Ever wonder how Self-Directed IRAs work? You’re not alone. Millions of people across the United States invest in retirement accounts, and a substantial portion of these accounts work through IRA custodians to create a “Self-Directed IRA.” In this arrangement, you can work with the custodian to invest in the types of retirement investment properties you choose, opening all sorts of possibilities, like investing in real estate or precious metals.

If it sounds complicated, it doesn’t have to be. But even so, it’s worth taking the time to discover what you can accomplish with a Self-Directed IRA by learning on your own. Here are some of the most valuable resources you can find right here at American IRA to begin learning about this style of investing, and how you can incorporate it into your own retirement plan.

Learn the Self-Directed IRA Fundamentals

Just as you don’t build a skyscraper without a foundation in place first, you don’t launch a massive retirement portfolio without learning about the fundamentals. At our Self-Directed IRA investor’s guide, you can find all sorts of insights and information about Self-Directed IRA investing, including:

• Types of Self-Directed IRA accounts: Here you’ll learn about Self-Directed Roth IRAs, Self-Directed Traditional IRAs, and other potential accounts you can use in building a self-directed retirement portfolio.
• What kinds of investments you can own: In section 2.2, you’ll see the question: “What investments can I own within a Self-Directed IRA?” This is at the heart of the appeal of Self-Directed IRAs, because the options are nearly limitless. There are some assets you can’t own, as we explain, such as jewelry and gems or life insurance. These wouldn’t count as retirement investment assets, so you can’t own them in a retirement account no matter who you work with as your custodian.
• A list of alternative asset classes: So, what can you invest in? That’s where you’ll have fun in choosing from all sorts of options. We outline asset classes as diversified as privately traded REITs to oil, gas, and pipeline interests. You’re not required to invest in these assets, but it shows just how robust these accounts can be.

There’s no reason you can’t learn all about Self-Directed IRA fundamentals today—the lessons are short, but comprehensive.

A YouTube Channel: “The Lousy Investor”

Why “The Lousy Investor”? Sean McKay, President at American IRA, calls his YouTube channel The Lousy Investor because he doesn’t believe investors have to be particularly savvy or sophisticated to achieve an astounding return in a Self-Directed IRA portfolio.

YouTube clips tackle everything from the concept of net worth to recent developments in the world of investing—and all the while, McKay explores what separates American IRA and Self-Directed IRA investing from the rest of the retirement investing world. This is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn about Self-Directed IRA investing without reading long books that don’t really speak to the realities of being a modern investor.

Learning More About American IRA

Here at American IRA, we constantly publish new video and blog content to introduce people to the world of Self-Directed IRA investing. IRA learning, we believe, can be fun—and can be something that is tremendously rewarding as investors learn how to leverage the full possibilities of tax-protected IRAs. But it does require something on your part: action. Are you going to learn about Self-Directed IRAs, or continue to put it off to the future?

Interested in learning more about Self-Directed IRAs?  Contact American IRA, LLC at 866-7500-IRA (472) for a free consultation.  Download our free guides or visit us online at www.AmericanIRA.com.