Sanctuary Metals Helps Americans Diversify Retirement Accounts Amid Economic Volatility

As inflation surged to 2.9% in December 2024 — the highest level in over six months — Rick Mason, a 62-year-old former production manager from Dayton, found himself confronting a stark retirement math problem. With core inflation persistently exceeding 3%, well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, his carefully balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds was bleeding purchasing power daily. By February 2025, Mason had diverted 15% of his retirement savings into physical gold through Sanctuary Metals, a California-based precious metals firm that has emerged as a key player in the American retirement industry.

Mason’s decision reflects a growing recognition among pre-retirees and current retirees that traditional retirement calculations no longer compute in an era of sustained economic volatility. Founded in November 2023 by CEO Luke Losinsky and earning BBB accreditation with an A- rating by November 2024, Sanctuary Metals has positioned itself at the intersection of two powerful American currents: financial anxiety and the search for tangible security.

The Perfect Economic Storm

The economic terrain confronting American retirees in early 2025 presents a formidable set of challenges. Market volatility continues to rattle investor confidence, with what financial advisors call “timing risk” posing a particular threat to those on the retirement threshold. This phenomenon, where market downturns can devastate portfolios just before or after retirement begins, creates a mathematical trap many traditional retirement strategies fail to address.

“If you’re close to retirement and the market dips, your portfolio may not recover in time, potentially affecting your retirement timeline and available income,” warns a February 2025 analysis from Western Southern Financial Group. This vulnerability is exacerbated by what retirement specialists identify as “sequence of returns risk,” where withdrawing funds during market downturns can rapidly deplete savings that might otherwise have recovered during a later market rebound.

Against this backdrop, inflation continues its silent assault on retirement security. Even as headlines trumpet modest 2.9% inflation, the elevated core inflation rate, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, remains stubbornly above 3%. For retirees on fixed incomes, each percentage point represents an incremental erosion of purchasing power that compounds over years or decades of retirement.

The Gold Standard Solution

Sanctuary Metals’ business model targets this precise vulnerability, offering what Losinsky describes as “an anchor in stormy financial seas.” The company specializes in helping Americans convert traditional retirement vehicles into self-directed Individual Retirement Accounts (SDIRAs) that can legally hold physical precious metals.

The appeal of this approach lies in gold’s historical performance as a counterweight to economic volatility. Data compiled by Statista shows that from January 1971 to December 2022, investments in gold yielded average annual returns of 7.78%. More telling is gold’s performance during specific periods of economic turbulence, peaking at approximately $2,075 in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and soaring above $2,000 per ounce again amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022.

For a specific 15-year period from 2005 to 2020, gold outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average with a 330% increase compared to the latter’s 153% gain. This historical resilience during times of crisis forms the cornerstone of Sanctuary Metals’ pitch to nervous retirees.

The Mechanics of Metal

The process of converting traditional retirement funds to physical precious metals involves several carefully orchestrated steps. Sanctuary Metals guides clients through establishing a self-directed IRA, transferring funds from existing retirement accounts, and selecting IRS-approved precious metals for purchase. The physical gold and silver are then shipped to secure depositories that meet stringent IRS requirements.

Importantly, Sanctuary Metals has developed a buyback program that addresses a common concern about precious metals investments: liquidity. While gold and silver have intrinsic value, converting them back to cash traditionally required finding a buyer. The company’s buyback guarantee provides clients with assurance that their metals can be liquidated when needed, a critical consideration for retirees who may face unexpected expenses.

“My experience with Sanctuary was nice. I enjoyed speaking with Luke and the other gentlemen who helped me set up my IRA. They work with my church group that I am apart of so I was told by my friends to check them out,” notes Stan C., a client whose testimony appears on the company’s website.

The Diversification Imperative

Financial experts increasingly advocate for portfolio diversification that extends beyond the traditional mix of stocks, bonds, and cash. Morgan Stanley analysts note that “Gold’s minimal correlation with equities and fixed-income securities helps reduce risk during turbulent market conditions.”

This diversification imperative has grown more urgent as traditional retirement pillars face mounting pressure. Social Security benefits require careful optimization strategies, healthcare costs continue to rise, and pension systems increasingly shift responsibility to individual savers.

For those approaching retirement, building what financial advisors call a “short-term reserve” has become essential. The American Savings Education Council recommends that those nearing or in retirement maintain 2-4 years of living expenses in high-quality, short-term investments to provide stability during market fluctuations.

Precious metals represent one component of this stability strategy. Conventional financial wisdom suggests allocating 5-10% of a portfolio to alternative investments like gold and silver, enough to provide meaningful diversification without overcommitting to any single asset class.

Global Perspective

America’s retirement challenges mirror global trends. Countries from Japan to Switzerland have incorporated precious metals into their pension systems, recognizing the stabilizing role these assets can play during economic upheaval.

The BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) have accelerated de-dollarization efforts, purchasing gold at record rates to reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar. This geopolitical shift has implications for domestic American investors, potentially supporting gold prices over the long term.

The Sanctuary Approach

From its headquarters in Ladera Ranch, California, Sanctuary Metals has developed a three-step process for clients: opening a Gold IRA account (with representatives handling paperwork); funding the account through transfers, rollovers, or direct contributions; and selecting IRA-eligible precious metals that are then securely shipped to a depository.

The company’s website emphasizes asset protection, noting that “without asset protection, you may risk losing it all to bad investment choices and poorly performing holdings.” It positions precious metals as a counterbalance to traditional investment channels like stocks, bonds, and real estate, which can experience synchronized downturns during major economic crises.

The Retirement Reckoning

As Americans navigate an increasingly complex retirement landscape, the growing interest in precious metals reflects a fundamental reassessment of financial security. For decades, the retirement planning industry promoted a relatively straightforward formula: save consistently in tax-advantaged accounts, invest primarily in stocks when young, gradually shift to bonds with age, and withdraw 4% annually during retirement.

This conventional wisdom now faces serious challenges. Extended lifespans mean retirement funds must last longer than ever before. Healthcare costs continue to outpace general inflation. The synchronized global economy means traditional diversification strategies may provide less protection than previously assumed.

In this environment, companies like Sanctuary Metals offer not just an alternative investment vehicle but a different paradigm for conceptualizing retirement security, one based on tangible assets with millennia-long track records rather than purely financial instruments.

Whether this approach represents the future of retirement planning or simply a cyclical response to current economic anxieties remains to be seen. But for Americans like Rick Mason watching their purchasing power erode in real-time, the ancient promise of gold provides a compelling counterpoint to modern financial uncertainty.