Diversified my 401k with precious metals - anyone else?

• •Just wrapped up the process of rolling over a chunk of my old 401k into a Gold IRA, and man, what a relief.
• •After spending 20+ years in the military, financial security isn't just a concept for me, it's something I actively pursue.
• •Living here in San Diego, the cost of living just reinforces the need to be smart with every dollar.

Just wrapped up the process of rolling over a chunk of my old 401k into a Gold IRA, and man, what a relief. After spending 20+ years in the military, financial security isn't just a concept for me, it's something I actively pursue. My portfolio is sitting in that comfortable $250-500k range, and honestly, the thought of having all that tied up in traditional stocks felt increasingly… exposed, especially with all the economic noise lately. Living here in San Diego, the cost of living just reinforces the need to be smart with every dollar.

I started looking into precious metals a while back, probably a year or so ago. Had a good amount of my 401k still sitting there from my last job, and it just felt like a missed opportunity not to diversify more significantly. The whole setup process actually wasn't as complicated as I initially thought it would be. Found a reputable company, got all the paperwork sorted, and now a good portion of those funds are happily chilling in physical gold and some silver. It’s not everything, mind you, still have plenty in more traditional investments, but this feels like a really solid hedge.

The sense of peace knowing I’ve got that tangible asset, separate from the wild swings of the stock market, is immense. It’s not about getting rich quick; it’s about preserving wealth and having that bedrock in my retirement strategy. My biggest concern was making sure it was all above board and compliant with IRS regulations, and the company I went with made that pretty clear throughout the whole thing. They also gave me confidence about managing the account, which was a big plus.

Has anyone else here done a similar rollover? What kind of percentages did you allocate to precious metals? And for those who've held a Gold IRA for a while, anything I should be particularly mindful of moving forward? Always looking to learn more from others' experiences.