Retirement is a time of life to which many look forward and many dread. While it's undoubtedly the time of life in which you'll finally be able to stop working and concentrate on enjoying your later years, it's also a time of life you'll need a solid financial plan in place to pay for your lifestyle. That, perhaps, is why so many people fretfully turn towards the stock market to grow the money they already have.
Unfortunately, there's nothing particularly reliable about the stock market. If you put all of your money in stocks and bonds, there's a chance that you could make a fortune - but there's also a chance that you could lose most of it.
It's always a wise strategy to diversify your holdings to avoid a worst-case scenario, which is why so many people also choose to keep some of their money safe by investing in precious metals. Doing so is no guarantee of financial success, but it is a fantastic hedge against the often rapid movements of the stock market and the dreaded word "inflation."
Investing in gold does require the help of experts. One of the best companies to help investors is Birch Gold Group. Well-known in the field of precious metals, Birch Gold Group is perfectly positioned to help investors protect their own money.
Though the company does do a fantastic job of helping its customers, it's always a good idea to take a deep dive into how a company works before you invest your money with them. That's exactly what we're here to do in this review.
Important note before we begin:
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Who is Birch Gold?
If you've ever spent time in gold investment circles, you've probably heard of Birch Gold Group. Established back in 2003, the company is one of the biggest and most trusted names in this particular industry. Headquarters in Burbank, they've achieved the rare status of a company that's known by reputation across the investing world.
Birch Gold Group isn't just well-known within the small circles of gold investors, though. In fact, the company is known well enough that it has solid ratings with customers across multiple platforms, ranging from individual customer reviews on Facebook and Google to excellent ratings from major names like the Better Business Bureau and the Business Consumer Alliance.
Why is the company so well-regarded? In short, it's mostly centered on how well the company treats its customers. With a reputation for always putting the consumer first, Birch Gold Group definitely stands out in the industry. They do a fantastic job of making sure investors of all levels get all of the help they need to meet their own investment goals.
Birch Gold Group has a fantastic team of employees who can help new customers set up gold IRAs and help them figure out what kind of metals they should invest in, and even offer general investing advice. In doing so, though, they're never pushy, and they never seem to have anything but the investor's best interests at heart.
The company does a fantastic job of letting consumers know what they are all about on their website. They prioritize not only customer education but also customer empowerment. The company holds itself to high ethical standards and works efficiently and transparently to ensure that its customers have a pleasant investing experience.
While these might seem like some pretty basic standards, it's telling that not every company in the gold world abides by them. As such, Birch Gold Group feels much different than most of the competition. It's no surprise that the company has become such a significant player in a highly competitive gold world.
What Makes Them Stand Out?
While Birch Gold Group has everything you'd expect from a gold IRA dealer, it also has a few stand out qualities. Below is a short list of the factors that make this company unique.
A Commitment to Education
Birch Gold Group understands that not every customer comes to them knowing everything about the gold market. As such, they spend a significant amount of time making sure that each customer not only gets to ask the questions they can think of, but that their experts fill in the blanks with the information that the customers didn't even know that they didn't know.
Gold IRA Experts
Gold IRAs aren't the same as other IRAs, but that doesn't mean that they can't be fantastic tools for investors. Birch Gold Group does a great job of helping customers understand how these products work and an even better job of assisting their clients set up their own gold IRAs.
An Outstanding Reputation
From their commitment to hiring real-world financial experts to the company's excellent customer service, it's no wonder why so many people rave about Birch Gold Group. Birch Gold Group manages to stand out above most in a business where reputation counts more than anything.
Truly international Presence
If the name Birch Gold Group sounded familiar, there's probably a good reason. This company has a strong presence on television and on the web, which means that they've got more reach than most. While advertisement doesn't necessarily mean that the company is excellent, there is something to be said for being well known.
Why Precious Metals
As unfortunate truth as it may be, few people are out there with the money to take advantage of absolutely every investment opportunity. If you are like most investors, you can't afford to waste time throwing money into places where it won't pay off. You should want to know if precious metals are actually worth your investment, and the fact that they remain in high demand does mean that they're worth a look for most.
Precious metals are used in more than jewelry, which means that their demand lies in more than the consumer market. Many metals form an essential part of the manufacturing and technology sector, which leads to even more growth potential in years to come. As demand of these metals rises, so too will the price of them.
Precious metals also stand out as an investment choice because they can be easily liquidated. Since demand remains so high, it's very easy for any investor to sell their store of metals and transform them into cash.
Most importantly, though, precious metals represent a good chance for most investors to diversify their portfolios. If you have some of your money in metals, you can more easily weather storms that come in other parts of the investment world. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is hold some of your money back from more traditional investments.
What You Need To Know With Gold IRAs
It's always wise to stop and think about how you're going to invest. One of the more common options for investing in metals is with a product called a Precious Metals IRA. A type of self-directed IRA, these accounts allow individuals to hold onto metals just as they would with more traditional investments like bonds or stocks. These accounts have some significant tax advantages, making them an ideal type of retirement tool.
The good news is that Birch Gold Group does an excellent job of helping their customers set up their own gold IRAs. Doing so helps to protect these customers against sudden drops in the market and even allows them a chance to reinvest the money they might have in more traditional (and more volatile) investment accounts.
Whether you're rolling over an existing account or starting fresh, you can contribute as much as six thousand dollars a year to your account until you are over fifty. After this point, you can contribute up to seven thousand dollars per year.
Whenever you get ready to open an account, you can go to Birch Gold Group's website and start the process by sending a message to someone in the company. If you'd rather cut out the middle man, though, you can call the company's toll-free number and start your conversation with an expert directly.
Your expert will help you to not only figure out the steps you need to take to get your account set up, but they will also walk you through what happens next. You'll be able to transfer money over to your account quickly and begin purchasing precious metals as soon as the transfer is complete.
If you're rolling over an IRA, the expert will also help you with this process. They will help you figure out if your account is eligible to be rolled over and help you figure out how to make sure that you do so that won't lead to any negative tax consequences.
One of the top things about working with Birch Gold Group is that a company representative can help to simplify the whole rollover process. From ensuring that your funds are correctly transferred to filling out your paperwork, the company will help to make sure that you'll be able to avoid any of the common problems that come from rolling over retirement accounts.
Birch Gold Group may not be an IRA custodian, but it does work with some of the best in the world. The company works exclusively with companies with a Better Business Bureau A+ rating, which does help most customers feel comfortable with their available choices.
Once all of the money transfers are complete, customers get a chance to look at various precious metals for investment. Birch Gold Group has gold, silver, palladium, and platinum available for its customers. If you're not sure what kind of bars or coins you'd like for your account, don't worry - your investment expert can help you make choices that are right for your investment needs.
Excellent Educational Resources
Given that Birch Gold Group places a premium on education, it does make sense that they would have multiple ways to educate their customers.
Not only can you talk to a live representative to get the information you need, but you can also access some beneficial information on the company's website. Even if you're experienced in the world of precious metals investing, it's definitely worth giving some of these tools a look.
If you want to learn more about investing, go to the company's website and check under the Education heading. From here, you can look at a few different categories that include 'Free Info Kit,' "Why Precious Metals?', and a host of other handy and informative topics.
One of the best sections to check out is 'Interviews'. In this section, you'll get a chance to hear interviews with some of the financial world leaders and get their advice not only on investing but how to look at the world of precious metals in a way that makes sense for your own financial future.
You may also want to take a look at the 'Interactive Prices' section. This section will let you look at the current prices of various precious metals and the historical price changes that have occurred over a few different periods.
Summary of Key Features
The company has an AAA rating from the Business Consumer Alliance and an A+ from the Better Business Bureau.
Birch Gold Group is a well-trusted business that was founded in 2003.
The company excels at helping its clients to set up their own Precious Metals IRAs.
The company offers a great selection of gold, silver, palladium, and platinum bars and coins.
The company's free investment kit does a great job of helping investors answer questions.
The company's 'Education' website section sets a standard for the entire industry to make information available for investors.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
FAQs
If you have a precious metals IRA, the IRS requires that all of your metals are held in an IRS-approved depository.
Just as all of your stocks and bonds are held in an account when you have a traditional IRA, so too are all of your metals held in an account.
Birch Gold Group keeps the metals of its customers in segregated storage. This means that your gold is literally kept in a vault under lock and key and behind several layers of security.
Segregated storage generally costs more, but it's also one of the most secure options out there. As such, it represents a substantial step up from what you mind find with other companies.
You need not worry about any penalties if you're rolling your money over from an IRA or 401(k) to your new precious metals IRA. As long as this is the only rollover you're doing this year, you won't have to worry about any penalties in a 401(k) rollover, and you can do an IRA to IRA rollover as often as you like.
The only thing to keep at top of mind is you have to transfer your money in sixty days. Fortunately, a rollover should do this more or less instantaneously.
Birch Gold Group has several different storage agencies with which it works, including prominent names like the Delaware Depository and Brinks. Several different locations are available for storage, including Los Angeles, New York, Delaware, Seal Beach, and Dallas.
While Birch Gold Group works with Equity Trust, you can choose your custodian for your IRA.
Under current IRS rules, IRAs (traditional and Roth), as well as 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 457s, can all be rolled over into an IRA.
Birch Gold Group does have a buyback program, and most customers are happy with the prices offered.
Birch Gold Group makes setting up your IRA easy. There's very little paperwork involved, at least insofar as these things go.
Final Thoughts
If you're looking to set up an IRA for precious metals, roll over an investment account, or buy precious metals, then Birch Gold Group is a solid option to consider.
There are over a thousand gold companies out there, and Birch Gold came in at number 3 for gold dealer of the year! That's incredible considering the stiff competition. They are definitely a solid option, but there is one company that beat out everyone.
----> Click here to see which gold investment company is #1 this year <----
Or you can continue on to Birch Gold and see how they can assist you. We hope you found this review helpful.