Make sure you understand that accounts and investments are different things.
IRA's don't have a certain rate of return, the investments you buy with the money in retirement accounts have returns, the accounts just have certain tax advantages.
You should have an appropriate mix of investments including, stocks, bonds, CDs, cash, etc. You should put those investments in appropriate accounts for the best tax treatment (bonds in tax advantaged accounts for example). You should also make sure you have enough cash in accessible accounts to pay irregular and/or unexpected expenses.
You can easily get better than a 0.25% return by opening an online savings account to hold your cash needs.