Roth vs. Traditional for a Gold IRA - What's your play?

• •Diving into the Gold IRA Blueprint category today because I'm genuinely curious about how others are strategizing this.
• •I've been a metals man for decades, even before retiring from the Street a few years back.
• •Lately, though, I've been kicking around the idea of a Roth Gold IRA for a portion of new contributions.

Diving into the Gold IRA Blueprint category today because I'm genuinely curious about how others are strategizing this. I've been a metals man for decades, even before retiring from the Street a few years back. Most of my substantial portfolio, roughly 75% of my 3 million, is in various precious metals, including a significant chunk in physical gold within my traditional IRA. The whole point for me was tax-deferred growth on an asset class I believe in deeply, then taking the distribution hit later when my income usually dips.

Lately, though, I've been kicking around the idea of a Roth Gold IRA for a portion of new contributions. Living in NYC, the tax picture is always on my mind, and the thought of tax-free distributions in retirement, especially given future inflation concerns, is mighty appealing. My current income, even in retirement, isn't peanuts thanks to some smart real estate plays and dividends, so I'd be looking at backdoor Roth conversions or just contributing to an existing Roth if I went that route for future metal buys.

My big question for the forum is: did any of you intentionally choose a Roth Gold IRA over a Traditional? If so, what was your primary reasoning? Was it purely a tax play, or did you have other considerations? And for those with Traditional Gold IRAs, are you having any second thoughts about the tax hit on distribution, especially with all the talk about rising tax rates down the line?

I'm always looking to refine my strategy, even if it's just confirming my current course. For perspective, the majority of my gold is American Eagles and Canadian Maple Leafs, physical, held in a reputable vault. Not really interested in paper gold ETFs. What are your thoughts on Roth vs. Traditional for a substantial metals allocation for long-term growth?