situation
The starting position
Clients held gold, silver, inherited coins and bars bought over two decades. These were stored in home safes, safety deposit boxes, private vaults and other arrangements that no reporting system tracked. Three problems recurred across nearly every position: different storage with no unified inventory, no reporting integration, and no advisory fee captured.
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68
Client accounts migrated, each physically transferred into allocated FBO accounts.
$0
In new client acquisition cost. All $54M came from assets the RIA already had relationships around.
100%
Of migrated positions now showing on the RIA’s reporting system as standard billable AUM.
THE STORY
Result
No new clients were required, and no new money came in. GBI’s transition team coordinated each transfer in kind, working with the client’s existing custody where possible. All 68 accounts are now in the institutional vaulting network and integrated into the RIA’s reporting stack. Standard advisory fees are now captured on positions that previously generated none. Clients have an institutional path to liquidity when they choose to draw down.
Process
Discovery. The firm worked through its HNW book one conversation at a time. GBI provided the playbook and advisors handled the client relationships. In most cases the client already owned the metal.
Transfer. GBI’s transition team coordinated each transfer with the client’s existing custody. Metal moved physically where possible, by insured, secured transport (AuSecure LLC). Title stayed with the client throughout.
Reporting.Each position landed in an allocated FBO account and feeds the RIA’s existing reporting stack as a billable asset, with daily pricing and unified client statements. The physical inventory is audited by Inspectorate.
result
The outcome
No new clients were required, and no new money came in. All 68 accounts are now in the institutional vaulting network and integrated into the RIA’s reporting stack. Standard advisory fees are now captured on positions that previously generated none. Clients have an institutional path to liquidity when they choose to draw down.
what gbi did
GBI provided the playbook and coordinated each transfer in kind with the client’s existing custody. The firm’s advisors handled the client relationships.
process
Three stages
$54M in physical precious metals, moved on-platform across one RIA book. No new
clients. No new money. No liquidations forced. Just assets that already existed, sitting in
home safes, safety deposit boxes, and private vaults, now brought above-the-line into
the firm's existing reporting stack.
01
Discovery at scale
We coordinate secure transportation from the current location to the receiving vault.
02
Transfer execution
Hold physical metals in a secure depository environment rather than at a residence or office.
03
Reporting integration
Each position landed in allocated FBO accounts, feeding the RIA's existing reporting stack as standard billable assets. Daily pricing. Unified client statements. Inspectorate-audited.
0.22%
INSTITUTIONAL GOLD ALLOCATION
Industry context
The median HNW household holds 3-5% of total wealth in unmanaged physical precious metals. Yet the value-weighted average institutional gold allocation sits at just 0.22% (Q3 2025 13F filings). The gap between what clients already own and what their advisors manage is the largest underdiscussed opportunity in private wealth.