Can I Choose Where I Want My Precious Metals To Be Stored?
You have the ability to choose from one (or several) of our secure vault facilities. We offer insured custodial vaulting of your precious metals in a variety of locations both inside and outside of the United States. Our primary custodial vaults are:
- Toronto, Canada
- New York, New York
- London, England
- Miami, Florida
- Zurich, Switzerland
When you buy gold or silver through your Clear Title Account, as part of your purchase order instructions, you will be asked where you would like to store your bullion assets. On settlement of your trade, your individual and specific bullion bars and/or coins will be moved into the vault facility that you have chosen. You will receive trade confirmations validating that your specific whole bars are in the vault. You can then go to the “Holdings” section of your online account to verify that your specific bars are present.
Our Precious Metals System is reconciled at the end of each business day so the Holdings section of your Clear Title Account remains an accurate ledger of the exact specifications of the individual bullion bars that you own in your account. Strategic Gold reconciles total inventory on our system on a daily basis and reports this to our clients through the online Client Portal. Inventory reports containing bar lists are sent to Strategic Gold by our vaulting partners for all individual holdings and are reconciled with our database and reported to clients on an ongoing basis. Each quarter, an independent auditing firm, BDO International, performs an inventory audit of all the precious metals in each of the global vaults. BDO provides individual account audit letters for each of our clients each quarter. These audit letters are both uploaded to your online account and mailed to each client at the end of each quarter.
In the future, Strategic Gold may offer other storage locations based on security and customer preferences. Please contact one of our account executives if you would like to hold your precious metals in an alternative location. Certain restrictions may apply. Please feel free to inquire at (239) 692-9154.
- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Safely vaulting gold and silver internationally
- Strategic Gold’s Custody Agreements
What Is Allocated Storage?
All precious metals stored in Strategic Gold’s Clear Title Program are fully allocated. “Allocated” means that each specific whole bar or coin is held in the vault exclusively on behalf of an individual owner.
Allocated storage of precious metals is the best way to store gold and silver because it ensures that you are the direct owner of the specific whole bar or coin, not Strategic Gold or any other third-party. When a precious metal is allocated, there is a defined and recorded owner of the specific bar or coin, namely you. You enjoy full legal title to each individual bar or coin that you own. This is why we called our program the Clear Title Program, because you —the owner—retain Clear Title to your assets at all times.
Neither Strategic Gold nor the vault custodian has any direct claim on your precious metals.
- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Your specific bullion is held as a bailment
- Your specific bullion is independently verified
How does Allocated Storage Benefit a Clear Title Accountholder?
Allocated storage is the safest and most transparent method way to hold Clear Title to your precious metals assets. You alone are the direct owner of the assets you hold in your Clear Title Account, not Strategic Gold, the vault custodian, or any other third-party.
A good way to compare allocated versus unallocated storage is to look at it in accounting terms. Allocated metal does not show up on the balance sheet of Strategic Gold or the vault operator. It is an off balance sheet item—meaning, it is your outright property.
Unallocated metal shows up in a company’s balance sheet as an asset, and the claims to the metal from its customers as the corresponding liability. This is how many accounts with financial institutions work, as well as many of the precious metals storage programs that are sponsored by governments or private entities. If one of those entities were to go bust, any of its creditors would have first claim to those unallocated assets, leaving the entity’s customers with no access to the metal (liabilities) promised to them.
Unlike most precious metals firms, Strategic Gold does not offer unallocated storage. All metal administered by our firm is always owned by a specific client at all times and therefore never shows up as an asset or a liability on our books.
When your metal is held in a Clear Title Account, you have the assurance that your gold and silver is protected should Strategic Gold or the vaults we work with ever face bankruptcy or other financial difficulties. In the unlikely event that Strategic Gold or our vaulting partner were to experience financial difficulty, our creditors would have no claim to your property since it is not a financial asset of Strategic Gold or the vault operator.
- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Your specific bullion is held as a bailment
- Bailment protects your property rights
What Are The Key Benefits Of Strategic Gold’s Secure Storage?
Strategic Gold’s Clear Title Program was designed to meet systemic insurance criteria. Unlike ETFs and gold
derivatives, Clear Title Accounts provides maximum insulation against counterparty risk. We were the first vehicle to offer real ownership of physical gold securely stored in non?financial vaults located in close proximity to the most liquid global bullion markets. Our Clear Title Accounts combine key advantages of modern financial products – liquidity, transparency, professional management, strong fiduciary controls and reporting, with diversification benefits of traditional commercial arrangements that involve tangible goods – strong property rights with no reliance on financial institutions or capital markets.
Strategic Gold offers benefits not available in gold derivatives and Exchange Traded Products such as:
- Your precious metals always remain your exclusive legal property;
- Gold bullion is held in fully insured accredited vaults;
- Investors can tailor geographic diversification of their bullion allocation;
- Multiple storage, logistics and trading relationships in jurisdictions with strong legal protections ensure safety and ready access to bullion markets;
- There is no leverage or derivatives;
- No financial risks;
- No counterparty risks;
- No reliance on functioning capital markets and intermediaries;
- No price divergences between the spot market price and the value of your physical gold and silver;
- Multiple exit strategies – $US cash, bullion, other currencies, and other strategies;
- Discrete ownership with no reporting requirements and full compliance with US regulations; and
- High Liquidity – you are able to sell your bullion without delay at the best price.
- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Additional risk management considerations for your ultimate protection
Are My Precious Metals Insured?
Yes. Your precious metals are insured to their full market value (their full replacement value) at all times. The cost of this insurance is included in your administration fee.
Strategic Gold makes sure that the coverage maintained by each vault operator is at least equivalent to the value of all the gold or silver that the vault operator holds on behalf of Clear Title accountholders.
How Do I Know That My Precious Metals Are Really In The Vault?
There are several important checks and balances that we have put in place to ensure that the precious metals that you own are protected. We work closely with our partner vault operators to ensure that Strategic Gold’s Precious Metals System is reliable and secure, and that all the metal is stored safely for our customers.
Precious metal holdings are independently reconciled on an ongoing basis by Strategic Gold, our approved vaulting partners and our independent auditors. Inventory reports containing bar lists are sent to Strategic Gold by our vaulting partners for all individual holdings and are verified and reported to clients daily. In addition, BDO International physically audits all of our client’s precious metal holdings in the vault facilities each quarter.
BDO International reviews a wide variety of our controls and procedures and provides proof of the 1-to-1 ratio of metal held in the vaults and metal recorded in our Precious Metals System. BDO International certifies that a Client’s precious metals are physically present in the Vault Facility. On the same day at the end of each quarter an auditor enters each of the custodial vaults and performs a sight verification audit comparing the individual gold and silver bars that are in the vault against an inventory list supplied by the Custodian and another provided by Strategic Gold. The inventory lists include the manufacturing refinery’s hallmark, the unique serial number on each gold or silver bar, the exact weight in fine troy ounces, and the purity of the bullion. This audit is also cross verified by an agent of the Custodian who signs off on the Certificate of Deposit with the sight verification auditor. The Independent Auditor verifies that gold and silver bars allocated to clients reflect the exact number of fine troy ounces contained within the custodial vaults, that no gold or silver bars are over or double allocated to clients, and that a one-to-one ratio of troy ounces in the vault-to-Strategic Gold records exists at all times. The results of these quarterly audits are sent directly to each Client in the form of an individual account audit report.
As an additional measure of security and verification of the Clear Title Account Program, The Bank of Nova Scotia Malca-Amit and Via Mat International issue reports to Strategic Gold that record each instance of bullion being added to or removed from the vault. This additional measure provides external corroboration of Strategic Gold’s audit trail of all holdings.
To request additional information on our independent auditors, please email accounts@strategicgold.com or call us at 239 692-9154.
Can I Visit The Vault In Order To Personally Inspect My Gold And Silver?
Yes, Clear Title accountholders can personally inspect their bullion assets at the vault facility where their precious metals are stored. We would be happy to facilitate your visit.
You can make arrangements to visit the vault by calling (239) 692-9154 or send us a message at accounts@strategicgold.com if you are interested in inspecting your gold and silver assets.
- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Visiting the Vault
Can I Move or Exchange Metals Between Vaults?
Yes. We believe that financial freedom is all about having personal control. Therefore, with your Clear Title Account you can easily transfer metals from one vault to another. Since you own specific bullion bars or coins in your Clear Title Account, you can accomplish this in two different ways.
- 1. We can facilitate the secure transport of your specific bullion bars from one vault facility to another. Strategic Gold does not charge a fee for this service; however, you will be responsible for paying the invoice of the secure transport company.
- 2. We can facilitate the sale of your metal in one location and the simultaneous purchase of the same number of ounces in an alternate location. By exercising this option you will be avoiding the secure transport cost associated with the physical movement of your specific bars. Strategic Gold does not charge a transaction fee on this purchase or sale transaction.
Details about the different vault operators we use to store metals on behalf of our customers can be found at our Global Custody page.
- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Your right to move your metals between the vaults
Can I Collect My Gold and Silver From The Vault Facility?
You can collect your gold and silver bars in person from all vaults where the bars are available for storage.
You can pick up your gold and silver bars at any of our bullion vaults in person during office hours with a pre-arranged appointment. We can also organize physical delivery via security transport to a destination of your choice anywhere in the world.
What Happens When I Want To Take Delivery Of My Gold Or Pick It Up From The Vault?
We would also be happy to arrange for you to personally collect your bullion bars from the vault where they are stored or from a secure location nearby. We can also assist you in having your precious metals shipped from the vault facility to your location of choice.
To get started, send us your written instructions on how you want to take delivery of your precious metals. Once we have verified your instructions, we will contact the vault facility where your metals are being stored and make the arrangements for its transport or release. The vault operator or secure transport carrier will also complete any customs forms that may be required, but you are responsible for payment of customs duties and any other costs that may apply according to the laws of the applicable jurisdiction (such as sales tax or VAT). Strategic Gold will confirm and collect all shipping costs from you before providing your shipping instructions to the vault operator of secure carrier.
Please contact an account representative to arrange for collection or delivery of your precious metals by email at accounts@strategicgold.com or call us at 239 692-9154.
- ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Procedures for withdrawal of your bullion
What Customs Duties Or Taxes Apply For Delivery Or Collection?
Customs Duties and Taxes vary across jurisdictions. Strategic Gold will be happy to work with you to understand all relevant fees associated with your delivery or collection request. You are responsible for payment of customs duties and other taxes such as VAT that may apply when requesting delivery or collecting bars from the vault.
To learn more, contact an account representative by email at accounts@strategicgold.com or call us at 239 692-9154.