Weighing Physical Gold (Bars/Coins) vs. Paper Gold (ETFs/Mining Stocks) for My IRA - Thoughts?

• •I've been going down a rabbit hole trying to figure out the best way to leverage gold in my portfolio, especially for my IRA.
• •Coming from a tech background here in SF, I'm used to everything being digital and efficient, but precious metals feel like a whole different beast.
• •On one hand, the idea of owning something tangible, outside the banking system, is really appealing.

I've been going down a rabbit hole trying to figure out the best way to leverage gold in my portfolio, especially for my IRA. Coming from a tech background here in SF, I'm used to everything being digital and efficient, but precious metals feel like a whole different beast. I've got a decent chunk, around $300k, that I'm looking to allocate more diversely, and gold definitely feels like a smart move right now with all the economic uncertainty on the horizon.

My main dilemma is between going for physical gold – thinking a mix of bars and some popular coins for liquidity – versus diving into paper gold like ETFs (GLD, IAU, etc.) or even some of the more established mining stocks. On one hand, the idea of owning something tangible, outside the banking system, is really appealing. I've been researching secure storage options, both private vaults and even some home safe considerations, though I'm leaning heavily towards a professional setup given the value. The peace of mind of holding actual wealth, especially if things go truly sideways, seems invaluable.

However, the convenience and potential liquidity of an ETF can't be ignored. No storage fees, easier to buy/sell at market rates, and generally lower premiums. But then you're back to counterparty risk, and are you really holding "gold" or just a promise of gold? And mining stocks, while offering potential leverage to gold price movements, come with their own company-specific risks that I'm not entirely excited about adding to a 'safe haven' allocation. For those of you who've been in the game longer, how do you balance these factors in your own Gold IRAs? Is it mostly a 50/50 split, or do you lean heavily one way?