Longmark

Crypto IRAs & retirement · honest, dated, not advice

Does crypto belong in your retirement?

Longmark is an honest, plain-English guide to crypto IRAs — how they work, what the fees really cost over decades, and whether a small slice belongs in your retirement at all. We lead with fees and risk, not hype. General information, US-focused, 2025 tax year — not financial, tax or retirement advice.

Compare crypto IRAsIs it even a good idea?

Fees first · small-slice honesty · Roth vs traditional · custody · red flags

What the fee does over 30 years

The same $10,000, left for 30 years, under four annual-fee levels. The lower the yearly fee, the more is left at the end — the gap is the fee, compounding.

0.25%/yr$70,964

≈ a spot BTC/ETH ETF in a normal brokerage IRA

1%/yr$57,435

≈ a leaner crypto IRA's all-in drag

2%/yr$43,219

≈ a typical crypto IRA once fees stack up

3%/yr$32,434

≈ a high-fee crypto IRA (setup + custody + spread)

Illustrative only, not a prediction and not a crypto return: crypto’s real path is wildly volatile, never a smooth line. This isolates one variable — the fee — assuming a steady 7% a year before fees, so you can see how a fee that sounds small compounds over a working life.

Illustrative · check the math yourself

Latest guides

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13Oct 13, 2026

Can You Buy Bitcoin in a Roth IRA? Three Routes Compared (2026)

Yes, three ways: a spot ETF, a crypto IRA platform or Fidelity's Crypto IRA. Dated fees, a 10-year cost model and the five-year rule.

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Bitcoin IRA Review vs iTrustCapital (2026): Fees, Custody, Coins

Bitcoin IRA publishes its fees now: 2% per trade plus 0.08% a month custody. We compare it with iTrustCapital and model 10 years at $25,000.

Guide →11Oct 13, 2026

How to Roll a 401(k) or IRA Into a Crypto IRA Without a Tax Hit

Use a direct rollover or a trustee-to-trustee transfer and nothing is withheld. The 60-day route risks 20% withholding and a tax bill.

Guide →10Sep 8, 2026

What Is a Crypto IRA? A Plain-English Guide

A crypto IRA is a self-directed retirement account that holds Bitcoin or other coins with the usual IRA tax benefits. Here's how it works, who holds the keys, and what to weigh before opening one.

Guide →09Sep 6, 2026

Crypto IRA Fees Explained: The Hidden Killer

Crypto IRAs stack setup, custody, trading and spread fees that compound over decades. Here's every layer, why a 1–3% annual drag matters so much, and how to compare providers in real dollars.

Guide →

A crypto IRA lets you hold Bitcoin or other coins inside a retirement account, with the same tax wrapper as an ordinary IRA. It is a real, legal option — and, for most people, one to approach with far more caution than the ads suggest. Two things get lost in the marketing: a retirement account concentrates a wildly volatile asset in the money you can least afford to lose, and crypto IRAs often charge high fees that quietly compound over decades. Longmark exists to put those two facts first, and to help you answer the honest question before the shopping one: is a crypto IRA even a good idea for you?

Fees decide more than the coin does

Over a working life, the fee is often the biggest number you control. Crypto IRAs stack several charges — setup, annual custody, per-trade, and a spread — and because they are taken every year on your whole balance, even a 1% to 3% annual drag can eat a large share of your ending pot over thirty years. The visual on this page shows it: the same $10,000, left for three decades, ends far smaller at a 3% yearly fee than at 0.25%. That gap is the fee, compounding. Our guide to crypto IRA fees, explained breaks down every layer, and it is why we compare providers on fees before anything else.

Compare the providers — with the honest alternatives included

When you are ready to look at names, our comparison of the best crypto IRAs lines up the main US providers by fees, supported assets, custody, minimums and account types — and it does something most lists refuse to: it puts two options that pay us nothing right in the table. A low-cost spot Bitcoin or Ether ETF inside an ordinary brokerage IRA can beat a high-fee crypto IRA on cost by a wide margin, and holding no crypto in retirement at all is a perfectly sensible answer. We say so plainly, because a payout never decides a recommendation here.

What this site will never do

We do not predict prices, tell you which coin to buy, or promise that crypto will grow your retirement. We cannot, and no honest guide can. What we can do is explain the real mechanics accurately and dated — traditional versus Roth, the self-directed custodian structure, contribution limits for the 2025 tax year, the 59½ withdrawal rule and the tax treatment — as general education, not personal advice. Where the evidence points to a small slice at most, or none, we say that too. For anything that affects your actual retirement, talk to a fiduciary advisor who can see your whole picture. Everything here is general information for the 2025 tax year, US-focused, and last checked 10 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is a crypto (or bitcoin) IRA?
A crypto IRA is a self-directed individual retirement account that can hold cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin or Ether, instead of only stocks and funds. A specialist provider sets up the account with a qualified custodian, and the coins are held by that custodian, not by you. It comes in the usual traditional and Roth flavours with the same IRS contribution limits and rules — the difference is the asset inside. This is general information for the 2025 tax year, US-focused, and not advice.
Is a crypto IRA a good idea?
For most people, at most a small slice — and for many, none. Putting a highly volatile asset in a retirement account concentrates risk in money you can least afford to lose, and crypto IRAs often carry high fees that compound over decades. Most financial advisors who allow crypto at all keep it to low single-digit percentages of a diversified portfolio. We never tell you to buy and we make no return claims; whether any belongs in your retirement is a question for a fiduciary advisor who knows your situation.
What fees does a crypto IRA charge?
Usually several layers: a setup or account fee, an annual custody fee, a per-trade fee, and a spread baked into the buy and sell price. Because these are charged every year on your whole balance, even a fee that sounds small — 1% to 3% a year — can compound into a large share of your ending balance over a 30-year horizon. Fees are the single most important thing to compare, and each provider publishes its own; always confirm the current schedule before opening an account.
Can I hold Bitcoin in a Roth IRA?
Yes — through a self-directed Roth IRA that permits crypto, offered by specialist providers. In a Roth, you contribute after-tax money and qualified withdrawals in retirement are generally tax-free, which is why some people prefer it for a volatile asset. Roth IRAs have income limits to contribute and the same annual contribution cap as a traditional IRA. A lower-fee alternative many people overlook is holding a spot Bitcoin ETF inside an ordinary brokerage Roth IRA. None of this is tax advice — confirm current rules and eligibility.
Is the crypto in an IRA insured or safe?
Reputable providers use qualified custodians and institutional cold storage, and some carry crime or custody insurance — but that only covers custodian theft or hacks, never a fall in the coin's price. Your biggest risk is market loss, which nothing insures. And because a custodian holds the keys, a crypto IRA is not self-custody: 'not your keys, not your coins' applies, and it is a genuine trade-off for the tax structure. Check each provider's custody, storage and insurance details, and remember insurance is not protection from volatility.