A self-directed Brokerage Window—sometimes called a Self-Directed Account (SDA) or a Self-Directed Brokerage Account (SDBA)—is an account within an employer-sponsored retirement plan that allows a participant to trade virtually anything that can be traded, including individual stocks and low-cost exchange traded funds (ETF), which are not typically available as investment options.
Check with your company's benefits department to determine if your plan includes this feature. If it does, you have the ability to add different types of investments to your portfolio, including Horizon™ Model Portfolios. There are however, extra fees associated with using a brokerage accounts. There is also the temptation to speculate with your hard-won retirement savings which is one reason why some employers do not offer this option. Brokerage windows are available in about a third of Fidelity-managed plans and 60% of the plans overseen by Charles Schwab.