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In today's world of e-commerce, you can buy practically anything online. Managing your investment portfolio is as simple as clicking a few buttons. If you want to invest in real estate or precious metals, you can do that from your phone. It's a wild age of convenience and technology.
Precious metals become popular whenever the economy goes through rough patches. With the several downturns the economy has taken over the past few years, many people are turning to precious metals to protect against stock market crashes. These investments also hedge against inflation, protecting the value of your dollar.
AUSecure is one of many precious metals websites that offers precious metals at the click of a button. But are they legitimate? How do their practices compare to the top competition?
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About AUSecure
AUSecure is a tech company that sells precious metals. It was first debuted at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 2009. Since then, the company has begun to focus more on technology in precious metals trading, which is how they try to stand out from their competitors.
The company's staff work throughout the day to help customers get into marketplaces where they can purchase metals. They also offer investment opportunities to customers who are interested in growing their wealth. Many of these investments are related to innovation and technology.
The company emphasizes educating customers by collaborating with them. It has partnered with several organizations to create a better customer service experience. These partners include companies and organizations like Uphold, the Chicago Innovation Exchange, and the American Numismatic Association.
These partnerships are used to broaden the network of investment opportunities. They are also able to create more integrated platforms with broader functioning, thanks to the partnership technology.
Services
The company offers quality palladium, platinum, gold, and silver through their online brokerage. You can find high quality materials in a variety of different configurations. In addition to letting you purchase metals through the marketplace, you can also use the company's storage services.
Storage services are ideal because it's not secure to keep your metals in your home. Even having them delivered to your house temporarily is risky. If you purchase metals through this company, you can have them shipped directly to a secure storage facility instead.
The company also offers retirement planning services through the use of self-directed IRAs.
When you purchase the precious metals, you can do so through the e-commerce website. The platform allows you to get your total and make a purchase without ever having to interact with a customer service representative. Plenty of other precious metals companies make you talk on the phone before confirming your order.
How the Company Works
The process for working with the company will vary depending on the service you use. Most people are interested in using the company to purchase precious metals, and this is also a service offered by the company's competitors.
If you want to purchase precious metals online, you'll need to follow these steps:
Chances are, you've shopped online before. This online marketplace isn't much different from the usual store checkout you might use. You'll need to provide information about your name and where the metals are being shipped to. The online marketplace is secure and straightforward.
The company does have customer service representatives available to help. If you're struggling with an online order or have questions about the items, you can call for information.
IRA Services
One thriving niche in the precious metals industry is IRA services. If you open a self-directed IRA, you can use precious metals as alternative assets. All you need to do is purchase IRS-approved metals for storage in an IRS-approved facility with a licensed custodian.
Many people don't have a large enough personal investment portfolio to purchase a lot of precious metals on a whim. But you might have thousands of dollars sitting around untouched in your retirement account. If you invest those in precious metals, you have a hedge against inflation and protection from stock market crashes.
Precious metals don't pay dividends, and you'll need to pay fees for storage and maintenance. But many people have found that they're worth these tradeoffs. We've seen so many turbulent economic times in the past few years that you might not trust the stock market at all anymore. And a dollar made in the 1960's is worth only a fraction today of what it used to be.
With a self-directed IRA, you have full control over the assets you use. Unlike a traditional IRA, you can include assets like real estate and precious metals. You choose the distribution of your entire portfolio without needing to answer to an investment manager.
It's common for investment experts to recommend investing anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of your retirement savings in precious metals. That way, if the stock market crashes, you have a cushion to carry you through until the market rebounds.
AUSecure employs a team of specialists that focus only on IRAs. They're familiar with the paperwork, the IRS regulations, and the custodial options. You can easily find out about any elements you're confused about.
AUSecure aims to help people create their own precious metals IRAs. They have an easy step by step process listed on their website. To get started, all you need to do is:
All in all, the process is fairly easy. It's not quite as streamlined as some others on the market, but it's not bad. You get easy instructions for how to get everything set up.
Some other companies will do all of the initial paperwork for you, just showing you where to sign. They'll also reach out to your custodian for you so that you never have to interact with anyone except the dealer. That's not the case here, which means this company's process isn't the easiest on the market.
In addition, you should keep custodial fees in mind. Different custodians charge different fees for annual maintenance and account transactions. On top of that, you have to pay an annual fee for storage, which varies depending on the size of your account and the depository you use.
With some dealers, the company partners with one or two other custodians. This allows them to list the prices of the entire setup and maintenance on their website. If you want a ready-made custodian and don't want to be hit with potential hidden fees, you might want to try one of these instead.
Accepted Payment Methods
Some precious metals dealerships only accept wire transfers or personal checks. Thankfully, that isn't the case with this one. They accept credit cards, bank wires, cashier checks, personal checks, money orders, and certified checks.
They even accept cash for your precious metals. Depending on the purchase, though, there might be reporting requirements for the cash. Usually you don't have to worry about this if the total is under a thousand dollars. People who do this are more likely to be investing for personal reasons than investing in their IRA.
Buyback Program
Like several other top companies on the market, AUSecure will buy back your metals when you're ready to liquidate them. They will pay the current market price. You must have bought your items through their brokerage, as they do not purchase precious metals from third party individuals.
If you choose the option to store your metals at the Kingbaker Precious Metals Depository, you will be able to sell your items at any time and get the money transferred right away. There's no need to wait for shipping or complicated transfers.
If your items are being stored elsewhere, you'll need to do an external transfer. This might take seven business days before the payment arrives in your account.
Is AUSecure a Scam?
AUSecure is not a scam. The company is accredited with the Better Business Bureau and has an A+ rating. There are no reviews or complaints listed on the BBB website, which makes it a little difficult to find out what experiences past consumers have had.
The main place to find consumer reviews for this business is on Birdeye. Even there, there aren't many. The Birdeye page has four reviews, all with 5 stars.
Because there are so few consumer reviews, we have some hesitations about recommending them. There are other companies that provide the same services that AUSecure does, but they have hundreds or even thousands of positive reviews.
Pros & Cons of AUSecure
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Final Thoughts
AUSecure is an established precious metals dealer that tries to stand apart from the crowd. But for a company that focuses so much on tech, there's a surprising lack of online reviews.
We recommend investing with a precious metals dealer that has verified customer reviews. That way, you can be more confident that you're going to get the best service, no matter your investment goals.
Although we do think that AUSecure could be a solid company, we believe that there are better companies out there to make your investment with.
Or you can get a free precious metals investment kit from our #1 recommended company right now!
Or, continue with AUSecure...