Palladium in the IRA? Weighing pros and cons for a chunk

Catherine Bell

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Palladium in the IRA? Weighing pros and cons for a chunk

catherine_bell🏆Advanced (250-500k)

about 2 months ago

Key Takeaways

•Now, I'm eyeing palladium.
•I've heard rumblings about its industrial demand, especially in catalytic converters, and the supply constraints seem pretty real.
•I’m based out of Spokane, and even around here, you hear whispers about the mining industry and resource scarcity.

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Been doing a deep dive into my IRA lately, specifically looking at diversifying beyond just gold and some of the silver I've accumulated over the years. My portfolio's sitting pretty solid, just over $400k, largely thanks to some timberland sales and just generally good stewardship from my family over the generations. Gold’s always been our bedrock asset, a real generational wealth kind of thing, so a Gold IRA felt like a no-brainer when I started managing my own chunk.

Now, I'm eyeing palladium. I've heard rumblings about its industrial demand, especially in catalytic converters, and the supply constraints seem pretty real. I’m based out of Spokane, and even around here, you hear whispers about the mining industry and resource scarcity. On one hand, it feels like it could be a smart move – a different kind of hedge than just gold or silver, less correlation maybe? On the other hand, the price volatility scares the hell out of me a little bit. It's been a wild ride for palladium the last few years, and I’m not exactly looking to gamble away a significant portion of my retirement just for a speculative play. My main goal is capital preservation and steady growth, not chasing meteoric rises.

Thinking about allocating maybe 10-15% of my precious metals allocation, which would be a decent chunk, like $15-20k, towards palladium if I decide to pull the trigger. What are people's experiences with including palladium in their IRAs? Is it too niche for a long-term, wealth-preserving play? Or is there a solid argument for its inclusion given the industrial demand? Also, for anyone newer to this, I found this Gold IRA Quiz super helpful to get a handle on the basics of what you can even hold in these accounts. Wondering if there are similar resources for palladium specifically.

Would love to hear some thoughts, especially from anyone who's made this move or actively considered it. What are the biggest pros and cons you've identified? Any particular custodians better for palladium storage within an IRA?

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5 comments

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Best Answer▲ 9 upvotes

mark_adams👑Elite (1m-5m)

Hey, that's a good question! I actually looked into palladium for my own IRA a while back, though my chunk of change wasn't quite as hefty as yours, haha. Ended up sticking with mostly gold and silver myself, but the thought definitely crossed my mind. The industrial demand is a strong pro, for sure.

I think the biggest thing for me was just the price volatility compared to gold. It felt a bit more speculative than the "safe haven" aspect I mostly go for with my metals. Curious to hear what you end up deciding!

Comments (5)

mark_adams👑Elite (1m-5m)Real Investor•about 2 months ago

janet_cook📊Growing (50-100k)•about 2 months ago

Interesting thought process! You mentioned "timberland sales" as a source for some of the IRA funds. Was that direct sales of physical timberland, or through some kind of REIT or other investment vehicle that then rolled into the IRA?

richard_garcia👑Elite (1m-5m)Real Investor•about 2 months ago

Interesting thought on palladium! While it's definitely a precious metal, I'd personally be a bit cautious about putting a "chunk of change" into it for an IRA right now. The industrial demand is a huge driver, and with the auto industry facing some big shifts (EVs, etc.), that core demand could be volatile. Gold and silver, for all their ups and downs, feel a bit more reliably tied to long-term wealth preservation and aren't quite as exposed to specific industrial sectors. Just my two cents, but it's worth considering the long-term industrial landscape.

laura_sanchez💰Established (100-250k)Real Investor✓ Verified•about 2 months ago

Hey, cool you're looking into palladium! It's definitely an interesting one for diversification. One thing I'd strongly recommend checking out is the specific custodian fees and storage options for palladium within an IRA. Some custodians have higher fees or more limited options compared to gold or silver. It's not a deal-breaker, but good to know upfront so you can factor it into your overall cost analysis.

Here's a good article that breaks down some of those custodian nuances: https://www.investopedia.com/gold-ira-custodians-7505991 (just scroll down a bit, they touch on other precious metals too).

ruth_perez📊Growing (50-100k)•about 2 months ago

Totally agree with looking at palladium for diversification. I've been eyeing it for a while too. My IRA is smaller than yours (half a mil, mostly from tech stocks), but I've been slowly adding some palladium coins over the last year. The industrial demand is a huge pro in my book, and it's less correlated with the traditional precious metals, which is exactly what I want for a portion of my holdings.

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