Patriot Gold Group Reviews: Ratings, Claims and Alternatives

Patriot Gold Group is a California gold and silver dealer best known from its commercials on Newsmax and from its sales pitch: you deal directly with one of the firm's owners, and qualifying gold and silver IRAs carry no ongoing charges for life. It sells bullion and coins for retirement accounts and for delivery, and it features political commentator Dick Morris, who it says is both an endorser and a client.

This review sets out what Patriot says about itself, what its public record shows, and which questions its offer raises. We are not paid by Patriot Gold Group and have not been its customer. Facts below come from Patriot's own website and its Better Business Bureau listing, read on November 6, 2026, and we say where a statement is the company's own claim.

The short version: Patriot Gold Group is an established, BBB-accredited dealer with an A+ rating, an owner-led sales model and a long run of ConsumerAffairs awards. Its website does not name an IRA custodian or depository, does not publish a minimum, and leans heavily on proof and "exclusive" coins and on promotions. Its "no charges for life" IRA offer applies to qualifying accounts, so ask exactly what qualifies and who pays the custodian and the vault. If you are moving $50,000 or more and want every cost explained before you buy, Augusta Precious Metals, our first-ranked company, is the one we would call first.

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Patriot Gold Group at a glance

Reputation and ratings

BBB. Patriot Gold Group's BBB listing, under BBB Mountain West & Pacific Southwest, shows an A+ rating and BBB accreditation, at the Seal Beach address. A BBB rating reflects how a business handles complaints and how long it has operated. It is not a review of prices.

ConsumerAffairs. Patriot's About page says ConsumerAffairs named it a top-rated gold and silver dealer for ten years in a row, from 2016 to 2025, and its home page shows a 5.0 satisfaction rating based on 770 ratings. Some older pages on its site still give the award years as 2016 to 2021, or 2016 and 2017, so the site has not been updated evenly. Treat these as the company's figures and check the platform for the current count.

Regulatory record. We searched for enforcement actions by the CFTC, the SEC and state attorneys general naming Patriot Gold Group and did not find one in the sources we checked. That is not proof that no complaint exists. Read the complaints section of its BBB listing before you buy, as you would with any dealer.

Who runs it

Patriot's main selling point is that you work directly with an owner. Its About page says its senior partners previously held senior roles at some of the largest retail and wholesale precious metals firms in the country, and that by cutting out layers of executive and shareholder pay it can offer competitive prices.

• Jack Hanney, CEO, says he has spent more than two decades in finance, began his career under William O'Neill, the founder of a well-known financial newspaper, and has written more than $140 million in business as Patriot's CEO. He publishes a weekly market video.
• Mike Celano, senior partner, previously worked in executive management at Costco, according to Patriot, and held trading and client roles at other precious metals firms.
• Charley Chartoff, senior partner, was director of retirement services at a large retail precious metals firm and then at a Los Angeles wholesaler, according to Patriot.

Working with an owner can mean faster answers and more accountability. It does not, on its own, tell you anything about price. Owners are salespeople too, so compare their quote with another company's.

The "no charges for life" IRA offer

Patriot advertises "No Fees for Life on Qualifying IRAs" and "lightning fast 24-hour account setup". Its IRA page adds, in brackets, "Minimum Account Required", without saying what the minimum is on the pages we read.

An offer like this deserves a closer look, because every precious metals IRA has costs somewhere. A self-directed IRA needs a custodian, and the metal must be held in an approved depository; both normally charge every year. When a dealer says the account itself costs you nothing, the useful questions are:

• What counts as a qualifying IRA, and what is the minimum?
• Who pays the custodian and the depository, and for how long? Is it guaranteed in writing?
• Is the cost built into the price of the metal? A higher markup on the coins can cost far more than years of account charges.

We do not reproduce cost figures on this site, because they change and depend on the account. Ask Patriot for every cost in writing, then compare the total, including the price of the metal, with at least one other company. Our guide to gold IRA fees explains how to compare quotes like for like.

Custodian, storage and "Private Storage IRA"

Patriot's pages we read do not name the IRA custodian or depository it uses. Its About page says it provides "secure vault storage" in different parts of the USA, and it also offers home safe storage for clients who want to keep metal at home.

Home storage is fine for gold you buy with your own money. It is not fine for an IRA. One section of Patriot's site says you can "hold physical gold tax deferred in a Private Storage IRA or in your own hands". Be careful with any arrangement that puts IRA metal in your own hands: the IRS requires an IRA's assets to be held by a trustee or custodian, and a Tax Court case in 2021 treated IRA gold kept at home as a distribution, with tax and penalties due. Our guide to gold IRA tax rules explains the rule. If Patriot suggests anything other than an approved depository for an IRA, ask for the custodian's written confirmation before you agree.

Products, coins and promotions

Patriot sells standard bullion such as American Gold Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, Austrian Philharmonics and South African Krugerrands, and it gives prominent space to proof coins, "exclusive" or private coins and pre-1933 gold coins.

Proof, exclusive and pre-1933 coins usually carry much higher markups over the metal's value than standard bullion, and they are harder to sell back at a good price. They can be a fair purchase for a collector. For a retirement account, standard bullion is usually the better value. If a specialist recommends one of these coins, ask what the same amount of gold would cost as a standard bullion coin.

Patriot's site also advertises promotions, including bonus gold and silver, and a silver coin offered "with phone qualification". Before you rely on a bonus, read its terms: what you must buy to get it, whether it applies to bullion, and how the price of the rest of the order compares.

What Patriot's own disclosures say

Patriot's risk disclosure page is worth reading. It says that precious metals can fall in price as well as rise and are not suitable for everyone; that buyers should be ready to hold them for at least three to five years; and that metals should make up no more than a fifth of a buyer's available money. It also says Patriot and its employees do not act as fiduciaries and do not give retirement-specific advice. In other words, the person you speak to is selling, not advising.

Patriot Gold Group vs Augusta Precious Metals

Patriot may suit you if you want to deal with an owner, you value a quick account setup, and you are prepared to get the custodian, the vault and the full cost of the offer in writing.

Augusta Precious Metals may suit you if you are moving $50,000 or more, want a named custodian and depository from the start, and want the account explained in detail before any sale. Augusta is our first-ranked company; our Augusta Precious Metals review covers it in full.

Other alternatives we cover

• Goldco sells gold and silver for IRAs and direct purchase, holds an A+ BBB rating and has the most specific written buyback program of the companies we rank. See our Goldco review.
• American Hartford Gold states a $10,000 minimum order for its gold IRA, names its custodian and lets you choose a depository. See our American Hartford Gold review.
• Noble Gold has a $20,000 IRA minimum, names Equity Trust as custodian and keeps IRA metal in segregated storage in Delaware, Texas or Canada. See our Noble Gold review.

The full comparison is in our ranking and our guide to the best gold IRA companies.

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Questions to ask Patriot Gold Group, or any dealer

• Which custodian and which depository will hold my IRA? Is the storage segregated or commingled?
• What exactly makes an IRA "qualifying" for no ongoing charges, and who pays the custodian and the vault if I fall below it?
• What is the price of each item, what is the spot value of the metal in it, and what would you pay to buy it back today?
• Is this standard bullion, or a proof, exclusive or pre-1933 coin? Why are you recommending it?
• What must I buy to receive any promotion, and does it apply to bullion?
• How is the person I speak to paid on this order?

Our gold scammer list shows what regulators have found across the industry when dealers did not answer these questions well.

FAQ

Is Patriot Gold Group legit?

Patriot Gold Group is an established, BBB-accredited dealer with an A+ rating on its BBB listing. We found no regulator enforcement action naming it in the sources we checked. Its site does not name its custodian or depository, so ask for both in writing before you open an account.

Does Patriot Gold Group really charge nothing for an IRA?

It advertises no ongoing charges for life on qualifying IRAs, with a minimum account required. Ask what qualifies, who pays the custodian and the depository, and how the metal is priced, and get the answers in writing.

What is Patriot Gold Group's minimum?

Its website does not publish one on the pages we read. Its no-charges IRA offer says a minimum account is required, and its free guide form starts at $2,500.

Who is Patriot Gold Group's custodian?

Patriot's website does not name one on the pages we read. Some review sites list several custodians, but we could not confirm them from Patriot, so ask the company.

Where is Patriot Gold Group located?

Its BBB listing and site footer give 3010 Old Ranch Parkway, Suite 350, Seal Beach, California. Its contact page lists offices in Los Angeles and Nashville, with visits by appointment only.

Who owns Patriot Gold Group?

Patriot says its clients work directly with its owners. Its About page names Jack Hanney as CEO and Mike Celano and Charley Chartoff as senior partners.

Can I keep Patriot Gold Group IRA metals at home?

Not if they are in an IRA. IRA metals must be held by a custodian, normally in an approved depository. Home storage is for metal you buy with your own money outside an IRA.

Is Patriot Gold Group or Augusta better?

For a larger rollover, Augusta Precious Metals is our first-ranked company: it names its custodian and depository and explains the account before any sale. Patriot's owner-led service may suit buyers who are ready to ask detailed questions.

Is a gold IRA right for me?

That depends on your circumstances, which a website cannot judge. Gold pays no income and its price can fall. Speak with a licensed financial professional who is not paid on the sale.

The bottom line

Patriot Gold Group is a legitimate, A+ rated, owner-led dealer with a decade of ConsumerAffairs awards and a headline IRA offer that will appeal to many buyers. Its website leaves important things unsaid: the custodian, the depository, the minimum and the terms behind the offer. Get those in writing, favor standard bullion over special coins, and compare the full cost with another company. For a larger rollover, start with Augusta Precious Metals.

Sources

• Patriot Gold Group: home page, about us, precious metals IRA, contact and risk disclosure, read November 6, 2026
• Better Business Bureau: Patriot Gold Group listing, read November 6, 2026
• IRS: retirement plan FAQs regarding IRAs
• Augusta Precious Metals, Goldco, American Hartford Gold and Noble Gold facts as checked for our reviews of each company, November 2026

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