American Hartford Gold Review
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Fast Facts
Precious Metals IRA:
Specializes in gold and silver IRAs.
Customer Service:
High ratings for support.
No Startup Fees:
Free to set up an account.
Educational Resources:
Provides extensive market information.
Buyback Commitment:
Offers buyback guarantee.
Storage Options:
Secure storage facilities available.
Gold has been valuable for about as long as it has been coveted by civilizations. From the California Gold Rush in America to the conquests in South America for physical gold and other precious metals, gold has long been associated with wealth and power. As such, many people look to the precious metals industry as a way to protect their own personal finances in modern times.
What does a precious metals investment look like? Generally, it means gold investments, but can also refer to investments in other bullion such as palladium or silver coins. From precious metals IRAs to access to the metals market, there are plenty of precious metals companies helping you use gold and silver IRAs as part of your retirement planning. American Hartford Gold, also known as AHG, is one such business.
Is American Hartford Gold a good precious metals dealer for gold coins or a self-directed IRA? What are their customer reviews like compared to what the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has to say about the company? Keep reading for a helpful review of what makes American Hartford Gold a good choice for your investment portfolio — as well as why you may not want to use the business for your retirement savings. This American Hartford Gold review gets into the details.
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What is American Hartford Gold?
American Hartford Gold Group was founded by with the mission to help families and individuals protect their wealth. They do this by providing physical delivery of cash purchases of gold, silver, or platinum, as well as retirement accounts in the form of an IRA, 401K or TSP for those looking for tax-deferred ways to invest in gold and silver.
American Hartford Gold is based in Los Angeles, California, and their CEO is Sanford Mann. One thing that sets American Hartford Gold apart from other options in the market is their emphasis on educational resources. They offer free Gold 2024 investment guides as well as free Silver 2024 investment guides to help you understand the precious metals market as it relates to your financial goals.
As a business, American Hartford Gold received the number one rank on Inc. 5000’s list of America’s fastest-growing private companies in the gold sector, and has gained a reputation with names like Bill O’Reilly and Rick Harrison, among others.
How does American Hartford Gold work?
In order to get started with American Hartford Gold, you’ll want to navigate to the company’s website and click on the drop-down menu next to “I want to.” From there, you’ll have the option to buy gold, buy silver, or set up IRA rollovers.
While you will be able to get some information online about American Hartford Gold, they have specialists standing by ready to work with you, and you’ll need to talk to someone on the phone in order to fully set up your account.
For example, in order to get your IRA set up, you’ll want to create an account first by calling their specialists in order to assist you with paperwork. From there, it can take as few as three days before you’re able to select what mixture of precious metals you’re looking to invest in. Again, AHG’s specialists are there to help you along the way, providing their own insight into whether gold coins or bars are the way to go for your needs.
Only company recommended by Bill O'Reily
- Low investment minimum of $10,000
- Free insured delivery of metals
- Over 900+ positive reviews on Trustpilot
- 100% satisfaction guarantee, 7-day full refund
- Lowest price guarantee & no buy-back fees
- Up to $15,000 in free silver on qualified accounts
How much does American Hartford Gold cost?
American Hartford Gold is known for offering competitive prices, although it’s worth noting that the value of gold and silver can fluctuate, so pricing, much like anything with some market volatility, can be hard to nail down. American Hartford Gold does charge IRA fees as well as storage fees and has a minimum investment requirement.
In order to open an account with American Hartford Gold, you’re looking at a $230 application fee and $200 annually for storage and custodial services. If you want to open a cash account with AHG, you’ll need a minimum investment of $5,000, while a Gold IRA with American Hartford Gold will require a minimum deposit of $10,000.
American Hartford Gold features
Wide range of precious metals
While American Hartford Gold has the word “gold” in their business name, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to investing in precious metals with the company. AHG offers gold and silver in the form of coins and bars, as well as platinum and palladium.
Gold IRAs
One of the main reasons to invest with American Hartford Gold is to diversify your retirement funds by investing in something other than the stock market. AHG’s Gold IRA account allows you to set up an individual retirement account leveraging the value of precious metals like gold and silver. They even take the hassle out of liquidation with their buyback commitment with no liquidation fees charged.
Experienced customer team
In addition to their endorsements from well-known investing and financial minds, American Hartford Gold is well-known for its excellent customer service team. They have a high customer satisfaction rating on TrustPilot and experts are always available to be reached by phone should you have any specific questions about getting started or making the right precious metal choice.
Free guides
American Hartford Gold is also committed to providing educational resources on the gold and silver markets to the public through free guides available online. These guides are released yearly and can help you better understand the ins and outs of the precious metals market and why it may be a good idea to diversify your investments in this way.
Who is American Hartford Gold best for?
With low minimums to get started with a cash account and free educational resources available, American Hartford Gold is a great option for people who are new to the precious metals market. While investors with some knowledge of diversification can still benefit from AHG’s Gold IRAs, beginners who are just dipping their toes into the world of precious metal investing will get the most benefit from using American Hartford Gold.
Who shouldn’t use American Hartford Gold?
If you’re conscious of fees eating into your potential profits, you may want to avoid using American Hartford Gold IRA, due to annual fees, storage fees, and an application fee. Additionally, if you’re looking for short-term gains, prefer a riskier investment strategy with the potential for higher rewards, or prefer not to invest in physical goods, then American Hartford Gold likely isn’t a good fit for you.
Only company recommended by Bill O'Reily
- Low investment minimum of $10,000
- Free insured delivery of metals
- Over 900+ positive reviews on Trustpilot
- 100% satisfaction guarantee, 7-day full refund
- Lowest price guarantee & no buy-back fees
- Up to $15,000 in free silver on qualified accounts
Pros and cons
Pros
- Competitive pricing. American Hartford Gold offers transparent pricing, as long as you’re willing to call them to learn more about how fees impact your account and to get the latest info on current pricing for gold or silver coins.
- Free educational resources. American Hartford Gold offers two free resource guides on gold and silver, ensuring that when you call their experts you can do so as an informed and knowledgeable investor.
- Customer service. While you need to call on the phone in order to speak to an expert, the account management team at American Hartford Gold provides a friendly, professional, and knowledgeable experience.
- Buyback commitment. If you’re interested in liquidating your investment, American Hartford Gold is committed to helping you liquidate your gold and silver with no liquidation fees charged.
Cons
- Have to call for fees. American Hartford Gold advertises a variety of coins and bars you can invest in; however, in order to get pricing, you’ll need to pick up the phone and call them. While this makes sense since prices can fluctuate daily, it is an added obstacle to investing.
- Custodial fees. As was mentioned earlier, there are custodial fees associated with managing your account, which can eat into your gains over time.
- Market fluctuations. This is true for the stock market, too, but the prices of precious metals can fluctuate a lot, so they aren’t as stable of an investment as a bond.
American Hartford Gold vs competitors
Company | Offers self-directed precious metal IRAs | Minimum investment | Number of storage choices |
American Hartford Gold | Yes | $1,500 for cash purchase, $10,000 for Gold IRA | 3 |
Lear Capital | Yes | $5,000 | 1 |
Augusta Precious Metals | Yes | $50,000 | 11 |
Lear Capital
Lear Capital enjoys a strong industry presence with many years of operational history. The company has a minimum investment requirement of $5,000. Lear Capital requires a one-time payment of $280 for the setup and $200 annual charges after that. You can buy precious metals to store at your home and to add to your IRA. It also gives you 24 hours to cancel your purchase which is known as 24-Hour Risk-Free Guarantee.
Augusta Precious Metals
A gold IRA company, Augusta Precious Metals has a strong A+ rating on BBB and offers gold and silver cash purchases and IRAs. It is a trusted company with several positive reviews and offers 11 storage options. The minimum investment required is $50,000 which is on the higher side as compared to the other companies.
FAQs
Is American Hartford Gold legit?
Yes. American Hartford Gold has an A+ ranking from the Better Business Bureau and a 4.7 out of 5 ranking on TrustPilot.
Is American Hartford Gold available in all 50 states?
Yes. American Hartford Gold is available for access in any of the 50 states.
Is American Hartford Gold secure?
Yes. They recognize utilizing Brink’s Global Services or Delaware Depository Service in order to store your precious metals investments.
Only company recommended by Bill O'Reily
- Low investment minimum of $10,000
- Free insured delivery of metals
- Over 900+ positive reviews on Trustpilot
- 100% satisfaction guarantee, 7-day full refund
- Lowest price guarantee & no buy-back fees
- Up to $15,000 in free silver on qualified accounts
The bottom line
American Hartford Gold is a reliable supplier of precious metals and Gold IRAs for anyone interested in diversifying their portfolio with metals like gold or silver. Their website is easy to navigate and quickly connects you to experienced customer service reps over the phone who are standing by to take your questions and help you make the most of your account. American Hartford Gold has positive reviews and ratings on reputable sources like the Better Business Bureau as well as TrustPilot.
While there’s a lot to like about American Hartford Gold, it’s worth noting that they do have an array of fees that may dissuade more fee-conscious investors from opening an account there. Additionally, anyone who prefers not to have to do business over the phone may want to reconsider working with American Hartford Gold, since telephone is how you reach them.
Ultimately, if you’re looking for a long-term investment and are interested in precious metals, then American Hartford Gold is definitely a company worth considering.
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Writer
Brent Ervin-Eickhoff is a Chicago-based writer, stage director, and filmmaker with a background in digital marketing and content creation. In addition to Joy Wallet, Brent has written for Complex, Volkswagen, HowlRound, Picture this Post, and Third Coast Review, among others. He currently serves as the Associate Director of Marketing for Content Creation at Court Theatre at the University of Chicago. Brent graduated from Ball State University with Academic Honors in Writing.
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