Company Research Methodology
We build each company page from the company's own current web pages and from public records: regulator databases, enforcement actions and court filings. Each record is saved with its URL and access date. Company statements are labeled as claims, allegations are labeled as allegations, and no company is ranked or called the best.
This page explains how we research the dealers, custodians and depositories that appear in Gold IRA Companies Compared. It describes the process we follow, not a scoring formula. We don't use one. If you want to run the same checks yourself, our guide on how to Evaluate a Gold IRA Company walks through them step by step.
Why does a company page need a written method?
A Gold IRA involves retirement money, taxes and companies that are paid when you buy. Readers need to know where each statement on a company page came from and how much weight it can bear. A company's own sales page and a regulator's final order are very different kinds of evidence. We keep them apart and label each one.
We also hold back company pages until the research is done. A company review, a company-vs-company comparison, or a custodian or depository profile is only written after its facts have been collected from the company's own current pages and from public records, each with a URL and an access date. If we can't collect enough verified facts to make a page useful, we don't publish it. We record the reason internally instead.
What records do we collect for each company?
We collect two kinds of records.
1. The company's own current pages. These include official fee schedules, account agreements, disclosures and product specifications published by the company. We save the exact URL and the date we opened it. Our fact-checking and sources policy lists documents like these among primary sources. They show what the company says about itself, so we report them as the company's statements.
2. Public records. These come from government agencies, self-regulatory organizations and courts. The main ones are listed below.
| Record source | What it can show | Limits we keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| FINRA BrokerCheck | Backgrounds of brokerage firms, investment adviser firms and investment professionals; for individuals, this includes "customer disputes, disciplinary events and certain criminal and financial matters" | FINRA notes that some items "may involve pending actions or allegations that have not been resolved or proven" |
| NFA BASIC | CFTC registration and NFA membership information, regulatory actions, and information on certain types of customer claims | NFA says it does not "warrant or guarantee the accuracy or the completeness" of the data, and recent actions may not be entered yet |
| SEC Investor.gov search and SALI | Whether a person or firm is registered with the SEC, a state or FINRA, and, through SALI, individuals against whom a court entered a judgment or the SEC issued an order | SALI covers individuals only, not firms; it leaves out pending cases and covers only actions filed in a set date range shown on the SEC page |
| IRS list of approved nonbank trustees and custodians | Whether a non-bank custodian has IRS approval to act as an IRA trustee or custodian | The IRS says the list is updated as entities are added or removed, so we note the list's date |
| CFTC, SEC, FTC and state attorney general enforcement releases | Complaints filed, orders, consent decrees and settlements | A complaint is a set of allegations, not a finding |
| Federal court records through PACER, and state court records | Case dockets, filings, opinions and judgments | We read the filing or opinion itself, not news summaries of it |
Not every database applies to every company. BrokerCheck covers brokerage firms, investment adviser firms and their professionals, so a dealer that is neither may not appear there at all. When a search finds no record, we say exactly that: no record was found in that database on that date. We don't treat it as proof that a company is clean or safe.
We look at these databases partly because regulators point consumers to them. The CFTC's precious metals fraud advisory tells consumers to contact the CFTC or the National Futures Association "to check the company's registration status, business background, and disciplinary history."
How do we tell a company's claims apart from verified facts?
Anything that comes only from the company is written as the company's claim. For example: "According to the company's website, ..." A statement moves from claim to fact only when an independent source confirms it, such as a regulator record or a court document.
This matters for things like fees, minimum purchases, buyback terms and storage arrangements. A dealer's description of its own fees tells you what it says it charges. It does not tell you what other customers paid.
How do we describe lawsuits, complaints and settlements?
We use the legal status the record itself shows.
- Allegations. A lawsuit or a regulator's complaint contains allegations. We call them allegations unless there is a judgment or order.
- Judgments and orders. When a court enters a judgment or a regulator issues a final order, we describe what the court or regulator decided, quoting the document.
- Settlements. A settlement is described as a settlement. We report the terms the document states, including any statement about whether wrongdoing was admitted or denied.
Our precious Metals Dealer Enforcement Actions Database applies the same labels to each case it lists.
Why don't we rank companies or name a "best" one?
We don't publish rankings, "best" lists, "top 10" lists or winners. Which company fits depends on a reader's own situation, and a ranking would turn that judgment into our recommendation. Instead, company pages report published facts side by side so you can compare them yourself. We also don't give personalized advice. Where a decision depends on your situation, we point you to a qualified professional. See our financial disclaimer.
Does every company get the same treatment?
Yes. Every company page will use the same set of fields, shown below. Our partner gets no different treatment. If a field can't be filled from a source we opened, we leave it out rather than guess.
| Field | Where it comes from | How it is labeled |
|---|---|---|
| Partner relationship, if any | Our own advertising disclosure | Stated at the top of the page |
| Business type (dealer, custodian, depository) | Company pages; IRS nonbank trustee list for custodians | Company claim, unless a public record confirms it |
| Fees, minimums and account terms | Company fee schedules and agreements | Company claim, with URL and access date |
| Products offered for IRAs | Company product pages | Company claim |
| Custodians and depositories the company works with | Company pages and agreements | Company claim |
| Buyback and storage terms | Company pages and agreements | Company claim |
| Registration and disciplinary records | BrokerCheck, NFA BASIC, Investor.gov, SALI | Public record, with search date |
| Regulator actions | CFTC, SEC, FTC and state AG releases | Allegation, order or settlement, as the record shows |
| Court cases | Court dockets and opinions | Allegation, judgment or settlement, as the record shows |
| Sources | Every page above | URL and access date for each |
How is the partner relationship disclosed?
We have one paid relationship. Augusta Precious Metals is an affiliate partner, and we may earn a commission when readers request its Free Gold & Silver IRA Info Kit through our links. The kit belongs to Augusta Precious Metals. We don't write it. Links to it are labeled as partner offers and marked as sponsored. Our page on Augusta Precious Metals states this relationship at the top and uses the same fields as every other company page. The advertising disclosure gives the full details.
Companies don't pay for coverage, placement or favorable wording, and they don't review our pages before publication. The editorial policy covers this in more detail.
How are facts checked before a page goes live?
We use AI tools to help research, draft and check guides. Before publication, each factual claim is compared with the source it cites. Claims that can't be matched to a source are removed or rewritten. The verification date on each page is the date that check took place.
How often is company information updated?
Under our update policy, fees, company and custodian information is reviewed every three months. Scam and enforcement information is reviewed every three months and whenever regulators announce new actions. New regulator warnings or a confirmed error reported by a reader trigger an earlier update.
How can a company or reader correct an error?
Anyone can report an error through our contact page. Companies may submit factual corrections about their own published fees or policies, with evidence. We check the evidence before changing anything. Material corrections are dated and listed in the corrections log.
Related questions
Where can I check a company's records myself?
The public databases we use are available online: FINRA BrokerCheck, NFA BASIC, the SEC's Investor.gov search and the IRS nonbank trustee list. For a guided walk-through, see how to Evaluate a Gold IRA Company.
Does a clean record mean a company is safe?
No. A database search shows only what that database holds on the day you search. A company that isn't a brokerage firm or investment adviser may not appear in FINRA or SEC databases at all. A clean search is one data point, not an endorsement.
Sources
- About BrokerCheck, FINRA. Accessed Invalid Date.
- BASIC, National Futures Association. Accessed Invalid Date.
- Check Out Your Investment Professional, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Investor.gov). Accessed Invalid Date.
- SEC Action Lookup - Individuals (SALI), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accessed Invalid Date.
- Fraud Advisory: Precious Metals Fraud, Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Accessed Invalid Date.
- Approved nonbank trustees and custodians, Internal Revenue Service. Accessed Invalid Date.
- Find a Case (PACER), United States Courts. Accessed Invalid Date.
This guide is general education, not personalized financial, tax or legal advice. See our financial disclaimer, editorial policy and advertising disclosure.