The field notes

Useful context for
expensive decisions.

The questions readers actually arrive with — fees, rollovers, tax treatment, storage — answered against primary sources rather than sales copy.

Field notes · 42 articles

Read the research.

Every article is held to the same standard: rules about tax treatment, eligibility, and accounts are written against IRS guidance, and dealer figures are dated or withheld rather than guessed at.

01

Precious Metals IRA: Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium Under One Rule

Gold Investing
02

Gold vs the S&P 500: Real Returns, Volatility, and Why the Comparison Is Usually Rigged

Gold Investing
03

Gold vs Silver: The Record, the Volatility, and What Each One Costs to Hold

Gold Investing
04

Is Gold a Good Investment? The Five Numbers That Decide It

Gold Investing
05

Gold IRA Custodian Fees Compared: Five Published Schedules, Side by Side

Gold Investing
06

Gold IRA Depositories: Where the Metal Sits, and What Each One Publishes

Gold Investing
07

Gold IRA Due-Diligence Checklist: What to Get in Writing Before You Fund

Gold Investing
08

Gold IRA Glossary: The Terms in a Dealer Quote and an Account Agreement

Gold Investing
09

Gold IRA RMDs and In-Kind Distributions: Selling Metal or Taking It Out

Retirement Planning
10

Gold IRA Spread and Buyback: The Round-Trip Cost, and How Selling Works

Gold Investing
11

The Gold to Silver Ratio: 66 Years of Data, and What Traders Get Wrong About It

Gold Investing
12

How to Sell Gold: Where to Sell, How the Price Is Set, and the Tax

Gold Investing
13

How We Review Gold IRA Dealers: Sources, Checks, and What We Leave Out

Company Reviews
14

SEP, SIMPLE, and Inherited Gold IRAs: How the Rules Change

Retirement Planning
15

Augusta Precious Metals Review: What It Publishes and What to Ask For

Company Reviews
16

Birch Gold Group Review: What It Publishes and What to Ask For

Company Reviews
17

Goldco Review: What It Publishes and What to Ask For

Company Reviews
18

Noble Gold Investments Review: What It Publishes and What to Ask For

Company Reviews
19

Goldco vs American Hartford Gold vs Noble Gold: What Each One Actually Publishes

Company Reviews
20

Charles Schwab Gold IRA: Options and Alternatives

Gold Investing
21

Fidelity Gold IRA: What You Can (and Can't) Do

Gold Investing
22

Gold and Silver IRA: Holding Both Metals in One Account

Gold Investing
23

Gold IRA Fees and Minimum Investment: The Full Cost Breakdown

Gold Investing
24

Gold IRA Scams: Warning Signs and How to Protect Yourself

Gold Investing
25

Gold IRA Tax Rules: Contributions, Distributions, and Penalties

Gold Investing
26

Gold IRA vs Physical Gold: Which Should You Choose?

Gold Investing
27

Gold Roth IRA: How It Works and When It Makes Sense

Gold Investing
28

Home Storage Gold IRA: Why the IRS Says No

Gold Investing
29

Robinhood Gold IRA Match Explained (It's Not About Gold)

Gold Investing
30

Self-Directed Gold IRA: Rules, Structure, and Setup

Gold Investing
31

Vanguard Gold IRA: What's Available and What Isn't

Gold Investing
32

What Is a Gold IRA? (And How It Works)

Gold Investing
33

Transferring a 401(k) to a Gold IRA: Direct vs Indirect

Retirement Planning
34

Gold IRA for Retirement: What the Account Does and What It Costs

Retirement Planning
35

Retirement Planning with a Gold IRA: Where the Position Sits

Retirement Planning
36

Gold IRA and Social Security: Where the Two Interact

Retirement Planning
37

Gold IRA vs 401(k): Seven Structural Differences

Retirement Planning
38

How to Invest in a Gold IRA: The Six Steps

Gold Investing
39

Best Gold IRA: A Comparison Framework, Not a Ranking

Gold Investing
40

Gold IRA Risks: What Each One Costs and What to Check

Gold Investing
41

Gold IRA Benefits: Each One, and What It Costs

Gold Investing
42

Gold IRA Returns: How the Figure Is Built

Gold Investing