Jeremy Biberdorf
By: Jeremy Biberdorf
March 13, 2023

Augusta Precious Metals Review 2024

Jeremy Biberdorf
By: Jeremy Biberdorf
March 13, 2023

Disclosure

Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. This means we earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you purchase a product through our links.
Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. This means we earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you purchase a product through our links.
Augusta Precious Metals Logo

4.9/5

4.9 rating based on 5 ratings

LEARN MORE

In a nutshell: Augusta Precious Metals is a company that enables investors to invest in physical gold and silver using a self-directed IRA.

This company partners with third-party storage facilities to offer customers secure storage options. It’s especially noteworthy for a complete lack of negative feedback in its customer reviews.

Learn about this company’s gold IRAs and other offerings in our comprehensive Augusta precious metals review.

FeesService Type
$50 Account Setup Fee
$100 custodian fee
$100 yearly storage fee
Gold & Silver IRA Provider
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • Offers physical gold and silver
  • Affordable storage fees
  • Award-winning company
  • Lifetime support
Cons
  • $50,000 minimum deposit
  • Limited precious metals options
  • Pricing markups

Compare to Other Investment Platforms:

Augusta Precious Metals Logo
4.9 rating based on 5 ratings
4.9/5
Learn More

Fees$50 Account Setup Fee

Money Metals
4.3 rating based on 5 ratings
4.3/5
Learn More

ProductsGold, silver, copper, palladium, rhodium, and platinum

APMEX Logo
4.5 rating based on 5 ratings
4.5/5
Learn More

FeesNo commission fees

What is Augusta Precious Metals?

augustapreciousmetals.com website

Augusta Precious Metals is a leading gold company specializing in the sale of precious metals and facilitating the setup of precious metals IRAs through third-party custodians like Equity Trust. Recognized for its commitment to quality and a vast base of contented customers, the firm stands out by offering tailored investment guidance.

This starts with a complimentary webinar featuring Harvard economist, Devlyn Steele. Clients of Augusta Precious Metals benefit from ongoing support, encompassing financial counseling, expert portfolio management in precious metals, buyback provisions, and beyond.

Augusta Precious Metals is best for…

Individuals interested in building their investment portfolio with precious metal IRAs. Augusta Precious Metals can be an excellent way to diversify your retirement investments, assuming you can afford the minimum investment of $50,000.

The company allows you to purchase gold/silver and have it sent directly to your home. Alternatively, you can also have it stored in your preferred depository for extra peace of mind.

Augusta Precious Metals is well-known for its wide range of IRS-approved gold and silver coins, personalized service, excellent customer experience, and the extensive knowledge of its staff.

External Augusta Precious Metals Reviews & Ratings

SiteRating
Investing4.9
Benzinga5
Consumer Affairs4.9 from 135 reviews
Chillreptile5
LendEDU4.7

Here are some reviews from traders who have experienced the platform firsthand:

“I have never invested in precious metals with any company outside of my financial institution and was very nervous. After just a few short minutes I was able to speak with a live person and get a much better understanding of how everything worked. This is a very good service that I would recommend to both first-time or experienced investors.”
“From the very start of the process of rolling over my 401k and IRA and purchasing precious metals, Augusta’s representatives helped me through every step of the way. They pretty much handle everything and and educate you through the whole process so you know, understand and feel confident in your decision to purchase precious metal. I’m so glad I did and would recommend them to anyone.”
“Augusta did a great job of helping me through their gold and silver purchase process. I was a first time buyer and every step of their process was carefully explained. I would recommend Augusta Precious Metals to any potential gold or silver buyer.”
“Great customer service. Very professional and maintains legal standards. They explain everything well and make sure you know the risks before investing.”

Features

Precious metal company bullion products are Augusta Precious Metals’ main offering. This precious metals company allows customers to purchase a variety of gold coins, gold bullions, silver coins, and silver bullions.

These products can either be purchased and sent directly to the customer’s home, or placed into gold/silver IRAs. The company offers many different IRA-eligible products, such as Gold American Buffalo & Gold Canadian Eagles coins.

Company Background

Augusta Precious Metals has been a trusted name in the precious metals industry for several years, building a reputation for excellent customer service, competitive pricing, and transparent practices. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, the company serves clients throughout the United States.

History

Founded by Isaac Nuriani, Augusta Precious Metals has been dedicated to helping Americans protect their retirement savings with precious metals since its inception. The company was built on the foundation of honesty, integrity, and personalized service, aiming to provide a seamless and stress-free experience for clients looking to diversify their investment portfolios.

Isaac Nuriani’s vision for Augusta Precious Metals was to create a company that not only offers a wide range of precious metals products but also guides investors through the entire investment process, ensuring they make informed decisions and feel confident about their choices.

Leadership Team

The leadership team at Augusta Precious Metals consists of experienced professionals with extensive knowledge of the precious metals industry, finance, and customer service. The team is committed to upholding the company’s core values, which include transparency, integrity, and exceptional customer support.

One notable member of the leadership team is Devlyn Steele, a Harvard-trained economist who serves as the company’s Chief Economic Advisor. Steele’s expertise in economics and finance helps Augusta Precious Metals provide accurate and timely market insights, enabling investors to make well-informed decisions.

Accreditations and Recognition

Augusta Precious Metals has received numerous accolades and recognitions for its commitment to excellence in the precious metals industry. The company is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and holds an A+ rating, reflecting its dedication to customer satisfaction and transparent business practices.

In addition to its BBB accreditation, Augusta Precious Metals has been recognized as an award-winning company, receiving the prestigious Bullion Dealer of the Year award multiple times. This recognition further solidifies the company’s status as a trusted and reliable precious metals dealer.

Community Involvement

Augusta Precious Metals believes in giving back to the community and supports various charitable organizations and causes. The company’s philanthropic efforts include donating to veterans’ charities, children’s hospitals, and disaster relief funds, demonstrating its commitment to making a positive impact on society.

Products Offered

While some companies list the current gold prices on their websites, the Augusta Precious Metals market does not. You’ll need to contact the company to find out the current prices of gold and other products.

Silver

Augusta Precious Metals has an assortment of silver products including silver bars and coins. Products are sorted as “Common” and “Premium.” Interested parties must call for pricing.

Gold

Just as with silver, Augusta Precious Metals offers gold bars and coins for purchase. Available gold products can be found on the “Common Gold Bullion” and “Premium Gold” pages of the website. You’ll need to call the company for current product pricing.

Self-directed IRA Services

Augusta Precious Metals allows customers to start a self-directed IRA with their precious metals purchases. Investors will first create the IRA with one of Augusta Precious Metals’ supported custodians: Equity Trust, GoldStar Trust Company, or Kingdom Trust.

From here, investors will need to fund the account with a minimum of $50,000. You can either invest directly, or roll over funds from a pre-existing IRA, 401(k), or other retirement funds.

Once the account has been funded, investors will be able to use the account funding to purchase gold and silver bullion directly from Augusta Precious Metals for their self-directed IRA portfolio.

Beyond the initial funding requirement, investors must also be prepared to pay a one-time setup fee of $50, custodial fees of $100, and a storage fee of $100. After the first year, investors will only need to pay the annual custodial and storage fees.

This company doesn’t charge management, shipping, or insurance fees.

Equity Trust

Equity Trust is Augusta Precious Metals’ go-to custodian service. Fortunately for consumers, this company charges a relatively low custodian maintenance fee of $100/year.

The company itself is quite trustworthy, having been founded in 1974 and offering services as a self-directed IRA custodian since 1983. During this nearly 49-year period, the company has been rated 118 on the Better Business Bureau website, achieving an average rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars.

Storage Options

Augusta Precious Metals offers secure storage options in IRS-approved depositories across the United States. Your stored precious metals are automatically insured by Lloyd’s of London’s $1 billion “all-risk” insurance.

Although they offer multiple storage options, the company recommends keeping your retirement savings safe by storing your precious metals at the Delaware Depository. Equipped with Class 3 vaults and state-of-the-art security systems, this location has over 72,000 sq. feet of storage space.

Benefits of Gold and Silver Investments

Investing in precious metals like gold and silver has been a popular choice among investors for centuries. These tangible assets have unique properties and advantages that make them attractive additions to a well-diversified investment portfolio. Here are some of the key benefits of investing in gold and silver:

  • Hedge Against Inflation: Gold and silver have historically been considered a hedge against inflation because their value tends to rise as the purchasing power of fiat currencies declines. As central banks print more money, the value of paper currency often decreases, leading to a higher cost of living. Precious metals, on the other hand, retain their value over time, making them an effective way to protect your wealth against inflation.
  • Diversification: Investing in gold and silver can help diversify your investment portfolio, reducing overall risk. Precious metals often have a low correlation with traditional assets like stocks and bonds, meaning they may perform differently under various economic conditions. By including gold and silver in your portfolio, you can potentially reduce volatility and create a more balanced investment mix.
  • Safe Haven Asset: During times of economic uncertainty or geopolitical turmoil, investors often turn to gold and silver as safe-haven assets. This is because precious metals are considered a store of value that can preserve wealth when other assets, such as stocks, are underperforming. Investing in gold and silver can provide a level of protection and stability for your portfolio during turbulent times.
  • Limited Supply: Unlike fiat currencies, which can be printed in unlimited quantities, gold and silver have a finite supply. This limited availability makes them more valuable and less susceptible to manipulation by governments or financial institutions. As the global population and demand for precious metals continue to grow, the scarcity of gold and silver could potentially lead to higher prices over time.
  • Tangible Asset: Gold and silver are tangible assets, meaning you can physically hold and store them. This is in contrast to financial instruments like stocks or bonds, which only exist on paper or digitally. The tangible nature of precious metals makes them less vulnerable to cyber threats, such as hacking or identity theft, and provides a sense of security for investors.
  • Liquidity: Gold and silver are widely recognized and accepted forms of wealth worldwide, making them highly liquid assets. This means they can be easily bought and sold on global markets, making it relatively simple to convert your precious metals holdings into cash when needed.
  • Potential for Long-term Appreciation: While the prices of gold and silver can be volatile in the short term, they have historically appreciated in value over the long term. This potential for long-term growth makes precious metals an attractive investment option for those looking to build wealth and protect their retirement savings.

Customer Support and Education

One of the standout features of Augusta Precious Metals is their commitment to exceptional customer support and education. The company aims to provide a seamless and informative experience for investors, regardless of their experience level with precious metals.

Customer Support

Augusta Precious Metals takes pride in its top-notch customer support, providing a team of dedicated professionals to assist clients throughout the entire investment process. The company offers lifetime support, meaning customers can expect assistance and guidance at any point during their investment journey.

The customer support team is knowledgeable about precious metals investing and can help with any questions or concerns that may arise. They can also help clients with the buyback process if they decide to sell their precious metals at a later date.

Education

Augusta Precious Metals believes that informed investors make better decisions, which is why they place a strong emphasis on education. The company offers a wealth of resources, including webinars, guides, and blog articles to help clients better understand the precious metals market and investment strategies.

As mentioned earlier, Augusta Precious Metals offers a free 1-on-1 investment advice webinar hosted by Harvard economist, Devlyn Steele. This webinar is designed to educate potential investors about the benefits of investing in precious metals and how to get started with a self-directed IRA.

In addition to the webinar, the company’s website features a regularly updated blog with informative articles on various topics related to precious metals investing, market trends, and financial planning.

Is Augusta Precious Metals Right for You?

This company is a valuable resource for long-term investors and first-time buyers alike.

Individuals interested in storing precious metals in their homes benefit from free insured shipping. Those who want to create a self-directed IRA can take advantage of Augusta Precious Metals’ various third-party storage facilities (at an extremely low yearly rate, no less!).

Furthermore, all investors are provided with the information they’ll need to make educated purchasing decisions, thanks to the initial 1-on-1 investing webinar.

While it’s rather inconvenient that you can’t view prices from the website, the advantage is that you’ll always know the latest pricing before you purchase gold or silver. This is important, as the only real negative about this company is its tendency to mark up premium coin prices.

Despite this drawback, we still recommend Augusta Precious Metals. Offering transparent pricing, self-directed IRA opportunities, a fair selection of precious metals, and a few free perks, Augusta Precious Metals is an excellent way to begin preparing for your retirement.

To learn more about their self-directed offerings (or browse their list of available products), click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Potential investors will be happy to know that any precious metals investments made through Augusta Precious Metals will benefit from exceptional customer service, generations of knowledge, affordable management fees, and clear-cut investment objectives.

Augusta Precious Metals has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since February of 2015. Over the course of its 11 years of business as a distributor of gold, it accumulated 110 reviews with an average customer rating of 4.96/5.

Similarly, the company achieved a 4.97 out of 5 stars on CheckBCA.org (based on 96 reviews) and currently has a 4.9 out of 5 score on Google (based on 331 reviews).

However, if there’s any one thing that makes Augusta Precious Metals stand out from the competition, it’s the lack of complaints the company’s received. Despite being in business for over a decade, the company has received 0 complaints on BBB.org.

Although Augusta Precious Metals does offer transparent gold prices, they don’t offer a lot of payment options. Currently, payments can only be made in the form of personal checks (up to $50,000) and bank wires.

All payments must be made over the phone; Augusta Precious Metals doesn’t offer online ordering.

Prices for your purchases aren’t locked in until your order has been confirmed and the payment has been received by the gold dealer. However, you may qualify for lower prices if you purchase premium products, as these can be revised to a lower price per the 7-Day Price Protection Program.

Funds from qualifying retirement accounts (IRA, Roth IRA, 401(k), 403(b) can be transferred and used to purchase IRA-eligible metals. The individual investor won’t have trouble transferring part of their current financial portfolio over to an IRA through Augusta Precious Metals, as a company specialist walks each customer through the entire process.

Once paid for, the precious metals for your gold IRAs and silver IRAs are then transferred to a secure depository, where they’re safely stored per IRS regulations. Although you will incur monthly fees for gold storage, this is nonetheless the ideal choice (compared to self-storage, which doesn’t qualify for IRA benefits).

As noted above, the main thing that Augusta Precious Metals has going for it is the fact that nearly every review it has received has been a positive review. Earning a nearly perfect score on BB.org—4.96 out of 5—and having received zero complaints, this company consistently provides a high quality of service to its customers.

The company also offers lifetime customer service, has relatively low minimum investment requirements, provides a wide variety of educational materials, and sells gold as standalone purchases.

No. However—In addition to selling actual gold and silver bars—the company also offers a wide variety of coins such as the popular Gold American Eagle.

Possibly. As a gold buyer, it’s always a good idea to shop around if you’re trying to get the best price for gold. However, the main problem with this is that—if you do purchase actual gold from a different website—you won’t be able to add it to your IRA through Augusta Precious Metals.

Price shopping is perfectly fine if you’re simply trying to secure physical assets, and you may be able to find a more extensive list of products on a different website. Still, you won’t be able to add your purchase(s) to your retirement savings.

If you do decide to shop around for gold, it’s important to remember that you will always be charged a premium (no matter where you shop). The spot price—market price—represents how much the precious metal is worth at that time. Since gold dealers need to profit from sales, they charge a bit above the spot price.

As such, the final bullion price you end up paying will be slightly (or significantly) higher than the spot price, depending on when, how, and from whom you purchase your precious metals.