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John J. Halloran
Founder and CEO, CERTIFIED GOLD EXCHANGE
Author of The Retirement Accounts Playbook
John J. Halloran founded Certified Gold Exchange in 1992 and has led the company for 34 years. Under his direction, CGE has helped clients across all 50 states buy, hold, and sell physical gold and silver. Since 2006, the company has also helped clients move retirement savings into precious metals IRAs.
Few people in the precious metals business have observed the industry as closely, or for as long. John has seen what happens when people buy the wrong product, pay an excessive price, or make a retirement account decision they cannot easily reverse. Those experiences shaped both the company he built and the subjects he writes about.
A Company Built on Price-Checking
Much of the precious metals industry makes its money on products buyers cannot easily compare. John built CGE differently.
He directed the company toward widely traded bullion that buyers can price-check at thousands of dealers: American Gold and Silver Eagles, Canadian Gold and Silver Maple Leafs, and recognized bullion bars. When a product is easy to compare, it becomes much harder to hide an excessive markup.
That philosophy runs through how CGE operates:
- Verified Fair Pricing. Before an order is confirmed, CGE pulls live pricing on the client’s exact items from two other major online bullion sellers, screenshots both, and shows the client the comparison.
- No sales quotas. CGE has never had them. Staff are measured by how clients are treated, not by how much they sell.
- Real people answer the phone. Clients can reach a person instead of navigating an automated phone tree to get an answer.
Consumer Protection
John has spent years warning buyers about some of the precious metals industry’s most damaging practices. These include high-markup “exclusive” coins marketed as safe-haven investments, sales presentations built around fear, and “best gold IRA company” websites that are actually paid advertising.
His advice does not require trusting CGE or any other dealer: before buying, compare prices for the same products with two or three independent sellers. The important comparison is the same metal, in the same form, at the same time.
A client who first called CGE in the mid-1990s still remembers John’s core principle in a Google review:
“You buy metal to hold, not to trade.”
Author of The Retirement Accounts Playbook
John wrote The Retirement Accounts Playbook (Bedrock Financial Press) to address something many retirement books treat separately: how different retirement accounts work together.
Most resources explain what a 401(k), IRA, Roth IRA, or HSA is. The Playbook concentrates on the decisions connecting them: where the next dollar should go, when a rollover makes sense, when a Roth conversion deserves closer examination, and how one financial decision can affect taxes, Medicare premiums, and the taxation of Social Security benefits.
The book organizes retirement money into three tax categories:
Taxed now. Taxed later. Never taxed again.
From there, John uses a straightforward framework, Build, Manage, Protect, to follow those decisions from the working years through retirement.
Why the Decisions Between Accounts Matter
A decision that appears simple inside one retirement account can create consequences somewhere else:
- Moving money from an employer plan into an IRA can change future withdrawal options.
- A Roth conversion can reduce future taxable distributions while increasing taxable income in the year of conversion.
- One withdrawal can affect income taxes, Medicare surcharges, and Social Security taxation at the same time.
- Beneficiary designations, rollover deadlines, and required minimum distributions can create consequences that may be difficult or impossible to reverse.
John’s goal is to explain those connections in plain English so readers understand the questions worth asking before they act.
Areas of Expertise
- Precious metals pricing and dealer markups
- Bullion versus high-premium and “exclusive” products
- Gold and silver IRAs and self-directed IRAs
- 401(k) rollovers and IRA transfers
- Traditional and Roth IRAs and Roth conversions
- Required minimum distributions and withdrawal decisions
- Beneficiary and inherited account rules
- Retirement account taxation, Medicare surcharges, and Social Security taxation
- Custodians, depositories, storage, and liquidation
- Consumer protection in precious metals transactions
Important Information
Certified Gold Exchange does not provide investment, tax, or legal advice. CGE’s precious metals specialists assist clients with precious metals transactions and the administrative process involved in establishing and funding self-directed precious metals IRAs. Clients make their own investment decisions. Anyone considering a tax-sensitive retirement strategy should consult an appropriate tax or legal professional about their individual circumstances.
About CERTIFIED GOLD EXCHANGE
Certified Gold Exchange has served precious metals buyers since 1992. The company helps clients purchase and sell physical gold and silver, establish and fund precious metals IRAs, and liquidate existing holdings. CGE primarily focuses on widely traded products including American Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, and recognized bullion bars.
Recent Articles and Guides Written or Co-Authored by John J. Halloran
John co-authors CGE retirement, precious metals, and consumer education content with Pat Collins, Senior Vice President of Gold IRA Services.
Find John J. Halloran Online
Amazon Author Page · Goodreads · BookBub · LinkedIn
Professional Information
Name: John J. Halloran
Title: Founder and CEO
Company: Certified Gold Exchange
In business: Since 1992 (34 years)
Gold and silver IRAs: Since 2006
Author: The Retirement Accounts Playbook (Bedrock Financial Press)
Specialties: Precious metals pricing and dealer markups, consumer protection, Gold IRAs and self-directed IRAs, rollovers and transfers, Roth conversions, retirement account taxation
Transparent & Competitive Pricing
Exceptional Service.
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58,000+ Served
In All 50 States
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Serving Investors
Since 1992
