Rolled over my old 401k to a Gold IRA - A Madison perspective

• •Finally pulled the trigger on rolling over a decent chunk of my old 401k into a Gold IRA.
• •Been thinking about it for a while, especially with all the talk about inflation and the market feeling a bit squirrely lately.
• •Figured it was time to put some of that into something a bit more tangible.

Finally pulled the trigger on rolling over a decent chunk of my old 401k into a Gold IRA. Been thinking about it for a while, especially with all the talk about inflation and the market feeling a bit squirrely lately. Had about $350k sitting in a traditional 401k from my dairy plant days – mostly mutual funds and some company stock that I diversified out of years ago. Figured it was time to put some of that into something a bit more tangible. The process itself wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, but there were definitely a few speed bumps.

I went with Augusta Precious Metals after doing a lot of research (and watching a fair bit of YouTube, gotta admit). Their customer service was a big draw; felt like I was talking to a real person, not just some sales robot. The transaction took a little over three weeks from start to finish. The biggest hold-up was actually getting my old 401k provider to release the funds. They asked for a ridiculous amount of paperwork, almost like they didn't want me taking my money out. Had to make a few calls and get kind of firm, which isn't really my style, but sometimes you just gotta do it.

Ended up allocating about 60% of that rollover into American Gold Eagles and 40% into Canadian Gold Maples. Just felt right. Like a physical anchor in the portfolio. Being from Wisconsin, you appreciate anything that's built to last, and gold feels that way. My big question for y'all is, for those who've done this, what percentage of your overall portfolio did you decide to put into precious metals? I'm sitting around 15-20% now, including some silver I've had for years, and wondering if that's a good spot or if I should consider more down the line. It's a big decision, and I'm always open to hearing different perspectives.