Reputation FAQs

• Is Lear Capital a legit company?

  Lear Capital, which has been in business for more than 25 years, is a reputable physical precious metal asset market organization. The Business Consumer Alliance AAA-rated company facilitates bullion and rare coin purchases, and helps investors diversify their portfolios through these purchases and by adding physical gold or silver assets to existing self-directed individual retirement accounts.

  Since its 1997 founding, Lear Capital has successfully served more than 90,000 satisfied customers and processed more than $1 billion IRA-related transactions.

  Lear Capital’s highly personalized approach to customer service includes providing each investor a dedicated account representative, who can help guide them through the steps involved in the precious metals investment process, and offering additional assistance via an 800 number investors can call during daytime hours to have any questions answered by a qualified customer service professional.

• Who is the owner of Lear Capital?

  Kevin DeMeritt is. After receiving a bachelor’s degree with a focus in business and economics from the University of Montana, DeMeritt worked in the international banking sector before founding Lear Capital in 1997.

  DeMeritt also founded Wilshire Finance Partners, a private lending company specializing in real estate, in 2008.

  DeMeritt, who is the author of The Bulls, the Bears and the Bust, has utilized his knowledge of financial trends and economic cycles to help investors purchase bullion, acquire premium rare coins, or add gold or silver to a self-directed individual retirement account to help safeguard their retirement savings during economic downturns.

  With 20 years of experience working with investment-quality gold and other precious metals, DeMeritt has helped investors take advantage of periods of economic expansion and safeguard their savings against downturns. DeMeritt has also appeared in more than 1,000 interviews on talk radio programs, speaking about timely topics such as stock market volatility, the ramifications of U.S. debt, and ways investors can protect their retirement savings through diversification.

• How reputable is Lear Capital?

  In addition to being a Business Consumer Alliance AAA-rated company, Lear Capital has been appointed as an authorized dealer by the Professional Coin Grading Service, a key industry appraisal and certification provider. Lear also abides by the third-party Numismatic Guaranty Corporation coin-grading service’s standard of integrity, guaranteeing coin-grading accuracy and authenticity. In addition, Lear is accredited as an authorized dealer by the Industry Council for Tangible Assets.

  The company believes in complete pricing and process transparency. To ensure that investors don’t receive any unexpected fees, the company clearly outlines every step of the precious metal acquisition process — and also offers a Price Advantage Guarantee policy. Investors receive a written account agreement and confirmation of the purchase details in writing and by phone.

• Does Lear Capital have a lot of good reviews?

  Some of the more than 90,000 customers Lear Capital has worked with in the past two-and-a-half decades have called the precious metals company “the best in the business” and a “very professional and knowledgeable” organization.

  A number of investors posted reviews on the ConsumerAffairs website, such as Michele from Bangor, Pennsylvania, who said the silver purchases she made through the company were “smooth and easy.

  “The representative gave me confidence in the company and was pleasant while doing it,” she said. “I would not hesitate to recommend this company and the representative I dealt with to my family and friends.”

  Noel Roque, an investor who posted a review of his experience with Lear Capital on Trustpilot, said that his interaction with the company was so positive that he ultimately made two precious metal asset purchases.

  “They gave me a fair and much appreciated discounted price,” Roque wrote. “Everyone, from the account executive, office staff [to the] CFO, were very personable and helpful. They made it an easy and enjoyable experience!”

• How long has Lear Capital been in business?

  Lear Capital was founded 25 years ago by Kevin DeMeritt, who has a background in investing and currently is the chairman of the company, which has become a leader in the gold, silver and precious metals industry.

  Since the late 1990s, Lear Capital has provided portfolio diversification services to tens of thousands of investors who were looking to realign their asset allocation, offset future market volatility or otherwise help safeguard their savings through precious metals-based investments.

  Specifically, Lear Capital offers assistance with the purchase of bullions, limited mintage coins and rare coins — and helps investors add physical gold and silver assets to an existing IRA account.

• What is the stock symbol for Lear Capital?

  While the Lear Corporation, an automotive technology company, is publicly traded under the stock symbol NYSE: LEA, precious metals provider Lear Capital is a completely different business that is a private corporation, and thus does not have a stock symbol.

  Founded more than 25 years ago by investment professional Kevin DeMeritt, Lear Capital has become one of the most recognized names in physical precious metal asset-based investing.

  The company, which is based in Los Angeles, provides portfolio diversification services such as facilitating bullion and rare coin purchases and helping investors add physical gold and silver assets to existing IRA accounts.

• Who is the CEO of Lear Capital?

  John Ohanesian is the CEO of Lear Capital. Prior to joining Lear Capital, he transformed the Bosley Inc. hair brand from a small startup to a global enterprise and leader in hair restoration services. Today, he leads Lear in offering a diverse array of investment resources, including real-time pricing information, email pricing alerts, and detailed descriptions of U.S. and internally produced gold, silver, and platinum coins.

  In tandem with materials that can help investors understand and remain updated about the precious metals investment category, Lear Capital also provides portfolio diversification-related services.

  Physical precious metal asset-based investments can provide reassurance to buyers that they have complete control of a tangible item, such as gold coins. This may present fewer third-party risks than gold-related stocks and exchange-traded funds, which can be affected by leadership decisions and other factors that could potentially impact their value.

• How does Lear Capital make money?

  Lear Capital makes money from the precious metals-related services it provides. The company, which has earned an AAA rating with the Business Consumer Alliance, has been authorized as a dealer by the Professional Coin Grading Service, which has positioned it to provide customers with coin grading accuracy and authenticity.

  Fees can be involved in establishing an IRA with a custodian. Investors will also pay insurance and storage fees if their precious metals are kept in a secure IRS-approved depository vault — such as the Delaware Depository, which backs its storage services with a comprehensive insurance policy that’s underwritten by Lloyd’s of London, one of the world’s oldest insurance providers. If physical loss or damage happens to occur because of fire, flooding, or another issue, the precious metal assets that are held at the depository are insured for their full value.

  Lear Capital may charge separate fees that relate to the type of metal that is purchased, which start at 1%. As part of its commitment to ensuring that investors thoroughly understand all aspects of the precious metals investment process, including any related costs, Lear Capital sends a printed confirmation of the purchase details and follows up by phone to confirm that the information has been received. The company also provides a risk-free guarantee, which allows buyers to review their purchase and cancel their transaction at no cost, should they desire, within 24 hours.

• How many locations does Lear have?

  Lear Capital is headquartered in Los Angeles — however, the company serves investors across the U.S. In fact, Lear Capital has helped tens of thousands of consumers purchase physical precious metal assets over the years, such as gold bars and coins.

  Because only a limited quantity of gold, silver, and platinum exists in the world, the precious metals have retained value over time, historically experiencing fewer severe price drops than some of the generally more volatile investment vehicles, like stocks, even during economic downturns.

  In the 2009 recession, for example, gold prices rose — approximately 2.6% in 2008 and 13% in 2009. Similarly, premium rare coins have performed well during all 15 recessions the U.S. has experienced since 1919, according to Lear Capital data.

• How many employees does Lear have?

  Lear Capital’s executive leadership team includes founder and Chairman Kevin DeMeritt, who previously worked in international banking before launching Lear Capital in 1997, and CEO John Ohanesian.

  DeMeritt is also known as the author of the book The Bulls, the Bears and the Bust and remains dedicated to helping investors capitalize on economic growth and proactively protect their savings against potential financial downturns.

  In addition to Lear Capital’s chairman and CEO, the company employs an extensive staff of sales and customer service professionals to assist investors with purchasing items such as bullions, limited mintage coins and rare coins — and adding physical precious metal assets to self-directed IRA accounts.

• Has Lear Capital filed bankruptcies?

  Lear Capital actually exited bankruptcy reorganization earlier this year. The services it offers remained unchanged during that period and after. Throughout 2023, the company has seen a robust interest in physical precious metal asset-based purchases. The number of Americans who view gold as the best long-term investment nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023, according to a Gallup poll published in May.

  Lear Capital remains an active participant in the precious metals industry, having received authorized dealer accreditation from the Precious Metals Association and the Professional Coin Grading Service. Lear Capital is also a member of the International Council for Tangible Assets, which helps set precious metals industry standards, and received a five-star rating, indicating excellent customer satisfaction, from the consumer review website Trustpilot — in addition to an AAA rating from the Business Consumer Alliance.

The statements made on this Website are opinions only. Past results are no guarantee of future performance or returns. Precious metals, like all investments, carry risk. Precious metals and coins may appreciate, depreciate, or stay the same depending on a variety of factors. Lear Capital, Inc. cannot guarantee, and makes no representation, that any metals purchased will appreciate at all or appreciate sufficiently to make customers a profit. Lear is a retail seller of precious metals and its buyback (or bid) prices are lower than its sell (or ask) prices. Metals must appreciate enough to account for this difference in order for customer to make a profit when liquidating the metals. Lear does not provide financial advice or retirement planning services. The decision to purchase or sell precious metals, and which precious metals to purchase or sell, are the customer’s decision alone, and purchases and sales should be made subject to the customer’s own research, prudence and judgment.