Diversification
Many retirement accounts are heavily concentrated in stocks and bonds. Adding an asset that does not always move in the same direction as the broader market can bring balance to a long-term portfolio.
Precious metals for self-directed retirement accounts
A disciplined way to hold physical gold in your retirement account.
Ardent Gold coordinates the purchase and depository storage of IRS-approved precious metals for self-directed retirement accounts. The structure ensures your metals are always held by an independent, insured depository, and never by us.
Ardent Gold never takes possession of your funds or your metals.
The basics
What is a precious metals IRA?
A precious metals IRA is a self-directed retirement account that can hold specific physical gold and other IRS-approved metals, rather than only paper assets like stocks and funds. It works like a traditional IRA, but instead of being limited to paper-based holdings, it can include physical precious metals that meet IRS purity standards.
The metals are held in a secure, IRS-approved depository, never at home, which preserves the account's tax-advantaged status. Investors often explore this structure as a way to add diversification with a tangible asset. Whether it fits depends on your goals, timeline, and risk tolerance. Our role is to help you understand the option clearly, not to convince you.
Why gold
Why investors consider precious metals
A tangible store of value
Gold has been recognized across generations as a way to preserve wealth, independent of any single company or market sector. For some investors, that long history is part of the appeal.
A hedge against uncertainty
As the cost of living rises, purchasing power can erode over time. Some investors include physical assets as part of a broader effort to protect long-term savings.
Gold is not appropriate for every portfolio. Our role is to help you understand the option clearly, not to convince you.
The process
A straightforward, three-step process
-
01
Open your account
A self-directed IRA is established with a qualified custodian who administers it under IRS rules.
-
02
Fund and select
Existing retirement funds are transferred or rolled over by your custodian, without tax when handled properly, and you choose from IRS-approved precious metals suited to your goals.
-
03
Secure storage
Your metals are held at an insured, IRS-approved depository, titled to your IRA in your name.
Held independently
Storage & security →
Your metals are held by an independent depository, never by Ardent Gold.
Your metals are held at IDS (International Depository Services), an insured, IRS-approved depository, and titled to your retirement account in your name. Holdings are allocated directly at the depository, never in transit between facilities. At no point does Ardent Gold take possession of your funds or your metals.
Transfer coordinated
Allocated at depository (IDS)
Titled to your IRA
Is it right for you
Who a precious metals IRA may suit
Investors nearing retirement
Those shifting from growth toward preservation, who want a stabilizing allocation within a broader portfolio.
Those concerned about volatility
Investors who want an asset that has historically moved differently than stocks.
Diversification-minded investors
Those building a retirement plan across multiple asset classes.
Those who value tangible assets
Investors who want to own something physical, outside the leverage of the financial system.
A precious metals IRA is typically one part of a broader retirement strategy, not a replacement for it.
Transparency
Clear about costs
Costs in a precious metals IRA are not unique to gold. They are part of maintaining any properly structured, IRS compliant retirement account, and they come from a few clearly separate sources. The structure is comparable to the costs already built into most retirement accounts, simply organized differently.
Account setup fee
A one time fee to establish your self-directed IRA and set up the account.
Annual administration fee
Charged by your custodian each year for administering the account and keeping it IRS compliant.
Secure storage fee
Charged by the depository for securely holding and insuring your metals at an approved facility.
The exact figures depend on the account size and the metals you select. Your specialist reviews all of them with you directly before anything moves forward.
Learn more about fees →