by Jeff Schneider, PassportIRA

Regulators never seek an end to their dominion.  While imperialists grow their physical borders, regulators are tasked to interpret broad based Congressional laws.  As the number of government agencies boom, they now battle to control an ever expanding book of law.

Retirement accounts have become the second largest non-home asset in America.  Somehow, IRAs that makes up approximately 40% of total retirement accounts.  The other categories being company sponsored 401k and defined benefit plans have stayed out of the limelight.

Until now.

Over the past eight months there has been an extreme battle between three agencies to control your retirement dollars.

Currently, the Internal Revenue Service, a division of the Department of Treasury, administers IRAs.  It has been this way since the creation of IRAs back in 1974, as the contributions impact your personal income tax filings.

But since the creation of IRAs, the marketplace has shifted from guaranteed; defined benefit plans to portable defined contribution plans like 401ks, which can be rolled over after you leave a current employer.

The Department of Labor (DOL), tasked with overseeing the proper treatment of employees’ safety and retirement, regulates these defined contribution plans.

This big shift has left the DOL feel like it has less power.  To compensate, they proposed sweeping regulation changes that would give them authority over IRAs.  Seems opportunistic while the Treasury is busy trying to figure out how to pay bills, and the IRS has grown task forces to capture every penny out of taxpayers.

Why does it matter to you?

Simply speaking, there will be nobody willing to provide services to IRAs if the current proposal goes through.

Financial service firms, both big and small.  Congressmen, both Democrat and Republican, have made statements telling the DOL they’ve gone too far.

All this results in fewer options for you.

Two weeks ago the SEC joined in to encourage brokers to begin imposing “tougher restrictions” on investments held in IRAs.

Believe it or not, they do have good intentions.  The battle going on isn’t a plan to nationalize IRAs (that’s a different proposal).  They just want to “protect investors”.

Once again, regulators miss the unintended consequences of their actions.  By increasing regulation, it forces the market place to reduce options.

The plan should be more to educate people to think for themselves.  If that were the case, investors will continue to control their own funds, diversifying among asset classes to ensure the safety and security of their own retirement.

There is a large gap in financial education in this country.  There are two things guaranteed NOT to improve the situation are reduced options or mandated investments.

Terry Coxon wrote Unleash Your IRA to help people start their path toward controlling their own destiny.  It shows you how to earn above average returns in your hard-earned retirement funds.  The plans aren’t conventional, but we’ve provided some additional reports and videos to make sure you complete grasp before proceeding.

Distant bureaucrats won’t be able to make the best choices for you.  Only you can do that.  Start your own education of retirement strategies by picking up a copy of Unleash Your IRA using the form below.