Since 1978, Mainstar Trust has been helping customers take control of their financial futures by providing them the flexibility and opportunities they need to make the investment decisions they want. Rebranded from First Trust Company of Onaga, Mainstar is one of the larger self-directed IRA custodians nationally with more than 120,000 customers and $8.5 Billion in custody assets.

Mainstar is committed to providing exceptional customer service, prompt and personal client contact. By serving as a custodian of self-directed IRA accounts, Mainstar is well-versed with a broad range of traditional and non-traditional assets, allowing account holders to diversify and maximize their long-term investment objectives.

* Use the Mainstar Trust Fee Calculator (click button below) to calculate your estimated fees based on the company's published fee schedule. This is a useful tool when comparing different custodians based on your cost to use them. Please note, if you have never before used a self-directed IRA custodian or administrator to administer your account, the fees will be different than most broker dealers that provide transactional services for stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

Process for setting up a new account:

Mainstar Trust has online new account opening here. here. Paper account forms are available as well. The company focuses on automation and is willing to link to other sites to improve user experience.

Process for adding a new asset to client account:

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Procedures in place to protect client information: 

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Procedures for annual valuations: 

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Procedures for when an investment is suspected to be or is found to be fraudulent:

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• Jean Meyer - President & CEO
• Marleen Holthaus - VP Customer service
• Nueva Bean Smith - VP Income Control
• Stacy Schwartz - VP Securities
• Carmen Matzke - VP Asset Control
• Kelly Starkey - VP Compliance
• Thomas Schmidt - Business Development Officer

Access Company Management Profiles

Glassdoor Ratings: (How company rates as an employer)

The Self Direct Your Retirement Transparency Index is a metric we have developed to indicate how transparent self-directed IRA custodians and administrators are about their company. We value transparency as an ideal trait from a company that is providing custody or administration of your retirement accounts. It shows that the company has nothing to hide about their activities. You should consider this when you are making your choice.

The Self Direct Your Retirement Transparency Index is split into two parts. The first part is whether they voluntarily provided this information to us or whether we had to find this data on our own. Companies that provided us with the data were given the "company certified seal". If they did not participate, the seal does not show up in their profile. The second part of the index is how transparent the companies were in providing us with this information. A higher transparency number indicates a more transparent company. A number above 80% is ideal. There may be legitimate reasons companies do not want to share certain information, but you should consider this when making your decision.

Below the seal, we have listed the last time the company provided us with information. As long as the company has the certified seal, the information should be considered up-to-date. We contact the company periodically to ensure the information is accurate. If the company chooses not to verify the information, then we remove the seal. Transparency is only one factor you should consider when choosing a self directed IRA custodian or administrator.

If you want to compare different self-directed IRA custodians and administrators, we have created a resource to assist you in this process, The Ultimate Due Diligence Guide to Self Directed IRA Custodians and Administrators. 

This resource will help save you time and will help simplify the process of setting up and maintaining your self directed IRA. It will allow you to compare different self directed IRA custodians and administrators via over 50+ data points. All of this information is not part of this page, but if you want to learn more about this resource, click the link below.

We asked Mainstar Trust to provide their individual insight into the following questions. This section is a bit more personal. The idea is that it will give you more insight into the company you are considering to provide custody of your investments. 

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One of the biggest areas of frustration we see from self-directed IRA investors is when they realize they have chosen the wrong self-directed IRA custodian or administrator. It takes time to set up an account and fund your investment. The last thing you want to do when you are trying to fund your investment is to think about changing to a different custodian. Choose your Self-Directed IRA custodian or administrator wisely. If you put the time in now to find the right company, you will save time, money, and aggravation later. Read our Choosing a Self-Directed IRA Custodian report for more information.

Next Steps... Once you have located your ideal Self-Directed IRA Custodian or Administrator, you will be on your way to self-directing your retirement. If you decide that this process seems too complex and you need assistance or financial advice, feel free to contact us.Our firm specializes in providing financial advice pertaining to alternative investments held in self-directed IRAs and 401ks. We are fiduciaries and provide unbiased financial advice to our clients. Contact us if you want to learn more about our wealth management services.