Rolled over a chunk of my old 401k into a Gold IRA - sharing my experience (Richmond, VA)

• •I'm a professor here in Richmond, and frankly, my university's retirement options felt a bit...
• •uninspired, especially with the inflation rollercoaster we've been on.
• •The process itself was much smoother than I anticipated.

Thought I'd share my experience with rolling over a portion of an old 401k into a Gold IRA, especially for those who might be on the fence or just starting their research. I'm a professor here in Richmond, and frankly, my university's retirement options felt a bit... uninspired, especially with the inflation rollercoaster we've been on. I had about $300k sitting in a previous employer's 401k that was just stagnating, and after a ton of research (because, well, professor), I decided to diversify beyond just stocks and bonds.

The process itself was much smoother than I anticipated. I spent a good month looking at different custodians and precious metals dealers. Ended up going with a custodian that had a solid reputation for transparency and lower fees, and a separate dealer for the actual metals. My biggest concern was the "gotcha" fees and ensuring I wasn't getting ripped off on spreads. I ended up rolling over about $100k, specifically into a mix of American Gold Eagles and some Canadian Gold Maple Leafs. I liked the liquidity and recognized nature of those coins. The paperwork was standard IRA stuff, mostly transferring custodian to custodian, and the funds (or rather, the instruction to buy the metals) were moved electronically. It took about three weeks from my initial contact with the new custodian to confirmation that the metals were secured in the vault.

My main motivation was wealth preservation and hedging against the kind of systemic risks I've been seeing in the market. Knowing a portion of my retirement is in physical assets, held outside the traditional financial system, gives me a significant sense of security. It's not about making a quick buck for me; it's about holding value when everything else might be wobbling. I still have the bulk of my portfolio in more traditional investments, of course, but this feels like a responsible, data-backed diversification play.

Anyone else here in a similar boat, or considering this? What were your biggest concerns or takeaways? Did anyone experience any unexpected hurdles or discover particular dealers/custodians that stood out (good or bad)? Always curious to hear other perspectives on this, especially from those who've gone through the process themselves.