Are you sick and tired of getting minimal returns on your retirement investments? If you want to maximize your returns as well as have more control of what is going on with your investment account, you should look into getting a self investing IRA. Here are 5 reasons why you should consider making the switch if you haven't already.

1. Investing 401k money in real estate is not possible because your employer will pick investments that ultimately benefit the company and not you the account holder. When you rollover into a self-directed IRA you have a much wider array of choices, including real estate, which is an untapped investment that is very stable.

2. When you have a self investing IRA, you don't have to wait till your quarterly reports come in to find out what is going on in your account. You make the decisions about your account transactions and investments. However, that doesn't mean that you are solely responsible for everything that happens with your account. In fact, your account trustee or custodian will do virtually all the work for you. All you have to do is express your wants and your trustee will act accordingly.

3. You might think investing 401k money in real estate is possible since there are self-directed 401k plans. It might sound like the same thing but your options are actually much more limited with a self-directed 401k plan. For example, your employer may only allow a portion of the account to fall under the self-directed plan and the rest of the account may fall under the traditional plan. In addition, a 401k plan will always be connected to your employer no matter what type it is so any time your employer makes unfavorable changes that affect you, you will be forced to bite the bullet.

4. Self investing IRA accounts give higher returns. Since you have a greater number of investment options and there isn't a bank or employer keeping most of the profits or charging exorbitant fees, you can make more money. Just think... with a self-directed IRA account you can double or even triple your returns!

5. Investing 401k money in real estate is not possible and it is difficult to make other investments of your choosing under a 401k plan. On the other hand, with a self directed IRA you can invest in real estate with companies that use a portion of their profits to build affordable housing for the poor and do other noble deeds. Socially responsible investing creates a win-win situation for everyone.

Now that you know why it is advantageous to have a self investing IRA account, why not give it a try? Start searching for options on how to rollover your 401k or traditional IRA to a self directed account so you can have increased flexibility, control, and returns. In these unstable economic times, investing in stocks is dangerous. Your best bet is to take control of your account and invest in real estate, which is stable as well as lucrative.