Worried about inflation, just started my Gold IRA - Columbus, OH

• •Okay, so I'm a total newbie to the Gold IRA world, but with all the talk about inflation lately, I finally took the plunge.
• •I teach middle school here in Columbus, and honestly, seeing my savings just sit there getting eaten away by rising prices was stressing me out.
• •Started my Gold IRA with about $7,000 a few months ago, thinking of it as a long-term inflation hedge.

Okay, so I'm a total newbie to the Gold IRA world, but with all the talk about inflation lately, I finally took the plunge. I teach middle school here in Columbus, and honestly, seeing my savings just sit there getting eaten away by rising prices was stressing me out. Started my Gold IRA with about $7,000 a few months ago, thinking of it as a long-term inflation hedge.

My question for all you seasoned investors out there is: what are your go-to strategies for using gold specifically as an inflation protection tool? I mean, I get the general idea, but are there nuances I should be aware of? Are some types of physical gold better for this than others? I'm trying to wrap my head around things like premiums and spot price in relation to inflation – does one matter more than the other when inflation is the main concern?

I’ve been trying to educate myself as much as possible. I even found this Tax Calculator which was super helpful for figuring out the tax implications of converting part of my old 403(b) over. But I'm looking for real-world experience. For those of you who've been through inflationary periods with gold in your portfolio, what did you learn? Any regrets or "I wish I knew that then" moments?

My dream is to eventually get this up to around $20k-$30k over the next few years. It's not a huge portfolio compared to some of the numbers I see here, but it's significant for me, and I want to make sure I'm doing it right from the beginning. Any advice for a teacher trying to protect their hard-earned money from the dreaded inflation monster would be amazing!