Inherited IRA to Gold - What are my options?

• •Been sitting on a bit of a dilemma since my Aunt passed last year, bless her soul.
• •She left me her traditional IRA, and it's a decent chunk, about $400k.
• •My concern is the global instability right now.

Morning, everyone. Been sitting on a bit of a dilemma since my Aunt passed last year, bless her soul. She left me her traditional IRA, and it's a decent chunk, about $400k. I'm already retired, picked up my pension from the Navy a while back, and my own portfolio is mostly in solid, dividend-paying stocks and some mutual funds, with a good chunk in my existing Gold IRA (about $150k there). My concern is the global instability right now. Living out here in Hawaii, you get a different perspective on things – what happens in Asia or the Middle East feels a lot more immediate. The dollar just doesn’t feel as stable as it did 20 years ago.

I've been thinking about converting a significant portion of this inherited IRA into physical gold, similar to my own Gold IRA. My understanding is that as a non-spouse beneficiary, I have to take RMDs, and sooner rather than later. I've been playing around with the RMD Calculator to get a clearer picture of those required payouts, and it's a helpful tool for planning. But the main question is, can I directly roll this inherited IRA into a gold-backed IRA without triggering a taxable event on the entire amount? Or am I going to have to take the distributions, pay the taxes, and then purchase the gold separately?

I'm looking at maybe putting $250k of that inherited money into precious metals. It just feels like a safer haven given the current climate. We've seen some pretty wild swings lately, and honestly, the thought of holding onto a solely paper asset feels a bit… exposed. Anyone gone through this process with an inherited IRA? What were the tax implications like? Any specific custodians you recommend for inherited gold IRAs?

I'm trying to be strategic here, not just reactive. My goal isn't to get rich quick, but to preserve wealth and have that solid hedge against inflation and market downturns. Appreciate any insights you folks might have from your own experiences.