The IRA Club Review: Fees, Metals, and Custodial Structure

What Is The IRA Club?

The IRA Club is a self-directed IRA administrator based in Chicago, Illinois. Dennis Blitz, the company’s founder and president, built the organization out of an informal group he started for investors interested in alternative self-directed retirement accounts. That informal club predates the formalized business by several years; Blitz spent roughly 25 years writing securities compliance manuals before launching the group. Today the company supports thousands of accounts across all 50 states and offers a range of self-directed account structures beyond the traditional IRA.

The company presents itself as an administrator rather than a depository custodian. In practice, this means The IRA Club handles recordkeeping, regulatory reporting, and account administration while working with a separate clearing entity to hold assets. The IRA Club does not publicly name that clearing partner on its website. That structural opacity is common in the SDIRA administrator space, but investors evaluating any administrator should ask for the custodian’s name and confirm it holds a valid trust charter or bank charter before funding an account.

To understand how The IRA Club fits within the broader self-directed IRA landscape, including how administrators are regulated compared with full custodians, see our overview: Who Regulates Gold IRA Custodians.

Fee Schedule, Broken Down

The IRA Club publishes a detailed fee schedule on its website. For a self-directed custodial IRA, the core fees are straightforward: $195 upon account opening, then $195 annually for the membership, plus $195 per asset held each year. Here is the complete schedule for a standard self-directed IRA as published on their pricing page at the time of this review:

The minimum cash balance requirement of $500 means every account must maintain at least $500 in liquid cash at all times. Falling below that threshold triggers the $100 low balance penalty at renewal. Investors who convert the majority of their account into a hard asset like physical gold need to plan for this.

When Flat-Fee Pricing Works in Your Favor

The core argument for a flat-fee administrator is simple: as your account balance grows, the annual cost does not. Percentage-based custodians typically charge between 0.35% and 0.50% of assets annually. At a $100,000 account balance, 0.50% equals $500 per year. The IRA Club’s equivalent annual cost for one holding is $390 (membership plus one per-asset fee), which is $110 less per year at that balance. The gap widens substantially at higher balances.

The crossover point sits near $80,000 for a 0.50% percentage custodian. Below that threshold, percentage-based pricing tends to produce a lower annual bill. Above it, The IRA Club’s flat fee becomes progressively more cost-efficient. Investors comparing custodians across the full market should review our detailed analysis: Every SDIRA Custodian Accepting Precious Metals: Full Comparison.

Precious Metals Capabilities

The IRA Club does support precious metals as a self-directed IRA investment. Their website lists FideliTrade Incorporated as a partner for precious metals transactions. FideliTrade is a Delaware-based full-service precious metals dealer and authorized mint distributor with over 25 years in the industry.

For investors evaluating precious metals specifically, several data points require direct inquiry with The IRA Club before opening an account:

• Depository options: The IRA Club does not name specific approved depositories on its public website. IRS rules under IRC Section 408(m) require that IRA-owned physical precious metals be stored with a qualified trustee or custodian, not at home. Ask the company which depositories they work with and verify that each holds the appropriate approvals.
• Metals-specific fee schedule: Based on the published fee schedule, precious metals holdings are charged the same $195 per-holding annual fee as any other asset class. No separate precious metals storage or insurance fee appears on the published schedule, which is favorable. Confirm this directly, as storage and insurance costs can sometimes be handled through the dealer or depository rather than appearing in the administrator’s fee table.
• IRS-approved metals: Any precious metals IRA must hold only metals that meet the fineness requirements set by IRC Section 408(m)(3). For gold, that means .9950 purity or higher for bars (plus certain government-issued coins including the American Gold Eagle, which carries a statutory carve-out from the fineness rule). Confirm that FideliTrade, or any other dealer you select, sells IRA-eligible metals only. Purchasing non-eligible metals inside an IRA is treated as a distribution and triggers taxes and potentially penalties under IRS rules.

The fact that depository details and metals-specific pricing are not published on the IRA Club website is not unusual in this space. What it does mean is that a prospective customer cannot complete a full cost comparison without a direct phone call. That friction is worth acknowledging: some administrators publish complete all-in fee schedules, and the ability to compare costs without contacting sales is itself a meaningful transparency metric. For a broader view of how this plays out across the SDIRA industry, see our Gold IRA Fees Index: Annual Study.

Custodial Structure: Who Actually Holds Your Assets?

This is the most important structural question to ask any SDIRA provider, and it deserves a straightforward answer. The IRA Club describes itself as a self-directed IRA administrator. Its FAQ states that “The IRA Club is responsible for holding and administering your account’s assets,” and separately references “the clearing broker that IRA Club uses” in a transfer disclaimer.

In plain terms: The IRA Club handles the paperwork and recordkeeping side of your IRA. A separate financial institution, not named on their public website, functions as the underlying custodian or clearing entity. This two-layer structure is legal and common. The IRS authorizes qualified nonbank trustees and administrators to serve self-directed IRAs under regulations published in IRS Publication 590-A. But the identity of the underlying custodian matters to any investor doing due diligence: that institution holds your assets and is ultimately responsible for safeguarding them.

Before funding an account, ask The IRA Club directly: What institution holds my IRA assets? Is that institution FDIC-insured for the cash component? Is precious metals storage held at a third-party depository, and which one? None of these questions should be difficult to answer. A reputable administrator answers them promptly.

The IRA Club does note that FDIC insurance applies to cash balances within the IRA, which is a positive data point. FDIC coverage applies to the cash portion held at an FDIC-member bank; it does not apply to physical precious metals held at a depository, which are covered instead by the depository’s own insurance policy. Confirm the specifics of depository insurance coverage before committing funds.

Account Types Available

The IRA Club supports a broader range of self-directed account structures than many precious metals specialists. If you maintain multiple retirement accounts or run a small business, that variety may be relevant to your evaluation. Accounts available include:

• Traditional Self-Directed IRA
• Roth Self-Directed IRA
• SEP IRA (Simplified Employee Pension)
• SIMPLE IRA (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees)
• Solo 401(k)
• Checkbook IRA (IRA-LLC structure, see fee schedule for additional setup costs)
• Crypto IRA
• Investable Health Savings Account (HSA)

The Solo 401(k) carries its own fee structure: $395 per year for the plan membership (versus $195 for a standard IRA), plus $195 per holding annually. Business owners considering a Solo 401(k) as the vehicle for a precious metals rollover should factor in that higher base fee.

The Checkbook IRA (IRA-LLC) structure carries a $995 setup fee and a separate $325 annual LLC holding fee. That structure gives account holders broader investment flexibility but also introduces additional IRS compliance obligations. Investors should consult their tax advisor before choosing an IRA-LLC structure, as prohibited transaction rules under IRC Section 4975 apply with particular complexity to checkbook accounts. A violation can result in the entire IRA balance being treated as a distribution in the year of the transaction.

For contribution limits and eligibility rules that apply to any IRA type, IRS Publication 590-A is the authoritative source. For 2026, the standard IRA contribution limit is $7,000 ($8,000 if you are 50 or older), per the IRS. These limits apply regardless of which administrator holds your account.

BBB Profile and Public Record

The IRA Club carries an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau as of this review. The company is not BBB accredited, which means it has not paid for accreditation status, but the A+ letter grade reflects the BBB’s assessment of the company’s complaint history and responsiveness. An A+ rating on a non-accredited profile is not uncommon for financial services companies that maintain a clean complaint record without pursuing the optional accreditation.

Investors reviewing any financial services company should also check FINRA’s BrokerCheck if the entity or its principals claim to hold broker-dealer registrations, and verify any trust charter or state banking license through the relevant state regulator. For Illinois-based administrators, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is the relevant authority for certain licensed financial service activities. These checks take 10-15 minutes and are worth completing before funding any self-directed account.

Who The IRA Club Works Best For

The IRA Club’s flat-fee model is most cost-effective for a specific investor profile. The following circumstances align well with what this administrator offers:

• Larger account balances: Investors with $100,000 or more in a self-directed precious metals IRA benefit most from flat-fee pricing. At $200,000, the annual savings versus a 0.50% custodian exceed $600 per year.
• Multiple alternative asset classes: Investors who want to hold precious metals alongside real estate, private equity, or other alternatives in one account pay $195 per additional holding per year. That structure rewards consolidation.
• Midwest-based investors: The Chicago, Illinois base means the company operates under Illinois jurisdiction and has a local physical presence. For investors who value geographic proximity and the ability to visit an office if needed, that matters.
• Experienced SDIRA investors: The IRA Club does not appear to offer the kind of educational onboarding (webcasts, one-on-one education sessions) that some larger precious metals specialists provide. Investors who already understand how self-directed IRAs work and need an administrator rather than a guide are better positioned to use the service effectively.

Who Should Consider Other Options

The IRA Club is not the right fit for every investor. Honest evaluation of any provider includes the cases where it is not the best match:

• Small account balances: At a $50,000 account balance, the $390 flat annual fee is more expensive than what a 0.50% custodian would charge ($250). Investors just starting out with a smaller rollover may find better economics elsewhere.
• Investors who need transparent all-in pricing upfront: Because depository details and any depository-level storage fees are not published on the IRA Club website, investors who want a complete cost picture without a sales call may find the research process more friction-heavy than alternatives that publish full fee schedules.
• Investors primarily focused on precious metals with extensive guidance needs: Dedicated precious metals IRA specialists sometimes provide more robust educational resources, established depository relationships with disclosed costs, and experienced staff specifically focused on metals account structures. That depth of specialization is worth weighing if precious metals represent 100% of your intended SDIRA strategy.
• Anyone under 59 and a half without a qualifying distribution event: This applies to all IRAs, not just The IRA Club: distributions from a traditional IRA before age 59½ are subject to a 10% early withdrawal penalty in addition to ordinary income tax under IRC Section 72(t). Consult your tax advisor before opening any self-directed IRA if you anticipate needing access to the funds before retirement age.