Among them, certain gold, silver, platinum and palladium bars are excluded from the definition of “collectibles” as long as an approved non-bank trustee maintains physical possession. In other words, if you buy gold in your Roth IRA, you cannot hold the bars or physical coins yourself. Second, you can't have gold in your possession. Even though you own it, gold must be stored off-premises in an IRS-approved warehouse.
Your gold IRA depository can help you recommend a suitable depository for your investments. What's more, if the IRS determines that the day your IRA gold entered your home was the “distribution” date, you could end up paying additional penalties and back taxes owed from the time of distribution. Once you turn 72, you will be required to accept the minimum required distributions (RMD) from a traditional gold IRA (although not from a Roth). To own gold, whether in coins or bullion, an IRA requires a true self-directed IRA offered by a few custodians.
In addition to the post-tax rule, Roth Gold IRAs include other guidelines that you must follow as well. As long as there is gold on this earth, it is not too late to open your own self-directed IRA of precious metals. The big practical concern is to find an IRA trustee who is willing to establish a self-directed IRA and facilitate the physical transfer and storage of precious metal assets. With a gold and silver Roth IRA, your contributions are after tax, meaning you'll pay taxes on the money before you deposit it into your IRA account.
Once you are 59 and a half years old, you can liquidate the precious metals in your self-directed IRA for cash or take physical possession of your gold and silver without penalty. IRA Gold companies vary in experience, service and costs, so be sure to search and compare your options before proceeding with opening an account. Gold coins, bars and rounds eligible for IRAs must meet a number of requirements established by the Internal Revenue Code to be held in a self-directed IRA. Therefore, if your portfolio is balanced by investments in both gold and paper, a loss on the gold side will be offset by the gain experienced by other assets.
Bullion bars and gold and silver rounds are also allowed in an IRA when they are 99.9% pure. However, American Eagle Bullion gold coins are the only gold coins that are an exception to purity guidelines. Unlike withdrawing funds from a traditional retirement account, a gold-backed IRA allows you to leave with a powerful physical asset in hand with gold that you can hold, sell at a later time, use as currency at a time of crisis, or pass on to family members.
