Self-Directed IRAs
Custodians and platforms supporting alternative assets inside retirement accounts.
What this category covers
Self-directed IRA custodians allow retirement accounts to hold assets outside listed securities, such as real estate, private companies or precious metals. Fee schedules, prohibited transaction rules and custodian responsibilities differ materially from ordinary brokerage IRAs.
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Platforms in this category (18)
| Platform | Account fee | Traditional IRA | Roth IRA | Solo 401(k) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanta IRA | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Alto | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Alto IRA | Not documented | Yes | Yes | Not documented |
| Bitcoin IRA | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| BitIRA | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Carry | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Directed IRA | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Equity Trust | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Inspira Financial | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| IRA Financial | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| iTrustCapital | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Madison Trust Company | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| New Direction Trust Company | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Rocket Dollar | Not documented | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| STRATA Trust Company | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| tastyfx | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| The Entrust Group | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Unchained IRA | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
Advanta IRA
Self-directed retirement investors who want to hold alternative assets such as real estate, private placements, private lending or precious metals and are comfortable performing their own investment due diligence.
- Minimum
- Advanta IRA does not publish a universal investment minimum; the account owner selects the underlying alternative asset, and that asset or offering may impose its own minimum. Account fees vary by holdings/value and transactions.
- Eligibility
- Open
Alto
Retirement investors who want self-directed IRA access to private equity, venture capital, real estate and other alternatives and can evaluate offering-specific minimums, risks and long holding periods.
- Minimum
- No universal Alto investment minimum. Alto's account pricing begins at $0 invested capital, while each Marketplace, integrated-partner or private offering sets its own investment minimum.
- Eligibility
- Open
Alto IRA
Investors who want retirement funds invested in a private asset an ordinary brokerage IRA will not custody.
- Minimum
- Account minimums are offering-specific. Marketplace and bring-your-own-deal minimums are set by the issuer and can be substantial.
- Eligibility
- Open
Bitcoin IRA
Retirement investors seeking a broad cryptocurrency menu inside an IRA, including users who value integrated trading, Digital Trust custody, staking or bundle features and are comfortable with transaction and account-based fees plus crypto volatility.
- Minimum
- $1,000 current starting account minimum, with a separate $10 trade minimum. Crypto Bundles use a separate $1,000 minimum, and product-specific requirements can differ.
- Eligibility
- Open
BitIRA
Retirement investors comfortable with a roughly $10,000 entry point who want a guided crypto IRA using third-party custody, institutional liquidity and cold-storage infrastructure rather than managing wallets directly.
- Minimum
- $10,000 current initial-deposit reference. Individual crypto transactions and custodial/account mechanics can have separate operational requirements.
- Eligibility
- Open
Carry
Self-employed investors who want Solo 401(k), IRA and taxable investing in one platform, particularly Pro members using self-directed alternatives or IRA crypto who are comfortable with membership fees and asset-specific liquidity.
- Minimum
- No single platformwide investment minimum is published. Carry charges annual membership fees—currently $299 for Core and $499 for Pro—while funding and minimum investment amounts depend on the account and underlying security, fund, crypto transaction or self-directed alternative opportunity.
- Eligibility
- Open
Directed IRA
Investors with meaningful alternative-asset balances who prefer flat custodial pricing and want real estate, private funds or Gemini-integrated crypto inside a retirement account.
- Minimum
- No stated account minimum. The Crypto IRA requires a separate account.
- Eligibility
- Open
Equity Trust
Investors holding real estate, private securities, lending, crypto and public-market assets inside retirement accounts under one custodial relationship.
- Minimum
- Not established in the current canonical source registry.
- Eligibility
- Open
Inspira Financial
Self-directed retirement investors who want a custodian for private or alternative assets and are comfortable performing their own due diligence, paying custody/holding fees and accepting asset-specific liquidity.
- Minimum
- No universal investment minimum is established for Inspira's self-directed IRA custody. Fee tiers and the Starter Account's below-$20,000 pricing reference are not investment minimums; the underlying alternative asset or sponsor can impose its own threshold.
- Eligibility
- Open
IRA Financial
Investors who use the flexibility — real estate, private deals, crypto, checkbook control and public securities within one retirement-account relationship.
- Minimum
- No stated account minimum. The Crypto IRA currently shows a $0 minimum balance and a $10 minimum trade.
- Eligibility
- Open
iTrustCapital
Investors who want cryptocurrency and precious-metals exposure inside a self-directed IRA, can meet the $1,000 initial minimum and are comfortable with transaction-based crypto fees and third-party qualified custody.
- Minimum
- $1,000 initial IRA minimum, with a $500 minimum for additional inflows. These are platform/account funding references; individual crypto or precious-metals transactions can have separate execution requirements.
- Eligibility
- Open
Madison Trust Company
Self-directed IRA investors who want broad alternative-asset custody, including Checkbook IRA or CryptoFlex structures, and are comfortable with flat custody fees, transaction charges, a $500 cash reserve and asset-specific liquidity.
- Minimum
- No universal underlying investment minimum. Madison requires a $500 minimum cash balance in the account for fees and expenses; that cash reserve is not an investment minimum, and each alternative asset can impose its own threshold.
- Eligibility
- Open
New Direction Trust Company
Self-directed retirement investors seeking broad alternative-asset custody, including private equity, private debt, precious metals, real estate or Checkbook IRA structures, who are comfortable making their own investment decisions and accepting asset-specific liquidity.
- Minimum
- No universal underlying investment minimum. New Direction Trust Company is a directed SDIRA custodian; each private asset, precious-metals transaction or connected brokerage investment can have its own minimum or funding requirement.
- Eligibility
- Open
Rocket Dollar
Investors who need a specialized retirement-account structure for private investments, real estate or checkbook control.
- Minimum
- No account minimum is established in the current canonical source set. Cost is driven by setup and subscription pricing rather than balance.
- Eligibility
- Open
STRATA Trust Company
Self-directed retirement investors seeking a regulated custodian for private equity, private debt, real estate or precious metals, including users who may also want public-market access and are comfortable performing their own due diligence and paying asset-specific fees.
- Minimum
- No universal underlying investment minimum and no required minimum cash balance under the current STRATA reference. Individual private assets, real estate, precious-metals purchases or linked brokerage investments can impose their own minimums.
- Eligibility
- Open
tastyfx
U.S. spot-forex traders who want multiple pricing models, including commission-based zero-spread pricing or a higher-balance Prime tier.
- Minimum
- Standard: $0 account minimum. Zero+: $0 account minimum. Prime: $50,000 account minimum.
- Eligibility
- Open
The Entrust Group
Investors holding one or a few alternative assets, particularly real estate, who want hands-on transaction administration.
- Minimum
- Not established in the current canonical source registry.
- Eligibility
- Open
Unchained IRA
Bitcoin-only retirement investors who value 2-of-3 multisignature key control, on-chain verification and Traditional, Roth or SEP IRA treatment and are comfortable managing hardware-wallet backups, a $250 annual fee and 1.5% IRA trading fees.
- Minimum
- No minimum is required for an IRA transfer, rollover or annual contribution, but Unchained's trading desk currently requires a $2,000 minimum for each bitcoin trade. The $2,000 figure is a transaction minimum, not an IRA-opening or funding minimum.
- Eligibility
- Open