Birch Gold for 'smaller' accounts? My experience (NY retiree)

• •Been seeing a lot of chatter lately on here about Birch Gold, mostly from folks with what I’d call more… modest holdings.
• •My wife actually asked me about it the other day, as her friend is looking to roll over an old 401k and heard BGC advertising on the radio.
• •My experience has been pretty positive for the most part.

Been seeing a lot of chatter lately on here about Birch Gold, mostly from folks with what I’d call more… modest holdings. My wife actually asked me about it the other day, as her friend is looking to roll over an old 401k and heard BGC advertising on the radio. Personally, I've used them for a while now, primarily for moving over assets from a couple of old defined-benefit plans I had sitting around when I retired from the Street a few years back. We're talking probably $1.5M in the metals portfolio across various accounts, mostly the physical stuff held via IRA, with a decent chunk of that managed by Birch.

My experience has been pretty positive for the most part. The team was responsive, and their explanation of the process for getting physical gold and silver into a self-directed IRA was straightforward. I'd already diversified pretty heavily into alternatives by then, but their guidance on the specific IRS-approved metals and storage options was thorough. I’m based in NYC, so having a clearer picture of their storage partners and insurance policies was important to me. Never felt pressured into anything, which is a big relief after dealing with some of the sharks out there during my career.

Now, for the smaller accounts question: I know many are concerned about fees eating into gains, especially if you're not moving a mid-six-figure sum. I can’t speak to their current minimums or fee structure for smaller accounts, as my situation was quite different. But historically, for the kind of rollover I did, their setup fees and annual maintenance were competitive with what I was seeing from other reputable firms. Does anyone here have recent experience with them for rollovers in the $50k - $200k range? What were the all-in costs looking like these days?

It's always a tough balance between security and cost, especially when you're talking about preserving wealth. Always done my due diligence with any investment, and precious metals are no different. What are your thoughts on their suitability for those just starting to build their metal allocation, or for folks with somewhat smaller portfolios than mine? I’m genuinely curious to hear if the service quality holds up across the board.