Learn
Everything we publish, in one place.
Step-by-step guides, including the long pillar references, plus articles answering the questions clients ask. Read them before you talk to any dealer, including us.
Guides · Reading paths
Find your starting point.
Choose the path that matches where you are right now. We'll show you the right guides, in the right order, no guessing.
14 guides across all paths · pick one to see your reading order
- 5 min
Should you own physical gold at all?
The honest starting point: what physical gold does in a plan, what it doesn't, and who it tends to suit.
Read
- 6 min
Direct purchase or precious-metals IRA?
Choose the right ownership path before products or pricing: personal, after-tax ownership versus an IRA using eligible retirement funds.
Read
- 6 min
Celebrity endorsements and gold dealer pricing.
Compare written premiums, fees and current buyback indications rather than judging value by a celebrity endorsement.
Read
- 5 min
How to read a gold dealer's quote, line by line.
An annotated sample quote showing spot, premium, total, buyback, expiration, and the five places pricing games hide.
Read
- 7 min
Proof coins vs. bullion: premiums and resale value.
Understand proof premiums, genuine mint limits and current resale bids before choosing a collectible over bullion.
Read
- 4 min
Ten questions to ask before buying gold and silver.
Ten practical questions on pricing, fees, product choice and custody to resolve in writing before commitment.
Read
- 6 min
The fear index.
Decoding gold marketing's greatest hits: dollar collapse, confiscation, and 'what banks don't want you to know.'
Read
- 6 min
Key terms in plain English.
The glossary, spot, premium, spread, custodian, depository, segregated vs. commingled, transfer vs. rollover, and more.
Read
- 3 min
Which metals are IRA-eligible.
Fineness standards, the American Gold Eagle exception, and the products commonly accepted or excluded.
Read
- 3 min
Transfer vs. rollover, precisely.
Trustee-to-trustee transfers, 60-day rollovers, the one-per-12-months rule, and the withholding pitfall.
Read
- 3 min
Allocated, unallocated, segregated: what the words mean.
Plain definitions of each storage structure, what IRAs require, and the questions to ask any depository.
Read
- 4 min
Required minimum distributions when your IRA holds metal.
How RMDs work with physical holdings, in-kind distribution vs. liquidation, valuation, and timing.
Read
- 4 min
Inheriting a precious-metals IRA.
Beneficiary basics: the 10-year framework, spousal options, and in-kind vs. liquidation choices.
Read
- 3 min
A letter from the founder.
Why Dormy is built the way it is, in the founder's own words.
Read
Reading a term you don't recognize? Look it up in the glossary. Or see the full precious metals FAQ. Buying for the first time? Start with how to buy physical gold and silver.
Pillar guides
The long reference guides.
Deeper than the reading paths above. Each cluster has one pillar guide and the reference pages that answer its specific questions.
Gold IRA
The pillar guide and every reference page that sits under it.
- Gold IRA
Gold IRA guide
The complete self-directed Gold IRA pillar: structure, eligibility, custody, and cost.
Read
- Gold IRA
Rollover
Moving a 401(k), TSP, or IRA into physical gold: rules, timelines, and the pitfalls.
Read
- Gold IRA
Tax rules
Distributions, RMDs, and the compliance points that decide the tax outcome.
Read
- Gold IRA
Fees comparison
Every fee category in a precious-metals IRA, priced and compared.
Read
- Gold IRA
Gold IRA storage
Depositories, segregated versus commingled, insurance, and real annual costs.
Read
- Gold IRA
The custodian's role
Why the account must be opened at a custodian, and what the custodian actually does.
Read
- Gold IRA
Choosing a company
How dealers price metal, and the questions that separate them.
Read
Silver IRA
The same account structure, with silver's own purity, bulk, and cost realities.
- Silver IRA
Silver IRA guide
Eligible silver, custody, cost, and the honest case for holding it in an IRA.
Read
- Silver IRA
Silver IRA rollover
Moving a 401(k) or IRA balance into physical silver, step by step.
Read
- Silver IRA
Tax rules
Distributions, RMDs, and the .999 fineness rule that applies to silver.
Read
- Silver IRA
Fees comparison
What silver's volume does to custody, storage, and shipping costs.
Read
- Silver IRA
Silver IRA storage
Depositories, sealed manufacturer units, and how vault space is billed.
Read
- Silver IRA
The custodian's role
Choosing a custodian when the metal is bulky and shipped in volume.
Read
- Silver IRA
Silver vs. gold IRA
Same account, different metal, compared on cost, volatility, and liquidity.
Read
Buying direct
Owning metal in your own name, outside a retirement account.
Estate and structure
How metal is titled while you hold it, and what happens to it afterwards.
- Estate and structure
Wealth preservation
Individual, joint, trust, and LLC ownership of physical metal in estate planning.
Read
- Estate and structure
Beyond retail custody
Allocated ownership, refiner provenance, controls, insurance, and legal documents for serious physical-metal custody.
Read
- Estate and structure
Trust vs. LLC
What each structure does, and does not do, for physical metal.
Read
- Estate and structure
Titling and ownership
How coins and bars are actually titled, and where state law varies.
Read
- Estate and structure
Inheriting a precious-metals IRA
What heirs face: beneficiary rules, timelines, and tax treatment.
Read
Articles
Shorter answers to questions clients actually ask.
A few of the most recent. The full library, with category filters, lives on the Articles page.
Loading the latest…
- Buying & Pricing12 min
How to Sell Gold Bars: Pricing, Process and Payment
Learn how to sell gold bars through Dormy, from preparing your holding and understanding pricing to testing, a written quote and trade confirmation.
October 2, 2026
Read
- Market Notes8 min
Platinum vs Palladium for Investors: Prices, Supply and Risk
Platinum vs palladium compared with USGS price data from 2016 to 2025, supply by country, uses, volatility and IRA purity rules. No forecasts.
September 29, 2026
Read
- Market Notes8 min
Is Platinum a Good Investment? What the Data Shows
Is platinum a good investment? USGS supply data, WPIC's 2026 surplus forecast, IRA rules from the statute, and the risks, with no price predictions.
September 28, 2026
Read
Talk with Dormy
Two ways to start with confidence.
Request the Gold IRA Guide, or speak with a precious-metals specialist about a direct purchase, rollover, storage, or delivery.