Throughout history, during times of economic uncertainty, precious metals have acted as stores of value that hold up well against inflation and market volatility while providing investors with a safe haven in times of crisis. For those reasons, investing in gold, silver, platinum and palladium has maintained its popularity over thousands of years.

Today, investors can own physical precious metals as part of a diversified retirement plan. Those metals aren’t allowed to be held in traditional or Roth IRAs, but with gold IRAs, the tangible assets can be part of a blended retirement strategy. Dozens of companies offer these types of accounts; however, like any competitive industry, some are superior to others.

Read on for our review of Lexi Capital’s gold IRA to see how it compares to the best gold IRAs, and to help you decide if it’s an appropriate fit for your retirement plan.

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Lexi Capital gold IRA

Founded in 2010, Lexi Capital provides investors with the option of purchasing physical precious metals for private storage or opening a gold IRA with depository storage. One of the company’s defining features is its Gold Assurance Plan, a six-month repricing plan provided to customers that helps mitigate the effect of short-term corrections in the gold and silver markets.

Lexi Capital gold IRA pros and cons
Full refund and return policyLow minimum investment requirementOnline express IRA applicationWebsite doesn’t list products or pricesNo educational resources
Pros explained

If you’re looking into how to buy gold in an IRA, you should be aware that each company is different, and they all come with advantages and disadvantages. Lexi Capital’s pros include its full refund and return policy, a low minimum investment requirement and an online express IRA application.

Full refund and return policy

While some precious metals dealers only provide partial refunds or assess fees as part of their return policies, Lexi Capital allows customers to request full refunds or exchanges for their gold and silver purchases so long as those requests are made three days of receiving the item(s).

Low minimum investment requirement

Lexi Capital has a minimum investment requirement of just $1,500, which is significantly lower than many other companies operating in the industry. Additionally, customers aren’t charged annual fees for IRAs funded with at least $50,000.

Online express IRA application

Lexi Capital provides an express IRA application that can be submitted online. Many companies offering gold IRAs require prospective customers to contact them via phone in order to open their precious metals retirement account.

Cons explained

When compared to its competitors, Lexi Capital has some disadvantages. These include the lack of product or pricing information online, no educational resources and slow response times.

Website doesn’t list products or prices

Lexi Capitals doesn’t list its products or prices online, making it difficult to understand the precious metals or categories thereof (e.g., coins, proofs, bullion, bars or ingots) that could be available for inclusion in the company’s gold IRAs.

No educational resources

Unlike many of its competitors, Lexi Capital doesn’t offer any online educational resources. Other companies operating in the gold IRA space provide comprehensive learning materials that can help prospective investors familiarize themselves with precious metals and investing in the precious metals markets.

Lexi Capital gold IRA offerings

Lexi Capital offers two options for its gold IRAs, including a self-directed IRA (SDIRA) and a personal storage IRA. Additionally, its Gold Assurance Plan provides peace of mind for its investors. The following section provides details of each.

Self-directed gold IRA

Lexi Capital’s SDIRA allows investors to save for retirement by holding assets that aren’t permitted by the IRS to be included in traditional or Roth IRAs. For example, a SDIRA can include real estate, cryptocurrency and precious metals.

Per IRS rules, assets kept in a self-directed gold IRA must meet stringent standards. For precious metals to be included in a gold IRA, gold bars and coins, platinum bars and coins and palladium bars and coins must be 99.5% pure, while silver bars and coins must be 99.9% pure.

Lexi Capital works with STRATA Trust as its preferred gold IRA custodian. To comply with IRS regulations, any precious metals purchased via Lexi Capital (or another precious metals dealer) and invested through a STRATA Trust gold IRA (or another provider of gold IRAs) must be stored at an approved depository.

STRATA Trust’s preferred depository is Delaware Depository, which offers two vault locations in the United States:

3601 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19802 1009 Industrial Road, Boulder City, Nevada, 89005

Delaware Depository is insured up to $1 billion by Lloyds of London.

Personal storage IRA

Lexi Capital offers a way for customers to choose personal storage for their precious metals. While this may negate some of the benefits of a gold IRA, such as tax deferral, some investors prefer having personal access to their physical investments.

However, it should be noted that according to the Wall Street Journal, the IRS “warns taxpayers to be wary of anyone claiming that precious metals held in your IRA can be stored at home or in a safe-deposit box.” The IRS stipulates that gold, silver, platinum or palladium held in a SDIRA that uses personal storage (at home or in a safe-deposit box) will likely be treated as a taxable IRA distribution. Additionally, if you are under the age of 59.5, you could face a 10% early withdrawal tax penalty.

Gold Assurance Plan

When investing in a gold IRA through Lexi Capital, customers are offered the Gold Assurance Plan, which the company’s website describes as “a six-month repricing policy that empowers your investment by helping to mitigate the effect of short-term corrections.” Coins eligible for the plan are provided six months of protection for up to $500 per ounce. Bullion products are also eligible for an additional fee.

Lexi Capital pricing and fees
Products

Lexi Capital doesn’t list its products or prices on its website. In order to obtain product and pricing information, prospective customers must contact the company via its phone number or fill out a contact form on Lexi Capital’s website.

Fees

While Lexi Capital doesn’t charge a new account setup fee, the company charges a first-year fee of $285 for accounts funded with less than $50,000. That annual fee is reduced to $180 after the first year. Additionally, Lexi Capital has a cancellation fee that includes its market loss plus $45.

Lexi Capital gold IRA financial stability

Lexi Capital is a privately held company registered as an LLC, and as such, no information about its finances is publicly available online.

Lexi Capital gold IRA accessibility

Lexi Capital makes its services available across the United States. The following section explains the company’s availability, contact information and user experience.

Availability

Like many of its competitors, Lexi Capital doesn’t offer online trading, an investing app or a web-based chat service. The precious metals dealer doesn’t list its hours of operation online, either. All inquiries must be made via telephone, email or the online contact form.

Contact information

Lexi Capital doesn’t list its hours of operation on its website. According to the company’s Google business listing, the company is open for business Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST. You can contact the company’s customer service team via:

User experience

Lexi Capital doesn’t list its products or prices online, making it difficult for users to understand the availability of precious metals the company offers. Additionally, the details provided for its gold IRA are vague. The company claims educating its clients is a top priority despite not providing any learning resources on its website. A free investor kit is available to prospective customers who complete an online form.

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Lexi Capital gold IRA customer satisfaction

Despite being accredited by Better Business Bureau (BBB) since 2021, Lexi Capital has an insufficient amount of reviews on the BBB website to accurately gauge customer satisfaction. The company receives an A+ rating from the BBB. It also has an insufficient number of reviews on the Trustpilot website to assess user satisfaction.

Lexi Capital gold IRA FAQs

Lexi Capital is a precious metals dealer that offers customers an SDIRA option. Founded in 2010, the company provides investors with the option of purchasing physical precious metals for private storage or opening a gold IRA with depository storage.

Is a gold IRA a good investment?

A gold IRA can help you diversify your approach to retirement planning and allows you to hold precious metals and other assets precluded from inclusion in traditional and Roth IRAs.

What are the eligibility requirements for a gold IRA?

If you are eligible for a traditional or Roth IRA, you are also able to open a gold IRA — a type of SDIRA that allows you to hold alternative assets such as precious metals, cryptocurrency and real estate. Companies offering gold IRAs have varying minimum investment requirements.

Regarding metal eligibility, the IRS strictly regulates the purity of the precious metals that are able to be held in gold IRAs. Gold, platinum and palladium products must be 99.5% pure, while silver products must be 99.9% pure.

How we evaluated Lexi Capital gold IRA

We evaluated Lexi Capital based on the following factors:

Account offerings, including the kinds of metals customers can invest in Information (or lack thereof) on pricing on the company’s website Customer experience and satisfaction according to trusted third-party review sites such as the BBB and Trustpilot Availability across the U.S. Summary of Money’s Lexi Capital Gold IRA Review

When considering a gold IRA, Lexi Capital offers one of the lowest barriers to entry with a $1,500 minimum investment requirement, making it among the most accessible compared to competitors. The company offers a full refund and return policy and gives customers peace of mind with its Gold Assurance Plan. Lexi Capital works with STRATA Trust as its custodian and Delaware Depository as its storage provider and provides an online form to apply for its gold IRA. The precious metals dealer has its drawbacks, though, including a limited website, which doesn’t offer products, pricing or educational resources.

Original: Money.com: Lexi Capital Gold IRA Review