Physical vs. Paper Gold for an IRA - My Experience and Takeaways?

• •Coming from a world of SaaS and digital assets, the tangible nature of bullion was a whole new beast.
• •My portfolio is sitting comfortably in the mid-six figures, around $400k in my Gold IRA right now, and I'm heavily skewed towards physical.
• •When I first started researching, the allure of paper gold – ETFs, mining stocks, even futures – seemed so straightforward.

I've been in the game for a few years now, moved a chunk of my old tech executive compensation into a Gold IRA after the last market dip, and one of the biggest initial hurdles was wrapping my head around physical vs. paper gold. Coming from a world of SaaS and digital assets, the tangible nature of bullion was a whole new beast.

My portfolio is sitting comfortably in the mid-six figures, around $400k in my Gold IRA right now, and I'm heavily skewed towards physical. When I first started researching, the allure of paper gold – ETFs, mining stocks, even futures – seemed so straightforward. Lower storage costs, easier liquidation, all the things that traditionally make sense for a portfolio manager in SF. But the more I dug in, the more the “counterparty risk” just screamed at me. If the world goes sideways, which, let's be honest, feels more plausible with each passing year, is that ETF really going to protect me as much as a stack of actual bars?

Ultimately, I went with a reputable custodian here in California and opted for direct ownership of allocated physical gold and silver stored securely. The peace of mind knowing that what I see on my statement actually corresponds to specific, verifiable precious metals is worth the slightly higher fees for me. I still dabble in a very small amount of a gold mining ETF for some speculative growth, but it's a minor fraction. My core inflation hedge and "chaos insurance" is undeniably physical.

Curious to hear from others in similar situations – especially those who've been in the metals game longer. What's your balance? Have you ever regretted going too heavy on one or the other? Any horror stories with "paper gold" that validated your choice to go physical, or perhaps the other way around?