Directed IRA Articles

If you’ve inherited an IRA from a parent or another loved one, it is likely that you have an Inherited IRA (aka, Beneficiary IRA). These can be powerful accounts, but you need to understand the Required Minimum Distribution (“RMD”) rules for your Inherited IRA to...

When IRA-owned property is held for rent, the management of the rental property must be structured such that rental income is received by the IRA and expenses are paid by the IRA. The IRA owner and other disqualified persons (e.g. IRA owner, spouse, etc.) cannot...

Kids are going back to school after the break and it’s a great time to think about college and to make financial plans for your children or grandchildren’s education. As you consider the different plan options, you’ll want to make sure you know the two most common...

A SEP IRA is a powerful retirement account used by many self-employed persons and business owners. It is particularly attractive as you can contribute up to $58,000 to it annually. That’s in comparison to a Traditional IRA, where you can only contribute up to $6,000 a...

HSAs (“Health Savings Accounts”) are growing in popularity as Americans are discovering significant tax savings with these accounts. Why are they popular? There are many reasons why; some well known and others not so well known. Let’s start with the primary benefits...

An IRA must report its fair market value to the IRS annually. Fair market value is reported to the IRS by your IRA custodian via IRS Form 5498. For standard IRAs holding stocks or mutual funds, those account values are automatically determined as they simply take the...

As the price of Bitcoin (BTC) has surpassed $50,000, we have seen increased interest in using IRA and other retirement plan funds to own Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. But can your IRA, Roth IRA, solo(k), or other retirement account own Cryptocurrency? Yes, your...

Many self-directed IRA investors use an IRA/LLC to make and hold their self-directed IRA investments. In essence, an IRA/LLC (aka “checkbook-controlled IRA”) is an LLC owned 100% by an IRA. For a summary and description of an IRA/LLC, please refer to my video here....

Roth conversions remain popular as many fear that tax rates will only increase in the next few years, so why not convert now at lower tax rates and let the account grow and come out tax-free at retirement. Remember, if you have a traditional IRA or 401(k), then that...

Solo 401(k)s have become a popular retirement plan option for self-employed persons. Unfortunately, many plans are not properly maintained and are at the risk of significant penalty and/or plan termination. If you have a Solo 401(k), you need to ensure that the 401(k)...