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    Just finished my 401k to Gold IRA transfer - took longer than I thought, anyone else?

    G
    Key Takeaways
    • Finally got everything squared away with my Gold IRA rollover from my old 401k.
    • Man, that process was a bit more drawn out than I initially expected.
    • I started the whole thing about two months ago, and just got the confirmation last week that the physical gold is in the vault.
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    Finally got everything squared away with my Gold IRA rollover from my old 401k. Man, that process was a bit more drawn out than I initially expected. I started the whole thing about two months ago, and just got the confirmation last week that the physical gold is in the vault. I'm based here in Fresno, running my ag business, and with all the uncertainty around, I really wanted to get some of my retirement savings into something tangible. My portfolio is sitting right around the $75k mark that I decided to convert.

    I feel a lot better having a good chunk of that locked up in precious metals. With how crazy the market's been, and frankly, all the chatter I hear down at the co-op about inflation, having real assets just makes sense to me. My financial advisor (who thankfully understood my reasoning, even if he did try to push some more tech stocks) said it'd be a smooth couple of weeks, but it ended up being closer to eight. Most of that seemed to be on the old 401k custodian's side, dragging their feet with the paperwork and then the actual wire transfer.

    Anyone else go through this recently? What was your timeline like for getting everything from your old 401k into a Gold IRA? Did you run into any snags with your previous custodian? I'm just curious if my experience was typical or if I just got unlucky with some slow-moving bureaucrats.

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    Best Answer▲ 10 upvotes
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    jennifer_martinez💰Established (100-250k)

    Totally feel this. My rollover from a Fidelity 401k a couple years back felt like it took forever. I had about 180k in there and it was a solid 6 weeks of back and forth, especially getting the old custodian to release the funds. Definitely longer than the "2-4 weeks" they quoted me initially.

    Comments (7)

    5
    donald_nelson💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investor✓ Verifiedabout 2 months ago

    Oh man, I feel you on this! Had a super similar experience. My rollover from a traditional IRA to a Gold IRA felt like it dragged on forever. I think mine took about 6-7 weeks total, and I was refreshing my email like crazy the whole time. Glad it's all done for you now though!

    9
    donna_rogers🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investorabout 2 months ago

    Congrats on getting it done! Two months does sound like a bit of a wait. When you say the physical gold is "in the vault," did you opt for segregated storage or commingled? Just curious how that part of the process felt on your end.

    7
    linda_taylor📊Growing (50-100k)✓ Verifiedabout 2 months ago

    Honestly, two months doesn't sound too bad to me for a full 401k to physical gold transfer. I've heard some horror stories of people waiting much longer, especially if there were any snafus with the old 401k administrator or getting the custodian set up. Sounds like you got through it relatively smoothly, all things considered!

    8
    christopher_young🌟Ultra (5m+)Real Investor✓ Verifiedabout 2 months ago

    Congrats on getting it done! It definitely can feel like a marathon sometimes. For anyone else looking to do a rollover, I found that having all my old 401k statements and account numbers ready *before* contacting the Gold IRA company really sped things up on my end. It minimized the back-and-forth for information. Also, don't be afraid to clearly state your timeline expectations upfront with your chosen firm!

    7
    patricia_miller📊Growing (50-100k)✓ Verifiedabout 2 months ago

    Totally agree on the time taken! Mine was a bit of a haul last year when I rolled over a portion of my old 401k – took about 6 weeks end-to-end with Augusta. The Gold vs Stocks 10-year comparison on this site really puts things in perspective when you're waiting, keeping your eyes on the prize. My question for others who've done the transfer: did you notice any material difference in the "spread" or premium charged if you went with a smaller, regional firm versus one of the big national outfits? I'm in Denver, and considered a local shop, but ultimately went with a larger company for perceived security.

    10
    jennifer_martinez💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor✓ Verifiedabout 2 months ago

    Totally feel this. My rollover from a Fidelity 401k a couple years back felt like it took forever. I had about 180k in there and it was a solid 6 weeks of back and forth, especially getting the old custodian to release the funds. Definitely longer than the "2-4 weeks" they quoted me initially.

    7
    joyce_cooper📊Growing (50-100k)✓ Verifiedabout 2 months ago

    Totally agree, u/GoldRushGaming! My rollover from an old 401k a couple of years back felt like it dragged on forever. I was in Little Rock, and even with the company I chose, it felt like a constant stream of paperwork and waiting for approvals. Didn't hit too many snags, luckily, but the timeline was definitely longer than the impression I got initially. Good on you for getting it done! If you're near retirement, the RMD Calculator is super helpful for planning payouts after all that hard work.

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