Fed policy and my tiny gold IRA - what am I missing?

• •Okay, so I’ve been trying to wrap my head around all the Fed talk lately and how it actually impacts gold.
• •I opened a Gold IRA a few months back with about $7,000, which felt like a massive step for me as a Columbus teacher saving up.
• •Aren't those two things often happening at the same time depending on what the Fed decides?

Okay, so I’ve been trying to wrap my head around all the Fed talk lately and how it actually impacts gold. I opened a Gold IRA a few months back with about $7,000, which felt like a massive step for me as a Columbus teacher saving up. I’m thinking long-term, definitely, but all the news about interest rates, inflation, quantitative easing (or tightening, whatever!) just feels like a completely different language every time I check my feed. My palladium holdings are still super small, maybe $500 of that $7k, and I picked it because I heard it's good for industrial demand, but now I'm wondering if I should have just stuck with gold only for stability.

I get the basic idea that higher interest rates can make gold less attractive because bonds pay more, but then I also read that high inflation is good for gold as a hedge. Aren't those two things often happening at the same time depending on what the Fed decides? I'm trying to figure out if I should be nervous about buying more right now, or if I should just keep steadily adding to my metals like I planned. I'm aiming to get my Gold IRA up to maybe $20k in the next few years, and I don't want to make a rookie mistake right out the gate.

Has anyone here used the Retirement Planner on Gold IRA Blueprint to model different Fed scenarios with their gold holdings? I’m curious if it helps make sense of how different economic forecasts might affect a portfolio. I'm just looking for some insights on how to interpret all this without freaking out every time Powell speaks. My initial thought was just to buy and hold, but the constant headlines are definitely making me second-guess myself a bit.

Any thoughts on how you seasoned investors navigate the Fed's announcements and what that means for your precious metals? Especially interested if anyone has experience with how palladium reacts specifically to these broader economic shifts compared to gold.