Equity Trust Precious Metals Client Resource Center

Precious Metals Client Resource Center

Welcome to the one-stop information source for Equity Trust clients holding precious metals in their account. Below you’ll find more details about Equity Trust, tips for managing your precious metals investments, answers to common questions, and more.

Jump to FAQs

Who is Equity Trust Company?

Equity Trust Company is a qualified custodian of IRAs and other accounts. We hold “self-directed” accounts, which means the accounts can hold a variety of investment types, including precious metals.

Self-directed account custodians do not provide investment advice, but they do provide administrative and reporting services, and will process your precious metal purchases per your direction through your IRA.

Who We Are

Equity Trust Login – myEQUITY

myEQUITY is Equity Trust’s online account management system to initiate investments, track a transaction, check your account balance, pay bills, and more.

First time logging into myEQUITY? Access this guide for step-by-step login instructions

Need more myEQUITY help? View these Frequently Asked Questions

Equity Trust Login

What Should You Know Before You Buy Precious Metals

Learn how to perform due diligence on investment opportunities, identify potential scams and fraud, and report them.

Equity Trust, in conjunction with the Retirement Industry Trust Association (RITA), has compiled governmental and industry resources to help you, the self-directed investor, in making your investment decisions.

(Please Note: Outside of FDIC insured investment products, all investments carry risk including loss of principal. No governmental agency or IRA custodian approves or guarantees investments.)

Access Fraud Awareness Resources

Purchasing Metals

Once your Equity Trust account has been funded, you can work with your precious metals dealer or platform to initiate the purchase of coins or bullion.
Equity Trust will receive notice of the purchase from your dealer or platform and will send funds from your Equity Trust account to the dealer or platform to complete the purchase.
Your dealer or platform will have your metals sent to the designated depository for storage.

Storage of Metals

With a precious metals IRA, it’s important that you do not take possession of the metals while they are held as an investment in the IRA, in accordance with IRS rules. (See “Account Distributions” below for more information about taking an in-kind distribution of your physical metals.) We work with the nation’s leading depositories to ensure secure storage of the precious metals held in your IRA. You and/or your dealer will choose one of the following depositories to store your metals:

A-Mark Global Logistics, Loomis Intl (AMGL)
Delaware Depository (DDSC)
International Depository Services (IDS)
Brink’s

To learn more about the offerings of the depositories listed above, review our Depository Options guide.

Valuing Your Precious Metals

After your precious metals investment is processed, your account will reflect an itemized listing of the individual coins and bullion purchased. The value of the precious metals held within your account will reflect the spot value within myEQUITY and on statements.

To learn more about spot value and how it impacts your investment, watch this video:

Settled vs. Unsettled Metals

After your metals purchase has funded, your account will be updated to reflect the itemized invoice, provided by your precious metals dealer. Within 24 hours, your account will be updated to reflect the spot price of each item. The metals will remain in an “Unsettled” location per your quarterly statements as well as in myEQUITY.

When your metals are confirmed as received by the depository, the location of the metals, on both your quarterly statements, as well as in myEQUITY, will be updated to reflect the location of your chosen depository.

Account Distributions

You can request distributions from your Equity Trust account through myEQUITY .

Distributions can include:

Receiving available cash from your account
Requesting to receive precious metals in-kind
A combination of both

Distributions are a tax-reportable event. The value of funds and/or metals distributed from your retirement account will be reported on the 1099-R tax form.

For a step-by-step guide to requesting a distribution in myEQUITY, click here.

Selling Your Precious Metals

Initiate this transaction with a precious metals dealer of your choosing.

The dealer will provide Equity Trust with instructions to liquidate (sell) the asset(s).
Equity Trust will provide liquidation instructions to the depository storing your metals.
Once the liquidation has been processed, sale proceeds will be returned to your Equity Trust account.

For a list of required documents per asset type, click here.

Important Dates

January

Fourth quarter statements are available in myEQUITY and mailed to account holders enrolled in paper statements
Annual maintenance fees are typically assessed; invoices mailed
1099-R tax forms are mailed by 1/31 for any accounts that completed a distribution from the account during the prior year

March

Annual fee payments due; late fees assessed for past due fees

April

Deadline for submitting contributions for the prior tax year (4/15)
First quarter statements are available in myEQUITY and mailed to account holders enrolled in paper statements

May

5498 tax forms are mailed by 5/31 for any accounts that received a contribution or rollover to the account during the prior year

July

Second quarter statements are available in myEQUITY and mailed to account holders enrolled in paper statements

October

Third quarter statements are available in myEQUITY and mailed to account holders enrolled in paper statements

December

Distribution requests received after 12/1 are subject to an expedited processing fee
Distributions must be processed by 12/31 to qualify for the current tax year

Additional Resources

Video Library

Guides and Other Resources

FAQ Guides

myEQUITY FAQs
Required Minimum Distribution FAQs
Outgoing Transfer FAQs
Precious Metals Account Distribution FAQs
Incoming Transfer FAQs

Account Management Guides

Need Additional Help?

If you haven’t found what you’re looking for, see our FAQs below for answers to frequently asked questions.

If you still need assistance with opening an account, looking into the status of an investment, transferring funds, or have other questions, we’re here to help.

Contact Equity Trust

For more education material and interactive investment tools, visit our Precious Metals IRA page.

Existing Equity Trust Clients: 888.382.4727

Customer Service Hours: Monday – Friday; 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM (ET)

Precious Metals FAQs

What fees are associated with my Equity Trust account?

The standard precious metals fee schedule can be viewed here: info.trustetc.com/metals-schedule. All accounts holding metals are assessed an annual maintenance and storage fee. Additional transaction fees may be incurred depending on account activity and preferences.

What are my options if I no longer choose to hold metals in my account?

You may choose to receive your precious metals from the depository storage facility as a full or partial distribution. Distributions may result in taxes and penalties. It’s also possible to rollover or transfer your assets to another qualified custodian. You may also choose to sell your metals back to an authorized dealer; the cash received would return to your IRA. To learn more about your options, visit here.

Why does my Precious Metals value not match the purchase invoice?

For precious metals, the total and individual value(s) are reflected at the spot price per ounce on the statement and may not represent an accurate valuation of the precious metals held. The spot price shown does not include premiums, commissions, spreads or any numismatic value. For a more accurate valuation of the precious metals held, please contact your precious metals dealer or financial advisor.

For all custodial assets, Equity Trust Company does not guarantee or verify the accuracy of the prices obtained by outside services or from any other source, including an independent appraisal provided by you. Such values may be general approximations and are only for guidance and reporting purposes and should not be deemed to be an accurate representation of the true fair market value of such asset(s). View these items to learn more about Valuing Metals in Your Equity Trust Account Video or review the Precious Metals Risk and Fee Disclosure.

Can I visit or pick up my metals at the depository?

Every depository has its own policies and procedures; here is a guide to the depositories we work with.

Can I update the metals dealer associated with my account?

Yes, at any time you can add or remove a precious metals dealer from your account within myEQUITY. To add a relationship, log into myEQUITY and navigate to Profile > Account Relationships and click the Add New Relationship button. Select to add an Optional Authorization relationship to your account and enter the precious metals dealer’s referral number. This number can be obtained from your metals dealer or by contacting Equity Trust. To remove a dealer from your account, navigate to Profile > Account Relationships and click the remove button next to the relationship to remove from your account.

How do I pay my fees?

Fee payment options can be viewed here: Equity Trust Annual Billing Q&A

How much can I contribute to my account?

You can see contribution limits for various account types here: 2023/2024 IRA Contribution Limits & Catch-Up Provisions

How do I access forms for transactions?

Many account transactions, including contact information updates, incoming transfer requests, distributions, and more can be requested online through myEQUITY. Visit www.myEQUITY.com to log in. For more information on how to register for myEQUITY, view our Enrollment Guide.