Birch Gold Group Review
Do you want to safeguard your retirement with material assets? Are you concerned by how risky investments like real estate are? Many people are turning to precious metals to secure their savings instead. Birch Gold Group aims to help you get started.
Precious metals have a variety of advantages in saving for retirement. Their market value tends to be more stable than most investments, for one. For another, the assets are tangible instead of being intangible stock market shares.
The IRS has certain regulations that allow you to fund a self-directed retirement account with precious metals. You must purchase approved metals that meet the purification standards outlined in the law. The account must also be secured with an IRS-approved depository.
Birch Gold Group helps people convert their existing retirement savings into gold. They also provide guidance on how to diversify your retirement portfolio to meet your long-term goals without incurring too much risk.
The company is highly rated with agencies like the Better Business Bureau. In addition, it is partnered with conservative media personality Ben Shapiro.
But what exactly does Birch offer? And are they the best company to meet your needs?
History of the Company
Birch Gold Group was first founded in 2003 and has headquarters located in Burbank, California. The company now has more than 18 years of experience helping clients set up gold IRA accounts. Most business is conducted online through the company's brokerage site.
The firm offers a wide variety of precious metals for purchase. You can purchase standardized palladium, platinum, silver, and gold to be placed in a self-directed IRA. It's also possible to purchase these materials with non-retirement funds as a normal investment.
According to Birch, one of the most serious economic threats to people's retirement savings is inflation. The value of the US dollar has decreased significantly over the past few decades. A dollar that you saved for retirement in 2000 is worth barely any of the original value.
The value of the dollar is expected to continue decreasing. There are fluctuations in response to global economic circumstances, but in general, the value is on a decline.
This means that if you save cash for retirement, it will just become less and less valuable. But if you purchase precious metals with the cash, you have some measure of protection. The price of the metals will increase as inflation progresses, so the value of your money will stay relatively stable.
As with any investment, there are some risks to precious metal investments. The prices of precious metals can change based on global factors, new economic information, and supply and demand. But historically, gold has been a more stable investment than the stock market.
Birch Gold Services
Birch Gold Group offers a variety of services. Their main focus is on helping people create and fund self-directed IRAs, so they can purchase precious metals. In addition to answering people's questions and walking people through the IRA process, the company sells a large number of different precious metal products.
You can purchase a variety of reputable coins in both gold and silver. These come from countries all over the world, including the US and Canada. Similarly, you can purchase bullion in bar form.
The company uses several third party grading organizations to assess the quality of the coins. They usually have either the Professional Coin Grading Service or the Numismatic Guarantee Corporation assess their new products. This helps them to confirm the authenticity, purity, condition, and weight.
Instead of acting as a third party broker for other metals dealers, Birch Gold Group purchases the products itself at the wholesale market price. Then it sells them to clients through retail and wholesale marketing channels.
In addition to helping people create self-directed IRAs, Birch Gold offers educational materials that help people learn about investing. You can access information about retirement planning, diversifying portfolios, and assessing the global market.
Another valuable service is the rollover assistance. The company can help you transfer funds from an existing 401(k) into a self-directed IRA. This allows you to fund your new account with your existing retirement savings, instead of needing to make a huge new deposit.
Depository Services
Birch Gold does not operate any depositories by itself. However, it has trusted partnerships with a number of IRS-approved depositories all over the US. When you fund your IRA, you will need to appoint a custodian to take care of your metals.
The company can recommend you a custodian and depository. Most commonly, they recommend that clients use Equity Trust for their custodian.
The three depositories that Birch Gold works with are:
All three of these companies operate depositories throughout the US. The storage complies with IRS regulations for safeguarding retirement accounts. You can look at the locations and features of each depository to choose which is best for you.
Fees and Minimum Investment Levels
When you set up an IRA account, you can expect to pay certain ongoing fees. With precious metals IRAs, there are certain additional fees you'll need to handle. Since there are physical materials that must be secured, you need to pay your custodian to continue taking care of your assets.
Since Birch works with such a wide variety of different custodians and depositories, there's no guarantee of what your fees will be. The company generally attempts to keep annual fees low. Most commonly, you'll pay about 100 dollars per year for storage and 80 dollars per year to your custodian.
To open a gold IRA with the company, you will need to make an investment with a minimum of 10,000 dollars. This might be funded using the money you already have saved in your 401(k) plan or existing IRA. As mentioned, you can contact the company to ask about their rollover assistance services.
Cost to Set Up Account
Birch Gold most commonly works with Equity Trust for custodianship. Equity Trust charges 50 dollars to set up an IRA account with a custodian relationship.
Conventional IRAs tend to have much more inexpensive fees. But when you're securing a precious metals account, it's industry standard for the cost to be a little higher. You'll also need to pay a 30 dollar fee for the wire transfer.
If you don't use Equity Trust, you'll need to find out about the fees of your chosen custodial partner instead.
Cost to Store Assets
If you purchase precious metals as a normal investment instead of an IRA investment, you can store them wherever you want. You can even keep them in your house, although this is strongly discouraged. It's a good idea to open an account at a depository even if you don't need to.
If you're funding an IRA with precious metals, though, you are required to comply with IRS storage regulations. The IRS has very specific guidelines for the security of an IRA depository. Depositories must be certified by the IRS for you to legally store an IRA fund there.
As mentioned, most storage depositories charge 100 dollars annually for the account. If you have an IRA, there will be an additional maintenance fee for the custodian.
Some depositories might have increased storage fees. With these, you're usually paying for extra security features. For example, some depositories have every account inside its own vault. This prevents anyone from accessing your materials except you and your custodian.
Who Can Use Birch Gold Group
Different gold IRA companies are made for different people. For example, companies with a high minimum investment tend to be geared toward the wealthy and the almost-retired. Companies that also offer cryptocurrency tend to be geared toward people who want to invest in alternative currencies.
Birch Gold is specifically tailored to appeal to a wide audience. For starters, the minimum investment for an IRA is relatively low for the industry. You only need to purchase 10,000 dollars in precious metals. Competing companies often have minimum thresholds of 25,000, 50,000, or 100,000 dollars.
This low minimum makes the company's services more accessible to average middle class people, younger people whose retirement accounts aren't large yet, and other people who are just starting out in the investment process.
People Seeking Education
Many people who turn to gold IRAs don't have a strong background in economics or finance, but they want to build one. If you're looking for educational materials to understand more about investing, Birch Gold is a good option.
The goal of Birch's education is to empower people to make the best retirement decisions for them. There are articles that explain what different investment terms mean, what different retirement strategies are, and how to understand fluctuations in the economy.
Another thing that makes Birch ideal for independent investors is that they don't push an agenda. The goal is to outfit your portfolio with the right precious metals to meet your needs. The company makes suggestions and offers guidance, but it also tells you when an investment strategy isn't right for you.
People Avoiding Paperwork
Let's face it: Nobody likes doing paperwork. And the IRS has so many forms and rules and regulations regarding IRA accounts that it's like they don't want people to retire.
If you're overwhelmed by the process of opening a self-directed IRA, or you simply don't want to sink that much time into it, Birch Gold is there for you.
The company will act as the intermediary for your entire account setup. They will reach out to your custodian, secure space in your depository, ship your precious metals, fill out the IRS paperwork, and talk to any IRS representatives for you.
By working with Birch Gold, you eliminate all the hassle and red tape. You only need to talk to one entity to get your entire account set up and funded.
People Seeking Security
With the turbulent fluctuations of the economy, many people don't feel secure about their investment portfolios. They may be worried that their retirement savings won't even exist anymore by the time they're ready to settle down. Investment in precious metals can offer some security.
If you've been thinking about purchasing precious metals as part of your retirement plan or as part of your current investment portfolio, it's best to work with experts. The financial experts at Birch Gold have a strong background in marketing, economics, and precious metals.
These experts can explain to you the benefits of an investment. They can also help you understand the potential risks. For example, you might have difficulty finding a buyer to liquidate your assets on short notice.
What Sets Birch Gold Group Apart
Like any trustworthy professional in the gold IRA sector, Birch Gold advises people about their investments and offers a range of IRS-approved products. They also have all of their purchases evaluated by third party organizations to determine the quality.
There are a few factors that make this company stand out from the competition. These make Birch Gold what it is: a group of experts who encourage financial independence and enlightenment.
Emphasis on Education
There's no intention of obscuring the financial process or shrouding decisions in mystery. The experts at the company will explain every recommendation they're making and exactly why they're making it. They will also explain your options and listen to your concerns.
Regardless of your personal financial background, you'll come away from Birch armed with enough information to take charge of your future.
Birch believes that everyone should have access to basic investment knowledge. They want clients to feel confident in their choices. No question is too ignorant, no concern is too unfounded. The experts will patiently walk you through everything you need to know.
If you've been worried about being condescended to because of a lack of investment knowledge, you might turn to Birch. You won't be judged for not having a financial background. You'll just be given the tools you need to succeed.
Every customer with Birch will create a customized financial strategy, optimized investment portfolio, and steps to reach their long-term goals. Not only will you have a more secure retirement account, but you'll have a more secure plan for the entire future.
Retirement Account Specialists
Part of why it's so easy to create an IRA account with this company is because there are so many retirement experts. These are people who have devoted their careers to understanding the regulations, options, benefits, and requirements of different retirement accounts.
The company employs an entire department called the IRA Department. This team of people exists to streamline the account setup process, keep you apprised of any new IRS developments, and answer questions you have about your options.
The IRA Department works side-by-side with the company's customer service representatives to set up your new account. Whenever you speak to a specialist, they will have the background on your situation. They'll offer expert assistance tailored to your exact needs.
Vast Employee Experience
The company employs people who have worked in basically every financial, economic, and regulatory sector imaginable. Some of the careers that the experts have had include:
Since beginning in 2003, the company has expanded to serve a clientele across all 50 United States.
Company Benefits and Drawbacks
Ultimately, there are more benefits to investment with Birch Gold than drawbacks. But it helps to have a clear sense of the advantages and potential disadvantages of the services. This helps you narrow down the gold IRA companies that are right for your needs.
Company Promotions
Birch Gold often offers promotions for clients who get signed up for a new self-directed IRA. The promotions may vary depending on the time period, but some past offers have included:
Getting Started with an Investment
If you think the company's services might be right for you, you can reach out for more information. A specialist will answer any questions you have about the risks and requirements.
Once you decide that you do want to invest using Birch's services, you'll need to decide how to fund your account.
Many people use a rollover from their existing retirement savings. You're more likely to have the 10,000 dollar minimum in your existing retirement than free in your bank.
To start rolling over your funds, you'll go through these steps:
Some people might choose to use cash to invest instead of creating a retirement account. This gives you immediate access to the metals. You can decide how to store them and what your plan for them is.
For those who purchase precious metals for a regular investment, the process involves these steps:
This option doesn't involve as much complicated regulatory paperwork as an IRA account. But even so, Birch will help with every part of the process.
Final Thoughts
Birch Gold Group is a trustworthy gold IRA firm with several distinct advantages.
Because they have a minimum investment level of just 10,000 dollars, they're a great choice for younger people and middle class people.
Their emphasis on education is also super helpful. You'll learn how to interpret financial data, make investment decisions, and understand new developments in the economic world.
Since the company has an entire department of IRA experts, it's easy to create a new IRA. The experts can even walk you through the process of rolling over your existing retirement funds.