.#2 - I am a retired contractor myself, but this is a different game.  

You may also want to consider talking to a financial advisor to get a picture of your personal finances to see where you are with a rainy day fund, how much debt you have and how you will fund things like retirement .

Basically, I am trying to find gap funding for a pseudo-retired life as I wait to be able to tap into my 401k retirement savings. 2.

There's TRILLIONS in retirement accounts out there growing by the BILLIONS per payday and it's all looking for better, safer returns than Wall Street with less volatility.

Read this:https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-particip...

@Chris MelearAn IRA owner must have compensation from personal services rendered to contribute to a Traditional IRA (IRS Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)).

@Daria B.I would agree that the minimal fees associated with a self-directed retirement plan are a non-issue relative to your question.The key question is where is the growth happening and what are the tax implications?

Was it to not further you net wirth and plan for your retirement ?

People do shop for a better city, either for their family or even for retirement. 

But maybe a retired couple would offer that same benefit?