Best Bitcoin IRA Companies
You can build financial diversity and strengthen your retirement accounts’ security by adding Bitcoin or a Bitcoin ETF to your traditional individual retirement account (IRA).
While some would argue that global financial market volatility precludes using anything except a savings account, the truth is when you diversify your IRA with alternative assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero, Namecoin, and other crypto tokens and coins.
The addition of digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies, instead of or in addition to tangible assets, takes cryptocurrency management expertise and added security due to sensitive data such as HEX keys. After researching many Bitcoin IRAs, we developed a shortlist of the best, comparing their efficacy and quality based on the following criteria:
1. Experience
2. Expertise
3. Fees
4. Security
We have also put together a brief FAQ to answer the most frequently asked Bitcoin and cryptocurrency IRAs questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do Bitcoin IRAs Work?
You can use a Bitcoin IRA to diversify your retirement investment portfolio. This type of IRA lets you invest in Bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrencies without directly purchasing any tokens or coins. Unlike fiat currency, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers cryptocurrency as property. It taxes their purchases similar to the way it does stocks and bonds.
It makes it advantageous for a Bitcoin IRA owner to use a custodian similar to a stockbroker or a financial manager to manage the retirement account. These management firms let their clients trade cryptocurrencies on their platforms. In addition, these firms offer secure offsite or online storage, known as wallets, for each clients’ digital assets.
How Should I Choose a Bitcoin IRA Company?
Carefully consider the experience and expertise of the firm, as well as the security it provides for online and offline wallets and the fees it charges. The investment firm you choose should have experience in both cryptocurrencies and IRAs. The security provided is paramount since, unlike bank accounts, it does not benefit from FDIC insurance.
Most cryptocurrencies have no fiat currency backing. Only a handful of such tokens exist. If an investment firm gets hacked, its clients could lose their total investments kept in e-wallets, but those kept in physical vaults remain safe and can benefit from insurance.
Concerning fees, consider that Bitcoin IRAs can incur added costs. Aside from the typical trading fees and administrative fees, they are often based on the total invested amount. In addition, these accounts also incur storage fees, especially with offline storage, such as a safety deposit box. All of these fees can cut into investment profitability.
Are These Investments Safe?
Just as with FOREX trading and purchasing stocks and bonds, you should know what you are doing. Cryptocurrency, like other forms of investing, comes with certain risks and uncertainties. Many investment firms recommend buying and holding cryptocurrency. This means purchasing it for a long-term investment instead of attempting to day trade, a common practice in stock trading.
Finding an experienced investment firm can help reduce the risk. Look for investment firms offering many security features and multiple layers of encoding and encryption for transactions. The firm should also provide many cryptocurrencies to choose from and traditional storage methods such as safety deposit boxes.
What Are the Key Benefits?
Like diversifying through precious metals, adding cryptocurrencies to your retirement portfolio reduces your risk by spreading it across many fintech options and blockchain businesses. Talk with your certified public accountant or financial advisor about which digital currencies could best benefit your retirement account and help you avoid heavy capital gains taxes.
How We Chose the Top Bitcoin IRA Custodians
This top three list began with a dozen Bitcoin IRAs in consideration. Our top priority was experience. We looked for firms equally experienced in IRA management, cryptocurrencies, and other alternative investment opportunities.
Next, we considered security, especially their online safety, since providing as close to hacker-proof safety protects their clients’ digital assets. Finally, the best companies offer lower fees that make it more affordable to manage a Bitcoin IRA.
Best of the Best
4.7 of 5 stars
Established in 2017, BitIRA offers high-level security for both storage and cryptocurrency transactions. You need at least $5,000 to open an IRA, and you must do so through one of their digital currency specialists.
Within this IRA, you can buy, sell, and trade six cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Ripple. It offers unlimited insurance coverage – dollar-for-dollar insurance – so clients can protect their investments.
In addition to the investment insurance, BitIRA also provides a $1 million consumer protection insurance policy and a $1 million cybersecurity policy. The former includes fraud and theft protection, while the latter protects against hacking.
Each BitIRA transaction uses multi-encryption encoding to maintain security. After online transactions complete, the firm moves the physical keys to grade-5 nuclear bunkers. At this facility, they enjoy around-the-clock protection from computer security specialists and armed guards.
According to third-party sources, the company charges a setup fee of $50, a fee of 0.05 percent per month for its secure offline storage facility, and a $195 yearly account maintenance fee. While this may sound expensive, it ranks as one of the lowest costing accounts.
Pros
Cons
4.1 of 5 stars
Founded in 2017, Coin IRA is one of the pioneers of helping customers with crypto by offering cryptocurrency investments in individual retirement accounts. (IRAs)
They offer two transaction types : Self directed IRAs and non IRA funded direct purchase orders. They can help facilitate 401k rollovers into bitcoin and other crypto as well as funded an existing IRA.
One of the key reasons why Coin IRA has such a great reputation is because their sister company is Goldco, the #1 gold IRA company with thousands of 5 star customer ratings.
Here is the list of crypto's they currently offer: Bitcoin, Chainlink, Ethereum, Icon, Tezos, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, ZCash, Bitcoin SV, Dogecoin, EOS, and Stellar Lumens.
Another great thing about Coin IRA is that they pride themselves on educating customers so that each person tailors their portfolio to their specific retirement needs.
With compliance of all USA IRA laws plus up to $100 million insurance coverage, and it's no wonder why Coin IRA takes the #1 spot.
Pros
Cons
3.6 of 5 stars
Established in 2010, Regal Assets integrated cryptocurrency into its options for investors in 2017 to flesh out its alternative options, increasing its initial options in precious metals.
As a result, it offers the most significant number of cryptocurrencies for trading, at 14. Like BitIRA, it includes Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Litecoin, among those its clients can buy, sell, and trade on its platform.
It costs a bit more to open a Bitcoin IRA account with Regal Assets than with other firms we considered. You need to have an opening investment of at least $25,000. One option for doing this includes rolling over your traditional IRA.
This company also requires you to go through one of its specialists to open an account, although you start the process with an online application you complete on your own. The specialist is a good thing, especially if you need to roll over a Roth IRA to open your Bitcoin IRA.
Regal Assets offers a depth of experience that other companies cannot since it earned the first cryptocurrency trading license issued to an investment firm. While it costs more to open an account vis a vis the investment minimum, it charges flat fees. In the first year of your account, the fees are waived.
After that, you pay a $100 yearly administration fee plus a $150 storage fee, which covers more than the cryptocurrencies. It also covers precious metals storage in multiple offshore storage facilities.
The diversity offered by Regal Assets’ cryptocurrency IRAs and its hard asset investments and storage makes it the number three choice for investors.
Pros
Cons
Final Verdict: Which Company Should You Choose to Buy Bitcoin with IRA?
Indeed, you can buy and sell crypto on your own without an IRA, but if you plan to buy and hold it, placing it in your IRA can make more sense. You can also invest in exchange-traded funds (EFTs) that include cryptocurrencies by opening these IRAs.
BitIRA ranks number two for having a reasonable opening investment and real-time trading plus terrific security. Regal Assets owns the sweet spot for investors with more disposable income. It offers a wide variety of cryptocurrencies plus precious metals.
While both of these companies are great, Coin IRA wins due to their overall reputation, excellent customer reviews, safety and security, insurance policy, plus the top customer service you could ask for. Ultimately, the final decision is yours. Choose the investment first that best fits your needs.
4.7 of 5 stars
4.1 of 5 stars
3.6 of 5 stars
