Goldco vs. Birch Gold Group | Best Gold IRA Companies in 2022
The global financial markets are in turmoil due to rampant inflation and the slowing down of the world’s largest economies. Investors are beginning to feel the pressure and the search for a viable solution is on.
One possible solution that offers an inflation hedge until such a time when things settle down is to diversify wealth across different portfolios, one of which being a precious metals IRA.
Having a significant chunk of your savings secured through a gold IRA account is one of the best ways to protect your assets in case the downward trend being witnessed in the volatile stock market continues.
In response to this opportunity that has presented itself, many gold IRA companies have begun a fresh drive to encourage investors to make use of precious metals IRAs. By investing in gold coins and bars, and other precious metals, you can make sure that your financial assets are secured.
However, choosing the right gold IRA company to invest in precious metals with is easier said than done. They all seem legitimate and offer the same products and services.
This is why we have narrowed down the list of options to perhaps the two leading companies in the precious metals IRA industry.
The following article will look at the various benefits offered by each company to help you make an informed decision.
If you are interested in diversifying your retirement savings through precious metals investments, then Goldco Precious Metals and the Birch Gold Group are gold IRA companies that have grown to become industry leaders and are worthy of consideration.
The top way to safeguard your retirement is to open a precious metals IRA. Check out the below providers and request a free kit.
Company | Personal Findings | Review | Free Guide | |
 | #1 Goldco | Best Overall Rating (Where I Invested) | ||
 | #2 American Hartford Gold | Best Buyback Program | ||
 | #3 Augusta Precious Metals | Most Educational ($50,000 Minimum) | ||
 | #4 Noble Gold | Best Metals Selection |
What Will I Learn?
- What Is Goldco Precious Metals and Who Are the Founders?
- What Is Birch Gold Group and Who Are the Founders?
- What Do They Both Offer?
- What Is Offered by Goldco and Not Birch Gold Group?
- What Is Offered by Birch Gold Group and Not Goldco?
- Goldco Fees
- Birch Gold Group Fees
- Specific Products: Birch Gold Group
- Specific Products: Goldco Precious Metals
- How Trustworthy Is Goldco Precious Metals?
- How Trustworthy Is Birch Gold Group?
- Birch Gold Group and Goldco Educational Resources
- Storage Options at Both Companies
- IRA Rollover for both Gold IRAs Providers
- How We Selected the Best Gold IRA Company
- Goldco vs Birch gold group: Final Verdict
What Is Goldco Precious Metals and Who Are the Founders?
Goldco precious metals opened its doors in 2006 as an IRA broker specializing in gold, silver, platinum, and palladium asset diversification.
Its brokers assist customers with the entire process of opening IRA accounts, funding the account, selecting and purchasing the right precious metals, and transferring their assets to a secure depository.
The company was founded by Trevor Gerzst, a man with over 20 years of hands-on experience in the Los Angeles precious metals industry.
Gerzst is an expert in asset and wealth protection and is a highly respected member of the Better Business Bureau of Silicon Valley and LA, where he is one of the Board of Directors.
What Is Birch Gold Group and Who Are the Founders?
Laith Alsarraf, the current CEO of Birch Gold Group, founded the company in 2003 and later joined forces with Ben Shapiro, the Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Wire.
Dr. Ron Paul, a respected advocate of sound money and common-sense economics has also been a part of the company’s leadership team.
The Birch Gold Group is one of the pioneers in the precious metals IRA industry. Since its early days in 2003, the gold IRA company has helped scores of investors to diversify their individual retirement accounts by buying gold, silver, platinum, and palladium assets.
Birch Gold Group assists its clients to effectively plan for their retirement by securing their wealth through the purchasing of tangible precious metals.
What Do They Both Offer?
To be clear, although these companies both deal in precious metal investments, they have different modes of operation that may suit one investor or another.
However, there are some noteworthy similarities between the two that we will look at first.
In terms of providing top-quality services, Goldco precious metals and Birch Gold Group are right up there with some of the best gold IRA companies in the industry, such as Augusta Precious Metals, Noble Gold, and other well-known gold IRA companies.
Goldco reviews and noble gold investments reviews are both highly recommended on customer review platforms, such as the Business Consumer Alliance and the Better Business Bureau. This makes them trustworthy and dependable options for buying and selling precious metal assets.
Storing precious metal assets is guaranteed by either company through their partnerships with various IRS-approved depositories.
Goldco prefers to work with Brinks Salt Lake City, Delaware Depository, and IDS Texas. On the other hand, Birch Gold Group recommends Delaware Depository and Brinks Salt Lake City.
The rollover process of switching from a 401(k), traditional IRA, or Roth IRA into a portfolio of gold IRAs is also similar with both companies.
What Is Offered by Goldco and Not Birch Gold Group?
One of the outstanding features of Goldco that is not available at Birch Gold Group is a highly transparent pricing structure when it comes to the buy-back option that is available to its clients.
Goldco Precious Metals has a fixed average delivery time, which is always one week, while Birch Gold Group has varying times according to the nature of the purchase and selected investment.
What Is Offered by Birch Gold Group and Not Goldco?
Where Birch Gold Group trumps Goldco regarding its minimum investment requirements. Investors only $10,000 to start investing in precious metals with Birch Gold Group, compared to the $25,000 requirement set by Goldco.
This huge difference makes Birch Gold Group a lot more accessible to a wider range of physical precious metals investors than Goldco. Customers of Birch Gold Group can also track their gold assets investment earnings through a convenient online portal.
Goldco Fees
One of the first things that customers inquire about when they venture into the precious metal assets industry is the fee structure.
Although there is no comprehensive list detailing the entire fees charged by Goldco, a bit of research allowed us to determine how much a customer is likely to pay when they open a gold IRA account with the company.
There is a one-time account setup fee that is set at $50, which is quickly followed by a wiring fee of $30. You also need to consider the custodial fee and annual fees for maintenance, which are $100 and $80 respectively.
When all this is paid, you will be required to deposit the minimum investment amount, which in this case is $25,000.
Birch Gold Group Fees
No detailed fee structure is available on the Birch Gold Group website as well, so we had to rely on getting the information ourselves. There are also no price-matching services available on this platform, which is disappointing.
Birch Gold Group charges similar custodial fees to Goldco, set at $100, but its annual maintenance fee is slightly cheaper at $75. Investors should also expect to be charged $100 as annual depository storage fees.
However, all these minor differences are eclipsed by the very affordable $10,000 that Birch Gold Group requires as a minimum deposit.
Specific Products: Birch Gold Group
A gold IRA opening package is offered to all Birch Gold Group customers that include help with opening gold IRAs, sourcing, buying, and selling bullion and other precious metals.
There is a variety of platinum, palladium, silver, and gold coins available, which include:
American Eagle coins
Gold Gyrfalcon
Canadian Maple Leaf
American Buffalo
Canadian Maple Leaf
Gold Rose Crown Guinea
Walking Liberty Half Dollar
South African Krugerrand
Polar Bear and Cub Silver coins
These products are all IRS-approved, meaning you can use them in a self-directed IRA. To help you choose the best way to fund your self-directed IRAs, and which of the above products to include in them, Birch Gold Group has a panel of industry experts waiting to assist.
Specific Products: Goldco Precious Metals
As an established precious metals dealer, Goldco Precious Metals provides all the services and products you need to open your gold IRA.
These services are all conveniently located under one roof meaning you only have to deal with a single custodian.
The list of precious metals available on the Goldco website is quite extensive and includes quite a few palladium and platinum assets as well as gold and silver bullion and coins, such as:
Silver Maple Leaf
Gold Lucky Dragon
Gold Australian Salt Water Crocodile
Silver WWII Victory Coin
All of these products meet the required IRS standards for inclusion in self-directed IRA accounts, which Goldco will assist you with as part of the service, even though it is not a gold IRA custodian itself.
Goldco also has a platform for customers to sell and buy gold bullion and other precious metals that are not approved for use in a gold IRA.
This means even if the gold you currently own is not of the IRS-required purity, you have another means to guarantee your future financial security by selling those silver or gold assets to Goldco.
Whatever you purchase from Goldco, they will assist you with transportation to a storage facility where your silver and gold bars will be kept in a secure vault.
How Trustworthy Is Goldco Precious Metals?
Having the highest rating from the Better Business Bureau and Business Consumer Alliance can only be achieved by consistently providing top-quality service over a long period.
This is why, with an A+ BBB rating, and a AAA rating from BCA, Goldco is easily one of the most trustworthy gold IRA companies you can ever come across.
It has had a few customer support issues in the past but these have all been resolved and the company’s honesty has helped it achieve a high satisfaction score on most major review sites.
How Trustworthy Is Birch Gold Group?
Birch Gold Group has been consistently praised for providing top-notch customer support and educational resources ever since its inception in 2003.
Both the Better Business Bureau and Business Consumer Alliance have awarded it with their highest rankings, confirming that this company is trustworthy and reliable for anyone who is thinking of starting gold or silver IRA.
Birch Gold Group and Goldco Educational Resources
Addressing customer complaints and providing the information needed to make sound decisions is something both of these companies excel in.
Goldco is very focused on making sure that the terms and conditions are made clear to all customers and in the event of any queries, its team of dedicated agents is quick to help.
Birch Gold Group, on the other hand, provides better service in terms of educational materials being made available to customers.
Everything, from benefits to risks, is clearly explained to potential investors before they decide to diversify their retirement savings into physical gold.
However, both companies need to improve in terms of providing information on their fees. It is not easy to get a comprehensive list of fees on either site, which is an issue that a reputable gold IRA company should not have.
Storage Options at Both Companies
When you put your precious metals investment in the hands of either Goldco or Birch Gold Group, one thing that you can be guaranteed is that your physical assets are going to be kept safe in a secure storage facility.
Both companies work with IRS-approved depositories to guarantee that nothing happens to the gold and silver in your precious metal IRAs.
IRA Rollover for both Gold IRAs Providers
The best way to fund precious metal IRA accounts is to initiate a rollover process from existing IRA accounts, such as a 401(k), 403(b), Roth IRA, or traditional IRA. Both gold IRA custodians provide all the services and assistance needed to make the rollover as easy as possible.
All you have to do is contact the relevant custodians and inform them of your intentions and they will take you the rest of the way.
How We Selected the Best Gold IRA Company
With most gold IRA companies now competing to provide the best gold IRA services to their customers, narrowing the list down to just two names was not easy.
However, Goldco and Birch Gold Group emerged as the top picks for opening a gold individual retirement account based on the following considerations:
Customer reviews and Better Business Bureau ratings
Fees structure
Customer support system
Selection of precious metals
Reputation and track record
Perks, such as a buyback guarantee
Storage Security
Based on these important aspects, you will be able to choose which of these two custodians is the right match for you, based on the following:
You Should Pick Goldco If…
You want a reliable and legitimate marketplace for diversifying your portfolio
Your experience in purchasing precious metals is limited
The fees have to be as low as possible because you are small and medium investors
You Should Pick Birch Gold If…
Your financial situation is more stable, for example, if you are a retiree
A low minimum investment requirement is what you are looking for
You are a US investor
Goldco vs Birch gold group: Final Verdict
The race was very close, and in the end, choosing either company for your gold IRA investing is a good option.
However, the company we recommend to family and friends is Goldco.
About Arthur Karter
Hi, I’m Arthur, and nobody wants to wake up in their 50s like me that they are in serious debt with minimal assets. This wake-up call forced me to reevaluate everything. After going through the school of Hard Knocks, I’m ready to help you by sharing the best retirement choices and how they differ from all the same-old, same-old options that financial advisors sell. These alternatives will help you build and protect your wealth.
