It’s unbelievable the losses people have incurred with their retirement investments in the past few years. Most people are looking for investment venues that are more stable than stocks, which fluctuate in value every minute of the day. They are also looking for companies to help them manage their accounts instead of relying on their banks or employers, which are both notorious for working with their own interests in mind. If you want to make the most out of your Roth IRA investment account, you need to strike out on your own by self-directing your IRA account. Many people mistakenly believe that self-directing your IRA account requires a lot of extra time and effort. Furthermore, banks discourage their customers from self-directing their own accounts because they lose money that way. The truth is that you will be able to get bigger returns if you self-direct your Roth IRA investments and it may surprise you but it takes little extra work on your part. Sure, you will have to be more involved with what goes on in your account than you would if you just let your bank take care of it but wouldn’t you rather know how your investments are faring on a regular basis rather than just find out when your quarterly reports come in? The greatest perk of self-directing your Roth IRA investment account is that you have a much wider range of investment options. With traditional plans, you are often forced to invest in venues that benefit your bank or employer more than you. Moreover, they often charge exorbitant fees for their account managers to administer your account and only give you a portion of the profits and keep the rest. If you are worried that self-directing your Roth IRA investments means that you will be completely on your own, don’t fret. There are companies out there who are set up to help those who decide to self-direct their IRA accounts. They won’t charge you any fees to rollover and the annual fees for their advice and services are very minimal. You can sit back, relax, and watch bigger returns roll in. In fact, look for a company that guarantees to pay the difference if your returns don’t double. The best venue for Roth IRA investment is real estate because it is a stable, lucrative, and untapped market. The value of real estate tends to go up over time and the demand for real estate is high since people pretty much always need to buy land. Another perk of real estate is that it can be insured against common forms of loss such as hurricane and flood. The same certainly can’t be said for stocks. Because of the flexibility that self-directing your Roth IRA investments gives you, you can take part in socially responsible investing that benefits you, the company that manages your account, and those who are less fortunate. For example, there are companies out there who can help you manage your account for very low fees, guarantee you higher returns, and use a part of the profits to help build affordable housing for working-class families. Your goal? Keep this information in mind if you want to make the most of your retirement investments. If you are sick and tired of measly 2 to 3 percent returns, roll over to a self-directed Roth IRA investment account and invest in real estate. By investing in real estate with a socially responsible company, not only will you be able to maximize your returns, you will be able help others in the process.