The Role Of The Self Directed Ira Custodian

The self directed IRA is a more advance planning tool than the traditional individual retirement account. So, what role does the self directed IRA custodian play?

The attraction of a self directed IRA is the ability to make the important investment decisions regarding your retirement funds by yourself. This fact seems illogical to many people who have little understanding of the rules of financial planning or the workings of the various types of investment opportunities that are available. To others it seems the most natural thing in the world. The attitude of the owner of a self directed IRA is that it is their life, their money, and their future, and they want to be the ones making the decisions.


The Internal Revenue Service seems to be fine with this concept and that is why self directed IRAs are allowed. However, there has to be some sort of a middleman in between the owner and the IRS. You are not allowed to administer your own IRA. You can only direct the decisions. The middleman is the IRA custodian. It is the custodian that actually controls the funds, makes the actual investments, and files the appropriate paperwork.

It is possible to find a custodian to open and maintain your self directed IRA account in many financial institutions such as large banks and brokerage firms. The main disadvantage of this is that these custodians have a decided preference for the products of their own institutions and might not be as flexible as a private custodian with no such loyalties. This is the main appeal of a private custodian that is not associated with either a bank or brokerage.

The selection of a self directed IRA custodian is going to be one of the most important decisions you make regarding your IRA. The ideal custodian will not only handle the administrative end of the IRA efficiently, but should be able to offer guidance in the selection and handling of the various investments possible. This requires a custodian who will do this without attempting to redirect your investments to areas in which he prefers, but rather allows you to retain the ultimate decision making power.

The good thing about a self directed IRA is that it is designed to provide supplemental income many years down the road when you reach retirement age. The selection of your self directed IRA consultant does not need to be rushed. It is a financial planning decision that can be investigated with a bit of leisure to insure that you find a custodian that will work well with you toward the achievement of your long term goals.

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