Strata Trust Company Review

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Rating

3.8

Introduction

Strata Trust Company is a leading provider of self-directed IRA and alternative asset custody services, offering individuals the freedom to invest in a diverse range of assets beyond traditional investments such as stocks and bonds.

Investing can be daunting. You need to constantly be up to date with news and data from your industry and as if that’s not enough you have to be well-versed with the sector-specific laws and regulations. On top of that, you’ll be expected to diversify into multiple industries and still keep your job – and your sanity!

Well, unless you’re a full-time investment specialist, chances are that you’ll find yourself struggling to keep up with the demands of managing a successful investment portfolio. Luckily, that’s where firms like Strata Trust Company come in.

The company provides you with access to a myriad of investments along with the education and support you need to plan for a fruitful future.

This in-depth review of Strata Trust Company will shed light on several issues regarding the company. You’ll learn more about the company, the investment options they provide, their fees, and much more.

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Strata Trust Company Overview

strata homepage

Strata Trust Company is a fully owned subsidiary of Horizon Bank, SSB. It was formed in 2008 and was originally known as Self-Directed IRA services, Inc. In 2017, the company underwent a serious rebranding, leading to its current “cooler” brand name.

The company has staff with extensive knowledge and expertise and offers a wide range of investment opportunities to help you achieve your retirement goals. 

Strata Trust Company was among the first to partner with crowdfunding platforms. This was a key and beneficial move since it exposed the company to a larger audience and brought in a lot of investors.

By 2019, the company’s assets had grown significantly, and it had more than 50 employees. 

To this end, Strata Trust Company has adopted different technologies to assist in simplifying IRA transactions. One of its innovative moves is the introduction of the self-service portal.

The company’s vision is to be an innovative partner to help investors achieve their wealth goals.

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Strata Trust Company Investment Options

strat investment options

Strata Trust Company offers several traditional, non-traditional, and alternative investment options not found in conventional IRAs. With such a wide array of options, you have the flexibility to build a powerful investment strategy.

Here are the investment options the company provides:

Gold And Precious Metals

Strata Trust Company allows you to invest in IRA-approved silver, gold, platinum, or palladium coins and bullion. Such investments help diversify and balance your investment portfolio and allow you to invest in a tangible asset that can withstand a financial crisis.  

Crowdfunding

Strata trust company provides self-directed IRA services in the crowdfunding space. It works with the country's largest marketplace lending platforms and crowdfunding investment portals.

This investment option allows investors to contribute to start-ups, business expansions, and other ground-floor projects. Thus, you can invest in what you believe in.

Private Equity

Strata Trust Company allows you to invest in companies not publicly traded in the stock exchange. This includes existing entities or start-ups, including real estate ventures. You get to diversify your portfolio with such unique investments, all on a tax-advantaged basis.

With an SDIRA, you can invest like a venture capitalist.

Public Investments

Strata Trust Company allows you to round out your portfolio with investments such as publicly traded bonds, stocks, or mutual funds within an IRA-owned brokerage account. 

This gives you greater diversity and control over your future.

Benefits of Choosing Strata Trust Company

In an industry full of precious metal dealers, here is why you should consider partnering with Strata Trust Company:

  • With over 350 years of collective experience in the industry, you can be sure to get top-tier products and services from the company.
  • Over 40,000 investors have been empowered by the company to make solid and beneficial investments. You can be sure you’ll also receive the same empowerment and motivation.
  • Over $4 billion worth of assets is under their custody. This means that the company is and continues to be trusted by many investors. You can trust them too.

These three sets Strata Trust Company apart from most of its competitors.

How To Get Started with Strata Trust Company

Getting started with Strata Trust Company is a pretty simple and straightforward process. Here are the steps.

Step 1: Choose Your Investments

Strata Trust Company has a wide array of investment options, including precious metals, real estate, crowdfunding, structured settlements, and much more. You need to settle on the investment type you want to put your money on to get started.

Step 2: Choose The Type of IRA That Fits Your Needs

With Strata Trust Company, you can choose a Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Simplified Employee Plan (SEP) IRA, or Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) IRA. Your choice should be based on the investment needs you want to satisfy.

Step 3: Choose How You Want To Fund Your Account

You must fund your IRA account before directing an investment in your SDIRA. Strata Trust Company provides three methods of funding your account:

  1. Direct transfer
  2. Rollover
  3. Annual contribution

Each of the three methods can offer you immense advantages.

Self-Directed IRAs (SDIRA)

Strata Trust Company allows you to have an SDIRA.

SDIRA is a type of retirement account that allows you, an investor, to take control of your financial future. Such an account can help you empower your investing potential in the following ways:

  • With an SDIRA, you can leverage a wider range of investments you know and understand.
  • You can enjoy tax-deferred or tax-free growth, estate planning benefits, and asset protection.
  • Greater flexibility and control over your investments
  • You get protected from inflation rates and market volatility.
  • You enjoy asset protection under federal bankruptcy laws.

Strata Trust Company Fees

Strata Trust Company charges varying fees depending on the investment type and the services you choose. Here is a breakdown of the fees to expect.

Fees

Precious Metals IRA

Basic IRA (for public investments)

Flex IRA (for alternative investments)

Account set-up fee

$50

$50

$50

Account annual fee

$95

$125

$300

Late fee

$50

$50

$50

Real estate holding fee

-

-

$150

Private investment holding

-

-

$50

Commingled Precious metals storage

$100

$100

$100

Segregated precious metals storage

$150

$150

$150

Real estate purchase or sale

-

-

$150

Private investment purchase or sale

-

-

$50

Precious metals purchase, sale, or exchange

$40

$40

$40

Precious metals shipping

$10 + estimated costs

$10 + estimated costs

$10 + estimated costs

There are many other services that Strata Trust Company provides and charges fees for, but the ones above are the main ones.

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How Good Is Their Customer Support?

Strata Trust Company has great customer support. 

The company provides a phone number that you can use to contact the company in case of any issues. There is also an online form that you can use to submit questions and inquiries directly to the company.

The company also has social media handles including Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook accounts all of which are active.

 So in case you need to reach out to the company via any of the platforms, you can easily get a speedy response.

Is Strata Trust Company A Scam?

Strata Trust Company is legit. It has been in business for more than a decade, and over this period, it has served more than 40,000 investors. It also currently has over $4 billion in assets in custody. This shows that the company provides the services they claim to offer.

Customer Reviews

Strata Trust Company does not have a Google business profile to collect customer feedback and reviews. But they showcase some of their best testimonials.

The company has, however, received reviews on third-party sites.

Trustpilot rates the company at 4.8/5 stars which is a great rating. And, since the total number of reviews is over 1,120, most clients are happy with the service.

According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile, the company has an A+ rating, which is great. Strata Trust Company has only had four complaints in the last 12 months.

FAQs

Does Strata Trust Company Buy, Sell, or Exchange Precious Metals?

No. Strata Trust Company doesn’t buy, sell or exchange precious metals. This is because the company is a custodian.

To negotiate the exchange, purchase, or sale of precious metals, you need a broker, which Strata Trust Company is not.

Is There A Home Storage Option For Precious Metals?

No. There is no home storage option for precious metals. 

Any precious metals must remain within Strata Trust Company’s custody. This is according to the IRS guidelines. 

Your IRA assets will remain in the company’s custody until they are sold or distributed.

What Types of Metals Cannot Be Held In An IRA?

There are some metals that Strata Trust Company can’t hold in an IRA. These include Mexican Peso, Italian Lira, Colombian Peso, British Britannia, and Hungarian Korona.

Strata Trust Company has listed all precious metals not approved on their site. Additionally, your gold must be 99.5% pure.

Pros

  • Trustworthy
  • It is a Horizon Bank branch
  • Well-defined SDIRAs
  • There are several investment options

Cons

  • The company has negative reviews on customer-trust sites.
  • The company has a number of complains

Conclusion

Strata Trust Company is a decent and honest company you can partner with in your retirement investment journey. It offers a range of investment opportunities to build your IRA.

The company is well established and has developed a solid authority by providing several services.

In addition, the company has a very experienced management team and board members with decades of experience. 

However, consider all the company’s reviews, good and bad, together with the complaints to help you make a better investment decision.

Nonetheless, the fact is that the company provides one of the best customer services in the industry.

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