Allegiance Gold Review
Allegiance Gold is part of our list of best gold IRA companies because of its flat annual fee structure and its commitment to customer education. The company partners with reputable storage depositories and connects you with an account representative to help you guide you through the process of opening a gold IRA. When you maintain a gold IRA with Allegiance Gold, you unlock lifetime account support.
Pros:
- Ongoing customer support
- Comprehensive “Learning Center” online
- Flat IRA fee structure
- Reputable storage partners
Cons:
- No buyback guarantee
- Limited fee information online
Gold and other precious metal IRAs are an investment and carry risk. Consumers should remain alert to claims that customers can make a lot of money in these or any investments with little risk. As with any investment, you can lose money. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance results. Consumers should also gain a clear understanding of the fees associated with any investment before agreeing to invest.
Allegiance Gold Features
Allegiance Gold is a precious metal advisor that helps investors fund a gold IRA or buy precious metals for home storage. Allegiance Gold is a member of consumer protection agencies such as the American Numismatic Association (ANA), Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. These memberships help ensure the company can provide consumers with the latest information about precious metals.
Senior portfolio advisors will guide you through the process of funding your account with IRA-approved metals. IRA-approved, gold coins and bullion must be 99.5% fineness or higher, for example. Its inventory includes American Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, and Credit Suisse bars, among others.
- Metals: Gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bars and coins
- Minimum investment: $10,000
- Fees: Flat storage, account maintenance
- Storage options: Delaware Depository, International Depository Services
IRS regulations require you to store the gold used to fund precious metal IRAs at an approved depository, but Allegiance Gold also sells collectible coins you can store at home.
Allegiance Gold runs frequent promotions. At the time of publishing, it advertised a first-time buyer discount, free metals of up to $10,000, a free storage safe for qualified purchases, among other incentives.
Starting an Allegiance Gold IRA
You can set up a gold IRA online or through a physical application. You can also schedule a free consultation with a senior portfolio manager to ask questions about completing an application. Once your application is complete, you can fund the account via a direct gold 401(k) rollover, an IRA transfer, or a cash contribution before you begin purchasing IRS-approved precious metals.
Allegiance Gold Costs
Unlike other gold IRA companies and gold dealers, Allegiance Gold does not list individual precious metal pricing on its website. You must call a representative for more information about the items you want to invest in. You can view the current spot price of gold on their website. A representative told us that there is a minimum IRA investment requirement of $10,000 and a $5,000 direct purchase requirement.
The self-directed IRA fees are flat amounts, which means they will not fluctuate with your account balance. Annual IRA fees include the following:
- $100 storage for the depository up to $100,000 worth of metals
- $95 for account maintenance
Depending on the transaction amount, Allegiance Gold will cover these third-party fees. A representative shared that the company will waive the first year of fees for accounts greater than $50,000 and the first three years of fees for accounts greater than $100,000.
Allegiance Gold Withdrawal
Like any other IRA, you’ll be assessed a 10% penalty if you withdraw from your precious metal and gold IRA early, before age 59 1/2. You can start taking withdrawals when you turn 59 1/2, but you’re not required to take them until you are age 70 1/2, at which time you must take the required minimum distribution to avoid penalty. For gold IRA distributions, you can choose an in-kind distribution (the physical assets are shipped to you) or a liquid distribution (you sell the metals for cash). The experts at Allegiance Gold will help you with this process.
Allegiance Gold advertises a simple buyback program. While the company does not guarantee that it will make an offer or actually purchase your metals, a company representative told us that the prices it offers are above the industry average.
Allegiance Gold Complaints
It’s difficult to find complaints about Allegiance Gold online. The company has been BBB accredited since 2018, where it has an A+ rating and five-star reviews. It boasts a 4.7-star rating on Trustpilot, with many of the reviews thanking representatives by name for their helpfulness and professionalism.
Our Experience With Allegiance Gold
While Allegiance Gold has a live chat feature online, it only exists to connect customers to a representative who will call them at a later date. This means we were unable to ask questions directly via their website. However, we emailed a representative who was happy to respond with additional insight on costs and the buyback program.
To learn more about Allegiance Gold’s educational materials, we requested a free investors kit. A 32-page PDF, sent via email, explains the benefits of owning gold and why owning precious metals can help safeguard retirement. The kit did not offer any additional information about gold IRA fees, but it did outline Allegiance’s three-step diversification strategy. Moving forward, we’d like to see Allegiance Gold become more transparent about pricing and fees, so customers can better budget for their investments. However, they are not the only gold IRA company that requires customers to call for pricing.
Allegiance Gold FAQs
What metals does Allegiance Gold offer?
Allegiance Gold sells a wide selection of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium coins and bars. A snapshot of its inventory includes:
- American Gold Eagle coins
- Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coins
- American Silver Eagle proof coins
- Kennedy silver dollar coins
- Canadian Palladium Maple Leaf coins
What are the typical Allegiance Gold fees?
The self-directed IRA fees are flat amounts due annually: $100 for depository storage up to $100,000 worth of metals, plus $95 for account maintenance. Allegiance Gold will cover a portion of these third-party fees for one to three years if you maintain an account greater than $50,000.
What is Allegiance Gold’s diversification approach?
Allegiance Gold uses a three-layer diversification approach to help combat market instability and increase returns. First, they recommend buying at least two types of metals. They then suggest diversifying with various denominations (e.g., a standard 1 oz and a 1/10 oz metal). Finally, they propose buying bullion and coins from at least two independent mints, like the U.S. Mint and the Royal Mint.
Where does Allegiance Gold store precious metals?
The IRS requires storing assets funded with a gold IRA in an approved depository. Allegiance Gold representatives will explain your storage options, which include safe, insured storage at the Delaware Depository Service Company and International Depository Services.
Does Allegiance Gold buy back coins?
Yes, Allegiance Gold will buy back coins, but they do not guarantee any offers or purchases.
Conclusion
Allegiance Gold is worth considering if you want a company committed to helping you buy and sell IRA-approved precious metals. Allegiance Gold customers enjoy lifetime account support and unlimited access to educational resources and market insights. However, you’ll need to invest at least $10,000 to open a gold IRA, and even though its buyback program is competitive, a purchase is not guaranteed.