noht, I might be able to add in my two cents (take it with a grain of salt), since I was in the exact same situation last year. 2007 was my first year starting any kind of retirement account whatsoever. Had a 401(a) from a job and a generic pre-tax account. Total for both accounts was < $300. I changed to a better job last summer and wanted to do a direct rollover into a traditional IRA. Ideally, reputable companies like Fidelity, Vanguard, and T. Rowe Price are good places for stuff like that, but my biggest obstacle was the minimum balance necessary to open an account. Fidelity is $2500, Vanguard is $3000, and T. Rowe Price is $1000. My credit union, however, offers IRA accounts that contain a savings account (minimum $1.00). Perfect. The interest rate was abysmal and "boring" and "safe" but there weren't any fees or commissions whatsoever. I rolled the small amounts directly into a savings account IRA at my CU and that was that. After working throughout 2007 I was finally able to build up the account, and now I'm ready to transfer the traditional IRA from my CU to Vanguard. From that point I'll have it converted to a Roth IRA.
So see what your bank(s)/credit unions that you are a member offer as far as IRA. It might be the perfect temporary place to stash your IRA until you add enough to it to meet the minimum balance for better companies. G'luck!
