A New Era for Investors: Could 401(k)s Soon Hold Private Real Estate?

On August 7, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Labor, SEC, Treasury, and IRS to review retirement plan rules. The mandate? Explore ways to make private equity, real estate, and other alternative assets accessible inside 401(k) accounts.

This isn’t a rule change yet. But it signals a fundamental shift in how Americans could build wealth for retirement.

Breaking Away from the Status Quo

For decades, 401(k) participants have been locked into a narrow menu: stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Meanwhile, some of the most resilient wealth-building opportunities private real estate, infrastructure, even direct investments have been off-limits.

The order directs agencies to study:

• Fiduciary standards for including alternatives
• New “safe harbor” protections for plan sponsors
• Removing barriers that keep private real estate out of mainstream retirement plans

If successful, it could mean private real estate funds right alongside mutual funds in employer plans, and expanded direct investment options for self-directed 401(k)s.

Why This Matters

The numbers are staggering U.S. 401(k) plans hold $9–12 trillion in retirement capital. Even a modest allocation toward real estate could unleash unprecedented liquidity, reshaping how deals are funded.

For investors, this could mean:

• Inflation Protection: Real estate provides a hard-asset hedge against the eroding power of the dollar.
• Diversification: A stabilizer when stock and bond markets swing.
• Opportunity Access: Accredited investors who have historically looked outside retirement accounts may soon invest with tax-advantaged dollars.

The Fine Print

While the executive order is signed, agencies must still:

• Define clear guardrails for fiduciaries
• Establish new disclosure and reporting standards
• Set boundaries for investor protections

Translation: We’re at the starting line of a process that could take months or years before it’s reality.

Positioning Your Portfolio

Like any major market shift, the first movers often win. Here’s how to prepare:

1. Stay Informed: Track agency updates so you’re not reacting, but leading.
2. Strengthen Partnerships: Build relationships with managers already operating in private real estate.
3. Be Ready to Deploy: The best opportunities are always seized by investors who have capital and strategy aligned before the door opens.

Where NNG Capital Fund Stands

At NNG Capital Fund, our vision has always been clear: bring private real estate investing into the mainstream for accredited investors seeking both stability and outsized returns.

Through our hybrid strategy ground-up luxury residential projects in New Jersey paired with value-add multifamily communities in the Southeast we’re already positioned at the intersection of stability, growth, and opportunity.

If 401(k) dollars begin flowing into private real estate, we see it not as a disruption, but as an acceleration of what we’ve been building for years: a new era of wealth creation through real estate.

The Next Era Starts Now

The regulatory process may take time, but serious investors won’t wait. The groundwork you lay today your knowledge, your partnerships, your deal-readiness will determine whether you’re chasing this wave later, or riding it from the start.

Visit to learn how we’re helping investors position their portfolios for this coming shift and how you can be part of the next evolution in real estate investing.