Premium Domains and Digital Trademarks Can Be Held in Self-Directed Retirement Plans

Premium website domains are a growing asset class within digital investments and can be included as alternative assets in a self-directed retirement plan, as can digital trademarks. This information was shared recently by Next Generation Trust Company on its blog, providing insights for self-directed investors seeking new ways to diversify their retirement portfolios. Digital technology has opened the door to a new type of entrepreneurship—and investing opportunities with a self-directed IRA or other plan, noted Jaime Raskulinecz, CEO of Next Generation. For business owners who wish to self-direct their investments, a solo(k), which is similar to a 401(k) plan, enables them to build tax-deferred retirement savings with a broad array of alternative assets. Investors with self-directed IRAs—whether Traditional or Roth, SEP or SIMPLE—may also include premium domains and other digital assets.

This growing asset class within the digital investments sector offers fresh opportunities for savvy investors, who register a domain name (website URL) to resell later at a profit. These assets are considered premium when they are highly brandable, short term, are highly relevant to the industry or company, are keyword-rich, and the domain name is or will be in high demand. The article cites several compelling statistics about premium domain names from the Domain Name Industry Brief's report for the third quarter of 2025, which states there were 378.5 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains. The number of registrations increased by 6.8 million compared to the second quarter of 2025, and domain name registrations increased by 16.2 million, or 4.5%, year over year.

As the article explains, investors purchase these domains as short-term transactions with the intention of flipping them relatively quickly or to use as longer-term investments to resell as the domain's value increases. Investors may also build a business around securing and selling these valuable assets. Including digital assets in a SDIRA enables investors to earn passive, tax-advantaged income, said Raskulinecz. It also provides monetization opportunities for those who understand how to make those transactions according to IRS rules. Another digital asset growing in popularity is trademarks, a type of intellectual property, which can be included within a self-directed IRA or solo 401(k) plan. These assets can grow in value as the brand they are associated with gains market share and brand recognition. There are several ways to invest in digital trademarks, which the article outlines. More information about self-direction as a retirement wealth-building strategy is available at https://www.NextGenerationTrust.com.