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The page below is a working lexicon — the terms the Desk uses every day, written the way we would explain them to a client on the phone. Each entry links to a longer page with examples, the reasoning behind the definition, and the places where the term tends to trip people up. There’s nothing in this lexicon that we wouldn’t also explain in a conversation.
The account shell itself — what it is, how the rollover works, who acts as custodian, and why the paperwork sits where it does.
The account shell, the tax rules, and the metal that goes inside it.
Moving a 401(k) or existing IRA into physical metal without taxes or penalties.
What self-direction actually lets you hold, and what it doesn't.
The firm that holds the paperwork while the depository holds the metal.
The terms a client runs into the first time they read a product page — spot, bullion, purity, and the line between investment metal and numismatic metal.
What the wire services quote, and how it relates to a coin on a shelf.
Metal priced by weight versus coins priced by story. The difference matters at resale.
The IRS purity thresholds for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium inside a retirement account.
The working cost structure of a precious metals IRA and the regulatory edges every client should understand before opening an account.
Honest comparisons between a precious metals allocation and the other instruments a thoughtful investor might hold.
If a term you care about isn’t on the page, write to the Desk and we will add an entry. A lexicon that refuses new words is a lexicon that has stopped doing its job.
Monday to Friday · 9–6 Mountain · Kelvin or the Desk