Contributor, Benzinga
August 3, 2022
Lear Capital
Overall Rating:
securely through Lear Capital's website

90,884 happy customers can’t be wrong. Over $3 billion in precious metals transactions and over 25 years in business – that’s an extremely solid track record for this industry. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Lear Capital is a full-service precious metals dealer specializing in gold and silver self-directed individual retirement accounts (SDIRAs). The company offers an extensive precious metals inventory of premium rare coins and investment-grade bullion. 

You can easily diversify your portfolio with precious metals and Lear Capital shows you how. Lear Capital helps customers transfer traditional IRAs into gold IRAs seamlessly, tax and penalty-free. They also sell bullion and numismatics outside of IRAs for home storage and peace of mind. 

For IRA transactions, Lear Capital ensures your physical assets are securely and properly stored in an IRS-approved vault with a solid and reputable custodian. They also have a price match guarantee and many incentives and special offers to give you great bang for your buck. With more than 25 years in the business, Lear Capital has earned a AAA rating with the Business Consumer Alliance. Lear Capital is also a professional coin-grading dealer, so they know what they are doing. No one knows the gold investing space better than Lear. 

Best For
  • Investors seeking diversification with precious metals
  • Individuals wanting to hedge savings against global volatility
  • Retirees wanting security against market crashes
  • Investors aiming to capitalize on gold price action during crises
  • Individuals concerned about the possibility of capital controls
  • Collectors seeking premium rare numismatic coins
Pros
  • Up to $15,000 in bonus metals
  • Price match guarantee
  • Free IRA set-up and storage; up to 3 yrs a $680 value
  • 24 Hour no-risk purchase guarantee
  • 1st Yr commission free after initial transaction
  • Business since 1997 – 2X longer than competitors.
  • IRS-approved custodians for secure IRA storage
  • Personal account executives for concierge service
  • 15-day delivery with free, insured shipping
Cons
  • Live chat unavailable on the website
  • Minimum purchase amount of $15,000

Lear Capital Ratings at a Glance

Products
Customer Service
Security
Pricing
User Benefits
User Experience
Overall

Get up to $15,000 in BONUS coins from Lear Capital, the precious metals leader.

Lear Capital has been a precious metals dealer for over 25 years, offering bullion, rare coins and gold IRAs. It offers a price match guarantee while helping clients transfer IRAs, in whole or in part, into gold and silver

The company assigns individual senior account executives to help customers find unique solutions and make precious metals transactions tax-free and penalty-free. Lear Capital offers secure asset storage in IRS-approved vaults, provides professional coin grading and has earned a AAA rating from the Business Consumer Alliance. 

Lear Capital Products

Lear Capital deals in gold, silver, platinum and palladium for investors looking for rare coins and/or international investment-grade bullion. They offer price transparency by quoting all fees and taxes before final purchase. They also provide a price match guarantee.

The company provides free shipping within 15 days for qualifying purchases. Each account is 100% insured and if storage is necessary, stored at the Delaware Depository. Packages shipped from the depository have full insurance coverage. Perhaps the biggest advantage of investing with Lear Capital is they cover most setup and storage fees. Invest over $75,000 and they will cover your storage for several years.

Note: The company’s website is available 24 hours a day, but Lear Capital has a $5,000 limit on after hours website purchases because of market volatility. Account executives are readily available during business hours for higher volume transactions.

Individuals wanting to transfer some or all of an IRA into a gold SDIRA can do it seamlessly with the help of a personal account executive. Lear Capital executives really know their stuff and will expertly assist you in avoiding tax pitfalls or penalties when doing a rollover. You will be contacted immediately if you fill out an IRA account form or inquiry on the website.

Investing in a gold IRA with Lear Capital means having your portfolio and net worth backed with physical metals. You own your physical metals and can take possession of them when eligible or required to take distributions. They can also liquidate your assets and send you the proceeds. Just let your account executive know which you prefer. 

Account executives can open your precious metal account within one day and transfer funds from an IRA within five business days. You can track your portfolio’s performance 24/7 online, and quarterly statements are mailed to your home address. 

If you’re a first time investor or would like to know more about Lear Capital’s products, you can request a free investor kit. Their website is also chock full of valuable investing tools such as a historical chart center, a portfolio comparison calculator, an RMD estimator and even a smart phone app to help you follow precious metals markets.

Lear Capital Customer Service

Lear Capital offers better customer support than most companies because it has a dedicated line that routes you directly to your representative — no waiting long periods or being put on hold. 

Account representatives are experienced, really listen, and provide solutions tailored to your needs. They are trained to help you reach your investment goals within your risk tolerance. A representative will set up your account within one day and handle your needs from there. 

Lear Capital would get a perfect rating for customer service if it enabled a live chat on its website, preferably 24/7. That would allow U.S. investors based abroad to connect and receive feedback promptly. Unfortunately, that functionality is not enabled at this time, so they get marks off for that.

Customers should email during business hours for prompt replies. Account executives respond within a reasonable time frame, but may need a few hours during busy periods, but that is understandable. 

Look for their free brochures, special reports or investment guide for answers to basic questions, and a senior account rep can help you determine the products most suitable for your needs. Just fill out an IRA account form or inquiry and they’ll call you promptly. No need to chase them down.  

Overall, Lear Capital is fiercely focused on customer satisfaction and has a robust issue resolution process. They are not happy until you are happy. 

Lear Capital Security

Lear Capital works with IRS-approved Delaware Depository vault for secure storage of their customers’ metals. Not only are your metals stored in a state-of-the-art security facility, but it’s covered with a comprehensive insurance policy to the full value of your precious metals.

If you request delivery to your home address, for a non-IRA transaction, Lear Capital will provide transit insurance coverage for the full value of your precious metals.

Lear Capital has also taken extensive measures to ensure that your personal information is secure in its systems. It complies with all applicable state and federal laws on personal data and privacy, Lear does not sell or share your personal information. 

Lear Capital Pricing

Lear Capital offers highly competitive pricing to give you great value for your precious metals purchases. They have a price match guarantee and run many great incentives and offers. They also provide free IRA setup and storage for qualifying accounts and purchases. 

For example - if your purchase amount is $25,000 to $50,000, and after the first month's storage fees are paid, the first year's fees are free in the form of a reimbursement check. First and second-year fees are waived if your purchase is $50,000 to $75,000. And if your purchase  exceeds $75,000, the first three-year fees are covered.

This is a savings of $280 for the first year’s setup and maintenance. The annual fees after the first year are $200. That includes storage, insurance, quarterly financial statements and online account access.

Lear Capital User Benefits

Precious metals investing can be intimidating for beginners. That’s why Lear Capital assigns a personal account executive to hold your hand through the process. The AE is your direct point of contact if you need to know about the company’s products, rollovers into a gold IRA and account payments.

Your AE handles your entire transaction process including the process of transferring your funds into a gold IRA if that’s what you require. Lear Capital enables you to view your portfolio whenever you want and any stored metals are insured to their full value.

Putting your money into a trustworthy company is important. Lear Capital has been around for 25 years and has completed more than $3 billion in transactions. They have a AAA rating from Business Consumer Alliance, and are an approved coin grading professional. That’s some good peace of mind.

Lear Capital User Experience

Lear Capital’s phone system has a direct line to account executives, separate from other business matters, so you’re not waiting on hold or talking to robots. Your call is routed directly to your rep, so that’s always a relief. 

They also provide a lot of educational resources including a free investor kit containing all the information first time investors need to start their investing journey. The website and bi-weekly newsletters also provide cutting edge data and headlines to keep customers up to date on precious metals markets, inflation and how current events affect your money and portfolio.

Lear Capital has made precious metals investing convenient, affordable and efficient. Almost all the information you’ll need about the company and its offerings is on the website, which is easy to navigate and even provides investor tools such as a precious metals smart phone app, an RMD estimator and lots of educational material.

A 24/7 live chat on its website for investors would make the user experience even better, and would make Lear Capital stand out even more from its competition. Though they possibly may in the future.

Lear Capital vs. Competitors

Lear Capital definitely stands out among precious metal dealers because of its attentiveness to customer service and education, low fees and comprehensive offerings such as gold IRAs, numismatics and variety of bullion products. Incentives such as free storage and insurance are the icing on the cake. As another bonus, professional coin grading services are available at Lear Capital, cementing their expertise in the precious metals investing space.

These features put Lear Capital head and shoulders above competitors such as Gold Investment, Blanchard, Birch Gold Group, American Hartford and Augusta.

Lear Capital Overall

A five-star rating means a company has reached perfection, and nobody’s perfect. But Lear Capital’s approach to dedicated customer service and issue resolution nets highly satisfied customers. Lear is about as close to perfect as they come in the precious metals investing world.

Lear makes precious metals investing a breeze because a dedicated account executive guides you through the process and manages your transactions from start to finish. Your calls are routed directly to them and they provide tailored insight to help you achieve your unique goals. Your account executive is at your disposal to expedite your purchases and resolve any issues efficiently.

Many gold investors are looking for a large selection of metals, both bullion and rare coins, and a full array of investment vehicles that includes physical metals and IRAs. That’s exactly what Lear Capital offers at competitive prices. But it’s the tiered invoices that make investing with this gold dealer affordable. The higher your invoice total, the more flexible Lear Capital is with providing free storage and setup which increases your returns over time. 

For affordable, hassle-free gold IRAs and physical precious metals purchases, Lear Capital is highly recommended.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q

How does Lear Capital make money?

A

Lear Capital is a precious metals dealer that offers rare numismatic coins and investment-grade bullion coins and bars. They specialize in helping customers setup or rollover gold and silver self-directed IRAs.

They make money as a retail full service precious metals dealer. This model allows clients to enjoy working with a full service account executive as all costs are included in the price of the product.  Lear does not charge clients a fee to sell; non clients are subject to lower rates when selling. 

Q

What is a precious metals IRA?

A

A precious metals IRA is a self-directed individual retirement account that holds physical gold, silver and platinum. The account functions similarly to traditional IRAs, but investors hold coins or bars instead of stocks, bonds or mutual funds. Precious metals IRA account owners own the actual metal in the account, but it must be stored separately with an IRS-approved custodian.

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About Goran Radanovic

Equities, Forex, Crypto