IRAs can offer considerable advantages over other types of retirement accounts-however, according to a 2005 study carried out by the Investment Company Institute; only 40% of US households have their own IRA. Of those 40%, the number of people who own Self-Directed IRAs is even smaller. There is an estimated three trillion dollars invested in IRAs in the US, and most of that money is managed by banks and other investment institutions. Most of the people who actually own that money aren't aware that it could be made to work much more efficiently if they took control of their IRA. Many of those who are aware believe it's just too complicated.

In fact, there are some trouble-free solutions for creating, owning and managing a Self-Directed IRA or 401k, and for implementing tactical investment solutions that allow you to not only take control of your retirement funds. Creating a Self-Directed IRA will also allow you to grow those funds tax-deferred or even tax-free so that the income generated by your investments remains in your IRA and generates interest over the life of the account.

There are two keys to making your IRA funds work harder:

 The first is getting the help you need to create a Self-Directed IRA or 401k,

and the second is creating an investment portfolio with a assorted range of holdings. Most traditional investment IRA custodians permit you only a limited range of investment options-choose a bank as your custodian, and you'll on average only be offered Certificates of Deposit, for example. This limits your income potential radically

With a Self-Directed IRA, however, your investment options are almost boundless-you can invest your IRA resources in almost anything you choose. That means you have the opportunity to create a diversified portfolio, which is the most important part of creating wealth for your retirement. A diversified portfolio with holdings in real estate and other non-traditional investments as well as more predictable investments such as stocks is truly the best way to make the most of your potential income and give you the security you need to be able to ride out any market slumps.

Investing with an IRA offers extensive advantages, and creating a Self-Directed IRA allows you to get the most out of the benefit of those advantages. The tax benefits of IRAs are a much more effective way of creating wealth when you combine them with the increased income-generating potential of a Self-Directed retirement account.