SDP Logo
Self-Directed Plans
Log inGet Started

Footer

Self-Directed Plans logo
Self-Directed Plans

Empowering investors with checkbook control, low costs, and expert guidance.

Not a custodian. Not financial advice. Just clarity.

Plans

  • IRA Trust
  • IRA LLC
  • Solo 401(k)
  • Compare plans

Company

  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

Resources

  • Client Portal
  • Knowledge Base
  • Learn
  • Investing
  • IRS Rules
  • Glossary
  • FAQ

Legal

  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of use
  • Disclosures

© 2026 Self-Directed Plans, LLC. All rights reserved.

Learn

Your self-directed journey starts here

Chart your path to investment freedom — plan choices, investment options, and IRS rules, explained plainly.

41 articles·7 topics

Featured Insight

What is a self-directed IRA?

A self-directed IRA is simply one where you make the investment choices rather than a manager. But that is only the first step toward investment freedom. With true self-direction, you also expand your investment choices beyond public securities to ...

Read full guide

Popular Topics

IRA Trust vs IRA LLC

Prohibited transactions

What to know before rolling over an employer 401(k)

Search the knowledge base

Foundational topics

Dive into core concepts about self-directed plans with our organized topic hubs.

Self-Directed Basics

Self-directed retirement plans give you the opportunity to take control of your tax-sheltered savings, pursue true diversification, and invest in the asset classes you know best like real estate, private lending, or venture capital. Start here to ...

Explore topic

Plan Choices

We offer three plan formats built to put you in control of your retirement savings. Choosing the right plan for your individual needs depends on factors like how you want to invest, your current retirement account types, the nature of your ...

Explore topic

IRS Rules

Self-directed IRAs and Solo 401(k)s give you two powerful advantages: tax-sheltered growth and complete investment control. In exchange for substantial tax benefits, your retirement account must serve one purpose exclusively, which is saving for your ...

Explore topic

Further learning

Go deeper on the parts that apply to your plan.

Plan Funding

You can fund your self-directed IRA or Solo 401(k) with rollovers from other accounts in your name or new contributions. Moving funds from another plan is the same as with any conventional retirement account, with different processes depending on the ...

Explore

Taking Distributions

Taking money out of your self-directed retirement plan follows the same rules as any IRA or 401(k). What's different is the mechanics, and one option most conventional account holders never get: distributing an asset itself, such as deeding a rental ...

Explore

Roth Strategies

Roth accounts flip the usual tax logic. You contribute after-tax dollars, and qualified growth and withdrawals come out tax-free. In a self-directed Roth IRA or Roth Solo 401(k), that tax-free treatment extends to whatever the account holds, ...

Explore

Beneficiaries & Estate Planning

You name beneficiaries for your self-directed IRA or Solo 401(k) the same way you would with any retirement account. Handling administrative succession is a different matter. When your account holds an LLC, or trust with a portfolio of alternative ...

Explore
Explore investingGlossaryFAQSearch the knowledge base