Advantage Gold Review

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By Tim Schmidt Sr.
Accredited Investor and Gold IRA Specialist

Advantage Gold is a gold IRA company that was founded in Los Angeles in 2014 by Adam Maratta, Larry Levin, and Kirill Zagalsky, experienced professionals in the precious metals industry. The company is known for offering clear guidance, excellent customer service, and an easy-to-follow process for precious metals investing.

This Advantage Gold review takes a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the company as well as the costs, the processes, and its overall reputation in the precious metals and gold IRA space.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Top ratings from consumer review sites
• Excellent customer service
• Wide range of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium to choose from
• Buyback guarantee
• Strong reputation for educating customers about precious metals IRAs
• Fast and insured shipping
• Authorized U.S. Mint dealer
• Price match guarantee
• Simple gold IRA rollovers and setup

Cons

• No pricing transparency on Advantage Gold’s website
• Limited availability for non-IRA precious metals purchases
• Charges for shipping and insurance unless over a certain threshold
• No live chat support
• Phone only purchases

Advantage Gold’s Background and History

As mentioned, Advantage Gold was founded in 2014 in Los Angeles, and also has a location in Austin, TX. The company is managed by industry pros who are very involved in the precious metals IRA industry, and they have been for years.

What was so important to these founders was that they wanted to help investors diversify their retirement portfolio in a practical way. People often don’t realize that precious metals can play an important part in retirement planning, and the founders of Advantage Gold saw this gap in the market and the rest is history.

From the start, Advantage Gold has put a strong focus on converting traditional retirement accounts into IRAs that are backed by gold and other precious metals. Over time, the company has grown its team to help those interested in gold investing and today, they offer more than just gold; you can get many IRA-approved coins including silver coins, platinum coins and bars, and palladium coins and bars.

Advantage Gold is a reputable company that is associated with the U.S. Mint, which means the gold and silver that you get from this company is always authentic. In addition to this, Advantage Gold is a member of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets and the American Numismatic Association. This lends to its reputation as a great company to work with.

Over the past decade, the company grew very quickly, and it attracted a customer base that was looking to secure their financial future. Advantage Gold created a learning center, putting education first, and prospective clients were getting personalized attention and information needed to make informed decisions.

Today, the entire process of working with Advantage Gold is very simple and easy. They still put customer education first and the co-founders still have a team ready to help customers secure their wealth in precious metals.

Advantage Gold’s Products and Services

Most people interested in precious metals investing look at gold or silver, but Advantage Gold offers much more. Primarily, the company specializes in precious metals IRAs, but they have a wide selection of other products, too, which can be purchased for personal investing outside of an IRA.

To open up a gold IRA with Advantage Gold, you will need at least $5,000. This is low compared to competitors who often have a minimum investment of up to $50,000.

If you want to purchase gold or other precious metals from Advantage Gold, it’s a very streamlined process, as all the metals are high-quality and meet purity standards for inclusion into a gold IRA.

Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium Options

Advantage Gold is one of the few companies in this industry that offer palladium coins that meet IRS purity rules. This is a big deal, but keep in mind that they aren’t always available. That being said, the high-purity of the palladium extends to the rest of the products, too:

Gold options for investing include:

• 1/4 oz Canadian Lynx Gold Coin
• American Gold Eagle Bullion Coin
• 1 oz .9999 Gold Bar
• Wolverine Gold Bullion Coins

Advantage Gold has silver, too, including:

• ¾ oz Canadian Red Fox Silver Coin
• 1 oz American Eagle Silver Coin
• 1 oz Canadian Maple Leaf Coin
• 1 oz South Africa Silver Krugerrand
• Many more….

Platinum is available, too, at fair market prices, including:

• ⅓ oz Australian Whale Shark Platinum Bullion Coin
• 2020 1/3 oz Australian Leopard Seal Platinum Coin
• 2023 1/3 oz Australian Sea Lion Platinum Coin

Finally, you will find palladium here, too. At the time of this Advantage Gold review, they only had palladium bars, but the inventory often changes as different stock comes in. It’s unusual for a company to stock palladium, so that is one more thing that shows what a difference it is to work with Advantage Gold when compared to some of its competitors.

IRS Standards for IRA-Eligible Coins and Bars

As you work through the whole process of finding the perfect coins and bars for your investment portfolio, you should know that the metals placed in a precious metals IRA must meet certain standards per the IRS. All of the products that are offered by Advantage Gold meet IRS standards, including those from mints around the world.

Advantage Gold’s Buyback Program

One of the best things about Advantage Gold is that they have a buyback program. This allows customers to sell their metals back to the company if they need to liquidate. These transactions are done at spot price for the most part.

To start the process, you simply can request a quote from them, which is based on live market values, and then send the metals as instructed. Typically, you will get the funds within a day or two of the company receiving them.

Also, you will probably be even more satisfied to know that they offer a price match guarantee, so if you can show that another company will pay more, they will match that price, and sometimes, even exceed it.

Storage and Security

To comply with IRS regulations, precious metals that are held in an IRA must be stored in an approved facility called a depository. Advantage Gold partners with well-known and highly trusted depositories like Delaware Depository and Brink’s.

These depositories keep your metals safe and secure. They are insured and protected against theft, natural disasters, fire, and other types of damage. You must store your metals in one of these places for an IRA, and most of them charge flat fees each year for that service. Generally it ranges from $100 to $150 per year.

How to Open and Manage an Advantage Gold IRA

Opening an IRA with Advantage Gold is very simple. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide:

1. Reach Out to Advantage Gold

The first step is to reach out to Advantage Gold. One way to do this is to fill out the online form for a Free Gold IRA Kit. Someone will get in touch with you from the company to talk about what they offer, explain the investment options, and teach about how your money can be transferred or rolled over to fund the account.

2. Fill Out an Application

If you are ready to proceed, you will fill out an application for the self-directed IRA and choose a custodian. This is the company that manages the IRA and ensures that everything is in line with IRA guidelines. Advantage Gold works with some of the most trustworthy custodians out there including Equity Trust and STRATA Trust Company. They will also help with funding the account with a direct transfer or rollover. They will also explain how traditional IRAs differ from Roth IRAs and help you understand laws like required minimum distributions.

3. Fill Out Additional Forms and Agree to Terms

Once everything is in order with the application, you will need to fill out some other forms and agree to terms with Advantage Gold. These are all very standard, and every firm has them.

You will also need to submit a recent statement for your existing retirement account(s) and forms for the custodian and storage facility you have chosen.

4. Fund the Account and Choose Your Metals

Once the account is funded, you can then work with Advantage Gold to choose your precious metals investments. They will consider your retirement strategy, and then suggest gold or precious metals that will work well with your goals.

Advantage Gold Fees and Costs

Advantage Gold is generally transparent about pricing, but specifics, like how much each coin is, may not be listed on the website. To find out more, you will need to speak to a representative.

Regarding the fees, you can expect the following, though keep in mind that these are subject to change at any time:

• One time setup fee – $50
• Annual custodian fee – Ranges from around $95 and goes up to around $225+ depending on the custodian you choose
• Annual storage fee – Again, this depends on which depository you choose as well as the type of storage. Typically, the fee ranges from $100 to $150.

Another thing to consider is the markup the company adds to the cost of coins and bars. This is common with every company, and certain coins might be marked up more than others. Generally, you can expect to pay anywhere from 2% to 7% more than spot price.

Advantage Gold offers promotions for new customers, too. For instance, first year fees may be waived if you invest $50,000 or more. You might get free shipping for an investment of $25,000. Always ask about promotions when you speak to someone.

Advantage Gold Customer Reviews, Complaints, and Ratings

One of the best ways to learn about a company is to look at consumer reviews and things like BBB ratings.

Overall, the ratings and reviews for Advantage Gold are extremely positive. It has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and a 4.2/5 star rating from customers. There are 0 complaints filed with the BBB.

Business Consumer Alliance has given Advantage Gold its highest rating, an AAA, and on Trustpilot, the company has a 4.8/5 star rating with over 1,800 reviews. The company has also had a 5-star rating for five consecutive years on Trustlink.

Many people who left reviews called Advantage Gold the “best gold IRA company,” and others focused on how helpful the team was, mentioned how much they liked the educational videos Advantage Gold has, and others praised the knowledgeable staff for their professionalism.

Advantage Gold Complaints

Advantage Gold is very highly reviewed, but all companies have complaints, and this is no exception. One reviewer on the Better Business Bureau website claimed that their stepmother was charged a 30% premium on the metals she purchased. This person also claimed that the stepmother’s entire balance was transferred into a gold IRA, but she only wanted a portion of the balance transferred.

Advantage Gold complaints are uncommon, but we did find a few concerning reviews on the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot.

One BBB reviewer reported that their stepmother was charged a 30% premium on the precious metals she purchased, and that her entire account balance was transferred into a gold IRA instead of just the portion she had originally requested.

A user on Trustpilot claimed that they were not given a fair market value when selling metals back to Advantage Gold. There are also several reports of delivery delays, frequent follow-up calls, and complaints about no option to buy metals on the website.

For transparency, I invested with Goldco.  I would do it again in a heartbeat as they have been first class all the way and I’ve been very happy with them.  Along with the Augusta Precious Metals IRA, it’s my 1A and 1B in terms of service, buyback program, and transparent pricing.  You can’t go wrong with either provider.

Is Advantage Gold Legit?

Yes, Advantage Gold is a legitimate gold IRA company. It has a lot of strong ratings from consumer review sites, it partners with some of the most trusted custodians and depositories in the industry, and it has mostly positive customer reviews.

Advantage Gold works mostly with those who want top-notch communication and guidance. If you are considering a gold IRA I would certainly recommend this company. However, I think it’s a good idea to look for other options, too, just so you can make the most informed decision with your retirement savings.

With a strong focus on investor education and customer service, you really can’t go wrong with Advantage Gold.