Is anyone else feeling antsy about the market? Gold as a recession hedge for us boomers.

• •Okay, so I'm a bit uneasy about the current market, and not just because my golf swing is off this week.
• •I retired from the Navy a few years back, got my pension, and thankfully made some smart moves with my investments over the years.
• •We've got a pretty decent chunk now, sitting around the high end of $250k towards $500k in our retirement accounts.

Okay, so I'm a bit uneasy about the current market, and not just because my golf swing is off this week. I retired from the Navy a few years back, got my pension, and thankfully made some smart moves with my investments over the years. We've got a pretty decent chunk now, sitting around the high end of $250k towards $500k in our retirement accounts. Living here in San Diego, the cost of living alone makes you think twice about every penny. With all the chatter about a potential recession, it's got me seriously re-evaluating my portfolio’s defenses.

I've been a believer in gold for a while now, especially for that long-term security. It's always felt like a rock-solid asset when everything else is going haywire. I'm talking about physical gold here, not just paper ETFs. But lately, I’ve been wondering if I should be bulking up my positions even more. Are any of you guys increasing your allocation to gold right now specifically as a recession hedge? I'm curious about the specific types of gold coins everyone favors for this – Eagles, Buffalos, Krugerrands? I’ve mostly stuck with Eagles for their recognition, but open to other ideas.

I also started looking into silver more, thinking about its industrial demand along with its monetary properties. It offers a different kind of hedge, right? I stumbled across this tool recently, Silver vs Stocks, which lets you compare how silver has performed against the stock market over different periods. It's actually pretty eye-opening to see the long-term trends side-by-side. For the last 10 years, it’s not as clear-cut as I thought, which is why I’m asking for some more perspective. What are your thoughts on adding significant silver as well, or is gold still the undisputed king for recession-proofing?

My biggest fear is seeing years of hard-earned savings evaporate if a serious downturn hits, especially with inflation still being a beast. I want to make sure my wife and I are truly secure. Anyone else in a similar boat, trying to navigate these choppy waters with precious metals? What percentage of your portfolio do you feel comfortable allocating to metals for this specific purpose? Any seasoned investors have insights or regrets about their past recession-proofing strategies?