Palladium in my IRA? Birmingham perspective.

Joshua Phillips

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Palladium in my IRA? Birmingham perspective.

joshua_phillips🏆Advanced (250-500k)

3 months ago

Key Takeaways

•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.

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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!

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14 comments

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Best Answer▲ 18 upvotes

joyce_cooper📊Growing (50-100k)

Been looking into this myself — the fees on some of these custodians are wild. Anyone found one that doesn't gouge you?

Comments (14)

frank_rivera💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investor•3 months ago

Hey, totally get where you're coming from. I started looking into palladium for my IRA a few years back for similar reasons. My advisor actually showed me some pretty compelling performance charts, especially how it often moves distinctly from gold and silver. Ended up putting a small percentage in, and so far, no regrets. It's an interesting diversification play, for sure.

helen_turner💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor•3 months ago

Hey, interesting post! When you say you're "optimizing things," what exactly are you looking to optimize for? Is it growth, stability, or something else entirely?

frank_rivera💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investor•3 months ago

Interesting thought on palladium, but I'm not sure I'd be looking to add it to an IRA right now, especially if you're aiming for diversification and stability. While it's had some wild swings, and can definitely see big gains, it feels a bit more specialized than what most people want for a foundational retirement asset. Plus, the industrial demand aspect can make it a bit more volatile than gold or even silver.

For me, the "set it and forget it" aspect of gold and silver in an IRA, especially physical, is what makes them so attractive for long-term wealth preservation. Palladium just doesn't quite fit that same mold, in my opinion, at least not for a significant chunk of a retirement portfolio.

david_brown💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investor•3 months ago

Hey, good timing looking into this. Have you checked out the IRS guidelines specifically for what precious metals are allowed in an IRA? Not all palladium products are IRA-eligible, they have purity requirements (typically 99.95% or higher). Make sure whatever you're looking at meets those standards to avoid any headaches down the line.

helen_turner💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor•16 days ago

I keep going back and forth between gold and silver allocations. The gold-to-silver ratio right now is making silver look attractive.

ronald_morris👑Elite (1m-5m)Real Investor•16 days ago

I keep going back and forth between gold and silver allocations. The gold-to-silver ratio right now is making silver look attractive.

carol_carter💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor•16 days ago

Ngl I came here expecting the usual affiliate spam but the discussions are actually decent. Way better info than what I was getting from my old advisor.

maria_campbell📊Growing (50-100k)✓ Verified•16 days ago

Just started my rollover process last month. The paperwork alone almost made me quit lol.

karen_robinson💼Starter (0-50k)•16 days ago

I rolled over about $80k last year. Honestly the hardest part was just picking which metals to hold. Still second-guessing myself.

steven_mitchell🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investor✓ Verified•16 days ago

Ngl I came here expecting the usual affiliate spam but the discussions are actually decent. Way better info than what I was getting from my old advisor.

michael_anderson🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investor•16 days ago

Been looking into this myself — the fees on some of these custodians are wild. Anyone found one that doesn't gouge you?

michelle_collins🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investor•16 days ago

I was pretty skeptical about another gold IRA forum but the tools here on GIRAB actually surprised me — the calculator alone saved me hours of spreadsheet work.