Self-Directed IRAs (SDIRAs) come with a lot of benefits, if you follow the rules and conduct due diligence on your investments. Real estate professionals are well-poised to take advantage of these benefits. Their real estate knowledge, experience, and access to good deals can be leveraged to reap the benefits of SDIRAs. But most aren’t taking advantage of the opportunity to build retirement wealth and grow their business at the same time.

After 16 years in the self-directed IRA industry, I’ve gained insight into some of the major complaints and pain points self-directed IRA investors deal with. As an investor myself, I’m empathetic to these challenges— especially as someone who works behind the scenes to create excellent customer experiences. With my experience working in all aspects of self-directed IRAs and alternative investments, from marketing to business development, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from savvy self-directed IRA investors of all levels. After much research and discussion with our clients as to why they’ve moved their IRA to IRAR Trust, here’s what I’ve found.

Social distancing, the stock market crash and many other factors brought on by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis are impacting businesses around the country and many will not survive.  Many business owners already face this reality.

If you have changed jobs or retired and have left savings in a former employer's retirement plan (e.g. 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457 (b)), you can move these funds to a self-directed IRA and invest in real estate without loss or penalty. Real estate investments in self-directed IRAs grow tax-deferred or tax-free until withdrawal. This means that when your property generates income or is sold, these profits are not taxed at the time because they go back to the IRA. It is not until you start taking distributions at retirement that the income will be taxed, depending on the type of plan you have.

Can you imagine— a future where your retirement is secured by physical property. A future where you know that no matter what the stock market looks like, there is a tangible asset you and your retirement can rely on.

That’s why investing in real estate is such a popular strategy. Unlike stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, it’s something you can touch, something you can feel, something you can depend on— no matter what happens. That’s the kind of security most people want in a retirement investment.

The potential impact the Coronavirus will have on retirement savings can trigger fear and anxiety among investors. However, we must remain calm, stay healthy, and make well-educated decisions. More importantly, we must keep a positive attitude and take precautions to get through this.

During the month of February, there’s a lot of focus on love, hearts, friendship, and— yes, self-directed IRAs. Besides googling what to buy your significant other, everyone’s researching how to open an account to get that tax break before April 15^th rolls around or how to transfer their account to save on high fees. As a marketer, I’m always curious what people are looking for during holidays and national events— they influence people in ways you wouldn’t expect. It’s interesting to see what influences search trends, but what does this have to do with self-directed IRAs and fees?

You’ve got a lot of freedom with a self-directed IRA, but you do have a few rules you need to follow. Investing in real estate with your self-directed IRA is a lot like investing in real estate outside of your IRA— except the IRS prohibits a few things (per IRC Section 4975). These investment rules are really the biggest differences between IRA investing and the traditional real estate purchase— aside from the incredible tax benefits.

Have you ever wondered where all those TV shows and movies come from when you are sitting on a plane, browsing a cable network, or scrolling through a video on demand streaming platform? Well, there are two ways. First, the network can create the content. We have probably all tuned in at some point to a specific network to watch one of our favorite shows that you only find on that network, right? Or maybe you subscribe to a favorite streaming service because they have a show that you love to watch! Well, what about the rest of the content that you see while scrolling through your cable provider or the seemingly endless options that you have while browsing one or more of the streaming services that you subscribe to?

Taking a required minimum distribution (RMD) can be challenging if you’re not sure what you’re doing. There are real tax consequences if you don’t do it right, so smart IRA investors know it’s important to take it seriously. Since self-directed IRAs deal with alternative and sometimes illiquid assets, this can seem complex. But at IRAR, we’ve seen it all— and we’re here to help.

Our team of experienced self-directed IRA experts is here to guide you through the process, answering real RMD questions from real SDIRA investors.