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Introduction
The Entrust Group is a globally recognized financial company specializing in assisting investors with the creation and optimization of self-directed IRAs.
For over three decades, the company has been a leader in providing essential information on tax filing, opening tax-advantaged accounts, and managing self-directed tax services.
Through its comprehensive tax-based services, The Entrust Group has successfully accumulated over $4 billion in assets, offering its expertise across multiple locations.
Dedicated to helping Americans achieve financial independence, The Entrust Group focuses on key areas such as health, education, and retirement, ensuring clients are well-equipped to secure their financial future.
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About The Entrust Group
The Entrust Group specializes in investing strategies, offering free learning materials on alternative investment, and providing investor education.
Additionally, the company provides administrative and custodial services to investors interested in adding alternative investment services such as real estate and precious metals to their self-directed IRA accounts.
Apart from managing retirement accounts for its clients, the company also offers Education Savings Accounts (ESA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).
The Entrust Group and its nationwide offices are regularly examined by the relevant regulatory bodies to ensure there is full compliance with state and federal banking regulations.
This plays a vital role because it keeps the company in the good eyes of the public, thus improving its ability to offer the best services.
The Entrust Group Leadership
The Entrust Group was founded by Hubert Bromma, an industry luminary who understands the importance of providing financial services to serve a large group of people and businesses.
Hubert Bromma excels in real estate, mergers and acquisitions, financial institution consulting, and alternative investments.
Through his leadership and the presence of highly networked systems of dedicated local offices, the company has been able been to offer tailor-made services to its clients.
The company's current president is Jason Craig, a highly experienced individual who acted as the assistant vice president at Greater Bay Bank.
Services and Pricing
The Entrust Group operates on a flexible and highly transparent IRA fee schedule.
This shouldn't come as a surprise, considering that the IRS mandates that self-directed accounts be administered by a regulated custodian to ensure that any form of record-keeping is done following IRS policies.
As such, the company offers four categories, with each category having its fee schedule. The four categories are;
Account Establishment Fee: $50
Annual Record-keeping Fee: $199 for a single asset under the Account Market Value of $50,000 and $199 yearly fee for Account Market Value over $50,000.
$299 Annual fee for Two or more assets for Account Market Value under $50,000 and $299+0.15% of an MV account of over $50,000.
Purchase and Sale of Asset Fees: They range from $0 to $250 based on purchased items.
Transaction Fees: Transaction fees are determined by the type of transaction. For instance, the first $50,000 present in your account is not charged the standard 0.15% fee.
On the contrary, the transaction fee is only charged for account value over $50,000. There is also an annual $2,299 cap for record-keeping.
What is a Self-Directed IRA?
A self-directed IRA is an Individual Recruitment Account that offers the holder increased control and detailed diversification over their retirement savings and investments.
The good thing about a self-directed IRA is that the holder is not limited to bonds, mutual funds, and stocks, as is the case with brokerage firms and banks.
Additionally, with a Self-Directed IRA, the holder can take advantage of their investment by investing in other assets such as LLCs, real estate, and limited partnerships.
Holding a Self-Directed account comes with numerous advantages. For instance, holding such an account can increase their overall growth potential. This can be based on the fact that this account allows the holder to invest in different types of assets.
Another advantage is that you can take full control of your financial future. A Self-Directed IRA also protects your wealth against unforeseen economic fluctuations. This has been made possible by the ability to invest in alternative assets.
Finally, you can quickly grow your savings since this account allows you to save on tax-deferred investments that positively impact your future.
4 Steps to Setup an SDIRA
The following is a breakdown of the steps to take to open an SDIRA account.
Understand the Basics of the Account
The process of opening and setting up a self-directed IRA account is similar to opening other IRA accounts. However, it is imperative to familiarize yourself with the fundamental aspects of the account opening process, rules, and options.
What is Your Investment Strategy?
What you plan to invest with your SDIRA account will determine whether it is a good idea to open this account. Therefore, it is vital to understand the risks associated with your investment before settling on this account.
Select your Account Type
You can choose between a Self-Directed Roth IRA or a Self-Directed Traditional IRA. The former allows you to save your savings tax-free, while the latter will enable you to differ your taxes.
Fund Your Account
Once you have settled on your account, the next step is to fund it. You can do this by rolling over your 401 (k), making cash contributions, or transferring your IRA from your custodian.
Funding Your SDIRA
Once you have opened your SDIRA account, the next step is to fund it accordingly. Based on your preferences, you can choose from the following funding options.
IRA Contribution
The regular IRA contributions you make annually can be used to fund your SDIRA account. However, you must be below the age of 70 and with a stable income.
Additionally, you must abide by the IRS contribution limits, which are $6,000 for anyone below the age of 50 and $7,000 for anyone above 50. You can make your contributions through checks, ACH transfers, or wire transfers.
IRA Rollover
As the name suggests, an IRA rollover allows you to move your retirement funds from an employer-sponsored plan such as 401(k) to a new administrator or plan. When you perform an IRA rollover, you can request a distribution to fund your SDIRA account.
IRA Transfer
If you have a retirement plan with a different firm, you can transfer it to your new SDIRA account. For example, you can move your Traditional IRA from a specific bank to another bank that accommodates a Traditional IRA.
Therefore, always ensure that the bank you plan to move your Traditional IRA supports an SDIRA account.
Investment Options For Your SDIRA
With an SDIRA account, you have multiple investment options to choose from, outside of the common investment options such as CDs, mutual funds, and stocks. These alternatives include real estate, precious metals, private equity, cryptocurrency, and retirement homes.
For centuries, precious metals such as gold, platinum, palladium, and silver have served as a form of currency, and it should not come as a surprise when your SDIRA account supports their use.
These precious metals are preferred because they protect investors from currency deflation and inflation. In addition, their use explains why central banks can print more money but cannot produce more silver or gold.
However, even though your SDIRA can hold precious metals, you must ensure they meet the IRS specified purity.
Real estate allows you to invest in mortgage notes and single-family homes. This is vital for your investment as it helps you build your retirement portfolio with a wide range of assets that meet your financial goals.
When it comes to private equity, you may opt to amplify your financial growth by investing in hedge funds, land trusts, and startups.
Other alternative investment options may include cryptocurrency, art galleries, retirement homes, storage space, bowling alleys, and life settlements.
IRA Contribution Limits
IRA has made its contributions discretionary, meaning that account holders are not mandated to make yearly deposits. However, certain requirements and limits must be met when making these contributions.
Traditional IRA Contribution Limits
For traditional IRA contributions, account holders above the age of 50 can deposit up to $7,000. On the other hand, those below 50 are required to contribute up to $6,000. On the other hand, catch-up contributions for those aged 50 and above are $1,000.
Roth IRA limits
Roth contribution limits are similar to those of Traditional IRA contributions. Additionally, you must have taxable income, and the account must have been opened before the tax deadline.
It is also of the essence to bear in mind that IRA contributions do not apply to rollovers or transfers.
SIMPLE IRA Contribution Limits
Limits for SIMPLE IRA are $14,000 for Employee Elective Deferrals and $3,000 for Catch-UP Elective Deferral Contribution for those above 50 years.
Client Reviews
The Entrust Group has received mixed reviews from its customers on different platforms such as Yelp and BBB. For instance, most of the positive reviews are from satisfied customers who had a good experience with a member of the company.
Additionally, the overall account opening and managing process appear to be smooth and transparent. On the downside, some customers have not had a positive experience with the company.
For instance, some complain of poor services from the customer service department, while others complain of being overcharged and getting little help when they raise issues.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
For more than three decades, The Entrust Group continues to be a decent choice compared to many other IRA-based companies.
From offering multiple investment options such as real estate to securing retirement investments for Americans, The Entrust Group is undoubtedly setting the pace.
In addition, the company aims to offer more tailor-made services to its clients, with the primary goal being to assist them in getting the best out of their investments.
The Entrust Group is an ok company if you are looking to create a self-directed IRA, but we do not recommend them.
They aren't a scam, but they are not the best choice for gold investments and certainly not IRA's, like other companies we have written about on this website.
You can get a Free Gold Investors Guide from our top gold and precious metals company recommendation by clicking the link above or you can read our article of the top companies we reviewed this year:
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I started BMOGAM Viewpoints as a way to compile all my views on investing in one place. I own my home, have some real estate, and own a few stocks like most people, but what really drives my interest in investing is I have a strong love of precious metals, especially gold.
