Recent data suggests that nearly half of working Americans don’t have access to matching contributions in a retirement plan from an employer.

One way to overcome this is to turn to a tax-advantaged individual retirement account (IRA) with allowable investments outside the stock market.

However, even assuming you achieve the average inflation-adjusted return of 6% in the stock market, you would need to contribute $3,813 every month over 25 years to build a nest egg of $1.692 million by age 65 to retire comfortably. (Source)

Suppose you are starting later in life, you will either need to turn to a retirement plan with a higher contribution limit or look for alternative ways to build wealth for retirement.

Self-directing is easier than you think and you can even invest in assets, such as real estate, private equity, Bitcoin, and precious metals, without paying a dime in capital gains.

In fact, self-directing is how Peter Thiel was able to turn a low-contribution IRA into a multi-billion-dollar portfolio.

All across the USA, safe, clean, and affordable housing is changing lives—but there’s just not enough of it to go around. Communities everywhere are feeling the pressure from a growing housing shortage. Rents keep

rising, and too many people are stuck living paycheck to paycheck, worried about how they’ll afford a roof over

their heads. Even folks with steady jobs such as teachers, EMTs, service workers are being priced out of the

neighborhoods they serve.

2025’s theme? Still volatility or maybe just “Ready, Fire, Aim.” May was no exception.

The Problem: Banks offer CD rates that don’t keep up with inflation. Returns in the stock market vary and those investments are not discounted, insured, protected or secured. As the Federal Reserve continues to print money, the value of the US dollar continues to fall.