GoldStar Trust Co.

What GoldStar Trust Co. does

GoldStar Trust Company, founded in 1989, is a state-chartered trust company and self-directed IRA custodian operating as a division of Centennial Bank, which is itself a subsidiary of the publicly traded Home BancShares, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOMB). The company's institutional root traces to Happy State Bank, established in 1908 in Texas, providing a regulatory charter, fiduciary infrastructure, and balance-sheet backing exceeding $22.99 billion in parent assets. GoldStar is headquartered in Canyon, Texas (with the corporate office at 701 S. Taylor, Suite 260, Amarillo) and employs 101–250 people. It operates under Texas Department of Banking oversight and is a member of the Retirement Industry Trust Association (RITA).

The firm's core product is custodial administration of self-directed IRAs — Traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE — that hold alternative assets traditional custodians will not accept, including precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium), real estate held directly or through LLC/LP entities, publicly traded and non-traded REITs, privately offered securities and closely held stock, church bond programs, and crowdfunding investments under Reg CF / Reg D / Reg A+. Supporting an Auto Rollover IRA service for plan sponsors managing missing 401(k) participants, and escrow, paying-agent, trustee, and disbursing-agent services for bond issuances, structured settlements, and secondary-market annuities. The underlying technology stack is a web-based account portal (top-10 holdings, transaction history, electronic statements with two-factor email confirmation), DocuSign-based electronic account opening, and the proprietary Altmetrics electronic document management platform with e-signature and PDF download. Precious-metals custody relies on a network of four IRS-approved depositories located in Delaware, Texas, and Nevada, providing commingled and segregated storage.

GoldStar monetizes primarily through recurring fee streams: annual maintenance fees (billed on the account opening anniversary and not prorated), annual depository storage fees based on calendar-year market value, a $25 per-trade fee for stock/mutual-fund transactions (plus brokerage at cost), nominal annual administrative deductions on Auto Rollover IRAs, professional-service fees for disbursing-agent work, and a $25 annual fee for paper statements. Customer acquisition is split between direct individual investors (via phone and online self-enrollment) and financial-professional referral channels (CPAs, financial advisors, broker-dealers, plan sponsors). The firm explicitly does not provide investment advice, tax counsel, or dealer services — investors retain full control of investment selection, while GoldStar performs the regulatory custody, valuation, and reporting functions.

Name

GoldStar Trust Co.

Legal name

GoldStar Trust Company

Website

https://goldstartrust.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

GoldStar Trust Company, founded in 1989 and based in Canyon, Texas, is a state-chartered trust company and division of Centennial Bank (Home BancShares, Inc.) that provides self-directed IRA custodial services for alternative assets including precious metals, real estate, REITs, church bonds, and private securities to individual investors and financial professionals nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Self-Directed IRA Custodial Services

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Savings Institutions, Not Federally Chartered (6036)

akta.pro primary industry

Directed Trust & Trust Advisory Services (FSAAANAK)

Keywords

• Self-directed IRA custodian
• Alternative asset custody
• Trust and escrow services
• Retirement account administration
• Bond trustee services

Headquarters

HQ city

Canyon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Annual Account Maintenance Fees: Annual maintenance fees billed on account opening anniversary date for IRA accounts. Fees vary based on asset types held in the account. Fees are not prorated.
2. Transaction Fees: $25 transaction fee per stock/mutual fund trade executed through the company's omnibus account, plus brokerage fees at cost.
3. Precious Metals Storage Fees: Annual depository storage fees for precious metals held in IRAs, assessed based on calendar year and market value of account. Full annual charge due for each full or fractional calendar year.
4. Automatic Rollover IRA Fees: Nominal annual administrative fee deducted automatically from IRA balances for searching for missing participants and maintaining records for DOL compliance.
5. Disbursing Agent Services: Fees for payment processing services for structured settlements, secondary market annuities, and structured cash flows. Competitive fees with no hidden charges.
6. Paper Statement Fee: $25 annual fee for paper statements, $10 reprint fee per request for those who do not elect electronic delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GoldStar Trust Company provides custodial and administrative services for self-directed IRAs (Traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE), enabling individual investors to hold alternative assets such as precious metals, real estate, REITs, church bonds, crowdfunding, and privately offered investments. The firm also serves as trustee, registrar, paying agent, and escrow agent for church bond issuances and structured settlement disbursements, operating as a trust division of Centennial Bank backed by Home BancShares, Inc.

Product overview

GoldStar Trust Company offers a unified self-directed IRA custodial platform with multiple investment vehicle types. The core offering is the Self-Directed IRA, available as Traditional, Roth, SEP, or SIMPLE accounts, which allows investors to choose and manage their own retirement investments. The platform specializes in alternative assets including Precious Metals IRAs (gold, silver, platinum, palladium stored at approved depositories), Real Estate IRAs (direct property or LLC/LP structures), REITs, Church Bonds, Crowdfunding investments, and Privately Offered Investments (closely held stocks, LLCs). Supporting services include Auto Rollover IRAs for lost 401(k) participants, Escrow and Paying Agent Services for church finance and structured settlements, and the Altmetrics electronic document platform for account management. All services are provided without investment advice, tax counsel, or affiliation with dealers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Self-Directed IRAs (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE) A self-directed IRA allows account owners to choose and manage their own retirement investment options across a wide range of alternative assets, offering tax-deferred or tax-free growth depending on account type.
• Precious Metals IRA

Quantifiable outcome

• Funds typically transferred within 1 week of receiving complete paperwork
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RITA (Retirement Industry Trust Association)coreOthersGoldStar Trust Company is a proud member of RITA, the Retirement Industry Trust Association, an organization dedicated to helping Americans reach their retirement goals through self-directed retirement plans.
• Delaware Depository (Depository Trust Company of Delaware, LLC)coreOthersPrimary depository for GoldStar Trust precious metals IRAs located in Wilmington, Delaware. Provides commingled storage for all metal types and segregated storage for gold, platinum, palladium, and 1000 oz. silver bars.
• IDS (International Depository Services Group)coreOthersDepository partner with locations in New Castle, Delaware and Dallas, Texas. Provides commingled and segregated storage for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.
• TPMD of Texas (Texas Precious Metals Depository)coreOthersTexas-based depository located in Shiner, Texas. Provides segregated storage for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium for GoldStar Trust clients.
• AMGL of Nevada (A-M Global Logistics, LLC)coreOthersNevada-based depository located in Las Vegas. Provides commingled and segregated storage for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.
• Broker-Dealers for Church BondscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGoldStar works with a number of broker-dealers on church bond issues throughout the country, serving as trustee, registrar, and paying agent on bond programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IRA Financial Group: IRA Financial Group provides self-directed IRA and Checkbook IRA solutions that allow investors to use an LLC structure to hold alternative investments. It targets the same self-directed investor base as GoldStar, particularly for real estate and private equity.
• Equity Trust Company: Equity Trust is one of the largest self-directed IRA custodians in the U.S., offering IRAs holding alternative assets including real estate, precious metals, private equity, and notes. It is the closest direct competitor to GoldStar in the self-directed IRA custodial space.
• Kingdom Trust: Kingdom Trust is a South Dakota-chartered custodian specializing in self-directed IRAs for alternative investments, including private equity, real estate, cryptocurrency, and notes. It competes head-to-head with GoldStar for self-directed IRA assets across similar asset classes.
• uDirect IRA: uDirect IRA is a self-directed IRA custodian providing Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, and HSA accounts that hold alternative investments. It competes directly with GoldStar in the self-directed custodial space for real estate, private notes, and precious metals.
• Strata Trust Company: Strata Trust Company is a self-directed IRA custodian focused on alternative investments, including real estate, precious metals, private notes, and oil/gas. It is a direct competitor to GoldStar in the alternative-asset IRA custodial niche.
• New Direction IRA: New Direction IRA is a self-directed IRA administrator/custodian offering Traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs holding alternative assets. It directly overlaps with GoldStar's core IRA product set and target investor profile.

Emerging players

• Rocket Dollar: Rocket Dollar is a fintech self-directed IRA platform that enables investors to use an LLC/checkbook structure to invest in alternatives. It targets the same self-directed investor segment as GoldStar with a digital-first approach.
• Alto (Alto IRA): Alto is a venture-backed fintech offering a modern self-directed IRA platform with low fees and digital onboarding, including crypto IRAs. It is an emerging competitor to GoldStar focused on technology and user experience, particularly among younger investors.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Investments: Fidelity is one of the largest U.S. IRA custodians, offering a broad suite of self-directed brokerage IRAs. While it is not specialized in alternative assets, it competes for the same retirement-investor wallet and has been expanding alternative-asset offerings.
• First Trust (First Trust Portfolios / IRA Services): First Trust is a large financial-services firm offering a wide range of investment products and custodial services. While it operates in a broader set of asset classes than GoldStar, it is a broad incumbent in the IRA services ecosystem with overlapping capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goldstar-trust-company
• Xx.com/goldstartrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GoldStar Trust Co.