Disclosure: Our content isn't financial advice. Do your due diligence and speak to your financial advisor before making any investment decision. We may earn money from products reviewed. (Learn more)
- Phone : 1-800-392-9653
- URL :
- Global Rating
- Good
User Rating
- 0 No reviews yet!
The Entrust Group has been serving customers since 1982. The company has been in business for more than 40 years and goes through the effort of explaining products and services thoroughly. It does have some negative reviews on the Better Business Bureau website but overall, we still recommend the company because of its long-standing history.
Pros:
- In business for nearly 40 years
- Many different types of IRAs
- Solid explanations on company website
Cons:
- No cryptocurrency offering promoted
- Negative customer reviews on BBB profile
The Entrust Group has been serving clients since 1981. In comparison to other IRA providers, like Accuplan IRA, that certainly a long time. Very few of the ones we have reviewed have been around just as long.
One of the first things you’ll notice about The Entrust Group when you read through this review is that there sea level executive team is a group of self-starters. They’ve all branded themselves as experts, and made career long commitments to helping clients with their finances in various capacities. The Entrust Group presents one of the most well-rounded executive teams in this respect.
One area that could be improved upon at the company is their lack of reputation management online. With nearly 40 years in the business, one would think there would be a lot more positive feedback on the Internet about The Entrust Group, but there isn’t that much relative to competitors.
In any case The Entrust Group still offers a wide variety of investments that empower clients to pursue their retirement goals and their own unique way with their own unique alternative assets. They do a good job of explaining their fees and their annual fees start at a relatively low rate specifically when it comes to precious metals, which is a cool caveat.
Unfortunately The Entrust Group doesn’t offer digital asset investment, or at least it’s not promoted on their website. Still there many good reasons to consider The Entrust Group for your self-directed IRA account. We recommend reading this review among many others we’ve done so that you can pick the best option for yourself.
The Management Team and Board of Directors of The Entrust Group
Hubert Bromma is the CEO of The Entrust Group.
Hubert Bromma, CEO, The Entrust Group
Hubert Bromma, CEO, The Entrust Group
He has been in banking and Finance since 1967. He’s got lots of experience to say the least. He’s actually considered a pioneer in the industry, having developed the first ever truly self-directed IRA in 1981. He’s written books on real estate and taxes and his expert opinion has been featured on CNBC, MarketWatch, Bloomberg and other major financial media outlets.
Gary Kowalski is the Chief Financial Officer.
Gary Kowalski, Chief Financial Officer, The Entrust Group
He joined the company in 2010 as the Manager of Franchise Operations. Currently oversees the Company’s financial operations, reporting and treasury management needs. He’s also the author of a book on franchising.
Rounding out the company’s trio of C level executives is Nikita Brodskiy.
Nikita Brodskiy, Chief Strategy Officer, The Entrust Group
He’s The Entrust Group’s Chief Strategy Officer. Prior to joining the company in 2015, Brodskiy founded SavedPlus, an automated money-saving platform that got featured on CNN money.
As you can see, each of the chief executives and The Entrust Group has an entrepreneurial spark about them. It’s part of what makes this self-directed IRA provider a good one. Don’t just stop reading here though. Plenty of other insights remain in the rest of this review. Enjoy!
Investing Account Options at The Entrust Group
The Entrust Group does a great job of explaining its investing account options and the investment options it offers. The account options are those similar to many of the IRA providers we have already reviewed. Investors can choose to pay income tax after they retire, which is what happens when you invest in a Traditional IRA. Higher net worth individuals who think they might retire in a significantly higher income tax bracket when they retire should choose a Roth IRA.
SEP and SIMPLE IRAs are for small businesses with 100 or less employees. They offer employers the chance to contribute to the plans of employees and benefit from tax write offs. Companies with more than 100 employees will be better off of the 401(k) plan. Those plans offer more intricate features and benefits, but also come with higher administrative costs. That’s why smaller businesses can’t afford to use them.
Different Types of Investments at The Entrust Group
More than most IRA providers, The Entrust Group does a great job of explaining the different types of investments available at the company. Here they are:
- Real Estate
- Precious Metals
- Private Placement LLCs
- Energy, Oil and Gas
- Secured and Unsecured Notes
- Other Alternatives
The company’s website does a great job of explaining each of the above. Most investors who want a self-directed IRA account are usually pursuing some sort of real estate or precious metals investing. That’s pretty commonplace. And most providers will do anything they can to give investors the opportunities they want. There are a few types of investments that are prohibited according to government law, but will cover those later.
The most intriguing of the above list is the private placement LLC. It’s otherwise known as checkbook control. Private placements allow investors to put money into hedge funds, startups, land trusts and other kinds of alternative assets.
Private lending can also yield high returns and The Entrust Group is committed to exploring all sorts of other investments too.
The Fee Schedule at The Entrust Group
The Entrust Group’s fee structure is broken down in a pretty straight up fashion. The schedule is laid out really nicely on the website. They charge a $50 establishment fee for each account which is pretty standard. From there they offered two different options for billing. Investors can either pay for each asset they invest in or they can pay based on the value of their account. Again those options are pretty standard. It should be noted that The Entrust Group bills everyone based on a quarterly fee schedule. There is no annual fee option with the company.
That being said they do charge to specific fees annually. Accounts invested in crowdfunding charge just $150 a year and IRA accounts solely meant for the purpose of precious metals also come with just a $150 per year fee. Those annual fees rank among the cheapest of all the IRA providers we are reviewing.
Now, investors wishing to pay on a per asset basis must spend $299 for each asset. Anybody paying based on the value of their account on the other hand will pay a maximum of $1,995 and a minimum of $199. To be fair the $1,995 fee would only kick in for investors who have more than $300,000 amassed in their account. This means if you’re a young investor just starting out with their IRA account, it makes sense to pay fees based on account value because you’re only starting at $199. If you’re somewhere in the middle, you’ve got to do the math using this chart:
| If the account value is between | Multiply the value by |
| $1 and $24,999 $25,000 and $49,999 $50,000 and $149,999 $150,000 and $299,999 $300,000 and up | 0.0095 0.0070 0.0065 0.0060 $1,995 (max) |
Customer Support at The Entrust Group
Anybody looking to get help from The Entrust Group can call their customer support phone number at 1-800-392-9653. Outside of the phone number there is a contact us form that investors can use to inquire with their questions. Unfortunately there is no live chat option with The Entrust Group. We have found through other abuse that some IRA providers offer this and others do not. It shouldn’t be a big deal but it is nice to have.
The Entrust Group Customer Reviews
The Entrust Group doesn’t have any reviews on its Google profile strangely enough. That’s rare, although there are some other IRA providers that don’t necessarily maintain their Google profile, so it’s not a totally big deal. The Entrust Group is part of the Better Business Bureau and maintains an A+ rating on the website. To be fair though there have been four customer reviews posted on that website, and the company only rakes in a two out of five stars.
To be fair to the company however, The Entrust Group has been registered with the Better Business Bureau since 1982. They have an incredibly long track record of not getting any complaints. What’s surprising is that more customers haven’t logged on to provide positive feedback. Perhaps as a company The Entrust Group just needs to do better marketing itself on different review platforms. But one has to think if they’re still in business 38 years later, they must be doing something right.
Only one other site prominently lists The Entrust Group’s reviews. That’s Yelp. The company ranks at 3 ½ out of five stars out of 36 reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions: The Entrust Group
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions The Entrust Group.
Where is The Entrust Group’ Headquarters
The Entrust Group is located in Hackensack, New Jersey at 411 Hackensack Ave #200. The zip code is 07601.
Can I Set Up an LLC With The Entrust Group?
LLCs allow investors to put money into hedge funds, startups, land trusts and other types of private placements. The Entrust Group does allow you to do this although the IRS frowns upon it. Many other providers do it too. They call it checkbook control.
What is the Right Kind of IRA for Me?
This all comes down to individual preference and your life stage. Need to think about the following things to decide what kind of IRA is right for you:
- Your current age.
- Your salary.
- Your current income.
- Your ideal retirement lifestyle and how much it costs.
- How much you can contribute on a regular basis.
- What you think your level of risk tolerance is.
- And more…
What Kinds of Investments are Not Allowed in an IRA?
Self-directed IRA providers want to give their clients every option they can to invest their money but certain options are just plain illegal in the eyes of the federal government. Nobody is allowed to set up an S-corporation for your IRA. You also can’t invest in a life insurance policy or collectibles like art. Any instance where you might appear to be using your IRA account as if it’s a business earning your recurring revenue that you live off of might be deemed to be illegal. In general, just keep in mind that IRA accounts are supposed to be for retirement. Any other kind of investment dealings should be done within appropriate accounts. Speak to a financial advisor for clarification
Final Verdict: Should You Choose The Entrust Group for your Self-Directed IRA?
We can’t rank and The Entrust Group as the top IRA provider in our reviews. This is simply because customer reviews don’t reflect it as an organization that ranks at the top. There are just too few reviews on the three platforms we looked at, and none of them carry a five star rating. We acknowledge that part of the reason for that might be just because that the company isn’t involved in reputation management as much as other competing IRA providers might be. That’s totally conceivable because the company has been around since 1981 so there’s no other reason not to have more customer feedback. Still, it is a bit concerning.
Other than that The Entrust Group pretty much provides the kinds of resources that any self-directed IRA investor would want to take a look at on a company website. There fee schedule is clear. They make it clear also that they are open to accommodating any kind of investment needs a prospective client may have, and they also do a good job of putting their executive team on display. Every sea level executive the company has seems to maintain a flair for entrepreneurship, and they all care about the cause, which is to help clients retire wealthier.
The customer service experience offers the basics and overall The Entrust Group is not the best nor the worst IRA company you can choose to work with. Ultimately we recommend doing your own research and taking a look at a wide variety of IRA providers before choosing the one that is going to help you reach your retirement goals.
- Phone : 1-800-392-9653
- URL :
- Global Rating
- Good
User Rating
- 0 No reviews yet!
The Entrust Group has been serving customers since 1982. The company has been in business for more than 40 years and goes through the effort of explaining products and services thoroughly. It does have some negative reviews on the Better Business Bureau website but overall, we still recommend the company because of its long-standing history.
