold IRA, fund it, purchase the metals you want to put into it, and that’s that.
Every new client has a designated agent to help them go through all the steps, a process which usually takes less than 15 minutes. At any point during account setup, you can ask the agent whatever questions you have about the process, gold IRAs, or anything else related to their products and services.
Charges & Fees
Shipping and insurance (liability coverage) are paid for by APM, and there are no commissions charged on the metals you purchase for a gold IRA. Note: Even though the commissions are zero, you will pay five percent over the spot price for bullion that you purchase for your metals IRA. Five percent is quite low compared to APM’s competitors.
The liability insurance covers shipment to the depository. Application fees are $50 per applicant, and there is an annual custodial fee which is set at $180. That $180 covers both the APM custodial fee as well as the annual depository fee. Additionally, if you choose to pay for several years' worth of custodial and storage fees in advance, you can take advantage of a substantial discount.
Augusta Precious Metals Review on Storage
Customers can choose their own depository or elect to use APM’s preferred provider of this service, Delaware Depository, an IRS approved, U.S.-based storage vault. When you open an account, you’ll need to tell APM which depository you wish to use. Fees for storage are discussed below.
APM Account Minimums
Augusta Precious Metals requires new accounts to open with a minimum balance of $50,000. However, if you just want to buy metals and store them as a non- IRA investment, the minimum is $25,000.
Additional Services and Products Offered By APM
APM also sells specialty, collectible coins, and non-IRA silver and gold to the investing public. Of course, their core products/services are precious metals IRAs and IRS-approved metals to go into those accounts.
What Types of Investors Should Use APM?
If you’re planning to retire early, are nearing retirement age, or are just wondering how to set up a precious metals IRA, Augusta Precious Metals can almost certainly fulfill your investing needs. Especially for working people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, APM can be the ideal company if you want to leverage the long-term power of your earnings and retirement savings.
According to the company’s website, they have clients of all ages and backgrounds, but their key demographic appears to be made up of folks who are nearing the end of their working careers, or those who have just reached the age of 60 and experienced a ”better do this now” moment about retirement savings.
Getting Started With an APM Gold IRA
Augusta customers can get up and running in a short time. The APM reps walk you through the quick paperwork and the few decisions you need to make upon opening a gold IRA. The typical Augusta Precious Metals review often mentions the three-step process.
Step one is the paperwork, which they do for you. This phase takes care of the legal designations, signatures, and choice of an account custodian (the organization that actually oversees accounts, keeps the records, and reports results to you via regular statements), as well as choosing a depository (the ”vault” or secure storage facility where your metals will be kept.
Note that custodians and depositories must be IRS-approved. APM only works with the top custodians, like Equity Institutional, and depository companies in the industry, so you are assured that your metals are safe and sound. You also get the benefit of preferred pricing from vaults and custodians because APM has built a long term relationship with so many players in the gold IRA industry.
Step two is account funding. At this point, you simply inform the APM rep how much you want to place into your gold IRA and whether you’re opening a brand new IRA or rolling over an existing one into a gold version.
Step three is where you use the funds from your deposit, or existing IRA, to purchase gold and/or silver bullion for your precious metals IRA. After that, APM will ship the metal you bought to its preferred depository, Delaware Depository, or whichever vault you choose. However, note that all available vaults that APM uses are located within the borders of the U.S. for the safety and security of your metals. Every APM customer has a personal representative who helps with choice of custodian, selection of a depository, filling out paperwork, and answering questions. In all, the three steps take less than 20 minutes.
How APM Rates Compared To Its Competitors
When you factor everything together, APM deserves a full five-star rating because the company clearly dominates its industry. Yes, there are a couple of negatives like the high opening minimums, but they’re still almost a unique entity among the many players in the gold IRA niche.
They have no direct rivals when it comes to core service points like ease of setup for new accounts, metal purity, pricing and fee transparency, collective skill, educational resources, all-around service, and client satisfaction. Is APM a ”perfect” company? No, but then again, there’s really no such thing because every service provider, in every industry, has its share of faults.