02 Nov Are those commercials about gold in my IRA a good idea?

Q. I’ve heard commercials that tell you to put gold coins in your IRA. It sounds dumb. Is there something I’m missing?

— Investor

A. You can invest all of part of your IRA in precious metal coins and bars, but should you?

Gold may offer a long-term hedge against inflation and geopolitical crisis. Think back to the 2008 financial crisis, and gold was viewed as a safe haven against the devaluation of the U.S. Dollar and other paper currencies.

You can also invest in gold mining companies, or mutual funds related to gold, rather than hold the actual metal.

But if it’s metal you want, you can buy it and have it sent to you, or have it held by a financial institution.

So can you put it in your IRA?

From 1986 to 1998, the IRS limited IRA account holders to storing only gold and silver American Eagle coins, but in 1998, the IRS allowed people to hold a wider range of precious metal coins and bars within IRAs.

But should you?

If you’re a long-term investor with a diverse portfolio, gold could be part of it. But holding the actual coins rather than investing in a mutual fund will cause you to pay extra fees. And we don’t like extra fees.

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This story was first posted in October 2025.