Gold IRA Custodian Experiences? Looking for Recs, Richmond based

• •Being a university professor, I tend to over-research everything, and this is no exception.
• •I'm based in Richmond, VA, if that makes any difference for local considerations or even just general peace of mind.
• •I've been looking at some of the bigger names like Equity Trust and Kingdom Trust, and they seem to pop up everywhere.

Okay, so I've been doing a deep dive into the whole Gold IRA custodian situation, and honestly, the sheer number of options and conflicting reviews is making my head spin. I’ve currently got about $300k in my IRA, mostly diversified but I’m looking to allocate a significant chunk – probably $50-75k – into physical gold as a hedge against inflation and general market craziness. Being a university professor, I tend to over-research everything, and this is no exception. I'm based in Richmond, VA, if that makes any difference for local considerations or even just general peace of mind.

I've been looking at some of the bigger names like Equity Trust and Kingdom Trust, and they seem to pop up everywhere. The fees are a concern, obviously, but I'm more focused on reliability, transparency, and ease of communication. I've read some horror stories about custodians being slow to respond, difficult to get on the phone, or having hidden fees pop up later. As someone who values clear communication and knowing exactly what's what, that really stresses me out. Are those isolated incidents, or is that more common than I'd like to believe?

Does anyone have direct experience with specific custodians they can vouch for (or warn against)? What were your initial setup experiences like? How easy is it to actually purchase and have the metals sent to the depository you choose? And what about ongoing statements and accessibility to your account information? I'm trying to avoid any nasty surprises down the line. I'm leaning towards somewhere like Delaware Depository for storage, but the custodian choice feels like the bigger hurdle right now.

Any insights, especially from those who have gone through the process recently, would be incredibly helpful. Are there any smaller, lesser-known custodians that offer better personalized service without exorbitant fees? And for those who have transferred significant sums, what was that process like? I'm trying to gather as much real-world data as possible before I pull the trigger here. Thanks in advance for any advice!