A self-directed IRA (SDIRA) expands the control that investors have over their IRA by being able to invest in assets other than the standard offering of stocks, bonds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). For instance, SDIRA account holders can invest in real estate, crypto༺currency, precious metals, forex, and private equity. However, there’s a catch: SDIRAs typically impose more administrative chores on accounꦏt holders and often impose high fees. They require account holders to follow rules that tend to be more complicated than those governing regular IRAs. They customarily require evidence that account owners are reporting taxes accurately. Furthermore, account holders generally can expect to receive little to no assistance or guidance from the custodian.
To find the best self-directed IRA Companies, Investopedia independently researched 10 of the leading companies that offer SDIRAs and found Equity Trust to be the best overall company that offers SDIRAs. We also found Alto IRA🐟 to be best for low fees, IRA Financial proved to be best for audit protection, uDirect IRA was best for portfolios that focused on real estate assets, and The Entrust Group was our choice for the best online portal. Lastly, we found Rocket Dollar best for handling large portfolios. Read our full comprehensive list to better understand which company is right for you and your self-directed IRA.
Best Self-Directed IRA Companies for June 2025
- Best Overall: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: Equity Trust
- Best for Low Fees: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: Alto IRA
- Best for Audit Protection: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: IRA Financial
- Best for Real Estate Investing: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: uDirect IRA
- Best Online Portal: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: The Entrust Group
- Best for Larger Portfolios: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: Rocket Dollar
Best Overall : Equity Trust
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Equity Trust Company
- Setup Fee: $50
- Account Minimum: $500
- Annual Fee: $249
We have identified Equity Trust as the best overall self-directed IRA company due to its strong service, which caters to investors ranging from beginners to veterans. Equity Trust offers excellent customer service and extensive investment options, ranging from standard financial securities to unique 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:alternative investments, which investors can i⛄nclude in several types of accounts.&nꦏbsp;
Access to many alternative investment options
Abundant account types
Good selection of educational content
High Account minimum
Only offers checkbook control for real estate
Several fees that range on the high side
Equity Trust was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Westlake, Ohio. It has over 407,000 active accounts and over $65 billion of 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:assets under administration or under custody. Due to its account types, investment opportunities, and educational content, we found it to be the best overall SDIRA for self-directed investors to consider.
To set up the account, users only need their Social Security number, date of birth, and home address. Then, users select the account type, choosing between a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. Account holders also have access to stocks, bonds, and ETFs, as well as real estate, cryptocurrency, private equity, and precious metals. In addition, Equity Trust provides an excellent array of resources, including blogs, videos, and guides to complex account requirements. Further, Equity Trust provides premium educational content to cover SDIRA topics more in-depth, although that comes at a cost.
Equity Trust has some drawbacks, the most obvious being its fee structure. Not only is its $249 annual membership levy high, but account holders are also responsible for a maintenance fee that is tiered, based on the account value. In addition, its $500 account minimum is also high. While Equity Trust has a checkbook control IRA, it is only available for real estate assets.
Best for Low Fees : Alto IRA
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- Setup Fee: $0
- Account Minimum: $0
- Annual Fee: $37.50 to $100
We chose Alto IRA as the best SDIRA for low fees. That’s because of its $0 setup fee, $0 account minimum, and its cost effective but easy to understand fee structure. Investors seeking a low-cost SDIRA can easily set up an account in jꦉust a few minutes.
Low annual account fees
Easy account setup
No-frills, easy-to-navigate website
Limited alternative investments
High service fees
Limited educational content
Alto IRA, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, is a relatively new company that offers SDIRAs. However, it's still a solid consideration in this space. It boasts having over 29,000 investors with more than $1.7 billion in cumulative assets under custody. Due to its low annual fee between $37.50 and $100, $0 account minimum, and $0 account setup, Alto IRA is our choice for low fees. Furthermore, it's important to note that it wins the best overall category among the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:best Bitcoin IRA companies.
In addition to providing a low-fee service, Alto IRA offers a no-frills website, which is not only transparent but also easy to navigate. Prospective Alto IRA customers can easily open an account within minutes. Nevertheless, Alto IRA’s 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:know your customer (KYC) process requires new account holders to wait seven days after opening account before they can make investments. That process is mandated by the IRS, not by Alto IRA. During the waiting period, new account holders can fund their new accounts.
Investors seeking a low-fee SDIRA service may want to consider Alto IRA. However, the company has some drawbacks. While it does offer alternative investments such as cryptocurrency, real estate, and art, its asset offering is light compared to some rivals. In addition, while Alto IRA wins our category as the best for low fees, some of its service fees are high, although they are one-time charges rather than recurring. Alto IRA provides limited educational resources, but it does offer a blog and a podcast.
Best for Audit Protection : IRA Financial
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IRA Financial
- Setup Fee: $0
- Account Minimum: $0 with a credit card on file; otherwise, $500
- Annual Fee: $495
We chose IRA Financial for its fully guaranteed audit protection if the IRS ever audits your SDIRA.
Provides audit protection
Good source of educational content
Offers mobile platforms
High annual fees of $495
Account closure fees are on the high side
IRA Financial was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The company boasts over 24,000 accounts and manages over $3.2 billion in client assets. Due to its guaranteed IRS audit protection, ꩲit is our choice for account holders seeking extra support and protection when it comes to being audited.
When it comes to opening and managing an SDIRA, account holders can expect a complicated process that requires users to understand all of the rules and regulations that standard brokerage firms often take care of on behalf of the customer. With an SDIRA, users are on their own, but with IRA Financial, they not only provide IRS audit protection but also go a step further by including a compliance service where account holders can ensure they are following all the rules before an audit ever takes place. In a🌳ddition, IRA Financial can also handle all of the reporting. However, this service is not free; in fact, it is quite expensiv🥀e.
Prospective customers who open an SDIRA with IRA Financial must pay an annual subscription of $495. Fortunately, users do not have to pay a setup fee. IRA Financial’s audit protection and compliance checks can seem pricey, but in our view, the peace of mind they offer makes them worth the costs. Keep in mind that if you open an account and decide that it is not the right fit for you, there will be a high termination fee of $250.
IRA Financial offers account holders a good selection of alternative investments, but its menu of standard investment offerings of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and forex is thin. The company also provides an excellent selection of educational content in the form of articles and videos. Further, IRA Financial provides customerꦰs with a mobile platform for those who value managing their SDIRA on a mobile device.
Best for Real Estate Investing : uDirect IRA
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uDirect IRA
- Setup Fee: $50
- Account Minimum: $325
- Annual Fee: $275
We chose uDirect IRA as the best self-directed real estate IRA company due to its excellent selection of real estate investment opportunities. Users can invest in multiple types of real estate prospects, including residential, commercial, REITs, undeveloped land, mortgages, deeds, and trusts.
An excellent selec🌠tion of real estate opportunities
Provid🦹es helpful resources to help 𒈔stay compliant with the IRS
Easy navigable website
High account minimum
Many miscellaneous fees
Established by real estate professionals, uDirect IRA was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Irvine, California. Due to its excellent selection of real estate offerings, it is our choice for the best self-directed real estate IRA company. Prospective customers who can afford the minimum account balance of $325, the $50 setup fee, and the $275 annual fee can easily start the process of getting their SDIRA established.
Customers have the option of choosing among a traditional, Roth, or SEP IRA. Once the account is set up, users can 𒊎invest in a plethora of alt💙ernative assets. Those choices include not only many types of real estate but also other assets such as cryptocurrency, tax-lien certificates, managed futures, precious metals, and gas and oil investments.
Users will encounter an easy-to-navigate website. Additionally, uDirect IRA offers a good set of resources to help its account holders stay compliant. For instance, uDirect provides important forms that can help establish, manage, and record the user's SDIRA. The company also provides guidance and has a library of content. However, while the company has solid real estate offerings, it's important to point out that it has a lot of miscellaneous fees that can get pretty expensive if the services are used routinely.
Best Online Portal : The Entrust Group
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Entrust Group
- Setup Fee: $50
- Account Minimum: $0
- Annual Fee: $199, a 0.15% surcharge for accounts worth over $50,000
We chose The Entrust Group as the Best Self-Di🃏rected IRA online portal company due to its online software. It is designed to enable SDIRA users to easily manage their accounts on a sophisticated dashboard.
Offers a sophisticated online portal
Excellent educational resources
Provides account amenities♏ for finan🐓cial professionals
Surcharge can be expensive for large accounts
Potentially high transaction fees for certain assets
Checkbook LLC must be created manually
The Entrust Group was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Oakland, California. Since its inception, the company has attracted 45,000 investors and over $5 billion in assets under administration. Due to technological advances in modernizing its SDIRA, it is our choice to provide the best online portal for its users.
It takes about 10 minutes to open an account. Users need their Social Security number, birth date, home address, and a copy of some identification such as their driver’s license, passport, or state identification. In addition, users need their debit or credit card information so they can pay the $50 setup fee along with other fees, such as the $199 annual fee.
The Entrust Group online portal should strike account holders as an excellent platform for listing your account beneficiaries, viewing your assets, tax forms, and account transactions, and paying fees associated with your SDIRA. Furthermore, The Entrust Group also provides excellent educational resources, including a blog, guides, and webinars that many users should find helpful.
The company also provides a solid platform for professional services. Financial advisors can access their client's accounts and advise them on their portfolios. Although The Entrust Group offers a solid service, there are some drawbacks. The most obvious is the surcharge of 0.15% for accounts worth $50,000 or more. While that may not be a hefty charge for small accounts, once the account grows significantly, a 0.15% surcharge can become expensive. In addition, future clients seeking to open a checkbook LLC must do so manually on their own.
Best for Larger Portfolios : Rocket Dollar
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Rocket Dollar
- Setup Fee: $360
- Account Minimum: $0
- Annual Fee: $360 or $30 a month
We chose Rocket Dollar best for large portfolios due to its cost-ef🐲fective annual fee of $30 a month. While it is on the high end among our categories, the setup fee is stiff. However, account holders are not hit ♓with hidden fees or surcharges that increase as their accounts grow.
Cost-effective fee structure for large portfolios, without 🐼fee escalators
Fast and easy account opening process
Excellent customer service
Rocket Dollar has high setup fees
Smaller accounts may find the monthly fe༒e too steep
Very diffiᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𓆉ᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚcult to trade standard financial securities
Rocket Dollar was established in 2018 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Due to its stable annual fee and simple account opening process, it is our choice for Best Self-Directed IRA Company for ⛎large portfꦏolios.
The account opening process is fast and easy. Users input standard vital information such as name, email, Social Security number, date of birth, and marital status. Then, they upload a copy of their driver’s license. Once you set up an account, you can enjoy Rocket Dollar’s customer service. Its phone support is only accessible between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. central time, Monday through Friday.
However, Rocket Dollar's true strength in customer service is the bring-your-own-deal (BYOD) feature, in which prospective investors can call Rocket Dollar to establish an account, fund it, and help the client invest in what they want; however, the investment must be allowed by the IRS per their guidelines.
Before signing up, you should understand Rocket Dollar’s potential shortcomings. For instance, owners of smaller accounts may find the $30 a month fee, along with the high setup fee, too steep. Also, while it’s not impossible for accounts to invest in standard investments such as stocks, bonds, and ETFs, doing so with Rocket Dollar is very complex.
Why Trust Us
Investopedia launched in 1999. Since 2025, we have iไndependently researched 10 of the best companies that offer self-directed IRAs (SDIRAs). We analyzed each company based on key criteria including fees, account minimums, and investment opportunities. We compared each company based solely on the data collected to create our list of the best self-directed IRA companies.
How We Picked the Self-Directed IRA Companies
Investopedia identified 10 of the leading self-directed IRA compan♒ies. To find the best companies, Investopedia analyzed its own prior research on the industry, compared companies’ current practices, and examined Googleܫ search data that reflected public interest in each company.
Our in-house researchers collected data by visiting each company’s online platform to find the best provider in each of the categories that ꦐare most important to SDIRA holders, including the best overall, best for low fees, best for audit protection, best for real estate investing, best online portal, and best for larger accounts. To find the winner in each category, we compared each company against six categories made up of 20 weighted criteria and judged each company solely on the services it provides.
The categories we use💜d and the weights for this project are:
- Pricing and Fees: 30%
- Account Amenities: 27%
- Product Selection: 25.00%
- Customer Service: 10.00%
- Education: 8.00%
Our extensive research aims to give readers a fair, informed, and unbiased review. Investopedia brings you theꦡ best self-directed IRA companies to consider so you can decide for yourself if these S𒈔DIRAs align with your goals.
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