Trillions of dollars are invested in Wall Street through retirement savings, but banks and individual retirement account (IRA) and 401(k) administrators generally do not provide their clients with the opportunity to channel their investments into locally-owned enterprises. Self-Directed IRAs and Solo 401(k)s are alternatives, but are underutilized. This may be due to legal barriers, cost barriers, or lack of public awareness and education. We want to change that and tap into the incredible potential of retirement savings!

What We're Working On

Writing and resources on self-directed retirement savings: 

• Can We Harness Americans' Retirement Savings to Create Local Sustainable Economies? by Janelle Orsi
• The next egg: Investing our retirement savings in our local communities by Janelle Orsi
• A Bite-Sized Legal Guide to Self-Directed IRAs and Solo 401(k) Plans

Organizing everyday investors: 

Whether you have $5,000 in retirement savings or $500,000, that money can be a force for good in our communities! Along with our partners at LIFT Economy and author Michael Shuman, we’re hatching a plan to channel that capital into local communities by 2020. We’re aiming to build a group of 500 people to bargain with plan providers and custodians for lower fees and other benefits that smooth the path to local investing. Plus, we can pool our investments for deeper impact!