Gold IRA Consulting pulls scattered Gold IRA research into a single place: side-by-side provider comparisons, a verified fee database, free investor kits, and transparent scoring. No sales floor, no inflated numbers, just the independent groundwork you need before moving retirement money into metals.
Gold IRA Consulting is not a dealer, and it is not a custodian. We do not sell gold, hold your metals, or manage your IRA. We are an independent research desk that compares the companies who do, so you can walk into any sales conversation already knowing the fees, the minimums, and the questions that matter. Every figure on the platform traces back to a primary source or a provider's own published terms, and every number is dated, so you can see exactly how fresh it is before you rely on it.
The big publishers cover this category, but they leave the same gaps open: they rarely name the dealer markup over spot, they seldom publish a transparent scoring rubric, and their fee tables go stale without a verification date. Gold IRA Consulting is built to close those gaps. Below is what lives inside the platform today, and what is on the way.
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 and check whether a 401(k) or IRA rollover qualifies as a tax-free direct transfer. In active development.
Rollover rules meanwhile →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 →Every provider scored on a published, weighted rubric, never a vibe. See exactly how we weight fees, custody, service, and reputation, and what moved a company up or down.
How we rank →Full write-ups on each provider, from fee structure and storage options to the home-storage-IRA myth and the red flags that should end a sales call.
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 are in active development. The first models your ten-year total cost of ownership so you can weigh providers on real all-in dollars rather than headline fees. The second is a rollover eligibility checker that confirms whether moving funds from a 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or IRA qualifies as a non-taxable direct transfer. Until they ship, our worked examples and step-by-step rollover guide cover the same ground by hand.
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.
Nothing on Gold IRA Consulting is pay-to-win. Each provider earns a score on a transparent weighted rubric: fees and pricing transparency at 30%, custody and storage at 25%, service and buyback at 25%, and reputation at 20%. Affiliate relationships never move a ranking. You can read the entire method, and see how a company's score changes when its terms change, on our how we rank page. If you would rather start from the current leader, our 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.
We are reader-supported and may earn a commission on partner links, marked rel="sponsored". That money never buys a higher ranking. Scores and placements are set before any commercial relationship is considered.
Tax and eligibility claims cite the IRS directly (Publications 590-A and 590-B, and the collectibles rule in IRC 408(m)(3)), alongside SEC, FTC, and CFTC investor guidance. No secondhand summaries.
Every fee carries a verification stamp (fees verified Jun 2026), and money pages are reviewed by Dana Reyes, CFP. When pricing shifts, we update the date so you always know how current a number is.
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.
No. Gold IRA Consulting is an independent research desk, not a dealer, a custodian, or a financial advisor. We do not sell metals, hold your bullion, or manage your account. We compare the companies that handle those roles so you can choose with clear eyes, then you open your account directly with the provider you select.
Every provider is scored on a published weighted rubric: fees and pricing transparency (30%), custody and storage (25%), service and buyback terms (25%), and reputation (20%). Scores are not influenced by affiliate relationships, and they update as a company's terms change. The full method, including how we treat the dealer markup over spot, lives on our How We Rank page.
Not yet. The total-cost-of-ownership calculator and the rollover eligibility checker are in active development. Until they ship, our verified fee tables and worked ten-year examples cover the same math by hand, so you can still estimate your all-in cost and confirm whether a transfer qualifies as a non-taxable direct rollover.
Each figure is stamped with the month we verified it, currently fees verified Jun 2026. Provider pricing and promotions change frequently, so we date every number and always tell you to confirm current terms directly with the company before you commit. We also flag the dealer markup over spot, the one cost that never appears on a published fee schedule.
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.