Minimums for Gold IRAs - My Experience So Far

• •Been looking into finally pulling the trigger on a Gold IRA and I'm a bit hung up on the minimum investment requirements.
• •I've talked to a couple of different companies, and their minimums seem to fluctuate wildly.
• •One quoted me $50,000 to even open an account, another was $25,000, and then I saw some online saying as low as $10,000.

Been looking into finally pulling the trigger on a Gold IRA and I'm a bit hung up on the minimum investment requirements. I've got about $200k in my portfolio right now, mostly in traditional stocks and real estate, but with the way things are looking, I really want to diversify into physical gold. Been in the casino industry here in Vegas for like 25 years, so I understand risk management better than most, and honestly, the thought of having some tangible assets outside of the digital realm is super appealing right now.

I've talked to a couple of different companies, and their minimums seem to fluctuate wildly. One quoted me $50,000 to even open an account, another was $25,000, and then I saw some online saying as low as $10,000. For someone like me who wants to start with maybe $50k-$75k just to get my feet wet, these higher minimums feel a bit steep, especially if I'm just trying to allocate a smaller percentage of my overall portfolio to gold at first.

Are these higher minimums just a way for some of the bigger players to weed out smaller investors, or is there a legitimate reason for them? Like, are the companies with lower minimums somehow less reputable or have hidden fees that make up the difference? I'm trying to figure out if I should just bite the bullet and meet a higher minimum with a company that seems more established, or if it's worth shopping around for something closer to the $25k mark. Any wisdom from folks who've already gone through this process would be greatly appreciated. What did you guys start with?