Preferred Trust Company Reviews

This is a third party review of Preferred Trust Company. This due diligence report reviews over 100 different data points for Preferred Trust Company 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.

95%
Transparency Index

Information last updated on: 11/3/2025

Company certified on: 11/3/16

1

Preferred Trust Company

Introduction

Preferred Trust Company is a licensed retail trust custodian in Nevada specializing in self-directed IRAs to build retirement wealth through diversification and control. Preferred Trust facilitates both custodial and administrator roles as a licensed trust company. Their top priority is providing outstanding service to their clients nationwide. Customer service starts with educating individuals and small businesses on the available investment options to maximize their IRA.

Formed in 2007, their mission remains the same: Provide individuals the opportunity to break down the barriers of traditional investing in an IRA. They endeavor to educate clients about their ability to invest in alternative assets through their IRA to provide tax-advantage retirement growth. This wealth-building education enables clients to expand their knowledge and complete transactions with ease.


2

Preferred Trust Company

Contact Information

Website:

Phone Number:

(702) 990-7892

Email:

Offices:

Corporate Office:

2471 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy Ste 100, Henderson, NV 89052

Business Hours:

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM PST (Monday - Friday)


3

Preferred Trust Company

Company Details

Company Classification: 

Custodian

Date Established (under current name):

2007

Type of entity:

LLC

Who provides custody for client assets:

Preferred Trust Company (Self)

Company is registered in: 

Nevada

Primary Line of Business

Providing self-directed IRA custody to clients for alternative investments

Other Lines of Business:

  • Trust Administration

Typical Client:

Retail

Capable of working with Financial Advisory Firms

Yes

Governmental Agency Oversight: 

Nevada Financial Institutions Division (NFID)

Company's Last Audit: 

August 2016  (by: Nevada Financial Institutions Division (NFID) & Independent Financial Audit (annual) by Stewart Archibald & Barney LLP)

Summary of Assets Under Custody

Number of Active Clients:

3,500

Number of Active accounts:

3,500

Amount of assets company provides custody for:

$200+ Million

Self-Directed IRA Industry Affiliations

Self-Directed IRA industry affiliations (outside of this company):

None

Ownership of industry related websites:

Ignite Funding www.ignitefunding.com

Industry related company affiliations:

Ignite Funding

Industry related non-profits:

None

Industry related associations:

American Association of Private Lenders (APPLOnline.com)

Retirement Industry Trust Association (RITA.org)

Industry related board of trustee positions:

None

Industry related publications:

None


4

Preferred Trust Company

Fee Schedule

Account Setup Fee:

$50

Account Termination Fee:

$300

Service Fee Classification: (flat, transaction-based, asset-based, hybrid)

Transaction-based fee

Company Fee Schedule:

* Use the Preferred 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.


5

Preferred Trust Company

Available Account Types

Type of Account:

Available at Preferred Trust Company

Traditional IRA

Yes

Roth IRA

Yes

SEP IRA

(or SERSEP)

Yes

SIMPLE IRA

Yes

Individual 401(k)

No

Defined Contribution Plan

(Group plan e.g. 401k, 403b 457)

No

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

Yes

Partnership / Limited Partnership

No

UTMA / UGMA Custodial Account

No

C-corp, S-corp, or LLC account

No

Other:

N/A


6

Preferred Trust Company

List of Allowable Assets

Type of Asset

Allowed For Custody?

Real Estate

Yes

Private Placement (Reg A)

No

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

No

Hedge Funds

No

Limited Partnerships

Yes

Single-member LLC

(or Checkbook LLC)

Yes

Multi-member LLC

Yes

REITs

Yes

Annuities (fixed or Variable)

No

Viaticles or Life Settlements

Yes

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)

No

Publicly Traded Options

No

Church Bonds

No

Mutual Funds or Closed-End Funds (CEF)

No

Livestock, Horses, or similar animals

No

Business Development Company (BDC)

No

International Real Estate

No

International Asset (other than real estate)

No

Other

N/A

 

Does Preferred Trust Company sub-custody certain assets at other firms:

No

Does Preferred Trust provide sub custody services to other firms:

No

Asset Specialization:

No specialization

Most popular assets held:

  1. Real Estate
  2. Trust Deeds
  3. Promissory Notes

7

Preferred Trust Company

Operations

Client account title format:

Preferred Trust Company FBO [ Client Name ] IRA

Number of full-time employees:

15

Process for setting up a new account:

New clients must complete an application for the type of account they would like to open. Applications can be completed electronically through their online account set-up option or they can complete a PDF of the application and mail the application to Preferred Trust. Additional information can be located on their website or by calling their Toll Free number.

Process for adding a new asset to client account:

Clients should contact their Client Investment Department for specific details regarding the necessary steps to invest depending on the asset type. An Investment Authorization and Direction form is required for all investments along with supporting documents specifically related to the asset type. More information can be obtained via their website.

Procedures in place to protect client information:

Preferred Trust Company follows internal policies and procedures that are in line with the Federal BSA (Bank Secrecy Act), AML Program (Anti-Money Laundering), and Customer Identification Program (as a part of the USA Patriot Act). The Company utilizes specific security software and technology to protect client information.

Procedures for annual valuations: 

Valuations are are required to be submitted to Preferred Trust Company on an annual basis by December 31 of the current tax year. The Fair Market Valuation form can be downloaded from their website.

Procedures for when an investment is suspected to be or is found to be fraudulent:

Local, state, and federal authorities are notified immediately and a SAR (Suspicious Activity Report) is filed.


8

Preferred Trust Company

Technology

Does company participate in DTC system:

No

Details of DTC:

N/A

Does company accept Fed Funds wires:

No

Fed Funds wire details:

N/A

Client account access: 

Clients have access to view their account(s) online through their online portal.

Accounting:

Maui Trust Accounting System by InfoVisa

Account reporting:

Maui Trust Accounting System by InfoVisa

Trading investments:

N/A

Safekeeping of client assets:

Proprietary system and third-party FDIC insured financial institutions.

Record keeping of client assets:

Proprietary system

Document storage:

Proprietary system

Compliance:

Proprietary system

Security and client information protection:

Proprietary system


9

Preferred Trust Company

Management Team

  • Carrie Cook, CEO
  • Christina Trembly, Director of Operations
  • Lori Agar, Controller

Access Company Management Profiles

Glassdoor Ratings: (How company rates as an employer)


10

Preferred Trust Company

Client Protection

Insurance coverage limits for client assets:

(Not Disclosed)

Coverage for uninvested cash balances:

(Not Disclosed)

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:

No

Has the company itself ever been investigated, charged, or convicted of a felony, fraud, theft, or industry related violation:

No


11

Preferred Trust Company

Customer Satisfaction

Better Business Bureau: (click to review BBB overview)

Accredited Business since:

11/11/2009

BBB Rating:

A

Yelp Ratings: (click to review yelp ratings)

Number of people on customer service team:

15

Number of people on the "premier" or " institutional" customer service team:

N/A

Number of people on the team that performs investment reviews for client assets:

4

Average turnaround time for a client's new investment (assuming all documents required have been send in by client):

24-48 Hours

Average turnaround time for setting up a new client account (assuming all documentation required has been sent in by client):

24-48 Hours

Method of client account access:

Online access

Is client education provided by company:

Yes (Resources page on website, Webinars, white papers, newsletters)

Is financial advice provided by company to client:

No


12

Preferred Trust Company

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. All companies were given a chance to participate. 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.

95%
Information Transparency

Willingness to provide information - Extremely High

Company Certified Information

Information last updated on: 11/3/2016


13

Preferred Trust Company

Compared to Peers

Visit the Self-Directed IRA custodian & administrator comparison page to see how Preferred Trust Company compares to its peers.


14

Preferred Trust Company

Company Spotlight - Industry Trends

We asked Preferred Trust Company 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?

The self-directed IRA industry is becoming more highly scrutinized by federal regulators. The determination of Fair Market Valuation of alternative assets is being examined and inspected more closely.

What trends in asset types do you see at your firm?

Real Estate investing is being increasingly popular at our firm, from real property to trust deed notes and crowd funding.

What is your firm's biggest concern about the self-directed IRA industry?

Our biggest concern is that companies in our industry are misrepresenting themselves a full-fledged Custodians. As a licensed Retail Trust Company we are highly regulated and examined by federal and state agencies. There are some in our industry (that depending on the state they are established) are not regulated at all. This information is not being disclosed to potential new clients and can impose undo risk on the financial future of their retirement accounts.

Please list some additional concerns your firm has about the industry?

None

Do you see any changes in regards to what investors want from custodians and administrators?

None

What are your company's biggest challenges?

Ensuring that clients are well educated on all aspects of alternative assets. Account owners must understand the risk involved in the investments they select and that they must ensure due diligence in the process of investment selection.

What are the self-directed IRA industry's biggest challenges?

The self-directed industry's biggest challenge is ensuring best practices are followed by all Custodians, Administrators, and facilitators.

What needs to be changed in the Self-Directed IRA industry?

Better regulation and examination of non-licensed administrators and facilitators.

How could the Self-Directed IRA Industry improve?

N/A

What is the biggest reason for the company's success?

Great customer service, marketing, knowledge, management and low fees. Preferred Trust Company considers itself a leader in our industry. Excellence in customer service combined with expertise knowledge, a competitive fee schedule, strong leadership and cutting edge marketing are the reasons our Company has been a success.

Company's view of important of the following items (ranked in order of importance)

  1. Transparency - Providing clients with transparent information
  2. Legitimacy - Prevention of fraudulent investments and schemes
  3. Visibility - Creating greater visibility about self-directed IRAs to investors
  4. Coordination - Coordinating with other custodians, administrators, and professionals

Other relevant information: 

N/A


15

Preferred Trust Company

Conclusion

Preferred Trust Company has a high level of transparency. This is exactly what we look for in a custodian or administrator. Without this high level of transparency, we would not have access to the information we would need to make the best decision possible.

Looking for companies with this high level of transparency is only the first step in the process of finding a suitable self-directed IRA custodian or administrator. With this information, you can make a determination about whether Preferred Trust Company is the best choice for your retirement investing needs. 

Please use our Self Directed IRA Custodian & Administrator Comparison Tool to help you assess whether Preferred Trust Company is the right choice for you.


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. 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 wealth management firm specializes in providing financial advice pertaining to alternative investments held in self-directed IRAs and 401ks. We are fiduciaries and provide unbiased advice. Contact us if you want to learn more about our services.


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