Editor's Selection · Nº 01 of X

Birch
Gold Group.

"The only custodian in the category with a dedicated Harvard-trained economist assigned to every account, and the only one that still picks up the phone at eight in the evening."

Founded
2012
Minimum
$10,000
Depository
Delaware
BBB
A+
Accounts
11,200+
9.8 / 10
Nº 05 on the 2026 register. Birch's distinguishing feature is fee transparency. the full schedule is published on the public website, which no other firm in the top five does. For allocators who won't request a kit just to learn what something costs,…
Recommended TierInstitutional

The Verdict, in Brief.

Nº 05 on the 2026 register. Birch's distinguishing feature is fee transparency. the full schedule is published on the public website, which no other firm in the top five does. For allocators who won't request a kit just to learn what something costs, Birch is the rational choice.
Birch is the only firm on the register that gets better the longer you hold an account with them. — E. Hartwell, Senior Editor
Nº 05 on the 2026 register. Birch's distinguishing feature is fee transparency. the full schedule is published on the public website, which no other firm in the top five does. For allocators who won't request a kit just to learn what something costs, Birch is the rational choice.

Firm History & Standing.

Founded 2003. the oldest firm outside Lear in our register. Operates from Burbank, California under founder Laith Alsarraf. A+ with the BBB for over a decade. Partnerships with The Ben Shapiro Show and Ron Paul's educational materials signal a right-leaning audience focus; the investment materials themselves read as politically neutral.

The Fee Schedule.

Flat $180 annual fee covering IRA administration, storage, and insurance. $50 first-year setup (waived on $50,000+ rollovers). No separate custodial charges. Schedule published at birchgold.com/fees.

Custody & Service.

Storage at Brink's and Delaware Depository. A specialist is assigned at account opening. Wait times average around six business days. slightly behind AHG but ahead of Goldco or Birch.

Buy-back & Liquidity.

Buy-back guarantee is written into the fee schedule document. stronger than Goldco's website promise, slightly below Birch's full contractual version. Executed in 7–10 business days.

Reservations.

The fee transparency is the real value here. the actual $180 all-in isn't the cheapest or the most inclusive, it's just the one you can verify without a sales call. Political-adjacent marketing may or may not matter.

Who Birch is For.

The allocator who wants the fee structure published and verifiable before any sales contact. Also a strong pick for $10,000 to $100,000 accounts that value longevity.