Advantage Gold quotes the price of the metal when you order, and its markup over spot sits inside that price, so the figure to get in writing before the account funds is the price per coin or bar. The rest of the cost of owning a gold IRA is the setup, administration and storage fees, which sit on separate lines.
What spread and premium mean
The spot price is the market price of one ounce of raw gold, quoted live throughout the trading day. Nobody buys a finished coin or bar at exactly spot, because a dealer has to source the product, pay for minting or refining, pack it, insure it and ship it to a depository, and earn a margin for doing so.
The spread is the gap between spot and the price you pay, and the premium is that same gap on a specific product, stated per ounce or as a percentage. The two words describe the same idea from two angles, and both show up on a quote sheet next to the product name and the quantity.
A percentage is the cleanest way to compare quotes from different dealers on different days. Take a coin priced $100 more than the gold in it. With gold at $2,000 an ounce that $100 is 5% of the metal’s value, and with gold at $4,000 it is 2.5%, so the dollar figure alone tells you little without the spot price beside it.
How Advantage Gold prices an order
Advantage Gold quotes its markup per order, and your account executive puts the price of each product on your order before you buy. The markup over spot sits inside that price, so the written quote is where you check what you are paying.
At a full-service dealer the markup is what pays for the account executive who walks you through the purchase, the paperwork with your custodian and the rollover itself. You pay it once, when the metal is bought, and it does not repeat in later years.
Why bullion and proof coins price differently
Products fall into two groups, and the group a coin or bar belongs to sets most of the premium you pay on it.
Bullion coins and bars are priced close to their metal content. The American Gold Eagle, Canadian Gold Maple Leaf and one-ounce gold bars are made in volume and trade constantly, so the premium over spot stays narrow. Advantage Gold lists 39 products across gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and the IRA-eligible bullion coins and bars in that catalogue are the ones where quotes are easiest to compare.
Proof and collectible coins are priced for finish, mintage and collector demand as well as metal. A proof Gold Eagle has a mirror finish and a limited run, and smaller fractional sizes cost more to fabricate per ounce than a one-ounce coin, so the premium runs larger and moves more from one product to the next.
For a retirement account the metal is the point, and bullion coins and bars hold the gold at the lowest cost per ounce, which is why most IRA buyers start there. Our page on IRA-eligible products at Advantage Gold lists which coins and bars qualify.
How the premium fits with the other costs
The premium is paid once while administration and storage repeat every year, so an accurate comparison of dealers looks at both kinds of cost together.
| Cost | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | $50 | Once |
| Administration | $100 | Each year |
| Storage, commingled | $100 | Each year |
| Storage, segregated | $175 | Each year |
| Wire | $30 | Per wire |
| Markup on the metal | Quoted per order | Once |
The Advantage Gold fees page covers the recurring lines in detail, and how Advantage Gold makes money explains where the markup fits in the business. Our ten-year cost page adds those fees up over a decade.
How to check your own quote
The CFTC’s ten-point guide to buying precious metals gives the rule that applies to every dealer: “Ask for all fees, costs, commissions, and agreed retail price in writing BEFORE signing a sales agreement or turning over any money.” The CFTC guide is linked here so you can read it in full.
Once you have the written quote, you can check the premium on any line in three steps with a calculator and the day’s spot price.
- Look up the live spot price for the day.
- Multiply the spot price by the ounces in the coin or bar.
- Subtract that from the quoted price and divide by the spot value.
Our premium calculator runs the math, and the fee calculator adds the recurring charges so you can see the total. When the order is placed, check the invoice against the written quote line by line.
Who it fits, and who should look elsewhere
Advantage Gold fits you if you want an account executive to walk you through a first purchase and you value a company with a long operating record, which the is it legit page sets out in full.
The company does not publish its fees online, so you get the schedule on the call, and the $5,000 minimum puts it out of reach below that balance. If you want to price several dealers side by side, compare matched companies. To talk to Advantage Gold directly, start at Advantage Gold's site. The full picture is in the Advantage Gold review.
Common questions
What is the spread on gold?
The spread is the gap between the spot price of gold and the price a dealer charges you. It is how a dealer covers the cost of sourcing, minting, packing and insuring the metal.
How does Advantage Gold price an order?
Advantage Gold quotes the price of the metal per order, and its markup over spot sits inside that price. Ask for the quote in writing before the account funds, because the written quote is where you check what you are paying.
What is a premium over spot?
The premium is the amount above the spot price that you pay for a specific coin or bar, and every dealer charges one that varies by product.
Do proof coins cost more than bullion coins?
Yes. Proof and collectible coins carry higher premiums than standard bullion coins, because their price includes finish, mintage and collector demand on top of the metal.
Is the premium a yearly fee?
No. The premium is paid once, when you buy the metal, while setup is a one-time charge and administration and storage are the recurring ones.
How can I check the premium I am quoted?
Get the quote in writing, compare the price per coin with the live spot price, then divide the difference by spot, or let our premium calculator do the math for you. After the order, check the invoice against the written quote.
Ready to talk to Advantage Gold?
Advantage Gold is a paid partner. Details on our disclosure page.