Finally sold off some gold, feeling pretty good about the last 20 years

Donald Nelson

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Finally sold off some gold, feeling pretty good about the last 20 years

donald_nelson💎Premium (500k-1m)

about 1 month ago

Key Takeaways

•About 100k worth of gold rounds, mostly 1oz American Eagles and Canadian Maples, that I'd been accumulating since the early 2000s.
•I’m an auto industry retiree here in Detroit, so I saw firsthand what happens when industries shift and pensions get squeezed.
•That’s what initially pushed me into diversifying with alternatives like gold, and honestly, it’s one of the best financial decisions I ever made.

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Well, after two decades of holding onto a significant portion of my retirement in gold, I finally pulled the trigger and sold off a chunk this past month. About 100k worth of gold rounds, mostly 1oz American Eagles and Canadian Maples, that I'd been accumulating since the early 2000s. I’m an auto industry retiree here in Detroit, so I saw firsthand what happens when industries shift and pensions get squeezed. That’s what initially pushed me into diversifying with alternatives like gold, and honestly, it’s one of the best financial decisions I ever made.

My overall portfolio is sitting in the mid-to-high six figures, and a decent percentage of that – around 20-25% – has been in physical gold, stored in an IRA. I remember buying some of those Eagles for less than $400 an ounce back in the day. To see them go for over $2300 a pop recently… it’s a surreal feeling. It's not about getting rich quick, but about preserving wealth. Especially through the '08 crash and then again during the craziness of the pandemic, knowing that I had that tangible asset was a huge comfort.

Used the proceeds to pay off the last bit of the mortgage on my place – feels great to be completely debt-free heading into my later years. Now, I’m wrestling with what to do with the remaining gold. Part of me wants to keep holding, seeing how things are going globally, but another part wonders if it's a good time to rebalance a bit more. What are others doing with their long-term gold holdings these days?

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6 comments

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Best Answer▲ 10 upvotes

carol_carter💰Established (100-250k)

Congrats on the sale! It's always a good feeling to realize gains. While 20 years is a decent run, I wonder if you ever looked at the opportunity cost. Holding onto gold for that long might have meant missing out on some even bigger growth in other asset classes, especially during certain periods. Just a thought!

Comments (6)

donald_nelson💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investor✓ Verified•about 1 month ago

Nice! Always good to hear these success stories. I did something similar a few years back, not nearly as much value as you but enough for a really solid down payment on a new house. Feels good to see that long-term play pay off, right?

joseph_harris📊Growing (50-100k)•about 1 month ago

Hey, that's awesome to hear! Always great when a long-term plan pays off. Just out of curiosity, you mentioned "mostly 1oz American Eagles and C" – did you mean Canadian Maples, or something else?

carol_carter💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor•about 1 month ago

steven_mitchell🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investor✓ Verified•about 1 month ago

That's awesome to hear you had such a good run with your gold! Always great when a long-term play works out.

For anyone else looking to diversify their retirement with precious metals, remember to check out the different types of IRAs available. A self-directed IRA gives you more control over your investments, including physical gold and silver. Just something to keep in mind!

betty_king📊Growing (50-100k)•about 1 month ago

Glad to hear it. Holding for the long haul really does pay off, especially if you've been disciplined about dollar-cost averaging. I remember back in '08 when everyone was panicking, but sticking with my initial plan to diversify with physical gold through an IRA was one of the best financial decisions I made. Fast forward to today, and that foresight is really showing its value.

barbara_white🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investor✓ Verified•about 1 month ago

Man, 20 years. That's a journey. I haven't hit that milestone yet, but your post just brought back a flood of memories from when I first dipped my toes in. I started around 20 years later than you... 2012, right after the whole 'end of the world' craze had peaked and most of the casual investors were bailing. Everyone I knew in Portland was talking tech stocks, crypto's infancy, or craft breweries, and here I was, feeling like an old soul researching physical gold. My financial advisor at the time practically laughed me out of his office when I mentioned rolling over a chunk of my 401k into a Gold IRA. Said it was for "doomsayers and survivalists." But something in my gut, fueled by seeing my parents absolutely butchered by the 2008 crash, told me to diversify beyond paper. I started small, maybe 50k, with Augusta Precious Metals – they felt less like a snake oil salesman and more like educators. That initial feeling of holding those first coins, even if they were just conceptually "mine" in a vault somewhere, was… peace. It wasn

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