A gold IRA might be safe as long as you take the proper precautions. You must carefully vet all providers you use in the process of setting up a gold IRA to make sure they’re legitimate. Even if you find reliable companies to set up a gold IRA, gold is an investment that might experience price swings.  You would still technically own the gold since it would remain safely in the depository’s hands, but your investment could drastically decrease in value if the pricing of gold plummets.