My 401k to Gold IRA transfer - longer than I thought, but worth it for the palladium!

• •Just went through the whole 401k to Gold IRA transfer rigmarole, and man, it was a bit more involved than I initially expected.
• •My big push for this move was really to diversify with some palladium.
• •I've seen enough cycles to know that true diversification means having something outside the traditional paper assets.

Just went through the whole 401k to Gold IRA transfer rigmarole, and man, it was a bit more involved than I initially expected. I started the process about 6 weeks ago, moving a solid chunk of my old 401k – roughly $400k – that was just sitting there, not really doing much for me. I left my bank manager gig a few years back, and since then, I've been way more hands-on with my investments, especially when it comes to tangible assets.

My big push for this move was really to diversify with some palladium. I'm based in Portland, and while the crypto scene here is buzzing, I just can't shake the feeling that hard assets are the way to go, especially with the way the market's been acting. I've seen enough cycles to know that true diversification means having something outside the traditional paper assets. The setup for the rollover itself was pretty smooth, but getting the actual funds transferred and then purchasing the palladium was the part that took some patience.

From the initial paperwork with the IRA custodian to the final purchase and allocation of the palladium, it was right around 5 weeks. That included the typical 3-5 business days for the funds to actually clear from the old 401k, another week or so for the custodian to process everything, and then the actual metal purchase and delivery to the depository. Not excruciating, but definitely longer than the "few weeks" I'd mentally prepared for. I was getting a little antsy by week four, constantly checking in to see if everything was moving along.

Anyone else experience a similar timeframe for their 401k to precious metals IRA rollover? Did anyone run into significant delays they weren't expecting? I'm curious if my experience was typical, or if I just hit a busy period. Either way, now that it's done, I feel a lot better having that palladium in my portfolio, tucked away safe and sound.