Gold IRA advice for a first-timer – feeling a little overwhelmed

• •Okay, so I’m finally biting the bullet and looking into opening a Gold IRA.
• •I’m a firm believer in tangible assets – you can’t exactly build a house with stock certificates, right?
• •Gold just feels like a much more secure bet when the dollar seems to be doing...

Okay, so I’m finally biting the bullet and looking into opening a Gold IRA. I’ve been running my construction company here in Chicago for a while now, and with all the economic weirdness lately, I'm just not comfortable with my entire retirement being in paper assets. I’ve probably got around $350k currently in a traditional IRA, and I'm seriously considering rolling over a significant chunk, maybe 2/3 of it, into physical gold.

I’m a firm believer in tangible assets – you can’t exactly build a house with stock certificates, right? Gold just feels like a much more secure bet when the dollar seems to be doing... whatever it's doing these days. I’ve been reading up on it for a few months now, trying to understand the different types of gold (bullion, coins, proofs, etc.), storage options, and the whole rollover process. Honestly, there's a lot of info out there, and some of it feels a bit like a sales pitch, which makes me a little wary.

For anyone who's gone through this before, what are some of the biggest pitfalls to watch out for? What kind of fees should I be expecting beyond the cost of the gold itself? Are there specific custodians or dealers you’ve had great experiences with (or terrible ones)? And for those holding gold in their IRA, how often do you check in on it? Does it truly just sit there and you forget about it, or is there more active management involved?

Any insights, warnings, or recommendations from folks who’ve actually done this would be massively appreciated. I just want to make sure I’m not missing anything obvious before I start moving serious money around. Thanks in advance!