Physical gold vs. paper gold - my take as a long-time investor

• •Been seeing a lot of chatter lately on here about physical gold versus paper gold, especially with all the economic uncertainty swirling around.
• •My philosophy has always leaned heavily towards the tangible.
• •Back in my steel days in Birmingham, AL, folks understood the value of a physical product.

Been seeing a lot of chatter lately on here about physical gold versus paper gold, especially with all the economic uncertainty swirling around. As someone who’s been in the commodities game for a long time, particularly coming from the steel industry’s perspective, I figured I’d throw my two cents in. I’ve built up a decent nest egg, currently sitting around the $400k mark in my IRA, and a good chunk of that is tied up in precious metals, both directly and indirectly.

My philosophy has always leaned heavily towards the tangible. Back in my steel days in Birmingham, AL, folks understood the value of a physical product. You could touch it, you could see it, you knew what you had. That same principle applies to my gold. I prefer physical bars and coins for a significant portion of my allocation, held in a reputable vault, of course. There’s just something about knowing I own a tangible asset that can’t be wiped out by a hack, a broker going bust, or some algorithm glitch. I remember watching friends get burned in '08 with all sorts of 'paper' promises that just evaporated overnight. That really cemented my conviction for hard assets.

Now, I’m not saying there’s no place for paper gold. I do have some exposure through ETFs for liquidity and ease of trading. It’s certainly convenient if you’re looking to make quick moves or track the market without the logistical headaches of storage and insurance. But for long-term wealth preservation and true hedge against inflation or systemic risk, I just can’t shake the feeling that physical gold is the superior choice. What are others' thoughts on this? Am I being too old-school in my approach?

I’m curious to hear from others, especially those of you who might have a different take or have personal experiences that have swayed you one way or the other. How are you balancing your portfolio between physical and paper assets right now, given the current climate? Are there any hidden risks with physical gold I might be overlooking, beyond the obvious storage and insurance costs?