Totally do NOT understand the negative reviews! I have been with Equity Trust for over 10 years and closed many private money transactions with them and every single one was fast and efficient. Maybe because I always request "expedited"? Within 48 hours, the funds are released from my account and arrive where they need to be. The customer service is the best! Calls and emails are returned same day. I HIGHLY recommend this SDIRA! I wish I could give them 10 stars! Thank you, Equity Trust ! read more

It pains me to do this. I have been an Equity Trust client with several accounts for over 30 years. The service has gradually gone down hill since day one and more and more fees are getting added. The service reps, liaisons, and accounting department are falling way short on their abilities. The people handling your transactions have less knowledge of how it works then you the client. Nothing goes smooth anymore. I would have to assume the good liaisons that used to be there have moved on. I would look elsewhere for an IRA custodian. Several employees left years ago and started their own Custodian. You need to step up your game ETC. A 15 minute Direction of Investment turns into days of turmoil. I cringe at doing business with you anymore. read more

Do not do business with Equity Trust Company. I have been a long time client with them. I have the same transactions done every quarter and there is never a time when things go smothly. Their portal has inaccurate information and it is very difficult to chat or talk with a representative to get things resolved. They often say that they haven't received the proper transfer documents which is false because I always have Vanguard verify them. Equity Trust just makes it too difficult to accomplish even routine tasks. Stay away from them and find another company. read more

I have been with the Equity Trust Company for more than 20 years, and I have finally had enough of the punishment; I am actively seeking a replacement company. I simply cannot take it anymore. The ETC staff is curt and brash; the demands are high and the results are slow. Terrible on every level. read more

Twice I've had to ask for a distribution from my IRA through Equity Trust. Both times they held on to my money much longer than necessary. In this instance, my assets were liquidated in the cash was in my equity trust account on 3/31/26. When I called to ask when the money would be transferred to my bank, the representative told me it would be three business days. And I didn't see my money in my account after five business days, I called them again. This time I was told it takes up to 17 days for an electronic transaction to be processed. That is ridiculous. They could have mailed me a check faster than that. I believe they are just making interest off of other people's money. Thankfully this is the last time I will have to deal with them. read more

Equity Trust's customer service is the worst! I requested an RMD disbursement to be mailed to me and it never arrived. I called their customer service and was on hold for about 30 minutes. When someone finally came online (Pretty sure they were offshore) I asked a question and she immediately put me back on hold for another 10 minutes without saying anything! When she finally came back online and i explained that I never received the check she said "Well we mailed it". Then she said I should contact the USPS! I asked if it was sent certified mail so I could track it. She said it wasn't. I said then how can it be tracked?! She said I could give them the check # to track it!! I asked to speak to a supervisor but was not allowed to. Finally I hung up and explained the situation online. The check was voided, I was charged $60 for canceling the check, and was told another check would be mailed. I never received that check either! This whole situation has been going on for almost a month! To say I'm upset is an understatement. A company like this who handles self directed IRA's should have a competent and timely customer service read more

I got involved with Equity Trust through a friend of mine who thought it would be a good idea to use them. I had a good deal of money tied up with them and I have never been treated this rudely when using investing platforms I didn't have all that much tied up in. When they say they will call back they won't and if you want information the person who does that isn't in today. I have become a very happy Vanguard investor. I don't like leaving reviews generally but I only leave them when my frustration factor boils over. read more

They're great, I have a few accounts with them. I moved money from retirement accounts to a self directed IRA, then to the real estate investor, works great. read more

I DO NOT RECOMMEND!!!! Outrageous hold times to speak to a person. Extremely terrible process if you are trying to close accounts!! read more

ughhhh!!! We are struggling to get our investment back out from them and it has been awful I feel like they just give you a run around we sent in the written paperwork for them to send us our money back but they keep saying they did not receive it now we have to send it again certified but it has been months trying to get our money back. My husband has spent way too much time on a trying to get help to get it figured out. I would never put any investment with this company ever again. You cannot update your contact information. It's impossible.. screws everything up. read more

terrible customer service, outrageous fees. Their online help is worthless. I had to reach out 3 times to close my account. I regret ever doing business with them. Find a different manager! read more

The amount of very wrong info given - failed transactions of the most basic type and then demands I use their automated system (with them even on the phone) only to find that too doesn't work. And that I have to do it manually? All just to transfer money from a large IRA Fiduciary to them is amazing! Over a week - and they have - for reasons no one can say - refused to accept the wired deposit (returning it back to Fidelity) - done exactly as per their written directions - TWICE. Now have yet to even acknowledge the receipt of the numerous manual forms they say is the only way to do this - always with the attitude that I have done something wrong is ridiculous. As is the 3 WEEKS they say this transfer will take!!!!! And insist - that is industry standard!!!! Real idiots. I was even told that the best way to do it is have Fidelity give me a check and send it to them. That is so wrong - until recently it even spoiled the "rollover" if the funds were touched by anyone other than a custodian. Now there are other forms one needs to fill out and it will almost certainly be picked up by the IRS computers and questioned. (I have multiple advanced degrees and certifications achieved through my 40 year professional history including as VP in large financial organizations)....these folks don't have a blessed idea of what they are saying! Nor that the system they are saying ONLY could increase transaction time. Mind you - this was transferring money IN! Another odd thing: when the money was "taken" from my account - it was done by a system/receiver of a name entirely different than any here - and that one of their reps had even heard of!! Also came to find that brokerages have actual teams that work just with these companies to try to get things done. Why that is???? I am looking for another self directed IRA place that can handle gold and does so with some reasonability and will have nothing more to do with them. read more

I have been trying for several weeks to get my funds from a sell off of precious metals. The transaction has been anything but smooth. Failure to respond to questions, emails and return phone calls. Several people provide information that transaction is ok only to find out corrections were needed but not transmitted to me causing additional delays and hardships. No continuity in information, failure to return my urgent calls and reply to emails. The frustration level is through the roof. Several staff member seem very arrogant in their treatment of me. read more

If I could give them 0 stars I would. This company is awful. I never talk to the same person. Alot of them do not even know what they are doing. Too many months went by to get a simple task done. Then they screwed up the tax forms badly. RUN and don't look back - it's a nightmare read more

I engaged their services, hoping for investment and professional guidance, but I was let down when my experience didn't meet those hopes. I suffered a l o s s of $58,000 in less than a month, which was incredibly f r u s t r a t i n g. Looking back, I realized I should have done more research before proceeding. Nevertheless, I'm thankful that I reached out to C_H_E_L_S_Y_D_E_S_A_R_A_I_S_5_4_A_T_G_M_A_I_L_C_O_M they offered timely assistance that helped me re-claim my funds. Chelsy Desmarais' support was invaluable and deeply appreciated. Get in c o n t a c t via W_h_a_t_s_A_p_p ; +1 859 436 4211. read more

They keep on changing people, the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. Asked me for the same documents three or four times, even after I sent them. Took weeks to enable a simple transaction. read more

Holds your money hostage. Will not let you transfer your money out to a better rate of return investment. Nationwide has contacted them several times trying to get the money to be transferred, and they will not send it. read more

Another 1 star review. Just an awful, awful company. I wanted to invest in a multi family syndicate with my IRA. So I had to move from a traditional financial vendor such as Fidelity or Vanguard to a company that handles self directed IRAs. What a nightmare. Just awful. Examples of things I have had to deal with the past 3 years: 1. A website that is so slow you think you are on a dial up modem from the 90s. 2. A bloated security producer to even get to the website. 3. Incorrect billing. Charged fro services such as precious metals storage which I do not use. The bill even had the wrong account number on it. Took multiple calls and email to try and get this corrected. 4. Nobody picks up their phone. Trying to get things funded is a bureaucratic nightmare. Something out of the movie Brazil. 5. General customer service line is awful. They don't seem to be able to get anything done or carry out the simplest request. 6. Exorbitant fees. Charges way too high for what little, if any, service they actually provide. I regret every second I have to deal with this company. Cannot wait for this PE investment to unwind so I can get my money away from this level of incompetence. I am certain trying to transfer money out will be as expensive and painful and slow as every other experience I have had so far. read more

This company talked my geriatric mother into spending $80,000 on gold. She is in a nursing home at the present time and the company refuses to respond to emails that I have sent that included copies of my POA. My mother is in a nursing home and desperately needs this money. I meant my Wit's end trying to figure out how to contact them or get a reply back from them. I absolutely do not trust these people and have recently hired a lawyer to try to get the money. I do not recommend this company at all. They pray on the elderly and should be closed. read more

Equity Trust is maximum fees for minimum service. They are never pro-active. You have to follow up on every request. They never call if there is an issue, you have to call them when thing are not happening and then they tell you there was a problem with the form you submitted. I have very little for them to do yet I get charged high fees based on the value of the assets. I can't get out of there fast enough. read more

After filling out all of the paperwork to sell physical silver and have the check transferred Charles Schwab it is almost 2 months now and only one follow up to my call by Lizette Lopez on the 19th of June. Still no money. Hello XXXXXXX I sent this form to the appropriate department. Have a wonderful day. Respectfully, Lizzette Lopez LIZZETTE LOPEZ​​​​ Operations Associate II 1 Equity Way | Westlake , OH 44145 P: (888) 382‑4727 x 7129 TrustETC.com read more

This company never shows me what is going on in my accounts. Document uploads go to some level of hell, never to be seen again. If I have questions, I have to go through at least 3 people. It is the most backwards. I hope I can get out ASAP. read more

Do not EVER open an account with Equty Instititutional or Equity Trust. EVER. Wait times are 60+ minutes on hold. Staff are terrible. And they charge $250 to close an IRA account! (I only had a $3 balance. Still: cost me $250 to close the account). Please do everything you can to avoid at all costs. TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE. read more

Avoid using Equity Trust for anything. I transferred an IRA into precious metals through Noble Gold and unfortunately Noble Gold uses Equity Trust as a custodian for the metals. After 4 years of very high maintenance fees I decided to take delivery of the metals. It has been over a month since I requested the distribution and several phone calls, each time on hold for extended periods. Once someone answers, they are clueless or at best their hands are tied with the cumbersome system that is in place to actually perform fiduciary tasks relating to metals storage. Now I will have to pay a fee to close the account, even though there is nothing left for them to do anything with. Be warned Equity Trust is not the company you want in charge of your Metals IRA account. read more

Every time I speak with them I encounter complete incompetence. They insist the know what they are talking about and I find them consistently wrong. Right now they have screwed up bill payments and, though I would gladly accept a mistake, they are telling me that they have not made a mistake and telling me what is on my computer screen, which is obviously wrong because they are not here. I keep getting passed around from person to person and have to describe the entire dysfunctional transaction over and over again. read more

I don't understand how this company has any positive reviews. My only guess is, the individuals leaving positive reviews have never had an issue outside of day to day business that needs addressed. ETC's customer service is non existent - McDonald's has better customer service. If the vision of a perfect days for you involves calling the IRS and spending hours on hold, you're a perfect fit right as an ETC customer. Just to give you an idea, an average hold time to reach a customer service member is 45 minutes plus. My last call to them was over an hour and a half on hold - just to talk to someone. Then, when you finally reach a live person, say a little prayer that they don't disconnect you or the whole process starts over. In case you think they might be more responsive via their "help desk" email, jokes on you - they can take days or weeks to respond if anyone responds at all. My dad has a SDIRA with equity and has been a customer for years, upon his passing, the account went to me. However, do you think that I can get them to transfer this to me? Nope. I have spent hours and hours on the phone and sent numerous email communications, pages of documentation including certified court documents. I email, nobody responds, then I call in, wait on hold forever and an associates instructs me that I need XYZ, I complete it and receive an email saying they don't have the right information. It's like groundhog day, but in a nightmarish sense. When I first started all this, I ACTUALLY wanted to keep the account with Equity, but after the awful experience I've had dealing with them, all I want to do is never speak to another ETC employee ever. Quite frankly, I don't have time to call them several times a week, spend hours on hold, send multiple emails and still nothing happens. I've been working on this for over a MONTH. This company is beyond pathetic. Save your time, and your sanity and find another competent SDIRA company. It really can't get much worse than this and I can assure you, they won't value your business. I have sent dozens of emails, I have submitted numerous documents and then every time I call to follow up on it (don't expect them to ever help with that) I'm mysteriously missing something. I can't wait to get this account transferred - if it ever happens. RUN - as far away from this awful company as you can. If you don't believe my experience, just read the other Yelp reviews. They're all saying the same thing. read more

Wow! I just searched EquityTrust and found this Yelp Page. I too have had an account with Equity Trust over 10 years - without a hitch. Then, in early October, I sold a SFR for cash and a Promissory Note and you would think that I had requested a multi-billion dollar leveraged acquisition. Apparently, ETC was recently acquired as I discovered their corporate office location has moved from Ohio to Sioux Falls, SD. I have currently been on hold for 40 minutes supposedly being transferred to the "investments department". Not sure what is going on, but it is a really, really bad look. read more

Terrible automated phone service - I have had to wait 15-20 mins only then to get an automated response saying I can have a call- back. Why not tell me that right up front? They also really need a better handle on being able to verify check information, God forbid that you need a copy of a cancelled check, it could take weeks to get that from them. read more

Equity was wonderful to work with while I had my Roth IRA with them. And when the time came to close my account, Baird Hansen was incredible. He helped ensure that I had access to my cash and assets almost immediately as soon as I requested through my portal. It was easy, efficient, and I will return to Equity trust as when the time comes as they proved to be a trustworthy and professional company to work with, and customer service par none. Thank you Baird and Equity! read more

I have been with Equity Trust since 2007 so I am a long-time customer. I am baffled by the 4 or 5 star reviews and wonder if they are for this company. I LOATHE having to contact Equity Trust - phone wait times for customers are often over 45 minutes, sometimes over an hour. Messages are not returned. They do not have a system to save my place in line and call back when its my turn. I am forced to listed to their hold music and message play over and over again. My impression is that they'd be happy if I never contacted them and did everything electronically. Pay your fees. See your account. Process your paperwork. Do it all from your laptop. But by God, please don't ever call us! This is what I imagine they say to themselves. The reason I have to call is one of their online features doesn't work so I have no choice. And this is not a COVID-issue. They have been awful at answering the phone for YEARS! I tell the representatives every time I speak with someone to no avail. I'm so frustrated that I'm looking for another self-directed IRA administrator. read more

I have funds invested at ETC that I have been trying to get transferred since March 2024 and it is now August 2024. They will not return a phone call or email. Each phone call place to them results in a different action item needed to get the funds transferred. I would not recommend this company if you value your money. read more

Overall my dealings with Equity Institutional concerning investing in real estate in a self directed IRA have been very good for purchasing an asset and managing expenses. However the performance falls a bit when selling and even further when buying/selling equities from/to your cash position as you have to use an awkward form- based transaction. Interest earned on cash is next to "zero". Worst of all is when you want to move assets into an IRA at a different financial institution such as Vanguard or Charles Schwab it is a painful and drawn out process. In my opinion very unprofessional with errors and poor website response. Telephone response sounds good - but results are slow in coming. At minimum it will take 2 weeks (I have had it take more than 4 weeks!) to process an outgoing transfer. For this reason I have to award 1 star. read more

Equity Trust has failed to process simple wire instructions for weeks, turning into months. I tried to work with them for months and got nowhere. Finally I sent them two formal complaint letters. I got no response at all. NADA. No calls, nothing. Had to take my account elsewhere and got charged a lot of fees by them. I filed a formal complaint with their regulator in Oklahoma. The regulator did NOTHING and suggested I contact Equity Trust (as if I had not documented that had happened) and suggested I could hire an attorney. I understand we all make mistakes and would have worked with Equity Trust to work things out but their only effort was to charge a lot of fees. Stay away. There are better alternatives. read more

This is the worst company in the world! I keep trying to close my account with them but they require me to hire a CPA to evaluate the assets which consist of stockholdings of a company long out of business, under an SEC investigation for stock fraud that was originally worth $60000 and now is worth ZERO! I also have a share of my office's profits that came as a license agreement. That agreement was worth exactly what I paid for it back in 2012. It is not tradable nor can I sell it. Anytime I talk with them, which is rare because my blood pressure goes through the roof, I am sent a form. I submit it to the Black Hole of Calcutta... I'm looking at my bill for the year of $250. FOR WHAT???? I would give this company negative stars were that an option. Stay Away!!!! read more

Stay far away from this company. I have been with them a few years and every month they put deposits into wrong accounts! I emailed and called multiple times only to get lip service. It is too cumbersome to move to another custodian so every month I have to contact them to correct the deposits. This has been going on a very long time. I am so frustrated that I am having borrowers pay off notes early so I can close accounts with Equity Trust. I have also reported them to the SEC and I recommend every customer with a bad experience do that. read more

I had a Prosper.com Roth IRA which was managed by Equity Trust. Equity Trust charges unreasonable fees and has horrible customer service. I have tried to transfer uninvested cash out for many months. It seems that the documents from the brokerage firm I am trying to transfer the money out to vanished into thin air. After waiting months getting 0% interest, I determined to try again with a different external institution. I have spent hours on the phone with Prosper and mainly with Equity Trust, getting transferred between 5 different agents and multiple automated systems. They said they wanted three different forms and cancelled the Prosper.com initiated request to transfer the money out. They do not seem to even know what Prosper.com is and keep telling me I need to sell the Prosper.com asset when there is nothing to sell, but there is uninvested cash sitting in the account I want to move out. I have literally spent hours for what should be done in around 30 seconds--moving money from Prosper.com to Equity Trust so I can (finally!) get it moved out to Schwab, while, the whole time, it gets 0% interest and Equity Trust charges fees. It still isn't moved out to Schwab. I would definitely completely avoid Equity Trust for their extremely poor customer service. More information. The six forms that they had us fill out were rejected! Now they want us to fill out the same forms again. They said that the perfectly clear pictures from an IPhone 15 camera that were easy to read were too hard to read. Incredible! Stay away from these people if you have anything to do in your life other than fill out forms! read more

I had been with this miserable, incompetent company for over 10 years and suffered through their disorganization. I felt liberated the day my last penny was freed to me. You can bet that every interaction that should be straightforward will be met with some sort of kink. By the bewildered reactions of almost every single contact with an associate, and sometimes outright dropping of email correspondences, I am guessing that either their computer system is antiquated and nothing can be found quickly and/or their workers are not well trained. I had to escalate minor things since they simply could not easily do everyday form-filling transactions, requiring a manager level who called me and sometimes further wasted my time. Managers tried their best to be nice to me. If the IRS ever decides to audit and shake this tree, I shudder to imagine the leaves that will fall out. read more

High yearly fees, $250 charge to close an account, difficult procedures and poor customer service.

abysmal service. every event/transaction takes at least a 24 hours to process. archaic web portal. inherent obsolescence. cryptic on-hold wait times. i will be transferring my assets, asap. any suggestions? read more

I never write reviews. However, since I have nothing to do buy sit on endless hold, AGAIN, I thought I would. Read the reviews, Absolute pitifall customer service. I get why they are a custodian for the government. Both are incompetent !! read more