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.

As much as we all wish retirement plans were free of charge, they aren’t. Companies that provide services for retirement plans ALWAYS charge fees in some way, even if it’s not clear how.  After all, they have to cover basic business costs to service your account, so they always find a way.

Even so, you’ll sometimes see promotions by big banks where they offer great benefits like making a contribution to your account or promises to match your retirement savings, all while promoting these accounts as free— don’t be fooled. There is no such thing as a free IRA.

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.

If you’re self-employed or a small business owner looking for a way to save for retirement, SEP IRAs are an excellent option to consider. Easy to set up and maintain, SEPs are retirement saving without the hassle —plus the added bonus of much higher contribution limits, so you can save and invest more, faster.

So wait, that’s easier set-up and more savings? If that sounds like your dream IRA, here’s what you need to know:

If you need to sell real estate held in your self directed IRA, you’ve come to the right place. It’s not hard, you just have to know what to do. Most real estate IRA investors need to do it at some point, whether to make a tidy profit after fixing up a run-down property or a long-term buy and hold that’s finally paid off. But, as with all IRA investments, following the rules and proper procedures is the best way to get your transaction completed correctly and with ease. Ready to begin? Read on:

 Raw or vacant land— another way many investors chose to diversify their retirement, compounding the flexibility of a self-directed IRA with the flexibility of untapped potential. You can buy and hold the property, develop the land for resale, rent it out for farming or solar energy— there are almost endless options. But, as with all IRA investments, there are some things to keep in mind when investing in this tax-advantaged account— and they can make the difference between massive and meager returns. Here are 3 to anticipate when investing:

Fix and flip investments are an incredibly popular way to make profit in the real estate market, and more and more investors are taking this tried and true tactic to their retirement portfolios. These lend themselves easily to IRA investing, as fix and flip investors are used to coordinating multiple moving parts— the process is new, but the skills and strategy aren’t.

Need to move your real estate in-kind, without liquidating the property, to a new self directed IRA custodian? What many real estate IRA investors don’t know is that once your asset has moved to your new account, the process isn’t done. You have to re-register the deed to the property. If you don’t follow through, there can be obnoxious (and expensive) complications down the line.

Searching for a real estate IRA custodian that doesn’t break the bank? It helps to know what you’re looking for.

The things that cost real estate investors the most don’t always matter as much to the average person with a self directed IRA. If all you do is read the “getting started” guides you find on every custodian’s website, you might not even know the right things to ask (until it’s too late).