Rolled my old 401k into a Gold IRA - feeling good about it, but curious about others' experiences

• •Just wanted to share my recent experience with moving some of my retirement savings over to a Gold IRA, and see what you all think.
• •I finally pulled the trigger on rolling over about $75,000 from an old 401k I had with a previous employer into a Gold IRA.
• •I’ve been thinking about this for a while, especially with all the talk about inflation and the economy feeling a bit shaky.

Just wanted to share my recent experience with moving some of my retirement savings over to a Gold IRA, and see what you all think. I finally pulled the trigger on rolling over about $75,000 from an old 401k I had with a previous employer into a Gold IRA. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, especially with all the talk about inflation and the economy feeling a bit shaky. As the mayor of our little town here in Boise, I’m constantly looking at ways to safeguard local assets, and it got me thinking hard about my own.

The process itself was surprisingly straightforward. I worked with a company after doing a ton of research, and they walked me through all the paperwork. It took about three weeks from start to finish, which felt pretty quick for moving that kind of money. I chose to hold physical gold, bars mostly, securely stored in a depository. It’s a good feeling knowing that a portion of my retirement is in something tangible, something that’s been a store of value for thousands of years. It’s certainly more comforting than watching some of those tech stocks fluctuate like crazy.

I know some people are skeptical about Gold IRAs, citing storage fees and lack of dividends, but for me, it’s about diversification and peace of mind. Given my age, I'm not looking for aggressive growth anymore, but rather protecting what I've built. I'm obviously still holding other diversified assets, but this feels like a responsible move to hedge against potential downturns. Anyone else here in a similar boat? What were your reasons for rolling over, and how has it worked out for you?

I'm particularly interested if anyone else from the Pacific Northwest, or really anywhere in the country, has had a negative experience, or if there are any pitfalls I should be extra aware of. Always good to hear other perspectives, especially from this community. Thanks in advance for sharing!