Making the switch to Solo IRAs or the self-directed investing approach is a solution to the problem that would-be retirees are facing in this country right now. If you'd like to be able to retire on your own terms, then you may want to consider it yourself.

For many years, you may have been told that the best and only investment choices were in stocks, bonds and certificates of deposit. How well are those investments performing? According to recent news reports, not so great.

Many people who are old enough to retire can't afford to. Some say they will have to work another 10 years before they can consider retiring... and then they feel that they will have to depend on their children for help. It doesn't have to be that way.

I've mentioned smart investors who have turned as little as $20,000 into retirement accounts worth over a million in as few as three years. That's an unusual success story, but it's not unusual to see returns as high as 30% or more per year. That's $6,000 annually.

You can't do it in the stock market, where returns average 8%. With a $20,000 investment, that would amount to about $1,600 per year.

You can't do it in the money markets or with bank CDs. Currently, the overnight average rate of return on those investments is 4.01%. That's a little more than $800 per year.

Government bonds are a safe choice, but the returns are even lower - less than one percent.

To get a significant return on your investments, you really need to look at the real estate market. At the time of this writing, people are afraid of real estate, as housing prices continue to fall.

But you see, I'm not talking about homes in planned developments designed for families at the upper end of the earning scale. That's where property values are falling fast.

With your Solo IRAs, you can join a group of experienced investors and help to bring about some real change in Main Street America. Everyone needs a place to live, but many hard-working people can't find a home to buy.

There is a surplus of high priced homes in the $250,000+ range. And there is an inadequate supply of energy-efficient affordable homes in desirable neighborhoods. So lower income families have been forced out of the American dream of home ownership.

Using our Solo IRAs, we are helping them to fulfill their dreams.

It takes a team to accomplish the kind of change that I'm talking about. It takes talented negotiators to talk with local governments about property tax incentives and other financial aid for struggling neighborhoods. It takes talented contractors to take homes that were built in earlier decades and give them, not just a cosmetic "face-lift," but a complete make-over, including energy efficient windows, heating and air-conditioning.

All of this is done in an effort to serve an under-served market AND to make a good profit in our IRAs. Maybe you'd like to join us.

Ray Stockwell likes to invest his money where it will 1) benefit deserving families and their communities, 2) make a nice profit for his retirement fund, and 3) avoid capital gains taxes. To find out how this can be done, visit his web site at www.SociallyResponsibleProfits.com for a closer look at Solo IRAs.