RE: While we are waiting.....
I think real estate is probably a better hedge. The problem with Gold is that it moves, not on inflation, but on the FEAR of inflation. If inflation went to 15%, Gold would soar. If it then came down to 12%, and people expected it to fall further, Gold would tank. See 1980....
Still, Gold should be a decent hedge, if you know when to dump it.
You may have trouble owning physical gold in a retirement account, so the next best thing w/b owning a stake in someone who owns the Gold for you, like GLD.
If you can buy coins, I would recommend it for part of your gold-related holdings. One of the great advantages of coins is that you are not tempted to trade them, and hence do not get whipsawed by Gold price movements.
Mining stocks can have much more leverage than coins, which can be good or bad. I own about 30 gold and silver miners, most of them juniors. For more stability, I would recommend AUY, which has very low costs (net of byproduct), and thus has lower leverage to the price of Gold.