BlockTrustIRA Review

Tax-advantaged investment gains are the best benefit for most cryptocurrency IRAs.

However, having to self-manage your portfolio can be frustrating.

You can now enroll in an AI trading account for automated investing with low fees, as you will discover in my BlockTrustIRA review. 

The Verdict for BlockTrustIRA

I’ve given them a rating of 9.2 out of 10.

Criteria	Rating (out of 10)
Cryptocurrencies Supported	9.5
Pricing & Fees	9.5
Storage & Security	9
Account Setup & Maintenance	9
Resources & Tools	9.5
Reputation & Reviews	8
Customer Service & Support	9
Overall Rating	9.2

In this review of BlockTrustIRA, I’ve followed BIC’s detailed criteria for evaluating the crypto IRA platform.

About BlockTrustIRA

BlockTrustIRA launched in 2023 with the same leadership team as Genesis Gold Group, a gold IRA provider focused on ethical business practices and low fees.

Fully-automated cryptocurrency IRA with several different trading strategies are an exclusive feature.

You can also set up a self-managed crypto IRA if you prefer DIY investing and some of the industry’s lowest trading fees.

For instance, you can start with $1,000 and only pay 0.40% per token purchase.

Either account type is available as a traditional or Roth self-directed IRA.

You only pay taxes once on your balance and minimize paperwork as you don’t have to report your various trades as a taxable trading account requires on your annual income tax return.

While this platform is relatively young, the company conducted over $300 million in transactions in 2024.

Many positive BlockTrustIRA reviews also indicate that the managed or unmanaged accounts are not scams.  

Typically, most crypto-backed IRAs require you to self-manage your portfolio, but may let you set up automated rules to dollar-cost-average or sell if a position reaches a specific price.

You decide when to buy or sell and must develop your own tax-advantaged trading strategy.

Automated trading accounts are not risk-free, but they save you countless hours of research and timing volatile trading markets.

It can also prevent emotion-based trading as the AI-based algorithms identify ideal entry and exit points 24/7 to enhance your winning probability.

While a fully automated crypto portfolio may seem bizarre, “robo-advisors” have been successfully offering similar retirement accounts for individual stocks and funds since 2010. 

Additionally, Animus manages these portfolios with the goal of outperforming a buy-and-hold Bitcoin strategy.

Since its inception in 2020, its award-winning flagship Bitcoin Alpha Strategy has performed better than Bitcoin. 

The investment team has tested the strategy for seven years. Investors also have transparent, real-time account access.

It’s worth discussing with the investment team to decide if this product fits your budget and crypto investing goals.

Cryptocurrencies Supported

Approximately 40 cryptocurrencies are available for trading, including Bitcoin and many tokens with the largest market cap.

Noteworthy altcoins available for trading include:

• Aave (AAVE)
• Algorand (ALGO)
• Avalanche (AVAX)
• Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
• Chainlink (LINK)
• Dai (DAI)
• Dogecoin (DOGE)
• Ethereum (ETH)
• Pax (PAX)
• Pepe (PEPE)
• Polkadot (DOT)
• Polygon (MATIC)
• Solana (SOL)
• Stellar (XLM)
• Tether (USDT)
• Uniswap (UNI)
• USD Coin (USDC)
• XRP (XRP)

A handful of the most significant projects, such as Cardano (ADA), Tron (TRX), and Hedera (HBAR), are missing from the available altcoins. Still, the selection satisfies most investors.

Being able to buy a few stablecoins is also a nice touch when you need to temporarily avoid market volatility.

You can earn staking rewards to help earn recurring income while practicing risk management.

BlockTrustIRA partners with sFox to power its trading platform and is trusted by many well-known institutions.

The platform layout and order book are among the most in-depth I’ve seen for a crypto IRA company.

SFox also handles the annual IRS tax form reporting.

Prices & Fees

Your account and trading fees depend on whether you choose the AI or self-managed trading accounts.

Fees	AI Trading Account	Self-managed Account
Minimum Initial Investment	$25,000	$1,000
Setup Fees	$0	$0
Transaction Fees	0.14%	0.40% (buying) and 0.50% (selling)
Performance Fee	Varies (only charged when you make money)	$0
Custodial Fee	$0	$250

These respective minimums are budget-friendly.

While funding the automated portfolio will be a stretch for new crypto investors, this threshold provides sufficient liquidity to hold multiple altcoins and maintain an adequate cash buffer.

Further, the transaction fees are significantly lower than the industry average.

Most competitors charge between 1% and 1.5% to buy or sell. However, you pay an annual custodial fee that others may not charge.

Storage & Security

Fortis Bank is the third-party IRA custodian and it serves a similar role for other crypto IRA providers.

Your account is bankruptcy-protected and eligible for up to $200 million in custody insurance. 

To minimize fraud, all of your crypto assets offline stay in a cold storage wallet instead of “on chain.” Multi-signature authentication also prevents unauthorized account access.

This is the default storage method for IRAs to avoid unauthorized transactions and to optimize security.

The sFox trading platform is a regulated Wyoming trust company. The platform undergoes routine SOC audits to analyze security practices and look for coverage gaps.    

Additionally, Animus manages each automated portfolio separately and won’t commingle assets between investors.

Account Setup & Maintenance

You will receive hands-on support from highly experienced IRA specialists to assist with opening managed and unmanaged crypto accounts. 

1. Receive a welcome call: The first step is signing up online for an introductory call to answer your initial questions. For example, you can learn more about how the automated portfolios work or the fee structure.
2. Complete IRA application: You will submit the application paperwork to open a crypto Roth IRA or traditional tax-deferred account through sFox. The platform performs free in-kind transfers and can help you switch to an active management strategy.
3. Fund your account: Satisfy the minimum investment with cash or IRA deposits. You can also discuss 401(k) conversions to breathe new life into your old employer’s plan. Most deposits take one to three weeks.
4. Start trading: You can trade 24/7 through the web and mobile-friendly platform once your funds settle. Managed portfolios automatically execute orders as trading setups matching the investment strategy strategy form.
5. Quarterly updates: View your real-time balance and investment performance. You can also expect to receive quarterly reports regarding your portfolio and markets.

Open an account with BlockTrustIRA today!

Resources & Tools

An online Investor Resource Hub blog has multiple articles explaining the basic concepts of cryptocurrency IRAs and some of BlockTrustIRA’s AI-powered tools. 

These articles are a basic primer and worth reading if you’re unfamiliar with self-directed IRAs or adding crypto to a retirement account.

This content can be more efficient than scheduling a phone consultation.  

Prospective investors who provide their name, phone number, and email when scheduling the initial welcome call will also receive a 16-page guide to self-directed IRAs.

Reputation & Reviews

BlockTrustIRA has excellent ratings on Trustpilot and Google. Several dozen customer reviews are available on both platforms.

While that number is notably smaller than that of well-established alternatives, it is enough to assess the investment experience accurately.

Investors continually mention fast and helpful customer service responses.

Many also mention transferring their retirement assets specifically for managed portfolios to limit downside risk and improve portfolio diversification with minimal effort.

Several customers confirm the transparent pricing and how it’s genuinely one of the most affordable without deceptive price spreads or hidden costs.

Unfortunately, the company doesn’t have a Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating or customer reviews.

Customer Service & Support

Phone support is available Monday to Friday from 6 am to 5 pm Pacific.

Email support is also available with an average response time of 48 hours or less. 

There is also a brief online knowledge library asking commonly asked questions.

However, most inquiries require a phone or email conversation to answer specific questions about enrolling or maintaining your account.

BlockTrustIRA Alternatives

These crypto IRAs may have more suitable investment options or fees for your investment strategy or portfolio size.

iTrustCapital

iTrustCapital doesn’t charge custodian fees and has a $1,000 investment minimum. You have approximately 60 tokens to choose from.

However, you pay 1% per trade which can be more expensive for frequent traders or large balances.

Open an account with iTrustCapital today

Bitcoin IRA

Bitcoin IRA is one of the oldest crypto IRA companies, dating back to 2016. You can also invest in over 75 cryptocurrencies, although your setup and ongoing fees are pricier.

Additionally, you get $250 million in custody insurance compared to $200 million.

Open a Bitcoin IRA account in just 3 minutes!

BitIRA

BitIRA lets you trade over 15 cryptocurrencies with a $5,000 minimum initial investment.

Enjoy a trading fee of 1% or less, end-to-end insurance, and investing with one of the oldest crypto IRA companies.

Get a free Ledger Nano from BitIRA

Is BlockTrustIRA a legit crypto IRA company?

Thanks to its low trading fees, BlockTrustIRA is a compelling choice for small and large cryptocurrency portfolios.

Experienced investors with at least $25,000 to invest are transferring their assets to benefit from the AI trading account, which makes crypto trading easier for many.

The self-managed trading account is also a good option as the trading platform has excellent research tools, a well-designed layout, and low transaction fees.

However, the $250 annual custodian fee is expensive for investors remaining near the $1,000 account minimum.

The flexibility of managed and unmanaged accounts with low fees makes it one of the best crypto IRA companies.

Open an account with BlockTrustIRA today!

FAQs