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Tune into your favorite conservative news program, and it seems ads for physical gold and silver are everywhere.
There's no shortage of celebrities peddling precious metals for a number of top gold IRA companies, and for many, this has been a busy year with Americans diversifying savings with precious metals.
But which companies are the best?
Birch Gold Group is one of those companies that seems show up everywhere. How does Birch Gold stack up against thee competition?
In this Birch Gold Group review, we review their fees, pricing, reputation, and help you decide if they're worth considering for your gold or silver purchases. Let's get started.
Birch Gold Group Review
Birch Gold Group is highly rated on consumer review sites. Birch has brand recognition, competitive fees, celebrity endorsements, and a generous buyback program.
Account minimum: $10,000 for IRAs. Customers qualify for up to $10,000 in free silver.
Reputation
pricing
service
fees
storage
Birch Gold Group - Company History
Birch Gold Group was established in 2003 by entrepreneur Laith Alsarraf. In over twenty years of business, the company has solidified itself as one of the largest players in gold IRA industry - specializing in the retirement sector of the U.S. precious metals market.
Birch Gold also offers direct sale and delivery of metals to any location of your choice, but their primary business is in setting up and servicing gold IRAs.
The firm is successful with marketing their services, advertising on radio, tv, and the internet. Most noticeable is their partnership with prominent right wing figures such as Ron Paul, Ben Shapiro, and Steve Bannon. The company has been advertising on the Ben Shapiro Show since 2016.
Birch Gold's Phillip Patrick regularly stops by the Ben Shapiro Show, Steve Bannon's War Room, Ron Paul's Liberty Report, and other conservative programs to discuss the markets, inflation, and the U.S. economy.
Click to play
Phillip Patrick Birch Gold guest appearances are uploaded and available for view on both youtube and Rumble.
Birch Gold Complaints, Ratings, Reviews
Along with celebrity endorsements, the physical gold and silver dealer also proudly displays trust signals on almost every page of their website. This includes top ratings with the Better Business Bureau, Business Consumer Alliance, TrustLink, TrustPilot, Google Reviews, Yelp, and more.
Top ratings displayed on company website
It's website boasts that Birch Gold has serviced more than 28,000 customers since first opening their doors in 2003. It's impressive to see how they've maintained such a positive track record with the volume of customers they engage with on a daily basis.
Setting Up Your New IRA
What can you expect when working with Birch Gold?
The first step whether you ultimately choose to work with Birch Gold Group or not, is to request their free gold IRA guide here...
This IRA guide serves as an introduction to the company, shares information about physical precious metals, and reviews their process for opening and funding new self-directed "gold" IRAs.
Birch Gold has a one-on-one approach with each of their customers that begins with education.
We recommend that you request an information kit, review more than one company, compare all ratings, services, fees, and pricing before opening your account.
If you decide to open a new self-directed IRA with Birch Gold Group, they will assign a gold specialist to your account. This person will be your go-to contact if and when you need assistance with your account.
Your gold and silver specialist will assist in opening the new self-directed IRA (SDIRA). They will facilitate the rollover or transfer of funds to your new account.
After the funds have been moved, you can choose which precious metals to hold inside the new gold IRA. Your gold specialist can also assist in the selection of metals, answer any questions, and ensure proper delivery of metals to your gold IRA storage facility.
Visit Birch Gold Group now and request your free guide.
Gold and Silver Bullion
The IRS has specific requirements for products they allow for inclusion in your IRA. With an exception for American Eagles and Eagle proof coins, all gold coins must have a minimum fineness level of 99.5% to be included in your IRA.
Silver coins must be 99.9% pure for inclusion in your gold IRA.
You're safe with the following bullion products as they do not allow Americans to use retirement funds for collectibles or rare coins.
Some gold-IRA eligible bars and coins include:
- American Gold Buffalos
- American Eagles (bullion and proofs)
- Australian Koalas
- Austrian Philharmonics
- Canadian Maple Leafs
- Chinese Pandas
- Mexican Libertad coins
- Credit Suisse gold bars
- Pamp SUISSE gold bars
- Valcambi gold bars
Pricing and Fees
Before opening a gold IRA with any precious metals company, it's important to understand the fees involved and how these companies get paid.
Birch Gold Group's Custodian
Birch Gold Group can work with the custodian of your choice. If you do not have a preference, the company typically works with STRATA Trust Company and Equity Trust. Both are highly rated, trusted self-directed IRA custodians. Birch has built a relationship with both these companies and can set up and fund your new account in as little as a week.
There is typically a $50 account setup fee, as well as a $30 wire fee for brand new accounts.
After the initial setup, expect to pay a total of $100 annually for custodial fees. This is to maintain your self-directed IRA.
Note: This annual fee is paid to the custodian and not to Birch Gold Group. Occasionally, Birch runs promotions where the company will cover all account setup, wire, and custodial fees for your first year.
Be sure to ask your account rep about any ongoing promotions.
Gold IRA Storage Options
Where will your precious metals be stored?
While many customers want to hold their metals at home, this is actually against IRS guidelines.
Your precious metals must be held in an IRS-approved vault storage facility. Birch Gold Group can work with any storage facility of choice (assuming it meets the IRS requirements), but they most closely work with the Delaware Depository and Brinks Security.
Between these two approved gold IRA storage companies, there are multiple U.S. locations to choose for your IRA storage. You can discuss storage options with your gold specialist and decide which location will work best for you.
Expect to pay as little as $100 annually as pricing is comparable with both the Delaware Depository and Brinks.
The total annual costs for maintaining your gold IRA should not exceed $180. This is for both custodial fees and storage fees. Storage fees will increase another $50 if you decide to have segregated storage.
This is something your gold specialist can go over with you.
Birch Gold Group Pricing
So how does Birch Gold get paid? As a broker, Birch Gold Group is able to pay wholesale prices for their precious metals products. They then charge you (the customer) a competitive retail price. This spread between the wholesale and retail price of your precious metals is how the company turns a profit.
This is pretty standard with most gold IRA companies. Also note that pricing tends to be fairly competitive with these gold IRA companies as they're all fighting to earn your business.
Regardless, always contact more than one dealer. Always compare fees and get everything in writing before buying any bullion for your IRA.
Visit Birch Gold Group now and request your free guide.
Birch Gold Competitors
Even if you're convinced to open a gold IRA with Birch Gold, it's a good idea to compare them with a couple of other precious metals dealers before buying your precious metals.
If they know you're comparing 2 or more dealers, you may get more competitive pricing on your gold and silver. Don't hesitate to make these companies work to earn your business.
The following companies are also highly rated, hold an A+ with the BBB and hundreds (or more) 5-star reviews on sites like Trustpilot and TrustLink:
- Augusta Precious Metals: Customers qualify for zero IRA fees for up to 10 years. Minimum account size: $50,000
- Goldco: Customers qualify for up to $10,000 in free silver coins. Minimum account size: $25,000
- Noble Gold Investments: Best price guaranteed on bullion. Minimum account size: $20,000
Birch Gold's current offer is similar to Goldco's with up to $10,000 in free silver. Birch Gold's account minimum is also much lower than these three companies above, making it more accessible to a larger number of gold buyers.
Always compare and review the top gold dealers before opening your new account.
Birch Gold Group Review
There are a lot of gold companies vying to set up your new gold or silver IRA. Birch Gold Group is a decent company. The company:
- has been in business two decades - they're no fly-by-night company that might disappear tomorrow
- is highly rated with the BBB, BCA, TrustLink, TrustPilot, Yelp - customer feedback and reviews average 5 out of 5 stars
- has been vetted and endorsed by celebrities like Ben Shapiro and Steve Bannon - they wouldn't associate with a poorly run business.
We've reviewed all of the big precious metals companies. Birch Gold Group reviews at the top of our short list of recommendations for 2024.
Contact Birch Godl and a couple of other top dealers, request more information, and decide which firm makes the most sense for you and your money.
