Gold IRA rollovers: the careful checklist before you move retirement money.

A Gold IRA rollover is not just a gold purchase. It can involve retirement-account rules, custody requirements, depository storage, dealer pricing, and tax questions. Goldrush treats rollover content as a research checklist first, not a sales funnel.

The goal is simple: help a reader know what to verify before a provider turns the conversation into a quote, promotion, or account-opening deadline.

The rollover decision path

• 1. Identify the account type: Confirm whether the money is in a Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or another plan before discussing metals. Different account types can have different rules and tax consequences.
• 2. Ask who the custodian is: A Gold IRA is normally a self-directed IRA administered by a custodian. Separate the custodian, depository, dealer, and sales company in your notes.
• 3. Get every fee in writing: Request setup fees, annual administration, storage, transaction fees, liquidation fees, wire fees, and the dealer spread or markup before signing anything.
• 4. Confirm eligible metals and storage: IRA-owned metals generally must meet eligibility rules and be held at an approved depository. Do not rely on casual sales-language; verify the actual custody flow.
• 5. Slow the decision down: A rollover is not an emergency purchase. Pressure to act today is a reason to pause, document the claim, and compare alternatives.

Questions to answer before speaking with a provider

• Am I trying to diversify custody, speculate on metals, reduce market exposure, or compare physical ownership against ETFs?
• What percentage of retirement assets would be affected if I proceed?
• Have I compared the Gold IRA cost stack against keeping the current account, buying an ETF, or buying taxable physical bullion?
• Can the provider explain the custodian, dealer, and depository roles without blurring them together?

Source review started

Initial IRS source captures are archived in research/gold-ira-rollover/2026-07-05/. The public page remains noindex until these sources are converted into line-level citations and reviewed for factual accuracy.

• IRS: Rollovers of retirement plan and IRA distributions
• IRS: Individual Retirement Arrangements
• IRS Publication 590-A
• IRS Publication 590-B

Goldrush publishing standard for this guide

• Convert source captures into line-level citations before indexing.
• Add a professional factual review note before the page becomes indexable.
• Link every provider CTA through a disclosure block, never directly from unsupported claims.
• Use the fee calculator and fee guide as the next step, not a high-pressure call script.