This post is based on a dealer review video (Birch Gold Group) – worth flagging upfront, since a review produced by or about one company isn’t a neutral comparison. Here are the real, dealer-independent tradeoffs anyone considering a Gold IRA should weigh.

On the pro side: physical gold has historically shown low correlation with stocks and bonds, meaning it doesn’t always move the same direction as the rest of a portfolio – a reason it’s used as a diversifier, not a replacement for other assets. It also doesn’t carry any single company’s credit or business risk the way a stock or corporate bond does.

On the con side: gold pays no dividend or interest, so all of its potential return has to come from a price change. A Gold IRA also carries setup, custodian, and storage fees that a standard brokerage IRA doesn’t, and selling physical metal is generally slower and less liquid than selling a stock or ETF.

Whichever dealer you’re evaluating, compare its total fee schedule (not just the headline pitch) against at least one other IRS-approved custodian before deciding.