Augusta Precious Metals vs Lear Capital: Head-to-Head Comparison

Same lower recurring total, different entry and account options

A proposed amount between $10,000 and $50,000 meets Lear’s stated minimum but not Augusta’s. For an amount qualifying for both, Lear’s statement method and storage selection still matter. Do not raise the metals allocation solely to reach Augusta’s threshold or assume equal annual costs imply equal custody terms.

Augusta’s FAQ gives $285 first year; Lear’s non-segregated opening lines total $315, including a separate $30 wire. Lear’s segregated example totals $365 first year and $285 recurring. The $30 first-year difference against Lear’s lower arrangement comes from the published opening lines, not proof Augusta never charges a wire in a particular account.

Augusta current FAQ · Lear December 17, 2025 fee disclosure · Lear account-option FAQ

What the selected custody and exit documents must resolve

Ask Lear to include the electronic-statement selection in its quote and Augusta to identify all separately billed activity. If physical delivery later matters, compare both custodians’ distribution instructions rather than assuming segregation makes delivery free or quicker.

Use a three-party document check: the dealer’s invoice establishes the item, quantity and purchase price; the custodian’s agreement establishes account administration and reporting; the depository arrangement establishes inventory, storage and delivery. The SEC warns that self-directed IRA custody does not itself evaluate an investment’s quality or legitimacy. These checks cannot be replaced by a provider rating or the fact that an account administrator accepts the asset.

For an existing account whose statements arrive by mail, do not assume Lear’s lower published FAQ arrangement applies unchanged. Ask whether selecting electronic statements affects only pricing or other delivery preferences, and preserve the application selection. At Augusta, obtain the corresponding statement terms and any separately billed transactions. Document these non-investment choices before comparing two identical recurring totals as if they purchased identical service.

SEC self-directed IRA alert (reviewed October 12, 2026)

A same-product comparison you can reproduce

Ask Augusta Precious Metals and Lear Capital for the same eligible coin or bar, quantity, reference-price time and quote expiry. Request an executable same-day repurchase bid separately. Record each purchase price, bid, opening charges, yearly custody/storage and the single exit you intend to compare. Do not add every possible exit fee to one scenario, and do not subtract a sale deduction twice if it is already included in the bid.

For an illustration only, a $10,500 purchase quote and $9,800 same-day bid produce a $700 purchase-to-bid gap. Dividing $700 by the $10,500 purchase price gives 6.67%, rounded; it is not 7% of the purchase price. These invented quotes are not either company’s prices, a typical spread or a forecast. The gap tells you what the quoted transaction would cost immediately, not what gold will return over a holding period.

CFTC/FINRA precious-metals buyer guidance (reviewed October 12, 2026) · IRS IRA investment FAQs (reviewed October 12, 2026)

• For Augusta Precious Metals: Higher disclosed entry threshold than the other verified providers.
• For Lear Capital: Lower FAQ total is conditional on electronic statements and non-segregated storage.
• Put the named billing party and charge-change provision beside every account line.
• Obtain the exact product’s written IRA eligibility confirmation before ordering.