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Background
Birch Gold Group (BGG) has been a leading dealer of physical precious metals in the United States since 2003, with more than 13,000 customers. Their dynamic team of former wealth managers, commodity brokers, and financial advisors with decades of experience in big-name companies such as Citigroup, Dun & Bradstreet, and IBM continue helping hundreds of customers each year to diversify their retirement portfolios with precious metals such as gold, silver, palladium, and platinum.
Birch Gold Group is regularly featured on major news outlets and social media, including their talk with Ben Shapiro Show on the factors leading up to market instability and the growth cycle. Recently Dr. Ron Paul, an advocate of common-sense economics and sound money, has announced his partnership with Birch Gold Group to educate Americans on precious metal investment as a safe way to protect their wealth from currency inflation and debasement. You can read about Ron Paul’s partnership with Birch Gold Group here.
Stephen Bannon, a veteran and former investment banker, who was the Trump administration’s chief strategist and now hosts the wildly popular War Room TV show, also endorsed Birch Gold Group. Candace Owens, Micheal Savage, Larry Elder, and Matt Walsh are the other famous public figures who support Birch Gold Group’s precious metal program.
Birch Gold Group’s Customer Reviews
Birch Gold Group is well-known in the precious metal industry for its outstanding reputation earned primarily from positive ratings and reviews from different organizations. They have made an AAA rating from Consumer Affairs (4.8 out of 5 from a survey of 114 customers), an excellent rating from Trustpilot based on 125 customer reviews, and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (4.7 out of 5 from a poll of 69 customers).
On Consumer Affairs, there are only 3 negative reviews out of 114 total reviews, which all date back to 2019 and 2020. In most of the positive reviews, Birch Gold’s team is appreciated for their exceptional customer service, professionalism, and simplified buying process. In one of the five-star reviews, Garret from Seattle mentioned, “These are the go-to guys for precious metals. I’ve bought from them three times, which has always been a good experience. It’s a well-oiled machine over there! I look forward to working with them more in the future”.
On Better Business Bureau, we encountered only two negative reviews resolved within a month. One was raised from a tax problem, and in the second one, the complaint was about Birch Gold’s email marketing strategy, which both were handled professionally by their customer service team. Their team was practically admired for their knowledge, professionalism, and trustworthiness throughout the BBB platform. In one of their recent reviews on October 25th, 2022, Kathleen K mentioned, “ Top Notch. A++. I found my team at Birch Gold Group to be expedient, efficient, knowledgeable, professional, patient, and kind from my initial contact through the purchase of the product”.
On Trustpilot, Birch Gold has a remarkable number of 119 five-star reviews out of 125 total reviews; therein, the precious metal buyer mainly talked about Birch Gold’s extremely beneficial customer service and transparency. They mostly expressed their experience with Birch as outstanding. In their most recent review on October 21st, 2022, Kristin mentioned, “I researched several companies for a couple of weeks before signing with Birch for my long-term IRA investment. After absorbing all the info I could from the specialists, I researched the different metals and purchase options and felt very confident with my decisions. They’re able to offer the lowest annual maintenance fee out there”.
Finally, on Gold Dealer Reviews, BGG has earned an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5. Customers voted for their customer service, fast shipping time, and pleasant and smooth buying experience. In one of the five-star reviews, Jason Goodlet mentioned, “As a first-time buyer, I didn’t know what to expect, but the service from Birch Gold Group was terrific. We spoke about what I was looking for, they explained how they could help, and we worked towards a selection of gold and silver that made sense to me. They left no questions unanswered, they replied to messages quickly, and the shipment arrived when they said. All in all, it was a good and pleasant experience”.
What Makes Birch Gold Group Different From Other Precious Metal companies?
Birch Gold Group (BGG) has been in the precious metals niche for over 19 years. It has assisted over 13,000 customers in rolling over their retirement savings. The following are the most significant advantages of Birch Gold Group, distinguishing them from the other precious metal IRA companies.
- Based on the numerous customer reviews on various review organizations, they have an outstanding and professional customer service team, educating their future customer about the options they have to purchase or roll over their retirement saving into precious metals.
- Money magazine listed Birch Gold Group as “Best For Fee Transparency” within the Gold IRA investment company space. The magazine stated, “Most gold IRA companies have websites that lack basic information about fees and other costs,” and “in business since 2003, [BGG] is one of the few gold IRA companies we came across that includes fees on its site. We found it had the most detail about both one-time and recurring annual fees.”
- To start investing in precious metals with Birch Gold Group, you only need $ 10,000. Most precious metal companies need more than $25,000 to get you started with the investment.
- Their comprehensive and free-of-charge information kit will be sent to your address upon signing up on their website.
- In addition, Birch Gold Group has a self-explanatory website giving you a thorough insight into rolling over your retirement funds to a precious metal IRA account.
- Besides, BGG’s well-trained customer service will walk you through the entire process of your buying journey, from (a) collecting information, (b) precious metal IRA account setup, (c) product selection, and (d) completing the purchase and shipping your approved precious metal IRA product to your selected depository.
- Birch Gold Group only works with licensed custodians and depositories, which guarantees the security and safety of your precious physical metals package. BGG's preferred custodians that specialize in Gold and Silver IRA are STRATA Trust Company and Equity Trust Company, all of whom maintain A+ ratings from the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
- They also have meager custodian and setup fees. The setup fee only costs you $80, and you are responsible for a $200 custodian fee each year. All the precious metal shipping is FREE of CHARGE.
- Birch Gold Group also offers flexible buy-back options upon your request.
The Cost Of Setting Up And Maintaining A Gold IRA Account With Birch Gold Group
As mentioned earlier, you only need $10,000 to start an investment with BGG. The following is the list of depository and custodian fees you are responsible for paying while setting up and maintaining your precious metal IRA account.
- A one-time setup fee of $80 breaks into an account setup fee of $50 and a wire transfer fee of $30.
- A recurring annual fee of $200 breaks into a yearly storage and insurance fee of $100 and a management fee of $100.
For transfers of over $50,000, Birch Gold Group will pay for your first year’s annual fees. The annual custodian rates are flat, meaning that no matter how significant your investment is, you only are responsible for $200 payments per year.
Gold IRA Account Funding Process With Birch Gold Group
Setting up a precious metal IRA account with BGG is a multistep but straightforward process. In most cases, this process will take less than a month to complete. As mentioned earlier, Birch Gold Group’s customer support team will walk you through the entire process, from completing the required paperwork to shipping your physical products to a licensed depository or storage company. Birch Gold Group’s precious metal funding steps are briefly explained below:
- In the first step, you will go through a learning and qualifying phase, where a company representative will explain all the nuts and bolts of precious metal IRA investment. In this step, they will collect the necessary information about your finances, business, and assets to evaluate your eligibility for investment in precious metals.
- In the second step, your paperwork will be processed. Once the required paperwork is filled out and the necessary documents are sent over, BGG’s representative will asses and deliberate the authenticity of your documents and verify your information. Upon your application approval, they will open a gold IRA account for you (if you don’t have one), and both parties will sign the agreement.
- In the third step, once your application is approved and your precious metal IRA account is set up, the funds will be transferred to your account. The funding can be initiated by a check or a direct transfer from your existing bank account. If you have an eligible 401k retirement account, you can roll over all or a portion of those funding to invest in gold, silver, or other precious metals. With the help of Birch Gold’s account specialists, rolling over your funds from your retirement account into the precious metal IRA account is fast and straightforward, and you will be guided from the beginning to the end of the process.
- In the fourth step, you have to choose the product you are going to invest in. The IRS approves an array of silver and gold products for placement into your IRA account. Suppose you are unsure about the eligible products. In that case, a precious metal specialist can help you with your options to choose the best product based on your personal preferences and investment needs.
- In the fifth and last step, Birch Gold Group will ship your physical product to an approved and government-allowed depository after buying your precious metal product.
Birch Gold Group’s Precious Metals Storage And Custodian
Keeping the precious metals at home or in a non-approved depository is counted as a withdrawal transaction and is subjected to taxation and penalty. BGG works with reputable storage services to provide their customers extra security and peace of mind.
- Delaware Depository has over 200 years of experience in the precious metal industry, and its comprehensive insurance policy offers $1 billion in assets coverage and a $100,000 transit insurance per package. Their storages are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and Boulder City, Nevada, with over 72,000 square feet of the fortified and access-controlled facility. Customers can select any of these locations to store their precious metals. This company is fully compliant with keeping gold, silver, and platinum and is accredited by the CME group. Their employees constantly inspect and audit incoming precious metals for their purity and consistency with the IRS guidelines. Their state-of-art security systems and class-3 vaults guarantee the safety and security of your precious metal deposition with them.
- Brinks Global Services is an industry leader in security storage and logistics, with over a thousand facilities worldwide. They benefit from advanced global inventory management software that uses networked software spanning their secure global supply chain, providing their customers with insight into your inventory management levels anytime, anywhere. Birch Gold Group customers usually select Brink’s locations in Los Angles, New York, and Salt Lake City for storing their precious metals. With their outstanding customer services, Brinks Global guarantees your physical precious metal’s safety and security during the transfer to the storage facility and while stored in the facility.
- Texas Precious Metals Depository in Shiner, Texas, is another storage facility that BGG works with to keep their customers’ precious metals safe. This facility is specifically designed and developed to deposit gold, silver, platinum, and palladium holdings, and all the packages are 100% insured through an all-risk policy by Lloyd’s of London. For clients seeking additional security for their precious metals, they provide leased space inside dual control TRTL-30X6 equivalent Tann Banker’s Treasury Safes, considered the best safes in the world. These safes are nested in a Class 2 vault inside a concrete-entombed underground depository. Tann safes can be leased for an additional surcharge of $1.50 per ounce per year.
Birch Gold Group Precious Metal Products
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One of the most significant advantages of Birch Gold Group over other precious metal dealers is their precious metal diversification, which helps to protect your retirement portfolio against market crashes and inflation.
Based on the IRA guidelines, only the coins and rounds with at least 99.5% purity can be deposited into an IRA account. Foreign-minted coins are also accepted as long as they meet IRA requirements. Birch Gold Group’s products can be divided into 3 categories, although not all are IRA-approved.
- Bullion coins and rounds are composed of high-quality precious metals, measured by their weight, and used as a store of wealth. IRA approves bullion coins.
- Three factors control a numismatic coin’s values; (a) its gold weight and content, (b) its rarity, and (c) its physical condition. Numismatic coins are not IRA-approved because their price varies so greatly.
- Proof or semi-numismatic coins are produced in small “proof” batches before fully minting a coin. These coins can be anything from common to extremely rare and usually hold higher values than their gold content. American Gold Eagle proof, a limited edition of American Gold Eagle bullion, is the only IRA-approved proof.
- Goldbacks – Per BGG, “Goldbacks are self-backing, intrinsically-valuable real gold notes that combine the utility of banknotes (convenient, easy to carry and use) and the value of gold coins.” Goldbacks are fairly new gold bullion instruments, and as of late 2022, only four separate series are issued by the following states, Nevada, Wyoming, New Hampshire, and Utah.
With Birch Gold Group, you have access to an extensive collection of IRA-approved palladium and platinum precious metal products which provide the same insurance, if not more, security against the market’s ebbs and flows similar to silver and gold products.
The Birch Gold Group’s IRA-approved gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bars, and rounds are listed below:
- 2021 ¼ ounce Australian gold is distributed solely by Birch Gold Group and issued in 2021. It is composed of 99.99% gold and has an AU$25 face value. There are also silver and platinum versions of these coins offered by BGG.
- The American Buffalo gold coin was minted in 2006 and is composed of 99.99% gold. Birch Gold Group offers American Buffalo Gold coins in 4 different sizes and weights of ¼ ounce to 1 ounce.
- American Eagle Gold was minted in 1986 and is composed of 91.67% gold. This coin is the only IRA-approved proof coin and is offered in 4 different sizes and weights from ¼ ounce to 1 ounce. There is also a silver and platinum version of American Eagle.
- Canadian Maple Leaf coins were minted in 1982 and have been available in many denominations beyond its original one-ounce size and with other metals, such as silver, platinum and palladium. Based on the Canadian Currency Act, these coins are still considered actual money and have face values of $1 to $50.
- Polar Bears and Cubs gold are minted by Royal Canadian Mint and are made of 99.99% pure gold. Their face value is CAD 10, and is also available in silver.
- Rose Crown Guinea gold is a ¼ troy-ounce coin made of 99.99% pure gold with a face value of GBP 25. This coin is also available in silver.
- Gold, silver, palladium, and platinum bars vary from 10 grams to 1 kilogram.
- Gold, silver, palladium, and platinum round in various sizes such as 1/10 ounces, ¼ ounces, and ½ ounces.
Birch Gold Group’s Buy-back Program
Although BGG does not offer a buy-back program or guarantee, when you decide to take a distribution from your gold IRA account, there is always a good chance of having a ready buyer.
Please note that based on the IRS guidelines, you are not allowed to withdraw from your IRA account without penalty until you reach the minimum age of 59 ½.
Bottom Line
Birch Gold Group has over 20 years of experience in precious metal dealerships. A load of positive reviews and accreditations from various reputable organizations such as BBB and Consumers Affairs guarantees a smooth precious metal buying and rolling-over experience. In addition, they require a $10,000 minimum investment which is the lowest among the competitors. Besides, their customer services, known for their professionality, knowledgeability, and ethic, will help you walk through the overwhelming paperwork to possess the precious metal journey with the lowest friction and headache.
Suppose you are interested in investing in IRA-approved precious metals such as silver, gold, platinum, and palladium. In that case, you will probably have a pleasant experience with Birch Gold Group from start to end.
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This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice.
Risk Disclosure: Any investments, including precious metals, such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium, come with an inherent risk, where you could end up making less money than what you put in. Before investing your hard-earned cash, be sure to speak with licensed professional financial advisor first. Always remember that past performance is not an indication of future returns.
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