Five-year gold IRA check-in. What are your returns

• •I started with a pretty modest chunk, around $75,000, mostly in American Gold Eagles and some Canadian Maples.
• •I wasn't expecting to get rich overnight, just wanted some stability and a hedge against inflation.
• •My initial custodian setup felt a bit daunting, honestly.

Okay, so it's been five years since I first dipped my toes into the gold IRA world, and I thought I'd share my experience and see what everyone else is seeing. As a small business owner here in Denver, I was looking for ways to diversify beyond just the usual stocks and bonds, especially with all the economic uncertainty that popped up. I started with a pretty modest chunk, around $75,000, mostly in American Gold Eagles and some Canadian Maples. I wasn't expecting to get rich overnight, just wanted some stability and a hedge against inflation.

My initial custodian setup felt a bit daunting, honestly. Lots of paperwork, understanding storage fees, and just generally trying to make sure I wasn't getting ripped off. But once that was sorted, it's been pretty hands-off. Over these five years, my portfolio has grown to just under $90,000. It's not a crazy double-your-money kind of return, but considering the wild swings in other markets, I'm feeling pretty content with a solid 20% gain. That's about an average of 3.7% annually, which, for a conservative, long-term play, I don't think is too shabby. Especially when you factor in some of the crazy inflation we've seen.

I guess I'm wondering what other folks are experiencing. For those who've been in it for a similar timeframe or even longer, what kind of returns are you seeing? Did you rebalance at all or just stick with your initial allocation? Any regrets or things you wish you knew when you started? I'm debating whether to add more, maybe another $10-15k from some recent business profits, but I'm curious if now's still a good entry point.