Rolled over a decent chunk to Palladium IRA - tax thoughts?

• •Just wrapped up my IRA rollover, finally got those funds into a Palladium IRA.
• •It was a pretty substantial chunk from an old 401k, close to $750k that I’ve been sitting on for a while.
• •With all the instability, the metals just felt like the smartest play, especially given my portfolio’s already heavy allocation.

Just wrapped up my IRA rollover, finally got those funds into a Palladium IRA. It was a pretty substantial chunk from an old 401k, close to $750k that I’ve been sitting on for a while. With all the instability, the metals just felt like the smartest play, especially given my portfolio’s already heavy allocation. Gold and silver are anchors, but decided to diversify within metals and palladium's got some interesting industrial demand that I think is undervalued right now. The paperwork was a beast, as always, but worth it to get it handled right.

My accountant, who’s been with me since my Wall Street days and seen more market cycles than I have grey hairs, was meticulous about the direct rollover. Avoided the 60-day indirect route like the plague – too many potential pitfalls for a decent sum. The last thing I needed was to accidentally trigger some early distribution penalties or mess up the tax reporting. He stressed the importance of clear communication between the custodians, and honestly, that’s where the real pain point was. Anyone else feel like you’re constantly babysitting these transactions?

So, the funds are in, all good on the rollover front. Now I’m thinking about the future tax implications of this palladium. Obviously, I'm hoping it continues its climb, but what about when it comes time to take distributions? Given the current capital gains rates, especially on collectibles (which precious metals are often considered for tax purposes, even in an IRA), I'm curious what strategies folks in a similar boat are thinking about. I’m in New York, so state taxes are always a consideration on top of federal. Any seasoned investors here with a heavy metals allocation, especially palladium, have thoughts on optimizing withdrawals down the line?

I know it's a while off for me, but I like to plan ahead. My wife always jokes I’m planning my exit strategy before I’ve even bought the ticket, but that’s how I’ve always operated. For those of you who have already gone through some distributions or are closer to it, what were your biggest tax takeaways? Any major surprises or things you wish you'd planned for sooner? Appreciate any insights.