Precious Metal Leases

UPMA offers a range of Gold and Silver leasing options, including the popular Goldback® lease. Members may lease out their precious metal holdings directly on the UPMA account portal. For Gold and Silver leases, members can receive up to a 2% annual return, payable monthly denominated in the same currency as the lease. Goldback® leases generally pay between 2% and 3.5%, depending upon the amount leased, payable in Goldbacks®.

The lease agreement provides for an annually renewable, one-year term. Gold and Silver U.S. coin leases may be terminated by the Lessor mid-term upon the payment of an Early Termination Fee. Goldback® leases may be similarly terminated upon 60-day advance notice, without the assessment of such a fee.

Normally, the objective of holding precious metals is the preservation of purchasing power. These leases not only allow members to protect against the ravages of inflation, but also earn a competitive return and avoid vaulting and insurance carrying costs at the same time.

State Legal Tender Laws

The United States Constitution provides that "No State shall ... make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment in debts." At present four states have laws expressly recognizing gold and silver coin as legal tender...

UPMA™ Bylaws

Bylaws of the United Precious Metals Association, LCA

Article I. Purpose

The United Precious Metals Association (UPMA), a Limited Cooperative Association, operating exclusively on a non-profit basis for educational, benevolent, and reformatory purposes...

Fee Schedule

All funded accounts are assessed monthly membership dues of approximately $2.50*, which covers vaulting and insurance...

UPMA/Legal Tender Services Relationship

       The United Precious Metals Association ("UPMA") is a 501c6 nonprofit.  UPMA membership consists of those individuals and entities who enroll at alpinegold.com and currently pay monthly dues by virtue of maintaining funded capital credit accounts with the association.  At Alpine Gold's annual summit, association members elect from among themselves individuals to serve on the UPMA board of directors in three-year, staggered terms of service.  In addition to setting policy for the management of the association, the board regularly participates in and reports on physical audits of all precious metal legal tender holdings. 

     Legal Tender Services PLLC ("LTS") provides legal, trust, escrow, lobbying and other such services to the association and its members.  The UPMA itself has no paid staff.  Member interactions with the association are typically handled by LTS and/or Alpine Gold personnel on behalf of the UPMA.  The association's bylaws designate the manager of LTS, Lawrence Hilton, as the association's general counsel to meet with and advise the board, but not to vote on board decisions.

     Alpine Gold enjoys prominent signage privileges on the LTS-owned commercial condominium located in a building at the north-east corner of the roundabout in Alpine, Utah.  Silver and gold dollar holdings, constituting capital credits of association members are safeguarded by LTS in commercial vaults operated by Brinks, Inc. and by Alpine Gold.

For more information, see the UPMA Bylaws under the Resources section of alpinegold.com.

Privacy Policy

As provided in the applicable member agreement of the United Precious Metals Association (“UPMA”), each member agrees to accept the terms and conditions of this privacy policy...

Monetary Intent

One important factor in determining the tax treatment of a particular transaction appears to be taxpayer intent. In Thorne and Wilson, Inc. v. Utah State Tax Commission, 681 P.2nd 1237 (1984), the Utah Supreme Court...

Common Definitions

The following terms have special meaning when used in documents which explicitly incorporate them by hyperlink reference...

Member Agreement

Subject to common definitions and provisions and in consideration of the mutual covenants and warranties contained herein, the person (Account Holder) executing this agreement, and United Precious Metals Association (“UPMA™”), a Limited Cooperative Association operating on a non-profit basis for the benefit of its members, hereby agree as follows...

Frivolous Tax Positions

Item 13 of Internal Revenue Bulletin 2010-17 identifies the following as a "frivolous" tax position:

(13) In a transaction using gold and silver coins, the value of the coins is excluded from income...

Mintage Moratorium

Ever since the Coinage Act of 1965, by which President Johnson dispensed with the Constitutional silver dollar standard that had served the country’s economy for 173 years...

Different Dollar Standards

Notwithstanding the growing disparity in the purchasing power of the various kinds of dollars in circulation today, federal law continues to draw no legal distinction between specie and paper dollars...

Gold Clause Contracts

While the general government has expressly withdrawn its consent to obligations requiring tender of a particular type of dollar (31 U.S.C. § 5118(b)), since October 27, 1977...

Equal Purchasing Power

The Secretary of the Treasury is “to maintain the equal purchasing power of each kind of United States currency.” 31 U.S.C. 5119(a). Significantly, this statutory mandate invokes the market test of “purchasing power”, not merely parity of nominal face value...

Choice in Currency

For all practical purposes, there exists in the United States today four distinct monetary standards: paper, together with silver, gold and platinum...

Tax/Legal Issues

The sections that follow outline the historic, judicial and statutory basis for U.S. citizens to exercise informed choice in currency...

UPMA™ Visa Debit Card

True Link Financial, a card issuer, provides a wide variety of attractive features, including: spending limits; known fraud list and specified merchant blocking; online transaction monitoring; and monthly statements...

Withdrawing Gold & Silver

Members may withdraw their gold dollar holdings in $50 increments as well as any amount of silver dollars they hold. To begin the withdrawal process, UPMA™ requires...