Feeling good about my physical gold over these paper gains

• •Anyone else feeling especially good about their physical gold allocation given all the recent volatility?
• •I’ve been in manufacturing for 15+ years here in Cleveland, and it just reinforces my belief in tangible assets.
• •Right now, seeing the market swing like a pendulum, that physical gold feels like an anchor.

Anyone else feeling especially good about their physical gold allocation given all the recent volatility? I’ve been in manufacturing for 15+ years here in Cleveland, and it just reinforces my belief in tangible assets. I’ve held a significant chunk of my retirement in a Gold IRA for the last seven years, and while my paper equities have seen some decent gains, they also give me heartburn every few months. Right now, seeing the market swing like a pendulum, that physical gold feels like an anchor. My portfolio is probably in the $400k range, and a good 15-20% of that is in actual metal.

I remember a few years ago, some buddies were giving me grief about "missing out" on tech stocks. And sure, I didn't get 1000% returns on some meme stock, but I also didn't get wiped out. My gold just... sits there. Steadily. It's not going to zero. When you're used to seeing and touching the fruits of your labor – the components, the finished goods – it’s hard to trust something that only exists as numbers on a screen. That’s why I went with physical gold in the first place, rather than some ETF or mining stock that carries its own set of risks.

For those of you just starting out or considering a Gold IRA, what are your thoughts on this? Does the security of physical gold outweigh potentially higher, but riskier, paper gains for you? I actually stumbled upon a Gold IRA Quiz when I was doing my initial research and found it pretty helpful for sorting out the basics. It really highlights the difference between holding actual gold vs. proxies.

I just can't shake the feeling that when things get truly rocky, having something you can hold is going to be far more reassuring than a brokerage statement. Call me old school, but my gut tells me it's the right play, especially for a portion of my retirement funds. What's your take?