Palladium in my IRA? Birmingham perspective.

• •Been doing a deep dive into my IRA lately, trying to optimize things, especially with the inflation numbers we've been seeing.
• •Most of my precious metals allocation is in physical gold and silver, which I started piling into back in 2018 when things felt a lot more… stable.
• •Got about $350k total in my IRA, with a decent chunk of that (maybe $70k) in the physical stuff, mostly Eagles and Maples, some bars.

Been doing a deep dive into my IRA lately, trying to optimize things, especially with the inflation numbers we've been seeing. Most of my precious metals allocation is in physical gold and silver, which I started piling into back in 2018 when things felt a lot more… stable. Got about $350k total in my IRA, with a decent chunk of that (maybe $70k) in the physical stuff, mostly Eagles and Maples, some bars. Now I'm staring at my portfolio and thinking about diversification within the precious metals itself. Everyone talks gold, silver, sometimes platinum, but palladium keeps popping up on my radar.

Coming from the steel industry, I’ve always understood commodities. I've watched metal prices fluctuate for decades, and palladium's run-up over the last few years has been phenomenal, even if it's pulled back recently. It's got those strong industrial applications, especially in catalytic converters, which isn't going away overnight, despite the EV push. That supply squeeze from Russia is also a huge factor that can't be ignored. I'm wondering if it makes sense to peel off, say, $10k-$15k from my cash allocation within the IRA and put it into palladium.

My concern is the volatility. Gold and silver feel like the ultimate safe haven, slow and steady. Palladium feels like it could be a rocket and then a rock. Anyone here in a similar boat, perhaps with a smaller IRA like mine, who's actually pulled the trigger and added palladium? What was your reasoning? Did you buy coins, bars, or maybe an ETF (though I prefer physical in my IRA for PMs)? I’m looking at the long-term, not trying to day trade this, but I also don't want to regret a significant allocation.

Are there specific types of palladium assets that are better suited for an IRA? I'm based in Birmingham, so finding local dealers for something like palladium coins isn't as straightforward as gold or silver. Any advice from folks who’ve diversified into palladium specifically for their retirement accounts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!