Fidelity Gold IRA Review

As a precious metals IRA investor with over two decades of experience in the industry, I'm always excited to explore reliable, competitive, and affordable investment partners in the industry. 

Whether it be precious metals suppliers or custodians, it's hard to find professionals who are there to offer the best options while supporting you throughout the investment process. Drawing on my decades of industry experience, I aim to simplify your search for reliable gold IRA investment partners.

Fidelity: A Brief Overview

Since 1946, Fidelity has made its name as a well-established and trustworthy giant in the investment industry. Unlike most other investment partners, Fidelity doesn't limit its services to precious metals or IRA investments only. Instead, known for its professional assistance and support in the larger investment landscape, Fidelity offers diverse investment options. More on that later. 

Besides the vast investment options, the company also offers education and financial planning. Opting for an investment partner that provides substantial professional guidance is crucial — especially for those new to the precious metals industry. 

And what can be a better company that ticks all these points than Fidelity? With over 200 investment centers in the U.S. and 13 regional centers across the globe, Fidelity is definitely leading the charge. 

Personally speaking, what impressed me the most is the company’s dedication to guiding investors in making informed decisions. This positive initial impression also aligns with the satisfaction of over 43 million individual investors.

What Makes Fidelity Stand Out? 

Beyond the initial positive impression based on Fidelity’s investment support and solid track record, several standout features further reinforced my favorable view of the company. What are these features? Let's explore below: 

Precious Metals Investment Accounts

Navigating the various options for a gold IRA investment, especially when it comes to choosing the right type of precious metals IRA account, can be challenging. The complexity is real, and making well-informed decisions is crucial to successfully navigating these choices.

Fortunately, Fidelity ensures you can avoid potential pitfalls by providing comprehensive guidance on the different types of gold IRA accounts you can open. 

Having experienced the same assistance while investing with Fidelity, the company allowed me to choose one of the two account types below: 

After considering both options alongside my specific investment goals, I decided to proceed with a traditional gold IRA investment. 

Following this decision, I added my specific investment details to Fidelity's IRA contribution calculator tool. Doing so helped me determine the amount I could contribute to the IRA account, simplifying my investment planning and guiding me through a smooth account opening process.

Investment Options

When I chose to invest with Fidelity, I naturally researched their precious metals options. I found that investing in precious metals with Fidelity has a minimum investment requirement of $2,500. 

While this was a praiseworthy factor, seeing their limited product category for gold IRA investment was definitely disappointing. The only precious metals eligible to be held in a Fidelity IRA account as per the IRS guidelines are: 

Beyond gold IRA investment services, Fidelity broadens its offerings to include a diverse range of investment options. From what I have explored, the company allows you to open various investor accounts, including: 

Besides these diverse investment and savings accounts, Fidelity provides the opportunity to invest or trade in the following:

Planning and Advice

Fidelity Investments offers various planning and financial advice services. As I was navigating the complex realm of investment options, Fidelity stepped in with remarkable professional assistance. 

Navigating their ‘Planning and Advice’ section, I found support spanning financial basics, wealth management, charities, saving, retirement, life insurance, child investment, and long-term care planning. Throughout this entire process, Fidelity’s accessible advisors became my trusted partners, offering personalized guidance that significantly shaped my investment strategy.

Educational Resources

During my research, I found a dedicated News and Research section on the company’s website. This section features a specific page for all their investment options, allowing investors to navigate the specific investment market they want to learn about.

For example: When I opened the metals chart on their Markets and Sectors page, I  got insights into precious metals' price fluctuations and the latest news. Besides this, you can also view fixed income, energy, agriculture, and other investment sector's performance charts. 

These charts were simply a game-changer. Being able to visually track how different sectors were performing made my decision-making process much more intuitive. Fidelity’s website turned out to be more than just a platform; it became a personalized tool that significantly shaped and simplified my investment journey.

How to Invest with Fidelity? 

If you're a beginner investor looking for a hassle-free gold IRA investment solution, I would happily suggest you consider Fidelity. As your IRA custodian, Fidelity allows you to invest your hard-earned money in a precious metals IRA in 4 simple steps. Here's how the investment process unfolds: 

Step#1: Open an IRA Account

Based on my observations, Fidelity offers an exceptionally straightforward account opening process. In contrast to other custodians I investigated — which tend to prolong the account opening procedure — Fidelity adopts a user-friendly online approach. 

All you need to do is select the type of account you wish to open and provide your personal and investment details. It’s important to provide accurate information to ensure a smooth and timely opening of your IRA account with Fidelity.

Step#2: Fund the Account

Like any other precious metals IRA custodian, Fidelity offers different account funding options, i.e., cash funding or through a rollover from a different employer plan like 401(k). To fund my account quickly, I chose the cash funding option. 

Step#3: Make an Investment

Once the IRA account is funded successfully, it's time to invest. Here, it is worth noting that Fidelity only allows you to make coins and bullion purchases by contacting their trading representative at 800-544-6666. While this wasn't much of an inconvenience, I didn’t like the fact that I could only call their representative and make a purchase between 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., ET. Nevertheless, I waited and contacted the team at the specified time to make my investment. 

Step#4: Have Your Assets Stored 

The last step in establishing a gold IRA account involves storing your assets in a secure depository. I firmly believe that choosing a reliable and insured depository is paramount for safeguarding your investments. 

Fidelity, for instance, stores all IRA assets in their insured depository, FideliTrade Inc., a trusted Delaware-based corporation. This assurance allows you to have confidence in the safety and protection of your assets while they are held at FideliTrade.

Fidelity Fee

Rest assured about hidden charges when it comes to gold or precious metals IRA investment fees. Since I couldn't find many details about the fees associated with gold IRA investment, I contacted their customer support representative to get more information. 

This helped me gain investment clarity before proceeding further. To help you with the same, here are the fees I uncovered regarding a gold IRA account with Fidelity:

Besides these specific charges, investing in precious metals with Fidelity also comes with a trade commission/fee based on how much you invest in these assets. 

This fee ranges between 0.99 and 2.9%, based on your investing amount. For example, if you invest $5,000 in gold that will be held in an IRA, you will have to pay a 2.9% fee, which is $145. 

In my view, Fidelity’s fees for investing in precious metals are within a reasonable range. The trade commission/fee ranging from 0.99% to 2.9% is competitive when compared to other companies in the market. While fees are an inevitable part of investing, Fidelity’s transparency and the overall value they offer make the costs justifiable.

Fidelity Rating on Consumer Review Sites

Pros and Cons

Final Verdict

All things considered, I highly recommend Fidelity for gold IRA investment. 

The primary reason I suggest this company as a reliable investment partner is their professional assistance, whether through financial advice or through their 24/7 live customer support service. Besides that, their low minimum investment, helpful tools, insured storage facility, and limited IRA investment fees are also some praiseworthy factors. 

At the same time, Fidelity’s limited precious metals options and crowded website are some notable downsides to investing with Fidelity.

Ultimately, I suggest you consider the positive and negative aspects of investing with Fidelity before investing your hard-earned money with the company. 

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