Making smart investment decisions throughout the years leads to the most well-rounded retirement investments. However, it can be challenging to choose which type of retirement account to create with a lot of choices to select from.
Fortunately, you will find various types of retirement accounts ranging from 401(k)s, Roth IRA, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), pensions, and so much more. That can be perplexing at times, but it is wise to concentrate on accounts that are relevant for every business scenario.
A self-directed IRA is a unique type of Roth IRA or IRA that enables investors together with businesses to hold alternative investments, privately traded stock, real estate, and even farming businesses. The self-directed IRA has similar tax contribution and treatment rules as traditional IRAs.
Since such accounts could own non-traditional assets, it is essential to find the best-directed custodian to work with. This post will review one reliable company that offers many investment opportunities—Equity Trust Company.
Keep in mind that self-directed IRAs have different regulations and rules than a traditional IRA account, together with higher risk-reward ratios. Further, having riskier assets such as horse business or a private company stock can result in higher rewards and a better chance of loss.
This review will go into the details of Equity Trust Company, what makes them useful, and more.
Who is Equity Trust Company?
Did you know that Equity Trust is one of the trusted self-directed IRA providers in the globe? Equity Trust continues to do business even though it has been around in the business since 1974. The company started to support investors and customers by investing in real estate with their IRAs in 1983. Equity Trust also provides a wide array of alternative assets, such as:
- Foreign currency
- Cryptocurrency
- Precious metals
- Stocks and mutual funds
- Private equity
- Promissory notes or lending
- Real estate
Equity Trust Company also claims to become the leading custodian for real estate investors, with more than 200,000 properties funded, bought and sold. It is also a privately-owned firm, running as a policed South Dakota trust company. It’s worth mentioning that an unbiased third party subject and audits them to strict account protection policies.
Apart from the standard lineup of real estate, precious metals, private equity, and cryptocurrency, Equity Trust Company provide gas and oil investments, farmland, livestock, and agriculture, show horses, mineral rights, theatrical and movie products, billboard signage, equipment leasing, food trucks, royalty interests, accounts receivable, structured settlements, and more.
What Are the Investment Options You Can Avail from Equity Trust Company?
One of the best things about this self-directed IRA provider is that they have numerous investment options you can consider. Here are some of them:
1. Currencies
Also known as forex trading, currency trading refers to when a person buys and sells different foreign currencies for revenue. Arbitrage is when you purchase a cheap item and sell it in another place for more.
Many forex investors use this to purchase a cheap currency and sell it in other departments or markets for more money. It could also be cast-off in other contexts, such as sports, stock, or real estate investing.
2. Precious metals
Equity Trust Company does an amazing job with this one, allowing you to put metals in your account until they meet the minimum fineness requirements.
3. Private equity investments
You can place money on such types of investments, except for general partnerships and S corps. That’s because the IRS prevents IRAs from buying private stocks.
4. Real estate
With Equity Trust Company, you can invest in real estate in different ways, from bonds, stocks, CDs, mutual funds, and more. It’s also possible to hold such investments inside your retirement account.
Are There Exclusive Benefits?
One great positive feedback you will get from Equity Trust Company gold members is that they can receive awesome benefits and opportunities you can’t find in previous custodian providers. Here are some of the benefits you can take advantage of:
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Special discounts
You receive special discounts for your rental property insurance, titling services customized to your needs, and get access to a database for real-estate opened properties, foreclosures, and pre-foreclosures.
On top of that, you will receive a membership to a real estate software to help you analyze deals, get deals, automatic marketing, and manage your renovations. Their company culture is the best too.
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Valued member access
Equity Trust Company offers you free annual fees for memberships to one of the major national real estate investors and discounts. That means you get access to a top marketplace for construction services and contractors to guarantee you receive the best prices.
Equity Trust Company Reviews
One of the common negative reviews we saw on Equity Trust Company is that they hypothetically provide terrible service. Other gold members claim that they are one of the worst companies, and they only get negative experiences, and not much success can be found from it. Users also claim that Equity Trust Company didn’t answered calls promptly.
One red flag we consider is that Equity Trust Company is not credited by the BBB. One Equity Trust’s former employees also complained about how they did not receive any work-life balance and professional growth from working for the company.
One client also complained about how there are many maintenance fees, is slow to respond to requests, and it takes two months or more to get a transaction done.
Nonetheless, keep in mind that even if a company receives negative reviews and complaints, it does not indicate they are wrong. You can think that if you’re in business for more than two decades, you will receive a few complaints over the years, right?
Nonetheless, when the complaints begin to accumulate and get too much, you might wish to start to be concerned about them. There’s a mess created.
Remember that other IRA custodians and gold brokers receive more than thousands of reviews with a better overall score than Equity Trust. Others even get zero complaints from Better Business Bureau.
Do They Have Support?
Fortunately, Equity Trust’s customer service is quite decent but not that remarkable. Equity Trust doesn’t have a live chat feature on its website, which slows down the entire support experience.
The good thing is that they have a phone number and an email address that you use whenever you have concerns about your account.
Should You Trust Equity Trust Company?
More and more people are not aware that they can utilize their IRA to invest in different things. Equity Trust is a great company that can help with your self-directed account. If you have enough money in your account, they can help you invest it.
Here are some of the reasons a small business and any individual investors are using Equity Trust Company.
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They provide excellent service
Equity Trust Company had already completed 1.8 million transactions in 2019. On top of that, they have hundreds of financial professionals who help their clients, not to mention the company is sought as an excellent customer service provider.
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A recognized leader in the industry
Equity Trust Company has a more serious commitment to offering only the best for its members. In fact, the company offers a positive experience both for its users and employees, offering only the best and most innovative work environment.
Further, they have more than 150,000 users who avail their excellent service.
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Advanced technology
With Equity Trust Company’s myEQUITY feature, any investor and business can make their whole investing experience simple. The myEQUITY feature is the industry-leading online account management system. It’s fairly effortless to use and user-friendly at the same time.
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Investment freedom
As mentioned earlier, Equity Trust Company is a great company you can use to help you achieve your financial future. That’s because you can make various investments with them, from gold IRA, alternative assets, and more. They also provide investment advice through informative blogs and videos.
Is Equity Trust Company Safe?
Trust Equipment Company takes pride in keeping all its client’s data safe and sound. Did you know that the company is regulated as a trusted firm in South Dakota? What’s more, the company complies with all the statutes and regulations that the governing body puts in place.
They also get their financial statements annually from a leadership team of public accountants based on the standards given by the AICPA professionals.
Pros and Cons of Equity Trust
Pros
- Equity Trust has more than 120,000 clients and more than $12 billion in assets
- Equity Trust has been in the business for a very long time, since 1974
Cons
- The yearly IRA fees at Equity Trust are higher than some of its competitors
- They have negative reviews online
- Equity Trust is not accredited by Better Business Bureau
- The website lacks a bit of information and support
Final Thoughts on Equity Trust Company Reviews
There’s no doubt that alternative investments are an excellent way to diversify your retirement portfolio. However, they are not meant for everybody. There are less liquidity, more risks, and more fees that are often involved.
It will help if you weigh returns on these investments against what you can obtain in the stock market that has enough liquidity and low-cost products to invest in.
