The idea of getting real estate or business funded through retirement accounts is pretty foreign to many people.
And why shouldn't it be?
Wall Street, banks and insurance industry spend literally billions of
dollars every year to "educate" the American people with what Yale's Robert
Shiller considers far from "disinterested advice".
Dr. Shiller calls for "improved information infrastructure" where the CNNs
and NYTs, WSJs, Fools.coms, MSNs, etc., stop pumping out "advice" which is
noting more than sales pitches.
American retirement funds are literally unchartered territory for small
businesses, which can make better use of people's retirement funds, and can
provide better return on those investment dollars.
Only 4% of the retirement account holders have moved their accounts in self
directed accounts where their custodians allow them to invest in real
estate, tax liens, franchises, car loans, and even lottery ticket winnings.
You may want to get more information here:
http://www.trustetc.com/new/self-directed-ira/
http://www.penscotrust.com/education/InvestmentOptions.asp
http://www.theentrustgroup.com/investment_options/