- Phone : 1-888-205-6036
- URL :
- Global Rating
- Very Good
User Rating
- 0 No reviews yet!
Horizon Trust Company has been serving clients since 2011. Is it the right IRA provider for you? That's for you to decide. Perhaps the fact the company has fantastic customer reviews and offers many different types of IRAs will help you make the right decision.
Pros:
- Fantastic customer reviews
- Many different types of IRAs
- Offers live chat support
Cons:
- No cryptocurrency offering promoted
- High starting annual fee
Horizon Trust Company “is a custodian that offers IRA custodial services for clients looking to self-direct their Individual Retirement Account”. Sounds simple enough.
Like Accuplan and many other IRA providers, Horizon Trust Company aims to offer investors options beyond publicly traded securities. They want to cater to people who might want to do something different for their retirement planning. Horizon Trust Company offers opportunities to invest in real estate, private businesses, mortgages, precious metals, futures and foreign currency, and more.
We will cover all of this and all of the other features, advantages and benefits of choosing Horizon Trust Company over other IRA providers here. Enjoy!
The Founders and Management Team of Horizon Trust Company IRA
Greg Herlean, President, Horizon Trust Company
Greg Herlean is the President of Horizon Trust Company. He founded the company in 2007. His background is in real estate. Herlean has personally managed more than $1 billion worth of real estate deals and he is extremely passionate about educating Americans on their retirement options.
Steve Byrne, Treasurer and Secretary, Horizon Trust Company
Herlean runs Horizon Trust Company with the help of his Treasurer and Secretary, Steve Byrne. Byrne is a 30 year veteran of the investing world. He has extensive knowledge of both the real estate and hospitality industries and he has funded several billion dollars worth of real estate loans and investments for clients.
While both of these gentlemen have their backgrounds in real estate, Horizon Trust Company still offers a wide range of alternative assets in all sorts of different IRA and savings accounts offered by the company.
In this review we’ll go through it all in addition to letting you know what customers think and how Horizon Trust Company supports customers through various initiatives. Once going over this review, you’ll see that Horizon Trust Company ranks among some of the best IRA providers in the country in terms of both service and offerings available.
Horizon Trust Company IRA and Investing Account Types
Horizon Trust Company offers no less than seven different account types to its client base. Let’s discuss a little bit more about each one so that you can see if it fits your own priorities when it comes to your retirement planning. Many of Horizon Trust Company’s offerings are similar to competitors, but overall the marketing material and website of the company does a great job explaining everything. Horizon Trust Company proves they are not only competent but experts in self-directed IRAs an in the long run that kind of approach to marketing gives investors confidence in the brand and in the company. As you’ll see, Horizon Trust Company is a solid choice for your IRA needs.
Traditional IRAs Roth IRAs at Horizon Trust Company
Like most IRA providers, Horizon Trust Company provides both an option to choose a Traditional IRA or Roth IRA for those interested in the most basic IRA accounts.
A Traditional IRA allows investors to write off their contributions while they are working. Contributions and gains are tax-deferred until the investor withdraws or until after the age of 70 ½, whichever comes first.
A Roth IRA does not afford the investor the opportunity to write off contributions while they are working. The advantage to choosing a Roth IRA over a Traditional IRA however is that the contributor also doesn’t pay income tax upon withdrawal. This option is ideal for investors who think they might have a lot of money when they retire. Nobody wants to be in a high income tax bracket once they stop working, so a Roth IRA might be better for high net worth individuals.
SEP IRAs at Horizon Trust Company
A Simplified Employee Pension allows business owners to give retirement benefits to their employees. The one rule that every employer must adhere to in a SEP plan is that every employee must receive the same benefits. This kind of IRA allows the employer to write off their contributions as an expense and affords them the opportunity to show employees how much they care.
A Simple IRA at Horizon Trust Company
A Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees allows business owners to make contributions to their own retirement plan as well as the retirement plans of their employees. Employees can contribute a certain percentage of their salary to the plan and the employer can match.
In addition to the plans above, Horizon Trust Company also offers Health Spending Accounts, Cloverdell Education Savings accounts and individual 401(k) plans that allow both employer and employee contribution opportunities.
Horizon Trust Company IRA Investing Options
Horizon Trust Company allows self-directed IRA investors to invest in things that other IRA providers may not allow. One of those things is deeds and trusts of mortgages, tax deeds, foreign exchange markets and futures contracts, precious metals, business partnerships, privately held stock not traded on a public exchange and limited liability corporations.
That last one, the idea of registering an LLC, is actually a very common offering among other self-directed IRA providers. The IRS frowns on people using LLCs to protect their assets, but there are a few advantages to approaching retirement planning in this way.
First of all, an LLC allows investors to use their IRA accounts like a checkbook. This means they can contribute or withdraw from that IRA account using debit or credit facilities as well as an actual checkbook. This offers the investor more flexibility.
The second advantage to using an LC is that it allows investors to store precious metals at home. Most people don’t take their precious metals that seriously as far as wanting to store it in their own cabinets or anything like that, but it is a nice option to have in some people do desire to approach their retirement investing in this way.
Horizon Trust Company IRA Fees
When it comes to fees charged by IRA providers, there are three common approaches companies usually take for making their profit. They either charge fees based on the value of your assets, based on the number of assets you have, or a combination of both. Some will charge you a percentage of your portfolio’s value, others will charge you a set fee outright, and others still will charge you a flat fee within a range based on the value of your account.
For a Traditional, Roth, SEP and Simple IRA, Horizon Trust Company charges a flat fee of $350 to activate an account. From there, they charge a minimum of $225 as an annual fee and $450 to “platinum” clients who want more access to their account and a higher level of services. That’s for people who have $50,000 or less in their IRA account.
Anybody with $50,000-$100,000 in their account will pay a mineral $350 in fees compared to platinum members who pay $700 a year in fees. From there anybody who has up to $200,000 in their account will pay $400 and $800 a year in fees respectively. The next level of fees involves spending $500 for a regular account minimum and $1000 for a platinum account if you have up to $1 million in your IRA.
The Horizon Trust Company Fee Multiplier
It’s important to note that the fees listed in the section above only outline minimums based on account values. Horizon Trust Company doesn’t take into account the number of assets investors are holding. That’s a good thing. The downside is that the above minimums orange the be all and end all of the fees people will pay.
Horizon Trust Company uses a multiplier system to determine the exact fee an individual will pay based on whatever range they fit into. The fee multiplier for people who have less than $50,000 in their account is 0.007, which is the decimal average that gets multiplied by the exact dollar value of the account to come up with the individual’s fee amount. The multiplier then moves down from there, so investors who have $1 million in their Horizon Trust Company IRA have their fees multiplied by 0.002, significantly less than those that have a lower net worth.
See the link here to find a full list of all the fees Horizon Trust Company charges or take a look at the chart below:
| Service Fees | Premium | Platinum |
|---|---|---|
| Activation Fee | $350 | $350 |
| Plus | $75 | $75 |
| Annual Fee | Minimum Fee | Minimum Fee |
| $0-$50,000 | $225 | $450 |
| $50,001-$100,000 | $350 | $700 |
| $100,0001-$200,000 | $400 | $800 |
| $200,000-$1,000,000 | $500 | $1,000 |
Customer Support at Horizon Trust Company
Horizon Trust Company offers some of the most progressive and available customer support of any IRA provider. Log onto their website and you’ll instantly see a live chat window pop up that automatically messages you to ask if you have any questions. That’s a good thing for most people, but it’s also quite sales-y!
Still, it’s better to work with a company that cares about your retirement too much than not enough. Prospective clients can reach Horizon Trust Company at 1-888 – 205-6036. Investors can also email newaccounts@horizon.trust.com.
The customer review rating in the next section below will show that Horizon Trust Company does a fairly good job of taking care of people after they become clients.
Horizon Trust Company Customer Reviews
Horizon Trust Company doesn’t list any customer reviews on its Google business profile. It does however have reviews from employees on glassdoor.com. The company rates a four out of five stars in terms of how it treats employees and how much it pays them relative to other IRA companies in the finance industry.
As far as customer reviews on other websites goes, TrustLink.com gives Horizon Trust Company a one star rating. Take that with a grain of salt however because that one star rating comes from just one customer.
The good news is, Horizon Trust Company has an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau website. What’s even more impressive than that is that all of the reviews on the BBB.org website are five-star reviews with the exception of one customer complaint. That’s a really good track record!
Horizon Trust Company IRA FAQs
Take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions people have about Horizon Trust Company below.
Are there any investments not allowed in a Horizon Trust Company IRA?
Yes, there are a few investment types that are not allowed. Here’s a list:
- Life insurance
- Collectables
- Alcoholic beverages
- S-Corporations
- Other forms of tangible, personal property
Can I Invest In Real Estate Through a Limited Partnership or Limited Liability Corporation?
Yes, but you have to work with Horizon Trust Company’s customer service department to make this happen.
How Can I Convert a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA?
Investors can convert their IRA using a rollover, which means they have 60 days to make a transfer without being charged income tax. They can also use a same trustee transfer. The financial institution holding the account will provide instructions on how to make the transfer. This is simpler if you’re transferring within the same financial institution. You can of course also convert your assets into cash, but that means paying income tax.
Should You Choose Horizon Trust Company IRA for your Self-Directed IRA?
As much as Horizon Trust Company doesn’t have as many customer reviews as other IRA competitors, it does very well on the Better Business Bureau’s website. They offer a wide range of account types, and the executive team has plenty of experience in real estate.
The company’s website has a really nice layout that explains the different options investors have, and the PDF file listing the fee schedule is robust, detailed, and easy to follow.
While Horizon Trust Company isn’t necessarily the best choice for everyone, investors could definitely do worse. Holding your assets with Horizon Trust Company for your retirement planning is certainly a viable option.
See our Top IRA Reviews page for more company reviews and a comparison table of self-directed IRA providers.
- Phone : 1-888-205-6036
- URL :
- Global Rating
- Very Good
User Rating
- 0 No reviews yet!
Horizon Trust Company has been serving clients since 2011. Is it the right IRA provider for you? That's for you to decide. Perhaps the fact the company has fantastic customer reviews and offers many different types of IRAs will help you make the right decision.
