A very attractive opportunity available to investors who are thinking about the current economic environment and the road ahead is investing in gold or other precious metals. A self-directed gold IRA is the preferred method. A Gold 401k Rollover is a powerful way to take advantage of this opportunity to preserve your wealth.

Given the economic and financial concerns caused by too much debt and too much currency printing by governments there is a growing demand for gold, silver and other precious metals for personal investment accounts.  Making an investment in physical gold might seem a little overwhelming to many people because there are so many precious metals dealers to choose from. You want to find the best company to help you place gold into a 401k or IRA plan. It is easy to purchase physical gold and other precious metals. But it is difficult to know who to work with and which companies are most trustworthy. The companies listed on this site lead the market in providing this important account service. Our gold dealer reviews can help you make the best choice. Click here to see the precious metal dealer reviews.

If you plan to place precious metals such as gold or silver into a self-directed IRA plan, you need to do it right.  That is not hard to do and the best companies will guide you through each step. You will find that making an investment in gold or other monetary metals is actually pretty easy to do when you work with one of the top-tier companies listed on this site.

One of the more important benefits of investing your IRA into gold is the great tax benefits. The money earned in asset appreciation from an investment held in an IRA accrues tax free over the years.  You get the full benefit from the increased value of your gold investment in a self-directed Gold IRA. An IRA is a great way to build-up a retirement fund and make sure you need not worry about having sufficient wealth set aside for your retirement when the time comes.

The massive currency printing in the US and other major economies is a recipe for inflation down the road. Look at this chart showing the massive money printing by the US Federal Reserve since the 2008 Financial Panic – click here to see the chart. When the money supply growth greatly exceeds the growth of the economy the result is inflation. The greater the amount of excessive money printing the greater the eventual inflation. Too many Dollars are chasing after a limited supply of goods and services. Inflation robs savers of the purchasing power of those savings. Gold and other precious metals are often used to hedge against concerns related to high inflation and currency decline.

For anyone who is new to precious metals, it helps to start with a comprehensive guide to a Gold 401k Rollover. You can get this very useful Rollover Guide for investing in gold or other precious metals.

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After you make an investment in a precious metals IRA the gold and silver in the investment account are well protected. When you have a precious metals based account a collapse in the value of paper assets such as stocks or bonds is not a worry for you.  That is because those are often the times when the price of the gold or silver in your retirement account moves up.

Gold 401k Accounts

The Direct Rollover

Using this process for funding your retirement account, the existing retirement account is transferred directly into a new account. An advantage of choosing this option is that it is fast and simple and you preserve all the tax benefits you currently hold.

The greatest value of a direct transfer is that your former employer transfers all the assets available in your old account and it is not necessary to pay any added income tax.  A direct transfer is a simple process.  You just fill-out a couple forms after opening the new IRA and the custodian of your old account directly transfers the funds to the new self-directed IRA.

The Indirect Rollover

What is the difference between a direct and indirect 401k rollover? The answer is that in an indirect rollover rather than directly transferring funds from one account to another, the cash from the old retirement account is sent via a check made out to you that you must then deposit into the new account.

The transfer check must be deposited into the new retirement account that you set-up to invest in gold or other precious metals such as silver, platinum or palladium. You must deposit the transfer check within 60 days to avoid tax penalties. If the check is not deposited into the new account within that time-frame you could incur income tax liabilities.  Additionally, you would likely have to pay an early distribution penalty in addition to the income tax. This is important to pay attention to, so you need to be sure to deposit the check into the new self-directed IRA within that 60 day period.

How To Get A Gold 401k Rollover Started

The first thing that you need to do before you start buying gold is to check with your former or current employer to determine if they can transfer your existing 401k account to a gold IRA. When your employer allows this sort of rollover then the next step is straightforward. After setting-up the new self-directed IRA you then select a precious metals company from which you purchase your gold or other precious metals to be placed into your new precious metals backed IRA.

If your employer does not support this type of rollover investment then you have to consider other options. One option available to you is to cash-out the 401k and set-up a new investment account to hold the new precious metals investments. If you choose this route then you may have to pay taxes on the funds you receive from the cash-out.  Cashing out a 401k is not a good option to choose. Making an investment in precious metals this way might trigger taxes. It is likely that the IRS will view the transaction as you having made a withdrawal from your 401k account, and you could be taxed on the total amount of that withdrawal. It is important to avoid that, so a rollover is always the preferred route to take instead of a cash-out.

After setting up a new account that can hold physical precious metals, you need to transfer the money to the IRA custodian of that new account. Choose an IRA custodian in advance so that you are able to deposit the transfer amount within the stipulated time period and avoid triggering any extra income taxes and penalties.

Once you have funded your precious metals Individual Retirement Account, you need to then choose the types of physical gold that you want to place into your new account. Your gold IRA will limit you to investments in particular types of precious metals that have been approved by the IRS.  For example, you might not be permitted to acquire and hold old and rare “collectible” coins in the new account. If you have questions about any of the steps involved, talk with the gold company specialists who are there to assist you. They can help you understand the options and help you make the right choices.

When selecting a gold company, it is important to make sure that the company has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and a “AAA” rating from the Business Consumer Alliance (BCA).  The company you select should also have a Trustlink five-star service rating. Customer service professionals from a top-tier company are well trained and very helpful, making the entire process easy and pain free. Ask the company you select to help you choose those precious metal types that will best serve your investment needs.

The company that you select to help you create a gold investment account should waive the IRA fee for the initial year.  You should expect to pay a modest administrative maintenance fee for the following years.  When selecting the company to help you make an investment in gold ask them about their IRA set-up and annual maintenance fees.

You should also expect the company to provide quick delivery of your precious metal investments – that is usually within a week of your order.  Precious metal buy-back options should also be offered by the company you choose. Ask about this as you interview companies.

Choose a trustworthy and capable company to assist you in completing your Gold 401k Rollover.  A good company will provide the expert assistance required to ensure the transactions go smoothly and the result is just what you need.  Do take a little time to learn about the companies that specialize in precious metals and choose the company that is the most skilled and reputable to assist you. This is your money, so protect yourself and get the right company on your team.

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