The other day I was talking to a business acquaintance who had no idea of how to own Gold & Silver so here is the quick study on how you can own physical Gold and Silver.

First, let’s talk about the two types of Gold & Silver.  One is considered “bullion” which means that it is current US Mint or other country Mint issued in recent years and it closely reflects the value of the market price you see by the ounce.  Most popular bullion choices come in 1 oz coins or in bars from 1, 5, 10, 100 & 1000 ounces in size.   The other form is referred to as “collectible” for those coins that are older Mint issue (U.S. Gold Pre-1933 and U.S. Silver Pre-1935) that have significantly more value than the metal content.  The degree of quality or condition of the coin will also have bearing on the value.  Some coins are circulated and some have never been circulated.   Some collectible coins have been considered Proof quality coming right out of the U.S. Mint encased in plastic and graded on a complex scale.

You can buy “bullion” or “collectible” Gold and Silver coins directly from a dealer.   Typical dealers will request payment upfront and then ship the actual Physical Gold and Silver to your residence or office through an insured, authorized mail carrier like UPS, Federal Express or USPS within 2-3 days.  Gold and Silver coins or bars can then be stored privately in a safe or another means of personal storage.  You can also elect to keep them safe in a bank deposit box. Keep in mind you can elect a beneficiary to have ability to recover contents and if you don’t, different state probate laws will dictate how contents are moved. We recommend contacting a legal professional who can help with this information.

Another way to own physical Gold and Silver is to use tax-deferred IRA funds to “self-direct” funds to a separate IRA that owns Physical Gold & Silver “bullion” bars of pure metal or coins that have value of around the “Spot” ounce price. This does not include “collectible” coins of high value premiums  The process is straight forward as you will fill-out some paperwork and we can help you work through the IRA custodian to transfer funds and get a second IRA in place where they store your actual Physical Gold and Silver, full-allocated, unencumbered (your asset is 100% owned by you and not the IRA custodian in their depository (storage facility).   Again, these coins or bars are held in the IRA owner’s name until you request and complete a In-Kind Distribution (which means the Physical Gold & Silver comes out of the IRA and is and is shipped to you directly. So, think of this just like any typical IRA in annuities, stocks, mutual funds, or bonds that are sold, converted to cash and distributed in check or bank wire form to you directly. Some people prefer the IRA route of ownership because it helps them easily move funds out of the 1st IRA and it is transferred to another or 2nd IRA to diversify their money into another asset class this completely private. Privacy and fast liquidity (the ability to sell quickly, get your money in 2-3 days) is important tool for diversification and estate planning where is no reporting required of what the IRA holds in actual Physical Gold or Silver contents to any U.S. government authority.

In summary, you can own actual Physical Gold and Silver, privately delivered to your residence or office or Self-Direct retirement funds into an IRA for it to be stored in a private vault and take an In-Kind Distribution (you take physical possession at any time after) simply. 

Just give us a call so we can help you figure out the best strategy for your situation.

Give us a call at (715)-315-4653 or email us at info@alternativasolutions!