American Hartford Gold works with IRS-approved precious-metals depositories, including Brink’s Global Services and Delaware Depository. Available storage arrangements may include segregated storage, where a client’s metals are separately identified, and non-segregated or commingled storage, where fungible metals are held with assets belonging to other customers.

Equity Trust Company is commonly used as a self-directed IRA custodian, although the exact custodian and depository may depend on the customer’s account arrangement. Custodian and storage agreements should be reviewed separately because American Hartford Gold acts as the metals dealer rather than the IRA trustee.

Metals are insured during shipment, and depository holdings are subject to the facility’s security and insurance arrangements. IRA investors cannot personally store account-owned metals at home without risking a taxable distribution and possible penalties. The metals must remain under the control of the qualified custodian until they are properly distributed or sold.

We evaluate gold IRA companies using publicly available fee information, direct company disclosures, custodian and depository relationships, product breadth, customer-service accessibility and independently documented reputation. Pricing transparency and value receive substantial weight because premiums and spreads can materially affect an investor’s results even when metal prices rise.

We also distinguish between the dealer, custodian and depository. Each performs a separate role and may charge separate fees. Scores reflect the information available when the review is prepared and can change if a company updates its prices, policies or service relationships.