Frequently asked questions

No. Ardent Gold never takes possession of your funds or your metals. Funds move between regulated custodians, and your metals are allocated and held directly at the depository, never through Ardent Gold.

Your metals are stored at IDS (International Depository Services), an insured, IRS-approved depository. Depending on the client, metals are held at an IDS facility in either Delaware or Texas. Both are secure, IRS-approved facilities built specifically for precious metals custody.

Yes. The metals are titled to your IRA in your name and held for your account at the depository. They are stored on a segregated basis, which means the specific metals purchased for your account are individually identified as yours and are not pooled with other account holders' holdings.

Your metals are held by the independent depository and titled to your IRA, not held by Ardent Gold. Because Ardent Gold never takes possession of your metals, your holdings are not tied to Ardent Gold's business status. The metals remain at the depository, titled to your account, and your custodian continues to administer your IRA.

While the metals are held inside your IRA, they are kept at the depository in order to maintain the account's tax-advantaged status. Taking personal possession of metals held in an IRA is generally treated as a distribution and can have tax consequences. When you reach the point of taking a distribution, you typically have the option to receive the metals or their cash value, according to IRS rules. Ardent Gold does not provide tax, legal, or investment advice, and you should consult your own advisors about your specific situation.

The IRS requires precious metals held in an IRA to be stored with an approved depository rather than kept personally at home. An IRS-approved depository is a facility that meets those requirements for securely holding metals on behalf of retirement accounts.

Yes. The metals held at the depository are covered under an all-risk insurance policy underwritten through Lloyd's of London, protecting the holdings while they are in the depository's vaults.

Your holdings are independently audited at the depository, and you receive documentation confirming the contents of your account. Your metals are recorded and verifiable, so you always have confirmation of what is held for you.

A precious metals IRA has a few straightforward fees: a one-time account setup fee and an annual administration fee charged by your custodian, and an annual storage fee charged by the depository. These are comparable in total to the fees already built into most retirement accounts, simply structured as flat amounts rather than a percentage of your balance. Your specialist reviews the exact figures with you directly. You can read more on our fees page.