My Silver Stacking Journey and Strategy (Gold IRA
- •When I first started really looking at PMs, maybe 5-6 years ago, I was buying exclusively physical silver.
- •Like, hundreds of ounces.
- •Most of it came from Northwest Territorial Mint before they, uh, went sideways.
Been seeing a lot of posts about folks just starting out with precious metals, which is awesome, but it got me thinking about my own journey and how my strategy has evolved, especially with my Gold IRA. When I first started really looking at PMs, maybe 5-6 years ago, I was buying exclusively physical silver. Like, hundreds of ounces. Most of it came from Northwest Territorial Mint before they, uh, went sideways. Lucky for me, I had a close relationship with the owner and got out before things went south.
My dad always ingrained in me the idea of tangible assets – comes from growing up around timber land, I guess. You can see it, touch it, know it's there. That's why physical silver was so appealing. I was stacking Eagles, Maples, even some generic rounds when I could find them cheap. I spent probably close to 50k on physical silver over those first few years. It's sitting in a couple of safes here in Spokane, and it's a good feeling knowing it's there, but the logistics of insuring and storing that much physical always gnaws at me a bit.
Fast forward a few years, and after sitting down with my financial advisor (who, bless her heart, is trying to diversify me beyond just real estate and timber stocks), we started looking at a Gold IRA. While I still believe in silver's upside, especially if things get really hairy, the portability and liquidity of gold, particularly within a tax-advantaged account like an IRA, just made more sense for the bulk of my "prepper" allocation. Now, my strategy is more about holding a solid 20-30% of my overall portfolio in precious metals within the Gold IRA, mostly gold, but maybe a 10-15% tilt towards silver within that Gold IRA depending on market conditions. I still buy a bit of physical silver here and there, usually a tube or two a month, but it's more for fun than serious wealth preservation at this point.
Anyone else shift their strategy significantly over time as their portfolio grew or their life situation changed? What made you pivot? And for those with significant physical holdings, what are your biggest concerns about storage and insurance?