Palladium IRA - Went Self-Directed, No Regrets. Any Custodian Horror Stories?

• •The initial setup felt a little intimidating, truth be told.
• •All the talk about "checkbook control" and making sure I didn't mess up any IRS rules had me a bit stressed.
• •But honestly, it's been smooth sailing.

So, I'm a few years into my palladium IRA — opened it back in 2021 when the market was looking a bit… frothy, and I wanted something outside the typical equities. For background, I've got around $400k in there, mostly palladium with a bit of gold for diversification, and it's been handled through a self-directed IRA (SDIRA) from the start. I’m an exec in the bourbon industry here in Lexington, so I appreciate a good, steady, legacy asset that you can actually hold, even if it's in a vault.

The initial setup felt a little intimidating, truth be told. All the talk about "checkbook control" and making sure I didn't mess up any IRS rules had me a bit stressed. But honestly, it's been smooth sailing. My SDIRA custodian just handles the administrative side, and I call the shots on what specific bars or coins to buy. I like having that direct oversight, especially for something as tangible as precious metals. It feels more robust than just having an account number with a traditional broker pushing paper assets.

I was originally looking at some of the bigger, more traditional custodians, but their fees and lack of flexibility for true physical metals were a turn-off. Plus, with a SDIRA, I feel like I have more control over the actual storage and insurance, even though it's still in an approved depository. It’s like owning a rare bourbon cask - you trust the warehouse, but you know exactly what’s in it and where it is. Anyone here regretted going the SDIRA route? Or more interestingly, did anyone start with a traditional custodian and then wish they'd gone SDIRA for their palladium or other precious metals?

I’m thinking about adding more to my account this year, potentially diversifying further into platinum. Just trying to gauge if my experience with SDIRA is typical, or if I've just been lucky. Would love to hear about any horror stories or unexpected upsides with either setup!