Best Bitcoin IRAs: Investing in Your Crypto-Powered Retirement (2024)

Personal Finance Investing Cryptocurrency

Written by Tessa Campbell; edited by Sarah Silbert; reviewed by Elias Shaya

2024-08-30T16:35:29Z

Best Overall
Best for Account Security
Best Investment Selection
Best for Expert Assistance
Best for Low Fees
Best Bitcoin IRAs 2024
FAQs
Why You Should Trust Us

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Bitcoin IRAs are self-directed IRA crypto accounts offered by some of the best online brokerages and trading platforms. Investors can hold alternative assets, like bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, alongside traditional investments in their retirement portfolio, hoping for long-term gains.

Bitcoin IRAs are only available through specialized custodians equipped to track and manage the storage and security of these digital assets.

Best Cryptocurrency IRAs

BitcoinIRA: Best for Account Security
BitIRA: Best for Account Options
Alto CryptoIRA: Best Investment Selection
Coin IRA: Best Investor Experience
iTrustCapital: Best for Low Fees

Compare the Top Bitcoin IRAs in 2024

The best bitcoin IRAs provide custodial services, storage options, and, in some cases, 24/7 trading access. They are popular for folks looking to avoid capital gains taxes. Cryptocurrency exchanges offer a range of crypto availability, account security, low fees, mobile access, and more.

Here are the best bitcoin IRAs provided by Business Insider's editors in 2024.

Best overall

BitcoinIRA

Start investing

On BitcoinIRA's website

Insider’s Rating

4.25/5

Perks

Earn a $150 bonus when signing up

Account Minimum

$1,000

Fees

0.99% - 2.99% one-time deposit fee ; 2.00% transaction fee; and a 0.08% security fee billed monthly

Account Types

Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Solo 401(k), Solo 401(k) Roth, SEP IRA, and Simple IRA

Bonus

$150 bonus when signing up

Pros

Bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin, and several other cryptocurrencies available
Supports IRA rollovers, traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP IRAs, and 401(k)s
Secure, cold-wallet storage
Top-not security and encryption technology

Cons

High setup and maintenance fees
Only offers cryptocurrencies and gold

BitcoinIRA review External link Arrow An arrow icon, indicating this redirects the user."

Product Details

Features: 24/7 trading, offline storage, and $250 million insurance
Better Business Bureau rating: A+
Awards: Earned the Mobile Web & App of the Year award for the 2022 Globee American Best in Business Awards

Show Pros, Cons, and More

Best for account security

BitIRA

Insider’s Rating

4.3/5

Account Minimum

$5,000

Fees

$50 account setup, $195 annual maintenance; 0.05%/month offline storage

Account Types

IRAs

Top-Rated Bitcoin IRAs

Best Bitcoin IRA for Account Security

BitcoinIRA

BitcoinIRA is an industry-leading crypto IRA platform that supports 24/7 trading of 60+ cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, ether, litecoin, cash, and digital gold. Set up an account in minutes for secure cold wallet storage, 256-bit encrypted SSL trading, and up to $250 million of digital asset insurance.

Bitcoin IRA covers support services for retirement fund rollovers. BitcoinIRA lets you roll over funds from a variety of retirement plans 403bs or 401(k)s). With a tax-advantaged BitcoinIRA account, you'll get offline cold-wallet storage, access a library of educational content, and a mobile trading dashboard.

What to look out for:BitcoinIRA only offers cryptocurrencies and gold. Fees are high compared to competitor platforms.

BitcoinIRA review

Best Bitcoin IRA for Account Options

BitIRA

BitIRA is another popular IRA option for investors looking to add bitcoin and other virtual assets to their retirement accounts. It supports multiple cryptocurrencies (including bitcoin, bitcoin cash, and Ethereum), and other alternative and traditional asset classes.

BitIRA heavily prioritizes security and is equipped with multi-encryption, end-to-end insurance coverage, and offline storage for digital assets. Additionally, BitIRA provides $100 million in custody insurance to shield you against theft, destruction, or loss.

It has a $5,000 minimum to open an account.

What to look out for:BitIRA's high minimum requirement is one of the largest drawbacks of the platform.

Best Bitcoin IRA Investment Selection

Alto IRA

Alto IRA offers low fees and access to 200+ of cryptocurrencies and other alternative investment options, including fine art, startups, real estate, private equity, and more.

It utilizes hot and cold storage and is integrated with Coinbase to access the Coinbase Exchange. It offers tax-free cryptocurrency trading, market and limit orders, and 24/7 trading access. Alto IRAs are available as self-directed traditional or Roth IRAs.

What to look out for:Some of Alto IRA's investments are reserved for accredited investors. Not available for Hawaii residents

Best Bitcoin IRA for Investor Experience

CoinIRA

CoinIRA is a low-cost cryptocurrency IRA company that focuses on customer education and ensuring a positive investor experience. The platform provides traders with consultants who can assist with crypto-related questions. It also offers a free crypto IRA guide about tax benefits, crypto retirement savings, inflation hedging, and more.

CoinIRA requires a $5,000 minimum starting investment, which is fairly high, but there are no start-up and maintenance fees or subsequent deposit requirements. There are no maximum purchase limits either.

Cryptocurrencies are stored in cold-wallet storage. You can also invest in precious metals through CoinIRA, which can be traded in a no-cost Digital Asset account or a separate Precious Metals IRA.

What to look out for:CoinIRA no longer offers multiple digital wallet options

Best Bitcoin IRA for Low Fees

iTrustCapital

iTrustCapital offers dozens of cryptocurrencies for traders interested in building long-term wealth through a bitcoin IRA. This affordable crypto IRA platform also offers traders low-fee gold, silver, and other precious metals to diversify their portfolios further.

You won't be charged a monthly, AUM, or broker fee. However, the platform does charge a 1% flat fee per transaction. There's a minimum $1,000 to open an account.

You can fund your account using various methods, including IRA transfers (iTrustCapital supports traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs) and employer plan rollovers (available for 401(k)s, 403(b)s, thrift savings plans, and 457 plans).

iTrustCapital is partnered with third-party custodian Fortress Trust Company.

What to look out for: The cryptocurrency is limited compared to other platforms on this list.

Why Choose a Bitcoin IRA?

Crypto and retirement investing have become popular, especially as brokerages like Fidelity have offered bitcoin as a 401(k) investment choice. However, several companies also offer crypto trading through self-directed IRAs.

A bitcoin IRA can be an alluring investment option for those who want to avoid capital gains taxes while building wealth. You'd be subject to capital gains taxes for regular crypto transactions without an IRA. But self-directed IRAs eliminate those extra costs (or at least defer them).

Adding bitcoin to your retirement portfolio can further diversify your holdings and mitigate risk. Cryptocurrencies can also hedge against inflation, similar to other alternative investment options. Plus, the possibility of higher returns makes crypto investment alluring despite the significant volatility and risk of investing in decentralized currencies.

Bitcoin IRA FAQs

Are bitcoin IRAs worth it?

Bitcoin IRAs are worth it for cryptocurrency enthusiasts and retirement-focused individuals. Bitcoin IRAs offer a range of alternative assets like real estate, precious metals, or cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin or ether. Investing in a Bitcoin IRA is a great way to diversify your investment portfolio and hedge against inflation. But keep in mind that cryptocurrencies are risky, highly volatile investments.

Is there an IRA for bitcoin?

Yes. Some IRAs offer bitcoin and other cryptocurrency options for investors to trade. But keep in mind that assets like bitcoin have significantly more risk due to the volatile nature of cryptocurrencies. Only investors with a high-risk tolerance should open a bitcoin IRA.

How are bitcoin IRAs taxed?

Bitcoin IRAs generally have the same tax rules as standard IRAs do. Bitcoin IRAs are tax-deductible, similar to a traditional IRA. That means you'll only pay taxes when you withdraw during retirement.

Why You Should Trust Us: Our Methodology

Using Business Insider's rating methodology for investing platforms, we researched numerous bitcoin IRAs to find the best options for cryptocurrency selection, fees, security, features, and more. Investment apps are given a rating between 1 and 5.

On the fee side, we paid close attention to account minimums and account setup fees/advisory fees. We also considered customer service availability when narrowing down platforms.

Tessa Campbell

Investing and Retirement Reporter

Tessa Campbell is an investing and retirement reporter on Business Insider’s personal finance desk. Over two years of personal finance reporting, Tessa has built expertise on a range of financial topics, from the best credit cards to the best retirement savings accounts.ExperienceTessa currently reports on all things investing — deep-diving into complex financial topics, shedding light on lesser-known investment avenues, and uncovering ways readers can work the system to their advantage.As a personal finance expert in her 20s, Tessa is acutely aware of the impacts time and uncertainty have on your investment decisions. While she curates Business Insider’s guide on the best investment apps, she believes that your financial portfolio does not have to be perfect, it just has to exist. A small investment is better than nothing, and the mistakes you make along the way are a necessary part of the learning process.Expertise:Tessa’s expertise includes:

Credit cards
Investing apps
Retirement savings
Cryptocurrency
The stock market
Retail investing

Education:Tessa graduated from Susquehanna University with a creative writing degree and a psychology minor.When she’s not digging into a financial topic, you’ll find Tessa waist-deep in her second cup of coffee. She currently drinks Kitty Town coffee, which blends her love of coffee with her love for her two cats: Keekee and Dumpling. It was a targeted advertisem*nt, and it worked.