The future of currency is blurry. A crypto IRA gives you the ability to secure yourself against centralized currencies and economic hardship in the future, but it can also be volatile like a stock or precious metal.
So what do you do? How do you know where to put your faith, and for that matter, put your money? We’ve done the research for you, and found the six best, most reputable Bitcoin IRA companies out there.
Best Bitcoin IRA Companies
- Bitcoin IRA - Best Overall
- iTrustCapital - Best Pricing
- Coin IRA - Best Crypto Security
- BitIRA - Best Insurance Options
- My Digital Money - Best Trading Platform
- Regal Wallet - Best for 1st Time Buyers
Summary of Best Crypto IRA Companies of May 2022
Best Overall
Best Pricing
Best Crypto Security
Best Insurance Options
Best Trading Platform
Best for 1st Time Buyers
1. Bitcoin IRA - Best Overall
With analytical information that has no rival, an excellent platform, and some of the best customer service you’ll find, Bitcoin IRA just has a little bit of everything.
It offers excellent insurance, cold storage, and continues to grow so you won’t have to wait long for new features and new coins to be added to their eligible marketplace.
2. iTrustCapital - Best Pricing
With low monthly maintenance fees, fantastic customer service, and plenty of information available at your fingertips, iTrustCapital has quickly become one of the best options for crypto IRAs.
They believe in helping you defer taxes through an IRA account and are trying to spread the word about how crypto can secure your future. While their platform has some growing pains, it’s clear to see they’ll be on top before long.
3. Coin IRA - Best Crypto Security
Coin IRA may not be the most original name, but they are an original service. They’re dipping their toes in the proverbial pools of the crypto market everywhere you look, and doing their best to make an all-in-one platform.
They just haven’t made it there quite yet. They need to build up their educational and informational content library, but they’re hot on the heels of other giants like Bitcoin IRA, and they’ll be caught up soon.
They have a vision; do you want to be a part of it?
4. BitIRA - Best Insurance
BitIRA is another top-end company that we’ve seen in the news off and on. They offer an excellent full service to help you invest intelligently, a sizable collection of coins you can invest in, and fantastic customer service.
However, they’re on the higher end when it comes to fees. Setup times can take a while (case by case basis), and their insurance is a bit wonky even though it does work, it’s just not a choice for every type of investor.
5. My Digital Money - Best Trading Platform
Apart from having great insurance options and military-grade encryption, My Digital Money is insured by Lloyd’s of London, features great customer service, and has the best trading platform available.
It’s not even close. However, newer investors who don’t know what they’re getting into may be daunted by the trading platform UI. It takes some getting used to, but it exists the way it does for a reason.
6. Regal Wallet - Best for 1st Time Buyers
Regal Wallet ends up being the best for first-time buyers because of how simple the platform is, but in some regards, the site is a bit too simple and could use an overhaul.
That being said, we’re not in this because of site designs—we want to make money and secure our futures. Their Bitcoin IRA kit helps you understand the landscape of crypto investing, while the top-tier customer services walk you through every step.
It’s easy to set up, easy to get started on, and by far one of the best platforms you could ever sign up for.
Benefits of Owning Bitcoin & Crypto in Your IRA
- Fast Sales: If your Bitcoin or crypto takes off and it’s a short-term gain, you can withdraw/sell it from your IRA if the financial benefits are large enough, and then reinvest that money into more cryptocurrency.
- Tax Deferment: Less taxes are better, need we say more? You can save money up until you remove your cryptocurrency in retirement.
- Diversify Your Portfolio: You should never put all your eggs in one basket. Don’t invest everything in gold, but do invest some in gold. Don’t invest everything in crypto, but do invest some in crypto. We think you can see where we’re going with this.
How to Open a Bitcoin IRA
Opening a Bitcoin IRA is actually fairly easy for you to do, and it’s completely self-directed. You have to use an e-sign application on a cryptocurrency marketplace to signify that the cryptocurrency will be added into a tax-deferred IRA account.
From there, you fulfill the order. Most marketplaces have easy to follow steps and make it a simple process for anyone using their service.
However, there’s no security involved here. A self-directed IRA account without a Bitcoin IRA company means you have no insurance or access to cold storage. That’s a risk that you don’t need to take with your financial future.
A Quick Recap
These companies do the best possible job in the ever-changing landscape that is cryptocurrency. We all want to make it big with Bitcoin, but the fact of the matter is, crypto isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
You’ll be able to secure your future by investing now, and managing your IRA for years to come.
Taking reviews, accessibility, reputation, and so many more aspects into consideration, we recommend all six of these companies to get started with your cryptocurrency IRA.
They are all modeled after similar ideas, so you just really have to look at the nitty gritty and decide which one speaks to your specific financial goals and interests.
You have the best of the best right in front of you—now it’s time to break down how we came to these conclusions, and answer your burning questions about crypto IRAs.
Methodology in Selecting These Top Picks
- Third-Party Reviews: You can’t keep the voice of the people down, especially on the internet. We looked for third-party reviews across the web to determine whether or not these IRA programs were even worth looking into in the first place.
- Investment Minimums: Based on the criteria of our list, the goal was to bring crypto IRA programs to you that didn’t require ridiculous or ludicrous amounts of money just to get started. After all, anyone can buy cryptocurrency, so there shouldn’t be a crazy barrier-to-entry on something that’s entirely digital.
- Program Fees: No IRA program is going to be free, but they also shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, either. We looked at every fee imaginable and dug deep to ensure there were no hidden fees in these programs.
- Accessibility: This is a digital good we’re talking about here, for all intents and purposes. It should be accessible and available to you. These programs allow for fast rollovers, and full access to everything you need in your self-directed IRA without any red tape.
Bitcoin IRA FAQ's
A Bitcoin IRA is a retirement account where you purchase Bitcoin or another type of cryptocurrency in place of gold or other liquid assets.
Your Bitcoin accrues value (hopefully) and increases the value of your IRA. We know that crypto has a great future, however there’s volatility involved, which is why you should also have other crypto with your Bitcoin in an IRA.
Identical to a standard IRA account. Instead of investing in mutual funds or having cash as the liquid asset, you’re investing in cryptocurrency.
Typically, crypto IRAs or Bitcoin IRAs work by going through a firm that can help with custodian fees and placement. That way, your Bitcoin or cryptocurrency can be stored safely in a way that the average person simply can’t achieve.
You also can’t have your cryptocurrency involved in an IRA unless you go through a custodian service, otherwise your account wouldn’t be secure. The IRS treats crypto similarly to how it treats gold.
Ethereum is different from Bitcoin. People just look at the prices and assume Ethereum is inferior, but it has a different goal than Bitcoin.
Ethereum is actually a leading blockchain technology that other coins are built on, making it more secure. If Ethereum falls, many other coins do as well, so it’s important. If Bitcoin falls, another coin will take its place.
Bitcoin is much more volatile. We’ve seen prices drop by five figures in a single day, and while Ethereum has had its heyday, it’s crucial to blockchain as we know it.
We all want the fast gains of Bitcoin, but you should diversify your crypto portfolio with both.
Buying crypto in an IRA is tax-deferrable, but it’s also subject to short-term and long-term capital gains tax, similarly to any other investment.
This is because cryptocurrency is classified by the IRS as an asset, so it’s subject to the same gains as cash, gold, or any other tangible asset out there.
It is only taxed when you remove it after you retire, so in the meantime, you're able to purchase it through your crypto IRA company of choice without worrying about taxation as it’s entered into your account.
Cold storage wallets are the safest possible way to store your cryptocurrency. However, it’s only as secure as you make it.
If you have your own cold storage wallet and you keep it in a safe in your home, that safe can get damaged during a flood, fire, or stolen from your home during a burglary.
Custodian services actually store your Bitcoin and crypto for you in cold storage methods that are under heavy security, as if they were protecting gold.
Crypto IRA programs are beneficial because even when it comes to cold storage, they can do it better than the average person.
When you use a Bitcoin IRA program, they have cold storage options available that help you secure your investments.
Cold storage is the safest way to store your Bitcoin, but it’s not the most accessible thing for a lot of people. If you don’t want to go through a crypto IRA program, you can continue to use your hot wallet (internet storage). They’re still safe, there’s just an extra layer of risk involved.
Many of the crypto IRA companies we’ve mentioned are involved with third-party storage custodians, who can help you store your crypto without having to worry about a thing (plus, they’re insured, usually up to around $100M in most cases).
Even if it’s solely for insurance reasons, using a crypto IRA is the best way to store your Bitcoin.
Best Bitcoin IRA Companies Recap
- Bitcoin IRA - Best Overall
- iTrustCapital - Best Pricing
- Coin IRA - Best Crypto Security
- BitIRA - Best Insurance Options
- My Digital Money - Best Trading Platform
- Regal Wallet - Best for 1st Time Buyers