Navigating the world of gold IRAs can often feel like trying to find your way through a labyrinth. You’re looking for the right balance of security, profitability, and customer service. This is where the Strata Trust Company comes into the picture. With its unique features, Strata has been making waves in the IRA sector. But does it live up to the hype? Stick around, we’ll be peeling back the layers to uncover the truth about Strata’s Gold IRA options, their pros and cons, and whether they’re the right choice for your investment needs.
About Strata Trust Company
You may be wondering, who exactly is Strata Trust Company? As a subsidiary of Horizon Bank, they’ve been in operation since 2008 and underwent a significant rebrand in 2017. They’re experts in the retirement sector, offering diverse investment opportunities to over 30,000 investors, and have built up an impressive $3B in assets.
Who Is Strata Trust Company?
Established in 2008 and rebranded in 2017, Strata Trust Company specializes in providing alternative investment opportunities like real estate, crowdfunding, private equity, and precious metals, making it a pioneer in the realm of self-directed IRA services. Their dedicated team, led by experienced professionals such as President Kelli Click and COO Jeff Thompson, strives to offer innovative solutions and personalized service to clients.
Some key insights about Strata include:
- Pioneered working with crowdfunding platforms
- Offers institutional IRA services
- Variety of investment options including real estate and precious metals
- Detailed fee structure for transparency
- Excellent customer service as evidenced by reviews
While exploring innovative investment avenues, Strata also ensures to educate its clients about prohibited IRA investments, ensuring a smooth investment journey.
STRATA’s Features
As you consider STRATA’s offerings, take note of their unique features. Their self-directed trading allows you to choose your preferred precious metals companies, the timing, and amounts of transactions. Two storage options, a comprehensive online resource center, and diverse portfolio options further enhance the flexibility and control of your investment journey.
Self-Directed Trading
In considering STRATA’s features, it’s worth noting that the company offers self-directed trading, allowing you as an investor to select your preferred precious metals companies, dictate your own purchase timings, and set transaction amounts. This flexibility gives you a more hands-on approach to your investments.
However, it’s important to be aware of the associated costs:
- You’ll be charged for shipping your gold to the depository.
- There are storage fees to keep in mind.
- Each trade incurs a transaction fee.
- The storage fee remains the same each year no matter how much metal you have stored.
- It’s vital to factor in these costs when considering your potential return on investment.
STRATA’s self-directed trading option therefore offers a degree of control, but also requires careful cost management.
Two Storage Options
Continuing to explore STRATA’s features, it’s crucial to note that you’re given two distinct storage options for your metals, each with its own advantages and implications. The first is commingled storage, which places your metals in a shared container with other investors’ assets. This can be a cost-effective choice, reducing your storage fees. However, should you decide to sell or take a distribution, you’ll receive metals that are similar, but not identical, to your initial purchases.
Your other option is segregated storage, which assigns a specific area for your metals. Any new metals you purchase are added to this designated container. This option ensures that you’ll receive the exact metals you initially purchased if you decide to sell or take a distribution.
Online Resource Center
Delving into STRATA’s features, you’ll find an extensive Online Resource Center – a treasure trove of content designed to empower you with the knowledge you need to make informed investment decisions, without any pressure or biases.
STRATA’s Online Resource Center provides:
- A vast library of content that guides you towards suitable investments.
- A low-pressure environment promoting an unbiased approach to investment decisions.
- A policy ensuring no recommendations for precious metals companies, avoiding potential conflicts of interests.
- Detailed information enabling you to make informed purchases.
- A platform designed to educate rather than influence, giving you the control you deserve.
Diverse Portfolio Options
Building on the resources available, STRATA’s offerings don’t stop at educational content; they extend to a vast array of portfolio options, providing you an opportunity to diversify your investments beyond just gold and silver. You’re not restricted to these precious metals, as they also offer the option to add platinum and palladium to your account. But the diversification doesn’t end there. If you’re looking to venture beyond precious metals, STRATA accommodates your needs with other types of IRA accounts. You can invest in futures, providing a way to speculate on the direction of market prices. Real estate investments are another option, offering potential for income and capital appreciation. Additionally, private equity investments are available, giving you access to high-growth private companies.
Who Should Consider STRATA’s Gold IRAs?
If you’re an investor looking to preserve wealth, STRATA’s Gold IRAs should be on your radar. It’s an ideal choice for those who are seeking a more diverse portfolio with alternative investments and precious metals. Furthermore, if you’re not keen on storing your own metals and prefer a custodian to safeguard your investment, STRATA’s services could be a perfect fit.
Investors Looking To Preserve Wealth
For those investors who’ve amassed substantial wealth and are keen on safeguarding their purchasing power, STRATA’s Gold IRAs should be a consideration, especially if you’re seeking a hedge against inflation.
Here are some vital points to consider:
- Gold IRAs can offer a solid hedge against inflation, helping to preserve your wealth.
- The value of gold often moves in the opposite direction of traditional paper assets, providing an effective portfolio diversifier.
- Gold IRAs are a long-term investment that requires patience and commitment.
- STRATA’s Gold IRA allows for physical possession of your gold, which adds an extra layer of security.
- Lastly, the value of gold tends to increase over time, making it a reliable wealth preservation strategy.
These factors make STRATA’s Gold IRAs an appealing option for wealth preservation.
People Looking for More Diversity
Looking to diversify your investment portfolio? STRATA’s Gold IRAs might just be the perfect addition, offering a plethora of options from precious metals to alternative accounts for futures, real estate, and private equity investments. If you’re not content with the traditional stocks and bonds, STRATA’s Gold IRAs provide a golden opportunity to add a different dimension to your investment strategy. Precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum offer solid protection against inflation and market volatility. Moreover, alternative accounts open up a realm of possibilities, allowing you to venture into the world of futures, real estate, and private equity. With STRATA, you’re not just buying gold; you’re harnessing a comprehensive investment tool that can potentially enhance your portfolio’s performance and resilience.
Those Who Don’t Want To Store Their Own Metals
When considering STRATA’s Gold IRAs, you’ll find comfort in the fact that you don’t have to worry about storing your own precious metals. This convenience is one of the standout features of STRATA’s service. It’s a perfect solution if you:
- Prefer not to deal with the security concerns of storing precious metals at home.
- Want to avoid the hassle of arranging for a safe deposit box.
- Appreciate the ease of having a custodian manage your holdings.
- Like the assurance of knowing your investment is professionally protected.
- Value the peace of mind that comes with knowing your gold is in secure storage.
The Pros and Cons of Strata Trust Company
As you consider the merits of Strata Trust Company, it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons. Understanding both the advantages and potential drawbacks can help you make an informed decision about this IRA provider. Let’s explore the strengths and weaknesses of Strata Trust Company’s services.
Pros
Undeniably, one of the primary advantages of the Strata Trust Company is its low initial annual fee that’s billed annually, eliminating the hassle of keeping up with quarterly payments. This alone sets Strata apart from many competitors.
But there’s more to Strata than just affordability. Here are some other positive aspects that you should consider:
- A well-versed management team that’s known for its expertise
- A wide variety of investment options, ensuring a diversified portfolio
- A responsive customer service team, ready to assist at any time
- A transparent fee structure, so there are no hidden costs
- A user-friendly website, making it easy to set up and manage your account
Cons
While Strata Trust Company certainly has its strengths, it’s also important to consider the drawbacks that come along with their services. Notably, they don’t offer a 401(k) account, potentially limiting your retirement planning options. Moreover, the company charges for many things that others do not. You’ll find fees for administration, record keeping, and transactions. This could potentially eat into your investment returns over time. Furthermore, a lack of customer reviews online might make it harder for you to gauge the quality of their services. Lastly, the absence of a live chat customer service feature may slow down your query resolution process. So, it’s crucial to weigh these cons against the pros before choosing Strata Trust for your IRA needs.
Strata Trust Company Fee Structure
Navigating through the fee structure of Strata Trust Company, you’ll find a variety of costs associated with different types of IRA accounts. Each account type has an initial setup fee of $50.
Let’s break down these costs for you:
- Precious Metals IRA: This account has an annual fee of $75. However, if you opt for segregated storage, there’s an extra $140 annual fee. This option ensures only you and Strata Trust Company have access to your assets.
- Regular IRA: The annual fee for this account is $100.
- Flex IRA: This account allows you to invest in alternative assets and charges an annual fee of $250. If you decide to store real estate, the cost is $100 per year, and holding private notes costs $50 per year.
Bear in mind, Strata Trust Company also charges a $50 fee for wire transfers and record-keeping, which isn’t common among its competitors.
Though the fees may seem numerous, they’re relatively reasonable when compared with industry standards. The ability to invest in a diverse range of assets with the Flex IRA may justify its higher annual fee to some investors. The segregated storage option provides added security for your precious metal investments, though it does come at a higher cost.
Conclusion
STRATA Trust Company’s Gold IRAs are a solid choice if you’re seeking a diversified retirement portfolio. With its range of features, transparent fee structure, and notable pros, it’s certainly worth considering. However, don’t overlook the cons. Thoroughly weigh up your options before making a decision, as your retirement investments are crucial. STRATA Trust Company could be an excellent addition to your retirement planning strategy, but ensure it aligns with your financial goals.
