American households, as of December 2004, had accumulated $3,475.1 billion in tax-deferred Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), according to the Federal Reserve Flow of Funds Accounts.

The largest portion of these savings were held as “self-directed accounts”, in which a wide diversity of investment are permissible (according to Equity Trust Company), such as:

• Real Estate (apartments, single-family homes, and duplexes);
• Commercial property, developed or undeveloped land;
• Mortgages or Deeds of Trust;
• Publicly traded stocks, bonds, and mutual funds;
• Private limited partnerships;
• Private stock offerings, private placements;
• Private limited liability companies;
• Secured and unsecured notes;
• Judgments, Structured Settlements;
• Tax Sale Certificates;
• Car Paper;
• Factoring;
• Accounts Receivable;
• Commercial Paper; and
• Equipment Leasing.

The graph shows the distribution of individual retirement accounts, by type of custodian:

	Growth of IRA Accounts

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