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American Hartford Gold Group Review
There’s no downplaying how things are nowadays. The unpredictability of the local and global markets means that the spending power of your hard-earned money is no longer that secure and certain. Being more proactive in protecting your savings is all the more necessary today, and you can do that with a precious metals IRA.
An Individual Retirement Account can help you buy, store, and own gold to your name, thus converting a part of your wealth into something that is utterly independent of the volatility of the economy. One of the companies that can help you secure one is American Hartford Gold Group, but can they be trusted? The short answer is a yes.
But as to what they are truly capable of and what they can offer to clients, just read on through this review.
(AMERICAN HARTFORD GOLD) | Pros Table.
Overview of American Hartford Gold
Overview of the Company
The American Hartford Gold Group is a precious metals company based in Los Angeles California. They have been in the business of selling precious metals and IRA-related services for more than a decade now and have made a name for themselves as a fairly dependable provider of products and services.
For over a decade now, the company has managed to receive several accolades for its services. This includes a constant A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and near-perfect scores from sites like Google Reviews and TrustPilot.
Bolstering their reputation even further is the fact that they are endorsed by some of the country’s most influential figures. Some of these endorsements come from the likes of right-wing commentator Bill O’Reilly and former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani.
What Are They Selling?
The company is primarily known for providing its clients with a selection of precious metals to choose from. Their product library contains coins and bullion in gold, silver, palladium, and platinum coming from different mints across the globe.
Some of AHG’s internationally-derived products come from places like Australia, Canada, China, and Switzerland, and all have been approved for both IRA and non-IRA purchases. The availability of specific bars and coins might change from time to time, but it is reasonable to expect more than a handful of options every time a client makes an order.
The prices also change, but they more or less reflect their values in the market. This means that the bid-ask spread for their products is not that large of a margin. But just to be safe, you may have to inquire about prices over the phone first before you decide on what products to invest in.
Cost & Fees
It should come as no surprise to you that maintaining an IRA is not going to be light on the budget. The price for coins and bullion alone is going to be considered, but there are additional fees to think of as well.
For the American Hartford Gold Group, you can expect to spend as much as $180.00 every year for the maintenance of your account. This is not asked by AHG directly but by the IRA custodian handling your account.
For shipping and storage, you can expect the company to use a variable system for calculating your fees. This means that what you will pay to ship and store your precious metals will be directly proportionate to your buying activities, preferences, and purchase frequency.
The biggest expense to consider with the company, however, is the investment minimums. If you plan to do IRA purchases with the company, you are expected to save as much as $10,000.00 to qualify. For non-IRA purchases, that amount is lowered to $2,500.00. There is also the option of having your first-year fees in storage and shipping be completely waived. All you have to do is to make a qualifying purchase of no less than $10,000.00 for one transaction.
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Pros and Cons
Pros
The American Hartford Gold Group is particularly known in the industry for having one of the best customer services. Various reviews have pointed out that the company is rather consistent in giving clients a particularly good customer experience in every transaction.
The agents assigned to handle purchases and IRA-related services are known to be rather attentive and patient, taking the time to listen to customer complaints and guiding them through each step of the process. And if an issue is raised, the company does exert effort in addressing the same and figuring out a solution for the problem.
Another point for the company is the near-constant availability of their services. Reviews pointed out that there is always a company agent manning the support hotline at all hours of the day, and can take calls from clients regardless of wherever they are calling from.
One other notable advantage for the company is its comparatively low investment minimum of $10K for IRA purchases. Compared to the other leading companies whose minimums range from $25K to $50K, $10K looks a bit more manageable and reasonable.
Lastly, the company has an easy-to-follow buyback process. If you need to have your gold sold back to the company, you can do so in three easy steps and with no liquidation fee being charged to you.
Cons
As much as the company has some strong points, there are also some issues that AHG has so far not yet properly addressed. One of the glaring complaints that are repeated is the lack of a price listing in their catalog. Sure, a client can know what is available but can’t, at a glance, know how much these items would set them back.
To know the prices, you will have to inquire about the phone. The agents are more than willing to answer that question but such a piece of information is easier to process if they have a price list that updates in real-time on their website.
Also, the company does not provide options for shipping outside of the United States. Thus, if you are an AHG client and lived in non-US territories, your options for your precious metals are only limited to having them stored in a US-located depositary facility.
Storage Options and Delivery Options
The owning and shipping of gold and other precious metals is not as straightforward as you think. After all, they are quite valuable, which means that only a few are authorized to store and move them from vault to vault.
That being said, the American Hartford Gold Group is affiliated with several depositary companies that can store these precious metals in highly-secured vaults for clients. Some of the depositaries that are connected to AHG include Brinks, the International Depositary Service, and Delaware Depositary Service.
The fees for storing your gold depend on who you choose as a depositary and the kind of storage you prefer. However, just expect your annual costs to range from $75.00 to $125.00. The rule of thumb here is that your storage fees are more expensive regardless of the depositary if you choose non-segregated storage.
As for shipping, the company does offer delivery to both depositaries and a client’s preferred address. If you want to have physical possession of your gold, you can have them arranged to be delivered to your doorstep. Just keep in mind that fees are going to be determined by the number of items you have to order, and the distance between the place of origin and the destination.
The company is also insured for both storage and shipping. This means that you can expect to be indemnified for at least a portion of your investments in the event of a serious security breach.
Buyback Commitment
The option of selling your gold back is not exactly offered in all IRA companies. Luckily for you, American Hartford Gold is one of few companies that does offer a buyback program.
If you need extra funding, all you have to do is to make a withdrawal request. You have to state there exactly what items you are withdrawing. The agent will tell you how much they will currently sell and have to confirm your order. If you do make your buyback decision final, you might have to wait for a few days before the money can be transferred to your bank account.
There is also another buyback option offered. Here, you will make the withdrawal request and also request for the items to be shipped to your address. This way, you have full control over how much you can sell your precious metals for and to who.
This does beg the question: how much of your gold can be sold for in a buyback process. There is no assurance that you will get back the amount you originally purchased the items for. However, the buyback price will certainly be more or less near the current market value for the items.
But just keep in mind that fines are to be expected if you withdraw anything from your IRA if you are not yet 60 years of age. The IRS would like to regulate the activities of all IRAs to prevent wanton abuse, after all.
(AMERICAN HARTFORD GOLD) | Pros Table.
What Makes American Hartford Gold Unique?
The one quality that makes the American Hartford Gold Group stand out would be its approach to client interactions. Things like attentive staff and always-present support are to be expected from a good IRA company. But where the company stands out the most is its ability to make its clients feel smarter and more confident with each transaction made.
How the company does this is by giving its clients access to much-needed information. By becoming an AHG client, you are given access to a library of content as well as tools on their web page. There, you will learn about what is going on in the market through blogs, real-time monitors, and other charting tools.
And if whatever information given to you seems to be complicated, the company will also assign an agent that can simplify matters for you. The company even encourages its clients to be as inquisitive and open as possible. The more a person learns about what their IRAs are worth with AHG, the better it would be for both parties involved.
Think of it this way: every other company is content in making sure that each transaction you make with them is successful. That will go so far as to only make sure that each deal is closed properly.
However, what the company aims to do is to make every client more successful as an investor. That means arming them with the right kind of tools and information to make the best possible investment decision. In a sense, this ensures that you would engage in more transactions in the company in the long term.
One other standout quality of the company is its insistence on using a variable system for calculating fees. This means that the fees you will pay every year are directly proportionate to your activities as a precious metals investor. In other words, how expensive running your IRA every year is going to depend on how much you will have use for it.
At the very least, a variable system will make sure that you do not pay for more than what you need from the company every year. This should help in keeping your fees minimal to a degree for as long as possible.
Opening a Gold IRA Account with American Hartford Gold
The process of setting up your IRA with the American Hartford Gold Group is rather straightforward. It all begins with you making a call to the company. There, an agent will answer every inquiry you might raise while also introducing you to the basics of the company’s services.
After this, there will be a series of meetings where you will be assessed on your ability to handle an IRA. This is also the part where you will get acquainted with the different fees, requirements, and other expenses related to the management of an IRA. This is the point of the process where you are going to answer the question “Am I the right person to have an IRA?”
If you decide that an IRA is worth the effort, the next step would involve qualifying for the IRA. This will involve a lot of paperwork as you will have to convince the company, the custodian, and the depositaries that you have what it takes to meet the expenses of a retirement account.
As such, you can expect to attach a lot of pertinent documents to your application form including some financial statements and affidavits. An agent or lawyer will help you here as they can assist in securing some of these files.
If you do meet all the requirements and your application has been submitted, you need to wait for a few days at least for the request to get cleared. American Hartford Gold does have to coordinate your application with 2 other companies, which can take time and a lot of communication, after all. If it does, your IRA is now ready for use. All that is left is to fund it.
There are multiple ways to get money wired to your account. The easiest of these is a rollover process where the IRA Company can have money coming from your existing savings accounts like a 401K transferred to your new IRA. This will take some time to get cleared, and there are some fees to be expected, but a rollover process should not take more than a week to get cleared. Once the rollover is completed, your IRA is now ready to start buying gold to your name.
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Customer Support & Customer Complaints
American Hartford Gold Group has rated consistently high as far as customer support is concerned. Various reviewers have pointed out that the support given by the company is prompt and highly efficient, addressing issues as quickly as they were raised. At the same time, they do offer solutions that are responsive to the problem faced by their clients.
This has led to the company maintaining near-perfect ratings across the industry for almost a decade now. Aside from an A+ rating with zero complaints from the Better Business Bureau, AHG has also rated 4 out of 5 stars from sites like TrustPilot, as well as an average rating of 9.6 points out of 10 from TrustScore.
The grade given to American Hartford Gold does imply that the company is trustworthy. However, they are far from perfect. There are minor issues here and there such as long waiting times for requests to get cleared and limited product options. However, these are isolated incidents that do not indicate the general user experience and have been promptly addressed by the company.
Final Thought - American Hartford Gold Group Review
There is no doubt that American Hartford Gold Group is a company trustworthy enough to handle your retirement savings. Aside from having dependable products and services, the company offers an extensive investor education program for clients.
By giving you the information you need, the company at least helps you make sure that all your investment decisions are well-informed. And in an activity that gets expensive in the long run, being able to make the best possible decisions as to what to invest in will make a lot of difference. With that unique approach toward their clients, American Hartford Gold is considered to be one of the better companies for those who are new to the concept of precious metals investments.