In today’s world, having financial freedom and securing your future is something everyone talks about. Financial education is becoming more popular, and we want to help people understand what are the benefits, the pros and the cons of a gold IRA such as Birch Gold.
Birch Gold is a precious metal IRA provider that makes it easy to buy gold, silver, platinum and other precious metals. They are one of the most popular and trustworthy companies out there, which is why we decided to conduct our own in-depth research about them and their services.
What does being a Birch Gold client mean? After signing up for a gold IRA with Birch Gold, you can hedge against the dollar, protect your retirement from volatility, and diversify your savings, among other perks.
We know that there are many questions about them, about gold IRA and other services. Is Birch Gold legit? Should you trust Ben Shapiro and Birch Gold? Keep reading our article to discover everything you need to know about Birch Gold and the company’s gold IRA services today in our review.
What is Birch Gold?
Let’s start with the most important question “What is Birch Gold?”. Well, Birch Gold is a precious metal IRA company where you can buy a variety of precious metals such as gold, silver, palladium and many others. By buying and holding these precious metals, you can secure your money as their value usually goes up over time.
By buying precious metals through a gold IRA, you can enjoy all of the tax advantages of an IRA while diversifying your retirement savings beyond the usual investments of stocks and bonds.
Birch Gold also lets you take physical possession of precious metals, something other gold IRAs do not allow. You can buy physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium and have them delivered to your house so you can safely store them. Although self-stored precious metals aren’t IRA eligible, some people prefer holding precious metals themselves, at their house or in some vault, regardless of tax advantages.
Holding precious metals at your house, whether you have a safe or not, is not recommended due to safety and theft risks. However, Birch Gold allows its customers to decide if they want to keep the metals with them or not.
Birch Gold is a company with a lot of history behind it. It was founded in 2003 and has served over 13,000 customers since then. They recently partnered with Ben Shapiro as a brand ambassador and since then they have been more popular than ever. Although it’s a clever marketing technique, Ben Shapiro still endorses Birch Gold regularly and promotes the company through the Ben Shapiro Show he hosts.
What Makes Birch Gold Unique?
You might be wondering why we decided to investigate Birch Gold and most importantly, what makes them unique. You might know by now that you can find plenty of gold and precious metal IRA companies available today only a click away. So why pick Birch Gold? What makes Birch Gold so unique? Here are some of the perks worth mentioning of setting up a precious metals IRA with Birch Gold, according to their official website:
History – Founded in 2003
As we mentioned before, Birch Gold has been offering precious metals IRAs since 2003. This means that the company has nearly 20 years of experience in this industry. They have been helping customers better navigate the complexities of gold IRAs, and financial freedom and invest their money into a better future. When it comes to money and investments it’s always better to opt for a broker or company that has authority and most importantly trust.
Ambassadors – Endorsed by Ben Shapiro
When someone you trust and admire recommends something, you’re most probably gonna try it. The same goes for investments and gold IRAs. Birch Gold has partnered with Ben Shapiro for a few years now. He regularly endorses the precious metals company during the Ben Shapiro Show and has invested money himself into it. If you trust him and his judgment when it comes to finances, then rest assured that your investments will be safe too with Birch Gold.
Experienced Team of Professionals
Birch Gold’s team consists of highly professionals with decades of combined experience in various areas, including former money managers and other experts. You can trust that each and every one of them will help you with any question you might have. According to Birch Gold, their team members have held past positions with big companies such as Citigroup, Dun & Bradstreet, and IBM. Their team of experts can walk you through the precious metals IRA signup process, assist with funding and rollover, and perform other tasks to make the setup as easy as possible. This is only one of the few reasons why they’ve lasted over 2 decades on the market.
Customized Support With 1-on-1 Care
When you set up your account, Birch Gold matches you with a precious metals specialist right from the start. That Specialist gets to know you and your specific needs and goals, just like a sales assistant would. The Specialist can help you set up your account and answer questions about your account anytime. They can also redirect you to other customer support specialists when needed.
Trust
When you choose Birch Gold, your personal data is safe. They claim to never sell customer data to third parties for-profits, as other companies do. Instead, the company follows industry standards on data protection.
Rating – 5 Star Reviews
Birch Gold is backed by hundreds of 5-star reviews across the internet. This is because they are a trustworthy company that focuses on customer support and customer satisfaction. Since 2003, the company has helped over 13,000 people set up accounts, and most of those customers seem to have had a positive experience with Birch Gold. You can do your own research and read the reviews, so you can see it for yourself.
Free Info Kit Available
Like most precious metals IRA companies, Birch Gold offers a free information kit full of valuable information and statistics that you might not find anywhere else. If you’re not ready to sign up for an account today but want to learn more, then you can get an information kit for free that teaches you how to diversify your savings with precious metals. These kinds of free kits are useful for those who want to research the topic before investing. Keep in mind that not all gold IRAs offer these free kits.
Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium
By opting for a gold IRA, you can buy a variety of precious metals, coins or even crypto-currencies. However, most precious metals IRA companies offer gold and silver. Sometimes, they will offer platinum and palladium, but most of them don’t. Birch Gold lets you buy gold, silver, platinum, and palladium and hold these IRA-eligible assets in your retirement account.
Physical Possession Available
Birch Gold lets you buy physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, and then take physical possession of these precious metals. Although these metals aren’t IRA-eligible (you need to store them with a custodian for IRA eligibility), some people like taking physical possession of precious metals. If you also like to choose where you can store your precious metals, then go on their websites to see if you qualify.
How to Setup an IRA with Birch Gold
If you’ve gotten this far that means that you’re probably interested in precious metals, investments and your future. Birch Gold, like most precious metals IRA providers, makes it easy to set up an account. All you need is a computer and internet connection. You can rollover funds from multiple types of IRAs, including a Traditional, Roth, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA. You can also rollover funds from eligible 401(k), 403(b), 457, and other retirement plans. All this information can be found on their website.
All precious metals IRAs are self-directed IRAs (SDIRAs). This is because conventional IRAs only hold stocks and bonds, while self-directed IRAs can hold precious metals and other alternative assets like coins or digital currencies like cryptocurrencies. Remember that you must partner with a custodian to set up a self-directed IRA. Birch Gold helps you throughout this process. If you want to know the steps, here’s how Birch Gold helps you set up an IRA:
Start your account and pick your funding sources first
You can transfer an IRA or roll over a 401(k) into your new self-directed IRA as you would with a conventional retirement account. You can also move eligible retirement accounts into your precious metals IRA without penalties. You can move portions of your retirement accounts into your new one, there are multiple possibilities depending on your situation. Some of the accounts you can use to fund your IRA include Traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs, eligible 401(k), 403(b), 457, and other retirement plans. Birch Gold assigns a precious metals Specialist to your account to walk you through this process because they know it can seem like a lot at first.
Then you choose your precious metals
You don’t have to buy something when you set up your account. You can take some time and review your precious metal options online and decide which ones you want to buy – and how much of each you want to buy. You can buy four precious metals within your Birch Gold precious metals IRA, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. To be IRA-eligible, precious metals need to meet specific fineness requirements. They also need to be stored with a depository (i.e., a custodian). You’ll find all this info and requirements on their website. Birch Gold clearly lists which IRA-eligible assets and which ones are not online.
Actually purchasing your precious metals
After your account is set up properly and you’re ready to buy, your Birch Gold precious metals Specialist will review your order and get your final confirmation to proceed.
Your precious metals are now stored in an insured depository
After your confirmation, your precious metals Specialist walks you through multiple options for storing your precious metals. You can choose whatever works best for you and get some insight from a specialist if you don’t know what to choose. Birch Gold primarily works with Brink’s Global Services and Delaware Depository, which have insurance up to $1 billion protecting assets.
See how your IRA performs
Now that you’ve completed your first purchase, you can call your precious metals IRA Specialist at any time to monitor your performance, make changes, or ask any questions. It’s an easy process even if you’re new to gold IRAs.
How to Buy Physical Precious Metals with Birch Gold
As we mentioned before in this article, Birch Gold lets you buy precious metals for your IRA and store those precious metals with a custodian. However, you can also buy precious physical metals with Birch Gold and hold them yourself.
Remember that precious metals that you store yourself are not IRA-eligible. They need to be stored with a custodian to be IRA-eligible and tax-friendly. However, many like to own precious physical metals regardless of the tax advantages. In that case, here’s how to buy physical precious metals and store them yourself with Birch Gold:
Select only the precious metals that are right for you
Birch Gold assigns a Specialist to your account, and you can buy many coins and bars in gold, silver, platinum, or palladium with that specialist. Our advice, and probably theirs too is to buy only those that you strongly believe in and research. Holding precious metals is different from bonds, stocks or crypto.
Send payment via wire or personal check
When you buy precious metals make sure you send the payment securely via wire or check. A wire transfer allows you to securely transfer funds from one bank account to another quickly and safely.
Birch Gold ships your metals
Birch Gold is the kind of company that fully insures your shipment against loss or damage. Your precious metals arrive in discreet packaging, and contents are never listed on the outside labelling for safety and theft reasons. This is what a trustworthy company tries to do to ensure that the process is smooth and secure every single time.
Why Should You Invest in Precious Metals?
There are many investment opportunities out there, so why should you choose precious metals and not stocks or real estate, for example? Let’s see. As Birch Gold explains, precious metals have been a proven store of wealth for thousands of years. Gold and other precious metals are assets that increase in value over time, unlike others. They’re also a safe haven in times of instability such as wars or financial crises. For this reason, and many others, rich people have used precious metals to preserve wealth across generations. According to Birch Gold, some of the benefits of investing in precious metals include:
Security: Precious metals are not subject to the same forces as stocks and other assets. Some of the traditional assets can suffer from environmental problems such as earthquakes, or financial crises. Gold and other precious metals have been used for thousands of years as assets. According to Birch Gold, buying gold and silver can add a layer of security to your wealth too, and this is regardless of what happens in Washington or on Wall Street because gold is not influenced by them.
Protection: Precious metals are able to protect you and your family from political and economic uncertainty during times like those we live in. You can safeguard your wealth from threats like the decline of the US dollar or a stock market crash. These global events are hard to predict, therefore gold is the safest option.
Diversification: Diversifying your assets helps balance risk across multiple areas. According to Birch Gold, diversifying your portfolio with precious metals can remove the risk of putting all of your eggs into one basket and risking your future.
Privacy: Precious metals offer privacy. You can make a cash purchase through Birch Gold and take physical possession of the precious metals, something you cannot do with other assets. In this case, your physical precious metals do not need to be accounted for by the government or a bank or a financial institution. They’re your personal assets to hold and they don’t require tracking.
Liquidity: Unlike stocks, bonds or cryptocurrencies, precious metals are tangible, liquid assets you can see and hold. When you take physical possession, you always have access to these precious metals. When you hold the assets in your IRA, you can buy and sell them as you like, anytime you like.
Growth Potential: According to Birch Gold, “many analysts believe today’s gold prices are a bargain,” which is why a growing number of investors are adding gold to their holdings. As the price should increase over time, you’re bound to make more money with this secure investment.
Increasing Demand: Birch Gold, and many other analysts, believe that the demand for gold and other precious metals is rising. Central banks worldwide purchased an average of 459.6 tons of gold per year between 2010 and 2017, and China’s central bank recently increased its gold purchases by a substantial amount. This means that whatever happens in the future with our currencies, gold will be of high value.
Decreasing Supply: Demand for precious metals is increasing. However, according to Birch Gold, “supply is decreasing.” Many large deposits of high-grade and easy-to-access gold have already been discovered. As demand rises and supply decreases, prices inevitably go up. As we’re reaching the end of gold exploitation, those who own gold will be in charge of the prices.
Birch Gold Catalog Products
Birch Gold offers four main product categories you can buy, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. You can also buy multiple types of coins, bullion, and bars in each category, including IRA-approved and non-IRA-eligible assets. Once you set up an account, the possibilities are endless and you can choose whatever suits your needs. Here are the main assets:
Gold
When it comes to gold, Birch Gold offers a wide range of gold coins, including IRA-approved gold coins, gold bullion, and non-IRA-eligible gold products. Some of the company’s most popular gold products include the following:
- American Gold Eagle
- Gold bars
- Gold rounds
- Canadian Gold Maple Leaf
- Gold Rose Crown Guinea
- South African Krugerrand
- Valcambi Combibars
Silver
When it comes to silver, Birch Gold offers a wide range of silver coins and products, including IRA-approved and non-IRA-eligible silver coins, bars, and other assets. Popular silver assets you can buy through Birch Gold include the following:
- America the Beautiful silver series coins
- Silver bars and rounds
- American Silver Eagle
- Canadian Silver Maple Leaf
- 2021 Australian 2oz Silver Florin
- Silver Rose Crown Guinea
Platinum
Platinum is a little different. According to Birch Gold, platinum is often considered a high-end investment because it has a higher historical price per ounce than gold. Birch Gold offers two types of platinum products, including the American Platinum Eagle and platinum bars and rounds. When you buy platinum bars through Birch Gold, you’re buying IRA-approved platinum assets minted around the world in multiple sizes – like 5g, 1oz, and 10oz.
Available platinum products include:
- American Platinum Eagle
- Platinum bars and rounds
Platinum is different from gold and silver coins because platinum products are minted by privately-owned mints – not national mints like the Royal Canadian Mint or Royal Australian Mint.
Any platinum bars or rounds with a fineness of at least 0.9995 are eligible for placement in a precious metals IRA.
Palladium
Palladium is best-known for its use in catalytic converters. It’s also found in medical and electronic applicants. Miner’s mine palladium in North America, South Africa, and Russia. Palladium bars, just like platinum bars, are privately-minted. Although they’re not produced by government mints, they’re still IRA-eligible as long as they have a fineness of at least 0.9995. Birch Gold offers two types of palladium products, including:
- Canadian Palladium Maple Leaf
- Palladium bars
- Palladium rounds
What You Need To Know About Birch Gold Pricing & Fees
Although they offer a lot of information on their website and through their free kits, Birch Gold provides limited pricing information upfront for clients, especially for non-clients. However, after talking to a precious metals Specialist with Birch Gold, you’ll discover that the company charges the following fees if you decide to set up an account and buy precious metals through them:
- Setup Fees: $50 to open an account
- Monthly Account Maintenance Fees: $0
- Storage Fees: $180 per year
- Minimum Investment Requirement: $10,000
The company also charges additional fees for wire transfers, rollovers, and other transfers, so you should be aware of that because a lot of them are not listed upfront either. However, once you’re a client, your precious metals Specialist will disclose all fees upfront for you.
About Birch Gold Group
By now you’ve probably made a good impression about Birch Gold, what they do and how they operate. Birch Gold is a precious metals IRA company founded in 2003 with strong values such as education, empathy, ethics, transparency and efficiency. The company is headquartered in Burbank, California and has been serving thousands of clients so far.
Birch Gold’s team consists of former wealth managers, financial advisors, and commodity brokers. Together they have the expertise and knowledge to properly advise and manage the assets they advertise. Birch Gold works with customers in all 50 states and is regularly featured on major news and media outlets, including the Ben Shapiro Show, where they discuss the factors that lead to market instability and cycles of growth.
If you want to know more about them or become their client you can contact Birch Gold anytime via the following channels:
- Website: www.birchgold.com
- Phone: 800 355-2116
- Email: info@birchgold.com
- Mailing Address: 3500 W Olive Ave, Suite 300, Burbank, CA 91505
Because we know this is important, we’re going to mention it again. Birch Gold has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and an AAA rating from the Business Consumer Alliance, and a 4.9-star review on Google. They are one of the most trustworthy and safe gold IRA companies you can use if you plan to diversify your investments and secure your wealth.
Final Word
Investing and securing your money with a gold IRA company can be a good idea if that is what you’re looking for. For those people, Birch Gold can be the right company. The company makes it easy to buy a range of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium assets. Whether you’re taking possession of precious metals yourself or adding precious metals to your IRA with all the tax benefits, you can get the assets you want through Birch Gold. If you want to learn more about Birch Gold and how the company works or set up a precious metals IRA today with them, visit the official website at www.BirchGold.com. You’ll find a variety of information and guides to help you navigate your future assets.