ETRADE is a financial services company that offers a wide range of investment products and services to individual and institutional investors. It is also one of the leading companies that offer retirement planning services such as Gold IRAs.

Gold has a reputation for being a hedge against inflation. As such, savvy investors are taking a bite at it. Admittedly, in this ‘How To Buy Gold On Etrade?‘ Guide, we will be discussing the steps on how to buy from them.

Also, I will be mentioning the pros and cons of it, as well as possible past reviews about it. Moreover, we will be answering questions pertaining to its competitiveness and reputation. So, let’s learn how to buy gold on Etrade!

If you wish to check out our top-recommendation for precious metal investments, click here!

• Name: ETrade
• Founders: William A. Porterand Bernard A. Newcomb
• Rating: 2/5

How This Guide Was Put Together

Before publishing this guide, I reviewed E*TRADE’s official website, pricing pages, and educational materials between January 10 and January 18, 2026.

I also navigated the platform as a retail investor to understand how gold exposure is actually accessed, what products are available, and where limitations exist compared to physical gold dealers.

In addition, I checked third-party consumer feedback from the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot to understand common issues reported by long-term users. The goal was to assess E*TRADE from a practical investor standpoint rather than a promotional one.

What is Etrade?

On their website, Etrade claims to be a pioneer for online trading specifically catering the needs of retail investors. Additionally, they boast about being part of Morgan Stanley, a renowned global financial services firm.

Started during the 80’s, Etrade quickly gain traction among investors and gold collectors alike. Leading from this, the first online transaction came into life, thus paving the way for such transactions to happen.

To date, Etrade is among the companies that specialize in online trading and investing. Admirably, many of their customers and clients have quite the experience when it comes to their first-class services.

Not to mention, they have a unique team that are all experts to this field. Furthermore, apart from all the formal businesses they do, they have community outreaches and volunteer works.

They are also known for its user-friendly online trading platform, which offers a wide range of research and analysis tools to help investors make informed decisions. Kudos to them!

Now, we will be tackling their business etiquettes and how they operate. Additionally, I will be laying down information about their products and services.

If you are investing in gold and would like to set up your own IRA, I suggest working with a specialized firm. Goldco, a top gold IRA firm is ready to help you!

Important Distinction: Physical Gold vs Gold on E*TRADE

One thing that needs to be clearly stated is that E*TRADE does not sell physical gold bullion or coins.

As of January 2026, all gold-related investing on E*TRADE is paper-based, meaning exposure comes from financial instruments tied to gold prices rather than ownership of the metal itself.

This distinction matters. Physical gold investors usually prioritize direct ownership, storage control, and long-term wealth protection. E*TRADE’s gold options are better suited for trading, speculation, or portfolio exposure rather than wealth preservation through tangible assets.

Buying and Investing in Precious Metals

Respectable bullion dealers are your must choice for the place to buy physical gold and metals. Some of the prominent names in the industry are the following:

• Goldco
• Augusta Precious Metals
• JM Bullion
• SD Bullion
• Acre Gold

From these, you will receive excellent customer service and be assured of fair and honest process. On the other hand, their products are all of top-quality.

Buying and investing in precious metals is a good way to  diversify your portfolio. But, no investment is completely risk-free. However, with gold, you are safe from any financial problems that may occur such as inflation.

It’s important to conduct thorough research and consider and weigh out the potential risks and benefits before making any investment decisions.

Investing Opportunities on Etrade

For gold and silver mining online, Etrade is a good destination for you. Moreover, they provide you with actual information on their prices and rates with respect to daily market movements.

The picture below shows the corresponding fees of each gold-purchasing process.

And so, how do you actually buy precious metals such as gold from them?

You are offered with numerous options. The list below shows how you can do it.

1. Stocks and ETFs

Stocks allow one to own a portion of a certain company.

Although it must be said that stock performance is volatile and will change from time to time. However, one good thing about it is that it can beat inflation.

It is flexible, and you have control, and as for income, many pay dividends at regular intervals. Which means that these payments can be used for another investment or savings you like!

Lastly, ETFs (exchange-traded funds) is mostly concerned about potential diversification in stock trading. In this platform, you can sell as easily as buy precious metals!

Consequently, you have the best control over this type of process. Why, you may ask. It if because you can target specific assets, industries, or strategies that you want to. How neat is that!

2. Options Contracts

Meanwhile, options refer to trading the stock market for possible investment opportunities. Etrade’s options are among the industry’s lowest in terms of fees.

One good thing about options is that it has a plethora of online tools that will help you. For example, analyzer for risk and opportunities, preset scans, income tracker, among others.

For its corresponding fees, is it $1.50 per contract. But, you will be tantalized by features such as 50 cent equity and option indexes. This can occur when you place 30 or more investments in a single quarter.

3. Futures Contracts

As for flexibility and ease-of-use, futures contracts is the way to go. This option opens possibilities for brokerage and eligible IRAs. In addition, it has unequivocal support from licensed Future specialists.

For hardcore yet shrewd investors, this type of option is open 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. Additionally, there is no minimum account value whether you trade once or multiple times a day.

Concerns about hard-to-borrow availability and sales restrictions are also not present. And lastly, by using a relatively small amount of capital, you can virtually control a large amount of notional value.

4. Bonds

Bonds and fixed income go hand in hand, which allows you to get paid in regular basis. As your original investments continue to become larger and larger, they are protected and cushion from the market’s ups and down through these two.

Tax-free income , the greatest feature of this option. Tax break are present more often than not on several bonds, which allows you to keep more on the money you earn.

Some of the other things that you will experience the benefit of when you dabble on bonds are the following:

• Principal Reservation
• Portfolio Diversification
• Income Generation

My First-Hand Experience Using E*TRADE for Gold Exposure

In mid-January 2026, I went through E*TRADE’s platform to see how straightforward it is to gain exposure to gold.

It became clear quickly that E*TRADE does not support direct purchases of physical gold or gold coins. Instead, gold exposure is handled through ETFs, mining stocks, options, and futures.

Finding these products is easy once you know where to look, but the platform assumes a basic level of investing knowledge. Beginners may feel overwhelmed without prior experience in ETFs or derivatives.

For investors comfortable with online trading, execution is smooth. For those specifically seeking physical gold ownership, this platform is not designed for that purpose.

How To Purchase Gold?

Buying gold from Etrade is as easy as buying candy from a sweets shop. From their website, you can see a section pertaining to gold. After clicking this, you will be directed to a new section.

The new page would contain information about the gold assets available to be purchased or used as investment.

First things first, you must create an Etrade account. For purchasing or investing, an account is needed since it will contain information about you and your financial capabilities. Once your account is open, you’ll need to fund it with cash. You can do this by transferring money from a bank account, a wire transfer, or by depositing a check.

To continue, you will pay for those precious metals that you ordered. Take note, there may be fees such as custody fee and fees issued by the ETF issuers. Nevertheless, purchasing gold can be done with ease in Etrade!

Etrade Educational Resources

One remarkable thing with Etrade is its educational resources that are useful to its investors.

There are webinars that discuss investment diversification and technical analyses, as well as topics regarding options trading.

Morningstar also provided investing online courses containing a wide range of topics involving investments.

Education Center

Beginners who are just starting out in Etrade are fortunate enough to have access to several educational resources in Etrade’s knowledge center.

There are articles, videos and classes on financial topics. Etrade’s educational library is mainly focused on tax planning, beginner investors and long-term investment planning. There are also more advanced topics including futures and options.

Knowledge is power, especially in the investment landscape in which you  really need all the information you need to make the best decisions.

Etrade’s education center is available to everyone, whether they have an account on the website or not.

Fees and Costs Observed During Review

While reviewing E*TRADE’s gold-related investment options in January 2026, I noticed that costs vary depending on the product used.

Gold ETFs may include expense ratios charged by the fund issuer. Options and futures involve contract fees and potential margin requirements. These costs are disclosed, but they are not always obvious to new investors unless they review the fine print.

There are no custody fees for holding ETFs or stocks, but investors should not confuse this with owning physical gold, which involves storage and insurance considerations not applicable on E*TRADE.

Context Behind E*TRADE’s Reviews and Complaints

When reviewing E*TRADE’s reputation in January 2026, I noticed that many complaints relate to customer service delays, account restrictions, and platform navigation issues rather than fraud or missing funds.

This distinction matters. E*TRADE operates at a large scale, which naturally increases complaint volume. However, the consistency of service-related complaints suggests that hands-on support may not match the needs of less experienced investors.

For investors who prefer guided assistance, this is an important consideration.

Etrade Ratings and Reviews

Here in Your Gold IRA Guide, we value ratings and reviews of a company that we are reviewing. It provides us insights and perspective on what past clients experienced with the said company.

With that, below are the ratings and reviews of Etrade.

• BBB – 1.11 out of 5 rating based on 55 reviews and 494 complaints in the last 3 years, F rating, and not BBB accredited
• Trustpilot – 1.2 out of 5 rating based on 28 reviews

As you can see, Etrade has very bad ratings and reviews online. It even has 494 complaints in BBB, on top of its F rating and not being accredited.

Now, there are other ways to invest in precious metals with outstanding ratings and reviews. As an investor, are you willing to invest in a company that received poor ratings and reviews? Are you willing to take that risk?

Etrade Pros and Cons

Pros

• Offers several investment options
• Has easy-to-use tools
• Has educational resources
• Has several modes of payment
• Has commission-free options, ETF trades, and stocks

Cons

• Received a lot of complaints, poor ratings and reviews
• No physical gold IRAs
• Clients find the website difficult to navigate

Who E*TRADE Is Best Suited For

After reviewing E*TRADE’s gold-related offerings and platform structure in January 2026, it’s clear that this service is best suited for self-directed investors who are comfortable managing ETFs, stocks, and derivatives.

It is not ideal for investors looking to buy physical gold, set up a gold IRA with bullion, or receive hands-on guidance through the process.

Understanding this upfront can prevent mismatched expectations and costly mistakes.

Conclusion

To conclude this “How To Buy Gold On Etrade” article, let me start by saying how intuitive and user-friendly this company is. Apart from this, they provide you with a number of useful educational resources about investing.

Furthermore, they offer different options for investing and purchasing, making them unique. Investing in precious metals is not difficult, especially if you trust companies like Etrade.

Purchasing and investing in gold, or in any precious metals, is the newest move you can make in the market today. Although some may hesitate, with a few good reads partnered with a reputable institution, everything will go on your way.

Needless to say, it will carry some risks. Whether gold is in its coins, bullions, or ETF form, it might incur some losses. However, organizations like Goldco and Etrade help their clients see the bigger picture.

Regardless of these things, you can learn more about investing in gold by reading articles I have already published. These include gold IRA companies, rollovers, bullion dealers, and many more.