Equity Trust Precious Metals IRA Review

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Last updated: July 22, 2026 · By White Metal Resources Editorial

This review is for savers weighing Equity Trust Company as the custodian for a precious metals IRA. Below we cover what the company is, how a precious metals account is structured, which metals and depositories are supported, what the public marketing pages say about fees, and how to vet the account before signing. Every fact traces to Equity Trust's own site, an IRS document, or a federal statute, cited inline.

Who is Equity Trust Company?

Equity Trust Company is a self-directed IRA custodian based at 1 Equity Way in Westlake, Ohio (source: Equity Trust, About Us). Its predecessor business was established in 1974, and the IRS approved that predecessor as a self-directed IRA custodian in 1983. The company has been privately owned by the Desich family since 1974.

The company is a regulated South Dakota trust company and states that it is audited by an independent third party. Its brokerage arm operates through ETC Brokerage Services, a member of SIPC and FINRA. Institutional clients are served through Equity Institutional.

Beyond precious metals, Equity Trust custodies alternative assets that include real estate, private equity, and cryptocurrency inside self-directed IRAs. That breadth matters. If you later add another alternative asset, a single custodian can hold it, which can simplify reporting.

Worth knowing: Equity Trust is a custodian, not a metals dealer. It holds legal title to the account and handles IRS reporting. It does not select, price, or ship the coins and bars. Those choices sit with the dealer you engage separately.

How does Equity Trust handle a precious metals IRA?

A precious metals IRA at Equity Trust follows the same three-party structure federal law requires for any self-directed metals account. The custodian holds legal title, a dealer sells the metal, and an approved depository stores it. You direct the choices but never take personal possession while the metal stays inside the IRA.

Two facts anchor that structure in federal law. First, only an IRS-approved trustee may hold IRA metal, and the statute itself requires physical possession by that trustee (source: IRS collectibles snapshot). Second, the metal must meet the fineness minimums drawn from commodity-market delivery standards (source: 26 U.S.C. Section 408(m)).

Equity Trust fills the trustee role. Its precious metals IRA page describes the account, points to a set of named depositories, and lists common eligible product types. It leaves dealer selection to the account owner, which is standard for a custodian. See what a self-directed IRA custodian does for the role in detail.

Which metals and depositories does Equity Trust support?

Equity Trust's precious metals page lists gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, in bar form and as American Eagle coins, along with other qualifying coins (source: Equity Trust, Precious Metals). Only metal that meets the IRS fineness minimum qualifies. The recognized minimums are silver .999, gold .995, and platinum or palladium .9995, drawn from commodity-market delivery standards.

The American Silver, Gold, and Platinum Eagles are allowed under a separate carve-out for United States coins, even where the coin itself does not meet the bullion fineness test (source: IRS collectibles snapshot). Numismatic or graded "rare" coins outside that carve-out are treated as collectibles and do not qualify.

Equity Trust names four approved depositories for precious metals storage. That list gives account owners real geographic and provider choice.

Source: Equity Trust, Precious Metals IRA page. Location details are provider-published and are not IRA-eligibility statements about a specific product. Checked June 2026.

Storage still comes in two forms at most depositories. Segregated storage keeps your specific coins or bars apart in your account's name and typically costs more. Commingled storage pools metal of the same type across accounts and costs less. See approved depositories and segregated versus commingled storage for the trade-off.

How do you open a precious metals IRA at Equity Trust?

The account setup mirrors the direct-rollover route most savers already use. You open the self-directed IRA with Equity Trust first, then move funds in, then choose a dealer and buy the metal, then have the depository take physical possession. Each step is discrete and reversible up to the purchase.

1. Open a self-directed IRA at Equity Trust. Choose the account type that matches your source money, for example a traditional, Roth, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA.
2. Request a direct transfer or direct rollover. Move funds custodian to custodian, avoiding the 60-day redeposit deadline and the 20% mandatory withholding that applies to many plan payouts.
3. Pick an IRA-eligible metals dealer. The dealer is separate from the custodian. Favor common bullion at fair spreads and avoid pitches that push premium numismatic coins.
4. Confirm each product meets the fineness minimum. Ask the dealer for the fineness in writing and check it against the .995, .999, or .9995 rule for the metal.
5. Choose an approved depository. Pick from the four Equity Trust names, and decide between segregated or commingled storage before you sign.
6. Have Equity Trust settle the purchase. The custodian pays the dealer from the IRA and directs the metal to the chosen vault under the account's name.

The direct route matters. A direct transfer or direct rollover keeps the money custodian to custodian, which avoids the 60-day rule that turns an indirect rollover into a taxable distribution on missed timing. See direct versus indirect rollover for the mechanics.

What does Equity Trust say, and not say, about fees?

Equity Trust's public account fee schedule page is not a static price list on the site's marketing pages. Its precious metals IRA page does not print setup, annual, or storage fees in the body copy. Ask for the current fee schedule in writing before you commit, and confirm each fee category with the account counselor.

A precious metals IRA typically carries four fee categories. First is a one-time account setup fee. Second is an annual account or administration fee paid to the custodian. Third is an annual storage fee paid to the depository, sometimes split by segregated or commingled. Fourth is the dealer spread on the metal itself.

The dealer spread is usually the largest lifetime cost, and it is the one least often disclosed clearly. That cost sits with the dealer you select, not with Equity Trust. See custodian fees versus dealer markups and silver IRA fees explained for the breakdown.

The trade-off: a large, established custodian can absorb operational and compliance costs at scale, which usually points to a fair custodian fee. Storage cost sits with the depository, not with Equity Trust, so compare quotes across the four named vaults before you choose one. A clean fee schedule keeps the account simple for your spouse or heirs later.

The calculator below shows how annual fees compound against an account over time. Enter a balance and a fee rate to see the drag.

How does Equity Trust compare to other custodians?

Equity Trust is one of several established self-directed IRA custodians that support precious metals. A short comparison shows how the pieces map, without any invented fee figure.

Sources: Equity Trust About Us and Precious Metals pages. "Typical dealer-affiliated custodian" is a generic pattern, not a specific competitor. Checked June 2026.

The core distinction is independence. Equity Trust is not affiliated with a specific coin dealer, so it does not push a particular metal or product. That structure keeps dealer selection with the account owner, which lets you shop the spread. See how to compare precious metals IRA custodians and the custodian versus dealer distinction.

Who Equity Trust fits, and who it does not

Equity Trust tends to fit savers who want an established, independent custodian and expect to hold at least one alternative asset in addition to metals. It fits people who already know a metals dealer or plan to compare a few before buying, and who value having four depository choices rather than one.

It tends not to fit savers who want a single call, a single quote, and a package. If you prefer a dealer who arranges the entire account with a bundled fee, a dealer-affiliated custodian model may feel simpler, though it usually locks you in on both dealer and depository. Fewer choices can mean weaker leverage on price.

Our view: the independent custodian model at Equity Trust rewards savers who will do a small amount of homework on the dealer and the depository. If you would rather delegate everything, weigh whether the convenience is worth the lost control. Either way, the same federal rules apply to your account and to your metal.

A vetting checklist before you open an account

The checklist below reduces the odds of a surprise later. It applies to Equity Trust and to any other custodian you evaluate.

• Verify the trust charter. Confirm Equity Trust is a regulated state-chartered trust company. Its own site describes it as a regulated South Dakota trust company, audited by an independent third party.
• Ask for the fee schedule in writing. Request setup, annual account, storage, transaction, and termination fees on a single page. Do not accept a verbal number.
• Compare depository quotes. Get a segregated and a commingled storage quote from each of the four named vaults, and pick on total cost plus geography.
• Vet the dealer separately. Check the dealer's Better Business Bureau profile, ask for the spread on the exact product you plan to buy, and favor common bullion over numismatic coins.
• Confirm the metal meets fineness. Ask for each product's fineness in writing before purchase, and match it to .999 silver, .995 gold, or .9995 platinum or palladium.
• Get every promise on paper. Any "free" storage year, promotional rebate, or fee waiver should be written into the account paperwork, not a phone commitment.

When Equity Trust is a bad idea

A balanced review has to name when this custodian works against you. For several savers, opening a precious metals IRA at Equity Trust is the wrong move, and saying so plainly is part of an honest review.

It is usually a bad idea in these situations:

• A small balance against the fee drag. Setup, annual custodian, and storage fees are largely fixed. On a small account those costs eat a large share of the balance, and silver's bulk can add a little to the storage side. A modest holding can struggle to ever come out ahead.
• You may need the money within a few years. Physical metal is volatile short-term, and selling means crossing the dealer spread again. Before age 59.5 you also owe the 10% federal additional tax on top of ordinary income tax (source: IRS Publication 590-B).
• You want one call, one quote, one package. Equity Trust is a custodian, not a dealer. If you would rather have a single provider run the entire account, a dealer-affiliated model may fit better, at the cost of dealer and depository choice.
• You are chasing a guaranteed return. Nobody can predict where silver, gold, platinum, or palladium prices will go. A pitch that promises guaranteed gains is a warning sign, not an opportunity, and no custodian removes that market risk.

If one of these describes you, slowing down is the sensible call. The custodian is only one part of the total cost, and the dealer spread you pick decides the rest. There is no CTA in this section on purpose.

Equity Trust questions, answered

Is Equity Trust Company IRS-approved?

Yes. Equity Trust's About Us page states that the predecessor business was established in 1974 and was approved by the IRS as a self-directed IRA custodian in 1983. It is regulated as a South Dakota trust company and audited by an independent third party.

Does Equity Trust hold physical precious metals for an IRA?

Equity Trust does not vault the metal itself. It arranges custody through named third-party depositories, currently A-Mark Global Logistics with Loomis Intl, Brink's Delaware Depository, International Depository Services, and the Texas Bullion Depository. The depository takes physical possession of the metal on the account's behalf.

Which precious metals does Equity Trust support in an IRA?

Equity Trust's precious metals page lists gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, in bar form and as American Eagle coins, along with other qualifying coins. Each product must meet the IRS fineness minimum: .995 gold, .999 silver, and .9995 platinum or palladium, drawn from commodity-market delivery standards.

Does Equity Trust choose my precious metals dealer?

No. Equity Trust is the custodian, not the dealer. You pick the dealer and negotiate the price of the metal. That independence lets you shop the spread, though it also means you need to vet the dealer yourself before you commit.

Are Equity Trust’s precious metals IRA fees published on the site?

The setup, annual, and storage fee amounts are not printed in the body copy of Equity Trust's main precious metals IRA marketing page. Request the current account fee schedule in writing before you commit, and confirm each category during the account opening call.

Can I hold real estate or crypto in the same IRA as my metal?

Not the exact same asset holding, but yes within the same custodian relationship. Equity Trust custodies alternative assets that include real estate, private equity, and cryptocurrency inside self-directed IRAs. Each asset follows its own rules, and each carries its own fees.

Does Equity Trust allow home storage of IRA metals?

No custodian can. Federal law requires an IRS-approved trustee to hold physical possession of IRA metal. Keeping IRA metal at home is treated as a distribution, taxable and possibly penalized under 59.5. The United States Tax Court applied this rule against the taxpayers in McNulty v. Commissioner in 2021.

How do I move an existing IRA to Equity Trust?

Use a direct transfer from IRA custodian to IRA custodian, which keeps you inside the tax wrapper with no withholding and no 60-day deadline. For an old 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), or TSP, use a direct rollover. See how to transfer a precious metals IRA for the paperwork.