A precious metal IRA is a low-risk investment account that is an excellent alternative to traditional IRA investments.
Precious metal IRAs are resistant to a turbulent economy and rising inflation and will never lack monetary value because it is backed by a physical asset.
Choosing a precious metals IRA broker can be a complicated and confusing process.
There are dozens of companies in the industry.
This guide will review two of them: American Hartford Gold and Noble Gold Investments.
Overview: American Hartford Gold
American Hartford Gold was founded in 2015 and operates out of Los Angeles, CA. It is an IRA brokerage company offering gold, silver, platinum bouillon, coins, and bars.
American Hartford has a reputation for excellent customer service, a buy-back commitment that most customers qualify for, and competitor price matching.
American Hartford is well respected by industry regulatory bodies. Also current and new customers leave glowing reviews that praise excellent customer service and the ease with which the process is completed.
It has a 4.9 out of 5 stars with both ConsumerAffairs.com and TrustLink, an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and a AA rating with the Business Consumer Alliance.
Overview: Noble Gold Investments
Noble Gold is an IRA brokerage company that was founded in 2016. It is a well-respected company with years of experience and a strong relationship with other financial institutions.
This relationship is a boon to its customers who enjoy streamlined processes and access to financial services that other IRA brokerage companies cannot offer.
Noble Gold is best known for its 5-Minute Individual retirement account. It offers many products including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium products as well as collector coins.
While not all of these products qualify for precious metals IRAs their subject matter experts are able to guide investors to make the correct purchase decisions for their long-term goals.
Noble Gold is well-reviewed by customers and industry regulatory bodies with a comprehensive rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
The Business Consumer Alliance gives it a AA and the Better Business Bureau ranks it as A+. It has a 5 out of 5 stars with TrustLink and ConsumerAffairs. Previous and current customers rank it 4.8 out of 5 stars on average.
Augusta Precious Metals & Goldco Comparison Chart
Header | American Hartford Gold | Noble Gold Investments |
|---|---|---|
Company Founded | 2015 | 2016 |
Minimum Investment | No minimum | $5,000 |
Avg Comprehensive Rating | 4.8 | 4.8 |
Precious Metals Available | Gold, silver, & platinum | Gold, silver, platinum, & palladium |
Is Price Matching Available? | Yes | Yes |
Assistance with Current IRA Rollover? | Yes | Yes |
Average Delivery Time | Fast delivery | Fast delivery |
Customer Support Level | Comprehensive, ongoing support | Always available during the investment process |
Buy-Back Program? | Yes | Yes |
Rollover Opportunities: American Hartford Gold
American Hartford Gold offers assistance with rolling over traditional IRA accounts including most 401(k) or IRA accounts.
Its customer service agents will help customers with the process.
Customers have the choice to roll over the full amount or a partial amount of the previous IRA account.
Rollover Opportunities: Noble Gold Investments
Noble Gold offers assistance with IRA rollover as a natural part of the process of opening a Silver or Gold IRA account. Customers that wish to roll over existing IRA accounts must fill out the form on Noble Gold’s website.
Its customer service representatives will be in touch quickly and assist with the rest of the process. Noble Gold assists with most types of traditional IRA accounts, 401(k)s, and Roth IRAs.
 | $2,000 Minimum Investment | *Most Inclusive *Best delivery |
Fees: American Hartford Gold
American Hartford does not list its fees on its website. It also does not disclose the minimum investment requirement, the price of its products, or the amount of any fees associated with setting up a Gold or Silver IRA account.
American Hartford’s website does indicate that some accounts may qualify for free annual storage, but the criteria to qualify for this are not listed. The larger the investment, the more likely that you will qualify for free annual storage.
Header | American Hartford Gold |
|---|---|
One-time account setup fee | Not listed |
Annual custodial fee | Not listed |
Annual depository storage fee | Not listed |
Shipping and transit costs | Not listed |
Minimum investment | None |
Cost of precious metals | Not listed |
Fees: Noble Gold Investments
Noble Gold only publishes a small selection of its fees on its website. The listed fees are not comprehensive and it mentions that additional fees will apply depending on several factors including the amount that the customer invests.
Noble Gold publishes some of its fees upfront but this list is non-exhaustive:
* Annual fee of $80
* Annual storage fee of $150
Noble Gold’s investment details:
* Minimum investment of $5,00 for precious metals survival packs
* Maximum investment of $500,000 for precious metals survival packs
* No-Quibble buyback program for gold and silver products
Header | Noble Gold Investments |
|---|---|
Annual maintenance fee | $80 |
Annual storage fee | $150 |
Minimum investment | $5,000 |
Cost of precious metals | Fluctuates according to market value |
Choosing Between Augusta Precious Metals and Goldco Precious Metals
American Hartford Gold and Noble Gold are both well-respected IRA brokerage companies. There are a lot of similarities between the two.
Both companies offer IRA rollover assistance, a buy-back program, and price matching. They were both founded in the last ten years and have excellent reputations. The differences are where the decision is made.
American Hartford Gold offers gold, silver, and platinum products. It does not publish its fee structure or the minimum investment amount required. It does mention that some accounts qualify for free annual storage and it does not charge a shipping fee.
Noble Gold publishes some of its fees. It offers palladium products in addition to gold, silver, and platinum. Noble Gold Investments offers straightforward investment packages called survival packs that streamline the investment process.
Both companies are excellent choices for both veteran and new investors. They offer very similar experiences with strong customer service and straightforward rollover processes. There is no clear winner in this case.
 | *No Minimum Investment *Buy-back program *Price-match guarantee |
