About
About The Retirement Index
The Retirement Index is an independently operated digital publication covering gold IRAs, self-directed IRA rules, and retirement-planning decisions for pre-retirees and retirees. The site is operated by its founding publisher and is not owned by, affiliated with, or financially controlled by any gold IRA dealer, custodian, depository, or financial-services firm.
The Retirement Index is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, law firm, accounting firm, insurance agency, tax adviser, Medicare adviser, or fiduciary adviser. Our content is educational and is not individualized advice.
Who we’re for
Our readers are pre-retirees and retirees, typically age 55 and older, who are researching high-stakes retirement decisions before they speak with a salesperson, request an information kit, roll over retirement assets, open a self-directed IRA, buy an annuity, claim Social Security, choose Medicare coverage, or build a retirement income plan.
Many readers arrive after seeing direct mail, cable news, radio, or online promotions for Gold IRAs, annuities, or Medicare plans. They are not looking for hype. They are looking for clear explanations of the rules, costs, trade-offs, and risks.
How we produce content
Reviews are produced by The Retirement Index Editorial Team. We use a house byline because the publication, not a fabricated individual persona, is accountable for the work.
For retirement-account, tax, and regulatory issues, our writers and editors start with primary sources such as the IRS, SEC, FINRA, CFPB, Treasury, GAO, and U.S. Tax Court materials. Company-level claims are checked against written fee schedules, public records, complaint patterns, direct company documentation where available, and the published scoring rubric for that review.
We do not claim external professional review unless a named credentialed reviewer has actually reviewed the article. When that happens, the reviewer’s name, credential, review date, and scope of review appear on the article.
For the full editorial workflow — including topic selection, fact-checking, reviewer engagement, corrections, and update cadence — see our editorial standards page.
How we make money
The Retirement Index may earn referral commissions from some outbound links, including links that let readers request an information kit, contact a provider, or open an account. A commission does not change our ranking order, inclusion decision, or editorial conclusions.
Rankings are based on the published methodology first. Monetization is evaluated separately after editorial criteria are set. Paid links are labeled near the link, and our full affiliate model is explained on the disclosure page.
What we don’t do
We do not predict the price of gold, forecast the stock market, manufacture urgency, or present a Gold IRA as appropriate for every retiree.
We do not recommend personal-possession or “home storage” Gold IRA arrangements where an IRA owner keeps IRA-owned metals at home, in a personal safe, or in an LLC the owner controls. IRS guidance requires that qualifying bullion remain in the physical possession of a bank or approved non-bank trustee or custodian — not the IRA owner personally.
We do not invent named authors, fabricate credentials, use AI-generated headshots, or imply external professional review that has not happened.
Get in touch
For corrections, tips, company submissions, press, privacy requests, or general questions, visit our contact page.
- Corrections: corrections@theretirementindex.com
- Editorial: editorial@theretirementindex.com
- Partnerships & affiliate inquiries: partnerships@theretirementindex.com
- Privacy: privacy@theretirementindex.com