CNT Depository Review

Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission when a reader opens an account through links on this page. The commission does not change what you pay or what we publish. We are not a financial or tax advisor; consult a licensed advisor for your situation. Last reviewed July 2026.

What CNT Depository actually is

CNT Depository is the storage arm of CNT, Inc., a privately owned precious metals company headquartered in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The public listing by Bullion.Directory describes CNT as being in its third generation of single-family ownership and as the largest privately-owned company in the precious metals industry (source: Bullion.Directory listing, checked July 2026).

The parent CNT, Inc. runs multiple lines of business. CNT Minting is a sister division established in 2018 and holds ISO 9001:2015 certification for its precious metal bullion products (source: CNT Minting About page, checked July 2026). The depository sits inside the same corporate structure at the same 722 Bedford Street address.

What makes the setup unusual among IRA depositories is that CNT operates precious metals dealing, minting, storage, and industrial products under one roof. Most private depositories on dealer paperwork are pure storage operators. CNT is a full-stack precious metals operation with a vault attached.

For a gold IRA reader, the corporate scale matters only in one way. The depository is one of several third-party vaults named on the approved storage lists that self-directed IRA custodians hand to their retail dealers. CNT shows up on that layer of the paperwork, not on the IRS side.

The Bridgewater facility on paper

The CNT Depository facility sits at 722 Bedford Street, Bridgewater, Massachusetts 02324. The main storage building is a Class 3 UL rated structure, and the storage areas inside meet the same rigorous standards according to the Bullion.Directory public listing (source: Bullion.Directory, checked July 2026).

The published security description mentions a layered approach that combines physical and electronic protection systems. The listing does not itemize each security layer for the public, which is standard practice among high-value storage operators that do not disclose specific access controls for security reasons.

The site also functions as the address of record for CNT Minting operations, which run a modern manufacturing facility for precious metal bullion products (source: CNT Minting official site, checked July 2026). Storage and minting activities co-locate at the same campus.

Bridgewater is roughly 30 miles south of Boston in Plymouth County. It is not a major financial center or logistics hub, which is arguably a feature. The site is far from dense settlement patterns and off major precious-metals commercial routes.

Where CNT sits in the gold IRA chain

A gold IRA rests on three parties working together. The dealer sells the coins or bars and sets the premium over spot. The custodian is the IRS-approved trust company that holds legal title inside the IRA. The depository holds the physical metal in a secured vault.

CNT Depository is only the third link. The reader does not sign an IRA agreement with CNT directly. Instead, the self-directed IRA custodian names CNT on the reader's account and instructs CNT to receive the metal shipped in by the dealer.

Custodian statements come through the custodian, not through CNT. The storage bill runs on a pass-through basis from CNT to the custodian, and the custodian debits the reader's account. This mirrors the way Delaware Depository, IDS of Texas, and Brink's are structured on the same class of paperwork.

CNT itself does not decide what coins go into your account. The dealer decides that, and the custodian executes the buy on your written instruction. CNT accepts the metal, verifies it, and books it to the account under the custodian's name.

Segregated, allocated, and commingled storage at CNT

The Bullion.Directory listing for CNT Depository names bullion storage, fully insured, segregated, allocated, and IRA suitable as service categories (source: Bullion.Directory, checked July 2026). The individual choice is made on the custodian intake form, not directly with CNT.

Segregated storage means the reader's bullion is physically separated and stored under the individual account. The same exact bars and coins that were shipped in come back at withdrawal. This costs more than pooled storage because CNT must maintain dedicated space and reporting per account.

Allocated storage means specific bars and coins are legally assigned to the account, even if they may sit next to other assigned holdings inside the vault. Allocated is a legal ownership label; segregated is a physical placement label. The two often overlap in practice but are not identical concepts.

Commingled or pooled storage combines fungible bullion of the same product type across accounts. Bars and coins are held together and the reader is entitled to receive the same quantity and quality back at withdrawal, not the exact original units. Commingled is the lower-cost option because labor and space are shared.

Insurance framing at CNT

The Bullion.Directory public listing uses the description fully insured for CNT Depository (source: Bullion.Directory, checked July 2026). That is a marketing-level statement rather than a published dollar-cap declaration on the depository's own public site.

The prudent read for a Texas IRA holder is to ask the custodian in writing what the vault insurance limit is on the specific account. Ask whether the coverage is on an all-risk basis or a named-perils basis. Ask which underwriter carries the policy.

The insurance question matters more than most retail readers realize. A depository that describes itself as fully insured may still limit per-account coverage below the total vault value. The custodian is the party that can put those numbers in writing for your account.

Parent CNT, Inc. is a privately held company and does not file public disclosures the way a listed subsidiary of a NYSE parent does. That is not a red flag on its own, but it does raise the value of getting the insurance answer confirmed by the custodian in writing.

Fee structure and pass-through billing

The Bullion.Directory listing describes the CNT Depository fee structure as fixed and percentage, which is standard for private IRA depositories (source: Bullion.Directory, checked July 2026). Specific pass-through rates depend on the custodian named on the account paperwork.

CNT itself does not publish a retail IRA storage price list on its public sites. The rates a reader actually pays are set by the IRA custodian that names CNT on the approved storage list. Common private-depository ranges in the market run from about 10 to 30 basis points per year for pooled storage.

Segregated storage typically runs higher because CNT must maintain physical separation and dedicated reporting. Annual minimums are also common, often between 100 and 250 dollars per year, so small accounts pay the floor rather than the asset-based rate.

Because CNT prices flow through the custodian, ask the dealer in writing which custodian handles the account, and ask that custodian for its full published fee schedule at CNT before you sign a buy instruction. Do not accept a verbal number.

Geographic distance from Texas

For a Texas gold IRA reader, the driving distance to the vault is not a tax matter. It is a convenience matter, and it also shapes how easy or hard it is to book an in-person visit to see the metal, which many depositories allow by advance appointment only.

CNT Bridgewater is the farthest depository from Houston in the group of vaults we cover on this site. The bar chart below plots the approximate one-way driving distance from Houston to each major IRA depository named on dealer paperwork.

Reading the chart: the three Texas-based options sit under 250 miles from Houston. Wilmington, Delaware and Salt Lake City are in the 1,400 to 1,505 mile range. Bridgewater, Massachusetts is the outlier at about 1,720 miles.

Distance does not change the federal tax treatment of the account. It does affect the cost and effort of an in-person visit, and it shapes shipping costs on any in-kind distribution when you take physical delivery outside the IRA at retirement.

Fee stack for a $100,000 Texas gold IRA at CNT

The reader pays three separate cost lines on a CNT-based gold IRA. The dealer coin premium is usually the largest year-one cost. The IRA custodian account fee is a recurring flat charge. The CNT storage line is either an annual minimum or an asset-based rate, whichever is higher.

Because CNT does not publish retail IRA rates directly, the specific storage line depends on the custodian on the paperwork. A common market band for pooled storage on a 100,000 dollar account is 100 to 200 dollars per year. Segregated typically runs 200 to 400 dollars.

The IRA custodian account fee is separate from the CNT storage line and depends on which custodian the dealer uses. Common flat custodian fees run 80 to 275 dollars per year in the retail self-directed IRA market. Ask the dealer for the specific custodian fee schedule before signing.

The dealer coin premium is the third line and is almost always the largest year-one cost. Premiums vary by product and by dealer. CNT does not set that premium and does not audit it, so this depository review cannot quote a single number.

Estimate your own annual fee drag

Use the calculator below to enter your planned rollover balance and see the estimated annual carrying cost and fee drag as a percentage. The default fee assumptions can be adjusted to match the CNT commingled or segregated schedule and your custodian's own flat account fee.

How to open a CNT storage arrangement

A CNT storage arrangement for a gold IRA runs through the custodian named on the dealer paperwork, not directly with CNT. The steps below describe what happens between selecting CNT on the intake form and seeing the first vault receipt on your account.

1. Pick the dealer and confirm the custodian. Ask the dealer which IRA custodian handles the account and whether CNT Depository in Bridgewater sits on that custodian's approved depository list. Not every self-directed IRA custodian uses CNT.
2. Choose your storage model at intake. Segregated returns the exact bars back and costs more. Allocated legally assigns specific bars to your account. Commingled pools fungible bullion for a lower cost. Ask for the written rate for each choice.
3. Fund the IRA at the custodian. Roll over from a former 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or existing IRA. A trustee-to-trustee transfer avoids the 60-day rollover risk under IRC section 402. The custodian receives the cash before any coin buy can settle.
4. Sign the buy instruction naming CNT Bridgewater. The dealer prepares a buy instruction that names the coins or bars, the price, and CNT as the depository. The custodian executes the wire to the dealer once you sign the form.
5. Dealer ships insured to CNT Bridgewater. The dealer ships the bullion under insured freight to 722 Bedford Street, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The vault receives, inspects, and books the metal to your account under the custodian's name.
6. Confirm the depository receipt in writing. The custodian issues a receipt from CNT confirming the metal is in vault. That is the moment the account holds physical bullion rather than cash. Ask the custodian to send that receipt in writing.
7. Review the first custodian statement. The first quarterly custodian statement should show the metal in vault and the storage charge posted to the account. Reconcile the storage charge against the published schedule before letting it stand.

Worked example: Dallas rollover to CNT Bridgewater

CNT Bridgewater vs the Texas Bullion Depository

Texas readers who look at CNT almost always also look at the Texas Bullion Depository. The two vaults sit in different legal categories and offer a different reader experience. The comparison below focuses on published facts and leaves the choice to the reader.

CNT, Inc. is a privately owned family precious metals company in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The Texas Bullion Depository is an agency of the State of Texas, located in Leander, Texas, established by law signed by Governor Greg Abbott on June 12, 2015, and operated by Lone Star Tangible Assets as the vendor since 2017.

The decision is not automatic. CNT brings a full-stack precious metals operation, a Class 3 UL rated Bridgewater facility, and public statements of third-generation family ownership. The Texas Bullion Depository brings in-state storage, state supervision, and geographic proximity for Texas retirees who want the metal on Texas soil.

For a Texas reader who has no strong location preference, CNT is a widely recognized private storage option in the same class as Delaware Depository. For a reader who cares specifically about keeping IRA metal inside Texas borders, the Texas Bullion Depository is the natural pairing. Neither choice changes federal tax treatment of the IRA.

Balanced pros and cons

When CNT is a bad fit for you

Frequently asked questions

By Harry's Coins Editorial. Independent, editorial. Last reviewed July 2026.