What self-directed IRA offers is the ability to diversify beyond the stock market and invest in what you know, understand and have greater control over such as real estate.

It’s just like the stock market, go on YouTube and there’s a ton of guys talking about their trading strategies and how you can beat the market.

ETF is popular and works better especially one likes to trade like stocks.

I see a real problem with the current housing stock in Minneapolis and it really feels like the right time to solve this problem. 

@Joel Senko If you think the stock market is diverse with investment options, just wait until you explore real estate.

Signed up a few days ago, just now getting around to an introduction.Longtime stock investor, relatively fresh options investor, now contemplating real estate.

Vanguard total stock market fund in taxable account (I ask this because I heard Dave Ramsey mention he puts money for real estate in an S&P fund until he’s ready to buy).  

I have dabbled in the stock market and have been fairly successful.  

There is a lot of really poor housing stock out there so you have to keep to your principles and be patient.

In other investment realms such as corporate finance or stocks, people often use a probabilistic approach where each variable has a range of outcomes that vary along some distribution (i.e. normal/bell curve, triangular, etc).