Pacific Premier Trust Review

Our Verdict

Pacific Premier Trust is an SDIRA custodian offering a range of alternative investment options. While it provides flexibility, Pacific Premier Trust has high fees and limited educational resources, making it a less-than-ideal option for some investors.

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Pacific Premier Trust
Best for: Experienced investors who can manage their own portfolio and understand the fee structure.
Setup fee for IRA: $50
Pros:
  • $18 billion assets under custody
  • Over 30 years experience
  • Diverse alternative assets
  • Good custodial ownership
Cons:
  • Higher fees
  • Mixed customer reviews

Pacific Premier Trust is a self-directed IRA custodian best for experienced investors looking to diversify their portfolio with alternative assets like real estate.

While it offers account flexibility, high fees and scant educational resources may be drawbacks for new investors.

Continue reading to see if it aligns with your goals.

The Verdict for Pacific Premier Trust

I’ve given them a rating of 5.9 out of 10.

Pacific Premier Trust is a SDIRA custodian with a long history of offering investors access to alternative investments.

While Pacific Premier Trust offers decades of experience, it lacks educational resources for investors and has high fees.

Review the account options Pacific Premier Trust offers and the fee schedule to see if it aligns with your investing goals.

CategoryRating (out of 10)
Investment Options9
Pricing & Fees6
Account Setup & Maintenance7
Customer Service & Support6
Security & Compliance7
Reputation & Reviews4
Resources & Tools2
Overall Rating5.9

In this review of Pacific Premier Trust, I’ve followed GIC’s detailed criteria for evaluating the self-directed IRA custodian.

About Pacific Premier Trust

Pacific Premier Trust  homepage

Founded in 1989, Pacific Premier Trust is a self-directed IRA custodian headquartered in Irvine, CA with operations in Denver, CO.

Pacific Premier Trust provided custodian services for more than 30 years before becoming a division of Pacific Premier Bank in 2020.

Pacific Premier Trust’s mission is to empower investors to use alternative assets to actively manage their retirement savings.

They offer a variety of account types and access to a range of investment options to make this possible.  

The leadership team at Pacific Premier Trust includes seasoned professionals specializing in alternative asset management and compliance.

Pacific Premier Trust’s parent company is led by Steven R. Gardner with Tamara Wendoll leading operations at Pacific Premier Trust.

She brings decades of experience managing investments and securities.

Pacific Premier Trust serves more than 32,000 clients across the United States.

They have $18 billion in assets under custody which includes 35,812 unique assets. Pacific Premier Trust has an B+ rating with the BBB and is not accredited.

Investment Options

Pacific Premier Trust offers a variety of tax-advantaged SDIRA accounts including:

  • Self-Directed Traditional IRA
  • Self-Directed Roth IRA
  • SEP IRA 
  • SIMPLE IRA 
  • Inherited IRA
  • Custodial IRA

Within these accounts, investors can invest in several types of alternative assets:

  • Private equity
  • Real estate
  • Raw land
  • Precious metals
  • Promissory notes
  • Renewable energy projects
  • Tax liens
  • Crowdfunding
  • Commodities
  • Futures
  • Hedge funds
  • Fine art
  • Franchises

With these options, Pacific Premier Trust offers flexibility for investors to allocate their portfolios in alternative assets alongside traditional stocks and bonds.

Some assets like life insurance policies and collectibles are not supported by Pacific Premier Trust and transactions involving disqualified persons are not permitted.

Pacific Premier Trust does not have any preferred providers that recommend working with.

Individual investors are responsible for selecting investment opportunities and evaluating partners to make sure they align with your personal financial goals.

When you’re ready to set up an account, select the account you’d like to open.

You can rollover an existing retirement account or make a contribution with a wire transfer. Once the account is funded you can begin investing.

To select investments for an account, identify the asset you’d like to add to your portfolio and complete the Investment Authorization Form to instruct Pacific Premier Trust to execute the investment on your behalf.

Once the investment has been approved and added, you’ll be able to monitor it on your Pacific Premier Trust account dashboard.

Pricing & Fees

Pacific Premier Trust maintains a transparent fee schedule. The setup fee for a new account is $50.

There is a minimum cash balance requirement of $1,000 for all accounts except accounts holding real estate, which must maintain $5,000 in their account at all times.

After that, Pacific Premier Trust charges a tiered administrative fee based on the total asset value of your account.

The minimum annual fee is $750.

Account ValueFee
$0-$1,000,0000.30%
$1,000,001-$4,000,0000.15%
$5,000,000 and above0.10%

In addition to the annual account maintenance fees, Pacific Premier Trust also charges separate transaction fees:

  • Asset registration: $75/asset
  • Asset processing service: $175
  • Account closure: $225
  • Cash balance requirement fee: $75/quarter
  • Contribution re-characterization fee: $150
  • Wire service: $35

Compared to other SDIRA custodians, Pacific Premier Trust’s annual fees are above the industry standard.

While the account setup and first-year fee is lower than some providers, a percentage-based fee structure based on account value can add unnecessary administrative costs that eat away at investor’s savings.

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Account Setup & Maintenance

To set up an account with Pacific Premier Trust follow a few easy steps:

  1. Choose an account type to open
  2. Complete account application to set up a new account
  3. Verify your identity and proof of address
  4. Fund the account with a direct contribution, a rollover from an existing retirement account, or a transfer from another custodian
  5. Select your investments
  6. Complete Investment Authorization Form to authorize Pacific Premier Trust to execute the investment on your behalf

You will need to verify your identity to open your account. This may include submitting your driver’s license, Social Security Number, as well as proof of address like a utility bill. 

Setting up your account and funding it can take up to three weeks. If you’re rolling over funds from a retirement account, a Pacific Premier Trust representative can help process the rollover.

This must be done within 60 days of initiation to avoid taxes and penalties.

Once your account is active and investments have been selected you’ll gain access to Pacific Premier Trust’s online portal.

You can use the portal to monitor your investments and submit transaction requests.

Customer Service & Support

Pacific Premier Trust offers customer support via phone and email. Existing customers can email customer support at [email protected] or call (800) 962-4238.

Customer support is available Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm MT.

New customers interested in opening an account with Pacific Premier Trust should contact the sales department via email at [email protected] or by calling (855) 453-4960 during business hours.

Investors are split when it comes to responsiveness. Some clients have difficulty accessing customer service to complete simple administrative tasks while others report a positive experience.

A few customers report the company is slow to respond and may not answer the phone right away.

Security & Compliance

Pacific Premier Trust prioritizes confidentiality and security. The company adheres to IRS and state regulations regarding SDIRAs.

They provide information about contribution limits on their website to ensure investors stay within the limits. 

Pacific Premier Trust collects personally identifiable information from its clients and discloses how that information is used in its terms of service and privacy statement. Sensitive information is encrypted to ensure client security.

Pacific Premier Trust does not share information about how it conducts internal audits or what measures it takes to ensure regulatory compliance.

Reputation & Reviews

Pacific Premier Trust has a 1.1-star rating from 42 customer reviews on Yelp and a 4.7-star rating from 544 customers on Google.

It also has a 1.07-star rating from 18 customers on the Better Business Bureau.

Investors are mixed when it comes to customer service. Some have reported a good experience while others have complained about misrepresented and excessive fees and non-existent customer service.

The company has a B+ rating with the BBB and is not accredited. There are several complaints from customers regarding high fees and difficulty closing their accounts.

Many of these customers previously had accounts with PENSCO which was acquired by Pacific Premier Trust in 2020.

The company maintains social media accounts on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Vimeo.

Resources & Tools

Pacific Premier Trust offers scant investor resources that are not easy to navigate to. The company does not maintain a blog and only offers a couple of educational videos on YouTube.

There are two calculators: an RMD Calculator and a CD calculator.

The company doesn’t offer market analysis or investment advice. It does not host webinars or offer consultations.

There are no ebooks or guides for investors to download to learn more about investing in alternative assets with a SDIRA.

Pacific Premier Trust Alternatives

While Pacific Premier Trust is a well-respected SDIRA custodian, it might not make it the best option for all investors.

Here are a few alternatives to consider.

 
 
 
Our Rating:
4.8
Our Rating:
4.5
Our Rating:
4.2
Setup fee for IRA:
$360-$600
Setup fee for IRA:
$50
Setup fee for IRA:
$50
Our Rating:
4.8
Setup fee for IRA:
$360-$600
Our Rating:
4.5
Setup fee for IRA:
$50
Our Rating:
4.2
Setup fee for IRA:
$50

Rocket Dollar

Rocket Dollar homepage

Rocket Dollar is ideal for investors who want the most flexibility. It offers self-directed IRAs and solo 401(k)s and investors can choose from a variety of assets, including the option to “bring your own deal.”

Get started with Rocket Dollar today!

The Entrust Group

The Entrust Group homepage

The Entrust Group has 40 years of experience and offers a variety of account options including HSAs and ESAs.

STRATA Trust Company

STRATA Trust homepage

STRATA Trust Company has been in business since 2008 and like Pacific Premier Trust, it’s a subsidiary of a bank.

Is Pacific Premier Trust a good custodian?

With almost four decades in business, Pacific Premier Trust is an established SDIRA custodian.

It offers a variety of account types and investment options. Compared to other SDIRA custodians, it has high fees and a less-than-stellar customer service reputation.

Its investor educational resource offerings are also sparse.

Talk to a customer service representative to learn more about Pacific Premier Trust’s offerings to see if it’s the right fit for you.

FAQs

Who owns Pacific Premier Trust?

Pacific Premier Trust is a division of Pacific Premier Bank. Pacific Premier Bank’s parent company is Pacific Premier Bancorp, Inc. a publicly traded company on NASDAQ.

Does Pacific Premier Trust have any pending lawsuits or  complaints?

Pacific Premier Trust is named as a plaintiff in a foreclosure lawsuit. There are several complaints on the Better Business Bureau’s website regarding high fees.

Where is Pacific Premier Trust located?

Pacific Premier Trust’s headquarters is located at 17901 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 1200 Irvine, CA 92614. The company maintains an operations and service center at 1801 California St., Suite 800 Denver, CO 80202.

Find a Gold IRA Partner

Find a gold IRA company to help you protect your wealth.

Pacific Premier Trust

Pacific Premier Trust is a leading self-directed IRA custodian, helping individuals and institutions hold private equity, real estate, notes and alternative assets.

Product Brand: Pacific Premier Trust

Editor's Rating:
3

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