GoldBroker stands out in the precious metals sector, catering to unique needs that many competitors overlook. They offer the distinct advantage of offshore gold storage, bringing potential tax benefits from your treasured metals. Furthermore, with GoldBroker, you enjoy the liberty of complete gold ownership without the interference of a custodian.
But the pressing questions are: Is their offering precious? Who's the ideal customer for GoldBroker? And, at the heart of it all, is GoldBroker genuinely trustworthy?
About GoldBroker
To truly grasp GoldBroker, it's essential to have a basic knowledge of the precious metals landscape. Online trading of precious metals dates back to the inception of the Internet. Many intelligent investors allocate a segment of their assets to gold and silver to shield themselves from inflation.
Through GoldBroker, entrepreneurs and savvy investors can securely place their metals in offshore vaults. This setup could offer notable tax breaks based on your residence, as there might be no need to disclose these assets.
Typically, these offshore facilities have designated custodians overseeing the lockers. Accessing your cherished metals generally requires their intervention. However, GoldBroker promises individual autonomy over your reserves. The storage certificate and the entire content belong solely to you, ensuring no unauthorized access to your locker.
Distinguishing itself from numerous US-based peers, GoldBroker operates from Malta, a renowned tax-friendly zone in the Mediterranean. Registering your gold in Malta offers the advantage of keeping it away from global financial systems, nullifying the threat of unwarranted seizures.
A remarkable feature of this arrangement is the liberty to inspect your assets whenever you wish without company supervision. Should you opt to liquidate or move your metals, it's a hassle-free process.
The Leadership Crew
A core team spearheads GoldBroker, and they proudly own up to their roles. It's always reassuring. When firms remain tight-lipped about their leadership, it might hint at a reluctance to shoulder the aftermath of potential mismanagement.
Leading the charge at GoldBroker is its founder and CEO, Fabrice Ristori, a European entrepreneur with deep roots in the financial world. His keen interest in precious metals has spanned over a decade, culminating in the establishment of GoldBroker in 2011. Since then, he's been steering the ship for ten years.
Egon von Greyerz
The company's board, pivotal in shaping its vision and strategies, includes notable names. Among them stands Egon Von Greyerz, a seasoned financial expert who's been navigating the moneyed realms since the 90s. Early in his career, Egon lent his expertise to affluent families, aiding them in consolidating wealth and navigating mergers.
With the turn of the century, Egon's passion pivoted towards the allure of gold and silver. Driven to shield his financial holdings, he dove headfirst into the world of precious metals. By 2005, he laid the foundation for Matterhorn Asset Management, an entity focused on managing and safeguarding prized metal assets.
In his role at Matterhorn, Egon's vision is clear: safeguard the fortunes of his clientele. The company's modus operandi involves amassing vast quantities of precious metals strategically positioned beyond the reaches of mainstream banking grids. Catering to an elite clientele with sky-high net worth, Matterhorn's influence spans an impressive 52 nations.
Egon often graces public platforms, discussing nuances of the precious metals market. A prolific writer, his pieces delve into economics, wealth conservation, and the intricate dance of precious metals. His insights and leadership have undeniably shaped GoldBroker into the industry leader it is today.
Custodianship & Storage Solutions
Unlike numerous precious metals merchants, GoldBroker empowers you to manage your vault entirely; they steer clear of the custodian role. Their approach is grounded in fostering your autonomy.
Collaborating closely with Malca-Amit, a prominent storage enterprise, GoldBroker ensures you receive official vault ownership certificates. These documents detail specifics about your vault, its contents, and the unique identifiers of each metal bar.
Favorably, you can park your precious metals in Zurich's tax-friendly environment. Beyond this, storage options extend to Singapore, Canada, and the USA, pinpointing Toronto and the bustling New York City.
A notable share of metals housed in New York primarily caters to gold IRA patrons. Due to the IRS's stringent guidelines on IRA precious metals storage locations, vaults need to be within American territory. Moreover, precious metal IRAs mandate an authorized custodian, so the unique independence GoldBroker champions might not apply here.
Products and Services
While the product range has its boundaries, it indeed offers a broader selection of bullion than most offshore storage entities. Beyond the classic gold and silver, you'll find choices in palladium and platinum.
You have an array of bars to consider:
Opt for one-ounce gold bars sourced from the esteemed Canadian Royal Mint or their robust 100-ounce silver bars. GoldBroker also collaborates with the Republic Metals Corporation, offering you options like one-kilogram silver bars, thousand-ounce silver bars, hundred-ounce silver bars, and their one-ounce gold bars.
Broadening the scope, an eclectic mix of bullion choices hailing from top global mints. Coins from North America span both the USA and Canada. Europe contributes with coins from Britain and Austria, while you can also opt for Silver Australian Kangaroos or the revered South African Gold Krugerrands.
Fees and Pricing
A notable concern with the firm is its need for more transparency about commission fees for its offerings. Simply put, commission fees are what sales reps earn when they sell you gold or silver.
Sales reps earning via commissions might push you to splurge more, potentially sidelining your best financial interests. Moreover, these commission add-ons could result in you shelling out significantly more than the actual market worth of the metals.
Always delve into the global rates of precious metals before zeroing in on a dealer. Ideally, the most competitive rates should hover just a tad above market rates.
On probing GoldBroker about their commission structure, they hint at varying fees depending on the product. They add that higher purchases lead to reduced commissions. However, exact figures still need to be discovered.
There's a baseline order value of 10,000 dollars.
They do offer a buyback scheme. Buy metals from them, store them in their facilities, and they'll repurchase when you cash out. Such transactions attract a commission of 1 percent, with a bare minimum of 75 dollars.
Storage Costs
Instead of a static charge, they opt for a variable storage fee. Many rivals have a fixed payment for initiating and upkeeping a storage vault. Here, you're billed a fraction of your total assets, meaning those with heftier accounts could pay more. Providers with consistent storage charges may prove more pocket-friendly.
Here's how their fee structure works:
- For assets under 20,000 dollars, there's a 1.5 percent fee.
- Holdings exceeding 50 ounces of gold attract a 1.25 percent charge.
- Accounts with over 900 ounces of gold have a 1.05 percent fee.
- Specifically, those over 4,500 ounces of gold get billed at .95 percent.
Silver storage too has its fee tiers:
- 1.5 percent for up to 60,000 ounces of silver.
- If you amass more than 300,000 ounces of silver, it's 1.2 percent.
- Some additional storage-related charges apply.
A vault visit sets you back by 200 dollars. Opting to retrieve your assets from the vault personally? That's another 200 dollars. Wishing to photograph your assets? It's 10 dollars per storage unit.
Is GoldBroker Truly Legit or Just a Scam?
GoldBroker seems legit, steered by precious metals investment domain experts with a diverse client base.
However, a couple of insights are essential.
Firstly, GoldBroker doesn't run its operations from the U.S. or focus on gold IRAs. They primarily offer investors beneficial tax treatments for storing precious metals.
Secondly, their pricing could be higher because of unclear commission structures.
Advantages & Drawbacks of GoldBroker.com
Advantages
- Your precious metals have the flexibility of being stored across four distinct nations.
- Whenever you wish, retrieving metals from storage is a breeze.
- You're free to inspect your vault whenever with no company representative required.
Downsides:
- The firm's commission framework could be more straightforward, potentially leading you to pay beyond the market rate.
- Rather than a fixed storage cost, they charge based on a portion of what you hold.
Final Thoughts
GoldBroker uniquely provides a service allowing you to keep your precious metals in a tax-favorable offshore account, granting you complete control over these assets.
However, their opacity regarding commission costs might lead you to spend more. Plus, their tiered storage fee structure can be hefty for those with substantial holdings, a scenario flat fee companies avoid.