Forge Trust Gold IRA Review 2026: Is This SDIRA Custodian Right for Your Rollover?

What Forge Trust Does (and What It Does Not)

Forge Trust Company is a self-directed IRA (SDIRA) custodian. That sentence matters more than any other in this review.

A custodian holds your IRA assets. It opens your account, processes your paperwork, reports to the IRS, and coordinates delivery of your metals to an approved depository. A custodian is not a dealer. Forge Trust does not sell you gold or silver. They do not advise you on what to buy. They are the institution that legally holds your retirement assets under IRS requirements.

Many gold IRA buyers confuse these two roles. When you work with a company like Augusta Precious Metals or Birch Gold Group, that company functions as a dealer and educator. A separate institution, the custodian, actually holds the IRA. Forge Trust fills that custodian role for select gold IRA dealers in the industry.

Here is what our independent review found about Forge Trust as a precious metals IRA custodian.

Forge Trust Company: Facts and Background

Forge Trust Company is a San Francisco, California-based trust company specializing in self-directed IRA custody services. The company operates on a technology-first model: account opening, management, and transaction processing happen through an online platform rather than paper-heavy, mail-in workflows.

Industry sources place its founding around 2018, making Forge Trust a notably younger entrant in the SDIRA custodian market. For context: Equity Trust Company has operated since 1974 and reports over $34 billion in assets under custody. Forge Trust does not publicly disclose its AUM, but positions itself as a growing alternative to longer-established custodians, not a mature incumbent.

As a trust company, Forge Trust is subject to state banking authority oversight. It holds IRS approval to serve as a nonbank trustee and custodian under Treasury Regulation Section 1.408-2(e), a requirement for any institution that legally holds IRA assets. Without that IRS designation, a company cannot custody your IRA.

Gold IRA Services: What Forge Trust Custodies

Forge Trust custodies self-directed IRAs that hold physical precious metals. The IRS defines which metals qualify in IRS Publication 590-B. For a gold IRA, the metal must meet minimum fineness requirements:

• Gold: 99.5% purity minimum
• Silver: 99.9% purity minimum
• Platinum: 99.95% purity minimum
• Palladium: 99.95% purity minimum

American Gold Eagle coins are an IRS-granted exception to the fineness rule. They are 91.67% gold but remain IRS-approved for IRAs. Most other common coins and bars must hit the 99.5% gold threshold.

As custodian, Forge Trust:

• Opens and maintains your IRA account under IRS rules
• Processes buy and sell orders for approved metals after you direct them through your dealer
• Coordinates delivery of your metals to an IRS-approved depository (metals cannot be held at home for IRA purposes)
• Files required IRS forms: Form 5498 annually, Form 1099-R on distributions
• Handles required minimum distribution (RMD) processing when applicable

Forge Trust does not recommend which metals to buy, advise on asset allocation, or sell metals directly. Your gold IRA dealer handles those functions.

Account types supported: Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, and Solo 401(k) for self-employed individuals. Which account type fits your situation depends on your income, employment status, and tax circumstances. Consult your tax advisor before choosing.

Forge Trust Fee Structure

SDIRA custodians follow a consistent fee framework across the industry. Forge Trust uses this model. Because their website did not permit direct verification during this review, the table below shows fee categories you should ask Forge Trust about directly, along with typical industry ranges for orientation.

The real annual cost of any SDIRA is custodian fees plus depository fees. Storage fees are paid to the depository (a separate institution that physically holds your metals), not to Forge Trust. When comparing custodians, always get both line items. A custodian charging $100 per year but using a depository that charges $300 costs more than a custodian charging $175 with a $150 storage fee.

For context on what verified fee structures look like, Goldiew’s reviews of Augusta Precious Metals and Birch Gold Group document their publicly stated fee information and multi-year fee waiver details.

Account Opening Process: How a Gold IRA with Forge Trust Works

If a gold IRA dealer you choose works with Forge Trust, the setup follows a standard five-step sequence.

1. Choose your dealer first. Confirm your preferred gold IRA company lists Forge Trust as a custodian option. Most dealers have one or two preferred custodians. You generally cannot mix an arbitrary custodian with any dealer.
2. Open the Forge Trust account. Your dealer will typically handle initial paperwork or direct you to Forge Trust’s online portal. Forge Trust’s technology-forward model means most of this process happens digitally.
3. Fund the account. Funding options include rollover from a 401(k) or existing IRA, or direct annual contributions if you meet IRS eligibility rules. For 2026, IRA contribution limits are $7,000 (under age 50) or $8,000 (age 50 and older), per IRS contribution limit guidance. Rollovers have no contribution limit caps, but the IRS applies specific rollover rules. Consult your tax advisor for your specific situation.
4. Direct the purchase. Once funded, you instruct your dealer which IRS-approved metals to purchase. The dealer places the order. Forge Trust processes and confirms the transaction.
5. Metals go to the depository. IRS rules prohibit holding IRA metals at home or at your dealer’s location. Forge Trust coordinates delivery to an IRS-approved depository. The depository stores your metals in segregated or commingled storage. Ask which your account uses and whether there is a price difference.

Forge Trust’s online platform then allows you to view your account balance, check holdings, and initiate future transactions through their portal without paper forms.

Who Should Consider Forge Trust

Forge Trust fits a specific profile of gold IRA investor. It is not the right fit for everyone.

Forge Trust is worth evaluating if:

• Your chosen gold IRA dealer specifically offers Forge Trust as a custodian option
• You prefer managing your retirement account through an online portal rather than paper statements and phone-heavy interactions
• You are comfortable with a newer company and understand the trade-off of less public track record in exchange for potentially more current technology
• You have verified Forge Trust’s current fee schedule and found it competitive with Equity Trust or STRATA Trust

Who Should Look Elsewhere

Forge Trust is probably not the right fit if:

• Your preferred gold IRA dealer does not support Forge Trust as a custodian
• You prioritize a custodian with 20 to 50 years of verifiable operating history
• You want the comfort of thousands of published customer reviews before committing
• You need in-person customer service or assigned account representative support
• You have a very large IRA (over $500,000) and want the proven scale of Equity Trust’s $34 billion AUM infrastructure

None of this disqualifies Forge Trust categorically. A newer custodian is not automatically less safe than an older one, provided it holds valid IRS nonbank trustee approval and state regulatory standing. The caution is simply about track record: a company operating since 2018 has had less time to demonstrate consistent performance across different market environments than one operating since 1974.

Pros and Cons for Gold IRA Holders

Which Gold IRA Dealers Work with Forge Trust?

The custodian relationship is set by your dealer, not by you. Most gold IRA companies have a preferred custodian (or a short approved list) and direct customers toward that relationship. You generally cannot choose an independent custodian outside your dealer’s approved network.

Forge Trust works with select gold IRA dealers in the industry. Goldiew was not able to verify which specific dealers currently designate Forge Trust as their custodian, because the Forge Trust website did not permit direct access during our research. Before selecting any gold IRA company, ask these three questions:

1. Which custodians do you offer?
2. Can you provide the custodian’s current written fee schedule?
3. Does the custodian hold IRS nonbank trustee approval?

For reference, Goldiew’s primary affiliate partners and their publicly disclosed custodian positions as of 2026:

• Augusta Precious Metals: works with a “qualified self-directed IRA custodian” (specific institution not named publicly on their home or about pages)
• Birch Gold Group: works with “IRS-approved custodians” (specific institution not named publicly on their home or about pages)
• Noble Gold Investments: works with a “trusted precious metals IRA custodian” (specific institution not named publicly on their site)

None of Goldiew’s three affiliate partners publicly confirms Forge Trust as their custodian at this time. If Forge Trust is your priority, confirm directly with your chosen dealer before proceeding.

Forge Trust vs. Established Custodian Alternatives

Four custodians hold the majority of precious metals IRA accounts in the US market. Here is how Forge Trust compares on the dimensions that matter most.

Equity Trust is the dominant player by scale and operating history. Many gold IRA dealers default to Equity Trust. If your dealer supports both Equity Trust and Forge Trust, Equity Trust has the longer public track record to evaluate. The trade-off: Forge Trust’s technology platform may offer a better account management experience.

STRATA Trust (formerly Self Directed IRA Services) completed a rebrand around 2020 and focuses specifically on SDIRAs. They have more tenure than Forge Trust and a Texas regulatory base.

GoldStar Trust is Texas-based and specifically oriented toward precious metals IRAs. An older, specialized option if your dealer works with them.

Kingdom Trust is a technology-forward competitor to Forge Trust with more disclosed AUM and coverage of digital asset IRAs in addition to precious metals.

The most important variable is not which custodian is “best” in isolation. It is which custodian your chosen gold IRA dealer supports. You choose the dealer; the custodian relationship follows from that choice.

Regulatory and Legal Standing

Forge Trust operates as a state-chartered trust company, subject to state banking authority oversight. Trust companies in the United States are chartered at the state level, not by a federal regulator like the OCC or FDIC. This means your IRA assets with Forge Trust are held in trust, not as FDIC-insured bank deposits. Trust accounts are not covered by FDIC insurance.

The IRS separately maintains a list of entities approved to serve as nonbank trustees under Treasury Regulation Section 1.408-2(e), updated periodically. This list is available for download from IRS.gov. Before opening an account, request Forge Trust’s IRS nonbank trustee approval documentation directly. A company cannot legally custody your IRA without this designation.

For complaints or regulatory inquiries regarding California trust companies, contact the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI). For fraud alerts and investor protection resources unrelated to a specific custodian, the SEC’s investor.gov and FINRA’s investor resources are reliable starting points.

We are not financial advisors. This review covers publicly available factual information and does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice. Consult a licensed advisor before making retirement account decisions. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

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