A precious metals IRA is, in its bones, no different from the IRA you probably already have. The same contribution rules, the same tax-deferred or tax-free treatment, the same distribution schedule in retirement. The only thing that changes is what sits inside the account. Instead of shares of an index fund, the account holds coins and bars — physical weight, vaulted in your name at an IRS-approved depository.

Opening one isn't the hard part. The hard part is deciding whether a metals allocation belongs in your retirement plan at all, how large it should be, and which combination of custodian, product, and depository fits your situation. Those are the four decisions we work through with a client at the Desk, in that order, on paper.

The account is a container. The metal is the thing. The custodian holds the paperwork; the depository holds the weight. Every one of those four parts should be written down before a dollar moves.

Not every coin or bar qualifies. The IRS sets purity thresholds that most bullion products meet but numismatic and “proof” sets typically don’t. See the full list of eligible metals before placing an order.