Physical gold vs. paper gold in my IRA - what are your thoughts?

• •Okay, so I've been wrestling with this for a bit now, and I'd love to hear some of your real-world experiences.
• •My own gold IRA has about $75k in it right now, and it's almost entirely in physical gold (American Gold Eagles are my current obsession).
• •But lately, I've been seeing more discussions about "paper gold" options within IRAs – things like gold ETFs or even mining stocks.

Okay, so I've been wrestling with this for a bit now, and I'd love to hear some of your real-world experiences. As a principal here in Little Rock, I'm always trying to teach my students practical financial literacy, and let me tell you, explaining the nuances of gold investments to teenagers is a wild ride!

My own gold IRA has about $75k in it right now, and it's almost entirely in physical gold (American Gold Eagles are my current obsession). I jumped into gold a few years back, mostly as a hedge against inflation, and honestly, the stability has been a huge relief with all the economic craziness. But lately, I've been seeing more discussions about "paper gold" options within IRAs – things like gold ETFs or even mining stocks. My initial thought is always to stick with what I know and love – holding the actual shiny stuff. There's just something about knowing I own a tangible asset that feels more secure, especially right now.

But then I start thinking about things like liquidity and storage costs. With physical gold, sure, I own it, but if I needed to sell quickly, is it as straightforward as an ETF? And while my current custodian handles storage, there's always that underlying cost. Paper gold seems to offer a lot more flexibility in that regard. However, the whole idea of "owning" gold that's really just a promise on a piece of paper makes my spidey senses tingle. We've seen crazy things happen in markets, and I just can't shake the feeling that during a true crisis, physical possession could be king.

So, for those of you who have looked into both or even diversified into both physical and paper within your IRA, what's your take? What are the biggest pros and cons you've found? Are there any hidden traps with paper gold I should be aware of, or am I being unnecessarily paranoid about not physically holding it? I even took this Gold IRA Quiz to learn more but I'm looking for some real world advice. I appreciate any insights you all can share!