What is the ultimate goal of retirement? For many people, the answers can vary. Some people want to build up as much wealth as possible. Others just want to have peace of mind that when they need to retire, the money will be there. No matter what the approach, it all adds up to the same thing: everyone needs to be confident that when they retire, their nest egg will be there. And one of the top ways investors seek confidence is through asset diversification through a Self-Directed Precious Metals or Gold IRA.

What is a “Gold IRA”? It really just refers to the act of keeping precious metals like gold within a Self-Directed IRA. In fact, many investors don’t even know this is possible. For many of them, an IRA is simply a place to park cash or stock funds. However, including asset diversification is important for many investors who know that the stock market alone isn’t always going to give people peace of mind. True diversification and a self-driven approach, however, can provide that peace of mind if you approach it the right way.

To that end, let’s consider some of the advantages to investing in precious metals within a Gold or Precious Metals IRA:

• Tax benefits. This is, after all, the chief reason people seek out IRAs in the first place. An IRA is essentially an umbrella under which you can park various assets. Within the proper retirement rules, you can have your alternative assets grow tax-free until it’s time to take distributions after retirement age. This means that you can enjoy decades of investment growth without having to pay taxes on transactions that occur within the umbrella, assuming that you stick to the rules.
• Diversification.  Many people talk about diversification in terms of stocks. They might say it’s good to own blue-chip stocks, but to diversify with index funds and small-cap stocks. But true diversification occurs when you own more than one type of asset class. When there is a financial crisis, would you like to have all of your eggs in one basket, or would you prefer to have a retirement comprised of more than just one asset?
• Security.  The idea of keeping retirement money in gold can seem a little strange at first. What if someone steals it? The good news is you will be expected to store your precious metals off-site, in an insured approved depository. This keeps your precious metals secured, insured, and separates your retirement investments from your physical location. In other words, you can have an entire portfolio of precious metals stored somewhere off-site. Someone looking for your wealth in a home safe won’t be able to find it there.
• Inflation hedging. Some people believe previous metals and other non-traditional assets have the effect of hedging a portfolio against inflation. This is a subject that investment experts have tackled time and time again. One thing is clear: keeping precious metals within a portfolio does provide a fallback option for many people. One reason many people enjoy keeping precious metals in a retirement portfolio? They aren’t sure what the future will bring, but they do like having a foundation of a diversified portfolio as a way to weather any storms.

As a Self-Directed IRA administration firm, it’s not American IRA’s role to tell you what to invest in. But we can tell you that if you decide to invest in precious metals, we can provide you with plenty of information. Interested in learning more about Self-Directed 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.