SDIRA custodians
Directed IRA (Directed Trust Company)
Directed IRA is the trade name of Directed Trust Company, a self-directed retirement account custodian in Phoenix, Arizona. Account holders use it to hold what a mainstream brokerage will not custody: real estate, promissory notes and private lending, private company stock, private equity and venture positions, precious metals and crypto.
Account types include traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE and inherited IRAs, solo 401(k)s, health savings accounts and IRA-owned LLCs for checkbook control, together with transfers and rollovers from existing retirement accounts. New investors can book a call to open an account and be walked through a first investment, and the site publishes an FAQ library covering how self-direction works.
The company is explicit about its limits: it performs the duties of a directed custodian, does not sell investments, does not perform due diligence on prospective investments, platforms, sponsors or service providers, and does not provide investment, legal or tax advice. It is not an FDIC-insured institution and alternative assets held there are not FDIC insured. It reports more than 20,000 investors on the platform and staffs the phones weekdays, 8am to 5pm Arizona time.
The pricing, forms and team pages sat behind a bot check during this crawl, so account, asset-holding and transaction fees should be read off the current published schedule before an account is opened.
Best for
Investors who want to hold real estate, notes or private placements inside an IRA, solo 401(k) or HSA and are prepared to do their own diligence, because the company custodies assets and vets neither sponsor nor deal.
What they do
- Self-directed traditional, Roth, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs
- Solo 401(k) accounts
- Health savings accounts
- IRA-owned LLC checkbook accounts
- Transfers and rollovers from existing retirement accounts
- Custody of real estate holdings
- Custody of promissory notes and private lending
- Custody of private company stock, private equity and venture investments
- Custody of precious metals and crypto
What stands out
- Says more than 20,000 investors self-direct accounts with the firm
- Operates as a directed custodian: it sells no investments and performs no due diligence on sponsors or platforms
- Directed IRA is a trade name of Directed Trust Company, which is not an FDIC-insured institution
Common questions
- What is a self-directed IRA?
- A self-directed IRA is a retirement account - traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE or inherited - whose custodian allows it to hold any investment permitted by law. In practice that means real estate, promissory notes, precious metals, private company stock and similar assets as well as conventional ones.
- Does Directed IRA vet or recommend investments?
- No. Directed Trust Company performs the duties of a directed custodian: it does not sell investments of any kind, does not provide due diligence to third parties on prospective investments, platforms, sponsors or service providers, and does not give investment, legal or tax advice.