Thinking of rolling over my old 401K into a gold IRA, who

• •I'm thinking about 10-15% of my overall liquid assets, so for this $600k, a good chunk would go into gold and maybe some silver.
• •I’ve been reading up on the process – physical delivery for my IRA, segregated storage, all that jazz.
• •What companies have you all used for a self-directed gold IRA?

Alright, so I’ve been sitting on an old 401K from a firm I left a few years back – it’s got about $600k in it just chilling in some index funds, doing… fine. Nothing spectacular. My current portfolio is heavily weighted in equities, as you'd expect working in Greenwich, but I've been eyeing a gold allocation for a while now to diversify away from the dollar and mitigate some of the systemic risk I'm seeing. With the Fed doing what it’s doing, and the general geopolitical dumpster fire, it feels like the right time to pull the trigger on a pretty significant allocation to precious metals. I'm thinking about 10-15% of my overall liquid assets, so for this $600k, a good chunk would go into gold and maybe some silver.

I’ve been reading up on the process – physical delivery for my IRA, segregated storage, all that jazz. It seems straightforward enough, but this is a pretty new asset class for me in terms of direct physical ownership, especially within a tax-advantaged account. I’ve looked at Augusta Precious Metals and JM Bullion for buying directly, but for an IRA rollover, it seems like there are dedicated custodian services. What companies have you all used for a self-directed gold IRA? Did you like their customer service, fee structure, and the speed of the rollover process?

My biggest concern is really avoiding any fumbles with the IRS regulations down the line. I want to make sure the custodian is absolutely solid and understands all the nuances of precious metals IRAs. Also, what types of gold did you guys opt for? Standardized bars, Eagles, Maples? I’m leaning towards the more liquid, recognized sovereign coins, but curious if anyone has strong opinions either way. Any pitfalls I should be looking out for that aren't immediately obvious?

My total portfolio is roughly $3.5 million, so this isn't my entire war chest, but it's still a substantial allocation that I want to get right. Any advice from those who've gone through this, especially with similar sized rollovers, would be hugely appreciated. Seriously, point me to a good firm and tell me why they were good – or who to avoid like the plague. Cheers.