Excerpt: Self-directed IRAs aren't new, points out Paul Maxwell, chief operating officer of Carlesbad, California-based Trust Administrative Services. 'Alternative investments have always been permitted [in IRAs] under the IRS code,' he says. What's helping them grow at three times the rate of traditional IRAs, in terms of number of new accounts, is the greater control they offer -- and at least the aura of more upside.  MORE >>