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Before we get started:

Inflation and rising interest rates has destroyed many people's savings.  Many investors feel defeated and helpless, but you can fight back.

Gold and other precious metals have been used to protect against inflation for thousands of years.  And when you hold physical in a tax-protected savings account, it gets even better.

Opening a gold IRA can sound complicated, but it's really not.  

That is why we created a list of our most trustworthy investment companies, to make comparing and choosing the company best suited to your needs as easy as possible.

>> CLICK HERE to read our list of the Top Gold IRA Companies. <<

Look to see if Fisher Precious Metals was selected to our "highest recommendation" list this year!

Or...

Get a FREE Gold Investing Packet from our #1 recommendation, by clicking the button below:

Protect Your Retirement Savings from Inflation &Taxes!

Get FREE Gold Kit

The post Fisher Precious Metals Review appeared first on Turner Investments.

Disclaimer: We are supported by our readers. We may receive compensation from links on this page if you use products or services because of our expert recommendations. Please read our Advertising Disclosure.

Before we get started:

Inflation and rising interest rates has destroyed many people's savings.  Many investors feel defeated and helpless, but you can fight back.

Gold and other precious metals have been used to protect against inflation for thousands of years.  And when you hold physical in a tax-protected savings account, it gets even better.

Opening a gold IRA can sound complicated, but it's really not.  

That is why we created a list of our most trustworthy investment companies, to make comparing and choosing the company best suited to your needs as easy as possible.

>> CLICK HERE to read our list of the Top Gold IRA Companies. <<

Look to see if Sanctuary Metals was selected to our "highest recommendation" list this year!

Or...

Get a FREE Gold Investing Packet from our #1 recommendation, by clicking the button below:

Protect Your Retirement Savings from Inflation &Taxes!

Get FREE Gold Kit

The post Sanctuary Metals Review appeared first on Turner Investments.

It operates under an OCC-chartered, FDIC-insured national bank license through Battle Bank, N.A., and its parent company is Battle Financial, Inc., a Delaware corporation. This review looks at what the bank actually offers, how its rates stack up against the big four, and where the fine print matters.

Key Points

• Battle Bank pairs a 3.35% APY cash account with access to precious metals, 20 foreign currencies, and self-directed retirement accounts under one FDIC-insured charter.
• Precious metals and foreign currency products carry different protections: metals are not FDIC insured, while currency deposits are insured against bank failure but not against exchange rate losses.
• The bank has no physical branch network for retail customers and operates through web and mobile apps, with phone support available at 855-922-8853.

Where Battle Bank Came From

Battle Bank didn’t start as a fintech app bolted onto a partner bank.

It got its charter by acquiring Stearns Bank Upsala, N.A., a small Minnesota community bank that had served the town of Upsala since 1978. Battle Financial, Inc. took over that charter, renamed the institution Battle Bank, N.A., and rebuilt its systems for a national, digital-only audience.

Before opening to the public, the company said more than 18,000 people had joined its waitlist. That’s a notable number for a brand most people outside finance circles had never heard of, and it suggests the company built demand before it built the product rather than the other way around.

What You Can Actually Open Here

The product list reads more like a boutique wealth platform than a checking account provider. Here’s the breakdown:

The High Yield Cash Account is the headline product. It combines checking, savings, and money market functions into a single account rather than making customers juggle three separate ones. As of June 2026, Battle Bank listed a 3.35% APY on this account, applying to both the checking and savings functions alike.

How the Rates Compare

Numbers tell the story better than marketing copy does. Battle Bank published a side-by-side rate comparison against three of the largest US banks, using data from June 16, 2026:

The gap is not subtle. Even accounting for the fact that megabank rates have stayed near zero for years regardless of Fed policy, a 3.35% yield on a checking-style account is well above what most brick-and-mortar institutions offer on comparable products.

Whether that rate holds steady is the real question, since online banks have a history of adjusting yields when funding costs shift.

Precious Metals and the MELOC

This is the part of Battle Bank that sets it apart from nearly every other digital bank. Customers can buy gold, silver, platinum, and palladium in either allocated form (physical bars or coins tied to a specific customer) or unallocated form (a claim on a pool of metal rather than a specific bar).

The bank also offers something called a MELOC, or Metals Equity Line of Credit, which lets a customer borrow against the value of metal they already hold instead of selling it outright.

A few things matter here.

Precious metals accounts are explicitly not FDIC insured, not bank guaranteed, and not deposits. Battle Bank states this directly in its disclosures: these are investment products subject to market risk, including the possibility of losing the amount invested.

Anyone treating a metals account like a savings account is misreading the product.

Foreign Currency Accounts

Battle Bank offers deposit accounts in 20 currencies, ranging from the Euro and British Pound to less commonly banked currencies like the Hungarian Forint and Czech Koruna. These accounts are structured through products like CDs and money market accounts rather than as standalone forex trading tools.

FDIC insurance applies to protect against the bank itself failing, but it does not protect against currency depreciation. If you hold Japanese Yen and the exchange rate moves against you, that loss is yours to absorb regardless of the FDIC’s involvement.

This is a genuinely uncommon offering. Most consumer banks in the US don’t touch foreign currency deposits at all, leaving that space to specialized brokers or larger private banking desks. Battle Bank packaging it into a retail-accessible product is one of its more distinctive moves.

Retirement Accounts

Three retirement products round out the lineup: a Checkbook IRA, a Solo 401(k), and a Conventional IRA. The Checkbook IRA is built for people who want direct control over what their retirement account invests in, beyond the usual menu of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

The Solo 401(k) targets business owners (and spouses working in the business) who want to act as their own plan administrator and trustee. These are self-directed products, meaning the account holder takes on more responsibility for compliance and investment decisions than they would with a typical employer-sponsored plan.

Business Banking and Commercial Lending

Battle Bank also runs a business banking arm, giving companies access to the same mix of traditional accounts, metals, and foreign currency available to individual customers.

Its commercial lending focuses specifically on software companies and other businesses with recurring revenue, which is a narrower lane than most community banks pursue.

That specialization could mean faster, more informed underwriting for companies that fit the profile, but it also means the bank isn’t positioning itself as a general-purpose small business lender.

Fees and Transparency

Battle Bank states plainly that it does not charge hidden fees and that any fee that does apply will be disclosed upfront. That’s a standard claim among digital banks, so it’s worth verifying against the actual account disclosures and terms and conditions before opening anything, rather than taking a homepage promise at face value.

The bank publishes its disclosures, terms of use, and rate sheets directly on its site, which at least makes verification possible.

Getting In Touch and Using the App

There’s no retail branch network here. Everything runs through the web platform and mobile apps, which are available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. Customers who want a human on the phone can call 855-922-8853.

The company also publishes a steady stream of how-to videos covering account setup, security word creation, and navigating the retirement account tools, which suggests the onboarding process has enough steps that people need the guidance.

Who This Bank Actually Fits

Battle Bank isn’t built for someone who just wants a basic checking account and a nearby branch. It’s built for a specific type of customer:

• Someone who wants a high-yield cash account without sacrificing checking functionality.
• Someone already interested in physical gold or silver who wants banking and metals under one roof.
• Someone holding assets in multiple currencies who wants to avoid separate brokerage accounts for each.
• A self-directed retirement investor who wants more control than a typical IRA custodian allows.
• A software company owner looking for a lender that understands recurring revenue models.

If none of that describes you, a conventional bank with local branches and simpler products will probably serve you better.

Conclusion

Battle Bank combines a competitive cash account with niche products like precious metals, foreign currency deposits, and self-directed retirement accounts that most banks don’t offer at all.

It’s a strong fit for people who already want those specific products, but the lack of branches and the non-FDIC status of metals accounts mean it’s not a drop-in replacement for a traditional bank account.

The post Battle Bank Review appeared first on Turner Investments.

Whether that’s worth it depends on your goal. For pure gold exposure, coins carry higher premiums and storage/insurance hassles than ETFs like GLD. For a tangible, government-backed, easily verified physical asset, official Mint coins are a solid, liquid choice, generally better than random bullion of uncertain purity.

Compare dealer premiums, verify authenticity, and treat gold as a small diversification piece, not a growth investment.

The post Is it worth buying gold coins from U.S. Mint? appeared first on Turner Investments.

Additional charges can include a 2% fee on dividend reinvestment (DRIP) transactions, and a $3 monthly fee on money market funds if the balance falls below a set threshold.

If you choose an advisory account instead, like Guided Solutions, IRAs carry an asset based fee, often starting around 1% to 1.35% and scaling down as your balance grows, rather than the flat annual fee. Exact costs vary, so confirm current pricing directly with Edward Jones.

The post How much does Edward Jones charge for an IRA? appeared first on Turner Investments.

The firm operates through several regulated entities across Singapore, the United States, Indonesia, China, and Dubai, and its U.S. arm, Straits Financial LLC, is registered with the CFTC and the National Futures Association.

This review looks at what the company actually offers, who owns it, how it’s regulated, and where potential clients should slow down before signing on.

Key Takeaways

• Straits Financial LLC is a CFTC-registered Futures Commission Merchant and NFA member based in Chicago, with clearing memberships at CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX, and other major exchanges.
• The group is owned by CWT Limited, a Singapore logistics company, which gives Straits an unusual edge in physical commodity delivery, warehousing, and cargo logistics that pure trading brokers don’t offer.
• Straits has picked up repeat industry awards, including SGX’s Most Active Commodities Futures Broker title in both 2025 and 2026, but some of its regional entities carry mixed or unclear regulatory records that are worth checking directly with regulators before opening an account.

What Straits Financial Actually Is

Straits Financial isn’t a retail trading app. It’s built for institutional clients, commercial hedgers, asset managers, introducing brokers, and self-directed investors who trade at a scale where personal relationships with brokers and custom credit arrangements matter more than a slick mobile interface.

The company markets itself around “bespoke” products, and that framing holds up when you look at the actual service list: commercial hedging desks, structured OTC products, and warehousing support aren’t things a typical retail forex broker bothers with.

The firm was originally incorporated as Straits Financial Services Pte Ltd on November 3, 2010, in Singapore. Its registered address sits inside the CWT Logistics Hub, which is not a coincidence.

Straits Financial Group is the financial services arm of CWT Limited, a Southeast Asian logistics conglomerate with operations spanning commodities, chemicals, marine, and oil and gas. That parentage explains why Straits can offer physical commodity delivery and global warehousing alongside its trading products.

Most commodity brokers can get you into a futures contract. Fewer can also store and move the physical barrels or bales that contract eventually settles into.

Ownership and Structure

The Chicago office is where most U.S. clients will actually interact with the firm, since that’s the licensed FCM entity. Singapore functions as the group’s commercial and strategic center, and the Indonesian and Dubai operations extend reach into commodity markets where local licensing matters.

Regulatory Status

This is the part that actually determines whether a firm is safe to trade with, so it deserves a direct look rather than a summary.

Straits Financial LLC holds registration as a Futures Commission Merchant, a Swaps Firm, and a Forex Firm with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and it’s a member of the National Futures Association.

It’s a full clearing member of the CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX, Clearport, the New Zealand Exchange, and the Dubai Mercantile Exchange. That’s a legitimate, verifiable footprint. Anyone can confirm it directly on NFA BASIC, the public registration database the NFA maintains for exactly this purpose.

PT Straits Futures Indonesia is licensed and regulated by BAPPEBTI, Indonesia’s commodity futures trading regulator, and holds membership at the Jakarta Futures Exchange and clearing membership at the Indonesia Derivatives Clearing House.

A related entity, PT Straits Financial Indonesia, operates through a partnership with a separately regulated local firm rather than holding its own BAPPEBTI license directly. That distinction matters if you’re opening an account in Indonesia specifically, and it’s worth asking the local office which entity you’d actually be contracting with.

Here’s where things get less clean. Third-party broker review sites tracking the group’s various registrations have flagged that a Hong Kong SFC license associated with the Straits name (license number BHT974) shows a status of “revoked” in the regulator’s own database.

That doesn’t mean the whole group is compromised, since large financial groups often shut down or restructure individual regional licenses for routine business reasons that have nothing to do with misconduct.

But it does mean prospective clients in Hong Kong specifically should check the SFC’s public register before assuming any Straits-branded entity there is currently authorized to do business.

A few things to check before opening an account, regardless of region:

• Confirm which specific legal entity will hold your account, not just the “Straits Financial” brand name.
• Verify that entity’s license status directly on the relevant regulator’s website (NFA BASIC for the U.S., BAPPEBTI for Indonesia, SFC for Hong Kong).
• Ask how client funds are segregated and where they’re held.
• Straits itself publishes fraud warnings on its site, a sign the brand has dealt with impersonation attempts, so double-check that any email or contact you receive comes from an official straitsfinancial.com address.

Products and Services

Straits splits its offering into products (what you trade) and services (how you trade it), which is a reasonable way to organize a business this broad.

Products:

Services:

Trade execution covers both electronic and voice options, which still matters in commodity markets where large block orders often move through a broker’s voice desk rather than an algorithm. Clearing and custody services give institutional clients a regulated home for futures and securities positions.

OTC broking is handled by specialists covering bulk commodities and energy specifically, rather than generalists covering everything. Commercial hedging is built around helping producers and consumers of physical commodities manage price risk, which is the core business CWT’s logistics background actually feeds into.

Trading technology gives clients access to proprietary platforms alongside third-party ones. Managed futures runs through a separate fund management arm offering alternative investment vehicles to institutional and accredited investors.

Digital Assets Through Straits Millennium

The digital asset offering runs through Straits Millennium, positioned as a regulated route into trading digital payment tokens.

This is a newer addition relative to the firm’s core commodities and futures business, and it reflects a pattern common among established derivatives brokers: bolt digital assets onto an existing regulated infrastructure rather than building a standalone crypto exchange from scratch.

Clients interested in this side of the business should ask specifically which jurisdiction and license covers digital asset trading, since that regulatory framework is still evolving and varies significantly by country.

Track Record and Recognition

Straits has collected a steady run of industry awards, concentrated heavily around SGX (Singapore Exchange) commodity trading.

• 2026: Most Active Commodities Futures Broker, 1st Place, SGX Commodities
• 2025: Broker of the Year, FOW Asia Pacific Awards
• 2025: Top Rubber Broker, SGX SICOM
• 2024: Executive of the Year in Financial Services, awarded to CEO Roger Quek by Singapore Business Review
• 2022: Outstanding Market Contribution Award (Overseas Intermediary), Shanghai Futures Exchange and Shanghai International Energy Exchange
• 2018: Non-Bank FCM of the Year, FOW and Global Investor Asia Capital Markets Awards

The rubber brokerage awards from SGX SICOM show up repeatedly across multiple years, which points to a genuine specialization rather than a one-off win. Rubber is a niche commodity market, and consistent recognition there over nearly a decade suggests real trading volume and relationships, not just marketing.

Who Should Actually Consider This Firm

Straits Financial is not built for someone opening their first brokerage account with a few hundred dollars. The client categories the firm names directly, commercials, asset managers, introducing brokers, and self-directed investors trading at an institutional or professional level, tell you who the product is designed for.

Commercial hedgers dealing in physical commodities get the most obvious benefit from the CWT logistics connection, since few competitors can pair a futures hedge with actual warehousing and cargo movement.

Asset managers and larger self-directed traders get value from the multi-exchange clearing access and the range of listed and OTC products under one roof.

Someone looking for a simple retail forex or stock trading app should look elsewhere. This is infrastructure for people who already know what a clearing member does and why it matters.

Conclusion

Straits Financial Group is a legitimately registered, multi-jurisdiction commodity and derivatives broker with real exchange memberships and a logistics-backed niche that few competitors can match.

Anyone considering an account should still verify the specific regulated entity and license involved in their region before transferring funds, particularly given the mixed regulatory record surfacing around some of its international registrations.

The post Straits Financial Review appeared first on Turner Investments.

Life settlements (selling to a third party) typically pay 20% to 60% of the death benefit, though this varies widely. Factors that raise the payout include a larger death benefit, older age, serious illness or shortened life expectancy, and lower ongoing premiums the buyer would need to pay.

Viatical settlements, for people with terminal illness, often pay a higher percentage, sometimes 50% to 80%, since the buyer expects a quicker payout.

To get an actual number, you’d need a life settlement broker or company to evaluate your specific policy, age, health status, and premium costs, then compare offers from multiple buyers before deciding.

The post How much money do you get for selling your life insurance policy? appeared first on Turner Investments.

Qualifying policies are referred to Coventry First, the licensed settlement provider, which may present a cash offer or a mix of cash plus reduced coverage with no future premiums. If you accept, funds are placed in escrow while ownership transfers to the insurer’s records.

The buyer then takes over premium payments and collects the death benefit later. Typically, applicants need to be around 65 or older, and policies must be worth at least $100,000.

The post How does Coventry Direct work? appeared first on Turner Investments.

Once the 20-year payment period ends, you own the policy fully paid up: no more premiums are due, yet the death benefit continues, and the cash value keeps growing (often at a slower, guaranteed rate) for as long as you live.

At that point you typically have a few choices. You can simply keep the paid up policy in place. You can withdraw or borrow against the accumulated cash value. Or you can surrender the policy entirely for its cash surrender value, which ends the coverage.

Some insurers also let you use dividends, if the policy pays them, to buy additional coverage.

The post What happens after 20 year whole life insurance? appeared first on Turner Investments.

Payouts vary widely based on age, health, policy size, and carrier, but industry sources suggest policyholders typically receive an upfront cash settlement averaging around 20 percent of the policy’s death benefit, though this can reach several times the surrender value.

Policies generally need a face value of $100,000 or more, with owners often 65 or older. Coventry provides personalized quotes since offers vary widely and often start lower before rising through a competitive process.

The post How much does Coventry pay for life insurance? appeared first on Turner Investments.