American Hartford Gold Pros and Cons: Which One Outweighs the Other?

0 Comments

Despite being a consistent best gold IRA company, American Hartford Gold still has its own set of pros and cons, with the pros outweighing the cons. The company has solid pros, which include waived fees and promos, abundant education and information materials, impeccable ratings from prominent business organizations, thousands of positive customer reviews, and a wide selection of gold and silver coins and bullion. However, the company’s website does not show its pricing and has not posted product offerings for platinum and palladium. These are cons they will need to address.


American Hartford Gold is a highly rated Gold IRA company with a solid reputation for over 10 years of operations in the precious metals investment industry. If you are considering American Hartford Gold Group to handle your investments, we highly recommend that you learn as much as you can about the company first, to determine if it can meet your expectations and serve all your investment needs.

 
This article will help you narrow down the research on American Hartford Gold, as it gathers all the company’s pros and cons for you. After reading this article, you will have a clear picture of the company’s capabilities and can determine by then whether American Hartford Gold is your chosen gold IRA company. You can also read more about the company in our American Hartford Gold Review to get comprehensive details about what the company offers its investors.


In case you find that American Hartford Gold does not meet your needs, there are other gold IRA companies you can still explore. One of them is Augusta Precious Metals, another highly acclaimed precious metals IRA company. But just like American Hartford Gold, be sure to look at Augusta Precious Metals’ pros and cons.

American Hartford Gold Products and Services

American Hartford Gold Group offers these services:

  • Precious metals IRA (Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium)
  • Gold IRA Rollover
  • Silver IRA Rollover
  • Delivery of gold/silver bars and coins

Aside from these services, the company also sells gold and silver in coins and bars for those who prefer to invest in physical precious metals instead of through a precious metal IRA. The company had various gold and silver coins and bars to choose from.


American Hartford Gold’s solid reputation is due partly to its strategic partnerships with Equity Trust as its recommended custodian and three IRS-accredited depositories, Delaware Depository, Brinks Inc., and International Depository Services. These strategic partnerships have helped create a seamless process for gold IRAs with American Hartford Gold.

The American Hartford Gold Difference

The American Hartford Gold Group offers the following promos and perks that set it apart from its competitors:

  • Precious metals IRA (Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium)
  • No Annual Fees - up to three years with no storage, transfer, or maintenance fees.
  • No setup fees - for new Gold IRAs
  • Waived annual fee - on the first year for new IRAs
  • No minimum investment - for new gold IRAs
  • Price match guarantee - American Hartford Gold will match competitors’ pricing to give their customers the best pricing for their precious metals investment.

No fees are required for every new American Hartford Gold IRA on its first investment year. The only American Hartford Gold fee to be paid is the annual fee which starts in the second year.

Every American Hartford Gold review also underscores their impeccable customer service and educational materials made available through their website. These paved the way for stellar ratings from prestigious business websites such as Business Consumer Alliance, Trustpilot, and Consumer Review. The company also got five-star reviews from Google.

The company’s excellence boils down to its good leadership. American Hartford Gold’s CEO Sanford Mann has steered the company in the right direction for over 10 years. His philosophy of giving impeccable customer service led to their current level of $1.5 billion worth of gold transactions and still growing.

Is American Hartford Gold’s Pricing Structure beneficial for small and big gold investors?

American Hartford Gold’s pricing structure is flexible enough to benefit both small and big investors. For small investors, the company has waived set-up fees and annual fees for the first year and does not require a minimum investment to open a gold IRA.
Big investors can enjoy waived storage and insurance fees for three years if their investments are worth $300,000 and above. For a qualifying purchase, an investor can get free silver coins of up to $5000.

Celebrity Endorsements

Celebrity endorsements are definitely helpful in encouraging investors to inquire about American Hartford Gold’s products and services. Rudy Giuliani, Bill O’Reilly, Roman Balmakov, Rick Harrison, and Dave Rubin endorsed the company. Of these endorsers, Bill O’Reilly and Roman Balmakov were the ones most mentioned as references of customers who transacted with American Hartford Gold, as seen in customer reviews posted in Consumer Affairs.

However, endorsements only trigger inquiries but will not translate to investments. Among all the questions resulting from endorsements, their final decisions still depended on how their inquiries were responded to.

Here are examples of inquiries resulting from the endorsements. One of these reviews is a complaint that proves that an endorsement will not close a sale.

Precious Metal Offerings

American Hartford Gold sells physical gold, silver, and platinum coins and bars, some of which are IRS-approved for gold IRA transactions. The company’s website shows an updated list of gold and silver coins and bars.

Gold and Gold IRAs: What You Need To Know

Before finally opening a Gold IRA account and considering American Hartford Gold for your investment, be sure to be equipped with ample information to make an informed investment with no regrets later. Here is some information to guide you in making the best investment choice for your funds. 

At what age should I get a gold IRA?

There is no definite age that is right for getting a gold IRA but here are some things to take into consideration to maximize your investment. To fund a gold IRA, you must withdraw or rollover funds from an existing IRA. A traditional IRA or 401k account will charge a 10% additional income tax as a penalty for withdrawals before 59 ½. If you have a Roth IRA that has existed for five or more years, you can withdraw from your IRA to set up a gold IRA without having to pay penalties. You can read our detailed Gold IRA Tax Rules just to be on the safe side.

How much of my retirement should be in gold?

You can allocate 10% of your investments to gold. However, you can also invest according to the current business climate, but only if you feel comfortable enough to invest more. Investing more than 10% entails an analysis of the country’s economic outlook. If the economy seems unstable and shows indications of being so for a longer period, then you can invest in more gold to safeguard your investments against losses.

Is gold safer than cash?

Gold investment is safer than cash because gold is always in demand. When interest rates are low and the inflation rate is high, cash in banks won’t earn anything. Whereas gold is a primary choice as a hedge against inflation because of its stability and can be used as currency. 

What should we check before buying gold?

The most important factor to check out when buying gold is the quality. Gold bars of investment quality should be at least 99.5% pure gold. Less pure gold is not acceptable for gold IRA transactions. The only acceptable gold less than 99.5% are IRS-approved gold coins which are 91.67% gold.

Be sure you are buying gold from an accredited dealer, to ensure that the gold bars or coins are of good quality. If you are buying gold coins for a gold IRA, be sure that the coins you buy are IRS-approved, because only IRS-approved coins can be purchased for a gold IRA account. Get to know more about IRS-approved Gold and precious metals to complete your gold IRA investment.

Be reminded too that the IRS does not allow home storage of gold coins and bars and thus an IRS depository should be chosen to store the gold for you. Storage will incur storage and insurance fee.

What is the cheapest way to buy physical gold?

The cheapest way to buy physical gold is to purchase it in bulk from large gold real websites, according to Sovereign Research and Advisory Group. Most retailers will also get further discounts if you pay directly from your bank account.

Be sure that free shipping is part of the deal in buying lower-priced gold. Without free shipping and with the heavy weight of gold, your shipping costs will wipe out whatever savings you made from the lower-priced gold you purchased. 

Which retirement accounts can fund my gold or silver IRA?

You can fund your precious metals IRA with any type of retirement account, whether it’s a 401k, traditional IRA, or Roth IRA. To avoid penalties if you are below 59 ½ years old, choose to rollover funds instead of withdrawing them. 

What is the advantage of setting up an IRA with a gold IRA company as opposed to setting it up directly with a custodian?

The advantage of setting up a precious metals IRA with a gold IRA company is like getting everything you need in a one-stop shop as opposed to going to several shops that require a lot of time and effort. Most gold IRA companies have their own roster of custodians and depositories to save you the stress of arranging for these on your own.


A gold IRA custodian can only help you with setting up and finding your gold IRA along with the documentation and IRS requirements, but a custodian will not:

  • Offer investment or tax advice
  • Provide insurance in case of financial loss
  • Monitor and ensure investment performance is doing well

A gold IRA company offers all the above services.

What is the best gold IRA?

The finest gold IRA companies offer the best gold IRA packages through their pricing, customer service, and silver and gold coin offerings. Here are the best gold IRA companies for 2023, according to Times Union, in no particular order:

  • Augusta Precious Metals
  • Noble Gold Investments
  • Goldco Precious Metal
  • Birch Gold Group
  • Regal Assets
  • American Hartford Gold
  • Oxford Gold Group
  • Patriot Gold Group
  • Advantage Gold
  • Lear Capital

Who has the best quality gold for investing?

The most trusted gold bar producers that produce the best quality gold are the Royal Canadian Mint, Engelhard, the Perth Mint, Johnson Matthey, and Credit Suisse, according to the Boca Raton Tribune.

 
Gold bars are a good choice for long-term investments. Do remember that the quality of gold for a gold IRA investment must meet the IRS minimum requirements on purity at 99.5% for gold bars.

Does it matter what brand of gold I buy?

Yes, the brand of gold you buy matters if you plan to sell the gold later on. When buying gold bars, be sure to buy a bar with an imprint of the manufacturer’s name, purity, and weight. Buying gold bars produced by prominent gold producers will ensure a good investment turnout for when you decide to sell the gold bars.

What is the most reputable gold company?

Money Metals Exchange is the overall best online gold dealer according to Investopedia. There are other reputable gold companies compiled into a list based on their pricing, track records, buyback policies, shipping fees, storage, and payment options.

Here are the other reputable gold companies compiled by Investopedia:

Best Customer Experience - JM Bullion

Best Gold Coins - BGASC

Best Low Price - SD Bullion

Best Comprehensive Offering - American Precious Metals Exchange (APMEX)

Best Reputation - Gold Eagle Coins

What is the smartest way to invest in gold?

The smartest way to invest in gold is to buy it as a gold IRA investment, with guidance from a financial advisor. Buying physical gold may entail difficulty in selling the gold later on, especially if your gold was not stored in an IRS-accredited depository.

 
If you are not particular about wanting to own physical gold, you can invest in gold through mutual funds, gold stocks, or gold futures. With these types of investments, there will be no storage fees and insurance to deal with, but the risks with these types of investments are higher.

What should you not do when buying gold?

Don’t buy gold without gathering enough information about the investment. Despite gold being a good hedge against inflation, there are still things to look into before buying gold, whether you’re buying physical gold or investing through a gold IRA. Here are some things to remember before buying gold:

Not understanding gold products well before making an investment

Don’t buy gold without gathering enough information about the investment. Despite gold being a good hedge against inflation, there are still things to look into before buying gold, whether you’re buying physical gold or investing through a gold IRA. Here are some things to remember before buying gold:

Buying gold at the wrong time.

Despite gold being a good investment anytime, there is still a right time to buy gold. When the demand is high and the gold supply is not enough, gold prices rise. Observe gold prices for a few days before making the investment.

Failing to check the dealer’s background and reputation before investing

Despite gold being a good investment anytime, there is still a right time to buy gold. When the demand is high and the gold supply is not enough, gold prices rise. Observe gold prices for a few days before making the investment.

Read our breakdown of Gold IRA Scams to avoid investing in the wrong offers.

American Hartford Gold Pros and Cons

After getting to know about American Hartford Gold and investing in gold, it’s now time to assess the company’s pros and cons.

Pros

Cons

Waived fees and promos - New accounts don’t pay for anything on their first year of investing with American Hartford Gold. Big accounts also get to benefit from their promos, such as free silver of up to $5000 and free storage and insurance for up to three years, both based on qualifying investment levels.

No pricing information on the website - Investors will have to call to find out more about the precious metals pricing.

Abundant education and information materials - American Hartford Gold offers a free 25-page information guide on precious metals investments. Investors can also study gold, silver, platinum, and palladium movements through their interactive charts accessible on their website.

No platinum and palladium product selections on the website - Those interested in platinum and palladium will have to call their customer service to get pricing details

High ratings from Business Organizations and thousands of positive reviews - As mentioned above, American Hartford Gold enjoyed high ratings and positive customer reviews from Google, Consumer Review, and Business Consumer Alliance.

Wide selection of gold and silver coins and bullion - The company offers coin and bar selections in gold and silver, with IRS-approved coins for precious metals IRA investments.

With this American Hartford Gold review, have you decided they are your choice of a gold IRA company? If you are still undecided, you can review Augusta Precious Metals as a potential choice for your investment requirements.

About the author 

Mary Ann Recinto

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}
Subscribe to get the latest updates