Retirement Investing is the most active discussion board on retirement issues.

http://boards.fool.com/my-brother-who-lives-in-tennessee-rec...

There is also a Foolish 401k board.

Many custodians do change an annual maintenance fee for your IRA or Roth IRA accounts. $12 is not bad. Many charge $30 to $45.

But your main concern should be what kind of return are you getting on your investments. Equities is usually the best way. Too often financial institutions offer only CD-like investments or even annuities. Mutual fund companies like Vanguard, Fidelity, or T Rowe Price offer many more choices. And discount brokers allow you to pick individual stocks, mutual funds, etfs or an array of other investments.