One of the oldest ways to invest for the long-term isn’t to use stocks or bonds, but to invest in precious metals. That’s one reason why so many investors turn to Self-Directed Gold IRAs for retirement planning; they want confidence that no matter what comes their way, they’ll always have some money set aside in a unique investment class. However, there are still some rules to be aware of when investing in Self-Directed Gold IRAs. And since self-direction is such a self-reliant way to invest, it’s important that investors know these rules ahead of time. Here are some of the most important rules you’ll have to remember:

Rule #1: Understand Annual Valuations

When you own stock within a Roth IRA, for example, it’s easy to check on the valuation of the account. You can simply look it up. And in fact, many brokerages handle that aspect of your account for you, reporting the valuation to the IRS. But what about precious metals? As we will tell you on our own site for Self-Directed Precious Metal IRAs…

Annual valuations are based on the dollar value of the metals held in your IRA as of December 31st of the reporting year.

In other words, your annual valuation will be what you had in your account as of December 31^st in the year for which you’re reporting. How do you check the valuation of your account?

Rule #2: You Have to Hold Precious Metals in an Insured Approved Depository

Let’s go back to the basic rules of Self-Directed IRAs for a moment. You can’t hold retirement assets personally. These are tax-protected accounts, after all; if you want to hold them, you have to keep them separate from your personal assets. That’s true with precious metals, as well. But what can you do to make sure that your precious metals are stored somewhere safe? You can (and will have to) keep them in an insured approved depository. This ensures that your precious metals are yours, but that they’re not held as a personal benefit, such as in a home safe.

Rule #3: You Have to Pay an Annual Fee to Store Your Precious Metals

When you use an insured approved depository, there will be an annual fee that comes with it. After all, they’re not going to maintain security for free. This is something that many investors simply need to know in advance; the fees aren’t always too difficult to manage, and in fact can give you peace of mind, especially when you’re confident in the insured approved depository that your IRA uses.

Rule #4: With American IRA, We Do Not Endorse Brokers/Dealers

If you work with American IRA, something you’ll have to remember since we don’t endorse nor refer any brokers or dealers is the fact that we aren’t responsible for their performance. You’ll have to do your own due diligence to find someone you trust working with through your Self-Directed IRA.

Rule #5: Pricing of Your Precious Metals is Done by the Broker or Dealer

American IRA will not determine the value nor pricing of your metals, you’ll have to have that handled through your broker or dealer. Remember: American IRA is a Self-Directed IRA administration firm. As such, we don’t offer the service that a broker would. But we do help administrate the account and ensure the paperwork is in proper order.

Interested in learning more about Self-Directed Gold IRAs?  Contact American IRA, LLC at 866-7500-IRA (472) for a free consultation.  Download our free guides or visit us online at www.AmericanIRA.com.