Anyone else starting to seriously consider gold with all this inflation talk?

• •Okay, so I've been watching the economic news pretty closely lately, and frankly, it's making me a bit antsy.
• •I've got a decent chunk saved up – somewhere in the high end of $400k range – mostly in traditional investments.
• •My wife and I are both professors here in Richmond, and for years, our strategy has been pretty standard, diversified portfolio, etc.

Okay, so I've been watching the economic news pretty closely lately, and frankly, it's making me a bit antsy. I've got a decent chunk saved up – somewhere in the high end of $400k range – mostly in traditional investments. My wife and I are both professors here in Richmond, and for years, our strategy has been pretty standard, diversified portfolio, etc. But with these inflation numbers coming out and all the chatter about the Fed, I'm starting to seriously wonder if I should be thinking about rebalancing some of that into something like a Gold IRA.

I've always been a research-driven investor, so "gut feelings" aren't really my style. But the historical data on gold during periods of sustained, high inflation is pretty compelling. I know it's not a growth stock, but the idea of capital preservation right now feels incredibly appealing. The thought of my hard-earned savings just slowly eroding due to purchasing power loss is genuinely stressful. We've got a kid starting kindergarten next year, and thinking about college funds already makes me sweat, let alone if inflation keeps chipping away at everything.

I've poked around a bit, but honestly, it feels like there's a lot of noise out there. Has anyone here gone through the process of setting up a Gold IRA recently? What was your experience like? I'm trying to figure out the logistics, the custodians, the fees – basically, everything beyond the "gold is good when inflation is high" headline. I'm keen to hear specifics if anyone has them.

I actually just found this Gold IRA Quiz that popped up in my feed earlier today – thinking of trying it out to see if it sheds some light on what might be a good fit for someone in my situation. Anyone used something similar? Just trying to get a clearer picture of the pros and cons before I make any moves. Any insights or war stories (good or bad) would be super helpful!