New Direction Trust Company Review for Precious Metals

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

This review covers New Direction Trust Company for savers weighing it as the custodian on a precious metals IRA. NDTCO is a full-service self-directed IRA trust company, not a metals dealer. Below we cover who runs the firm, the charter and regulator, the account types, the published metals fee schedule, and the exact questions to ask in writing before you fund an account. Every figure traces to NDTCO's own pages or a federal source, cited inline.

Who is New Direction Trust Company?

New Direction Trust Company, branded as NDTCO, is a self-directed IRA custodian that has operated continuously since 2003. Its home page in 2026 states the firm has now spent 22 years in business, has served roughly 85,000 accounts, currently custodies more than 150,000 unique assets, and holds over $5.5 billion in client cash and assets (source: ndtco.com).

Kevin Dodson leads the firm as chief executive officer, and the company describes its focus as administering Self-Directed IRAs that invest in alternative assets. Precious metals sit inside that wider menu alongside real estate, private equity, private lending, and checkbook LLC structures. Corporate headquarters occupy 1070 W Century Drive, Suite 101, in Louisville, Colorado, and the public lines are (303) 546-7930 and (877) 742-1270.

Worth knowing: NDTCO is a custodian, not a metals dealer. It holds legal title on behalf of the IRA and handles reporting to the IRS. It does not select, price, or ship the coins and bars. Those choices sit with the dealer or sponsor the account owner engages separately. See custodian versus dealer for how the roles split.

Charter, regulator, and legal structure

NDTCO is a Colorado state-chartered trust company. State-chartered non-depository trust companies in Colorado sit under the Colorado Division of Banking, which supervises capital, safety-and-soundness, and IRA-related activities (source: Colorado Division of Banking).

The firm publishes a Better Business Bureau profile through the BBB serving southern Colorado, filed under a Louisville, Colorado retirement-planning-services listing (source: BBB profile). Check the live rating on the BBB page rather than relying on marketing badges elsewhere on the web.

NDTCO's role is the same as any other self-directed IRA custodian. Federal law does not care which brand name your custodian carries. It cares that a qualified trustee takes physical possession of the metal and that IRS reporting flows correctly (source: IRS collectibles snapshot).

Account types and the metals product

NDTCO supports a full slate of retirement structures. The list on its home page and support pages covers Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Health Savings Account, and Solo 401(k). The firm also facilitates rollovers from former employer plans, such as an old 401(k) (source: ndtco.com).

Precious metals are one investment category inside every one of those account types. According to the precious metals page, an NDTCO account can hold physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bars and coins, plus specialty series coins, purchased from the sponsor of the account owner's choosing (source: NDTCO precious metals page).

The trust company does not run its own dealer desk. It settles a purchase with the outside sponsor and directs the resulting metal to a third-party depository. That two-party split, custodian on one side and dealer on the other, is the standard structure at every legitimate precious metals IRA (source: IRS collectibles snapshot).

The published fee schedule for precious metals

NDTCO publishes a detailed fee schedule at ndtco.com/fees. The following figures are current as checked in July 2026 and apply to a precious metals investment (source: NDTCO Fee Schedule).

Source: NDTCO Fee Schedule, ndtco.com/fees. Checked July 2026.

The precious metals annual administration fee is flat, not a percent of assets. That structure works in your favor on a mid-size or large account and against you on a small one. Depository storage is separate, and NDTCO passes it through at the exact price the vault charges.

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

Which metals qualify, and why the same rule binds every custodian

The IRS-recognized minimum fineness values apply to every precious metals IRA, no matter which custodian holds the account. Silver must be at least .999, gold must be at least .995, and platinum and palladium must each be at least .9995. These figures come from commodity-market delivery standards referenced by IRC 408(m)(3) (source: 26 U.S.C. section 408).

The American Silver, Gold, and Platinum Eagles are permitted under a separate carve-out for United States coins, even when the coin itself does not meet the general bullion fineness test (source: IRS collectibles snapshot). NDTCO's own precious metals page notes that gold American Eagles are allowed in an NDTCO account despite the 22-karat purity because IRS regulations name them specifically.

Numismatic or graded rare coins outside that United States coin carve-out are treated as collectibles. Acquiring a collectible inside an IRA is a deemed distribution equal to cost, taxed as ordinary income, and hit with the 10 percent early-distribution tax under age 59.5 (source: IRS Publication 590-B). Ask the dealer for the fineness in writing before purchase; that is a spec check you run once per product, not a negotiation.

How to open a precious metals IRA at NDTCO

The direct-rollover route is the same at any self-directed IRA custodian, and NDTCO runs it the same way. The steps below are the standard mechanics.

1. Open a self-directed IRA at NDTCO. Pick the account type that matches your source money: Traditional, Roth, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA. Solo 401(k) is available for the self-employed.
2. Request a direct transfer or direct rollover. Move funds custodian to custodian, so you avoid the 60-day redeposit deadline and the 20 percent mandatory withholding on plan payouts.
3. Pick an IRA-eligible metals dealer or sponsor. NDTCO does not sell the metal itself; it settles with the sponsor you choose. 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 .995 gold, .999 silver, or .9995 platinum or palladium.
5. Choose an IRS-approved depository. Ask NDTCO which vaults are supported for the metals line, and decide between segregated or commingled storage. Get a quote for each.
6. Have NDTCO settle the purchase. The custodian pays the dealer from the IRA and directs the metal to the chosen vault under the account's name, then reports the position to you.

The direct route matters. A direct transfer or direct rollover keeps the money custodian to custodian. That avoids the 60-day rule that can turn an indirect rollover into a taxable distribution on missed timing.

How NDTCO compares to peer custodians

A short comparison helps place NDTCO next to a well-known peer without inventing fee figures the sites do not publish.

Sources: ndtco.com home page, precious metals page, and Fee Schedule; Equity Trust About Us and Precious Metals pages. Checked July 2026.

The core distinction is breadth of alternative assets versus depth on metals-specific marketing. Both firms sit in the same category, but NDTCO discloses per-metal dollar fees on its site, while a metals-specialist custodian may name its depository partners up front. See how to compare precious metals IRA custodians.

A vetting checklist for any custodian

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

• Verify the trust charter. Confirm the entity is a state-chartered trust company and note which state. NDTCO's own site places it under a Colorado charter.
• Ask for the fee schedule in writing. Request setup, annual account, storage, transaction, and termination fees on one page. NDTCO publishes most of these online; confirm the current version before signing.
• Ask which depositories are supported for your account. Get a segregated and a commingled storage quote for each, and pick on total cost plus geography. NDTCO passes storage through at cost, so the vault choice drives the price.
• 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 waived first-year fee, promotional rebate, or dealer credit should be written into the account paperwork, not a phone commitment.
• Confirm which metals you plan to hold are supported. NDTCO's site explicitly names all four metals, but always verify with the dealer that a specific product is IRA-eligible under NDTCO's process before you buy.

When NDTCO is a bad fit for a white-metals IRA

A balanced review has to name when this path works against you. For several savers, routing a white-metals IRA through NDTCO is the wrong move, and saying so plainly is part of an honest review.

It is usually a bad fit in these situations:

• A small balance against a flat fee. The $220 flat annual precious metals administration fee is a mixed blessing on a small account. On $10,000 it works out to 2.20 percent per year in custodian cost alone, before storage and before the dealer spread. On accounts under $25,000, the arithmetic gets hard to defend.
• You will need the money within a few years. Physical metal is short-term volatile, and selling means crossing the dealer spread again. Before age 59.5 you also owe the 10 percent federal additional tax on an early distribution, on top of ordinary income tax (source: IRS Publication 590-B).
• You want a specialist metals custodian. NDTCO's core business is broad alternative-asset custody, with metals as one line. If you want a firm whose main product is precious metals and whose site names each depository partner up front, a specialist may be a better fit.
• You expect the custodian to source the metal. NDTCO does not run a dealer desk. The account owner has to pick the sponsor. If you would rather buy from a single integrated dealer-plus-custodian pipeline, this is not that model.
• 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 market risk.

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

NDTCO questions, answered

Is New Direction Trust Company a legitimate IRA custodian?

Yes. NDTCO is a Colorado state-chartered trust company that has operated continuously since 2003, per its own home page and about material. State-chartered non-depository trust companies in Colorado sit under the Colorado Division of Banking. The firm's home page in 2026 advertises 85,000 accounts served and over $5.5 billion in cash and assets under custody.

Does NDTCO offer a precious metals IRA?

Yes. The NDTCO precious metals page states an account can hold physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bars and coins, plus specialty series coins, purchased from the sponsor the account owner chooses. Metal is stored at an IRS-approved third-party depository under the account's name, not at home.

Where is NDTCO headquartered?

Corporate headquarters sit at 1070 W Century Drive, Suite 101, Louisville, Colorado. The public phone lines are (303) 546-7930 and (877) 742-1270. NDTCO serves clients nationwide from that single office.

Who runs New Direction Trust Company?

Kevin Dodson leads the firm as chief executive officer, per the About material on ndtco.com. The company describes itself as focused on administering Self-Directed IRAs that hold alternative assets, with precious metals sitting inside that broader menu.

What does NDTCO charge for a precious metals IRA?

The published fee schedule at ndtco.com/fees lists a $30 one-time application fee, a $220 flat annual precious metals administration fee, a $130 processing fee at each purchase, sale, or exchange, and a $35 outgoing wire fee. Depository storage is a pass-through cost set by the chosen vault and billed to the account after NDTCO pays the depository. The dealer spread is separate and sits with the sponsor you pick.

Can I hold silver, platinum, or palladium at NDTCO?

Yes, all four IRS-approved metals are supported. Products must clear the federal fineness minimums: silver .999, gold .995, and platinum or palladium .9995. American Gold, Silver, and Platinum Eagles qualify through the separate United States coin carve-out at 31 U.S.C. section 5112. NDTCO's own precious metals page notes the Gold Eagle is allowed at NDTCO despite its 22-karat purity.

Does NDTCO 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 often penalized before age 59.5. The United States Tax Court applied that rule against the taxpayers in McNulty v. Commissioner in 2021. NDTCO routes physical metal to a third-party depository under the account's name.

How do I move an existing IRA to NDTCO?

Use a direct custodian-to-custodian transfer. That keeps the money inside the tax wrapper, avoids the 60-day deadline, and skips the 20 percent mandatory withholding that applies to some employer plan payouts. NDTCO usually drives the transfer paperwork on your behalf once the account is opened, in coordination with the sending custodian.