In past years, an IRA was considered to be a hedge against uncertainty and it was expected only to grow through the incremental accumulation of modest returns. An IRA was a nest egg that was to be protected from all risk. Some of this still applies. You do not want to treat your IRA's tax-advantaged assets like venture capital and throw them into high-risk investments hoping for incredible returns.

In past years, an IRA was considered to be a hedge against uncertainty and it was expected only to grow through the incremental accumulation of modest returns. An IRA was a nest egg that was to be protected from all risk. Some of this still applies. You do not want to treat your IRA's tax-advantaged assets like venture capital and throw them into high-risk investments hoping for incredible returns.