My accountant just blew my mind re: Gold IRA tax advantages - anyone else?

• •So, I’ve been sitting on a good chunk of my retirement funds, about $180k, mostly in traditional stocks and ETFs.
• •Finally sat down with my accountant last week, a guy who usually just gives me the nod on my deductions, and asked him about it.
• •Holy smokes, I had no idea about the tax benefits.

So, I’ve been sitting on a good chunk of my retirement funds, about $180k, mostly in traditional stocks and ETFs. Living in Vegas for the last 20 years, I’ve managed to get pretty comfortable with calculated risks, but I’m always looking to diversify, especially with how things are looking economically these days. I’ve been vaguely interested in a Gold IRA for a while, but never really dug into the specifics, mostly because I figured it was just for super rich folks or doomsday preppers.

Finally sat down with my accountant last week, a guy who usually just gives me the nod on my deductions, and asked him about it. Holy smokes, I had no idea about the tax benefits. He really broke down how a self-directed Gold IRA works with either pre-tax (Traditional) or post-tax (Roth) contributions, and what that means for my future withdrawals. Basically, depending on which route I go, I could either defer taxes on the growth until retirement, or pay taxes now and have tax-free withdrawals later. Given my current income bracket and what I expect my retirement taxes to look like, I'm seriously leaning towards a Roth Gold IRA now. It felt like finding money I didn't know I had coming!

He also mentioned the whole process of rolling over existing 401k/IRA funds without incurring penalties, which was a huge relief. I was picturing a big tax hit just for moving money around. He stressed checking eligibility first, and that reminded me of a tool I saw online somewhere. I think it was called the "Eligibility Checker" at https://eligibility.goldirablueprint.com/. I need to go back and use that thing to see if I even qualify, though my accountant seemed pretty confident I would.

Anyone else have a similar eye-opening experience with their accountant about Gold IRA tax advantages? Or can share their own experiences with Traditional vs. Roth Gold IRAs? I’m still doing my due diligence, but the tax implications alone are making this look incredibly attractive for a portion of my portfolio.