Goldco Versus Augusta Precious Metals (Which Is Best in 2024?)

Goldco versus Augusta Precious Metals... which of these two, is the best gold IRA company for you? 

Both represent two of the best gold-IRA companies with a lengthy track record in precious metals retirement investment.

To those wondering which one has the edge, we hope our comprehensive review will help you choose an IRA company that will last as long as the bullion inside your IRA.

Goldco Versus Augusta Precious Metals Review - Overview 

In this Goldco versus Augusta Precious Metals review, we've compared both popular gold IRA companies side by side. Each company is highly rated, most trusted, gets great reviews online, and have amazing customer service. Both companies have great offerings of gold, silver, and other precious metals, and can help you set up a tax-advantaged precious metals IRA. Both Augusta and Goldco received high marks in this review.

What is Augusta Precious Metals? 

Augusta Precious Metals is a no # 1 gold IRA provider co-owned by two experts in the field, Isaac Nuriani and Devlyn Steele. Though the company has "only" been in business since 2012, the two have experience in finance that stretches back far longer than that.

Nuriani, the founder and CEO, has been in the precious metals business for over two decades. Steele, who serves as the company's director of education, has worked as a financial analyst since 1983. That's nearly 40 years of experience in the sector. Both are true believers in gold investment, with Nuriani being a member of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA).

Steele, who organizes most of Augusta's customer-education program, is also someone you'll get to interact with very early on if you go with Augusta Precious Metals vs Goldco. Having a top company representative reach out to individual customers from the get-go is a big plus, especially with such a prominent firm.

Every best gold IRA company gets a celebrity endorser, and Augusta went with famous quarterback Joe Montana. According to the official version, it wasn't a classic endorsement, but rather the result of Montana anonymously registering for their online course and liking what he saw.

What is Goldco?

Goldco has been in business since 2006, which is among the oldest out of any company in the sector. They opened shop even before precious metals investment became "trendy" in 2008, which tells us something. Founder and CEO Trevor Gerszt, however, doesn't diminish the importance of this year.

Gerszt, who had plenty of experience in real estate, witnessed how the 2008 financial crisis affected both stocks and real estate. One presumes it reinforced his mission to spread awareness about the prudence of safe-haven investment. Goldco and Gerszt have plenty of high-profile mentions from outlets ranging from Forbes to Investopedia.

And do you know what's even better than having a good rating with the Better Business Bureau? Being a member of its Board of Directors, like Gerszt is. With BBB and the Better Consumer Alliance serving as the top watchdogs for consumer satisfaction, having a CEO of a company among BBB's ranks definitely instills confidence in the brand. In a sense, it makes Goldco's reputation intrinsically tied to that of the BBB, and their margin for error even lesser.

For their endorsement, Goldco went with Sean Hannity, the well-known public speaker. Though the endorsement is recent, Hannity has spoken plenty about issues that plague everyday Americans but are swept under the rug too often, such as rising inflation.

What’s The Main Difference Between Goldco and Augusta? 

Goldco has a longer standing in the industry and a wider selection of precious metals, covering all four as opposed to Augusta's gold and silver.

On the other hand, Augusta excels at customer relations. The manner in which they've received their celebrity endorsement shows how dedicated they are to customer education, and they also boast a rare guarantee of lifetime customer support.

Despite being in the precious metals IRA business for a lesser period of time, Augusta Precious Metals comes off as more dedicated to long-term gold and silver retirement investment. Goldco, on the other hand, ventures into platinum group metals and even cryptocurrencies. It also acts as a dealer more so than Augusta.

Goldco Vs Augusta Comparison

In the next few sections, we’ll compare Goldco vs Augusta side by side so you can decide for yourself which gold IRA company meets your specific needs.

Let’s start with their fees and pricing. 

Fees & Pricing Comparison

Here is a quick comparison of their fees.

Goldco Fees

• $25,000 minimum purchase requirement, but listed as recommended
• $80+ annual custodian fee
• $100+ annual storage fee, depending on the facility you choose
• Variable fees for their buyback offering

Learn more about Goldco Fees.

Augusta Precious Metals Fees

• $50,000 minimum purchase
• 5% markup on bullion products
• $50 setup fee, waived by Augusta
• $80 annual custodian fee, covered by Augusta for up to 10 years
• $100 annual storage fee, covered by Augusta for up to 10 years
• No shipping costs on any products

Learn more about Augusta Precious Metals Fees.

Goldco IRA vs Augusta IRA Comparison 

Now let's compare the actual gold IRAs for both Augusta vs Goldco... which offering is right for your retirement investments?

Keep reading.

Goldco IRAs

Though Goldco offers the option of either opening a gold IRA or a silver IRA, it also covers platinum and palladium products, which is definitely a strong point. It likewise bears mentioning that Goldco has a sister company called Coin IRA. Cryptocurrencies aren't technically a part of Goldco's offering, but can be included in the precious metals IRA if the customer so desires.

Like most of their competitors, Goldco lets you choose between a tax-deferred traditional IRA or a Roth IRA that revolves around removing capital gains taxes. The choice can be a difficult one to make, but will be helped along by Goldco's team.

When picking storage, Goldco lets you go with either Brink's or the Delaware Depository. From there, you can pick an individual facility based on your preference. Though Equity Trust is their custodian of choice, you can opt for a number of IRS-approved ones if you are already working with or prefer another custody company.

More a more in-depth take, a look at our full review of Goldco.

What precious metals can you buy with Goldco?

• Gold
• Silver
• Platinum
• Palladium

Goldco sells all of the more known IRA-eligible bullion coins in all of the available precious metals variations. This includes gold, silver, platinum and palladium American Eagles and Canadian Maple Leafs, Gold Buffalos, American Eagle Proofs and the like. Many of the lesser-known coins are also available, including things like Silver American Bald Eagles and Gold and silver Liberty coins.

And, as you'd expect, the company sells numerous bars made from each of the four precious metals by a number of top refineries from around the world. All of the bullion they sell is top-notch and doesn't necessarily need to be bought for an IRA, as they also ship their products in a manner similar to precious metals dealers.

Goldco Rollovers

Goldco gold IRA rollovers are straightforward for the most part. They're one of the two ways of funding your account, and usually preferred over cash purchases. As soon as you've opened a Goldco gold IRA, you'll get in touch with a representative. This rep will guide you through the process of rolling over any account you might want into your new IRA.

This includes existing 401(k)s or any inactive IRA you might hold.

Because Goldco also provides a reputable custodian, you'll avoid incurring any penalties as most of the rollover process will be handled by them. It will be up to you to decide how much of the funds you'd like to rollover into the new IRA before you start purchasing physical precious metals.

Goldco Pros and Cons

Augusta Precious Metals IRA

During a time when many precious metals IRA companies are even expanding into crypto, it's somewhat strange to see a top company only have gold IRAs and silver IRAs. We're sure Augusta has its reasons for this limited offering, and volatility comes to mind.

Providing only gold or silver bullion innately limits the amount of risk that their customers are exposed to. Platinum and palladium have both seen some extreme volatility in recent times, to speak nothing of cryptocurrencies. Having a gold and silver-only IRA might help you avoid making rash investment decisions and let you stay on track when it comes to prioritizing safety.

It also bears mentioning that Augusta can help you purchase platinum and palladium products as an intermediary, along with collectibles. The restriction has more to do with the kind of retirement account they provide rather than the metal they're able to obtain on customers' behalf.

Both custody and storage are strong points when it comes to Augusta. The company recommends Equity Trust, a self-directed IRA custodian with more than four decades in the business, but doesn't force you to use it. Likewise, it offers numerous vaults that can be visited by clients.

Storage is a very important concern for many, and with IRAs, being able to go to the facility and see the bullion in your account is outstanding. Augusta can assist with choosing a storage facility nearest to you and arrange for an "inspection visit" through the custodian. The storage facility locations are varied, including "standard" states like New York and Texas but also Utah, Idaho and more.

If you want to learn more about Augusta, take a look at our review of Augusta Precious Metals.

What precious metals can you buy with Augusta?

• Gold
• Silver

The focus on gold and silver bullion has undoubtedly allowed Augusta Precious Metals to have a very encompassing inventory. We hardly need to mention that American Eagle silver and gold coins are available in various denominations, as are any of the other top coins. But just browsing through the company website might expand your awareness and knowledge of bullion investment. For example, did you know that the Royal Canadian Mint has an Arctic Fox silver coin?

While gold and silver bars are available, Augusta chooses the source themselves, which some investors might see as a weak point as opposed to picking your mint of preference. Nonetheless, the sheer amount of IRA-eligible and standard gold and silver coins more than makes up for it, in our view. This is especially true when taking into account the variety of 1/4 oz and 1/10 oz denominations that extend far past just American Eagles.

Augusta Precious Metals Rollovers

The rollover process, true to Augusta's customer-oriented approach, is simple. As soon as you've opened the account, you'll talk to multiple specialists that are there to guide your hand through the process. As mentioned, you're likely to even speak to Steele himself.

Existing and inactive 401(k), 403(b) plans, Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, Simple IRAs and SEP IRAs are some of the examples of plans and accounts that you'll be able to fund your new account with. While the funding process might seem complex or overwhelming, it will be anything but, as Augusta's representatives and the custodian they provide for your account take care of the entire process for you. All you'll need to do is give them the necessary information and they'll do the paperwork-filling, leaving you to the precious-metals purchasing bit.

Augusta Pros and Cons

Choosing The Right Gold IRA Company For You 

Augusta Precious Metals vs Goldco comes down to what's right for you and your retirement. 

Goldco is undoubtedly better suited for those looking to make single bullion purchases and invest in alternative assets past gold and silver.

Despite having a limited offering and a high minimum requirement for first-time accounts, Augusta has stayed as competitive as it gets among gold IRA companies. This could not be the case if the firm didn't have something that separates it from the rest. Even as cryptocurrencies become a desired option for many, Augusta has lost none of its reputation or clout.

Many investors want things straightforward when it comes to gold IRA investment. They want a specialized company that stays true to its purpose and doesn't experiment too much. And for these investors, Augusta is the perfect match. After all, long-term orientation is a cornerstone of precious metals investment, all the more so when talking IRAs.

Final Thoughts - Which is Best, Goldco or Augusta Precious Metals?

Both companies have top BBB and BCA ratings, excellent customer reviews, great reputation and outstanding product offering. So why did we choose Augusta as our top choice?

Though Augusta is sometimes cited as being better for those with a larger budget due to the high minimum requirement, the information is available to anyone. If you have any kind of interest in precious metals investment, Augusta's expansive knowledge database will quickly tell you what's what. They've built an info hub that very much rivals the very same high-profile outlets we mentioned Goldco was featured in.

How many gold IRA companies can boast free online seminars that educate users on precious metals investment? And how many of them have a top company person routinely interacting with customers and setting aside the time to make these seminars?

On top of all that, with very few negative reviews online, we've scored Augusta as the most trustworthy gold IRA.

If you don't find the minimum fee prohibitive, you can't go wrong with Augusta as the choice of your retirement account provider. For as much as is said about specialists in this field, they are the true gold and silver IRA specialists.