What Makes the Best Roth IRA Investments?

The best Roth IRA investments depend on which market is performing well at the time and can be expected to continue to perform well in the future.  The law regarding the Roth IRA limits your investment choices only slightly.  There are many things that you can invest in that are often overlooked.

One market that has not been commonly used for retirement accounts is real estate.  Many investors have found that real estate is one of the best Roth IRA investments, because the returns can be higher than any other investment type.

The success stories are remarkable.  Millionaires have been made from a $20,000 opening account balance.  The only Roth IRA limits concerning real estate transactions have to do with prohibited transaction types and instances of self dealing or indirect benefits.

Prohibited transactions include borrowing from the account or lending money to it.  For example, if the account held the deed to an apartment complex and repairs needed to be done, you could not loan the account money to make the repairs. 

Most people understand the rules about borrowing from the account.  But, a lot of people don’t realize that the account can loan money to other people and collect interest.

The best Roth IRA investments often turn up in unexpected places.  There may be people right in your own neighborhood that have a down payment, can make monthly payments, but can’t qualify for a bank mortgage because of past credit issues.

You can help those people.  Your account can hold a lien on the property, as a bank does.  Your account will earn regular monthly income that is non-taxable.  This could be either a long-term investment or a short-term investment. 

If the family you helped eventually repairs their credit and qualifies for traditional financing, then it’s a short term investment.  You get your money back, plus interest and profits.  You don’t pay capital gains taxes and you look for other families to help.

There are no Roth IRA limits on the amount of profit or income that an account can earn.  You pay taxes on your original contributions and that’s all you will ever pay.  As long as you wait till retirement to take disbursements.

There are of course Roth IRA limits on the amount of contributions you can make in any one tax year.  Currently the limit is $5000, but that limit is going to be increased by $500 per year to try to keep up with inflation.

Most investors do not consider CDs and bonds when they thing about the best Roth IRA investments.  Although, those are the safest, since they are insured by the federal government, returns are very low.  Currently 3-5% is the most that you can expect to earn.

If you finance someone’s house, you should earn at least 10%, because you are providing financing for someone that can’t get it elsewhere.  If you want to learn more about these types of interesting investment choices, there are a number of current investors that are willing to help.

You may find that the housing market offers the best Roth IRA investments and grow your wealth faster than you ever dreamed possible.