Most often, IRA and other retirement vehicles contain mutual funds – as opposed to exchange-traded funds and stocks for investing. The most simple reason for this is that mutual funds have fund managers who oversee the funds on a daily basis. Mutual funds are not designed to be easily bought and sold. However, just like cars, these accounts can vary and offer different “packages” to the consumer. This makes it important for the individual to establish an account protocol for money management regarding monies that are strictly earmarked for retirement only. The money you're willing to lose should be maintained separately from the money you need for retirement.