More investors are shaking off Wall Street's rigidity to explore unconventional retirement holdings such as cryptocurrencies, private startups, and even livestock.
At the center are self‑directed investment retirement arrangements, custodial accounts that empower you to move beyond index funds and opt for digital assets, farmland, or a startup equity stake, IRA Financial says. These accounts have become a bridge between traditional retirement saving and more personalized wealth‑building strategies.
According to a Lansons survey, 26% of Americans are planning to invest in alternative assets within the next few years, and 48% more say they might consider it, with active investors open to allocating around 25% of their portfolios to private equity, farmland, digital collectibles, and other non-traditional assets.
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Flourish or Farmland: Unexpected Assets in Retirement Accounts
Self-directed IRAs operate under the same Internal Revenue Service rules as traditional accounts but offer a far broader universe of eligible investment options, Rocket Dollar says. Allowed assets include real estate, private equity, precious metals, digital assets, and yes, even livestock like cows or racehorses, so long as the investment is handled by the IRA trustee and rules are strictly followed.
Investing in agriculture with an IRA can mean purchasing farmland or leasing it out to operators, with revenue flowing tax‑deferred into the IRA. Over time, the land may appreciate. My IRA Lender says farmland IRAs also open the door to small farms, apple orchards, corn and grain fields, or even herds of cattle, though the upkeep must be outsourced, and prohibited transactions avoided.
According to My IRA Lender, using an IRA to buy farmland allows income and gains from the land to flow back into the IRA on a tax‑deferred basis.
High-net-worth individuals have placed substantial capital into farmland, a tangible asset often considered a hedge against inflation and volatility. Warren Buffett once remarked he'd rather own U.S. farmland than all the gold, and in an interview with Bloomberg, Michael Burry called agricultural land potentially "very valuable," especially in the long term. The trend is supported by analysis showing that farmland can generate stable returns and low correlation with public markets.
Digital Assets Beyond Bitcoin: How Crypto Fits In
The crypto boom ignited a surge in retail demand for digital asset exposure, especially for investors interested in retirement accounts. A global survey by Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) and EY‑Parthenon found that as of January, 86% of institutional investors either already had exposure to digital assets or planned to this year. A strong majority, or 83%, said they intend to increase crypto allocations, with 59% aiming for more than 5% of total assets under management.
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Retail investors are increasingly taking the same path, an EY-Parthenon survey says. Many are expanding beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum into altcoins, staking, and tokenized assets that provide access to opportunities once reserved for institutions.
Several well-known investors and companies are jumping into crypto as part of a broader "crypto-treasury" strategy, according to The Wall Street Journal. MicroStrategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) CEO Michael Saylor, pioneered this approach in 2020 by selling shares and debt to build a massive Bitcoin position, with the company now worth more than $115 billion. Former Barclays (NASDAQ:BCS) CEO Bob Diamond has also joined the trend through Atlas Merchant Capital, partnering with major investors to form a $305 million fund to buy a new crypto token called Hyperliquid.
Startup Equity and Private Placements: Access the Next Unicorn
Self‑directed Roth IRAs can hold private startup investments and venture deals, allowing capital growth to unfold inside a tax‑advantaged structure. According to Madison Trust, these plans enable direct participation in private equity, venture capital, and private placement deals, well aligned with the multi‑year horizon of IRA investing.
Perhaps the most famous example is Peter Thiel, who used a self‑directed Roth IRA to invest in early PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) shares with just $1,700. As PayPal, and later Facebook and Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR), surged in value, those holdings remained inside the Roth and grew tax‑free, reportedly accounting for over $5 billion in value without a tax liability, Alto IRA reports.
That kind of structure lets investors pursue private opportunities alongside the tax benefits typical of a Roth IRA. Of course, compliance is essential as deals must avoid prohibited transactions, and income from pass-through entities may trigger unrelated business taxable income, IRA Financial says. Legal expertise and a proper custodian help manage these complexities.
Investor gains in a self‑directed Roth, if structured properly, can compound aggressively over time, especially when early stakes in startups go on to scale significantly.
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IRA Financial: A Partner for Alternative Retirement Investing
Platforms such as IRA Financial have become central to this shift. As a leading custodian for self‑directed IRAs and Solo 401(k) accounts, IRA Financial provides tools for individuals to manage non‑traditional assets inside a retirement account. The company specializes in helping investors hold assets like real estate, crypto, farmland, precious metals, and private equity while maintaining compliance with IRS rules.
Its flat‑fee structure, expert guidance, and support for checkbook IRAs and Roth strategies have made it a preferred choice for investors who want more control over their retirement funds. The platform's services extend to handling trustee tasks, tax filings, and reporting, allowing investors to focus on building wealth in the areas they know best. IRA Financial has earned industry recognition for innovations such as crypto‑enabled retirement investing and real‑time online account management.
By removing many of the traditional limitations of retirement accounts, IRA Financial gives investors the ability to move beyond Wall Street's menu of stocks and bonds and pursue a strategy that aligns with their knowledge, goals, and risk tolerance.
The Bigger Picture
The post‑crypto boom landscape has created a new appetite for alternative assets. From farmland leases to startup equity, the options inside a self‑directed IRA can be as unconventional as they are potentially rewarding.
Self‑directed IRAs offer a structure where these ambitions can be realized without abandoning tax advantages. For those who want more control over how their retirement money works, platforms like IRA Financial represent a pathway to build a portfolio that looks very different from Wall Street's standard playbook.
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