Other Alternative Assets

What you'll find on this page:

Though real estate, private placements, and promissory notes are the most popular alternative investments in self-directed retirement accounts such as self-directed IRAs and Solo(k) plans, there are other alternative assets you can hold in a self-directed retirement account.

You may be able to achieve greater portfolio diversification while receiving the tax benefits that IRAs and other retirement accounts provide.

Here is just a list of other assets you can hold in a PENSCO Trust Company account:

Foreign currencies

If you're interested in trading in the foreign exchange market (forex), you can do so in a PENSCO Trust Company retirement account. You'll need to have a brokerage/trading account with another firm which will allow you to trade currencies, then you can house that account in your PENSCO account. The firm where you'd like to have the brokerage account must accept third party brokerage accounts.

Next steps

Hedge funds

Investing in hedge funds in your IRA may be right for you if you meet minimum investment requirements for a particular fund.

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Precious metals

Some investors who seek to hedge against market cycles or inflation have turned to assets such as gold, silver, platinum, or palladium as a way to further diversify their investment portfolios.

You can invest in precious metals in a retirement account as long as the investment is not prohibited and meets the specific IRS requirements under Code §408(m).

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Non-listed real estate investment trusts (REITs)

Another way to invest in real estate or in real estate debt/mortgages is through REITs.

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Investments we cannot accept

The following is a list of investments we can't accept because they are prohibited by the IRS or because it isn't administratively feasible for us to custody the asset.

  • Collectibles— such as, art, antiques, stamps, gems, rugs, cars, or anything the U.S. Treasury Department deems to be a collectible.
  • Life insurance
  • The stock of a Sub-Chapter S Corporation*
  • Viatical settlements
  • General partnerships
  • Auction transactions (includes real estate auctions)

*Solo(k) plans can invest in an S Corporation.

For more about prohibited transactions