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Precious metals must meet minimum fineness requirements to qualify as IRA assets, including coins, bars and rounds made of gold. You must store your IRA-eligible precious metals with an IRS-approved depository.
Legal Tender Coins
Legal tender coins are a type of bullion produced and guaranteed by the government, making them essential as IRA investments must only invest in precious metals with face values.
This means you cannot hold gold coins with face values exceeding one pound; however, smaller denominations such as two pence pieces and pennies may still be handled safely.
These coins are popular with people concerned about currency collapse and looking to have an alternative form of money available to them. Although these coins might provide you with peace of mind during times of economic instability, they should not be your first choice when diversifying your retirement portfolio; investing in precious metals ETFs or holding them outside an IRA might provide better diversification opportunities.
When holding legal tender coins in your IRA, they must be stored with an approved custodian who will typically store them at a secure depository facility.
Bullion Bars
Bullion bars are highly liquid investments that offer investors diversification in their precious metals portfolio. While numismatic coins generally pay gold companies higher commissions, bullion bars reflect more accurately the spot price for specific amounts of precious metal.
LBMA-approved bullion bars generally qualify for inclusion in an IRA. There may be exceptions such as South African Krugerrand coins (with fineness of 99.5 but still considered collectible by the IRS), although these items are relatively scarce and typically available only from specific bullion dealers.
Establish a Traditional, ROTH, SEP, SIMPLE or Rollover IRA with a trusted trustee/custodian and when funds are ready contact Monex’s account representatives who will initiate your purchase of one of our eligible products – we look forward to speaking with you about this precious metals investment option!
Bullion Rounds
Silver rounds often resemble coins, but there is a distinct practical difference that should be appreciated when investing in precious metals. Coins tend to be more costly per unit weight and purity while rounds come with no restrictions when it comes to design options – it is crucial for investors to recognize this distinction so as to make decisions that meet their financial goals effectively.
No matter the type of bullion you select for your self-directed IRA, it’s essential that you work with an experienced team who can ensure all IRS regulations are observed. Ideally, gold and silver would be held at an approved depository that offers segregated storage as required by the IRS; alternatively there are creative solutions such as using “checkbook control” IRAs or LLCs for home storage that do not violate this rule.
Numismatic Coins
Rare coins might seem like a good way to diversify a retirement portfolio, but collectors should bear in mind that their value depends on condition and demand, rather than bullion content; as a result, they may require different tax considerations than other investments.
Due to these differences, numismatic coins whose prices rely more on their collectible value than on their bullion content are ineligible for inclusion in an IRA; according to IRS policy they should instead be treated as collectible investments instead.
Only certain coins and bars are eligible to be placed into a Precious Metals IRA, such as American Eagles, Gold Maple Leaves, Silver American Eagles and gold bars that meet IRS purity requirements of 99.5 purity or above. IRAs also only permit legal tender coins as investments.