SELF DIRECTED IRA BASICS:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“A clever man commits no minor blunders.”

 

 

 

WHAT IS A SELF DIRECTED IRA? WHAT CAN A SELF DIRECTED IRA INVEST INTO? WHAT IS AN IRA/LLC?

What is a Self Directed IRA?

A self directed IRA is an IRA (Roth, Traditional, SEP, Inherited IRA, SIMPLE) where the custodian of the account allows the IRA to invest into any investment allowed by law. These investments typically include; real estate, promissory notes, precious metals, and private company stock. The typical reaction I hear from investors is: “Why haven’t I ever heard of self directed IRAs before, and why can I only invest my current retirement plan into mutual funds or stocks?” The reason is that the large financial institutions that administer most U.S. retirement accounts don’t find it administratively feasible to hold real estate or non-publicly traded assets in retirement plans.

What Can a Self Directed IRA Invest Into?

Under current law, a retirement account is only restricted from investing in the following:

– Collectibles such as art, stamps, coins, alcoholic beverages, or antiques IRC 408(m);

– Life insurance IRC 408(a)(3);

– S-corporation stock, IRS Letter Ruling 199929029, April 27, 1999IRC § 1361 (b)(1)(B);

– And, any investment that constitutes a prohibited transaction pursuant to ERISA and/orIRC 4975 (e.g. purchase of any investment from a disqualified person such as a close family member to the retirement account owner).

The most popular self directed retirement account investments include; rental real estate, secured loans to others for real estate, small business stock or LLC interest, and precious metals such as gold or silver. These investments are all allowed by law and can be great assets for investors with experience in these areas.

When self-directing your retirement account you must be aware of the prohibited transaction rules found in IRC 4975. These rules don’t restrict what your account can invest in, but rather, whom your IRA may transact with. In short, the prohibited transaction rules restrict your retirement account from engaging in a transaction with someone who is a disqualified person to your account. A disqualified person to a retirement account includes the account owner, their spouse, children, parents, and certain business partners. So, for example, your retirement account could not buy a rental property that is owned by your father since a purchase of the property would be a transaction with someone who is disqualified to the retirement account (e.g. father). On the other hand, your retirement account could buy a rental property from your cousin, friend, sister, or a random third-party, as these parties are not disqualified persons under the rules.

The rationale behind the prohibited transaction rules is that the federal government doesn’t want tax advantaged accounts conducting transactions between parties who are close enough to the account owner that there could be a transaction designed to avoid or un-fairly minimize tax by altering the true fair market value/price of the investment. The consequence of a prohibited transaction is disqualification by of the retirement account. In a typical self directed IRA investment, your IRA administrator holds your investment in their company name for your IRAs benefit (e.g. property is owned as ABC Trust Company FBO John Smith IRA) and receives the income and pays the expenses for the investment at the account owner’s direction and instruction.

What is an IRA/LLC?

Many self-directed retirement account owners, particularly those buying real estate, use an IRA/LLC as the vehicle to hold their retirement account assets. An IRA/LLC is a special type of LLC, which consists of an IRA (or other retirement account) investing its cash into a newly created LLC. The IRA/LLC is managed by the IRA owner and the IRA owner then directs the LLC investments and the LLC takes title to the assets, pays the expenses to the investment, and receives the income from the investment. There are many restrictions to the IRA owner being manager (such as not receiving compensation or personal benefit) and many laws to consider so please ensure you consult an attorney before establishing an IRA/LLC. For more details on the IRA/LLC structure and the cases and structuring options, please refer to my prior blog post here.

By: Mat Sorensen, Attorney and Author of The Self Directed IRA Handbook.

This article is an excerpt from The Self Directed IRA Handbook: An Authoritative Guide For Self Directed Retirement Plan Investors and Their Advisors.

About the Author

I’m an attorney and focus my practice on the laws related to self directed retirement plans. I’m also the author of The Self Directed IRA Handbook. I live and work in Phoenix, AZ and have clients all across the United States.

 

SEE IT ALL:

http://sdirahandbook.com/self-directed-ira-basics-what-is-a-self-directed-ira-what-can-a-self-directed-ira-invest-into-what-is-an-irallc/

 

A little about me and my expertise – video

                    

commercial / investment real estate / Arizona land specialist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPs3kpKR4nY

 

I go to great heights to sell or purchase your land

http://walter-unger.com/?p=10118

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Phoenix,_Arizona_history

3

Facts of Arizona – year 1848 to 2013

http://walter-unger.com/?p=9507

 

4.

Feel free to contact Walter regarding any of these stories, the current market, distressed commercial real estate opportunities and needs, your property or your Investment Needs for Comercial Investment Properties in Phoenix.

 

 

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Walter Unger CCIM, CCSS, CCLS

I am a successful Commercial Investment Real Estate Broker in Arizona now for 20 years and I worked with banks and their commercial REO properties for 3 years. I am also a commercial landspecialist in Phoenix and a Landspecialist in Arizona.

 

WHETHER YOU LEASE OR OWN

NOW IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO EXPAND, UPGRADE OR INVEST.

 

we are at on the a rise of the cycle in Commercial Real Estate.  so there is only one way and it’s called we are going up and now is the time for you to expand, upgrade or invest in Commercial Properties in Phoenix.  The prices on deals I may get you will not be around forever.

 

WAITING TO SELL YOUR LAND ? TIMES CHANGE / IT’S TIME

  We barely could give land away the last few years, but times are changing.  Even in those meager years, I sold more land across the state than most other brokers. Before the real estate crash I was a land specialist in Arizona with millions of dollars of transactions, but then I had to change and also sell other commercial investment properties, which was fun, but I am a Commercial Landspecialist in Arizonal, a Commercial Land Specialist in Phoenix and love to sell land, one acre to thousands of acres.

 

If you have any questions about Commercial Investment Properties in Phoenix or Commercial Investment Properties in Arizona,  I will gladly sit down with you and share my expertise and my professional opinion in Commercial Properties in Phoenix or Commercial Properties in Arizona with you.Obviously I am also in this to make money, but it could be a win-win situation for all of us. 

 

Please reply by e-mail walterunger@ccim.net or call me on my cell 520-975-5207 or Office:480-948-5554

 

www.Walter-Unger.com

 

PLEASE NOTE, I CHANGED BROKERAGES BUT CELL PHONE AND E-MAIL STAY THE SAME. 

 

Thank You

Walter

Walter Unger CCIM

Associate Broker,  West USA Commercial Real Estate Advisers

7077 E. Marilyn Road, Bldg 4, Suite 130

Scottsdale, AZ 85254

Cell:      520-975-5207   

Office :  480-948-5554

Fax: (480-658-1172  

walterunger@ccim.net

 

View my listings and my profile at:

http://www.loopnet.com/Profile/14101172900/Walter-Unger-CCIM/

 

www.Walter-Unger.com             

 

a little about me and my expertise – video

 

commercial-investment real estate adviser-land specialist

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPs3kpKR4nY

 

What is a CCIM?

 

 

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