Advantage Gold is a leading gold company that enables investors to purchase precious metals for their IRA or discreet direct delivery. However, they boast that they differ from similar companies in that they aim to be the trusted advisor that puts the investor first.
Our Review of Advantage Gold in short
Company name: Advantage Gold
BBB grade: A+
Summary: If you are interested in investing in physical gold, silver, platinum, and/or palladium as part of your retirement plan and are looking for a precious metals company that doesn't just state how great they are but that also has the proof to backup its claims, then we recommend you consider Advantage Gold.
The firm has hundreds of positive customer reviews on various reputable consumer sites, including Trustlink and Trustpilot, for their superior customer service and friendly, knowledgeable staff.
They are also hailed for the in-depth education they provide for their members both via personal contact and onsite. We especially appreciate how they provide information about their coins when you hover over the images.
There are also videos, charts, and more on their website to help you learn as much as you can before contacting the company so that you are prepared to make the best decisions for your portfolio.
The company also has a dedicated IRA department to help take the hassle and confusion out of rolling over your existing retirement account to a precious metals IRA, and tax-free, should you choose to do so.
Advantage Gold also has an A+ with the BBB, and they are also Consumer Affairs accredited.
All that said, we definitely feel they are a good choice to add to your list of companies to check out for a gold IRA.
Our score: 4.5/5
Should you work with Advantage Gold in 2023?
We understand how difficult it is to choose a reliable precious metals company to work with. For that reason, we created a list of gold IRA dealers that we think are best to avoid. Click on the button below to make sure Advantage Gold isn’t one of them and discover our top 3 recommendations for this year.
Advantage Gold self-directed IRA Products
The company states that its belief that a self-directed IRA that contains physical gold is the answer to achieving a dream retirement due to the stability it provides is what initially started Advantage Gold and what they believe also enables them to provide the best gold IRA service.
However, investors can also get silver, platinum, and palladium products for varying degrees of retirement investing or to simply round out their gold IRA with other precious metals for greater diversification.
Knowledgeable Investment Help
Advantage Gold, just like Noble Gold and other gold IRA dealers, also offers investment guidance by none other than a knowledgeable team of experts for the most thorough understanding of your precious metals IRA before you sign up.
However, users can also learn on their own using the gold retirement resources provided on their site, which includes charts, graphs, research articles, and more to help them make informed decisions.
You can also learn information on each of their coins by hovering over their image on their Approved IRA Coins page to also help with your choices.
They also offer a downloadable IRA guide to help you further understand how a gold IRA can be used to create a financial safehouse, how IRA rollovers work, and more.
Account Application Available on Their Site
Potential members can also easily begin setting up their gold IRA via the online application on their site.
And the company also promises to make the rollover of your existing retirement fund to a gold IRA easier with less paperwork and excellent customer service, so you are not lost throughout the process. This way, it also helps you avoid early withdrawal charges by the IRS.
Or you could take hold of the accumulated savings in your previous retirement account yourself and then deposit them into your gold IRA account, but you risk being hit with penalties and taxes if the funds aren't deposited into your new account within 60 days.
Pros about Advantage Gold
They Enable You to Own an IRA That is Made up of Physical Gold
Owning an IRA that contains physical gold for its assets not only guarantees you get to actually take hold of the stunning precious metal to marvel over when you retire, but it also ensures you get all the benefits of a traditional IRA, including postponed tax payments and more while contributing to it.
Or you could also own a combination of precious metals in your gold IRA for greater diversity and an increased potential for future financial independence.
You Can Work With an Equity Trust or STRATA Trust Custodian
A custodian is a self-directed IRA company that works with you to make your precious metal investments for your retirement account and then oversees their secure shipment to your chosen depository for safe storing until you request a distribution.
After which time, the custodian will either have your gold, silver, platinum, or palladium delivered to you or sell them on your behalf and present you with their cash equivalence.
However, any distributions made while you are under 591/2 will result in taxes and penalties with the IRS unless your situation meets one of their exceptions.
Equity Trust and STRATA Trust are IRS-approved self-directed IRA custodians with years of experience in their field.
But as with any company, be sure to do your research via member feedback, business ratings, and word of mouth to see how they fare with others based on their experience.
You should also reach out to them directly to ask questions and get an overall feel of their work culture and environment to find the one you are most at ease with.
They also handle any IRS reporting to ensure your account remains compliant and provide you with duplicates of the paperwork so you can also keep track of your IRA.
The custodian also remains available for the lifetime of your account to answer questions regarding your assets and to acquire any additional assets you would like to add to your portfolio.
Your Secure Depository is Brink's Global Services USA, Inc.
Brink's is notable for its armor truck transports of high-security valuables; however, the company also has various depositories throughout the world for the secure storage of your precious metals, two of which are located in the U.S. for IRS-approved services.
An IRS-approved depository simply means it is fully insured and built specifically for the preservation and maximum security of your gold, silver, and other precious metals. The depository must also be based in the U.S.
As one of their member, you can choose between a Brink's IRS-approved facility in Delaware or Los Angeles.
They Eliminate the Hassle of Finding a Third-Party User for Your Precious Metals With Their Buyback Program
When you reach retirement age, or at any time before that, you decide that you want to liquidate all or some of your precious metals for cash, it can create a dilemma not knowing where or how to do so.
As a member of Advantage Gold, the company promises to buy back your precious metals at any time, and for any reason, provided you they were acquired from them, so you never have to fret over how you will sell them for cash should you choose to.
They also agree to pay market value for the bullions and bars at the time of the buyback. However, their price for coins depends on the wholesale market, which means you can get a premium value for them if the conditions are favorable.
To initiate the process, simply complete the form that they fax or email to you, then send it back to the proper department to secure the current cost.
Once a representative receives your form, there will be a transfer of your precious metals to generate your funds, which typically shows up in your account within 24 hours.
They Also Offer Customer Perks
The company also rewards you with various perks for exploring their business.
For instance, you can sign up to receive a copy of the New York Times bestseller “The Case for Gold,” which explains various factors that threaten the value of the U.S. dollar and thus your portfolio, how gold can be used to help diversify your long-term investments, how to avoid making common mistakes when acquiring gold, and more.
It's also a special edition, which suggests it may also be an investment item in and of itself.
However, you must have an IRA or other retirement account to qualify. They also provide some perks to first-time users, so be sure to inquire about it when you contact them.
You Can Check Live Gold and Silver Costs on Their Site
Part of making smart investments is tracking their costs so you can acquire them at the right time to prosper from them.
However, since precious metals are alternative assets, their costs aren't as easily available as traditional investment assets, which can leave you simply investing on chance.
Or you could also contact your gold & silver IRA company regularly to find out their values, but it can be time-consuming, inconvenient, and intimidating.
Advantage Gold helps make it easy to stay up to date on gold and silver prices by conveniently displaying them on the top of their site, which you can check on your own time and in the privacy of your own for added confidence when planning your investments.
Voted Most Trusted Gold IRA Company by Trustlink 5 Years in a Row
According to the company's website, they not only have a 5-star grade with Trustlink, but they have also proudly won the Best of Truslink Prize for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Trustlink is a former website created by the Better Business Bureau that enables users to share their experiences with businesses via online feedback.
This way, other people can read them when vetting different companies before doing business with them.
However, businesses can also use it to connect with individuals and respond to negative comments to help clear the air.
The Better Business Bureau also gives this organization their highest A+ rating, and they also have a 9.9 score with Trustpilot for their hundreds of verified testimonies shared on the site.
Just like another reputable precious metals dealer, American Hartford Gold, the company is Consumer Affairs accredited and an affiliate of the ICTA and Numismatic companies.
Cons about Advantage Gold IRAs
They Don't List Their Costs On Their Site
When a precious metal company lists its fees on its site, it helps make it easy to compare companies and narrow down the most suitable ones for you before you contact them.
Otherwise, it could result in countless calls to various companies, which takes valuable time and can dwindle your enthusiasm in the process.
In some cases, it may affect your trust in the company because it may make you wonder what they have to hide or are their costs that ridiculously high that they don't feel confident listing them or believe it's worth it.
And if their intention for not disclosing their costs on their site is to have you contact the company directly so that they can speak with you one on one, then it can make you feel it is because they want to be able to pressure you to act.
In either case, it would help if they at least listed their general IRA fees on their site for greater transparency.
However, they do provide a copy of their member agreement on their site, which is also useful when determining if you want to work with a gold IRA company.
Is Advantage Gold Company a Scam?
After conducting a more thorough online search of Advantage Gold, we found no information that supports the company is a scam.
In fact, companies that are questionable of being a scam rarely have an A+ rating with the BBB.
The same is true when it comes to receiving accreditation by Consumer Affairs, who by the way, also recommends them for its educational resources, the many users it is able to assist, and more.
So our final verdict is this organization is not a fraudulent company but a real one with reputable third-party ratings, accreditations, and consumer testimonies. Read our tips on how to avoid gold IRA scams to know more.
How is Their Customer Support?
The company's founder states that part of his desire to start Advantage Gold was to put the investor first, which he felt was something that few other precious metal companies did.
Hence, the company boasts that it provides excellent user experience via empathetic representatives that understand its clients' apprehensions when it comes to investing in gold, silver, etc.
Therefore, they begin the relationship by first educating users on precious metals. This way, they don't have to be afraid to reap the benefits of a gold IRA.
They also state that they listen to their client's goals concerning where they want to be in retirement and then recommend the best precious metal investments that will help them achieve success.
Advantage Gold also has a dedicated IRA department for handling all the complexities of your current retirement plan rollover to a gold IRA, which helps prevent you from having to do so on your own and risk setbacks and more.
In the end, they also have hundreds of 5-star ccomments stating how impressed they were with the company's knowledge and assistance throughout the entire process, so it's likely safe to say the company doesn't just say they provide excellent customer support; it really does.
Has There Been any Complaints About Advantage Gold?
As far as complaints, Advantage Gold, unlike Augusta Precious Metals, has 1 filed with the BBB, which states that it was closed last year.
The details of the complaint were not disclosed; however, it does state that the complaint type was a billing and collection issue.
However, they also have a 100% Business Response rate with the BBB, which means they are quick to respond to their complaints and effective at resolving them, which may be construed as they really care about their members and want to ensure they are happy with their service.
As for any other complaints, surprisingly, we couldn't find any with our online search.
However, in one instance where the company only received a 4-star, it was in the area of price.
Conclusion of our Advantage Gold analysis
Only 1 Complaint
The company has it going on with an almost flawless record of feedback regarding their knowledge and assistance, which is an important aspect you should look for before investing large sums with a company.
And the 1 complaint we did find, wasn't concerning the quality of their precious metals, which is also something important to look for before purchasing gold, silver, platinum, and/or palladium for your retirement.
100% Business Response With the BBB
The company is also BBB accredited with an A+, which is one of the first things we look for when judging a company's ethics.
Meanwhile, a business response rate of 100% with the BBB also puts us at ease that they are not afraid to take responsibility for their negligence and will do what it takes to make it right.
We like that it is also accredited with Consumer Affairs, which is another reputable site, for added confidence in the company.
Superior Client Education Support
They also have rave reviews for their superior client education, which we observed from their learning resources alone. We especially like how easy it is to get information on each of their precious metals coins simply by hovering over the image.
In the end, all of this translates to us is that Advantage Gold is a dedicated, trustworthy precious metals company that will be around for a while, which is important to consider when committing to a long-term investment plan with any business.
Listing Their Costs on Their Site Would Help
Our only qualm is the company, just like Lexi Capital, does not list its gold IRA fees on its site. They also had one slightly lower than 5-star, which was involving its cost, thus making you wonder if maybe their fees are slightly higher than similar companies.
But in this case, they clearly provide above-average service, so it may not be so bad to be charged a little more to get what you pay for.
4.5/5