A precious metals IRA is one of the few ways to hold physical gold or silver inside a tax-advantaged retirement account. For investors who want real, tangible assets as part of their retirement strategy, it's a genuinely useful structure. But there's a catch that most people don't discover until it's too late: the dealer you choose has an enormous impact on how much of your money actually ends up as metal — and how much disappears into margins.
The TV Advertising Problem
Here's a rule of thumb worth writing down: if a precious metals dealer can afford to run national television ads — celebrity spokespeople, prime-time slots, the works — their margins are almost certainly too high for your IRA to make sense.
That's not cynicism. It's math. National TV advertising is extraordinarily expensive. Those costs don't come out of thin air — they come out of the spread between what you pay for metal and what that metal is actually worth on the open market. Some of the most heavily advertised precious metals companies in the country have been the subject of consumer complaints, FTC scrutiny, and lawsuits related to overpriced products sold to retirement investors who didn't know any better.
The pitch is almost always the same: open a gold IRA to protect yourself from economic collapse. The fear-based marketing is effective. The premiums buried in the fine print are brutal.
What High Premiums Actually Cost You
Let's make this concrete. Spot price for a troy ounce of gold might be $2,900. A reputable low-margin dealer might sell that ounce at a 2-4% premium — so roughly $2,960 to $3,016. A heavily marketed dealer might charge $3,400 or more for the same ounce.
On a $50,000 IRA rollover, the difference between a fair premium and an inflated one can amount to $5,000–$10,000 that never becomes metal. It's gone the moment you fund the account. And unlike a fee you can see on a statement, a premium markup is invisible to most investors — it just looks like the price of gold.
What to Look for in a Precious Metals IRA Dealer
Not all dealers are created equal, and the right setup matters as much as the right product.
Low premiums over spot. This is non-negotiable. Before opening any precious metals IRA, check what the dealer charges over spot for standard IRA-eligible products (American Gold Eagles, Gold Buffalos, Silver Eagles, etc.) and compare it to what you'd pay at a standard online dealer. The gap tells you a lot. Transparency. Legitimate dealers show you exactly what you're paying and why. They don't bundle obscure fees into the purchase price or pressure you to buy "exclusive" products with inflated collectible premiums. No unnecessary middlemen. Some precious metals IRA structures involve a web of parties — the dealer, a separate custodian, a storage provider — each taking a cut. Simpler is better. The fewer hands between you and your metal, the less that leaks out in fees. The ability to see what you own. You should always be able to verify your holdings independently — not just take someone's word for what's in your account.SD Bullion: The Setup We Recommend
After looking at the landscape of precious metals IRA providers, SD Bullion stands out as the best option we're aware of for investors who want to do this right.
SD Bullion is already one of the most competitively priced precious metals dealers in the country for regular purchases. Their IRA structure extends that same low-premium model to retirement accounts — which is genuinely rare. Many dealers who offer competitive retail pricing jack up their margins when an IRA is involved. SD Bullion doesn't.
What makes their setup particularly clean is that you deal directly with SD Bullion — there's no separate dealer acting as a middleman between you and your metal. Their storage operates through SD Depository, and you can view your actual holdings at [portal.sddepository.com](https://portal.sddepository.com) — a dedicated portal where your account is transparent and verifiable at any time.
The entire process — application, funding, and account management — can be handled through that portal online. No waiting on phone calls, no paperwork being mailed back and forth, no pressure sales calls. For investors who want to handle this themselves without being walked through a sales funnel, that matters.
The Right Mindset for a Precious Metals IRA
A precious metals IRA isn't a get-rich-quick play. It's a way to hold a portion of your retirement savings in physical assets that have historically preserved purchasing power over long time horizons — outside of the traditional paper asset system. Used as part of a diversified retirement strategy, it can make a lot of sense.
But that thesis only holds if you're actually getting metal for your money — not paying away a large chunk of your investment in markups before you've even started. The dealer you choose is the most important variable in whether a precious metals IRA is a smart retirement move or an expensive mistake.
Do your homework, compare premiums, and think carefully before you let a polished TV pitch guide a decision this important.
Disclosure: This article is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice. We are not licensed financial advisors. We may have an affiliate relationship with some dealers mentioned. Precious metals investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before making retirement account decisions.