This is a third party review of American Estate and Trust. This due diligence report reviews over 100 different data points for American Estate and Trust to provide you with a thorough due diligence report of the company to help you make a better decision. The public version provides only 20 of these data points. If you want to see the full version of this review, you can click the button below.
Information last updated on: 10/10/2025
Company certified on: Not Certified
American Estate and Trust
Introduction
American Estate and Trust (AET) is a state of Nevada licensed trust company, meeting all state requirements for capital reserves and bonding. As a trust company, AET must maintain minimum capital reserves and meet certain other stringent standards of honesty, competence, compliance with the law, etc.
Under their license from Nevada, and under Internal Revenue Service regulations, AET is allowed to: Provide full custodial and administrative services for IRAs, 401(k)s, health and educational savings accounts; act as an independent and professional trustee for private trusts (living trusts, etc.); and provide escrow and qualified intermediary services for 1031 real estate exchanges.
American Estate and Trust
Contact Information
Website: | |
|---|---|
Phone Number: | (801) 266-9900 |
Email: |
Offices:
Corporate Office: | 6900 Westcliff Dr. Ste 603 Las Vegas, NV 89145 |
Business Development Office: | 406 W South Jordan Prkwy Ste 640 South Jordan UT 84095 |
Business Hours: | 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM MDT (Monday - Friday) |
American Estate and Trust
Company Details
Company Classification: | Custodian |
Date Established (under current name): | 2007 |
Type of entity: | LLC |
Who provides custody for client assets: | American Estate and Trust |
Company is registered in: | Utah |
Primary Line of Business: | Providing self-directed IRA custody to clients for alternative investments |
Other Lines of Business: | - Trust Administration |
Typical Client: | Retail and institutional |
Capable of working with Financial Advisory Firms | Yes |
Governmental Agency Oversight: | Nevada Financial Institutions Division (FID) |
Company's Last Audit: | 2015 |
Summary of Assets Under Custody
Number of Active Clients: | 15,000 |
Number of Active accounts: | 15,000 |
Amount of assets company provides custody for: | $1 Billion |
Self-Directed IRA Industry Affiliations
Self-Directed IRA industry affiliations (outside of this company): | Accuplan is a subsidiary of American Estate and Trust and provides Sales, consulting, and customer service for American Estate and Trust |
Ownership of industry related websites: | |
Industry related company affiliations: | Accuplan has same owners as American Estate and Trust |
Industry related non-profits: | (Not disclosed) |
Industry related associations: | (Not disclosed) |
Industry related board of trustee positions: | (Not disclosed) |
Industry related publications: | (Not disclosed) |
American Estate and Trust
Fee Schedule
Account Setup Fee: | $275 |
Account Termination Fee: | $175 |
Service Fee Classification: (flat, transaction-based, asset-based, hybrid) | Transaction-based fees |
Company Fee Schedule: | American Estate and Trust Fee Schedule* (Company uses Accuplan's fee schedule) |
* Use the American Estate and Trust Fee Calculator (click button below) to calculate your estimated fees based on the company's published fee schedule. This is a useful tool when comparing different custodians based on your cost to use them. Please note, if you have never before used a self-directed IRA custodian or administrator to administer your account, the fees will be different than most broker dealers that provide transactional services for stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.
American Estate and Trust
Available Account Types
Type of Account: | Available at American Estate and Trust |
|---|---|
Traditional IRA | Yes |
Roth IRA | Yes |
SEP IRA (or SERSEP) | Yes |
SIMPLE IRA | Yes |
Individual 401(k) | Yes |
Defined Contribution Plan (Group plan e.g. 401k, 403b 457) | Yes |
Defined Benefit Plan (pension) | No |
ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) | No |
Health Savings Account (HSA) | No |
Education IRA (ESA) (Coverdell Education Savings Account) | No |
Non-Qualified Account (Individual) | No |
Non-Qualified Account (Joint Tenants) | No |
Trust Account | No |
Partnership / Limited Partnership | No |
UTMA / UGMA Custodial Account | No |
C-corp, S-corp, or LLC account | No |
Other: | N/A |
American Estate and Trust
List of Allowable Assets
Type of Asset | Allowed For Custody? |
|---|---|
Real Estate | Yes |
Private Placement (Reg A) | Yes |
Private Placement (Reg D) | Yes |
Private Placement (e.g. REIT, BDC, etc) | Yes |
Precious Metals | Yes |
Futures or Managed Futures | No |
Options or Hedges (non-publicly Traded) | Yes |
Bitcoin (or other virtual currency) | No |
FOREX | Yes |
Hedge Funds | No |
Limited Partnerships | No |
Single-member LLC (or Checkbook LLC) | Yes |
Multi-member LLC | Yes |
REITs | Yes |
Annuities (fixed or Variable) | No |
Viaticles or Life Settlements | No |
Insurance (other) | No |
Trust Deeds | Yes |
Tax Liens | Yes |
Private Lending (Unsecured Notes) | Yes |
Private Lending (Secured Notes) | Yes |
Private Company Stock | Yes |
Public Company Stock (or ETFs) | Yes |
Publicly Traded Options | No |
Church Bonds | Yes |
Mutual Funds or Closed-End Funds (CEF) | No |
Livestock, Horses, or similar animals | No |
Business Development Company (BDC) | Yes |
International Real Estate | No |
International Asset (other than real estate) | No |
Other | N/A |
Does American Estate and Trust sub-custody certain assets at other firms: | No |
Does American Estate and Trust provide sub custody services to other firms: | No |
Asset Specialization: | Real Estate and Precious Metals |
Most popular assets held: | Real Estate, Precious Metals, and LLCs |
American Estate and Trust
Operations
Client account title format: | American Estate & Trust FBO [Client Name] |
Number of full-time employees: | 20 |
Process for setting up a new account: | Clients can create an account online (www.iracentral.com/FX/55555) or fill out a PDF application. Once the account is created they send a request form to the clients financial firm requesting the funds |
Process for adding a new asset to client account: | The client fills out a Direction Form. Then, the client send in a copy of the asset the want to buy. |
Procedures in place to protect client information: | When they receive the money they don't require the client give them a medallion stamp but they do require a medallion when funds are being transferred out. Checks and wires only go to the clients address, they will not send funds to 3rd parties. Clients can view their account online but have to register their IP address with them first. Clients cannot change their address without a notary. |
Procedures for when an investment is suspected to be or is found to be fraudulent: | If we suspect the investment is fraudulent before the funds go out they will not allow the client to invest or make them provide more due diligence. If they have existing clients that have fraudulent assets and they are aware of it, they will notify the client and have them take whatever action is necessary to resolve the account. |
American Estate and Trust
Technology
Does company participate in DTC system: | (Not Disclosed) |
Details of DTC: | (Not Disclosed) |
Does company accept Fed Funds wires: | Yes |
Fed Funds wire details: | They bank with Wells Fargo and the routing number is 120000248 |
Client account access: | Clients can view their accounts online, they can also upload documents, create direction forms, send out billpayments, and pay their annual fees |
Accounting: | Filemaker database |
Account reporting: | Filemaker database |
Trading investments: | N/A |
Safekeeping of client assets: | Off Site Servers |
Record keeping of client assets: | Off Site Servers |
Document storage: | Off Site Servers |
Compliance: | Off Site Servers |
Security and client information protection: | Off Site Servers |
American Estate and Trust
Management Team
- Scott Janko, President
- Mike Janko, Chief Investment Officer
- Brian Tillotson, General Counsel
- David Freeberg, VP Controller
- Roy Barker, Portfolio Manager
Access Company Management Profiles (not available)
Glassdoor Ratings: (How company rates as an employer) (No Profile Available)
American Estate and Trust
Client Protection
Insurance coverage limits for client assets: | As a state of Nevada licensed trust company, They meet all state requirements for capital reserves and bonding |
Coverage for uninvested cash balances: | All cash deposits are held in FDIC insured accounts |
Errors & Omissions coverage (E&O): | (Not Disclosed) |
Additional or supplemental insurance coverage for client accounts: | (Not Disclosed) |
Have any owners or managing members of the company been charged with a felony, theft, or fraud: | (Not Disclosed) |
Has the company itself ever been investigated, charged, or convicted of a felony, fraud, theft, or industry related violation: | (Not Disclosed) |
American Estate and Trust
Customer Satisfaction
Better Business Bureau: (click to review BBB overview) | |
Accredited Business since: | Not Accredited |
BBB Rating: | F |
Yelp Ratings: (click to review yelp ratings) | |
Number of people on customer service team: | (Not Disclosed) |
Number of people on the "premier" or " institutional" customer service team: | (Not Disclosed) |
Number of people on the team that performs investment reviews for client assets: | (Not Disclosed) |
Average turnaround time for a client's new investment (assuming all documents required have been send in by client): | (Not Disclosed) |
Average turnaround time for setting up a new client account (assuming all documentation required has been sent in by client): | (Not Disclosed) |
Method of client account access: | (Not Disclosed) |
Is client education provided by company: | (Not Disclosed) |
Is financial advice provided by company to client: | (Not Disclosed) |
American Estate and Trust
Self Direct Your Retirement Transparency Index
The Self Direct Your Retirement Transparency Index is a metric we have developed to indicate how transparent self-directed IRA custodians and administrators are about their company. We value transparency as an ideal trait from a company that is providing custody or administration of your retirement accounts. It shows that the company has nothing to hide about their activities. You should consider this when you are making your choice.
The Self Direct Your Retirement Transparency Index is split into two parts. The first part is whether they voluntarily provided this information to us or whether we had to find this data on our own. Companies that provided us with the data were given the "company certified seal". If they did not participate, the seal does not show up in their profile. The second part of the index is how transparent the companies were in providing us with this information. A higher transparency number indicates a more transparent company. A number above 80% is ideal. There may be legitimate reasons companies do not want to share certain information, but you should consider this when making your decision.
Below the seal, we have listed the last time the company provided us with information. As long as the company has the certified seal, the information should be considered up-to-date. We contact the company periodically to ensure the information is accurate. If the company chooses not to verify the information, then we remove the seal. Transparency is only one factor you should consider when choosing a self directed IRA custodian or administrator.
Willingness to provide information - Moderate
Company Certified Information
Information last updated on: 10/10/2016
American Estate and Trust
Compared to Peers
Visit the Self-Directed IRA custodian & administrator comparison page to see how American Estate and Trust compares to its peers.
American Estate and Trust
Company Spotlight - Industry Trends
We asked American Estate and Trust to provide their individual insight into the following questions. This section is a bit more personal. The idea is that it will give you more insight into the company you are considering to provide custody of your investments.
What trends do you see in the self-directed IRA industry? | (Not Disclosed) |
What trends in asset types do you see at your firm? | (Not Disclosed) |
What is your firm's biggest concern about the self-directed IRA industry? | (Not Disclosed) |
Please list some additional concerns your firm has about the industry? | (Not Disclosed) |
Do you see any changes in regards to what investors want from custodians and administrators? | (Not Disclosed) |
What are your company's biggest challenges? | (Not Disclosed) |
What are the self-directed IRA industry's biggest challenges? | (Not Disclosed) |
What needs to be changed in the Self-Directed IRA industry? | (Not Disclosed) |
How could the Self-Directed IRA Industry improve? | (Not Disclosed) |
What is the biggest reason for the company's success? | (Not Disclosed) |
Company's view of important of the following items (ranked in order of importance)? | (Not Disclosed) |
Other relevant information: | (Not Disclosed) |
American Estate and Trust
Conclusion
We are not able to make a reasonable assessment of this custodian due to their lack of transparency. It is hard to truly know what you are getting from a company that is providing custody to your investments if they are unwilling to disclose even basic information about themselves to potential clients. While the company might be suitable for your investing needs, you should exercise caution unless they are willing to disclose all the information you need to make a reasonable decision.
If you find a company that is not willing to be transparent to you as a potential customer of their services, then you should reconsider them as a potential choice for your retirement funds. Ultimately, your personal retirement investing needs will determine whether American Estate & Trust is a good fit for you. Transparency is only one metric which you should consider in your due diligence process. Please use our Self Directed IRA Custodian & Administrator Comparison Tool to help you make that determination.
One of the biggest areas of frustration we see from self-directed IRA investors is when they realize they have chosen the wrong self-directed IRA custodian or administrator. It takes time to set up an account and fund your investment. The last thing you want to do when you are trying to fund your investment is to think about changing to a different custodian. Choose your Self-Directed IRA custodian or administrator wisely. If you put the time in now to find the right company, you will save time, money, and aggravation later. Read our Choosing a Self-Directed IRA Custodian report for more information.
Next Steps... Once you have located your ideal Self-Directed IRA Custodian or Administrator, you will be on your way to self-directing your retirement. If you decide that this process seems too complex and you need assistance or financial advice, feel free to contact us. Our firm specializes in providing financial advice pertaining to alternative investments held in self-directed IRAs and 401ks. We are fiduciaries and provide unbiased financial advice to our clients. Contact us if you want to learn more about our wealth management services.
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