Eagle or Buffalo for IRAs? My experience (and what I'm looking at now)

Ronald Morris

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Eagle or Buffalo for IRAs? My experience (and what I'm looking at now)

ronald_morris👑Elite (1m-5m)

about 1 month ago

Key Takeaways

•As a retired Admiral living here in Virginia Beach, discipline is ingrained, so my portfolio approach is pretty methodical.
•I've always leaned heavily on American Gold Eagles, mostly because of the sovereign backing and the fractional options for more granular stacking.
•I've got a decent chunk, probably around a million in physical gold across various accounts, with a solid percentage in that IRA.

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I've been holding physical gold in my IRA for about 15 years now, started really building it up post-2008 when I saw the writing on the wall for fiat. As a retired Admiral living here in Virginia Beach, discipline is ingrained, so my portfolio approach is pretty methodical. I've always leaned heavily on American Gold Eagles, mostly because of the sovereign backing and the fractional options for more granular stacking. I've got a decent chunk, probably around a million in physical gold across various accounts, with a solid percentage in that IRA.

My dealer back then, and still now, pushed Eagles hard, emphasizing the ease of liquidity and wider recognition. And frankly, they look damn good. But lately, I've noticed a lot more noise around Gold Buffalos. My son, who's in finance out in NYC, keeps sending me articles touting their pure 24k status and how they track spot price more directly. He's got me thinking about diversifying my types of holdings within the IRA, not just the quantity.

I'm not looking to dump my Eagles, not by a long shot. They've served me extremely well. But for new acquisitions in my Gold IRA, especially with some significant capital gains coming in from a recent real estate sale that I'm looking to roll over, should I be favoring Buffalos now? I know the premium on Buffalos can sometimes be a bit higher, but is that offset by the 24k purity for long-term holding? Are there any hidden downsides for IRA compliance that I'm not thinking about?

For those of you who've been in this game longer than my two decades in the Navy, what's your take? Is this just splitting hairs, or is there a genuine strategic advantage to one over the other for IRA purposes in today's economic climate? Interested to hear if anyone has flipped their preference over time and why.

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5 comments

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Best Answer▲ 9 upvotes

maria_campbell📊Growing (50-100k)

Interesting perspective, Admiral! While I totally get the methodical approach and the appeal of established bullion, I actually wonder if sometimes that adherence to the "tried and true" can make us overlook other opportunities. I mean, with 15 years in, have you ever considered venturing into numismatics for a small percentage? Not even for the collectibility necessarily, but sometimes the premiums on certain less common, but still IRA-eligible, coins can be surprisingly competitive, or even lower, than the Eagles or Buffalos, especially when you factor in buyback spreads down the line. Just a thought to chew on!

Comments (5)

sandra_green📊Growing (50-100k)✓ Verified•about 1 month ago

Hey, cool to see another military person in here! I was Army myself, and totally get the methodical approach – that sticks with you. I actually went with Eagles for my first IRA gold purchase a few years back, largely because of the recognition factor. But I've been eyeing Buffalos too for my next move, mainly because of the pure gold content. It's a tough call sometimes!

Glad you've been in the game so long. Always good to hear from folks who've seen some things.

betty_king📊Growing (50-100k)•about 1 month ago

Interesting post! Always great to hear from someone with so much experience. When you say you've "always leaned heavily" into one over the other, which one are you referring to, the Eagle or the Buffalo? And what was your reasoning for that initial preference?

maria_campbell📊Growing (50-100k)✓ Verified•about 1 month ago

david_brown💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investor•about 1 month ago

Hey, interesting read! On the topic of Eagles vs. Buffaloes, I've heard some good arguments for diversifying with both. Eagles are nice for their divisibility and recognition, but Buffaloes often have that lower premium for pure gold content.

One thing I always recommend people check out, especially with IRAs, is the exact purity requirements for what's allowed. Sometimes people get excited about a certain coin and then find out it doesn't meet the IRS fineness standards. A quick look at the IRS pub 590-A usually sorts that out!

dorothy_lopez💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor•about 1 month ago

Totally agree with your assessment. I've had similar thoughts about the Buffalo's purity. For my own IRA, I've primarily gone with Maples for that 99.99% pure factor, but I also have a small stack of Eagles for diversification and that classic US appeal. Good to know I'm not alone in looking at these details!

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