![]() Hard Assets Alliance is more convenient, lower cost, and offers greater international storage options.Most dealers still list all products, but provide a list of ones eligible for IRAs. A potential life-saver since if you put the wrong metal in an IRA, you risk paying taxes. Hard Assets Alliance only displays metals for sale that are eligible for IRA accounts. If you’ve been through the process elsewhere and then try the HAA way, you’ll get spoiled and never go back to those other programs. Hard Assets Alliance is the only dealer that lets you do everything under one roof-Entrust is a separate company, but you complete their paperwork on the HAA website. Way too much juggling between dealer, custodian, and depository. One caution: their video states they will “probably” ship your metals to your chosen depository… doesn’t sound reassuring.ĪPMEX will offer more guidance than JM Bullion, but you still have to complete all the same steps. I got exhausted trying to follow all the steps. You must pick a custodian and complete their paperwork then pick a depository and complete their paperwork then buy metal at the dealer then have it transferred from the dealer to your depository. JM Bullion does not help you set up the IRA it only recommends custodians for you to contact on your own. J&M Bullion and APMEX require extra steps… The main difference between these three dealers is that Hard Assets Alliance is the only dealer geared to buy-and-store metal. You can take delivery of some or all of your metal at any time in two business days.īottom line: Hard Assets Alliance can’t be beat on convenience, cost, and storage locations.They offer more international storage options.Purchase premiums are cheaper at Hard Assets Alliance (since shipping is billed separately).J&M Bullion and APMEX require you to toggle between dealer and depository, causing extra unnecessary steps. Their program is designed for storage-you literally buy the product at the vault where you want to store it.Hard Assets Alliance is the clear winner here….It uses the top custodians in the industry (Brinks, Loomis, and Malca-Amit). Hard Assets Alliance runs their own storage program. APMEX uses Brinks, but other dealers that use Brinks facilities do list the city and state. It’s true that most depositories won’t give you the vault address, but they’ll certainly tell you the city and state. This is an outdated practice and certainly less efficient than clicking “sell” on a website.ĪPMEX’s recommended depository won’t tell you where your bullion will be stored! I told them I’d be uncomfortable storing my metal in an undisclosed location, but they wouldn’t budge, citing security concerns. And withdrawal requests have to be put in writing to the storage company. It was no fun reading the depository’s 9-page disclosure, all written in legalese. JM Bullion doesn’t display storage fees on their website and requires you to email or call a separate storage company. They also add a surcharge to take delivery HAA does not. As a result, they should only be used for large accounts. You can see that the minimum monthly fee for both J&M Bullion and APMEX make them expensive for the average investor (Hard Assets Alliance now has a minimum storage fee as well, $15/qtr). Storage fees for all depositories are based on the value of metal you hold and are paid quarterly. And this means, you’ll have high liquidity when you want to sell. HAA is the only dealer I know that offers a competitive pricing model, where multiple sellers compete for your business.In other words, their policy will replace the product you ordered instead of paying the value of your order. It’s noteworthy that Hard Asset Alliance’s insurance covers “physical replacement,” not a dollar reimbursement like most dealers. The best price is automatically displayed for the customer. Hard Assets Alliance has a supplier network where at least four institutional dealers and refiners in a chosen region will bid on your order. JM Bullion and APMEX list prices “as low as…” However, these premiums are for large orders only, so smaller amounts will pay a higher premium. Premiums in this industry change frequently-even intraday-depending on market conditions, dealer supply, etc. *Paid with check or money order excludes credit card payments and wire fees
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