Gold hitting new highs, but what about future RMDs?

• •Okay, so gold just smashed through $2,400 an ounce, and part of me is doing a little happy dance, even with my tiny gold IRA.
• •I've only got about $10k in there right now, mainly physical coins I picked up over the last year.
• •As a teacher here in Columbus, every little bit helps, and it was a scramble to even get that much saved up after student loans and everything else.

Okay, so gold just smashed through $2,400 an ounce, and part of me is doing a little happy dance, even with my tiny gold IRA. I've only got about $10k in there right now, mainly physical coins I picked up over the last year. As a teacher here in Columbus, every little bit helps, and it was a scramble to even get that much saved up after student loans and everything else. Seeing these numbers just makes me wonder if I'm even doing this right.

I started this whole gold IRA journey because I'm just so wary of the stock market right now. My 403b is chugging along, but it feels like it could all go sideways tomorrow. Gold just feels like a safer bet, a way to keep a little something tucked away that won't disappear overnight. But now with these crazy highs, it's making me wonder if I should be pouring more into it, or if I missed the boat on the "cheap" gold. I'm still years away from retirement, but I'm trying to think long-term.

My biggest concern, honestly, is how these gains (and hopefully more in the future!) will impact things like Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) down the line. I know it's a ways off, but I've been trying to educate myself on everything, and the RMD stuff seems super confusing. Has anyone here used that RMD Calculator from Gold IRA Blueprint? I've been messing around with it a bit, trying to plug in hypothetical numbers, and wow, those RMDs can really add up if gold keeps climbing like this. It makes me curious if there are strategies to minimize the tax hit later on, or if that's just part of the deal.

For those of you with bigger gold IRAs, especially people who've seen their portfolios grow significantly, how do you manage your expectations and planning around these big price swings? And for others just starting out like me, is this an opportune time to buy more, or should I be more cautious? I'm trying to balance excitement with a healthy dose of realism.