First National Bullion Review

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Contributor, Benzinga
April 19, 2023
First National Bullion
Overall Rating:
securely through First National Bullion's website

First National Bullion is one of the most reputable and reliable precious metal companies nationwide. The company is headquartered in San Diego, California, and prides itself as a boutique precious metal dealer with an exceptional team of industry professionals or experts keen on helping investors make sound investment decisions. 

Precious metals like gold are considered safe-haven assets during widespread inflationary-induced declining dollars, volatile or bearish equity markets and global economic uncertainties. The reason is that they’re uncorrelated with traditional stock markets and can therefore serve as an effective hedge against inflation. A diversified portfolio mix of conservative assets (like stocks and bonds) and alternative assets like precious metals (gold and silver) offers you the best protection in an inflationary economy. 

Since its founding in 2005, First National Bullion has consistently helped investors add diversification to their investments and protect their wealth by buying or selling precious metals, including gold, silver, platinum and palladium. The company also offers a gold IRA for retirement investors. Over $100 million worth of precious metal has been sold so far. Besides its expert teams, First National Bullion remains competitive thanks to its partnership with top government and reputable private mints globally. 

Furthermore, the company empowers its investors, equipping them with requisite information and industry trends via a monthly newsletter and regularly updated educational materials on the website. First National Bullion is no doubt an industry leader. Benzinga spotlights First National Bullion, explaining its products and services to help you decide if it’s an ideal company for your precious metal investment. 

Pros
  • A broad range of precious metals, including coins, bars and bullion
  • Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited with an A+ rating
  • Excellent customer service
  • Free shipping with transit insurance
  • Offers numismatic coins and collectibles
Cons
  • There’s an investment minimum

First National Bullion Ratings at a Glance

Product Offering
Customer Service
Security
Minimum Investment and Pricing
User Experience
Overall Rating

First National Bullion Product Offering

First National Bullion offers a diverse range of services to streamline the process of investing in precious markets and make it more accessible to an average investor. Here is a review of some of the core services.

Purchasing Gold Bullions 

Once you have decided to leverage precious metals like gold to add diversification to your portfolio or hedge against inflation, you need to acquire the metals. Unfortunately, the gold or the precious metal market is rife with dubious dealers looking for ways to cheat you out of your hard-earned dollars. The few reliable and reputable companies charge cut-throat commissions and premiums. 

First National Bullion is an A + accredited by BBB — a stamp of its authenticity. In addition, the company offers one of the most competitive prices in the industry. Various precious metals or investment-grade bullion are available at real-time prices, so you'll find what suits you. The best part is that you can purchase your gold bullion anytime. It's a round-the-clock service.

Gold or Precious Metal Buyback

When it comes time to liquidate your precious metals or get a price estimate, First National Bullion is ever ready to help, regardless of whether you bought from the company or not. First National Bullion will evaluate your asset and give you an accurate idea of its monetary worth. And if you're unsatisfied with the offer, the company will recommend alternative buyers. The company goes all out in helping investors. They're willing to visit and carry out the assessment on-site at your convenience if you have a large collection of coins. 

Purchasing Numismatic Coins and Rare Collectibles

First National Bullion also offers numismatic coins, which are incredibly rare coins purchased for their aesthetic or historical value. Because of their rarity and historical significance, these coins often cost more than bullion coins and so can act as a more effective inflationary hedge. The implication is that you can more easily offset some of the losses in your paper portfolio by leveraging these coins. However, be sure to carry out your due diligence. 

Numismatic coins are ideal as collector pieces, but most companies advise serious-minded investors to avoid them as they're relatively illiquid compared to bullion coins. If you're more interested in owning a piece of history than investing for retirement, you can go for numismatic coins. Otherwise, stick with bullion coins.

Precious Metal Market Chart

First National Bullion also provides online real-time “ticker tape” services displaying live gold and silver spot prices. Knowing the real-time spot price can help you properly decide when to enter the market. With the First National Bullion market chart, you can seamlessly access price charts of various precious metals round-the-clock and for at least the past 30 days. 

Gold IRA and Rollover

The most significant advantage of precious metals is their ability to shield investors against macro and microeconomic pressures like inflation. There's no better way to enjoy this advantage than IRA investing. Most retirement funds are held in regular (Traditional or Roth) IRAs, which typically include mutual funds, stocks, ETFs, annuities and bonds

Except via indirect exposure through ETFs and mutual funds, it's hard to invest in physical gold through regular IRAs and 401(k) plans. The solution? Self-directed IRAs (SDIRAs) — a type of retirement account that allows investment in alternative assets like precious metals. A gold IRA is an SDIRA with gold as its investment vehicle. With a gold IRA, you enjoy the tax advantages of an IRA and the wealth-building benefits of gold. 

First National Bullion's team of experts can help you establish a gold or precious metal IRA in three simple steps. Furthermore, if you have a current IRA, 401(k) and other qualifying retirement accounts, the team can guide you toward rolling them over to the highly beneficial self-directed plan. Most of the company's gold meets the IRS requirements regarding purity (99.5%) and origin. And so once done with the account set up, you can kick start your investment right away.

Market Price Notification 

Nothing is more frustrating than missing out on a significant price move, not just in the precious metals industry but also in the stock markets. However, you don't have to worry about missing market moves with First National Bullion. You can set up a price alert on your preferred precious metal by leveraging the price notification service. Once your target price is met, you'll immediately get an alert via email.

Educational Resources 

One core selling point of First National Bullion is keeping investors educated and informed through up-to-date market intelligence, which informs good decision-making. The company provides investors free newsletters and insights through its "Mail Me Free Information" service. Furthermore, investors also get free printed information on precious metals, investment-grade rare coins, and gold IRAs.

Secure Storage

When you buy gold bullion or other precious metals from First National Bullion, you can either have it shipped to your home (or any preferred location) or leverage the company's partner depository. First National Bullion partners with UPS and USPS to fast-track shipping. Shipping is free with transit insurance until you sign your signature on delivery. Fees may apply if you choose the company partner depository. However, suppose you bought the gold for your IRA account. In that case, you must store it in the company's IRS-approved partner depository in line with the regulations. First National Bullion's partner depository is Brinks storage, a nationwide leader in vault storage.

First National Bullion Customer Service

First National Bullion offers a plethora of customer service options. You can reach out to one of the company's accounts executives via a direct call, email or online contact form. Call between 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST any day, and you'll get any assistance you need. First National Bullion also offers live chat options if you'd prefer that. Besides these avenues, you can stay connected with the company via social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram

All these methods make for dependable and excellent service delivery, as reflected in reviews across platforms. First National is A+ accredited by Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has a perfect rating (5/5) on Yelp, among others. These perfect ratings reflect the company's professionalism and excellent service delivery. Benzinga rates First National Bullion 5 out of 5 on customer service.

First National Bullion Security

First National Bullion ensures that users' data or information is handled in a professional manner. While the company may collect user information ranging from personal information to sales or purchase details, this information is used strictly for service improvements and follows strict privacy protection guidelines under the Data Protection Act of 1998

Furthermore, to guide against data access by an unaffiliated third-party, adequate electronic procedures are put in place. For instance, information transmitted on essential pages like "Checkout" and "My Account" is encrypted using SSL. Sensitive data is protected with this state-of-the-art encryption technology. 

Nevertheless, no internet data transmission or storage method is 100% secure. So the company doesn't guarantee absolute security. Benzinga rates the First National Bullion 4.5 out 5 on security.

First National Bullion Minimum Investment and Pricing

First National Bullion displays its premium prices for each precious metal on its website. This makes for transparency and accountability. Often the costs are determined by the quantity and quality of the precious metals. For new gold or precious metals IRA, the minimum investment is $3,500, which is relatively low. You can reach the team via the various contact channels for information on fees, commissions and other applicable charges. Benzinga rates the company 4.5 out of 5 on pricing.

First National Bullion User Experience

First National Bullion is dedicated to helping investors of all types diversify their investments without hassles. Its customer-focused services and good educational content like newsletters and insight attest to this. Furthermore, its perfect ratings across a few diverse independent rating platforms like BBB and Yelp, and its customer reviews reflect the company's excellent service. The significance is that customers do enjoy their experience doing business with the company. Benzinga rates First National Bullion 5 out of 5. 

First National Bullion vs. Competitors

First National Bullion has few competitors like Advantage Gold and SchiffGold. All three provide investors with an avenue to buy precious metals like gold and silver. They also offer gold IRA and rollover services, providing resource-rich educational content, market research and analytical tools to help investors. While SchiffGold delivers a more comprehensive buyback commitment than First National Bullion and Advantage Gold, it has zero independent reviews, which brings its reputation into question. First National Bullion offers a more transparent pricing structure than SchiffGold and Advantage Gold. 

Overall Rating

First National Bullion is one of the market leaders in gold or precious metal investing. The company has primarily been instrumental in helping investors diversify their portfolios and protect their assets from economic pressures. The company especially makes the entire process of precious metal investing very easy. Thanks to its comprehensive educational content, including a free newsletter, market insight and up-to-date market intelligence. Beginner investors will find it especially appealing.

In fact, a complete novice can gain valuable insight into gold or precious metal investing enough to kickstart their investment journey by going through its various highly informative website. The overwhelmingly positive reviews from past clients and perfect ratings across platforms like BBB demonstrate its excellency. Its transparent and competitive pricing is the icing for what can be considered the best gold or precious metal company by many. Benzinga rates First National Bullion 4.5 overall.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q

What is the most reputable gold dealer?

A

Several reputable gold dealers nationwide provide investors with an opportunity to buy gold or other precious metals. However, Benzinga’s top five reputable companies include Advantage Gold, Augusta Precious Metals, American Hartford Gold, Lear Capital and Red Rock Secured.

 

Q

Can you buy gold directly from the U.S. Mint?

A

No, the U.S. Mint doesn’t sell directly to the general public. The U.S. Mint only sells to its networks of officials, distributors or “Authorized Purchasers.” Subsequently, the authorized purchasers create a two-way market, buying and selling to financial institutions, wholesalers and retailers.

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