Timing the market with gold - anyone else feel like a genius (or a fool)?

• •Okay, so I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter lately about "timing the market" and whether it’s even possible, especially with gold.
• •Or maybe I just got incredibly lucky.
• •There were definitely moments of doubt, especially when the whole crypto thing blew up and everyone was talking about digital assets as the future.

Okay, so I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter lately about "timing the market" and whether it’s even possible, especially with gold. As someone who sold out of my tech startup back in 2020 (right before things got really wild, thank god) and dumped a significant chunk, like 7 figures worth, into physical gold for my IRA, I feel like I inadvertently pulled off a masterclass in market timing. Or maybe I just got incredibly lucky.

My initial thought process wasn't, "Hey, I bet gold is going to surge now!" It was more, "The stock market feels like a house of cards, and I need something tangible and stable." Based in Dublin, OH, I watched my neighbors still riding the tech wave while I was staring at bars of gold. There were definitely moments of doubt, especially when the whole crypto thing blew up and everyone was talking about digital assets as the future. I felt really out of touch, like I'd gone from being on the bleeding edge to being a Luddite.

But seeing gold's performance over the last few years, especially with inflation stubbornly high and geopolitical tensions ramping up, I'm feeling pretty damn validated. My portfolio, which was sitting around the $3M mark after the sale, has seen a healthy bump thanks to the yellow stuff. It's not the explosive growth of some stocks, but the peace of mind is invaluable. I sleep better knowing a good portion of my retirement isn't tied to the whims of some earnings report or a tweet from a questionable CEO.

So, my question for you all: Do you think my "timing" was genuine insight or just pure, unadulterated luck? And for those of you who also went heavy into gold around that pandemic-era uncertainty, how are you feeling now? Are you confidently saying you timed it, or are you like me, just breathing a sigh of relief?