Equity Trust Gold IRA - What Equity Trust Does, What It Costs and How It Works (2026)
One of the oldest self-directed IRA custodians, and the one most often reported for Augusta accounts.
Equity Trust Company is a self-directed IRA custodian based in Westlake, Ohio. Its predecessor business was founded in 1974 by Richard Desich, and it has served as a self-directed IRA custodian since 1983. It holds accounts that can own alternative assets, including real estate, private equity and precious metals, and it's frequently reported as the custodian behind many gold IRA companies' accounts, including Augusta Precious Metals.
As a custodian, Equity Trust administers your IRA: it opens the account, processes transfers and purchases you direct, keeps records and files IRS forms. It doesn't sell metal, store it or give investment advice.
Equity Trust is a long-established, large custodian well suited to precious metals IRAs. Its role is administrative, so your experience will depend as much on your dealer and depository as on Equity Trust itself. Check its current fee schedule and how fees are calculated before you open an account.
Equity Trust at a Glance
Table: Equity Trust Company key facts | | Equity Trust Company | |---|---| | Founded | 1974 (predecessor business); self-directed IRA custodian since 1983 | | Headquarters | Westlake, Ohio | | Type | Directed custodian for self-directed IRAs and other accounts | | Assets | Tens of billions of dollars under custody and administration, per the company | | Metals storage fees reported | About $100 non-segregated, $150 segregated per year | | Gives investment advice? | No |
What a Custodian Does, and Doesn't Do
What Equity Trust Does
Opens your self-directed IRA, receives rollovers and transfers, processes purchases and sales you authorize, keeps records, sends statements and files IRS forms such as 5498 and 1099-R.
What It Doesn't Do
Sell metal, choose products, set prices, store metal or advise you. Those roles belong to your dealer, the depository and your own decisions.
As a "directed" custodian, Equity Trust acts on your instructions. It doesn't vet whether an investment is a good one. That's why choosing a reputable dealer matters. See gold IRA custodians.
How It Works With a Gold IRA Company
- Your dealer helps you open an Equity Trust self-directed IRA.
- You authorize a transfer or rollover; Equity Trust requests or receives the funds.
- You choose metal through the dealer, and sign a purchase authorization.
- Equity Trust pays the dealer from your IRA cash.
- The dealer ships metal to the depository, which holds it for your IRA.
- Equity Trust records the holdings and reports their value on your statements.
Fees
Equity Trust publishes fee schedules, and its metals accounts carry an annual maintenance fee and storage fees. Reported storage costs are about $100 a year for non-segregated and $150 for segregated storage. Account maintenance fees may be based on account value, with a range of tiers, so a larger account may pay more than a smaller one.
Gold IRA companies sometimes quote combined estimates, such as Augusta's commonly reported figures of about $100–$125 for custodian maintenance plus $100–$150 for storage. Always ask for the current Equity Trust schedule that will apply to your account. See Augusta custodian and storage.
Equity Trust and Augusta
Independent reviews commonly report Equity Trust as Augusta Precious Metals' recommended custodian, with Delaware Depository for storage. Augusta's team helps complete Equity Trust's paperwork, and Equity Trust then handles the administrative side for the life of the account. You can ask Augusta whether other custodians are available. See Delaware Depository.
Statements and Valuations
Your Equity Trust statements show the metal in your account and an estimated value. That value is typically based on market prices for the metal, not what you paid. If you bought premium coins, the statement value may be noticeably lower than your purchase price. That's normal, and it's another reason to favor standard bullion.
Distributions and RMDs
When you take a distribution, you ask Equity Trust to either sell metal through your dealer and send cash, or ship metal to you in kind. Equity Trust reports distributions on Form 1099-R. For required minimum distributions, it can tell you the year-end value used in your calculation. See gold IRA distributions and RMDs.
Watch for Impersonation Scams
Equity Trust has warned customers about scam callers impersonating its employees. Never give account details to an unsolicited caller. Contact the custodian using the phone number on your statement or official website.
Opening an Equity Trust Gold IRA
Most people open an Equity Trust metals account through their gold IRA company, which sends a prefilled application and transfer paperwork. You'll typically provide identification, beneficiary designations and details of the account you're moving money from. Choose your beneficiaries carefully at this stage; they control who inherits the account. See inherited gold IRA.
You can also contact Equity Trust directly, then name your dealer. Either way, Equity Trust will only buy metal when you sign a purchase direction naming the dealer, the products, quantities and price.
Changing Dealers or Custodians Later
With Equity Trust, the dealer associated with your account can generally be changed, so you aren't locked into buying or selling through one company. If you ever want a different custodian, you can usually transfer the metal itself in kind to the new custodian and depository, subject to transfer and shipping fees.
Pros and Cons
Strengths
- Decades of experience with self-directed IRAs
- Large, established custodian
- Works with many gold IRA dealers and depositories
- Published fee schedules
Things to Check
- Maintenance fees may scale with account value
- Doesn't vet investments or advise you
- Customer service experiences vary in reviews
Want a gold IRA with an established custodian? Augusta's free kit explains its custodian and depository setup.
Get Free Gold IRA KitWhat is Equity Trust?
A self-directed IRA custodian based in Westlake, Ohio, that holds alternative assets including precious metals.
Does Augusta use Equity Trust?
Independent reviews commonly report Equity Trust as Augusta's recommended custodian.
Does Equity Trust store my gold?
No. An approved depository stores the metal; Equity Trust administers the account.
What does Equity Trust charge for metals?
Reported storage fees are about $100 non-segregated and $150 segregated a year, plus maintenance fees. Check the current schedule.
Does Equity Trust give investment advice?
No. It's a directed custodian that acts on your instructions.
See How Augusta's Custodian Setup Works
Augusta's free kit explains its custodian, depository and fees before you open an account.