Feeling good about my gold IRA now that I'm seeing real returns

• •Okay, so I’ve been sitting on my Gold IRA for a while now, and honestly, for the first few years, it felt a bit like watching paint dry.
• •They were always a step ahead, so I figured it was a good play.
• •I started with around $100k rolling over an old 401k, and then just kept adding bits and pieces, mostly physical gold coins.

Okay, so I’ve been sitting on my Gold IRA for a while now, and honestly, for the first few years, it felt a bit like watching paint dry. I started building it up about 7 years ago, after seeing a few of the higher-ups at my oil company here in Tulsa talking shop about diversifying away from just stocks. They were always a step ahead, so I figured it was a good play.

I started with around $100k rolling over an old 401k, and then just kept adding bits and pieces, mostly physical gold coins. Now, my portfolio is probably sitting closer to $220k, which feels pretty damn good, especially with all the craziness in the market lately. I’m thinking about what my RMDs are going to look like down the road. I’ve been playing around with that RMD Calculator I found online – the goldirablueprint one – and it's actually pretty handy for getting a sense of what I'll need to pull out later. It’s given me some peace of mind knowing I won’t be hit with a massive surprise.

My initial concern was liquidity, but I haven't needed to touch it, thankfully. It’s really been more of a long-term hedge against inflation and general market jitters. Watching the value climb steadily, especially when the stock market is doing its rollercoaster routine, has been a huge stress reducer. Honestly, I’m kicking myself a little for not going in heavier earlier, but hindsight’s 20/20, right?

Anyone else out there feel like their gold holdings really paid off for them over the past few years? Or are you seeing similar growth? Just curious about other people's experiences.