2023 Augusta Precious Metals Review (The Best Gold IRA Company?)

Founded in 2012, Augusta Precious Metals is a leading U.S. based provider of gold and silver IRAs. If you have a 401(k), TSP, 403(b), 457(b), or other employer-sponsored retirement account, Augusta can facilitate the process of rolling over or transferring a portion of these funds into physical gold and silver.

In addition to gold IRA rollovers, Augusta Precious Metals also provides the direct sales of gold and silver products shipped directly to U.S. customers in all 50 states.

The company’s been around 10+ years, but is the gold IRA provider legit?  In this Augusta Precious Metals review, we’re going to investigate the gold company’s products, pricing, IRA fees, and online ratings and reputation. 

The Augusta Precious Metals offer is an intriguing one, so let’s get started.

Don’t have time to read? Executive Summary (TL;DR)

Augusta Precious Metals is our #1 rated gold IRA company for 2022. Here’s why:

• Highest rated gold IRA company. 5-Star reviews with the BBB, BCA, & TrustLink
• The only gold IRA company that offers clients one-on-one educational webinars 
• Low IRA fees, transparent pricing, and wide selection of bullion and premium gold and silver

Request your free investor kit online or call Augusta at 888-501-5406.

Augusta Precious Metals – Products and Services

As stated in the intro, Augusta can facilitate the cash sales of gold and silver bullion bars and coins to your home or preferred storage destination, but their bread and butter specialty is setting up precious metals IRAs.

The company offers “white glove” service. Meaning, they personally hold your hand and walk you through the entire process of opening up a new gold IRA account. When you first contact Augusta Precious Metals, the company will do two things:

• Mail out their precious metals IRA investor kit: This is a physical kit with information for your review that will get shipped to your home. Your kit includes information about gold and silver as an investment, the benefits of buying via your IRA, and information as to why they believe you should work with Augusta.
• Allow you to register for a one-on-one webinar: This is really where Augusta stands out from the competition. Most companies will get you on the phone with a sales rep when you’re ready to buy. These operations are strictly transactional.

With Augusta Precious Metals, each customer (whether you buy with them or not) is offered a one-on-one web conference designed by Augusta’s Harvard trained Director of Education, Devlyn Steele. The company is focused on customer education, not just making the sale.

In this webinar, Devlyn Steele or a member of his team, will meet with you and discuss the current economic challenges facing U.S. investors, review the pros and cons of buying precious metals with your IRA, and give you the opportunity to ask any and all questions you may have about the company or the precious metals IRA rollover process.

This webinar is a no-pressure environment where potential customers like you can get important information about how a gold IRA works, and decide whether or not a gold IRA is right for your situation.

In this video below, Devlyn Steele explains more about Augusta’s web conference.

Learn more on Augusta’s website here.

Augusta’s Gold and Silver Bars and Coins

If you choose to move forward and open a gold IRA with Augusta Precious metals, you’ll work with someone in their IRA department. While the company can not offer financial advice, they will work with you to ensure all gold and silver products purchased are eligible for a gold IRA.

Note: The IRS considers many gold, silver, platinum, and palladium coins as “collectibles” which are not eligible for your IRA. It wasn’t until 1997’s Tax Payer’s Relief Act that certain precious metals were allowed for investment.

So what products are allowed? Bullion bars and coins that meet the government’s fineness requirements. Gold coins for example, must be 99.5% pure and silver coins 99.9% pure. The only exception being the American Gold and Silver Eagle coin with a pureness of 91.67%.

If you work with Augusta Precious Metals, you can rest easy knowing all your purchases are suitable for your IRA. Here are some of the IRA-eligible gold and silver bullion bars and coins you can purchase:

• American Gold Eagles (bullion and proofs)
• Canadian Gold Maple Leafs
• Gold Canadian Eagles
• Gold American Buffalos
• Gold Australian Striped Marlins
• American Silver Eagles (bullion and proof coins)
• Canadian Silver Maple Leafs
• Canadian Silver Soaring Eagles
• Canadian Silver Eagles with Nest

Premium Coins

Augusta also has a wide selection of premium gold and silver coins for customers that are interested in purchasing rare, numismatics, or collectibles. Their current selection includes:

• 2022 St. Helena Gold Sovereigns
• 2020 Australian Striped Marlins
• 2014 Canadian .25 oz Gold $10 Arctic Fox
• 2021 Royal Canadian Mint 1.25 oz Silver Soaring Eagles
• Silver Ben Franklin Half Dollars
• Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars
• and more…

Gold and Silver Cash Purchases

Some investors want to hold gold and silver outside of their IRA, and Augusta’s team can also facilitate this option. When you work with Augusta, you’ll get free shipping on your metals which includes insurance on the free delivery of metals to your home (or other preferred destination).

Customer Support for Life

CEO Isaac Nuriani’s focus is not to be a ‘one and done’ gold and silver provider. Meaning, as a customer you can reach out to Augusta years from now if you ever have questions or concerns about your account. His team offers support for the lifetime of your IRA, and according to Augusta, almost ⅓ of their customers are repeat buyers.

Learn more on AugustaPreciousMetals.com

Augusta Precious Metals Reviews, Ratings, and Reputation

Augusta Precious Metals shines above much of the competition thanks to their one-on-one educational seminars. Another area the gold seller excels is with their online ratings and customer reviews. 

Better Business Bureau

As of the time of this writing, Augusta Precious Metals has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. The firm has a 4.96 out of 5 star rating based on 107 customer reviews. 

Verified Reviews – 5 Star Ratings

Augusta also has an AAA rating with the Business Consumer Alliance with a 5-star rating based on 96 reviews. This 5-star average rating is also found on TrustLink with 283 verified customer reviews of the gold company.

Online Reviews and Complaints

A google search reveals a multiple top financial websites that have rated Augusta at the top of their list of best gold IRA companies. Money.com recently ranked Augusta #1 “Best Overall” for gold IRA companies in 2022. 

Investopedia rates Augusta the “best for transparent pricing,” IncomeInsider.org rates them #1 in their list of 8 top companies.  It’s difficult to find a negative online review for Augusta making them a top contender for your consideration.

Visit Augusta’s website and request your gold IRA investor guide

Augusta Precious Metals Alternatives

While we’ve ranked Augusta Precious Metals as the top gold IRA company based on ratings, products, customer service, and transparency, there are plenty of precious metal companies available for your consideration. We encourage readers to compare providers and come to their own conclusions. For example:

• Goldco Precious Metals. The Los Angeles based company has been in business since 2006 and is highly ranked on many gold investing websites.
• Birch Gold Group. As seen on the Ben Shapiro Show, Birch Gold Group is highly rated with customers and one of the largest and most trusted gold IRA companies in the U.S.

Augusta Precious Metals Fees and Pricing

When opening a precious metals IRA, there are three companies involved:

• The gold IRA company (Augusta if you choose to work with them)
• The self-directed IRA custodian
• The gold IRA private vault storage company

If this sounds complicated, it’s really not.  Augusta Precious Metals has handled all of the heavy lifting for you. They have developed relationships with the top custodians and storage providers. Your account rep at Augusta can make recommendations if you don’t know which custodians and storage depository to call.

Schedule your personal one-on-one web conference with Augusta now.

Gold IRA Custodians

While we’re using the term “Gold IRA” in this article, know that what we’re referring to is a self-directed IRA holding physical precious metals. 

Your current retirement plan likely does not allow for you to buy physical gold and silver. Setting up a self-directed IRA opens doors for a variety of ‘alternative’ investments you won’t find through your 401(k) provider. With a self-directed IRA, you can invest in real estate, private companies, and cryptocurrencies to name a few options.

For our purposes, we’re opening this self-directed IRA to buy and hold physical gold and silver bars and coins. 

Some of the biggest and most trusted self-directed “gold IRA” custodians include:

• Equity Trust Company
• Entrust Group
• GoldStar Trust
• Kingdom Trust
• Madison Trust
• Strata Trust

Some self-directed IRA custodians charge an annual fee based on the value of your account. In other words, if your precious metals investments increase in value, so will your annual custodial fees. 

Others charge you a flat fee as low as $100 for their custodial services. If you work with Augusta Precious Metals, they will likely point you to Equity Trust as their preferred gold IRA custodian. Equity Trust is highly rated and charges a low annual flat fee of $100. Of course, speak with an Augusta IRA specialist and confirm all pricing and costs as inflation is on the rise!

Request your free gold IRA investor kit today.

Gold IRA Storage Options

Some gold IRA investors would love the idea of buying and holding their precious metals at home. Others may feel more secure knowing their metals are held in a secure and approved third-party private vault storage facility. 

Regardless of preference, the IRS doesn’t allow for Americans to have personal possession of retirement funds. Trying a ‘home storage gold IRA” type of setup could result in a liquidation of your IRA status and large IRS fines.  So don’t try it.

Similar to with the gold IRA custodian, if you have chosen a trusted provider, Augusta Precious Metals should be able to make recommendations.

Typically Augusta customers hold their precious metals with either Brinks Global Services or the Delaware Depository. Another usual go-to is International Depository Services as all three options provide the highest safety and security of your metals for a reasonable fee. Your gold or silver IRA is also protected by Lloyd’s of London with an insurance policy of $1 billion. 

When it comes to your gold IRA storage, you’ll typically find options as low as $100 annually for commingled storage. This can increase up to $150 (total) for example if you prefer segregated vault storage of your metals. Speak with your IRA specialist and decide is segregated vault storage is best for you.

Important note: If you choose to open your gold IRA with Augusta Precious Metals, the company will cover up to ten years of custodial and storage fees, depending on the size of your account. Make sure to ask them about this.

Request your free investor guide from Augusta today.

Augusta Precious Metals Pricing 

While Augusta prides themselves with offering account service ‘for life,’ there are no annual fees from the gold company itself. Augusta only makes money when you make a gold or silver purchase (either cash or through your IRA).

Augusta is able to secure metals at a low wholesale price. They then turn around and charge you, the customer, a retail price. This ‘spread’ between their purchase price and your sales price is how the company is paid. 

Many of Augusta’s five-star reviews comment on how straightforward and transparent the company is with disclosing all fees and commissions. If you read the negative reviews on BBB or TrustLink for some of their competitors, you’ll find gold IRA companies don’t always make their commissions clear with customers.

Whether you decide to work with Augusta Precious Metals or a competitor, be sure to get all fees and costs in writing before making any purchases.

Buyback Program

Whether you open a Roth or traditional IRA to purchase precious metals, at some point you may need to take a distribution or liquidate some of your metals for cash. Augusta Precious Metals has an easy buyback program so that you don’t have to look for a buyer if and when the time comes to sell your gold bullion or take a required minimum distribution (RMD) from your IRA. 

The company has streamlined the gold IRA process, and is there for you when you’re ready to buy or sell your gold and silver. Augusta’s an easy one-stop shop for moving retirement savings to gold and silver.  Online reviews reveal that customers have been overall pleased with their experience selling gold and silver back to Augusta. 

Augusta Precious Metals – Pros and Cons

With every precious metals IRA company, there are pros and cons. Here are the areas we feel Augusta Precious Metals does well:

Pros

• In business for more than ten years. Gold and silver IRA companies are popping up all over the U.S. as inflation skyrockets and Americans turn to gold. It’s important to know you’re dealing with an established gold IRA provider that’s been around more than a few months or years. 
• Excellent reviews. As discussed above, it’s easy for a disgruntled customer to go online and leave bad reviews with the BBB, BCA, TrustLink, Yelp, etc.  Augusta’s verified customer reviews are overwhelmingly positive.
• Augusta’s one-on-one webinar designed by Devlyn Steele. Steele is their in-house Harvard-trained analyst. Customer reviews repeatedly rank this personal web class as one of the benefits of working with Augusta.
• Focus on customer service. Almost ⅓ of Augusta’s customers are repeat buyers. This says a lot about the company. They serve customers for life, and seem to really get to know their customers. If you work with Augusta, your relationship is more than just a transaction.
• Transparency. There’s no funny business with Augusta. The company has a small team and an in-house compliance department. Some competitors have 50+ sales men working the phones, and no compliance team. With Augusta, you can be sure you won’t deal with pushy salesmen or ‘hidden’ fees in your contracts.

Cons

• Augusta Precious Metals has an account minimum of $50,000. Unfortunately, if you’re investing below their minimum, you won’t qualify for their services. This allows them to work closer with a smaller number of customers, but may exclude some investors.
• Their selection of metals is limited to gold and silver. There are some gold IRA specialists that can facilitate all four metals. This includes gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.  We reached out to Augusta on this. Their rep said the company can source just about any bars or coins their customers are interested in buying, but their focus is on gold and silver for your precious metals portfolio.

Augusta Precious Metals Review

Is the gold IRA company legit? In our Augusta Precious Metals review, we’ve ranked the precious metals company as the top gold IRA provider for the year. 

This is due to their overwhelmingly high ratings across verified customer review websites and industry related blogs and financial websites. Compare their reputation on the Better Business Bureau against some of the other gold IRA firms, and you’ll see that Augusta Precious Metals doesn’t get the same complaints you’ll find with some competitors.

Visit their website and request more information. Make sure to ask about your one-on-one webinar with Devlyn Steele and his team. Gold IRAs and precious metals IRAs in general are growing in popularity and as new companies flood the market, you’ll want to make sure you’re working with a professional precious metals company that’s here for the long haul.

If you’re looking for more options, wondering about Augusta vs Goldco, or just wanting a review of Goldco precious metals, check out our review here to compare.