There is more than one way to save for college
RichTech holds its TechSummit 2010 this morning
THURSDAY, NOV. 4 Featured event: • RichTech holds its TechSummit 2010, 7:15 a.m., The Westin, 6631 W. Broad St. Speaker: Phillip Redman, vice president research, wireless and mobile solutions, The Gartner Group. Topic: “Managing the Mobile Work Force and the Mobile Customer.” Cost: $50 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Registration/details: …
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New Self Directed IRA Web Event for Individual Retirement Account Investors Provides Guidance for Those Seeking …
As investors become increasingly concerned about the risk of stock market losses crippling their retirement savings and the paltry returns offered by more conservative investments, new strategies for stabilizing and increasing earnings in their accounts are more important than ever… Learn why your individual retirement account is not performing as well as it could be and explore simple …
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Get the Most Out of Your Retirement Accounts
Here’s what you can do to save a little extra next year even though contribution limits will stay the same.
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What the Election Results Mean for Your Money
Interest rates and commodity prices are likely to shift first.
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There is more than one way to save for college
With changes coming to Coverdell Education Savings Accounts in 2011, some parents are wondering if they should convert Coverdells to 529 plans. With that mind, here is a brief look at how both of these accounts work. Why were Coverdell ESAs so popular in the past decade? Imagine a Roth IRA used only for college savings. That’s basically the concept behind a Coverdell. In fact, the Coverdell ESA …
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How to Flip Real Estate in a Self Directed IRA—There’s More Than One Way
Investing in real estate in a self directed IRA is something that I get a lot of questions about. The most common question is whether real estate is a permissible investment by the IRS. Let’s just get this one out of the way. Yes, it is â and for good reason.
In 1974, ERISA was set up by the Social Security Administration. This piece of administration set up the initial guidelines for both the conventional IRA and a self directed IRA. The truth of the matter is that Uncle Sam wants you to plan for retirement. Either they need to come up with incentives that will help you plan for your retirement or they will more than likely have to help finance your retirement in some other way.
So, real estate in an IRA is set up to be a win-win situation for everyone. You can save money on taxes either in the beginning with a traditional IRA or pay the taxes upfront with a Roth. Either way, Uncle Sam gets his money and the added assurance that the general public will have more personal funds as they go into retirement.
The Basics of the Real Estate IRA
Real estate is a secured asset by the IRS. A self directed IRA has a variety of ways to make money using real estate such as:
â¢Â Single-family homesâ¢Â Commercial real estateâ¢Â Raw landâ¢Â Duplexes and apartmentsâ¢Â Condos and townhomesâ¢Â Mobile homesâ¢Â Partial notesâ¢Â Real estate notesâ¢Â Second mortgagesâ¢Â Real estate purchase optionsâ¢Â Tax liens
Flipping Real Estate
Typically, when we refer to flipping real estate in a self directed IRA, the first thing that the investor might think of is taking a less than desirable house, making it pretty, and selling it at a profit. Some investors specialize in other kinds of “flipping” though.
Contract Flipping doesn’t require the buying or selling of an actual property. The buyer will purchase an option from a developer at the beginning of a project to purchase a property at a reduced cost using “earnest money.” If the investor exercises their option to buy, they can resell the property before closing at a higher price and make a profit without ever actually owning the property.
Escrow or Double Closing occurs when the owner signs over a property deed to a dealer. The dealer will sell the property at a slightly higher price and the owner receives their payment at less than the value of the property and the dealer collects a share for negotiating the deal.
Check with Your Passive Custodian First
As always, it’s important to follow all the rules and regulations of real estate in a self directed IRA. Your passive custodian is not there to advise you on good investment options, but they are there to help ensure that all of the paperwork is followed accordingly and no rules or regulations are broken.
Established in 1974, Equity Trust is a leading real estate IRA custodian. We specialize in the custody of alternative assets in self-directed IRAs, CESAs, HSAs and qualified business retirement plans. Visit our free e-library for more information. www. TrustETC. com/equity-university/
I’m looking for an investment that returns 5% to 10% (or more, hopefully), & still secures my principal.?
This is for my retirement fund. The more I read about retirement (lack of cash flow vs inflation, especially), the more I want to build as large a cushion as possible. I really feel for kids today (by saying kids, I mean anyone from 0 years old to mid lifers who haven’t started saving yet), as there’s no one actively looking out for their welfare. Social Security was a mistake, but the Feds should actively encourage people to vigorously save on their own. If I were king, I would propose mandating everyone put away at least 5%, and up to 100%, per pay period in pretax dollars. It would grow tax free and couldn’t be taken out any sooner than 3/4ths of the current typical life span (say todays life span is 85. 3/4ths would be about 64 years old). Have the SSA deposit whatever each individual has had deducted net of any disbursements into whatever savings vehicle the individual wants to kick the retirement account off to a good start. Whew!! Sorry about that. I get carried away.