Self-directed vs. traditional for my new Silver IRA - need advice

• •I'm an exec at a bourbon distillery here in Lexington, been doing well for myself, and I'm looking into opening a Silver IRA.
• •With all the talk about inflation and the general craziness of the market, physical assets just feel… safer, you know?
• •I've been going down the rabbit hole of self-directed IRAs versus just sticking with a traditional custodian.

I'm an exec at a bourbon distillery here in Lexington, been doing well for myself, and I'm looking into opening a Silver IRA. I've got around $350k in my overall portfolio right now, mostly in traditional stocks and mutual funds, but I've been feeling the itch to diversified into something more tangible. With all the talk about inflation and the general craziness of the market, physical assets just feel… safer, you know?

I've been going down the rabbit hole of self-directed IRAs versus just sticking with a traditional custodian. On one hand, the idea of having direct control over my silver a self-directed IRA is really appealing. I like the idea of picking the exact bars or coins myself, maybe even some collectible stuff down the line. Plus, as someone who works in an industry built on centuries of tradition, there's something to be said for holding onto something real, something that has held value for millennia. It's a legacy thing, I guess.

But then I look at the fees and the extra paperwork, and honestly, the thought of screwing something up with the IRS gives me hives. It's my retirement, after all, and I don't want to jeopardize it. A traditional custodian seems simpler, less hands-on, but then I'm wondering if I'm giving up too much control or missing out on potential gains. For those of you with Silver IRAs, what was your deciding factor? Did you go self-directed or traditional, and do you regret your choice?