3 Good Reasons Why Self-Directed Accounts are a Great Choice

Three Good Reasons Why Self-Directed Accounts are a Great Choice Today

Need some inspiring reasons to be more active with your self-directed IRA or self-directed HSA? Consider these realities:

About half of us will follow a non-traditional retirement path – Many individuals approaching retirement age will fall into one of two categories: Either they’ll want to or expect to work into their 70s to stay busy and intellectually engaged, or they’ll have to work throughout their retirement years out of necessity. According to the 2010 Employee Benefit Research Institute’s retirement-readiness study, a third of middle-income workers will likely run out of money after 20 years of retirement, and significantly more lower-income workers will deplete their savings after 10 years. For a good chunk of us, that means retirement will really be a new era of part-time or full-time employment. Why not take greater control of your retirement savings by making the maximum IRA contribution each year and being more active with your traditional self-directed IRA or a Roth self-directed IRA?
People are living longer – That same report notes that living longer, saving too little and poor planning for health care costs will leave many retirees short of money to pay basic living expenses. According to data360.org, the current average life expectancy for Americans hovers around 78 years (81 years for women; 75 years for men). Improving your retirement lifestyle really begins now. A self-directed IRA and a self-directed Health Savings Account (HSA) can help ensure that you have the funds you need in retirement.
Many investors are shying away from Wall Street – Increasingly, Main Street investors are not investing in the stock market like they used to. The fact is, making money is tougher in today’s economic environment. So those investors are buying fewer stocks and moving into safer, but often lower-yield investments. An IRA doesn’t leave you much choice unless you’re ok with investing in cash and bonds. On the other hand, a self-directed IRA will afford you nearly unlimited investment options.