Roth vs. Traditional for a Gold IRA - what was your deciding factor?

• •Okay, so I've been kicking this around for a while now and I’m curious to hear from others who've gone down the Gold IRA road.
• •When you were setting yours up, what made you land on Roth versus Traditional?
• •I finally got my Gold IRA opened a few months ago – ended up putting about 70k into it, mostly American Gold Eagles and some Canadian Maples.

Okay, so I've been kicking this around for a while now and I’m curious to hear from others who've gone down the Gold IRA road. When you were setting yours up, what made you land on Roth versus Traditional?

I finally got my Gold IRA opened a few months ago – ended up putting about 70k into it, mostly American Gold Eagles and some Canadian Maples. I went with Traditional because honestly, as an agri-businessman out here in Fresno, my income can fluctuate a pretty good amount year to year. The idea of getting that tax deduction now, especially during a strong harvest year, really appealed to me. Figured I could pay the taxes later when I'm, hopefully, in a lower bracket during retirement. Plus, with the way things are going, who knows what tax rates will look like in 20 years. My wife thinks I’m overthinking it, but hey, it’s my money!

My buddy, who's a little younger and just starting his IRA journey, is leaning Roth for his gold, saying the tax-free withdrawals in retirement are the holy grail. I get it, especially if you expect to be in a higher tax bracket later or if you believe taxes are just going to go up indefinitely. But for me, taking the hit now felt better. It’s comforting to know that I’ve got that physical asset backing a chunk of my retirement, especially when you see the headlines these days. It just feels... real, you know?

So, for those of you who've been through this decision, what was the clincher? Was it purely about your current income vs. future expectations? Or were there other factors, maybe something specific about gold as an asset, that pushed you one way or the other? Any regrets either way? Trying to get some perspective here.