After more than twenty years investing in precious metals IRAs, I’m always on the lookout for custodians and dealers that combine reliability, clear pricing, and hands-on support.
Finding professionals who truly guide you through the process can be tough. To make your search easier, I’ve distilled what you need to know when choosing among top gold IRA companies and custodians.
In this review, I unpack how Fidelity serves investors interested in a gold IRA—drawing on my first-hand experience opening and funding an IRA through their platform.

Fidelity: A Brief Overview

Founded in 1946, Fidelity is one of the largest and most recognized investment firms in the world. Unlike niche precious metals companies, Fidelity spans brokerage, retirement accounts, planning tools, and more—making it a one‑stop shop for many investors.
Beyond breadth, Fidelity emphasizes investor education and planning—key advantages if you’re new to precious metals and want guidance alongside execution.
With 200+ investor centers across the U.S. and global regional hubs, Fidelity pairs scale with a service model built around planning, tools, and support.
What stood out in my experience was the focus on informed decision-making—an approach reflected in the satisfaction of tens of millions of individual clients.
Top Gold IRA Companies in 2025
Before diving further, I’ve evaluated dozens of precious metals providers and assembled a concise list of the best gold IRA companies in 2025. Reviewing it first can help you compare options before you initiate a transfer or rollover.
My current #1 is Augusta Precious Metals thanks to its strong industry ratings, extensive educational resources, and lifetime support. See my full Augusta review or visit the official Augusta website to learn more.


What Makes Fidelity Stand Out?
Fidelity’s scale and support structure are appealing, but a few features particularly impressed me when evaluating it for a precious metals IRA.
Precious Metals IRA Account Types
Choosing the right vehicle is critical when you invest in a gold IRA. Fidelity provides guidance on account types so you can match your tax strategy with your goals.
Based on my conversations and experience, you’ll typically choose between the following:
- Traditional IRA: Contributions may be tax-deductible, and growth is tax-deferred. Taxes are due when you take qualified distributions in retirement. Early withdrawals can trigger IRS penalties.
- Roth IRA: Funded with after-tax dollars, allowing qualified tax-free growth and withdrawals. A Roth gold IRA also offers flexibility on accessing contributions.
I opted for a Traditional IRA to align with my time horizon and tax outlook.
Fidelity’s IRA contribution calculator made it easy to estimate how much I could add each year and plan my contributions accordingly.
Investment Options
When I explored Fidelity’s metals offering, I found a $2,500 minimum to begin investing in precious metals inside an IRA.
Selection is more limited than many dedicated metals dealers. For IRA eligibility under IRS rules, Fidelity supports:
- Gold American Eagle (1 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz)
- Gold American Buffalo (1 oz)
- Silver American Eagle (1 oz)
- Platinum American Eagle (1 oz)
- Investment‑grade bullion bars
Outside of metals, Fidelity offers a broad mix of accounts and services, including:
- Brokerage for investing and trading
- Cash management for spending and saving
- Sustainable investing options
- Professionally managed accounts
- Health savings accounts (HSAs)
- Annuities
- Life insurance
- 529 college savings plans
You can also trade or invest in:
- Bonds
- Fixed income products
- ETFs
- Certificates of deposit (CDs)
- Cryptocurrency, and more
Planning and Advice
Fidelity’s planning resources are a strong complement to its accounts. While navigating choices, I found their professionals responsive and knowledgeable.
Their guidance spans foundational financial education, wealth management, charitable giving, saving strategies, retirement planning, life insurance, investing for kids, and long‑term care—each backed by access to advisors who tailor recommendations to your goals.
Educational Resources
Fidelity’s News & Research hub centralizes insights by asset class and market theme, making it easy to drill down into areas that matter to you.
For instance, the Markets & Sectors section includes metals charts with price movements and updates, plus dashboards for fixed income, energy, agriculture, and more.
Those real-time visuals helped me evaluate trends at a glance, turning the site into a practical decision-making tool rather than just an account portal.
How to Invest with Fidelity

If you’re just getting started with a gold IRA, Fidelity’s process is straightforward. Here’s how my setup went, step by step:
Step 1: Open an IRA
Account creation is fully online. Choose your IRA type, then enter personal details and funding preferences. Submitting accurate information helps avoid delays.
Step 2: Fund Your Account
You can add cash directly or move funds via a 401(k) rollover or transfer from another retirement plan. I used cash for speed.
Step 3: Place a Metals Order
To buy coins or bars for an IRA, you must call Fidelity’s trading desk at 800‑544‑6666 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. ET. The time window is narrow, but the representative completed my order efficiently.
Step 4: Store Your Assets
IRA metals must be held at an approved depository. Fidelity uses FideliTrade Inc., an insured Delaware-based facility, providing peace of mind about the security of your holdings.
Fidelity Fees

Fee clarity matters. Because metals IRA costs weren’t fully listed online, I contacted support to confirm the current schedule and avoid surprises.
Here’s what I verified for a precious metals IRA at Fidelity:
- IRA account opening fee: $0
- Precious metals transaction fee: $44 per trade
- Quarterly storage: 0.125% of position value (minimum $3.75)
There’s also a trade commission that scales with your purchase amount.
The range I was quoted: 0.99% to 2.9%. For example, a $5,000 gold purchase inside an IRA would incur a 2.9% fee, or $145.
Overall, I found Fidelity’s pricing competitive for a large custodian, with transparent storage and transaction costs.
Fidelity Ratings on Consumer Sites
| Consumer Protection Agency | Rating | Number of Reviews | Complaints in Past 12 Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Better Business Bureau (BBB) | A+ | 172 | 402 |
| TrustPilot | 1.3/5 | 497 | 456 reviews that are below 4-star. |
Pros and Cons
Pros
- 24/7 live chat makes it easy to get quick answers
- No fee to open a precious metals IRA
- Timely market news and insights via newsletters
- Helpful IRA contribution calculator on the site
- Low $2,500 minimum to start a metals IRA
Cons
- The sheer range of services can feel overwhelming for first-time buyers
- IRA‑eligible precious metals selection is relatively limited
Final Verdict
Fidelity is a strong option for investors who want a well-known custodian with robust tools, education, and support for gold IRAs.
Highlights include live help around the clock, low minimums, useful planning tools, insured storage through FideliTrade, and straightforward costs.
The main trade-offs are a smaller IRA‑eligible metals catalog and a website that can feel dense if you’re brand new to investing. Weigh these against your priorities before committing.




