-- Posted 30 March, 2004 | | Source: SilverSeek.com
If you are one of those who is living well but saving little (or nothing) this article is for you. You know you should be saving for retirement but you never seem to be getting around to it? You also know that silver is poised to do well but you never have the funds to get in the game?
This also works just dandy if you are covered by a profit sharing or 401K plan at work and DO NOT qualify for a traditional self directed IRA. If your 401K does not allow you to invest in precious metals but you want a precious metal hedge in your retirement funds look no further. If your adjusted gross income is below $160,000 (married) then you qualify for both the 401K at work AND a Roth IRA that allows for investment in precious metals.
Remember that everything your parents told you about investing is true. The two greatest pieces of financial advice I ever got from my parents is save at least 10% of your income and PAY YOURSELF FIRST. There is nothing magic in those two statements but they are the most sure fire plan of retiring well. Some have told me that the money won’t be worth anything when they retire so why bother? For them I say just put the retirement funds in a self directed Roth account that allows precious metal investments. The third thing that is absolutely vital to the plan is to AUTOMATICALLY DRAFT your paycheck and send the funds directly to the Roth IRA. Anyone can do it with just a little effort. You can invest up to $3000/year in a Roth IRA in 2003 and 2004 if you are under 50 and up to $3,500/year if you are 50 or older. Deadline for 2003 contributions are 4-15-04. For only $57/week you can max out your Roth IRA and invest it in precious metals. (That is the maximum contribution.)
American Church Trust (ACT) is a fee based custodian that allows their Roth IRA accounts to invest in precious metals. The minimum amount to set up the account is only $1,000. You can roll over an existing Roth IRA or convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA at ACT. As soon as your account is adequately funded you can purchase silver (my choice for now), gold, palladium or platinum. ACT will store your precious metals at their depository at HSBC Bank USA. All of the US mint coins are acceptable as well as 100 oz J-M and EH silver bars. Several other items are also acceptable but these are my favorites.
While I always recommend that everyone keep a reasonable amount of precious metals close at hand it is wise to invest a portion of one’s retirement funds in precious metals as well. I like the Roth IRA for several reasons. For now while the gold/silver ratio still favors silver you can invest in silver. When the ratio favors gold you can sell a portion of your silver and buy gold. Switching back and forth through the years as the ratio dictates is another way to increase your wealth. The Roth allows you to switch without fear of a tax liability every time you sell and repurchase a different precious metal (there is no cost basis to keep up with for later tax payments). The Roth also offers a vehicle to grow your precious metals without any tax consequences – even when you sell for a big gain and take a distribution at retirement. You get to keep it all! Since the Roth is funded with after tax money going in, all the money going out at retirement (including the gains) are tax free.
To set up your Roth IRA now just contact American Church Trust at 1-800-228-8825 in Houston, TX and ask for Trey Hightower. You can also visit them at www.churchtrust.com on the web. After you set up the account you can fund it with a retirement account roll over, a check or AUTOMATIC DRAFTS from your bank every pay period for those of us who never get around to saving it all at once. After your account if funded just contact your favorite precious metals dealer (www.silvertrading.net as an example) and order what you want. The metals will be shipped direct to HSBC Bank. As soon as their arrival is verified ACT will release the check for payment to the dealer. It is just that simple.
Your Roth IRA account can also be invested in Church bonds, mutual funds, listed stocks and U.S. Treasury bills, notes and bonds as you wish.
If you want more information just drop me an email and I will be happy to send you an information package via US Mail.
Don’t delay, retirement gets closer every day! You’ll be glad you did.
Larry LaBorde
www.silvertrading.net
Larry and his wife Puddy operate the Silver Trading Company in the Deep South with their two semi-adult children and Haley the wonder dog. You can email Larry at llabord@aol.com or visit the web site at www.silvertrading.net.
Remember that we are not investment advisors and that any opinion offered in this article is just that – opinion. To protect yourself you should always check with your own tax consultants and other financial advisors.
-- Posted 30 March, 2004 | |
