You can put your stock market woes aside and build your wealth through a more controlled and secure asset. While the traditional IRA allows earnings to compound overtime on a tax-deferred basis, a real estate IRA allows you to invest your tax-differed funds into property.The decline of the stock market since early 2000 has taught many investors a hard lesson - the value of diversification. This doesn't just mean diversifying between stocks, it means diversifying between asset classes. And one such asset class that isn't as risky as stocks is real estate.