Equity Trust Company Review

Equity Trust Company is a custodian and administrator best known for self-directed retirement accounts that can hold alternative assets. Its platform is designed for investors who want to move beyond the standard menu of publicly traded stocks, bonds, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. 

Depending on account eligibility and the proposed transaction, clients may direct investments into real estate, private loans, private companies, precious metals, cryptocurrency and other nontraditional assets while retaining the tax treatment of the underlying account.

The essential point is that Equity Trust is a directed custodian, not an investment adviser. It processes instructions, holds or records assets, prepares account statements and performs required tax reporting. 

It does not ordinarily investigate an investment, negotiate its price, determine whether it is suitable or promise that it will perform well. The investor remains responsible for due diligence, valuation, liquidity planning and compliance with self-directed account rules.

Is Equity Trust Company Worth Considering?

Equity Trust Company is worth considering when an investor has a specific, well-researched alternative investment and needs a custodian capable of administering it inside an IRA or another eligible account. Its long operating history, broad asset menu, online account tools and ability to combine alternative and conventional investments under one custodian are meaningful strengths.

It is less compelling for someone who only wants low-cost index funds, frequent public-market trading or fully managed investment advice. A conventional discount brokerage IRA is generally simpler and less expensive for those purposes. Equity Trust’s current Universal IRA fees also rise with account value, so investors should calculate the annual dollar cost rather than assuming a larger balance will produce a lower custody bill.

The practical conclusion is not that Equity Trust is universally better or worse than other custodians. Its value depends on whether its asset capabilities, transaction support and technology justify the fees for the investor’s intended strategy.

What Is Equity Trust Company?

Equity Trust Company is an IRS-approved nonbank custodian that provides administrative services for self-directed accounts. The business traces its predecessor to 1974 and says it has served as a self-directed IRA custodian since 1983. As of June 30, 2026, the company reported 368,000 accounts and $73 billion in assets under custody and administration.

Those figures describe the size of the assets Equity Trust administers; they do not represent assets owned by the company, investment performance or government endorsement. Similarly, being an approved custodian means the institution is permitted to perform custodial functions. It does not mean regulators have approved every investment held by its customers.

Equity Trust’s role can be compared with that of a transaction administrator. When an account owner submits an eligible direction, the company reviews the documents for custodial and administrative requirements, sends funds, records ownership, receives income and reports the account to the IRS. The owner selects and evaluates the investment.

What Is a Self-Directed IRA?

A self-directed IRA is not a separate category of IRA in the tax code. It is generally a Traditional, Roth, SEP or SIMPLE IRA administered by a custodian willing to hold a broader range of assets. Contribution limits, distribution rules, required minimum distribution rules and other tax requirements still depend on the underlying account type.

“Self-directed” describes who makes the investment decisions and the breadth of assets the custodian will administer. Greater choice also transfers more responsibility to the owner. Alternative assets can have limited disclosure, uncertain valuations, long holding periods and few ready buyers. Custodial review should never be mistaken for investment due diligence.

What Can an Equity Trust Account Invest In?

Equity Trust supports a wider investment range than a conventional brokerage IRA, but not every proposed asset or transaction will be accepted. Documents, counterparties and transaction structure must satisfy the custodian’s requirements and applicable law.

Real Estate

A self-directed account may hold eligible residential or commercial property, undeveloped land and certain other real-estate interests. The account—not the individual—must purchase and own the asset. Income should return to the account, and expenses should ordinarily be paid from account funds. The owner and other disqualified persons cannot use an IRA-owned property personally or provide impermissible services to it.

Real estate may offer rental income and diversification, but it can also produce vacancies, repairs, taxes, insurance costs and valuation challenges. An investor must keep sufficient cash in the account because paying an IRA expense personally can create a compliance problem.

Private Lending

The account may make eligible loans documented by notes, mortgages or other lending agreements. Potential returns come with credit, collateral, documentation and collection risk. The investor should independently assess the borrower and ensure that neither the borrower nor the transaction creates a prohibited relationship.

Private Equity and Private Placements

Equity Trust can administer eligible interests in private companies, limited liability companies, partnerships and funds. These investments may have little public information, transfer restrictions, capital calls or no active resale market. A private offering’s acceptance for custody is an administrative decision, not an endorsement of the issuer.

Precious Metals

Eligible gold, silver, platinum and palladium coins or bullion may be held when they satisfy Internal Revenue Code requirements and remain in the physical possession of a qualified trustee or custodian through an approved storage arrangement. Collectible or insufficiently pure products generally do not qualify.

Cryptocurrency

Equity Trust offers access to digital assets through its account infrastructure and providers. Cryptocurrency involves extreme price volatility, evolving regulation, platform and cybersecurity risk, and transaction fees in addition to account charges. Investors should review which assets are available, how orders are priced, who holds the private keys and what protections apply.

Publicly Traded Securities

Through an open and linked account with affiliated ETC Brokerage Services, the Universal IRA schedule includes up to 50 commission-free trades per calendar year in available securities. Regulatory, options-contract, fund-level and other charges can still apply. Brokerage products are distinct from bank deposits and are not FDIC insured.

Other Alternative Assets

Depending on structure and acceptance, other possibilities may include tax liens, mineral or energy interests, structured settlements and selected investment entities. “Allowed by law” and “accepted by the custodian” are separate tests. Investors should obtain approval before committing money or signing documents.

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How an Equity Trust Self-Directed Account Works

The normal process begins with choosing an account type and completing an online or paper application. The account can then be funded with an annual contribution, trustee-to-trustee transfer, direct rollover or other eligible movement of retirement funds. Rollovers from employer plans depend on plan rules and the investor’s eligibility to take a distribution.

After funding, the owner identifies an investment, performs due diligence and submits the required direction and supporting documents. If the transaction meets administrative requirements, Equity Trust sends account money to the seller or provider and records the asset in the account’s name. Income flows back to the account, and qualifying expenses are paid with account funds. When the owner exits, the account may sell the asset or distribute it in kind, subject to tax rules, valuation requirements and processing fees.

Transfers can take longer when the sending institution requires original signatures, medallion guarantees, liquidation instructions or its own forms. Alternative-asset purchases also take longer than ordinary stock trades when contracts, titles, subscriptions or third-party approvals are incomplete.

Equity Trust Company Fees

The current public Universal IRA fee schedule should be the starting point for cost analysis. It lists a $50 online application fee or $75 paper application fee. Annual maintenance charges are based on account asset value and are not prorated. 

The published schedule also lists optional Gold Level service membership at $249 annually and Gold Level Prime at $499 for the first year and $249 annually thereafter. Investors should ask what these memberships include and whether the added services are useful for their transaction volume.

Other listed charges include $30 domestic or international wires, $75 same-day express transfer processing, $15 paper bill payment or distribution requests that could have been submitted through myEQUITY, and $60 annually for paper statements when electronic delivery is available. Full account termination is listed at $250; partial termination and an asset distribution or re-registration are listed at $100 per asset.

Equity Trust Precious Metals IRA Fees and Process

Under the current Universal IRA schedule, nonsegregated precious-metals storage is listed at $110 and segregated storage at $160. The footnotes state that storage fees are charged when metals arrive at the selected depository and each January afterward, and fees may be assessed by each depository used. Precious-metals liquidation is listed at $10 per asset, capped at $30; coin shipping and handling is cost plus $10 with a $50 minimum; an in-kind distribution or transfer out is $50 per transaction.

Segregated storage generally keeps an account’s holdings separately identified, while nonsegregated or commingled storage holds fungible metal with like assets while ownership remains recorded. Investors should confirm the precise custody method, insurance, audit procedures, withdrawal process and whether the quoted storage fee covers every depository used.

IRA-owned bullion should not be shipped to the owner’s home or placed in the owner’s personal safe. IRS guidance states that qualifying bullion must be kept in the physical possession of a bank or approved nonbank trustee. Aggressive “home storage IRA” claims warrant independent legal and tax review.

The Universal IRA and Online Tools

The Equity Universal IRA is designed to combine alternative assets and eligible conventional securities under one custodial relationship. Its public schedule includes alternative-asset purchases and sales, custody and administration, certain WealthBridge activity, access to a digital-asset platform, online ACH and check activity, and up to 50 commission-free trades annually in a linked ETC Brokerage Services account. Conditions and third-party costs still apply.

The myEQUITY portal is used for account access, electronic requests, document submission and transaction management. Online tools can reduce paper-processing charges and improve visibility, but complex transactions still depend on accurate documents and third-party responsiveness. Investors who require rapid closings should ask for realistic processing times before signing a purchase contract.

Equity Trust also operates the Investment District marketplace. A listing or relationship on a custodian’s platform should not be interpreted as a recommendation. Investors should investigate sponsors, financial statements, conflicts, fees, litigation history, valuation methodology and exit restrictions independently.

Regulation, Custody and Account Protection

Equity Trust describes itself as an IRS-approved custodian and directed custodian. Its affiliated brokerage business, ETC Brokerage Services, is identified as a FINRA and SIPC member. That affiliation does not make every asset in a self-directed account a SIPC-protected security.

Protection depends on what is held and where. Cash may be swept or deposited under specific terms; brokerage securities may receive applicable custodial protections; physical metals rely on depository controls and insurance; and a direct private-company or real-estate investment remains exposed to the underlying issuer or property. Neither FDIC insurance nor SIPC protection covers ordinary investment losses.

Prohibited Transactions and Disqualified Persons

Self-directed accounts require strict separation between retirement assets and personal affairs. IRS guidance describes a prohibited transaction as an improper use of an IRA by the owner, beneficiary or another disqualified person. Disqualified persons can include the owner, spouse, ancestors, lineal descendants, spouses of lineal descendants, fiduciaries and certain related entities or service providers.

Potentially prohibited conduct includes borrowing from the IRA, selling personal property to it, using IRA-owned real estate, paying personal expenses with IRA cash or arranging a transaction primarily for a disqualified person’s benefit. The rules can also reach indirect transactions.

Violations can create severe tax consequences, including loss of IRA status in some cases. Investors should obtain advice from a professional who understands Internal Revenue Code Sections 408 and 4975 before entering a related-party transaction, creating an IRA-owned LLC, using debt, receiving compensation or providing services to an IRA asset.

UBIT, UDFI and Valuation Responsibilities

Tax-deferred or tax-free account status does not eliminate every possible tax. An IRA can owe unrelated business income tax when it earns certain active business income, and unrelated debt-financed income can arise when an investment uses leverage. Real-estate partnerships, operating businesses and debt-financed acquisitions deserve advance tax review. Filing Form 990-T and paying tax must generally be handled at the account level.

Alternative assets also require defensible annual values. Public securities have observable market prices, but private companies, notes and real estate may need sponsor statements, appraisals or qualified third-party valuations. Valuation affects reporting, fees, Roth conversions and required minimum distributions. Investors should ask who supplies the value, how often it must be updated and what happens when a sponsor stops reporting.

Equity Trust Company Reviews and Reputation

Online ratings should be treated as one input, not a final verdict. At the time of review, the Better Business Bureau listed Equity Trust as accredited since January 2024 with an A+ business rating, while its customer-review page displayed a substantially lower average consumer score. These measures evaluate different things: a BBB letter grade focuses largely on complaint-response and business-practice factors, while customer stars reflect submitted experiences. Neither measures investment returns.

When reading Equity Trust Company reviews, focus on patterns rather than isolated praise or criticism. Relevant themes include processing time, communication, document requirements, fee disclosure, valuation requests, transfer delays and account closure. Determine whether a delay originated with Equity Trust, a prior custodian, an investment sponsor, a dealer or incomplete paperwork.

Recent reviews are more useful than old ones after platform or staffing changes. Also distinguish the custodian from the underlying investment. A failed private placement held in an Equity Trust account does not automatically establish custodial misconduct, but investors should still examine whether administrative instructions and disclosures were handled properly.

Who May Be a Good Fit?

Equity Trust may suit an investor who already understands a particular alternative asset, has enough capital to absorb fixed and variable fees, maintains professional tax and legal support, and can tolerate limited liquidity. It may also appeal to real-estate investors, private lenders, business owners and precious-metals buyers who need an experienced custodian rather than portfolio management.

It may not suit investors seeking personalized investment recommendations, guaranteed returns, immediate access to funds or the lowest-cost way to own public securities. It is also a poor fit for anyone who assumes the custodian has vetted a promoter or who does not have time to monitor documents, valuations, cash needs and compliance.

Final Assessment

Equity Trust Company is a substantial, long-established custodian for investors who want retirement-account access to alternative assets. Its breadth of investments and account types, published fee schedule and integrated technology can be valuable for a deliberate self-directed strategy. The tradeoff is a higher level of cost, paperwork, due diligence and tax-rule responsibility than most conventional brokerage IRAs require.

The strongest use case is an investor with a specific eligible asset, a clear reason to hold it in a tax-advantaged account, sufficient liquidity and independent professional guidance. The weakest use case is a small, passive portfolio that could be held more cheaply and simply at a standard brokerage.

Before opening an account, compare at least two custodians using the same proposed asset and transaction assumptions. Review first-year, annual and exit costs; verify who controls each asset; investigate every third party; and obtain advice when prohibited transactions, leverage, private entities or tax filings are involved.