IRA Services
IRA Services is a private self-directed IRA custodian founded in 1979, headquartered in San Carlos, California, serving individual investors, sponsors/issuers, advisors, and investment platforms with custodial and administrative services for alternative-asset retirement accounts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersSan Carlos, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What IRA Services does
IRA Services is a private self-directed IRA custodian headquartered in San Carlos, California, founded in 1979 with 101-250 employees. Per the firm's own description, IRA Services has more than 38 years of experience offering custodial and administrative services in the self-directed IRA industry. The firm enables investors to hold alternative assets — including real estate, precious metals, private equity, promissory notes, and crowdfunding investments — within tax-advantaged retirement accounts, addressing the limitation of traditional IRAs that restrict holdings to conventional securities.
The company's product offering centers on a Self-Directed IRA with specialized sub-categories for each alternative asset class. The technology platform combines an online Client Portal providing 24/7 account access, a dedicated Asset Valuation Portal for annual valuation submissions, and an Investment Explorer tool that surfaces curated investment opportunities. A multi-segment go-to-market targets individual investors, sponsors/issuers seeking capital from retirement accounts, advisors/family offices managing client portfolios, and investment platforms integrating IRA functionality. Edwin Blue is listed as President & CEO.
The business model is fee-based custody: IRA Services charges account maintenance and transaction fees on an annual billing cadence. Specific pricing is not publicly disclosed; the company emphasizes "reasonable and competitive fees" and directs prospects to direct contact. Distribution combines digital self-service account opening with phone-based sales support (800-number). Note: a substantial portion of the underlying source data describes a related entity (Forge Trust Co., forgetrust.com), including scale metrics ($16 BN+ AUM, 2.3M+ accounts, 40+ years). These figures are not independently confirmed for IRA Services and should be treated with caution.
IRA Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IRA Services
- Legal name
- Forge Trust Co.
- Website
- https://iraservices.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- IRA Services is a private self-directed IRA custodian founded in 1979, headquartered in San Carlos, California, serving individual investors, sponsors/issuers, advisors, and investment platforms with custodial and administrative services for alternative-asset retirement accounts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where IRA Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Carlos
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
IRA Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- IRA Custodian Fees: Fee-based revenue model as a self-directed IRA custodian. The company charges reasonable and competitive fees for account maintenance, transaction processing, and custody services. They emphasize efficient and accurate transaction processing as part of their value proposition.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Fee-based pricing with competitive rates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
IRA Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IRA Services, operating as Forge Trust Co., is a self-directed IRA custodian that administers tax-advantaged retirement accounts invested in alternative assets such as real estate, precious metals, private equity, promissory notes/trust deeds, crowdfunding offerings, and other non-traditional investments. The firm combines in-house client service with an online client portal that supports account funding, transaction processing, annual valuation submissions, and ongoing account management.
Product overview
Forge Trust offers a unified self-directed IRA custodian platform that enables investors to use tax-advantaged retirement dollars to invest in alternative assets. The core Self-Directed IRA product serves as the main offering, with specialized sub-products including Real Estate IRA, Promissory Notes IRA, Precious Metals IRA, Private Equity IRA, Crowdfunding IRA, and Other Asset Types IRA. The platform includes the Investment Explorer tool for discovering curated opportunities and a Customer Portal providing 24/7 online account access. With over 40 years of experience and $16 billion in assets under custody across 2.3 million accounts, the company positions itself as a trusted custodian in the self-directed IRA industry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Self-Directed IRA A tax-advantaged retirement account administered by Forge Trust that allows investors to hold alternative assets inside an IRA, including real estate, precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium), private equity, promissory notes and trust deeds, crowdfunding offerings, and other non-traditional asset types. Targeted at individual investors, sponsors/issuers, advisors/family offices, and investment platforms.
Quantifiable outcome
- $16 BN+ in assets under custody demonstrates scale and trustworthiness
Companies that use IRA Services
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
IRA Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
IRA Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
IRA Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kingdom Trust Company: Kingdom Trust is a self-directed retirement custodian known for alternative and digital-asset IRAs. Competes head-on with Forge Trust in serving advisors, family offices and platforms seeking custody for non-traditional retirement assets.
- STRATA Trust Company: STRATA Trust is a self-directed IRA specialist custodian serving individual investors and financial professionals with alternative-asset IRAs. Mirrors Forge Trust's product menu and target customer segments (advisors, issuers, investors).
- Equity Trust Company: Equity Trust is one of the largest self-directed IRA custodians in the US, offering essentially the same alternative-asset IRA product suite (real estate, notes, private equity, precious metals). Directly competes with Forge Trust on price, scale and institutional relationships with sponsors and advisors.
- Millennium Trust Company: Millennium Trust is a diversified custodian that offers self-directed IRAs alongside custody for alternative investments, private funds, and retirement plans. Overlaps with Forge Trust on self-directed IRA custody, particularly with sponsors and investment platforms.
- Preferred Trust Company: Preferred Trust provides self-directed IRA custody services for individual investors and financial professionals with alternative investments. Closely comparable offering and target market to Forge Trust.
- GoldStar Trust Company: GoldStar Trust is a custodian offering self-directed IRAs with a focus on real estate, notes, and private equity. Direct competitor to Forge Trust in the middle-market SDIRA custodian segment with similar fee-based economics.
Emerging players
- Alto (formerly AltoIRA): Alto is a digital SDIRA platform enabling individuals to invest retirement dollars in alternative assets through a streamlined online experience. An emerging, well-funded competitor pursuing overlap customer segments to Forge Trust with a modern product UX.
- Rocket Dollar: Rocket Dollar is a fintech SDIRA provider offering self-directed retirement accounts (checkbook IRA/Roth IRA) for alternative investors. Targets a similar end customer but with a more digital-first acquisition model and younger demographic overlap with Forge Trust's investor base.
Broad incumbents
- Charles Schwab (Self-Directed IRA): Schwab offers a self-directed brokerage IRA as part of its broad retail brokerage and custody business. While not focused on alternative assets, it sets the experience benchmark for fee transparency and online account management that SDIRA specialists like Forge Trust must match.
- Fidelity (Self-Directed IRA): Fidelity offers self-directed IRA accounts across a full range of securities within a much broader wealth management platform. Represents the 'traditional' custodian alternative that SDIRA specialists like Forge Trust differentiate against on alternative-asset access.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
IRA Services social profiles
Digital presenceIRA Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IRA Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
IRA Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IRA Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IRA Services
What does IRA Services do?
IRA Services, operating as Forge Trust Co., is a self-directed IRA custodian that administers tax-advantaged retirement accounts invested in alternative assets such as real estate, precious metals, private equity, promissory notes/trust deeds, crowdfunding offerings, and other non-traditional investments. The firm combines in-house client service with an online client portal that supports account funding, transaction processing, annual valuation submissions, and ongoing account management.
Is IRA Services a public or private company?
IRA Services is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was IRA Services founded?
IRA Services was founded in 1984. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is IRA Services based?
IRA Services is headquartered in San Carlos, United States, in the North America region.
How does IRA Services make money?
One revenue line is on record: IRA Custodian Fees.
Who are IRA Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kingdom Trust Company, STRATA Trust Company, Equity Trust Company, Millennium Trust Company, Preferred Trust Company and GoldStar Trust Company. Emerging players are Alto (formerly AltoIRA) and Rocket Dollar. Broad incumbents are Charles Schwab (Self-Directed IRA) and Fidelity (Self-Directed IRA).
Does IRA Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for IRA Services.