Put Some Glitter into Your Self-Directed IRA With Gold and Other Precious Metals But Be Careful How You Store Those Alternative Assets

Published on April 20, 2026

Precious metals are among the many alternative assets allowed in a self-directed IRA. The types of precious metals investors can purchase with their SDIRA are in the form of bullion bars or coins of gold, sterling silver, platinum, and palladium that are produced by government mints or private companies. For precious metals to be eligible for investment purposes, they must meet certain requirements as outlined in IRC 408(m)(3).

The metals can be owned in bullion form (e.g. bars) that meet a minimum fineness or they can be in certain approved coin form—one, one half, one quarter, one tenth ounce U.S. gold coins, and/or one ounce silver coins minted by the Treasury Department (or certain foreign mints).

With the price of gold continuing to rise, it’s no surprise this precious metal is such a popular investment.

Prices of gold and other precious metals are soaring

Although the price of gold fluctuates as many other assets do, especially when world events create market disruptions and investor concern, these numbers reveal why gold bullion as well as silver is attracting many investors:

• Gold prices surpassed $2,900 per troy ounce in early 2026, marking a 40%+ increase from January 2024.*
• Global gold investment demand (physical bars and coins, ETFs, futures, and digital gold) has reached approximately $5.5 trillion, making gold one of the largest asset classes in the global financial system.*
• In the past six months, gold prices have risen almost $657 an ounce (a nearly 17% increase) and over $1400 in the past year (over 45% from a year ago).**
• Silver prices are up around $23 per ounce from six months ago (an increase of more than 48%) and nearly $37 per ounce (a whopping 109.74%) from a year ago.**
• Platinum was priced at around $1970 in late March; in the prior 52 weeks, it fluctuated between $885 and $2915.***

*Source: BusinessStats.com

**Source: goldprice.org, spot market pricing March 31, 2026

***Source: https://www.investing.com/commodities/platinum

Investing in gold and other precious metals in a self-directed IRA

With prices of gold elevated right now, and expected to continue rising, investors who understand the precious metals market, and have not done so already, may find this an opportune time to include these assets in their self-directed IRA.

In addition to bullion that meets IRS fineness requirements, there are some popular investment coins that investors can include in a self-directed IRA. Among the most people are the American Gold Eagle, Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, South African Krugerrand, Austrian Gold Philharmonic; American Silver Eagle and Canadian Silver Maple Leaf; and American Eagle coins in platinum or palladium.

Investors enjoy a favorable return on their investment when they sell the precious metals at a profit.

Beware of precious metals fraud

We’ve all seen TV commercials and print ads by companies that advertise “gold IRAs” and want you to purchase these assets from them and claim you can keep them at home. This is not true and it is why due diligence plays an important role, because sad to say, there are many bad actors in this sector. They are taking advantage of investors who may not thoroughly understand how to invest in precious metals safely—and within IRS investing guidelines to protect their assets and their retirement plan’s tax-advantaged status.

Facts about precious metal investments:

1. they are tangible assets that
2. must be purchased from legitimate brokers and
3. must be held off-site (NOT in one’s residence or workplace) in special third-party depositories that specialize in storing gold, silver, platinum, and palladium securely.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) notes on its website that precious metal fraud is on the rise, especially targeting seniors and pre-retirement investors. These fraudsters sell the metals at inflated prices and charge high commissions, and they may offer investment advice which is prohibited by companies with fiduciary responsibility. They may also tell you the metals are stored in a distant depository that doesn’t even exist. (You’ll find more valuable information at www.cftc.gov)

Long story short, use vetted brokers with a strong track record in precious metals and use a legitimate depository to store the asset. As with any type of investment, there are always going to be scammers out there, so investors, beware.

Precious metals depositories

The Internal Revenue Service requires individuals who hold a gold or other precious metals in their self-directed IRA to store them in an IRS-approved depository.

A precious metals depository is a third-party facility that stores bullion and coins. These facilities are purpose-built to store precious metals. The assets typically go directly from the dealer to the depository, which must follow strict IRS guidelines regarding proper storage and protection. There are around a dozen major IRS-approved precious metal depositories in the United States that are designed for IRA storage.

These precious metals depositories usually offer segregated and non-segregated storage options, held in either separate storage compartments or in a communal area. Either option provides strong protection for the investor as well as environmental controls for optimal storage conditions.

When researching precious metals depositories, find out about their requirements for and compliance with inventory audits and how often they submit periodic documentation regarding the entire inventory under their watch. These reports provide investors with a high degree of assurance that their precious metals remain safe and that nothing is missing. Research the storage fees and insurance to cover the rare occurrence of theft, loss, or damage.

At Next Generation Trust Company, many of our clients have been using Delaware Depository to store their precious metals because of that company’s excellent reputation and the strong security of its location and site. It is also the only depository that is also a trust company, with its own precious metals sales and support teams. Our clients report that Delaware Depository is trustworthy and secure, that it offers excellent customer service and accounting support, and that its staff are experts in the field of precious metal storage.

NOTE: For those who are not sure what a trust company is (like Next Generation), it is a specialized financial institution that is qualified to manage, administer, provide custody of, and transfer assets on behalf of individuals or organizations.

Client education is always available

We have hosted several webinars about investing in precious metals on the Next Generation website and invite you to complete this form to get a free download to get started on this investment journey. As always, you can contact our helpful team for answers to any questions about self-direction as a retirement wealth-building strategy—and the many alternative assets SDIRAs allow. Get in touch by email at NewAccounts@NextGenerationTrust.com or call 888.857.8058 during regular business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday-Friday).