Truth be told, they don’t really teach you about retirement in school. Unless you elected to attend some personal finance class, you probably hadn’t even heard about IRAs except by some other means; school was spent learning about history and chemistry and math, but never about the math of retirement. Even if you did learn about IRAs, it’s probably a stretch to say that you learned a great deal about Self Directed IRAs and the nearly unlimited options they give you in investing for retirement.

We’re here to change all that. Obviously, you can’t re-live your school days, but you can make up for lost time by learning about Self Directed IRAs in the here and now—specifically, you can read more about what we have to say about these retirement accounts that school declined to teach:

Self Directed IRAs are Easy to Manage

If you encountered the term “Self Directed IRAs” at any point, you probably thought of them as the kind of option that only serious investors would want to consider. Why? Because people who don’t know about all of the freedoms associated with this type of IRA don’t realize just how simple they can be. In fact, many people dismiss the idea of directing their own retirement account out of hand because they haven’t given thought to that kind of intensive management in their own affairs.

But “intensive management” is a stretch. Your Self-Directed retirement account can include an investment in real estate, for example, featuring a property manager who handles the rent collection for you. Does that sound very difficult to manage, relative to other types of real estate investments? We didn’t think so, either.

You Can Invest in a Lot of Different Asset Types

When you learn about IRAs—even if it’s part of a personal finance class—you probably don’t learn much about the options available to you. In fact, you might say it’s the number one objection many people bring up when reacting to the concept of self-directing their own IRA. They figure, “Well, I can only invest in stocks and bonds, and I’d rather not invest in that kind of thing.” They think they’re not good enough at beating the stock market.

It’s a good thought—the stock market is in fact hard to beat—but what people are missing is the fact that there are all sorts of asset types you can invest in when investing for retirement. The IRS allows you plenty of leeway, including investing in real estate, precious metals, and even private companies with an IRA. The simply change you need to make is that you need to direct your own retirement account to make this happen.

“Diversification” Isn’t Just a Word

When you learn the basics of investing in a class, you’re likely to encounter this word “diversification.” It usually means, in the mainstream at least, that you should invest in both stocks and bonds, including all sorts of different stocks in order to protect yourself.

But what happens when the stock market tanks?

The stock market is a consistent source of long-term wealth, to be sure, but it’s far from perfect. It has ups and downs just like any other investment vehicle. If you truly want diversification, you should considering adding other asset classes, including precious metals, to your retirement portfolio.

If you’re interested in learning more beyond the most basic look at Self Directed IRAs, keep reading our work here at AmericanIRA.com or call us at 828-257-4949. You’ll be amazed at what you didn’t learn in school—and sometimes learning what you didn’t learn can make a big difference.