Physical gold isn't as liquid as a stock. Here's what that means for your Required Minimum Distributions, and how to avoid a costly December scramble.
A Required Minimum Distribution is the minimum amount the IRS requires you to withdraw annually from a traditional IRA — including a traditional Gold IRA — once you reach RMD age. Roth IRAs, including Roth Gold IRAs, are not subject to RMDs during the original owner's lifetime.
The RMD starting age has shifted upward in recent years under SECURE Act 2.0, and the required beginning date depends on your birth year. Because this figure is legislated and has changed more than once in the past several years, confirm your specific required beginning date directly via the IRS's official RMD guidance or with a CPA rather than relying on a number that may be out of date by the time you read it.
RMDs from a Gold IRA work differently in one important practical sense compared to a stock or bond IRA: your metal isn't liquid the way shares are. You have two paths to satisfy an RMD:
Either way, the distribution's value counts toward satisfying that year's RMD requirement and is taxed as ordinary income, same as a cash IRA distribution.
Missing an RMD deadline triggers a 25% excise tax penalty on the amount that should have been withdrawn — reduced from a prior 50% penalty rate, but still substantial. This penalty can often be reduced further to 10% if the mistake is corrected within a defined correction window, which is a meaningful reason to fix a missed RMD quickly rather than letting it sit.
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