Anyone else still swear by physical gold over this paper stuff for their IRA?

• •It got me thinking about my own journey and where I stand after all these years.
• •For me, it's always been about physical gold.
• •I rolled over a decent chunk of my 401k into a Gold IRA back when I retired from Ford in '08 – right after the housing crash hit, mind you.

Been seeing a lot of chatter lately on here about different ways to hold gold in an IRA, especially with some folks pushing "paper gold" ETFs and whatnot. It got me thinking about my own journey and where I stand after all these years. For me, it's always been about physical gold. Period.

I rolled over a decent chunk of my 401k into a Gold IRA back when I retired from Ford in '08 – right after the housing crash hit, mind you. That was a no-brainer then, and I've watched that initial half-a-mil investment grow pretty steadily ever since, mostly in American Gold Eagles stored in a secure vault. Call me old-fashioned, but there's just something about knowing I own those physical ounces. It's tangible wealth, something you can literally hold (or technically, your custodian holds for you). The idea of owning shares in a trust that says it owns gold... it just doesn't sit right with me. What if there's a disconnect? What if the paper isn't backed 1:1 like they claim? I’ve seen enough financial shenanigans in my lifetime (especially living through Detroit’s ups and downs) to be a bit wary.

I guess part of it is the peace of mind. If the SHTF, if the USD goes sideways, or if there's another major financial crisis, I truly believe physical gold stored outside the traditional banking system is the ultimate hedge. ETFs are still tied to the financial system, right? You're relying on a third party's promise, a digital entry. With physical, you have the asset itself. I’m not saying “doom and gloom” every day, but prudence has kept me comfortable through a lot of market volatility. My portfolio is a bit north of $700k now, and a significant portion of that is still in physical metal.

Does anyone out there genuinely prefer the paper gold route for their IRA and feel totally secure about it? Or am I just an old dinosaur sticking to what I know? I’m genuinely curious to hear the counterarguments, especially from anyone who's been investing for a long time. Are there benefits to paper that I'm just straight up missing or discounting too heavily?