Whether you’re new to the investing game or a novice, there’s something that everyone needs to learn, and that’s diversification of assets. Diversification is fundamental, not only for your portfolio’s sake, but also for your future retirement’s sake. When you have a self-directed IRA, and the investment options available to you are practically limitless, that’s […]
What are Futures and How Can They be Utilized in Your IRA
Futures trading involves buying and selling contracts for agricultural commodities, foreign currency, metals and other items whose price fluctuates from day to day. Futures traders make money by betting that prices will go up or down and trading the right to buy or sell at a given price. While futures trading is not expressly […]
Actionable Ways to Protect Yourself and Retirement from a Recession
With slowing global growth, trade wars, and inverted yield curves, it seems everywhere you look someone is talking about a recession. Will we have one? When? Will it be mild or severe? The only question anyone can accurately answer is the first one. Yes, we will have a recession. Recessions are part of normal economic […]
What You Need to Know About Annuities in an IRA
What are annuities and IRAs? How do they differ? IRA is short for “individual retirement account,” an account that you can use to purchase stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other assets to build a retirement nest egg. There are two types of IRAs, traditional and Roth. Traditional IRA: You contribute pretax dollars — in 2019 […]
Self-Directed 401K Plans Broken Down and Explained
A self-directed 401K lets you invest as you see fit. You can choose your own mutual funds, stocks and bonds rather than sticking to the pre-made funds typically associated with a retirement savings account. You can even invest in more unconventional assets like real estate and commodities if your employer allows it. The types […]
How The SECURE Act May Impact Your Retirement Savings Account
If you have money in either a IRA or 401K, you probably already know that eventually you’ll have to take that money out and pay taxes on it, if those accounts are Traditional retirement savings account. But the rules for taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) have always been confusing, especially because they require you […]
Why Not Both? Operating a 401K and an IRA Simultaneously
If you contribute to your 401K account, you may still contribute to a Roth IRA and/or a traditional IRA, as long as you meet the IRA’s eligibility requirements. However, if you wish to contribute to a traditional IRA and take a tax deduction for that contribution, depending on your income, your contribution to your employer’s […]
What All SDIRA Owners Need to know About Trust Deed Investing
Quite plainly, a trust deed investment is when an individual lends money to a borrower for a real estate purchase. When you invest in trust deeds, you act as a lender and offer financing to a property owner. The loan is secured with a property, and in the event of default its title transfers to […]
Savings vs. Debt Elimination – Which Comes First?
You can scrape together a small amount of extra cash each month, but you aren’t sure what you should do with the money. If you listen to financial expert Dave Ramsey, you will work through the Seven Baby Steps, which start with creating a $1,000 emergency fund. He also advocates debt elimination before retirement savings, […]
Navigating Retirement When You’re Self-Employed
Being self-employed has its ups, but it can also have its downs. For one, there may be enormous business costs to worry about, and you likely have to finance your retirement account entirely on your own. Fortunately, there are a number of self-employed retirement plans that can help you save enough for retirement. In fact, […]