Gold IRA planning, in plain English
Plan your Gold IRA with clear answers.
A free guide to rollovers, fees and storage, written in plain English. Read it, ask us anything, and decide on your own schedule.
- How the IRS rules on Gold IRAs work, with the sources linked
- The IRS steps for moving a 401(k) or IRA, with the withholding and timing rules
- Every fee to ask about, on one checklist
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- Rollover and transfer steps, with the 60-day and once-a-year rules
- A fee checklist to compare two quotes side by side
- Questions to ask a custodian and a metals seller
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Thirty seconds
Your retirement account can hold real gold.
A Gold IRA works like the IRA you may already have. The difference is what sits inside it, and where it is kept.
- 1Money moves from a 401(k) or IRA to a self-directed IRA.
- 2The account buys IRA-eligible coins or bars.
- 3The metal is held at a depository your custodian uses, in your account's name.
Start here
The three questions people ask first
How it works, how money gets in, and what it costs. Each guide answers in the first paragraph and cites its sources.
How planning works
Four steps from question to account
Learn the rules
What can go in the account, where it is stored, and how contribution and distribution rules apply.
Compare costs
Setup, custodian, storage and the spread over spot. Get each one in writing and add up the first year.
Pick a custodian and storage
Choose who runs the account and which depository holds the metal, segregated or commingled.
Move the money
A direct rollover or trustee-to-trustee transfer keeps withholding and the 60-day clock out of the picture.
Numbers that matter, with sources
The IRS figures behind every plan
Most you can add to all your IRAs for 2026 if you are under 50 ($8,600 at 50 or older).
Source: IRS.govWithheld when a workplace plan pays a distribution to you, even if you plan to roll it over.
Source: IRS.govIRA-to-IRA rollover allowed in any 12 months, counting all your IRAs. Direct transfers don't count.
Source: IRS.gov
Where the gold lives
IRA gold is kept in a depository, never at home
Federal law lets an IRA hold certain coins and bullion only if a trustee keeps physical possession of the metal. In practice, your custodian arranges storage at a depository it uses and your statements list what you own.
You choose between segregated storage, where your exact coins and bars sit apart, and commingled storage, where you own the same type and amount but not specific pieces.
From the Learn library
Questions about gold itself
Common questions
Gold IRA questions, answered briefly
What is a Gold IRA?
A Gold IRA is a self-directed individual retirement account that holds physical gold, such as IRA-eligible coins and bars, in place of stocks or funds. The same IRS contribution and distribution rules apply as for any Traditional or Roth IRA. A custodian runs the account and the metal is stored at a depository your custodian uses.
Can I keep Gold IRA metal at home?
No. Federal tax law treats metal held in an IRA as a collectible unless a trustee keeps physical possession of it, so the gold has to stay at a depository your custodian uses. Taking it home counts as a distribution, which can bring income tax and, before age 59½, a 10% additional tax.
How do I move a 401(k) into a Gold IRA?
Most people use a direct rollover: the old plan sends the money straight to the new IRA custodian, so nothing is withheld. If the plan pays you instead, it must withhold 20%, and you have 60 days to deposit the full amount in the new IRA. Our rollover guide walks through each step.
What does a Gold IRA cost?
Expect a one-time setup fee, an annual custodian fee, a yearly storage and insurance fee, and the spread a seller charges over the spot price of the metal. Some charge flat fees and some scale with account value, so ask for every fee in writing. Our fee guide has a checklist.
Plan it with the free guide
Rollover steps, a fee checklist, storage choices and the questions to ask a custodian, in one PDF you can print.