My Silver Stacking Journey - From Nervous newbie to (almost) Confident Accumulator

• •Been lurking here for a while and finally decided to post about my own silver journey.
• •Started stacking a couple of years ago, mostly on a whim after reading some articles about inflation and diversifying away from just stocks.
• •Had about $75k in my 401k and another $30k in a personal brokerage when I first dipping my toes in.

Been lurking here for a while and finally decided to post about my own silver journey. Started stacking a couple of years ago, mostly on a whim after reading some articles about inflation and diversifying away from just stocks. Had about $75k in my 401k and another $30k in a personal brokerage when I first dipping my toes in. I'm a marketing exec in Minneapolis, aiming for an early retirement (think 55-ish, so another 15 years to go), and the thought of having some tangible assets outside of the traditional markets really appealed to me.

My strategy has evolved quite a bit since then. Initially, I was buying whatever looked good – mostly 1oz American Silver Eagles, a few Canadian Maples. Went through a phase of buying bars, mostly 10oz and some 100oz. I've probably got around $20k-$25k in physical silver now, stored in a couple of different places, mostly 10oz bars from various reputable mints. My goal isn't really to get rich quick, but more about wealth preservation and having something solid for my eventual retirement. I'm also starting to think about how this will impact my RMDs eventually. Has anyone else used an RMD Calculator to project how much they'll need to withdraw from their precious metals IRA? Thinking about rolling some of this into a Gold IRA eventually.

I'm still learning, and sometimes I get a little anxious about whether I'm making the right choices. The premiums sometimes sting, and the thought of having to sell it one day (hopefully at a profit!) feels a bit daunting – where do you even sell 100oz bars without feeling like you're getting ripped off? I try to dollar-cost average, buying a little bit every month, regardless of price fluctuations. I’ve probably put in an extra $5k this year already. It's truly become an interesting hobby, and honestly, holding a 10oz bar is just a cool feeling you don't get from a stock certificate.

What are your long-term strategies for physical silver, especially if you're looking at retirement within the next 10-15 years? Any specific products or sizes you've found to be the best balance of liquidity and low premiums? Would love to hear from other stackers on how they manage their physical assets as part of a larger retirement plan.