Want Out of the Stock Market? Consider Precious Metals in a Self-Directed IRA

Published on April 9, 2020

Buckle up, investors—the stock market is taking millions of people for a very uncomfortable ride during the Covid-19 pandemic. Individuals who maintain retirement portfolios with traditional assets like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds have seen precipitous declines in their retirement accounts this month as the markets, businesses, and the world deal with the virus.

Advisors will say that diversification is always the key to a healthy portfolio—something self-directed investors know and practice. One way to hedge against the volatility of the stock market and reduce risk is to include alternative assets within a self-directed IRA. Along with real estate, precious metals are among some of the most popular nontraditional investment options that can be held in a self-directed IRA. In fact, there has been a recent spike in demand from investors who wish to diversify their retirement accounts with metals like gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. You can read the particulars of including precious metals in a self-directed IRA in this blog post.

Why include precious metals in a self-directed IRA?
Long before there was paper currency, there were gold and silver, traded around the world. Key benefits to including precious metals in a self-directed IRA is that these assets have no credit risk, serve as a hedge against market volatility, and also do so vis-à-vis political instability, currency weakness, and economic collapse. As Goldman Sachs was quoted this week, “gold is the currency of last resort.” Given the news swirling around us right now, it’s no wonder precious metals are in higher demand as a long-term investment.

In a move to stabilize the U.S. economy and ward off a credit crunch, the U.S. Federal Reserve has committed to purchasing an unlimited number of Treasuries and securities tied to residential and commercial mortgages. This process, called “quantitative easing,” is meant to enhance liquidity of financial markets. Pushing more money into the market affects gold prices inversely; as more money is available, interest rates go down and the value of gold goes up. This article on MarketWatch explains further and predicts gold will increase sharply in value in the coming weeks.

If you’re already knowledgeable about investing in precious metals or want to include this alternative asset in your retirement plan, check out our helpful Precious Metals Guide to learn more. If you have questions about self-direction and the other kinds of nontraditional investments these plans allow, register for a complimentary educational session with one of our knowledgeable representatives. Alternatively, you can call us directly at 888.857.8058 or send an email to  NewAccounts@NextGenerationTrust.com.