The only choice that makes sense in "retirment land" is the Roth IRA... A self-directed one, even better. You pay taxes once out of your pay check and never have to pay taxes on your returns or withdrawals. Maybe you want to retire by 40 through entrepreneurship, fair enough. But if you fail, you'll have that Roth IRA that grew tax free for 40 years. Seems like a good deal to me.