The Entrust Group Reviews

When looking for self-directed IRA custodians to help you diversify your portfolio and choose which assets suit your retirement account best, you’d want to select an account administration services provider with tons of experience and good feedback.

Entrust Group Company is an excellent choice for this with their over four decades of experience in the industry. As self-directed IRA custodians, they specialize in several alternative assets other than precious metals. This is to ensure that your funds would have levels of protection and ways to gain more.

There are only a few The Entrust Group reviews available right now, but everything you should know before pursuing a sale from the company is in this article.

What Is The Entrust Group?

Entrust Group Company is one of the most well-regarded self-directed IRA administrators regarding retirement accounts and tax-advantaged plans.

Unlike other relatively new companies, this financial institution consulting company has been in the industry for over four decades and can handle around $4 billion in assets under its administration.

Among the key selling points of Entrust Group are their traditional office locations that allow their clients to have a more personal relationship and interaction, which is not always available in other self-directed IRA custodian businesses and administration.

They deliver plans for businesses and individuals in these branches. Currently, they are providing services to 45,000 clients in the country.

Entrust Group is a recordkeeper that helps its clients set up and manage their accounts. They can help you purchase alternative investments and record keep such assets. This service is rarely offered by traditional banks and brokerage firms today.

Many of their customers regard the company for its dedication to client success. They also now allow holding various investment types permitted by the IRS in your self-directed IRAs.

These are the asset classes that you can incorporate into your IRA with Entrust Group:

• Precious metals (Gold, silver, etc.)
• Private lending
• Private Equity
• Private placements
• Cryptocurrency
• Real estate
• Renewable energy
• Limited partnerships
• Tax lien certificates
• Startups

When working with Entrust Group, these are some of the things that you can expect from them:

Account Management

Entrust accounts can be managed online 24/7 on their provided Entrust client portal and mobile app. Their portal was even voted the “best online portal” by Investopedia.

Learning Center

Even though administrators and custodians cannot perform due diligence or provide investment advice for self-directed IRA account holders, Entrust offers a comprehensive library of helpful content where you can learn alternative investment assets.

myDirection Visa Card

You must pay all associated expenses with your self-directed IRA when investing in real estate.

Using myDirected Visa Card makes the process manageable, as this provides you with immediate access to your funds when paying for anything related to your expenses where Visa is accepted.

Entrust Group is a notable company specializing in investment strategies and providing investor education with its learning materials. Aside from managing retirement accounts, they also have Health Savings Account (HAS) and Education Savings Accounts (ESA).

Pros

• More than four decades in the retirement plan industry
• The company has physical branch locations that investors can visit.
• Has a current $4 billion amount of assets under administration
• Provides retirement plans for both businesses and individuals
• Takes extra measures to prevent fraud and ensure the best protection for your money
• Provides investment freedom to clients
• Entrust Gold has a learning center that thousands of investors visit to get unbiased educational content, which is essential in making decisions related to their retirement plan
• Provides straightforward information on fees

Cons

• Clients should arrange storage options for the precious metals IRA.
• The $150 annual recordkeeping charge doesn’t cover storage or depository costs.
• It does not offer checkbook writing access

The Entrust Group Management

Entrust Group’s founder and CEO, Hubert Bromma, is a pioneer in the industry of self-directed IRAs. He has been managing the company for nearly five decades and is an expert in real estate, banking, financial institution consulting, mergers and acquisitions, and investment alternatives.

He launched the company in 1981, and it has since become a nationwide enterprise. Today, they have 30 walk-in offices that their clients can visit throughout the country.

One of their most popular branches is in the San Francisco Bay Area in Oakland, CA 94607. The franchise is managed by their Business Development Manager, Bill Neville, CISP. You can contact the Entrust Group here.  

Jason Craig is the company’s president, formerly the Assistant Vice President at Greater Bay Bank. He has an experience of more than 15 years in financial services, making him a competent president for Entrust Group.

Features Of The Entrust Group

Entrust Trust Company has an intuitive platform allowing its investors to choose the perfect alternative investment. Aside from their offered services, they also have a self-educated section that permits their clients to decide based on their needs and the plan that suits their lifestyle.

The company provides a financial planning software called eMoney where their investors can organize their investments. So far, it has won many awards and has been utilized by financial planners to create net worth statements, asset allocation reports, and stock options reports.

If you consider working with them, you can expect to pay fees. They have a setup fee of $50, an admin fee of $199 to $2,000, and the transaction fee of $0 to $250.

The transaction and setup fee is waived in some of their options, like in their precious metals accounts. The total amount you will pay in these fees depends on the type of investment you are purchasing and the size of the account.

For their primary services, these are the different types of Individual Retirement Accounts that you can get from Entrust Trust Company:

Self-Directed Gold IRA

Self-directed gold IRAs are retirement accounts where people can invest in alternative sources like precious metals. People often prefer this type of investment as the assets it covers act as a cushion against inflation and other global crises that may affect the actual value of money.

Traditional assets like bonds, stocks, and mutual funds cannot offer such protection because they are usually the first ones affected by economic changes.

Any retirement account can be considered a self-directed IRA if the account holder makes the decisions and has total control over every direction of the account.

Traditional IRA

Traditional IRAs take before-tax contributions. The investor is expected to wait to pay the taxes, which the proper authorities will collect during distributions.

This is ideal for people who want to defer their tax payments in the immediate future.

Roth IRA

On the other hand, the account that takes contributions after tax so that the investors won’t have taxes upon distribution is called Roth IRA. People expecting to be in a higher tax bracket before retirement prefer this type of account.

SEP IRA

A SEP IRA is a business retirement account opened and contributed by employers or self-employed individuals.

For the accounts set up by employers, such accounts are in the name of their employees. A percentage of their salary is put into the account and will be given to them upon retirement.

SIMPLE IRA

Business owners can open SIMPLE IRAs with 100 employees or less. The employer can contribute to everyone at once or match their contributions for up to 3% of their compensation. It is essential to fulfilling this before the account’s tax deadline.

The Entrust Group’s Prices and Products

Entrust Group Company offers administrative and custodial services to customers interested in incorporating alternative investments like real estate and precious metals into a specific self-directed IRA.

These plans are mostly tailored to the needs of each person, whether they want it to be Roth or Traditional IRAs and SEP IRAs or SIMPLE IRAs for businesses.

For their account establishment fee, you can expect to pay $50, which is relatively cheap compared to other companies. However, you should know that Entrust Group’s annual recordkeeping fees are sliding fees instead of a flat charge for accounts that exceeds $50,000, and it is capped at $2,299.

As your account grows, the money you will spend on your account maintenance is reasonable.

For some assets’ purchase and sale fees, others may find it relatively high. Fortunately, they are flat fees.

Accounts with many assets based on different types of investments should be fine with the cost. You would like their zero cost on purchasing and selling precious metals and crowdfunding. 

Entrust group’s transaction fees align with what most IRA custodians charge. They have an account termination fee of $250 when you want to dissolve your IRA from the company.

Compared to other companies, they have lower competitive pricing. Still, their transparency is often appreciated because investors always look for honesty when looking for a company they can trust.

The company is currently not partnered with any depositories in the country. You would not see storage fees that usually range around $199+ on the annual recordkeeping fee.

However, they still have storage costs billed directly to your account. When you own precious metals in your IRA with Entrust Group, the annual fees will be based on your preferred depository. 

As much as you can, it would be best to choose a storage provider that charges a flat rate. Sliding scale fees will leave you with an increasing amount of fees as the value of your account also increases. 

One of the things you will love about the Entrust Group is its highly transparent and flexible fee schedule. If you want to know more detail about the company’s fees, you should visit their website. 

Here’s a brief information regarding Entrust Group’s four categories and fee schedule: 

• Account establishment fees – $50
• Annual record keeping fees – $199 for a single asset + 0.15% annual fee of the Account Market Value below $50,000
• $199 for a single asset + 0.15% yearly fee of the Account Market Value over $50,000
• $299 annual fee for two or more assets + 0.15% of the Account Market Value below $50,000
• $299 annual fee for two or more assets + 0.15% of the Account Market Value over $50,000
• Purchase and sale of asset fees – $0 to $250 on purchased items
• Transaction fees – determined by the type of transaction; only charged for accounts valued over $50,000

Entrust Investment Options

When you are a thing of investing with Entrust Group Company, they will present you with several investment options to choose from.

Here’s a list of the alternative investments that you can access from the company:

Mortgage Notes and Other Secured or Unsecured Private Loans

Secured loans are backed by collateral, usually a home or car. If one borrower defaults on a secured loan, the notes’ lender has the right to seize an asset to pay the debt.

On the other hand, unsecured notes are not backed by collaterals. Sometimes, it may even include credit card and student loan debt.

Precious Metals

Precious metals have served as a currency for centuries and are still important in today’s economy. They provide significant protection against inflation and economic crises, which is why many investors choose to include them in their retirement accounts.

Real Estate

This type of investment allows people to invest in single-family homes within their IRA from a professional land corporation. This can help build a retirement portfolio and have a more secure source of funds during your retirement.

Oil and Gas Companies

People can invest in some companies and include that in their retirement accounts. One example is energy companies, whose income is derived from extracting natural resources from the earth.

Private Equity

This covers investments in land trusts, hedge funds, and startups.

Other Alternative Options

Other than the options listed above, alternative investments may include art galleries, cryptocurrency, storage space, life settlements, bowling alleys, and retirement homes.

Over the years, Entrust Group earned positive reviews from its clients. Among the most praised characteristics of the company is its wealth of experience in the industry, responsiveness, professionalism, and ability to securely handle large amounts of funds.

The company is acclaimed for its patience and guidance when dealing with new clients with little to no idea when to open an IRA. However, there are still some negative things people say about their administration.

Some people claim that a member of their team was rude and unhelpful. Their customers also criticize the timeliness of transitions and account withdrawals.

Alternatives

Augusta Precious Metals

Star Rating

Regarding self-directed IRAs, Augusta Precious Metals is among the first reputable companies that come to mind. When it comes to your retirement savings, you want to ensure they are in safe hands.

Alternative assets like precious metals provide more protection to your funds than other traditional assets can do like bonds and mutual funds. 

The company holds an average rating of 4.9/5 stars from Consumer Affairs and an A+ from Better Business Bureau.

One of the things people love about Augusta Precious Metals is their easy processing and providing education about the industry’s ups and downs to their clients. As an investor, you will have complete control over your self-directed IRA and the type of assets you want to include in your account.

Augusta Precious Metals understand that not all investors interested in such investments know everything there is to know already. Hence, they see that they provide the necessary information to make an informed decision. 

Pros

• Provides education among investors
• The process is simple and easy
• Receives thousands of positive reviews and endorsements
• Eager to learn more about their client’s personal needs for investment

Cons

• Pricing info on Gold and silver is difficult to find
• The fee structure is hard to find on the forms

American Hartford Gold

Star Rating

American Hartford Gold is a leading gold company in the financial industry. Many clients praise them for their transparency and provide education about precious metals investments and how they can help protect your retirement funds. 

They have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, a relatively good rating for a precious metals company, and a provider of other alternative assets.

American Hartford Gold also has a buyback plan where investors can sell back and liquidate their precious metals without additional fees.

Pros

• Excellent ratings from clients
• Provides a specialist in precious metals at your disposal
• Complete cost disclosure before the sale
• Customer service is a top priority

Cons

• The website does not include a price list
• Shipment outside the U.S. is not available

Goldco

Star Rating

If there’s one thing Goldco emphasizes, it is stability. They understand how important it is for their client to have precise financial planning for their retirement.

Precious Metals are the most stable assets you can invest money in, especially in these changing times. They are great for long-term investments as they would retain the value of your money despite inflation or even increase it as the value of money declines. 

Goldco only offers Gold and silver, unlike other precious metals providers, as they are the most stable options. They come in coins and bars from certified government minds worldwide.

Pros

• All coins and bars are certified
• Consumer Affairs accredited
• Positive reviews from verified clients
• Provides updated news and articles to clients

Cons

• Pricing information is challenging to find
• No info regarding custodian and storage fees

Birch Gold

Star Rating

Birch Gold Group specializes in portfolio diversification and providing retirement security to its clients. Unlike other precious metals providers, they also offer platinum and palladium, which gives the investors more options to choose assets they want to incorporate into their accounts.

Their products are sourced from different parts of the world to ensure their quality and purity based on the guidelines set by the IRS.

They would also provide custodian and storage options based on your needs. The two most popular choices are the Brinks and Delaware Depository, known for their security and asset protection.

This way, you can be relieved that your alternative assets are safe from theft and other factors compromising your retirement plans.

Pros

• Includes platinum and platinum
• Transparent fee structure
• Low minimum fee for purchases
• A physical purchasing option is available

Cons

• Difficult to find their contact information other than the provided number
• The website can be confusing

Final Thoughts – The Entrust Group Reviews

Entrust Group is a notable company in the financial industry. Their decades of experience reflect how well they maintained their business and their investors’ trust.

Today, they remain one of the most well-respected in the business, and there’s no telling what else has been stored for them in the future.

One thing is for sure: they will continue providing high-quality services, products, and investment advice to their clients so they can have meaningful and comfortable retirement years.

After reading the Entrust Group Reviews, you can always check out the alternative companies listed above if you are still aiming to figure out the company.