Last Updated on February 15, 2024 by Ben
If you have a 401k account and are looking for help with your retirement savings, then we’ve got you covered. In this 401k to Gold IRA Rollover Guide, we will be exploring what a 401k Gold IRA Rollover is, what advantages moving to an IRA has over a 401k account, as well as disadvantages of rolling over your 401k into gold.
Top 4 Gold IRA Providers: A Brief Overview
#1 Augusta Precious Metals: Editor’s Choice – Great Gold IRA Company Overall (4.9/5)
Augusta Precious Metals stands out due to its emphasis on customer education. Their knowledgeable team walks you through the process of precious metals IRAs, ensuring you’re well-informed every step of the way. They have a reputation for integrity and transparency, with no hidden fees. Their free one-on-one web conferences, an excellent educational resource, are a unique feature that sets them apart.
Pros
- The company allows the customers for a transparent pricing structure to see the current prices of the available precious metals.
- The team for Augusta Precious Metals has knowledgeable specialists who can assist customers in creating a personalized investment strategy.
- They offer a streamlined IRA setup process, making investing in precious metals in their retirement accounts easy.
Cons
- Limited variety of precious metals available compared to some other providers.
- Some customers have reported delays in the delivery of their purchased precious metals.
#2 American Hartford Gold: Runner up – Best Price for Bullion (4.8/5)
American Hartford Gold is recognized for its exceptional customer service, guiding clients seamlessly through investing in precious metals. Whether new to gold IRAs or an experienced investor, they offer a wealth of resources and a dedicated team to help you secure your financial future. Their transparency about fees and a buyback program makes it a reliable choice for those venturing into precious metal investments.
Pros
- American Hartford Gold has a solid industry reputation, featured in various financial publications.
- They offer a buyback program, providing liquidity if you decide to sell your precious metals in the future.
- The company has a dedicated team of precious metals specialists who can assist customers with their investment needs.
Cons
- The website lacks transparent pricing information; customers must contact the company directly for detailed pricing.
- Limited information about the storage options and associated fees for the purchased metals are available.
#3 Goldco: Great Buyback Program (4.6/5)
Goldco provides in the precious metals investment industry, specializing in gold and silver IRAs. They offer a straightforward, customer-friendly process and an extensive range of options with a strong reputation for customer service and competitive pricing. Their focus on protecting wealth and hedging against economic uncertainties make them a popular choice for many investors.
Pros
- They have a strong industry reputation and are known for their exceptional customer service.
- The company offers competitive pricing and transparent fee structures, making it easier for customers to understand the costs.
- They provide secure storage options for the purchased precious metals, ensuring their safety and easy accessibility.
Cons
- The website needs specific pricing information, and customers need to contact Goldco directly for detailed pricing and product availability.
- Customers have experienced delays in receiving their precious metals or encountered issues with the delivery process.
#4 Birch Gold Corporation: Great Staff Overall (4.5/5)
The company specializes in gold and silver IRAs focusing on Birch Gold Group. It is renowned in the precious metals market. They provide a personalized approach, educating clients about investing in gold and silver for wealth protection.
Their experts are lauded for their professionalism and dedication to customer satisfaction. With an impressive inventory and a customer-centric approach, Birch Gold Group is a reliable partner for your precious metal investment needs.
Pros
- The company has a knowledgeable team of specialists who can guide customers through setting up a precious metals IRA.
- Birch Gold Group offers competitive pricing and transparent fee structures, making it easier for customers to evaluate costs.
- They provide secure storage options through trusted third-party depositories to ensure the safety of customers’ precious metals.
Cons
- The website needs specific pricing information, and customers must contact the company for detailed pricing and product availability.
- Some customers have reported slow response times from the customer service team.
How Does it Work?
A 401k account is like a savings account that you put a part of your salary in before taxes are taken out. It is an important thing for almost every job to have because it helps people save money. Some employers will even give some money back to the employee if the employer likes them and wants more employees like them.
A 401k is a retirement account that your employer can give to you. It lets you save money in the account from your paycheck before taxes. You can choose what type of things to invest in like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.
401k plans are a way for employers to help employees save for retirement. Each time you get paid, an amount that you chose is taken from your paycheck and put into the 401k account. The money in these accounts is usually invested in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds (a type of investment). The employee can choose which investments they want.
Your 401k plan may be tax-free, and your employer might give you a matching contribution. If your plan has these benefits, experts recommend that you contribute the maximum amount every year or as close to it as you can afford.
When you retire, the money in a 401k account can be used to help pay for your expenses like medical bills or mortgage payments when they come due. It is also important because people usually do not have enough money saved up on their own and this way it helps make sure that there will be some leftover at retirement time.
What are the Benefits of a 401k
401 tax benefits are hard to dispute. They offer people financial security, including:
401k Employer Match
Recent research has found that opting for employer-sponsored 401k matches and profit-sharing plans can be a great way to grow your retirement savings because employers are essentially giving you free money.
Your employer will match up to 50% of the first 6% you put in your 401k. If, for example, you earn $48,000 a year, 6% of that is $2,880 and your employer will match that give an extra $1,440.
Some employers will match your contributions to a retirement plan. That means that they will put in the same amount of money as you do for up to 6% of what you contribute. This would be another $2,880 for this example.
401k Tax Breaks
The 401k tax advantages begin with the fact that you make contributions on a pre-tax basis. That you can deduct your contributions to the 401k in the year of contribution, which lowers taxable income for that year.
To add to the benefit, your 401k earnings accumulate without taxation. When you roll over your 401k, the dividends and capital gains inside are not subject to taxes until the withdrawals begin.
If you’ll be in a lower tax bracket for retirement than when you make the contributions, then rollover can provide an advantage.
401k Shelter From Creditors
If you have money, it is good to put it in places that creditors can’t get to. You can protect your money in a 401k account because they are set up under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). That is good because ERISA accounts are generally protected from judgment creditors.
The fact that 401k plans legally belong to your employer, rather than you, makes it difficult for the IRS to place a lien on the account. Documents in your 401k account, your plan administrators may be able to refuse to follow an IRS lien.
Advantages of Moving 401k To Gold IRA
The best reason to make your 401k an IRA is because you can control it more. These are some of the things you can control in an IRA.
Ability to Pick a Trustee
The best thing about an IRA is you can pick the investment platform to use. Customer care is always available 24 hours a day. It has many helpful aids for helping you learn about investing. You can find companies with offices near you too.
Make Your Own Investment Decisions
Many people like the fact that they can make their own investment decisions. You do not have to worry about being told what you should buy or sell and when.
You can only buy certain things in a 401k. An IRA has more choices for investing. You have a range of investments to choose from for your 401k, including money-market funds, bonds, stocks, options and precious metals.
Fees Control
You might be afraid of paying fees, but they are not as bad as you think. The majority of brokers do not charge any fees. This means that you do not need to worry about these costs. Robo-advisers can manage your investments for a reasonable rate, which will make it easy to invest in your future without worrying about fees.
Fund’s access
A 401k is an account that you cannot access until the age of 59. Generally, you should not take money or withdraw funds from your retirement account before you are required to. However, IRAs are typically better for this than 401ks or any other workplace retirement plan.
Roth IRA Option
Some people may want to change their 401k into gold in the form of a Roth IRA. This type of IRA allows you to take money out without taxes. Roth 401ks do not have required minimum distributions after reaching the age of 70 and a half. Some jobs have Roth 401ks, but it is not the norm.
Disadvantages of Rollover 401k to Gold IRA
There are some negative things about rolling your 401k into an IRA.
No Separation From Service Exemption
If you need the money, it’s easier to take out of your 401k than an IRA. Most people are not allowed to withdraw from their 401k before they are 59-and-a-half years old. But if you have one, then you can take money out of it without any problems. 401k allows exceptions on early withdrawals without a 10 percent penalty if one has left employment. But IRAs don’t have such an exception, but they do offer other features that make them competitive to 401ks in other situations.
More Law Protections with 401ks
In general, 401ks are regulated by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. This is a law that provides greater protections for employees related to their retirement savings than IRAs, and it also offers more stability in terms of what happens if an under-performing company goes bankrupt or becomes insolvent. This means that your money in these accounts will not be at risk if a person brings you to court.
Still, IRAs have some protection. It is worth saving money in one. You can put as much as $1,362,800 in your IRA and it won’t be touched during bankruptcy cases. Many states also have laws that say creditors cannot go after IRAs.
Ease of Merging with a New Job Plan
It’s a bit more complicated to merge plans when the old plan is an IRA, but it can be done.
How to Rollover Your 401k into A Gold IRA
Are you interested in transferring your 401k account to a gold IRA rollover? Here are some basic steps:
Pick A Gold IRA Custodian
A self-directed account in an individual retirement arrangement (IRA) allows investors to buy exclusive investments that meet the rules of the Internal Revenue Service, including gold and silver. In order to purchase precious metals for your IRA, talk to a custodian and open an account that includes items that can be stored on the premises. Remember–under IRS rules, you aren’t allowed personal possession of physical gold in their retirement account.
Roll Over Eligible Funds
Once you have your paperwork from the custodian, it’s time to submit it. Simply contact your 401k administrator and let them know that you will be rolling over your eligible funds to a self-directed IRA.
A financial company will send you paperwork to fill out. You need to put funds in your account. If you get the money, it is very important that within 60 days after getting the money, to put it in your self-directed IRA. The IRS will still think it is a tax-free rollover if you move your money from one account to another within 60 days.
Purchase Gold & Precious Metals with Your Gold IRA
If you have money in your self-directed account, you can buy gold and silver. Gold should be at least 99.5% pure and be in the form of bars or IRS-approved coins like the Gold American Eagle.
Get in touch with your precious metal dealer and tell them you want to buy the bullion for your self-directed IRA. Then, tell your custodian to pay the dealer from the money in your IRA.
Arrange Shipment to an Approved Depository
After you decide on a purchase and have it priced, the dealer will give your IRA custodian the money. Once they get the money, they will ship your gold to their storage facility. Confirm with the dealer and your custodian that the items have been delivered. Ask for a receipt to keep track of your purchases.
Regularly Check Account Statements on Your Holdings
After your gold IRA is rolled over and you buy some things, then you can check in with your custodian to see how much you have. When you invest money, you want to know when it is a good time to buy more or sell some. This way, you can always be in the best position.
Rollover Your 401k into A Gold IRA Through Goldco
Goldco is a top-rated precious metals firm with its headquarters in the United States. Gerson Financial Group LLC was formed with a focus on business-to-business precious metals transactions, and it has since been renamed Goldco. Previously, the company had a considerably more extensive selection of certified graded coins and collectible gold such as European and prior to 1933 gold.
The firm’s primary focus is now on the buying and delivery of IRA-accepted precious metals. They deliver these products either to the client’s custodian or straight to them in the case of a gold/silver IRA and 401(k).
Among the many IRA firms, Goldco Precious Metals provides a number of advantages that make it appealing to both new and seasoned investors. Here are some of the major ones that tip the scale in its favor.
Goldco Services
Goldco’s products are precious metals IRAs, which are divided into gold and silver IRAs. This firm acts as the link between you and the suppliers of precious metals. It is not your account’s custodian; it functions as an intermediary in purchasing and selling precious metals.
On the other hand, they can assist you with filling out the paperwork for your chosen custodian. It aids clients in purchasing IRS-approved gold and silver coins and bullions. Then it finds a safe depository to store them.
Goldco can help you transfer the funds in your existing retirement account into a precious metal IRA.
What Makes Goldco Unique?
Among the various IRA providers, Goldco Precious Metals provides a number of benefits that make it appealing to both newcomers and experienced investors. Here are some of the most relevant ones that tip the scale in its favor.
- Excellent Customer Service Goldco’s primary objective is to provide outstanding client service. It takes time and effort to ensure that each customer is happy, whether you’re opening a precious metals IRA or shopping for items directly from the custodian.It handles most difficulties promptly, never pushes sales, and ensures that you receive the greatest value with its low-cost approach. Their client care personnel is also fantastic. They are eager to assist you if you have any questions or concerns.
- IRA and 401 k Rollovers The rollover process is straightforward with Goldco Precious Metals. First, you have to establish a Goldco IRA and then work closely with one of their specialists who will help fund your retirement account by transferring the money from an existing plan into it. With this company, the entire process takes about ten business days.
- Exceptional Educational Resources The website has 15 distinct ebooks to help investors learn more about precious metals and IRAs. “How to Purchase Gold & Silver,” “The Gold IRA Encyclopedia,” “How to Keep Your Gold & Silver Safe,” and a variety of other titles are among them. The blog is also quite in-depth.
- Buyback Program Goldco can promptly purchase back your precious metals if you choose to sell them. You do not have to fret about looking for the perfect buyer, and you’ll get paid at the market rate on top of that.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- It is one of the most dependable gold IRA companies in the US.
- The procedure is simple, and its experts will typically handle the paperwork for you.
- Great track record
Cons:
- It does not allow a combination of gold and crypto IRAs.
- They don’t offer storage or custodian services, but they do assist clients in putting them up.
Summary
Rolling over your 401K into a Gold IRA can be an exciting but daunting process. The decision is not easy and there are advantages as well as disadvantages to consider, which makes it even more difficult. Ultimately the choice must come from you, so do some research on this topic before making any final decisions that will last for years to come. Your future self deserves only the best.