Anyone else find minimums for gold an issue?

• •I've always believed in tangible wealth, something you can actually hold, and gold feels like the most sensible way to protect our savings.
• •I've been browsing around, looking at a few different companies, and some of these minimum investment requirements are really throwing me for a loop.
• •But one place I looked at wanted $50k just to open an account !

I've been looking into getting a Gold IRA setup, mostly because my husband and I are starting to think more seriously about retirement (he's talking about cutting back milking next year, which feels wild!). We live on a farm just outside Kansas City, and honestly, the thought of putting all our eggs in the stock market basket with all the craziness going on just makes my stomach clench. I've always believed in tangible wealth, something you can actually hold, and gold feels like the most sensible way to protect our savings.

I've been browsing around, looking at a few different companies, and some of these minimum investment requirements are really throwing me for a loop. We're not talking megacorporations here – our current retirement savings sit around the $75k mark, which we thought was a pretty decent nest egg for our age. But one place I looked at wanted $50k just to open an account! That's a huge chunk of what we've saved. Another was a bit more reasonable at $25k, but even that feels like a big bite to take all at once.

Are these high minimums typical? It almost feels like they're trying to price out smaller investors. I'm not trying to get rich overnight, just trying to safeguard what we've earned through years of hard work. I'm wondering if I should just forget the IRA and buy some physical silver coins directly instead, but then I lose the tax advantages, which is a big draw of the IRA in the first place.

Has anyone found companies with lower minimums for Gold IRAs, or am I just looking in the wrong places? What were your experiences starting out, especially if you weren't rolling over six-figure 401ks? Any advice from fellow investors, especially those who prefer precious metals, would be so appreciated!