5 Years with a Palladium IRA - My Thoughts & Returns (Detroit Retiree)

• •Thought I'd share my experience with Palladium (PALL) in a self-directed IRA over the last five years.
• •As some of you know from my other posts, I've had gold in my portfolio for over two decades, pretty much since I was still on the line at Ford.
• •It felt like a good diversification move from my traditional gold holdings, which were already substantial.

Thought I'd share my experience with Palladium (PALL) in a self-directed IRA over the last five years. As some of you know from my other posts, I've had gold in my portfolio for over two decades, pretty much since I was still on the line at Ford. About five years ago, after seeing the run-up in palladium prices and knowing its industrial uses, especially in the auto industry (which I'm obviously familiar with), I decided to move about $250k into a Palladium IRA. It felt like a good diversification move from my traditional gold holdings, which were already substantial.

The journey has been... interesting. The first couple of years were incredible. I remember looking at my statements and thinking I was an absolute genius. We're talking 30-40% gains in some quarters. My initial $250k easily climbed to well over $350k, maybe even touching $400k at one point. It felt like walking on air, especially as a retiree in Detroit, where every dollar counts. I was picturing those European vacations my wife and I always dreamed about, not just the usual trip to the cottage up north.

Then, obviously, things took a turn. The last year or two have been a bit of a rollercoaster, mostly downhill. As of my last statement, that $250k is probably sitting around the $280-290k mark. So, technically, I'm still up, but it's a far cry from the peak. It's a reminder that even precious metals have their volatile periods. I'm not panicking, my gold holdings are still solid, and this was always a smaller, more speculative portion of my overall ~750k retirement portfolio. But it does make you think about allocation.

I'm holding long-term, no plans to sell, especially with the auto industry slowly bouncing back. What are other folks' experiences with palladium? Has anyone seen similar swings, or am I just particularly exposed? Any insights on where you see palladium heading in the next 5-10 years, especially with EV adoption picking up?