It’s no secret that people choose self-directed IRAs because of the many benefits they offer, like reducing taxes and providing options for alternative investments. They are also very powerful accounts for real estate investors, as they allow the possibility for utilizing creative investment strategies.
What is Partnering?
One of the great features of self-directed IRAs is that they don’t have to be used only on their own. Self-directed IRAs can work together by using a beneficial strategy called “partnering”. This term is used when one entity (or more) and an IRA come together to put up the funds for an investment.
In this strategy, all parties have a vested percentage of ownership in the deal. When doing this, the percentage of ownership is decided at the beginning of the investment and must remain the same throughout the life of the investment. This means that any profit the investment receives is returned based on this percentage of ownership. Additionally, the IRA would be responsible for its percentage of any expense associated with the investment, too.
Who does Partnering work for?
Partnering is a great strategy for a variety of people. For investors who are just getting started, partnering allows the chance to participate. Even having only a small percentage of a total investment allows a small dollar IRA to gradually grow. Oftentimes, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and other small dollar accounts will partner together to purchase an investment.
There are also many occasions when a good deal is available, but an investor doesn’t have enough money in their IRA to make up the total cost of the purchase. Being able to partner with another IRA account they may have or another money partner provides the ability to purchase the investment after all.
It is also beneficial for account holders that have multiple IRAs. For those who want to utilize all of their accounts at once, this is a great way to have all accounts involved in one deal. Over all, partnering provides more possibilities for accounts to be involved in deals when they may not have been able to before.
Who can your IRA Partner with?
Not only can one or multiple accounts be partnered together on investments, self-directed IRAs can also partner with personal funds. When partnering with personal funds, your IRA has a percentage of ownership and you do, too. This is not to be confused with doing a transaction with yourself. Keep in mind that when partnering with a disqualified person, the percentage of ownership is decided at the time of purchase and must remain the same throughout the life of the investment.
Knowing what you can do is great, but it’s even more important to know what you and your IRA can and cannot do. If you haven’t heard about disqualified people and prohibited transactions, it’s important to know these terms to better understand how partnering is different. Disqualified people are certain people or entities that your IRA is not allowed to transact business with, and it’s important to understand who they are before entering into any deals to avoid doing a prohibited transaction.
Being able to combine funds with other investors and IRAs opens a door to a whole new world of possibilities, and understanding how to partner accounts will allow more investors to grow their accounts faster. For more information on partnering or how to maximize all of your self-directed IRAs, give an IRA Specialist a call at 855-FUN-IRAs (855.386.4727). To learn more about how to get started investing with a self-directed IRA, schedule a 1-on-1 consultation with an IRA Specialist by clicking HERE.
