Custodian Fees - Where's the Sweet Spot Folks?

• •Alright, so I’m really trying to dial in my Gold IRA strategy, especially with the market looking… interesting, to say the least.
• •My primary focus with my ~700k portfolio has always been wealth preservation, hence the pretty significant tilt towards precious metals.
• •I’m based in Philly, and as a lawyer, every basis point starts to look like a potential billable hour I’m missing out on, you know?

Alright, so I’m really trying to dial in my Gold IRA strategy, especially with the market looking… interesting, to say the least. My primary focus with my ~700k portfolio has always been wealth preservation, hence the pretty significant tilt towards precious metals. I've been with my current custodian for about five years now, and while they've been fine – no major complaints – I’ve started wondering if I’m leaving money on the table with their fees. I’m based in Philly, and as a lawyer, every basis point starts to look like a potential billable hour I’m missing out on, you know?

My current annual fees are around $275 for custodial services and then another $200 for storage. It’s not exorbitant, but when you add it up over a decade with no substantial changes to my holdings, it feels like it could be streamlined. I’m talking to a few different custodians next week, trying to get a clearer picture of their structures. Are there any hidden gems out there that offer fantastic service without nickel-and-diming you? I’m looking for something reliable, obviously, but better value would be a huge plus. What have others seen? Are some of the smaller players more competitive on fees without sacrificing security?

I also just took that Gold IRA Quiz – it was actually pretty helpful for getting a baseline understanding of what different types of accounts suited my goals best. It highlighted a few areas I hadn't even thought about concerning fee structures and liquidity. Now I'm wondering if a different custodian might also offer better transparency or even slightly different storage options that could impact costs.

Specifically, for those of you with larger accounts, say above 500k, are there volume discounts that kick in that I should be asking about? Or perhaps flat fees versus percentage-based which might benefit a larger portfolio like mine? Any anecdotal experiences with specific custodians and their fee schedules would be incredibly valuable. I'm trying to be super diligent here before I make any moves.