Fed's Rate Call - Anyone else feeling this?

• •Okay, so the Fed just decided to hold rates steady again.
• •On one hand, part of me breathes a sigh of relief.
• •I remember putting about 10% of my retirement savings into a Gold IRA back then, just to diversify away from all the paper assets.

Okay, so the Fed just decided to hold rates steady again. On one hand, part of me breathes a sigh of relief. As someone who started seriously looking at precious metals right after the 2008 mess – honestly, that whole thing scared the pants off me – stability sounds nice. I remember putting about 10% of my retirement savings into a Gold IRA back then, just to diversify away from all the paper assets. My portfolio, which is hovering around $180k now, has definitely benefited from that decision over the years, especially with gold seeing some good appreciation.

But then the other part of me, the one that’s been watching the economy closely since I retired from teaching here in Phoenix a few years back, wonders if this "wait and see" approach isn't just kicking the can down the road. Inflation still feels sticky, doesn't it? I see the price of groceries, gas, everything going up, and it makes me question if gold's safe-haven appeal might get even stronger if the Fed eventually has to pivot harder. I've got roughly half my precious metals in physical gold and the other half in a mix of gold and silver ETFs within the IRA, keeping about 20% of my total portfolio in metals now.

I guess what I'm getting at is, are any of you feeling a bit torn by these decisions too? Part of me wants to see silver rip, especially with all the industrial demand talk, and a rate cut could really fuel that. But another part is just happy gold is holding its ground as a hedge. How are you folks balancing the prospect of future rate moves with your current precious metals allocation? Any Phoenix-area folks feeling the pinch from local inflation?