Gold Background

American Alternative Assets Reviews: The Easy Way To Buy A Gold IRA

Protecting Your Wealth with Precious Metals

Quick Summary

Rating

⭐ 4.1/5

Founded

2016

Minimum Investment

Not stated

Fees

Lots of free services. $190 for storage within an IRA

Promotions

Free info kit & discounts for repeat customers or larger orders

American Alternative Assets Overview

American Alternative Assets is a wealth protection company that specializes in helping customers invest in various precious metals. Primarily, the company deals with silver and gold - and is one of the top-rated Gold IRA companies in the country at this present moment. It was established in 2016 and has gone on to serve thousands of clients by assisting them with smarter, long-term investments that protect against inflation.

American Alternative Assets has built a strong reputation and expertise within the gold IRA industry, emphasizing their commitment to customer support and education.

The company is marketed towards both beginner and experienced investors, though it has a very strong focus on retirement savings. It sets itself up as a way for anyone to invest in a Gold IRA or buy precious metals with the intention of holding onto them until they retire.

What is a Gold IRA?

Definition of a Gold IRA

A Gold IRA, also known as a Precious Metal IRA, is a specialized type of Individual Retirement Account that allows investors to hold physical gold and other precious metals, such as silver, platinum, and palladium, as part of their retirement portfolio. Unlike traditional IRAs that typically invest in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, Gold IRAs provide a hedge against inflation, market volatility, and currency fluctuations. These accounts offer significant tax advantages, making them an attractive option for those looking to diversify their retirement savings with tangible assets.

How Gold IRAs Work

Gold IRAs operate similarly to traditional IRAs, with the key distinction being the inclusion of physical gold and other precious metals. To set up a Gold IRA, investors need to work with a broker or custodian who specializes in precious metal IRAs. The process involves funding the account through contributions or rollovers from existing retirement accounts. Once funded, investors can purchase physical gold and other precious metals, which are then stored in a secure, IRS-approved depository. The custodian manages the account, ensuring compliance with IRS regulations and facilitating transactions.

Types of Gold IRAs

There are several types of Gold IRAs available to investors, each with its own funding and tax implications:

  • Traditional Gold IRAs: These accounts are funded with pretax dollars, allowing the investment to grow tax-deferred until withdrawals are made during retirement. This can result in significant tax savings over time.
  • Roth Gold IRAs: Funded with after-tax dollars, Roth Gold IRAs offer the benefit of tax-free withdrawals during retirement. This type of account is ideal for investors who anticipate being in a higher tax bracket in the future.
  • SEP Gold IRAs: Designed for small business owners and self-employed individuals, SEP Gold IRAs allow for higher contribution limits, up to the lesser of 25% of compensation or $69,000 (increasing to $70,000 in 2025). Contributions are made with pretax dollars, providing immediate tax benefits.

Pros & Cons of American Alternative Assets

Pros

  • A+ BBB company with lots of positive customer ratings
  • Provides a wide range of free services with zero fees
  • Offers real-time price updates for gold and silver
  • Gives you lots of flexible payment options
  • Regularly offers discounts to loyal customers
  • Lets you store your precious metal investments in an IRA
  • Provides “Buy Back Assurance” to liquidate your precious metals if your situation changes. Like other gold IRA providers, American Alternative Assets offers buyback programs to enhance the liquidity of gold assets.

Cons

  • Hard to find information about services due to no frequently asked questions section
  • Some customers complain about having difficulties contacting customer support
  • Doesn’t provide details on pricing until you’ve signed up
  • Only offers Gold and Silver purchases

Benefits of a Gold IRA

Diversification of Assets

One of the primary benefits of a Gold IRA is the ability to diversify your investment portfolio beyond traditional assets like stocks and bonds. By including physical gold and other precious metals in your retirement savings, you can create a more balanced and resilient portfolio. This diversification helps reduce overall risk and provides a hedge against inflation, market volatility, and currency fluctuations. Gold IRAs are particularly valuable during economic downturns, as precious metals often retain or increase in value when other investments falter. By working with a reputable gold IRA company, you can ensure that your investments are secure and well-managed, making it easier to protect your retirement savings and achieve long-term financial stability.

Products & Services

You’ll find a range of products and services available if you join American Alternative Assets. Despite being a business that focuses on precious metal investments, this company only lets you buy gold and silver. It includes real-time pricing options for other precious metals, yet there are no products or services listed for you to buy and invest in things like platinum or palladium.

With that in mind, the two main products/services are as follows:

Buy Gold & Silver

American Alternative Assets lets you purchase gold coins or silver coins or bars to add to your investment portfolio. It even provides a free gold guide to help you get the most out of your investment and understand the benefits of precious metal investments like this.

You can view real-time price charts for both gold and silver to see what they’re worth at any given moment, fuelling your knowledge to make smarter investments. The company also provides a very extensive list of gold & silver coins/bars that you can look at and purchase whenever you want. They’ll ship your precious metal assets to your chosen depository - and there are even opportunities to qualify for complimentary storage, which is always a nice plus.

Open a Silver or Gold IRA

Alternatively, you can use American Alternative Asset’s IRA services to wrap up your precious metal investments in a high-value retirement fund. The company provides one of the best Gold IRA options on the market, making it easier than ever to protect your wealth and gradually gain a strong ROI across many decades.

When setting up a Gold or Silver IRA, it is crucial to select the right types of IRA-approved precious metals to ensure compliance and maximize your investment potential.

The same goes for the Silver IRA, which is a slightly more risk-averse IRA option for investors. Silver prices fluctuate more dramatically than gold ones, meaning there’s a chance for even bigger games over time - if the market demand goes in your favor.

Both IRAs are easy for anyone to set up, and the company even lets you transfer or roll over funds from any existing retirement account - like a 401(k) or TSP. Initiating a transfer like this will not incur tax consequences, so it’s a brilliant way of transferring your wealth into a better IRA.

American Alternative Assets Fees & Pricing

One of American Alternative Assets’ standout features is its pricing strategy. You get a comprehensive service with hardly any fees. In fact, the company offers a range of free services for all customers, such as:

  • Custodian coordination
  • Funding transfers
  • Investment facilitation
  • Asset valuation
  • RMD support
  • Beneficiary designation
  • Buy Back Guarantee
  • Compliance and reporting
  • Account setup & maintenance

Compared to the best gold IRA companies, American Alternative Assets provides a competitive pricing strategy that includes numerous free services, making it an attractive option for investors.

That final one is very important as it means you don’t pay a fee when setting up your account. There also won’t be any ongoing maintenance fees to keep your account active - which can’t be said for some of this company’s biggest rivals in the precious metals investment industry.

However, you will pay a series of fees when investing in gold or silver - along with some additional shipping charges if you buy coins/bars. Unfortunately, we can’t show you the general fees for investments as they change depending on the market prices. Rest assured, you’ll know exactly what to pay before making an investment on this platform, as there are no hidden fees.

We can reveal the shipping charges, which are listed in the Terms & Conditions as follows:

  • $24 base fee
  • $1 extra per thousand for gold
  • $3 extra per thousand for silver
  • $2 extra per thousand

Customer Reviews & Ratings

Great news: American Alternative Assets has widely positive reviews and ratings from customers across a wave of different review platforms. Its Trustpilot rating of 3.9 stars is the lowest, yet this is still above the industry average.

Looking at the BBB reviews, this company has amassed a 4.9-star rating from 33 independent customer reviews. It matches this with a 4.8-star rating on Trustindex.io from 44 reviews.

American Alternative Assets is clearly very highly rated, and some common points appear in all of the reviews. Customers love how trustworthy and reliable the company is, as well as its commitment to transparent pricing. The only downside is that customers wish the business would list all of its fees before they sign up.

Process to Open an American Alternative Assets Account

If you want to purchase a silver or Gold IRA, then you’ll need to follow these steps to open an American Alternative Assets account:

  • Fill in the necessary intake form on the website - there’s a separate one for both Gold and Silver IRAs
  • The American Alternative Assets team will then contact you with further details
  • You’ll work with the customer support team to create an account and transfer any funds from an existing IRA if you want

From there, you’re ready to start purchasing precious metals to add to your new IRA. It’s a very straightforward process, and you can get your account up and running within 24 hours.

What if you just want to buy gold or silver without setting up an IRA? In that case, all you need to do is call (888) 615-8047 for pricing details.

Security & Insurance Details

The shipping fees you pay will go towards covering both handling and insurance for precious metals purchased through this site. We should also note that the company has its own depositories to hold precious metals - which are fully insured. The Delaware Depository is the main one this company uses, and it will be insured up to $1 billion to protect any of your assets that are stored the

Promotions & Offers

American Alternative Assets currently offers a 30% discount on all shipping charges for orders over $100,000. It also mentions on the website that it provides regular discounts and special deals for large purchases and loyal customers.

Annoyingly, we can’t find any of these promos at the moment - they’re exclusive to different customers based on your purchasing behavior. It’s still something to keep in mind as there are ways of getting discounts when investing in precious metals via this company.

Comparison With Other Top Precious Metals Investment Companies

If you’re interested in the best silver or Gold IRA and want to start investing in precious metals, then take some time to consider American Alternative Assets’ top competitors. Here’s a brief comparison of its biggest rivals to show you how they all stack up.

Founded

American Alternative Assets

2016

Goldco

2006

Augusta Precious Metals

2012

Birch Gold Group

2003

Services

American Alternative Assets

Gold & Silver IRAs, precious metal investment

Goldco

Gold & Silver IRAs, precious metal investment

Augusta Precious Metals

Gold & Silver IRAs, precious metal investment

Birch Gold Group

Gold & Silver IRAs, precious metal investment

Min. Investment

American Alternative Assets

Not Stated

Goldco

$25,000

Augusta Precious Metals

$50,000

Birch Gold Group

$10,000

Fees

American Alternative Assets

$190 for storage

Goldco

$175+

Augusta Precious Metals

$180+

Birch Gold Group

$180+

BBB Rating

American Alternative Assets

A+

Goldco

A+

Augusta Precious Metals

A+

Birch Gold Group

A+

Trustpilot Score

American Alternative Assets

3.9

Goldco

4.8

Augusta Precious Metals

4.8

Birch Gold Group

4.4

Our Verdict

All in all, American Alternative Assets has a grand selection of services to help you invest in precious metals. It offers one of the best Gold IRA programs out there - and is incredibly easy to set up. Plus, you rarely pay any fees for using the service, other than annual storage fees for any precious metal assets you purchase. Noble Gold Investments is another reputable competitor in the precious metals industry, known for its strategic gold IRA options.

Critics may argue it lacks some of the depth that other investment platforms provide, but we still think it’s a great shout for anyone interested in precious metal investments - especially if you’re saving for your retirement.