Gold rounds and recession fears - My thoughts as a

• •I started my Gold IRA a couple of years ago, mostly with American Gold Eagles, but I’ve been looking into gold rounds to diversify a bit.
• •The goal isn't to get rich quick, but to make sure my retirement savings don't get completely wiped out if things go south like they did in '08.
• •Does anyone here actively incorporate gold rounds for recession protection in their IRA?

Okay, so I've been wrestling with this idea of "recession-proofing" my portfolio a lot lately, especially with all the chatter about interest rates and the economy possibly slowing down. As a principal here in Little Rock, and someone who actually teaches financial literacy to high schoolers, you'd think I'd have all the answers, but honestly, it's different when it's your own money.

I started my Gold IRA a couple of years ago, mostly with American Gold Eagles, but I’ve been looking into gold rounds to diversify a bit. My thinking was that rounds might offer a slightly lower premium over spot, and while they don't have the same government backing as a coin, for a pure speculative play on gold's value during a downturn, they seem to make sense. My Gold IRA is sitting around the $75k mark right now, and I’m wondering if I should allocate more to rounds if I really want to protect against a significant economic hit. The goal isn't to get rich quick, but to make sure my retirement savings don't get completely wiped out if things go south like they did in '08.

Does anyone here actively incorporate gold rounds for recession protection in their IRA? I'm trying to balance the typical advice of "diversify, diversify" with the specific benefits (or drawbacks) of rounds when the economy is looking a bit shaky. Are the lower premiums worth the potential trade-offs in liquidity or recognition compared to bullion coins? I get the feeling that in a true doomsday scenario, any physical gold is better than none, but I’m still trying to be smart about it.

What are your go-to strategies for using precious metals to specifically brace against a recession? And for those who have rounds in their IRA, have you had any issues with storage or reporting?