Alto Crypto IRA Review

IRAs have a host of tax benefits and crypto is a fast growing asset that many people believe is the future. In this Alto Crypto IRA Review we will cover how you can quickly set up a Crypto IRA to save for your future by trading the currency of the future. 

We’ll cover the various types of Crypto IRA’s and their tax advantages. However, none of this is tax, legal or investment advice. Investing in crypto is risky and taxes can be tricky. Always do your own research and consult your tax advisor. 

What is an IRA?

An IRA is an “Individual Retirement Account” that allows someone to save for their own retirement in either a tax deferred or tax free growth manner. 

These tax deferments and tax free growth options can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more). The catch is – you can’t withdraw the money until after age 59.5 without incurring a penalty. 

An IRA’s age restriction when it comes to tax advantageous withdrawals is a means by which the US government encourages and incentivizes citizens to save for their own retirement. 

Now let’s look at the different kinds of IRAs that Alto Crypto IRA offers and briefly discuss their tax structures. 

Alto Crypto IRA Review – Account Types

Alto IRA offers 3 main types of IRAs – Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and a SEP. There are also two main investment products: The Alto Alternative IRA and The Alto Crypto IRA. 

All of Alto IRAs products are self-directed IRAs. This means you as the owner of the IRA pick your own investments rather than giving that money to a money manager or fund that picks the investments for you. 

Traditional IRA 

A Traditional IRA is funded with pre-tax dollars and therefore taxes are deferred. That means you can contribute to the IRA with your current years income and often (not always – IRS rules) take that as a tax deduction. However, after age 59.5 you are taxed on your withdrawals as current income. 

This is great if you expect your tax bracket to be lower later in life than it is in this current year’s income. 

Roth IRA

A Roth IRA is funded with post-tax dollars and therefore receives tax free growth. That means you contribute to the ROth IRA with your current years income after you pay taxes. You already payed taxes on that income. You are not taxed again when you withdraw at age 59.5. This is great because you don’t pay taxes on any capital gains made on the investment between contribution to withdrawal. 

This is also ideal if you expect your tax bracket to be higher later in life as these withdrawals will not be counted toward your yearly income after age 59.5

Traditional IRA vs Roth IRA

As stated with a Traditional IRA, you pay taxes on withdrawals. With a Roth IRA you pay taxes before contributions. Both IRAs usually carry penalties of roughly 10% + income tax if you withdraw before the age of 59.5. Exceptions can be made for qualifying life events – like disabilities and medical expenses. 

There is no universal right or wrong answer as to which type of IRA is best. It depends on your income situation each year. Many people have both types of IRAs and will contribute accordingly depending on their annual income that year.

Overall, saving for retirement is a good thing. So you can’t go wrong contributing to either type fo IRA. However, with Alto’s Crypto IRA it may make sense to go with a Roth IRA if you are quite bullish on the long term outcome of crypto. The reason for that is you are not taxed on capital gains. 

Example: You contribute $10,000 to your Alto Crypto IRA and buy Bitcoin. Bitcoin moons 100x over the next 20 years (fingers crossed, not financial advice). You already paid taxes on the $10,000. Your $990,000 gain is “tax free” upon withdrawal. 

SEP IRA

SEP IRAs are a type of retirement account set up by an employer for themselves and their employees. This “employer” can also be yourself if you run your own small business. 

Similar to a Traditional IRA, contributions via a SEP are made pre-tax and therefore taxed as ordinary income upon withdrawal. The difference is that for SEP your contribution deduction limits are higher than a traditional IRA. Users can deduct up to 25% of their income or $58,000. 

So if you are a self-employed business owner, you often qualify for a larger immediate tax deduction than if you were to open your own traditional IRA. 

Now that you understand the different IRA contribution tax structures let’s review the two other offerings that Alto IRA offers

What is Alto IRA?

Alto IRA offers two main products The Alto Alternative IRA and the Alto Crypto IRA. 

Alto Alternative IRA

The Alto Alternative IRA allows individuals to use their retirement savings to invest in alternative assets like real estate, start ups, fine art, and more. The works with a network of VCs and investment partners. This gives Alto Alternative IRA clients access to start up investments. 

If you get the pro plan you can even “bring your own deal” to the table. The pro plan is $250 a year as opposed to the $100 a year starter plan.

Bringing your own deal to the table means that you are not limited to the investments offered by Alto IRA. Rather, you can structure investments in startups or other opportunities from your personal network within the tax shield of an IRA. 

Alto Crypto IRA

The Alto Crypto IRA allows you to use your IRA savings to invest in over 200 coins directly through coinbase. 

That means by opening an Alto Crypto IRA  you can gain the tax advantages of an IRA and use Coinbase, one of the largest, most familiar and intuitive crypto investment platforms. 

Check out the Alto Crypto IRA Here

Alto Crypto IRA Review Details

At this point in our Alto Crypto IRA Review you should have a decent understanding of the types of tax benefits one can receive from using an IRA to invest in crypto and also the two main investment classes that Alto offers – Alternative and Crypto. 

As this is the Alto Crypto IRA review, let’s get into the details of the fees, coin options, platform, safety and more. 

Alto Crypto IRA Fees

The Alto Crypto IRA charges no monthly account or custody fees and instead charges a simple 1% fee on each crypto trade. Since Alto Crypto IRA integrates directly with the Coinbase platform, this fee includes the coinbase fee. So just a 1% flat fee on trades. Given that tax advantages, that is a pretty great deal. 

The only other fees charged by the Alto Crypto IRA are a one time account closure fee of $50 if you decide to close your account. Also, there is a $25 fee anytime you need to Wire money out of the IRA and into your bank account. 

What is the minimum investment for the Alto Crypto IRA?

The minimum investment to start an IRA with Alto’s crypto IRA product is just $10. This is excellent compared to many of their competitors like Bitcoin IRA that have a $3000 minimum.

Can I Roll Over an Existing IRA or 401K into Alto IRA?

Yes, you can roll over an existing IRA or 401K into an Alto IRA. They even offer a free concierge service to help you make the switch and get up and running easily.

You can also fund your investments via a bank or card.

Alto Crypto IRA User Interface and Dashboard

A Coinbase Account holds the actual coins and executes trades. The Alto Crypto IRA dashboard connects to that account. The Alto Crypto IRA web dashboard is easy and intuitive to use. 

Alto Crypto IRA Review – Coin Offerings

Alto Crypto offers access to over 200+ coins. Since Alto Crypto integrates with Coinbase, any coin that is offered by Coinbse is available to Alto Crypto IRA users. Coinbase, and therefore Alto, have been consistently growing their coin selection. So, we can expect the number of crypto tokens available for tax-free IRA investments to increase. 

Alto Crypto IRA – Trading Hours

Unlike with traditional stocks, Alto Crypto IRA investors can trade crypto 24/7 as the crypto markets don’t close. 

Coinbase IRA

Alto Crypto IRA integrates directly with Coinbase. Therefore, it inherits Coinbases coin offerings and piggybacks off of Coinbases Security. 

Furthermore, because Alto integrates directly with Coinbase, users don’t need to worry about setting up a wallet or choosing an exchange. Everything integrates seamlessly. 

Is Alto Crypto IRA Safe?

Yes, Alto Crypto IRA is safe. Cash funds reside within Coinbase pooled FDIC insured bank accounts up to $250,000. 

As for your digital assets, those are held by Coinbase in a combination of hot and cold storage. Coinbase has a $320 Million commercial crime policy and a $3 million cyber crime insurance policy. 

Users will also set up 2 factor authentication via something like Google Authenticator for an added layer of security. 

So when holding your funds with Alto, the custody of funds is actually with Coinbase. Users therefore receiving the same security that you would receive holding your funds at coinbase. 

That said, these are custodial wallets and you can’t currently hold your own private keys as Coinbase is one of the largest custodial exchanges. 

Keep Your Crypto Safe – Check out our Ledger vs Trezor Review

AltoIRA Hack

In July of 2021 someone attempted to hack Alto IRA. No funds were compromised. However, some data was leaked and some users were asked to change their passwords. You can learn more about the hack via Alto’s response here. 

Do You Need An LLC To Create a Crypto IRA?

No. Using Alto IRA there is no need to form an LLC to invest crypto through an IRA. This even applies to California residents, who often need to create an LLC for some IRAs. 

Is Alto Crypto IRA Legit?

Alto Crypto IRA is totally legit. Altoira is taking a traditional idea and moving it into the fun and exciting modern era. Alto IRA is poised to revamp retirement savings for millennials. 

Using Alto IRA users can save huge amounts on taxes and invest in things like real estate, fine art, start ups, crypto currency and more. 

If you are looking to save money on capital gains or get tax deferred growth on your Crypto, Alto Crypto IRA is a fantastic, safe, and modern option for the savvy investor. 

Further Reading:

• The Best Crypto IRAs
• Masterworks Review
• Birch Gold Group Review
• Gold IRA Scams – Know Before You Buy