Thinking about SDIRA for my rollover, anyone else do this instead of sticking with a regular custodian?

• •Okay, so I've been kicking around the idea of rolling over an old 401k into a Gold IRA, and I'm hitting a crossroads on custodians.
• •My current 401k is just with a run-of-the-mill firm, pretty vanilla stuff.
• •The whole "self-directed" part sounds appealing because I like having more control, especially after years in the casino industry.

Okay, so I've been kicking around the idea of rolling over an old 401k into a Gold IRA, and I'm hitting a crossroads on custodians. My current 401k is just with a run-of-the-mill firm, pretty vanilla stuff. When I started looking into the Gold IRA, I immediately got pitched on these self-directed IRA (SDIRA) options, which honestly, I hadn't given much thought to before.

The whole "self-directed" part sounds appealing because I like having more control, especially after years in the casino industry. You learn a thing or two about assessing risk and managing odds, right? I've got a decent chunk, around $180k sitting in that old 401k, and the idea of putting a solid portion of that into physical gold feels like a smart play, especially with all the economic chatter lately. My main concern with the traditional custodians is that they often limit you to precious metals ETFs or mutual funds, and I'm really looking at actual physical gold stored securely.

My question for all you seasoned investors out there: Did any of you initially consider a traditional custodian for your rollover and then switch to an SDIRA, or vice-versa? What were the deciding factors? I'm in Vegas, and while I understand the paperwork is digital these days, I'm trying to decide if the extra perceived hassle of an SDIRA is worth the benefit of truly owning physical assets. I've been doing some research on fees and storage options for SDIRAs, and it seems manageable, but I'm curious about real-world experiences.

Is there anything about SDIRAs that you found particularly challenging or surprisingly easy? I'm leaning heavily towards the SDIRA route for the control and ability to hold actual metals, but I don't want to overlook any big red flags. Any insights would be super valuable right now as I'm getting close to making a decision on this $180k.