This is the working end of Gold IRA Consulting. Four things live here and all of them are free to open right now: a ranked side-by-side provider comparison, a calculator that models your ten-year all-in cost, a library of full-length company reviews, and a single form for requesting a provider's investor kit. No sales floor, no gate, no inflated numbers.
Three pages on this site answer three different questions, and it is worth knowing which is which. About covers who we are, why the site exists, and how we make money. How we rank covers the scoring rubric, the mystery shopping, and the evidence behind every placement. This page is the practical one: what each tool does, what it is good for, and which to reach for depending on how far along you are.
Nothing here is gated and nothing costs anything. The ranked comparison, the fee calculator, the full-length company reviews, and the twelve explainers in the learn center are all open to read. The only form on the site requests a provider's investor kit, and that is optional too. Below is what each surface does, followed by a short guide to where to start.
Line up every provider on the metrics that decide cost: minimum investment, setup and custodian fees, storage style, buyback terms, and reputation. No more juggling a dozen browser tabs.
Open the rankings →Published fees, each stamped with the month we checked them. We separate the flat annual charges from the one cost that hides on no schedule: the dealer markup over spot.
See the fee breakdown →Model your ten-year total cost of ownership, dealer markup included, then run a rollover through the penalty checker before you move a dollar. Both are live.
Open the calculator →Request a provider's investor kit through a single form. We point you to the kits actually worth reading and spell out what each one contains, so you skip the thin brochures.
Claim a free kit →Twelve explainers on the rules, taxes, rollovers, approved metals, storage, and scams. Each one cites the IRS or a federal regulator, so you can settle a question without a phone call.
Browse the guides →One long-form review per provider: the published fee schedule, the account minimum, the storage arrangement, the buyback terms, and the complaints we could verify.
Read the reviews →Most people researching a Gold IRA end up with twelve tabs open, five conflicting fee schedules, and a sales rep on the other line. Gold IRA Consulting exists to replace that with one clear surface. Here is how each piece fits together.
The comparison view puts our full provider set on a single line each: the minimum to open, the setup and custodian fees, segregated versus commingled storage, buyback commitments, and reputation signals. You sort, you scan, you shortlist. When you want the reasoning behind a placement, every row links straight to that company's full review and to the ranked comparison.
Annual fees are the easy part. A company can advertise a low flat fee while earning most of its money on the metals themselves. That is the dealer markup over spot, the premium charged above the live price of the metal. On common bullion it is typically a modest 3% to 8%; on proof or collectible coins it can run 20% to 40% or more, and it appears on no fee schedule. The database surfaces published charges with a verification date and flags that hidden spread directly, because it usually matters more than every administrative fee combined. For the full math, see our gold IRA fees breakdown.
Two interactive tools sit on one page. The first models your ten-year total cost of ownership, so you can weigh providers on real all-in dollars rather than headline fees, and it includes the dealer markup that no fee schedule shows. The second is a rollover penalty checker that walks a planned move against the 60-day deadline, the mandatory 20% withholding on employer-plan payouts, and the one-rollover-per-year limit, then tells you where the exposure is. Open the gold IRA fee and rollover calculator, or read the mechanics in the step-by-step rollover guide first.
Provider kits range from genuinely useful to thin marketing. The concierge routes your single request to the kit that fits your situation and tells you what is actually inside, from plain-English guides to company comparisons and rollover checklists. It is free, with no obligation, and you can request one in about thirty seconds.
Every company we track gets a long-form review rather than a line in a table. Each one opens with the published fee schedule and the account minimum, then works through the custody and depository arrangement, the buyback terms, any promotional offer, and the complaints we could verify against a public record. Start with the two providers readers shortlist most often, the Augusta Precious Metals review and the Goldco review, or open the full review library. The scoring method behind every placement is documented separately on our how we rank page, so you can check the reasoning rather than take a number on faith. Our current top-rated provider is Augusta Precious Metals (see their current offer).
A Gold IRA is not right for everyone, and the platform will tell you so. If you have a very short time horizon, a small balance where flat fees become a large percentage, or a tendency to be talked into high-premium collectible coins, the math can work against you. We would rather you walk away informed than open an account you regret. Weigh the trade-offs in our pros and cons breakdown before you commit.
Start with the mechanics before the shopping. What the IRS actually requires, which metals qualify, where the metal has to sit, and what the whole thing costs in a normal year.
Open the learn center →Move to the ranked comparison, shortlist two or three companies on minimum and fee structure, then read each one's full review before you take a single call.
Open the rankings →Run your numbers through the ten-year cost model, check the planned rollover against the 60-day and withholding rules, and request the provider kit that fits your balance.
Open the calculator →Yes. Browsing the rankings, reading reviews, searching the verified fee database, and requesting a free investor kit cost you nothing. Gold IRA Consulting is reader-supported: when you open an account through a partner link we may earn a commission. That arrangement never changes where a company lands in our rankings, which are decided by an independent weighted rubric.
Yes. Both tools are live on one page. The total-cost-of-ownership model projects setup, custodian, storage, and dealer-markup costs over a ten-year horizon so you can compare providers on all-in dollars instead of headline fees. The rollover penalty checker runs a planned move against the 60-day redeposit deadline, the mandatory 20% withholding on employer-plan payouts, and the one-rollover-per-year limit, then shows where the exposure sits. Both are free and neither asks for your details.
Questions about the research behind the platform are answered in one place: the ranking method and how we verify gold IRA fees, and our editorial policy, which covers how we make money and why we do not sell gold.
Tax treatment, contribution and distribution rules: IRS Publication 590-A (contributions to IRAs) and IRS Publication 590-B (distributions from IRAs).
Permitted metals and the collectibles rule for IRAs: Internal Revenue Code section 408(m)(3), which sets the bullion and coin standards an IRA may hold.
Investor protection and fraud guidance: the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) consumer guidance on investing in bullion and coins, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) customer advisories on precious-metals schemes.
Provider fees and minimums reflect our independent dataset, fees verified Jun 2026. Pricing and promotions change; confirm current terms directly with each company. Gold IRA Consulting is not financial advice.
Open the ranked comparison to see verified fees, minimums, and scores side by side. Or request a free investor kit and read one provider's exact pricing before you talk to anyone.